Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Supporting Economic Growth

Tuesday 1 July 2025 · 4 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 4 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Half of small businesses will not be affected by the employer national insurance increase.
  • The Government will set out a small business strategy later this year to support businesses across the UK.
  • The Government are investing over 2.7 billion a year for sustainable farming and nature recovery, and 1.9 billion to improve digital connectivity.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Liz Jarvis Lib Dem Eastleigh
Economy Employment Business & Trade
Context

Local businesses, such as the precision manufacturing firm G. W. Martin, have faced increased costs due to changes in employer national insurance contributions.

Question

Small to medium-sized businesses are the backbone of the local economy in Eastleigh, creating jobs and driving innovation. However, local businesses, including the precision manufacturing firm G. W. Martin, have told me that the increased costs as a result of the changes to employer national insurance contributions have left them with no choice but to pass those costs on to customers, making UK manufacturing less competitive globally. What concrete steps will the Government take to help businesses in Eastleigh?

Answer from Emma Reynolds (Economic Secretary to the Treasury)

Half of small businesses will not be affected by the employer national insurance increase, as the hon. Member will know. We will also be setting out a small business strategy in the Government’s plan to support those businesses across the UK later this year.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific steps to help Eastleigh's businesses beyond half of them not being affected by the national insurance increase

How: Will Be Setting Out A Small Business Strategy

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Q2 Catherine Fookes Lab Monmouthshire
Economy Transport Business & Trade
Context

The Welsh rail investment of £445 million is part of a broader strategy to support economic growth in Wales.

Question

As the Minister knows, I am delighted with the spending review’s investment in Welsh rail of £445 million. It shows the power of two Labour Governments working together and corrects years of underfunding from the Tories. This investment in Welsh communities and Welsh business is extremely welcome and it will be a brilliant driver of our Government’s mission for economic growth. Will she outline what steps she is taking with other Departments to ensure that rural economies and market towns such as Monmouth, Abergavenny, Caldicot and Chepstow, and small businesses across Monmouthshire, can be helped to thrive and contribute to that growth mission?

Answer from Emma Reynolds (Economic Secretary to the Treasury)

I welcome what my hon. Friend said. The Government are supporting the rural economy with over £2.7 billion a year for sustainable farming and nature recovery. We are investing £1.9 billion to improve digital connectivity, which will be important to the small businesses and others that she mentioned. As I said to the previous question, we will set out a small business strategy later this year.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific steps with other departments to support rural economies in Monmouthshire beyond digital connectivity and farming recovery

How: Will Set Out A Small Business Strategy

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Q3 Cameron Thomas Ind Tewkesbury
Defence Economy
Context

North Gloucestershire has advanced engineering and defence industries ready to drive economic and defence objectives.

Question

North Gloucestershire is ready to jump-start economic growth, with its existing advanced engineering and defence industries ready to drive the UK toward economic and defence objectives. Babcock, GE Aerospace, Moog and Safran are already developing world-leading technologies, and the Garden Town project includes a further 100 hectares of employment area. Will the Minister join me in Gloucestershire so we can demonstrate this expertise and the potential for growth on the ground?

Answer from Emma Reynolds (Economic Secretary to the Treasury)

Defence companies are an incredibly important part of the economy, and the hon. Member will know that we are increasing defence spending to up to 2.6% by the end of this Parliament. It has only ever reached those levels before under a Labour Government.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Visiting north Gloucestershire to demonstrate economic potential

How: Increasing Defence Spending

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Q4 Max Wilkinson Lib Dem Cheltenham
Economy Transport Business & Trade
Context

The National Cyber Innovation Centre is a development of national importance requiring infrastructure improvements such as junction 10 of the M5.

Question

The industrial strategy was right to highlight the potential for the National Cyber Innovation Centre in my constituency. If we are going to deliver that, we will need to make sure that junction 10 of the M5 is also done to enable the traffic to get around that development. This is a development of national importance. The strategic sites accelerator has also been cited by the Government. Can the Minister advise me on how areas like Liberal Democrat-run Cheltenham and Gloucestershire can access that fund?

Answer from Emma Reynolds (Economic Secretary to the Treasury)

I will ensure that the hon. Member gets a meeting with the relevant Transport Minister, but I hope that he is as excited as I am about the £1 billion that we are investing in the state-of-the-art Golden Valley development, which will create 12,000 high-skilled jobs and 3,700 new homes, and is close to the GCHQ headquarters in Cheltenham. I am sure that that is something he will welcome.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific advice on accessing funds through the strategic sites accelerator

How: Meeting With Transport Minister

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