Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions his Department has had with (a) the British Chamber of Commerce, (b) Hospitality UK, (c) the Federation of Small Businesses, (d) Make UK and (e) the Institute for Family Business on the potential impact of rising energy bills on British businesses.

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is in regular contact with business groups and suppliers to understand the challenges they face and explore ways to protect consumers and businesses.

The Government announced a new six-month scheme – the Energy Price Guarantee for Businesses (EPGB) – to protect all businesses and other non-domestic energy users from soaring energy costs. It will offer comparable support to that being provided for consumers and we expect the scheme to be available in the autumn. After this initial six-month scheme the Government will provide focused support for vulnerable sectors, targeted to make sure those most in need get support.