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

To ask Her Majesty's Government how they intend to support the long-term prosperity of independent bookshops.

The Government wants all retailers to thrive now and in the future. In March, the Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy established the industry-led Retail Sector Council to bring Government and industry together to boost the sector’s productivity and economic health. All retail activity in the UK is represented on the Council, including independent retailers. Government also engages with industry associations such as the British Independent Retailers Association to further understand the views of this important sector.

In addition, on 16 July 2018 the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government announced a panel of experts, led by Sir John Timpson, to diagnose issues that currently affect the health of our high streets and advise on the best practical measures to help them thrive now and in the future. Later this summer the expert panel, in conjunction with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, will put out a call for evidence seeking what members of the public and young people in particular want from the high streets of the future.