Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the viability of the supply chains which support the UK tourism and hospitality sector.

The resilience of UK supply chains is a key priority for this Government. Through our free trade agreements and market access work, the Department for International Trade is supporting British businesses to build more diverse and resilient supply chains which will be crucial in tackling challenges both today and in the future.

Last year, UK supply chains were disrupted by a spike in demand following COVID lockdowns and global shipping challenges. This year, the conflict in Ukraine, other geopolitical tensions, and rolling industrial action have added further pressure.

DCMS sectors continue to face a number of labour market issues, especially shortages in the hospitality sector. We are also seeing greater competition between sectors for staff. The Government set up a Ways to Work campaign to help move job-ready claimants into work. The Department for Work and Pensions Account Managers have worked with the largest employers and small and medium businesses have worked with local job centres directly to help fill the vacancies in businesses that have staff shortages.