small businesses are the beating heart of our high streets and communities, and they are essential to economic success and our growth mission. We want growth in every part of the UK, and small businesses have an enormous role to play in that.

I welcome my hon. Friend to his place. I have always enjoyed my visits to his constituency, particularly enjoying an ice cream at Rossi's ice cream parlour. Those visits had a serious purpose: they helped us to build our programme for small business, which recognises not only issues such as late payments, but the need for the whole Government to tackle access to finance and retail crime. I will be delighted to make sure that my hon. Friend gets the meeting he requests with my officials.

I also welcome my hon. Friend to her place. I was pleased to meet her at the Farnborough air show, of which she is extremely proud. I extend birthday wishes to the Federation of Small Businesses, with which we work very closely on policies such as late payments. The FSB has over 150,000 members across the country and began in Blackpool.

This issue is important to Members in all parts of the country, but I recognise my hon. Friend's particular point about prosperous rural economies. Access to banking and financial services is a prime example of the fact that the Government will work across every Department to make sure we are giving businesses what they need. We will see at least an additional 350 banking hubs in this Parliament.

I thank the hon. Member for raising a matter important to his constituency. My Department works closely with devolved arrangements in the UK, and it is important to work with them with respect and good faith. This question is clearly for the Mayor of London; we always take heed of the aggregate impact on business at every level of government.

Business confidence was strengthened considerably following the general election and the return to political stability. However, I hear the hon. Lady's point about her area and region, which is an important priority for me. I will ensure she gets the meeting she needs.

I thank the hon. Member for his question. Positive developments have occurred through the work of the British Business Bank. The Government feel that the landscape for public finance institutions is busy, and the key policy is to ensure the national wealth fund aligns with priorities in this area, expanding work done and ensuring consistency so businesses understand the landscape.

I thank the hon. Lady for her kind words. I recognise that the Liberal Democrat manifesto shows we have many common areas of interest, particularly on industrial strategy and trade. Under this Government, trade policy will match our domestic, economic and business priorities. We will be able to reset our relationship with the European Union because, to be frank, we are unencumbered by some of the internal politics of the last Government. We believe that we can make the most of opportunities around the world. Businesses tell me, as I am sure they tell every hon. Member here, that for many years, politics has been driving the agenda, rather than what businesses need. That will change, and has already begun to change.