Oral Answers to Questions

Emma Lewell Excerpts

Tuesday 15th December 2020 Commons Chamber

[Paul Scully]

I thank the hon. Lady for her question. We will always look for and listen to suggestions on how we can improve schemes, and I will continue to work with Treasury colleagues to reflect that.

[Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck (South Shields) (Lab)]

What assessment his Department has made of the effect of tiered covid-19 public health restrictions on businesses’ ability to trade.

[Alex Norris (Nottingham North) (Lab/Co-op)]

What assessment his Department has made of the effect of tiered covid-19 public health restrictions on businesses’ ability to trade.

[The Minister for Business, Energy and Clean Growth (Kwasi Kwarteng)]

We know that certain areas of the economy have faced enormous challenges this year, and that is why the Government have provided an unprecedented range of support packages to help businesses precisely to continue trading.

[Mrs Lewell-Buck]

Wet pubs in South Shields spent money making themselves covid-secure, only to have an arbitrary curfew imposed on them and then to be forced to close completely, yet there is no evidence at all that they are contributing to the spread of the virus. This was a policy, not a health decision. I heard the Minister’s earlier response, but if the Government really do not want to see our pub doors closed forever, why have they not listened to the requests from the British Beer and Pub Association and uplifted the current grants on offer?

[Kwasi Kwarteng]

As the Under-Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, my hon. Friend the Member for Sutton and Cheam (Paul Scully), has suggested, there is a considerable measure of support for pubs that are suffering at the moment. And as my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care said, there is a clear medical, epidemiological reason for pursuing the policies that we have done.