Question follow-through · 92507

Small Businesses: Loans

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what information her Department holds on the highest rate of short-term lending to small and medium sized businesses in the UK.

answeredTreasury

About this written question

A written question asks a government minister for information in writing. Parliament publishes the question and any answer.

Answering body
Treasury
Tabled
19 Nov 2025
Target answer date
24 Nov 2025
Answer
24 Nov 2025 · 5 calendar days after tabling

Elapsed calendar days describe the record timeline, not whether Parliament considers an answer on time.

Recorded timeline

  1. 19 Nov 2025

    Question tabled

    To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what information her Department holds on the highest rate of short-term lending to small and medium sized businesses in the UK.

  2. 24 Nov 2025

    Target answer date

    Date supplied by the official written-questions record.

  3. 24 Nov 2025

    Answer published

    Interest rates are a commercial matter decided by lenders, reflecting the base rate, the risk of the applicant, and a margin to make the loan commercially viable given the cost of underwriting and broader funding costs. Rates vary across the market and ev...

Open official record

Official data retrieved 28 Sept 2026.

Later records

Possible follow-up questions

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Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

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Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

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21 Nov 2025 · To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade on the cost of business loans offered by IWOCA.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

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21 Nov 2025 · To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will meet with representatives of the UK chemical industry to discuss an estimate of the potential cost of being out of the Single Market.

Strong linkSame MP, department and exact heading

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24 Nov 2025 · To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many complaints the a) Financial Ombudsman Service, b) Financial Conduct Authority and c) Prudential Regulation Authority received about i) the cost of loans to SMEs, ii) debt recovery behaviour by those offerin

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

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25 Nov 2025 · To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of proposed changes to EU customs arrangements on UK businesses.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

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3 Dec 2025 · To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she will bring forward plans to make car insurance more affordable in general and particularly for those living in areas of deprivation.

Strong linkSame MP, department and exact heading

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3 Dec 2025 · To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of the number of of small business finance applications rejected by (a) high street banks and (b) all banks in (i) total and (ii) just for non asset backed lending applications in the most

Strong linkSame MP, department and exact heading

Small Businesses: Loans

3 Dec 2025 · To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has received representations on the cost of lending required by (a) Maxcap business loans, (b) Capify business loans and (c) Funding Circle’s Flexipay product.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

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3 Dec 2025 · To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what further steps she will take to make the cost of business loans more transparent.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

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4 Dec 2025 · To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to improve access to affordable credit.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Personal Savings

4 Dec 2025 · To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to increase levels of household savings.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Mutual Societies

9 Dec 2025 · To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she will discuss support for new mutual banks with Ministerial colleagues in the Department for Business and Trade.