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Departmental SME Action Plans

Multiple government departments are developing and implementing Small and Medium-sized Enterprise (SME) action plans to address skills shortages, regulatory burden, and support for the SME sector. Led by the Cabinet Office and Department for Business and Trade across 17 departments, these coordinated plans aim to reduce administrative burden by 25% while improving SME competitiveness and access to support. The plans are currently active with 2025-2028 delivery timelines published.

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2026

40 events
29 Apr 2026 | Written question Department for Transport linked

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Guide to the Mode Shift Revenue Support Scheme, published in January 2026, whether she has conducted analysis of barriers to entry fo

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Guide to the Mode Shift Revenue Support Scheme, published in January 2026, whether she has conducted analysis of barriers to entry for small and medium-sized enterprises applying to …

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK
28 Apr 2026 | Written question Department for Business and Trade linked

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to provide development support for co-operative businesses located in (i) Milton Keynes and (ii) Buckinghamshi

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to provide development support for co-operative businesses located in (i) Milton Keynes and (ii) Buckinghamshire.

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK
28 Apr 2026 | Written question Department for Business and Trade Context · primary home: Regulating for Growth Bill linked

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of sector-specific administrative cost baselines on measuring the 25% reduction in business co

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of sector-specific administrative cost baselines on measuring the 25% reduction in business compliance costs targeted under the Regulation Action Pla

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK
28 Apr 2026 | Written question Department for Business and Trade Context · primary home: Regulating for Growth Bill linked

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the 25% administration reduction target set out in the Regulation Action Plan on the baseli

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the 25% administration reduction target set out in the Regulation Action Plan on the baseline annual compliance costs of small …

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK
28 Apr 2026 | Written question Department for Business and Trade Context · primary home: Regulating for Growth Bill linked

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking through the Regulation Action Plan to align regulatory frameworks with the Modern Industrial Strategy.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking through the Regulation Action Plan to align regulatory frameworks with the Modern Industrial Strategy.

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK
28 Apr 2026 | Written question Department for Business and Trade linked

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, (a) what action the Government is taking to address skills shortages in small and medium sized enterprises; (b) what assessment he has made of the

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, (a) what action the Government is taking to address skills shortages in small and medium sized enterprises; (b) what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his Department's …

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK
27 Apr 2026 | Written question Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government linked

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of contested Penalty Charge Notices on small and medium-sized enterpris

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of contested Penalty Charge Notices on small and medium-sized enterprises engaged in (a) delivery and (b) servicing activity.

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK
11 Feb 2026 | Committee report linked

The Government should set a 30% target for total direct spend with SMEs, to be achieved by 2028. Each department should set out its contribution towards this target, and the Department for Business and Trade should monitor departmental performance. This should be reported to Parliament annually, with departments setting out what steps they are taking to improve performance when targets are not met. These targets should include all public bodies within the department’s remit. (Recommendation, ...

The Government should set a 30% target for total direct spend with SMEs, to be achieved by 2028. Each department should set out its contribution towards this target, and the Department for Business and Trade should monitor departmental performance. This …

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK
11 Feb 2026 | Committee report linked

The Government should appoint a Procurement Council of Experts. This should gather SME feedback on procurement processes and advise departments on best practice to affect a culture change throughout Government. (Recommendation, Paragraph 30) 70

The Government should appoint a Procurement Council of Experts. This should gather SME feedback on procurement processes and advise departments on best practice to affect a culture change throughout Government. (Recommendation, Paragraph 30) 70 Type: recommendation | Number: 5 | …

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9 Jan 2026 | Policy paper Department for Business and Trade Context · primary home: Small Business Protections (L… linked

Backing your business: our plan for small and medium-sized businesses

Strategy setting out a long-term plan for government support for small and medium-sized businesses.

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK · ↓ Backing your business: our plan for small and m…
+6 more
↓ Backing your business: our plan for small and medium sized … (66pp) ↓ Backing your business: one page summary (1pp) ↓ Backing your business: policy annex (web version) ↓ Backing your business: policy annex (PDF version) (43pp) ↓ Backing your business: evidence annex (web version) ↓ Backing your business: evidence annex (PDF version) (39pp)

2025

6 events
11 Dec 2025 | Policy paper Department for Business and Trade Department for Energy Security and Net Zero linked

Government response to the Willow Review

Government’s response to the recommendations of The Willow Review, an independent, government-backed review exploring the benefits of sustainability for small and medium-sized enterprises.

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK · ↓ UK government response to the Willow Review rec…
+1 more
↓ UK government response to the Willow Review recommendations… (23pp)
16 Sep 2025 | Announcement Department for Business and Trade Context · primary home: Small Business Protections (L… linked

Backing your Business: Our plan for small and medium sized businesses

UIN: HLWS924 My Hon Friend the Parliamentary Under Secretary (Blair McDougall MP) has today made the following statement.On 31st July, the Government launched our Plan for Small Businesses, changing the status quo in order to support small businesses.Economic growth r...

