Declares that the Petitioners believe that the Government should stick to its promise to introduce a watchdog to prevent valued pubs from facing closure due to unfair practices in the pub sector; further that the Petitioners believe that a pubs watchdog is urgently needed to govern the behaviour of large pub companies so that publicans are treated fairly by ensuring that rents and wholesale prices are reasonable; and further that a Petition from UK residents on this subject has received over 43,000 signatures.
The Petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Government to stick to its promise and introduce a pubs watchdog to protect valued pubs from the risk of closure.
And the Petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by Greg Mulholland, Official Report, 14 May 2014; Vol. 580, c. 858.]
[P001353]
Observations from the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, received on 11 June 2014:
On 3 June 2014 the Government published their Response to the consultation on Pub Companies and Tenants and also their Response to the House of Commons Business, Innovation and Skills Committee’s Fourth Report of Session 2013-14: Consultation on a Statutory Code for Pub Companies.
Those Responses stated that the Government intend to establish a Statutory Code and an independent Adjudicator to govern the relationship between all pub owning businesses and their tied tenants. These will provide tied tenants with fair treatment, increased transparency and stronger rights about how and when their rents are agreed.
The pubs watchdog will stamp out unfair practices and enforce measures that will protect valued pubs from the risk of closure.
On 4 June Her Majesty the Queen announced that the Government would shortly introduce a Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Bill. This will include measures to establish the Statutory Code and an independent Adjudicator.