Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to ensure that small businesses have input into Departmental regulatory consultations.

For regulation to be effective, it must be created in partnership with businesses. To support this, the government initiated the Invest 2035 call for evidence from key stakeholders, including small businesses, providing input on where regulation can be reformed across our key growth-driving sectors to help encourage growth and innovation.

These responses informed our Modern Industrial Strategy published last month, as well as the Government’s Action Plan for Regulation, published in March. We are continuing to engage with SMEs, via a dedicated forum chaired by Minister Thomas, which will directly inform our forthcoming SME Strategy.