Department for Business and Trade written question – answered at on 8 July 2026.
Edward Morello
Liberal Democrat, West Dorset
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of economic growth opportunities in West Dorset.
Blair McDougall
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
DBT works closely with other Government Departments and local partner organisations, including Local Authorities, to collect intelligence and data, identify issues, and support the development and delivery of initiatives to open up opportunities for economic growth, including employment and industrial land.
Whilst West Dorset faces structural challenges including high public sector employment dependency, below-average productivity, skills shortages, and rural connectivity constraints, opportunities have been identified in clean energy, advanced manufacturing, agritech, marine/maritime, tourism, and defence — with the Dorset Innovation Park at Winfrith representing the most significant near-term employment land development opportunity in the West Dorset area.
Secretary of State was originally the title given to the two officials who conducted the Royal Correspondence under Elizabeth I. Now it is the title held by some of the more important Government Ministers, for example the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
