Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with Public Health England and the UK Health Security Agency on the use of mercury in dental amalgam fillings.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
In England, we will continue to review the use of mercury in dental amalgam fillings and restrict and phase down their use. Administrations across the United Kingdom routinely work together to share best practice and to deliver on our common goals for improving patients’ experiences of healthcare services, including access to dentistry.
Following the abolition of Public Health England and the establishment of the UK Health Security Agency, ministers regularly meet with key stakeholders to discuss a range of issues, including but not limited to dentistry.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the (a) Irish band Kneecap and (b) Bob Vylan performances at Glastonbury.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
Avon and Somerset Police have opened an independent criminal investigation into the matters raised, and it would therefore be inappropriate to comment further at this stage.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she plans to consult representatives from the (a) beer and (b) pub sectors ahead of the next Budget.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Pubs and brewers make a significant contribution to our economy and society, including through supporting jobs, and this is recognised in the tax system.
According to the Office for National Statistics' 2023 Business Register and Employment Survey, there were 21,000 people employed in the manufacture of beer and 474,000 people employed in public houses and bars across Great Britain.
The alcohol duty system supports pubs and hospitality businesses through Draught Relief, which ensures eligible products served on draught pay less duty. At Autumn Budget 2024, the Chancellor announced a duty cut on qualifying draught products – approximately 60% of the alcoholic drinks sold in pubs. This is the equivalent to a 1p reduction on a typical pint.
The Chancellor has also confirmed her intention to permanently lower business rates for retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) properties, including pubs, with rateable values below £500,000 from April 2026. This will help protect the jobs supported by the pub sector.
There is significant variation in alcohol taxation policy amongst European countries. The World Health Organization recently published a comparison of alcohol taxes across the WHO European Region, which can be found here: https://www.who.int/europe/publications/i/item/9789289061940. The World Health Organization and other public health bodies are clear that duty rates have a role to play in achieving public health objectives.
Treasury ministers have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery.
The Chancellor makes decisions on tax policy at fiscal events. The Government welcomes representations from the beer and pub sectors in advance of the Budget.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what comparative assessment she has made of beer duty in (a) the UK and (b) other European countries.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Pubs and brewers make a significant contribution to our economy and society, including through supporting jobs, and this is recognised in the tax system.
According to the Office for National Statistics' 2023 Business Register and Employment Survey, there were 21,000 people employed in the manufacture of beer and 474,000 people employed in public houses and bars across Great Britain.
The alcohol duty system supports pubs and hospitality businesses through Draught Relief, which ensures eligible products served on draught pay less duty. At Autumn Budget 2024, the Chancellor announced a duty cut on qualifying draught products – approximately 60% of the alcoholic drinks sold in pubs. This is the equivalent to a 1p reduction on a typical pint.
The Chancellor has also confirmed her intention to permanently lower business rates for retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) properties, including pubs, with rateable values below £500,000 from April 2026. This will help protect the jobs supported by the pub sector.
There is significant variation in alcohol taxation policy amongst European countries. The World Health Organization recently published a comparison of alcohol taxes across the WHO European Region, which can be found here: https://www.who.int/europe/publications/i/item/9789289061940. The World Health Organization and other public health bodies are clear that duty rates have a role to play in achieving public health objectives.
Treasury ministers have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery.
The Chancellor makes decisions on tax policy at fiscal events. The Government welcomes representations from the beer and pub sectors in advance of the Budget.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she plans to reduce beer duty.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Pubs and brewers make a significant contribution to our economy and society, including through supporting jobs, and this is recognised in the tax system.
According to the Office for National Statistics' 2023 Business Register and Employment Survey, there were 21,000 people employed in the manufacture of beer and 474,000 people employed in public houses and bars across Great Britain.
The alcohol duty system supports pubs and hospitality businesses through Draught Relief, which ensures eligible products served on draught pay less duty. At Autumn Budget 2024, the Chancellor announced a duty cut on qualifying draught products – approximately 60% of the alcoholic drinks sold in pubs. This is the equivalent to a 1p reduction on a typical pint.
The Chancellor has also confirmed her intention to permanently lower business rates for retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) properties, including pubs, with rateable values below £500,000 from April 2026. This will help protect the jobs supported by the pub sector.
There is significant variation in alcohol taxation policy amongst European countries. The World Health Organization recently published a comparison of alcohol taxes across the WHO European Region, which can be found here: https://www.who.int/europe/publications/i/item/9789289061940. The World Health Organization and other public health bodies are clear that duty rates have a role to play in achieving public health objectives.
Treasury ministers have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery.
The Chancellor makes decisions on tax policy at fiscal events. The Government welcomes representations from the beer and pub sectors in advance of the Budget.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she plans to hold discussions with representatives of the brewing and pub sector on how to (a) create growth and (b) reduce barriers to investment, before the Autumn Budget 2025.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government is committed to supporting small and local businesses in the hospitality, tourism, and services sectors, which provide a significant contribution to the UK economy and society.
