Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of reductions in beer duty on (a) the number of jobs and (b) the level of investment in the beer and pub industry.

HM Treasury engages with a wide variety of organisations to understand industry developments, including the beer and pub industry.

This includes considering external reports like that of the British Beer and Pub Association, which estimated that by 2016/17 there will be 21,000 more jobs in the pub industry, than if the duty escalator had continued until 2015.