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 businesses as part of the Northern Powerhouse.

Supporting businesses in the Northern Powerhouse is a priority for this Government.

At the Autumn Statement, we launched the Northern Powerhouse strategy, setting out our strategic vision for an even stronger, more productive northern economy. Across the North we are supporting investment funds totalling over £500m for SMEs, investing £3.4billion in Growth Deal projects, and have created seventeen Enterprise Zones.