We have launched a licensing taskforce to make recommendations to cut red tape and remove barriers to business growth that exist within the UK’s licensing framework. The industry-led Taskforce has shared its findings with the Government, and we aim to update publicly by the summer.
We have prevented retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) business rates relief from ending in April 2025 by extending it for one year at 40 per cent up to a cash cap of £110,000 per business and frozen the small business multiplier.
From April 2026, we intend to introduce permanently lower business rates multipliers for RHL properties with rateable values below £500,000. The Treasury has, and will continue to, meet with the RHL sector to discuss these reforms.
At Autumn Budget 2024, the Chancellor announced a duty cut on qualifying draught products – approximately 60% of the alcoholic drinks sold in pubs. This represents an overall reduction in duty bills of over £85m a year and increased the relief available on draught products to 13.9%.
We have protected small businesses from the impact of the increase to employer National Insurance by increasing the Employment Allowance from £5,000 to £10,500. This means that 865,000 employers will pay no employer NICs at all this year, and more than half of employers will see no change or will gain overall from this package.
Furthermore, the Department of Business and Trade will soon be publishing its Small Business Strategy, which will announce further measures to support small businesses in the hospitality sector and to revitalise high streets.
Through The Hospitality Support Scheme, the Government is working with Pub is the Hub and providing funds to help community pubs adapt to changing local needs, ensuring these vital social hubs continue delivering for their communities.
Additionally, we have funded a wide range of community assets, including pubs, through the Community Ownership Fund. On 23 December 2024, this Government announced the outcome of Round 4 of the Community Ownership Fund, the largest ever round to date.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of pubs in (a) supporting community wellbeing and (b) tackling social isolation.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government is committed to supporting small and local businesses in the hospitality, tourism, and services sectors, which provide a significant contribution to the UK economy and society.
We have launched a licensing taskforce to make recommendations to cut red tape and remove barriers to business growth that exist within the UK’s licensing framework. The industry-led Taskforce has shared its findings with the Government, and we aim to update publicly by the summer.
We have prevented retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) business rates relief from ending in April 2025 by extending it for one year at 40 per cent up to a cash cap of £110,000 per business and frozen the small business multiplier.
From April 2026, we intend to introduce permanently lower business rates multipliers for RHL properties with rateable values below £500,000. The Treasury has, and will continue to, meet with the RHL sector to discuss these reforms.
At Autumn Budget 2024, the Chancellor announced a duty cut on qualifying draught products – approximately 60% of the alcoholic drinks sold in pubs. This represents an overall reduction in duty bills of over £85m a year and increased the relief available on draught products to 13.9%.
We have protected small businesses from the impact of the increase to employer National Insurance by increasing the Employment Allowance from £5,000 to £10,500. This means that 865,000 employers will pay no employer NICs at all this year, and more than half of employers will see no change or will gain overall from this package.
Furthermore, the Department of Business and Trade will soon be publishing its Small Business Strategy, which will announce further measures to support small businesses in the hospitality sector and to revitalise high streets.
Through The Hospitality Support Scheme, the Government is working with Pub is the Hub and providing funds to help community pubs adapt to changing local needs, ensuring these vital social hubs continue delivering for their communities.
Additionally, we have funded a wide range of community assets, including pubs, through the Community Ownership Fund. On 23 December 2024, this Government announced the outcome of Round 4 of the Community Ownership Fund, the largest ever round to date.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she plans to consult representatives from the beer and pub sector ahead of the Autumn Budget 2025.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government is committed to supporting small and local businesses in the hospitality, tourism, and services sectors, which provide a significant contribution to the UK economy and society.
We have launched a licensing taskforce to make recommendations to cut red tape and remove barriers to business growth that exist within the UK’s licensing framework. The industry-led Taskforce has shared its findings with the Government, and we aim to update publicly by the summer.
We have prevented retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) business rates relief from ending in April 2025 by extending it for one year at 40 per cent up to a cash cap of £110,000 per business and frozen the small business multiplier.
From April 2026, we intend to introduce permanently lower business rates multipliers for RHL properties with rateable values below £500,000. The Treasury has, and will continue to, meet with the RHL sector to discuss these reforms.
At Autumn Budget 2024, the Chancellor announced a duty cut on qualifying draught products – approximately 60% of the alcoholic drinks sold in pubs. This represents an overall reduction in duty bills of over £85m a year and increased the relief available on draught products to 13.9%.
We have protected small businesses from the impact of the increase to employer National Insurance by increasing the Employment Allowance from £5,000 to £10,500. This means that 865,000 employers will pay no employer NICs at all this year, and more than half of employers will see no change or will gain overall from this package.
Furthermore, the Department of Business and Trade will soon be publishing its Small Business Strategy, which will announce further measures to support small businesses in the hospitality sector and to revitalise high streets.
Through The Hospitality Support Scheme, the Government is working with Pub is the Hub and providing funds to help community pubs adapt to changing local needs, ensuring these vital social hubs continue delivering for their communities.
Additionally, we have funded a wide range of community assets, including pubs, through the Community Ownership Fund. On 23 December 2024, this Government announced the outcome of Round 4 of the Community Ownership Fund, the largest ever round to date.