Mr Patsy McGlone (Mid Ulster): To ask the Minister for the Economy to detail any steps she is taking to create cross-departmental (i) structures; and (ii) regulations that support small and medium-sized enterprises.
Minister for the Economy: My Department works on a cross-departmental basis to ensure that the needs of small and medium-sized enterprises are considered at an early stage of policy development. Officials provide advice and guidance to departments on better regulation tools, including Regulatory Impact Assessments and the Small and Micro Business Impact Test (SaMBIT), to help ensure that impacts on SMEs are identified and reflected appropriately.
In addition, Invest NI provides a wide range of advice, guidance, innovation support and access to finance for businesses, and maintains the nibusinessinfo.co.uk website, which offers comprehensive guidance and resources to support SMEs across a range of regulatory and operational areas.
ENDS
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