Asked by: Valerie Vaz (Labour - Walsall South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what support his Department is offering to (a) high energy usage small business and (b) small convenience stores in the context of the rising cost of energy.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The recently announced Energy Bill Relief Scheme (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-outlines-plans-to-help-cut-energy-bills-for-businesses) ensures that all businesses and other non-domestic customers are protected from excessively high energy bills over the winter period. A review of the scheme, to be published in three months, will identify the most vulnerable non-domestic customers and how the government will continue assisting them with energy costs after the initial six months.
The Government is also providing support via freezing alcohol duty rates on beer, cider, wine and spirits, and increasing the employment allowance. Government is also providing a 50% business rates relief for businesses across the UK and reducing employer national insurance. This is in addition to the billions in grants and loans offered throughout the pandemic.
Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
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 impact of rising energy prices on (a) pubs and (b) breweries.
Answered by Graham Stuart
BEIS is monitoring the impact of energy prices on businesses and recognises the scale will vary depending on business type and type of contract or tariff.
The recently announced Energy Bill Relief Scheme ( https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-outlines-plans-to-help-cut-energy-bills-for-businesses) ensures that all businesses and other non-domestic customers are protected from excessively high energy bills over the winter period. A review of the scheme, to be published in three months, will identify the most vulnerable non-domestic customers and how the government will continue assisting them with energy costs after the initial six months.
The Government is also providing support via with business rates relief, freezing alcohol duty rates on beer, cider, wine and spirits, and increasing the employment allowance.
Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
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 impact of rising energy prices on the hospitality sector.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government is monitoring the impact of energy prices on businesses and recognises the scale will vary depending on business type and type of contract or tariff.
The Government announced a new six-month scheme – the Energy Bill Relief Scheme - to ensure that all businesses and other non-domestic customers are protected from excessively high energy bills over the winter period. After this initial six-month period, the Government will provide focused support for vulnerable sectors, targeted to make sure those most in need get support.
The Government is also providing support via with business rates relief, freezing alcohol duty rates on beer, cider, wine and spirits, increasing the employment allowance.
Asked by: Alex Norris (Labour (Co-op) - Nottingham North)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to help ensure his taxation and fiscal policy supports the pub industry.
Answered by Felicity Buchan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The Government understands the benefits pubs bring to our communities, recognises the pressures currently facing the sector and is taking action.
Businesses in the retail, hospitality and leisure sector will receive a tax cut worth almost £1.7 billion in 2022-23. Eligible properties will receive 50 per cent off their business rates bill, up to a maximum of £110,000 per business.
Combined with Small Business Rates Relief, this means over 90 per cent of retail, hospitality and leisure businesses will receive at least 50 per cent off their rates bills in 2022-23. The Government has also committed to freezing the multiplier for a further year, which is a tax cut worth £4.6 billion to businesses over the next 5 years.
Further, as part of the alcohol duty reform, the government will introduce a new draught relief, giving an approximate 5% duty cut to cider and beer sold in pubs. The government will provide an update on the alcohol duty reforms over the coming weeks.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to help support pubs in Newport West constituency with increases in the cost of energy.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government announced a new six-month scheme – the Energy Price Guarantee for Businesses (EPGB) – to protect all businesses and other non-domestic energy users from soaring energy costs. It will offer comparable support to that being provided for consumers and we expect the scheme to be available in the autumn. After this initial six-month scheme the Government will provide focused support for vulnerable sectors, targeted to make sure those most in need get support.
The Government is also supporting pubs with business rates relief, freezing alcohol duty rates on beer, cider, wine and spirits, and by increasing the employment allowance.
Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he plans to take to assist (a) pubs, (b) bars and (c) restaurants with rising energy bills.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government announced a new six-month scheme – the Energy Price Guarantee for Businesses (EPGB) – to protect all businesses and other non-domestic energy users from soaring energy costs. It will offer comparable support to that being provided for consumers and we expect the scheme to be available in the autumn. After this initial six-month scheme the Government will provide focused support for vulnerable sectors, targeted to make sure those most in need get support.
The Government is also supporting pubs with business rates relief, freezing alcohol duty rates on beer, cider, wine and spirits, and by increasing the employment allowance.
Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of legal safety standards for the use of clean-in-place systems in the brewing industry; and if he will make it his policy to mandate the placing of leakage detecting air testing devices around those systems in breweries.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) already has in place an effective regulatory regime to protect employees from substances hazardous to health in the workplace under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations 2002. The regulations place duties on employers, including those running clean-in-place systems in a brewery, to assess the risk of exposure to substances hazardous to health arising from their activities. HSE publishes Workplace Exposure Limits to help employers define the standard they need to meet. Arising from this, employers are required to put in place appropriate controls to prevent or control exposure of employees to those substances hazardous to health by inhalation, ingestion etc. in the workplace.
The COSHH Regulations 2002 also set out a hierarchy of control measures that should be applied when assessing the effective prevention or control of exposure to substances hazardous to health. Any requirement for an individual brewery to use leakage detection devices should be identified in the risk assessment process and provided by the employer.
Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of the Health and Safety Executive strengthening regulation regarding the monitoring of air quality around clean-in-place systems in breweries.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) already has in place an effective regulatory regime to protect employees from substances hazardous to health in the workplace under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations 2002. The regulations place duties on employers, including those running clean-in-place systems in a brewery, to assess the risk of exposure to substances hazardous to health arising from their activities. HSE publishes Workplace Exposure Limits to help employers define the standard they need to meet. Arising from this, employers are required to put in place appropriate controls to prevent or control exposure of employees to those substances hazardous to health by inhalation, ingestion etc. in the workplace.
The COSHH Regulations 2002 also set out a hierarchy of control measures that should be applied when assessing the effective prevention or control of exposure to substances hazardous to health. Any requirement for an individual brewery to use leakage detection devices should be identified in the risk assessment process and provided by the employer.
Asked by: Owen Thompson (Scottish National Party - Midlothian)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of adopting equal tax treatment for beer and cider.
Answered by Alan Mak - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade) (jointly with the Cabinet Office)
The Government is currently undertaking a review of alcohol duties in order to simplify the system and make it fairer overall, including ensuring beer and cider both pay duty according to their alcoholic strength.
Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the impact of the Small Breweries' Relief on breweries that produce less than 5000hl of beer annually.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The alcohol duty review consultation closed on 30 January 2022 and the Government is currently reviewing the responses. We will publish the consultation response later this year.
This will include further detail on the Small Producer Relief which will be replacing the Small Brewers Relief.