Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment he has made of the rate of closure of small and independent breweries in the UK in the last 6 months.

This Department sponsors the hospitality sector and assesses the state of that sector on an ongoing basis. We also work closely with DEFRA on support for key supply chain companies, including the UK’s small and independent breweries, and maintain regulator contact with the Society of Independent Brewers.

The Government recognises hospitality businesses are facing higher costs driven by global factors, including high energy and cost of living pressures. The Energy Bill Relief Scheme ensures that businesses are protected from excessively high energy bills over the winter period.

My Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Excheuquer recently announced in his Autumn Statement a range of measures to support firms with business rates worth £13.6 billion over the next 5 years, including increased and extended Retail, Hospitality and Leisure (RHL) relief.