Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that the interests of small and medium-sized enterprises are taken into account in policymaking discussions and decisions.

Government provides extensive support to SMEs and places them at the heart of policy making. When developing policies, departments should consider whether micro, small and medium-sized businesses can be exempt from proposed regulations. To test that this is being done, the Better Regulation Framework requires a Small and Micro Business Assessment (SaMBA) in department’s impact assessments. The Department continues to engage with SMEs and representative organisations, for example through the SME Action Group chaired by Minister Hollinrake, to ensure business voices are heard, and to help create the right conditions for businesses to scale up both domestically and internationally.