Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of rising energy costs on the Scotch whisky industry.

Whilst no specific assessment has been made on the impact of rising energy costs on the Scotch Whisky industry, the UK Government is in regular dialogue with the industry, and aims to provide the framework for a forwarding-thinking, competitive alcoholic drinks sector which can grow, export and innovate in line with Government ambitions.

The Government is excited to see the investment in green energy sources being made in some distilleries and looks forward to seeing many further such schemes in the coming years as we continue the drive to greater efficiency.

The Government plans to announce a new six-month scheme - the Energy Price Guarantee for Businesses - 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 with further details on the practicalities to be announced soon. 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.