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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of providing additional assistance grants or support for pubs, cafes and restaurants with limited outside space that will not be able to re-open as soon as others as a result of covid-19 social distancing measures.

All pubs, restaurants, bars, and cafes in England can begin to offer on-site services to customers from Saturday 4 July, as long as they follow the COVID-secure guidelines, found at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/working-safely-during-coronavirus-covid-19/updates. This includes both outdoor and indoor spaces.

The Government has also announced measures to ease pavement licensing as part of the Business and Planning Bill, which will allow businesses to provide outdoor seating in order to serve more customers while following the COVID-secure guidelines.

The Department continues to engage with businesses and their representatives from across the hospitality sector and the support available is kept under review.