David Mackintosh
Main Page: David Mackintosh (Conservative - Northampton South)Department Debates - View all David Mackintosh's debates with the HM Treasury
(7 years, 9 months ago)
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Steve Double
I will happily agree. The support given to microbreweries to develop right across the country—they are now producing very high-quality, excellent craft beer—is a success that should be noted.
David Mackintosh (Northampton South) (Con)
Does my hon. Friend agree that larger breweries, such as Carlsberg in my constituency, also play an important role in providing beer for people, but the beer duty also has an impact on them?
Steve Double
I wholeheartedly agree that the beer duty affects the whole industry. That is why I believe it needs to be addressed.
One interesting statistic I read was that communities that have a well loved pub are happier. Pubs have that very positive effect on local communities. I was dismayed when a local Liberal Democrat councillor in St Austell recently suggested tightening up the local licensing regulations and limiting the number of pubs to curb incidents of antisocial behaviour. That misses the point entirely, because well run pubs promote responsible drinking, and in my experience they have a positive impact by reducing crime and antisocial behaviour, rather than being the cause of the problem.