Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to support small and medium-sized enterprises in the West Midlands facing increases in energy and regulatory costs.

The Government is committed to lowering operating costs for all small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), including those in the West Midlands.

Government is helping support businesses to lower their energy costs through energy efficiency and decarbonisation. Recent research from the Willow Review highlights that SMEs adopting sustainability initiatives are reaping the financial rewards.

The Government is also committed to ensuring the allocation of energy costs is fair to all consumers, including SMEs. As part of this, Ofgem have launched a Cost Allocation and Recovery Review (CARR) to consider how energy system costs can be recovered from consumers, including from SMEs, in a fairer and more efficient way. DESNZ will continue to engage closely with Ofgem on the work.