Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the different costs of production between cider and beer.

The Treasury considers production costs complex to estimate, as different businesses will have different business models, impacting production costs. Officials have received data from some brewers and cidermakers who have chosen to share this information, however given the commercial sensitivity of it, the Government is not in a position to share it publicly.

A consultation on the alcohol duty review ran from 27 October to 30 January, and the Treasury is now in the process of analysing responses. We will continue to monitor the economic impact of our reforms, and welcome feedback from stakeholders on this point.