Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of energy costs on the hair and beauty sector; and what meetings (a) she and (b) officials in her Department has had with business leaders from that sector on energy costs.

We recognise the importance of hair and beauty businesses and their significant challenges with energy costs. We meet regularly with businesses through ministerial roundtables and official-level engagement.

The Government has introduced a range of measures to support businesses with energy costs including the £18bn Energy Bill Relief Scheme, the Energy Bills Discount Scheme, and the Energy Advice Service. I have also written to Ofgem to discuss small business’ relationships with their energy suppliers and encourage fair treatment.