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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the announcement on 21 September 2022 that the Government will take steps to identify the most vulnerable non-domestic customers and how it will continue to assist them with energy costs after March 2023, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of (a) including butchers on the list of the most vulnerable non-domestic customers and (b) providing a higher level of immediate interim energy cost support for small and medium sized businesses such as butchers which are high energy users and which the Government classed as essential retailers during the covid-19 outbreak.

The Government has committed to carrying out a review of the operation of the scheme in order to inform decisions on future support after March 2023.

The review will focus on identifying the most at risk non-domestic customers and how the Government will continue assisting them with energy costs.

It will consider how effective the scheme has been in giving support to at risk non-domestic customers and which groups of non-domestic customers (by sector, size or geography) remain particularly at risk to energy price rises, taking into account the latest price position and other cost pressures.

During the review, the Government will work closely with business, interested government departments and devolved administrations. The findings of the review will be published by January 2023.