It is a pleasure to serve under the chairmanship of Mr Dowd. The Minister congratulates the hon. Member for Hackney South and Shoreditch on securing this debate, noting the importance of expanding understanding and learning from successful examples of best practice. She highlights several key points raised by MPs, including the work being done in Cynon Valley to develop a local co-operative, and mentions her interest in visiting Neath to discuss further. The Minister acknowledges the role of co-operatives in boosting growth and opportunity, referencing Co-operative UK's 2021 report which estimates that UK co-ops have a combined turnover of almost £40 billion and employ around 250,000 people. She outlines several Government initiatives, such as the social enterprise boost fund with £4.1 million in funding to support new social enterprises and early-stage organisations across six local authority areas until March 2025. The community ownership fund allows community groups to bid for up to £1 million of match funding to help them buy or take over at-risk local assets, having awarded £23.9 million to 98 projects so far. She also mentions the Co-operatives, Mutuals and Friendly Societies Bill and ongoing reviews by the Law Commission of key legislation to update it for modern times. The Minister stresses the importance of growth hubs across England, with 37 currently backed by Government funding up to £12 million in 2023-24 confirmed. She concludes that co-operatives should be seen as valued members of their community and outlines a high street accelerator pilot programme to incentivise local people to work together on ambitious plans to reinvent their high streets. The Minister thanks all Members for their contributions and will take away key issues such as assessing barriers for co-operatives in accessing government contracts, the opportunity to create a central hub for co-operative advice, and whether there is an opportunity for regional co-operative development agencies.