Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of changing the regulatory framework governing relationships between pub-owning businesses and tied pub tenants.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
The Pubs Code only applies to pub companies with over 500 tied tenants. The Pubs Code Adjudicator (PCA) enforces the Code. The Government currently has no plans to assess the effectiveness of the voluntary industry codes of practice governing pub-owning businesses with fewer than 500 tied pubs.
The Government is currently undertaking the third statutory review of the Pubs Code and Pubs Code Adjudicator and its report will be published as soon as practicable. The statutory review will also consider the findings of the Post Implementation Review (PIR), which analyses the Code’s impact since it came into force in 2016.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the effectiveness of the threshold of 500 or more tied pubs for inclusion within the statutory Pubs Code.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
The Pubs Code only applies to pub companies with over 500 tied tenants. The Pubs Code Adjudicator (PCA) enforces the Code. The Government currently has no plans to assess the effectiveness of the voluntary industry codes of practice governing pub-owning businesses with fewer than 500 tied pubs.
The Government is currently undertaking the third statutory review of the Pubs Code and Pubs Code Adjudicator and its report will be published as soon as practicable. The statutory review will also consider the findings of the Post Implementation Review (PIR), which analyses the Code’s impact since it came into force in 2016.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of tied pub agreements on the long-term viability of tenant-run pubs.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
The Pubs Code only applies to pub companies with over 500 tied tenants. The Pubs Code Adjudicator (PCA) enforces the Code. The Government currently has no plans to assess the effectiveness of the voluntary industry codes of practice governing pub-owning businesses with fewer than 500 tied pubs.
The Government is currently undertaking the third statutory review of the Pubs Code and Pubs Code Adjudicator and its report will be published as soon as practicable. The statutory review will also consider the findings of the Post Implementation Review (PIR), which analyses the Code’s impact since it came into force in 2016.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, how many investigations the Pubs Code Adjudicator has concluded in each of the last five years; and what financial penalties were imposed following those investigations.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
The Pubs Code Adjudicator (PCA) is a separate statutory entity independent of Government. The PCA completed its first investigation, into Star Pubs, in 2020, resulting in a penalty of £1.25m. The PCA launched an investigation into Stonegate Pubs in July 2026, which is ongoing. The PCA publishes information about its investigations on its website and in its Annual Report & Accounts.
The Department has regular dialogue with the PCA across the range of the PCA's responsibilities.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what recent discussions he has had with the Pubs Code Adjudicator on compliance with the statutory Pubs Code.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
The Pubs Code Adjudicator (PCA) is a separate statutory entity independent of Government. The PCA completed its first investigation, into Star Pubs, in 2020, resulting in a penalty of £1.25m. The PCA launched an investigation into Stonegate Pubs in July 2026, which is ongoing. The PCA publishes information about its investigations on its website and in its Annual Report & Accounts.
The Department has regular dialogue with the PCA across the range of the PCA's responsibilities.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the statutory Pubs Code in ensuring that tied pub tenants are not worse off than if they were free of tie.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
The Pubs Code is underpinned by two principles: 1) the fair and lawful dealing by regulated Pub Owning Businesses of their tied tenants and 2) that tied tenants should not be worse off than if they were not subject to any product or service tie. Effective Market Rent Only (MRO) provisions are key to implementing the second principle.
The third statutory review of the Pubs Code and Pubs Code Adjudicator covering 01.04.22- 31.03.25 is in progress. It includes an assessment of the extent to which the Code is consistent with the two principles. The Government’s report will be published as soon as practicable.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the operation of the Market Rent Only provisions of the statutory Pubs Code.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
The Pubs Code is underpinned by two principles: 1) the fair and lawful dealing by regulated Pub Owning Businesses of their tied tenants and 2) that tied tenants should not be worse off than if they were not subject to any product or service tie. Effective Market Rent Only (MRO) provisions are key to implementing the second principle.
The third statutory review of the Pubs Code and Pubs Code Adjudicator covering 01.04.22- 31.03.25 is in progress. It includes an assessment of the extent to which the Code is consistent with the two principles. The Government’s report will be published as soon as practicable.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the voluntary industry codes of practice governing pub-owning businesses with fewer than 500 tied pubs.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
The Pubs Code only applies to pub companies with over 500 tied tenants. The Pubs Code Adjudicator (PCA) enforces the Code. The Government currently has no plans to assess the effectiveness of the voluntary industry codes of practice governing pub-owning businesses with fewer than 500 tied pubs.
The Government is currently undertaking the third statutory review of the Pubs Code and Pubs Code Adjudicator and its report will be published as soon as practicable. The statutory review will also consider the findings of the Post Implementation Review (PIR), which analyses the Code’s impact since it came into force in 2016.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on supply chain disruption to the construction industry as a consequence of global effects; and what steps his Department is taking to help mitigate these effects on the construction industry.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
My Department is monitoring the situation, and is in regular contact with stakeholders, including through our partnership with the Construction Leadership Council, which I co-chair.
The Construction Leadership Council’s Material’s Supply Chain Group, in March 2026, noted the main disruption to the sector from the Middle East crisis is the rapid rise in energy prices and their immediate impact on material costs, particularly for products with energy-intensive manufacturing processes or derived from oil-based raw materials.
Ministers are being kept updated on the supply chain disruption (and impacts) as part of our cross Whitehall monitoring.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to help small construction companies in the context of recent global supply chain disruption to the construction industry.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
My Department is monitoring the situation, and is in regular contact with stakeholders, including through our partnership with the Construction Leadership Council, which I co-chair.
The Construction Leadership Council’s Material’s Supply Chain Group, in March 2026, noted the main disruption to the sector from the Middle East crisis is the rapid rise in energy prices and their immediate impact on material costs, particularly for products with energy-intensive manufacturing processes or derived from oil-based raw materials.
Ministers are being kept updated on the supply chain disruption (and impacts) as part of our cross Whitehall monitoring.