Mr Patsy McGlone (Mid Ulster): To ask the Minister for the Economy to detail any recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of barriers to growth on start-up businesses.
Minister for the Economy: My Department considers barriers to growth affecting startups through a number of ongoing, structured policy and stakeholder-led processes.
In September 2025, I established an SME Entrepreneurship Codesign Group to assess the current business startup landscape and to develop recommendations for improvement. This stakeholderled group brings together representatives from business, academia and enterprise support bodies, and is examining issues such as the complexity of the support landscape, cultural barriers to entrepreneurship, and challenges faced by earlystage businesses. The group is expected to produce an action plan in the coming months.
In addition, I established a £45m Regional Balance Fund to empower local councils, through the establishment of Local Economic Partnerships, to identify and address specific economic challenges in their areas.
Alongside this strategic work, the Department continues to engage with the council-led Go Succeed service, which provides free advice, mentoring and guidance to entrepreneurs and small businesses across all council areas, helping them to navigate challenges and support sustainable growth.
ENDS
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