Contents
1 Introduction - Small Businesses and Productivity
The Importance of SME productivity
UK Productivity and its ‘Long Tail’
The BEIS Committee’s Inquiry into Small Businesses and Productivity
Treasury Select Committee Inquiry on SME Finance
What is productivity and why does it matter?
The UK’s overall productivity gap
Small businesses and the ‘Long Tail’ of UK productivity
What does productivity mean to small businesses?
3 SME Access to Support and Advice
Government initiatives to address the productivity gap
Local advice and support for SMEs
4 Leadership, Management and Digital Skills
Leadership and management skills
Barriers to SMEs acquiring leadership and management skills
What are Scale-ups and why do they matter?
How is the UK doing in terms of Scale-Ups and where are the Gaps?
6 Late Payments, Retentions and Government Procurement
Late payments and their extent
Government action on late payments
Why don’t SMEs chase late payments?
Making more progress on late payments
Government procurement and SMEs
Conclusions and recommendations
List of Reports from the Committee during the current Parliament
Published: 5 December 2018