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.

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.