Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government what actions are they taking to support pubs, restaurants and cafes.

The Government recognises the vital contribution pubs, restaurants and cafés make to local communities and the wider economy. We are supporting the sector through a range of measures to ease cost pressures and promote long term resilience.

This includes permanently lowering business rates multipliers for eligible Retail, Hospitality and Leisure properties and we have also introduced a £4.3 billion business rates support package to protect ratepayers from increases following the revaluation. In addition, raising the Employment Allowance to £10,500 means around 865,000 employers will pay no National Insurance Contributions this year.

Furthermore, The Chancellor announced a new National Licensing Policy Framework as part of her budget. This sets out a vision for a proportionate licensing system that supports good businesses while continuing to tackle bad operators.