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 potential impact of rising energy costs on hospitality businesses; and what steps his Department is taking to help support (a) pubs, (b) restaurants and (c) other hospitality venues with rising energy costs.

The costs of gas and electricity that energy suppliers buy on customers’ behalf is forecast to remain high. The Government is taking immediate action on a scale similar to the measures taken during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Government has introduced the Energy Bill Relief Scheme to support non-domestic energy customers this winter, including pubs, restaurants, and other hospitality venues on eligible contracts. The scheme will initially run for 6 months covering energy use from 1st October 2022 until 31st March 2023.