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 ability of small and medium size businesses to (a) produce medium term business plans and (b) obtain finance in the context of uncertainty around energy costs beyond 31 March 2023 end date of the Energy Bill Relief Scheme.

The Government has announced unprecedented support within its Growth Plan to protect households and businesses from high energy prices. The Energy Price Guarantee and the Energy Bill Relief Scheme are supporting millions of households and businesses with rising energy costs, and they will continue to do so from now until April next year.

As the Prime Minister and Chancellor set out on 17 October, the Government will be looking at exactly how it can focus support for those in need beyond April 2023, while reducing costs to the taxpayer. The Government will set out more detail in due course.