Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of support available to UK food and drink wholesalers to assist the cost of living crisis.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government recognises the impact rising prices are having on businesses. Businesses will have benefitted from the Government’s £400 billion package of grants, loans, business relief, VAT discounts and a rent moratorium. In addition, at the Autumn Statement, the Chancellor announced £13.6 billion of support for businesses over the next five years, reducing the burden of business rates.

Defra is taking action to maintain an efficient food supply chain by mitigating against any potential burdens or friction which could otherwise drive-up consumer food prices. Given sustained pressures, there is still uncertainty over when food price inflation will peak and begin to fall, but our expectations, supported by external evidence, are that this will be in the next few months. We are closely monitoring the situation.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with UK food and drink wholesalers on the challenges faced by that sector.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Alongside monitoring pressures affecting the food supply chain, Defra regularly engages with the Federation of Wholesale Distributors and individual food and drink wholesalers to understand the challenges affecting the sector.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on the inclusion of the food and drink wholesale sector within Protected Site List of the Electricity Supply Emergency Code.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

We have been working closely with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on a range of business resilience matters, including on energy supply. Under the Electricity Supply Emergency Code (ESEC), a site or service may qualify to be placed on the Protected Sites List if it meets the criteria set out explicitly in the publicly-available guidance. Applications for sites to be included in this list are made directly to their local Distribution Network Operator. We engage regularly with the food and drink sector, including with wholesalers, to understand their resilience.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether food and drink wholesalers will be eligible for the 50 per cent business rates relief discount.

Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport

Guidance setting out eligibility for the 2022-23 retail, hospitality and leisure relief will be published by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities in due course.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether food and drink wholesalers will be eligible for the 50 per cent business rates relief discount available to the retail, leisure and hospitality industry.

Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport

Guidance setting out eligibility for the 2022-23 retail, hospitality and leisure relief will be published by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities in due course.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 2.67 of the Autumn Budget and Spending Review 2021, whether food and drink wholesalers will be eligible for the 50 per cent business rates relief discount.

Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport

Guidance setting out eligibility for the 2022-23 retail, hospitality and leisure reliefs will be published by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities in due course.