Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 6 September 2021 to Question 37473, on New Businesses: Females, how much money his Department has provided to businesses through Start Up Loans; and what proportion of those loans have been provided to (a) women-owned businesses and (b) businesses owned by BAME people.

The number of Start Up Loans provided from March 2012 to the end of September 2021 was 88,253, with a total value of £790,096,004. Of these, 35,156 (40%) with a value of £291,330,446 (37%) were provided to women and 17,914 loans (20%) with a value of £154,023,924 (19%) were provided to entrepreneurs from a Black, Asian or other minority ethnic background.