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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to support the manufacturing sector in Calderdale.

Government has awarded £56m to Leeds City Region from the Local Growth Fund for a range of capital grants for SMEs. To date 407 grants have been awarded from the Business Growth Programme, with 70% going to businesses in the manufacturing sector. 42 of these grants, totalling £2.4m, have been awarded to SMEs in the manufacturing sector in Calderdale.

In February this year we announced a £400m Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund (NPIF), aimed at boosting the North of England’s economy and helping the region’s businesses realise their growth potential.