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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an assessment of the factors that have contributed to the trend in the level of business start-ups in Scotland since 2016.

Many factors influence the business start-up rate, for instance the ease of setting up a business, the availability of finance and the provision of business support. The level of business start-ups in Scotland has been broadly stable over the past five years, with the exception of 2020 where business activity was significantly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. The UK business start-up rate is one of the highest in the OECD, reflecting the UK’s position as one of the best countries in the world in which to start a business.

UK and Scotland births of business enterprises 2016-2021[1]

[1] ONS, Business Demography, UK, November 2022