Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of a public holiday to commemorate the reign of Queen Elizabeth II.

The Government recognises the remarkable legacy of Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II as Britain’s longest-reigning monarch.

We regularly receive requests for additional bank and public holidays to mark a variety of occasions. While an additional bank holiday may benefit some communities and sectors, the cost to the economy remains considerable. The latest analysis estimates the cost to the UK economy for a one-off bank holiday to be around £2 billion.

For these reasons, the Government currently has no plans to change the well-established pattern of bank holidays.