Question follow-through · 20846
Small Businesses: Government Assistance
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department is taking steps to help support small and medium-sized businesses to compete with online retailers.
About this written question
A written question asks a government minister for information in writing. Parliament publishes the question and any answer.
- Answering body
- Department for Business and Trade
- Tabled
- 17 Dec 2024
- Target answer date
- 19 Dec 2024
- Answer
- 27 Dec 2024 · 10 calendar days after tabling
Elapsed calendar days describe the record timeline, not whether Parliament considers an answer on time.
More questions by this MP on Economy and business
- Personal Care Services: Operating Costs · 7 Apr 2025
- Food: Prices · 14 Jan 2026
- Food: Prices · 14 Jan 2026
- Fireworks: Noise · 14 Jan 2026
- Fireworks: Noise · 14 Jan 2026
Shared topic keywords suggest a connection; they do not establish a follow-up.
Votes on this topic
- Draft Code of Practice on Electronic and Workplace Ballots for Statutory Trade Union Ballots · 15 Jul 2026
- Draft Trade Unions (Permissible Means of Voting) and Employment Rights (Unfair Dismissal) (Amendment) Order 2026 · 15 Jul 2026
- Taxation (Energy and Vehicles) Bill Committee: New Clause 5 · 1 Jul 2026
These Commons divisions share a topic label. The question did not necessarily lead to a vote.
Recorded timeline
17 Dec 2024
Question tabled
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department is taking steps to help support small and medium-sized businesses to compete with online retailers.
19 Dec 2024
Target answer date
Date supplied by the official written-questions record.
27 Dec 2024
Answer published
SMEs remain a key part of the high street, and a thriving high street will need a strong retail offering.This is why the Government is creating a fairer business rate system and transforming the apprenticeship levy to support business and boost opportunit...
Official data retrieved 27 Sept 2026.
Later records
Possible follow-up questions
Strong links require the same MP, department and exact heading. Other same-department questions are shown as unreviewed candidates, not as confirmed follow-ups. No debate link is asserted unless a stable source relationship exists.
Personal Care Services: Operating Costs
7 Apr 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the report by the National Hair and Beauty Federation entitled Straightening out the costs, published on 5 March 2025.
Food: Prices
14 Jan 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Groceries Code Adjudicator in protecting consumers from rising food prices.
Food: Prices
14 Jan 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he plans to require supermarkets to publish data comparing food price increases with payments to suppliers.
Fireworks: Noise
14 Jan 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he will review current fireworks legislation in relation to noise levels.
Fireworks: Noise
14 Jan 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of fireworks noise on the welfare of pets.
Fireworks: Noise
14 Jan 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of fireworks noise on the welfare of people living with PTSD and other noise-sensitive health conditions.
Trade Agreements: USA
22 Jan 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will publish in full the UK-US pharmaceuticals deal, including a full assessment of the cost implications for the NHS and wider public purse.
Nightclubs: Fireworks
4 Feb 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has considered introducing a ban on the use of indoor pyrotechnics in nightclubs.
Business: Regulation
20 Feb 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing Human Rights and Environmental Due Diligence legislation as part of the Responsible Business Conduct Review.
Postal Services
25 Feb 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has had recent discussions with Royal Mail on taking steps to provide timely deliveries during (a) adverse weather events and (b) periods of high staff sickness absence.
Origin Marking: Israel
29 Jun 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues about imports from Israeli settlements mislabeled as originating from Israel.
Schools: Conditions of Employment
13 Jul 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether the Government's response to the Make Work Pay consultation on non-disclosure agreements will address staff employed by the overseas franchises of UK schools.