Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department is taking steps to help (a) increase recruitment and (b) tackle staffing shortages in the hospitality sector in (a) towns, (b) rural communities and (c) other places in (i) Somerset and (ii) other regions.

Hospitality businesses, including those in Somerset and across other regions, play a vital role in driving economic growth and strengthening community cohesion across the country.

We work closely with the Hospitality Sector Council to improve the productivity and resilience of hospitality businesses by co-creating solutions to the issues impacting business performance, including in addressing jobs shortages and building the sector’s talent pipeline.

As part of this, we are expanding Hospitality Sector-based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs) which fast track individuals into hospitality vacancies by providing flexible training and support. SWAPs have already seen 10,000 starts in the sector in less than two years.