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6 Jun 2025 | Committee report linked

To support SMEs to innovate and to continue to grow, we recommend that multi-year framework contracts are available for SMEs in the sectors in which the state is the biggest customer, such as defence and life sciences. We also recommend that the Government set a target for how much of public procurement spend is direct spend to SMEs. (Recommendation, Paragraph 71)

To support SMEs to innovate and to continue to grow, we recommend that multi-year framework contracts are available for SMEs in the sectors in which the state is the biggest customer, such as defence and life sciences. We also recommend …

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK

2024

2 events

2023

8 events
27 Jan 2023 | Committee report linked

The UK defence sector, and the shipbuilding industry in particular, is dominated by a relatively small number of major companies. This is partly as a result of significant rationalisation and consolidation over the years, the highly specialised nature of its work and its limited customer base. In 2021/22, 42 per cent of total MOD procurement expenditure was with top ten suppliers.102 The MOD acknowledges this and has a Defence SME Action Plan, with a target that 25 per cent of the department’...

The UK defence sector, and the shipbuilding industry in particular, is dominated by a relatively small number of major companies. This is partly as a result of significant rationalisation and consolidation over the years, the highly specialised nature of its …

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK
27 Jan 2023 | Committee report linked

Only a small proportion of MOD spending with SMEs goes to Scottish SMEs, however. During our previous defence inquiry into Scotland’s military landscape, the MOD told us that Scottish SMEs accounted for just over £25 million of the MOD’s total spend. This is around 2.5 per cent of the approximate £1 billion total spent with SMEs in 2020/21. Scottish SMEs account for 6.2 per cent of all UK SMEs.105 When we put this to the Defence Secretary he accepted that the 2.5 per cent figure sounded “rath...

Only a small proportion of MOD spending with SMEs goes to Scottish SMEs, however. During our previous defence inquiry into Scotland’s military landscape, the MOD told us that Scottish SMEs accounted for just over £25 million of the MOD’s total …

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK
27 Jan 2023 | Committee report linked

The Ministry of Defence should, in line with its commitments in the National Shipbuilding Strategy and the UK Government’s commitments in Maritime 2050, work specifically to develop shipbuilding clusters in Scotland. In responding to this report, the UK Government should update us on what it has already done to support the growth of the Scottish Maritime Cluster as was promised in the Maritime 2050 strategy in 2019. To support the growth of these clusters the MOD needs to address barriers to ...

The Ministry of Defence should, in line with its commitments in the National Shipbuilding Strategy and the UK Government’s commitments in Maritime 2050, work specifically to develop shipbuilding clusters in Scotland. In responding to this report, the UK Government should …

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK
27 Jan 2023 | Committee report linked

The Ministry of Defence should report back to us at the end of the financial year to confirm whether it met its target of spending 25 per cent of its procurement spend with SMEs. In addition, it should provide an update on what proportion of its spend with SMEs is spent with Scottish SMEs. Social value

The Ministry of Defence should report back to us at the end of the financial year to confirm whether it met its target of spending 25 per cent of its procurement spend with SMEs. In addition, it should provide an …

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK

2022

4 events
24 Jun 2022 | Committee report linked

We welcome the MOD’s high level of spending with Scottish industry (around 10% of total spending with industry) but are concerned that this spending is very heavily skewed towards major international prime contractors rather than SMEs. This is illustrated by the fact that only 2.5% of the MOD’s spending with UK SMEs goes to Scottish businesses. While this figure is higher than the MOD’s spending with SMEs in the North West of England, Wales and Northern Ireland, it is far lower than both the ...

We welcome the MOD’s high level of spending with Scottish industry (around 10% of total spending with industry) but are concerned that this spending is very heavily skewed towards major international prime contractors rather than SMEs. This is illustrated by …

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK

2021

2 events
21 Apr 2021 | Committee report linked

SMEs have long faced difficulties in accessing public procurement opportunities. There has been some progress since Defra’s 2014 Plan, but it has been slow. The pilot run by Bath and North East Somerset Council (BANES) using the Dynamic Purchasing System showed promising results, including, crucially, that local sourcing can be more cost-effective. We are satisfied that plans had been made to scale up this pilot in the south west of England, with a view to national rollout in the longer term.

SMEs have long faced difficulties in accessing public procurement opportunities. There has been some progress since Defra’s 2014 Plan, but it has been slow. The pilot run by Bath and North East Somerset Council (BANES) using the Dynamic Purchasing System …

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK

2020

1 event
28 Oct 2020 | Committee report linked

The Department intends to focus its bespoke support on around 230,000 businesses that have greatest potential to generate high-value exports, specifically those with a viable service or product to export and a turnover above £500,000. We were concerned that this is a small fraction of a total of 5.9 million businesses in the UK.32

The Department intends to focus its bespoke support on around 230,000 businesses that have greatest potential to generate high-value exports, specifically those with a viable service or product to export and a turnover above £500,000. We were concerned that this …

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK

2019

1 event

2018

1 event

2016

1 event

2015

1 event