Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to support the pottery and ceramics sector with industrial energy costs.

The Government is aware of the pressure of high industrial energy costs on the ceramics industry, including the pottery sector. A small number of electricity-intensive ceramics businesses, including in the technical, advanced, and brick sectors, will benefit from the recent uplift to the Network Charging Compensation Scheme. Some advanced and technical ceramics businesses will benefit from future eligibility within the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme. Department for Business and Trade officials regularly engage with ceramics businesses and the sector’s main trade association, Ceramics UK, to explore how other ceramics sectors can be supported.