Question follow-through · 89890
Small Businesses: Rural Areas
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent steps he has taken to ensure rural community owned businesses are included in the Small Business Strategy.
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
- 11 Nov 2025
- Target answer date
- 13 Nov 2025
- Answer
- 17 Nov 2025 · 6 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
- Housing: Repairs and Maintenance · 9 Dec 2025
- Housing: Repairs and Maintenance · 9 Dec 2025
- Housing: Repairs and Maintenance · 9 Dec 2025
- Tea: Imports · 17 Dec 2025
- Postal Services: Newbury · 17 Dec 2025
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
11 Nov 2025
Question tabled
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent steps he has taken to ensure rural community owned businesses are included in the Small Business Strategy.
13 Nov 2025
Target answer date
Date supplied by the official written-questions record.
17 Nov 2025
Answer published
The Small Business Plan outlines how we will make thriving small businesses a reality across the UK, whether across towns or countryside. Rural areas offer significant growth potential and fulfilling the needs of people and businesses in rural areas is at...
Official data retrieved 28 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.
Housing: Repairs and Maintenance
9 Dec 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the mandatory licensing scheme for builders provides adequate protections for homeowners who hire builders to complete work.
Housing: Repairs and Maintenance
9 Dec 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he plans to provide support to people who have hired a registered builder where the work has not been completed due to that builder entering liquidation.
Housing: Repairs and Maintenance
9 Dec 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he plans to increase requirements for builders to hold licensing fees.
Tea: Imports
17 Dec 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of current UK import standards in ensuring sustainable practices in tea supply chains.
Postal Services: Newbury
17 Dec 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment has been made of potential differences in postal service performance between urban and rural areas within Newbury constituency.
Royal Mail: Standards
17 Dec 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to ensure Royal Mail meets its regulatory obligations when local delivery service standards are not achieved.
Fuel Cells and Hydrogen: Exports
18 Dec 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to promote UK-manufactured hydrogen technologies in international markets.
Parcels: Delivery Services
2 Mar 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has held discussions with relevant stakeholders on the adequacy of the operations of major parcel delivery operators during seasonal demands.
Evri
2 Mar 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has had discussions with Evri on measures to support frontline delivery staff, including a) training, b) working conditions and c) pay.
Parcels: Delivery Services
2 Mar 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department plans to require parcel delivery companies to publish regular data on a) delivery success rates, b) complaints volumes, c) compensation claims and d) average resolution times.
Evri
2 Mar 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has had recent discussions with Ofcom regarding its monitoring and enforcement activity in respect of Evri.
Parcels: Delivery Services
2 Mar 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of consumer and small business protections when parcels are lost or delayed by couriers; and whether he plans to review the refund and reimbursem