Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to support small, independent breweries during the covid-19 outbreak.

The Government has announced a package of support for businesses to help with their ongoing business costs in recognition of the disruption caused by Covid-19. In particular, my Department has been working across Government to provide £13 billion of grant funding to help small and rural businesses and businesses in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors manage their cashflow through this period.

This support takes the form of two grant funding schemes, the Small Business Grant Fund (SBGF) and the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund (RHLGF).

All businesses in England in receipt of Small Business Rates Relief (SBRR) and Rural Rates Relief (RRR) in the business rates system will be eligible for a payment of £10,000. This is estimated to apply to around 730,000 businesses across England.

Businesses in England that would have been in receipt of the Expanded Retail Discount - which covers retail, hospitality and leisure - on 11 March with a rateable value of less than £51,000 will be eligible for a cash grant for each eligible property of (a) £10,000 if the rateable value is up to and including £15,000 per annum, or (b) £25,000 if the rateable value is greater than £15,000 and not greater than £51,000.

Local authorities will determine which businesses in their area qualify for a grant and are making contact with eligible businesses directly as a matter of urgency.