Written questions by Olney.

What discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on support to improve the investment readiness of (a) women and (b) BAME entrepreneurs.

The government backed Invest in Women Taskforce aims to make the UK the best place in the world to be a female entrepreneur. To improve investment readiness, it seeks to break down barriers such as lack of mentorship, resource and networks for aspiring women-led businesses. In 2024, our Venture Capital Unit launched a Female Founders Cohort initiative to support women-led businesses raise funds from international venture capital investors. In February 2025, a roundtable discussion was held with ethnic minority businesses (EMB) and the financial services sector to discuss challenges in accessing finance, as well as how we can better engage and support EMB founders. We have also launched a Call for Evidence on Small Business Access to Finance to help inform government policy and initiatives, which includes a specific focus on underserved entrepreneurs.

What steps his Department is taking to help increase representation of (a) women and (b) minority ethnic founders in venture capital funding.

The Department leads on the Invest in Women Taskforce (IWT) and the Investing in Women Code (IWC). In November, the IWT launched a £255 million fund for female entrepreneurs, which will be invested through female investors in the UK, including backing female emerging fund managers. Signatories to the IWC diversify their investment committees and decision makers, recognising diverse leaders make better decisions. In February 2025, a roundtable discussion was held with the finance industry, including Venture Capital representatives, to address access to finance issues for ethnic minority founders. We have also launched a Call for Evidence on Small Business Access to Finance to help inform government policy and initiatives, which includes a specific focus on underserved entrepreneurs.

With reference to the Prime Minister's Oral Statement of 25 February 2025 on Defence and Security, Official Report, columns 361-364, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of reducing Official Development Assistance funding as a proportion of Gross National Income on UK businesses.

The Prime Minister has set out a new strategic vision for government spending on defence and security, and official development assistance.Decisions on how the ODA budget will be used will be worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review and resource allocation processes, based on various factors including impact assessments.

When he plans to publish information on the remaining issues set out in paragraph 46 of the policy paper entitled The fire safety of domestic upholstered furniture, published on 22 January 2025.

The Government is committed to upholding the highest standards of fire safety for domestic upholstered furniture and ensuring only safe products are placed on the UK market. Officials in the Department for Business and Trade have begun extensive, targeted stakeholder engagement to inform decision making on the issues outlined in the policy paper. Following this engagement process, the Government will publish an update on the remaining issues.