Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Energy Costs: Fiscal Support

Tuesday 20 December 2022 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Neale Hanvey wished the Speaker and staff a merry Christmas.
  • The Chancellor expressed hope to return as Chancellor the following year.
  • The Government announced a 20 billion package to support businesses this winter.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Neale Hanvey
Economy Energy
Context

The question arises from the current economic challenges faced by both families and businesses in the UK. The Chancellor is expected to address these issues following his announcement of a package of business rates support.

Question

Whether his Department plans to take further fiscal steps to support households, local authorities, charities and businesses with energy costs. Merry Christmas to you and your staff, Mr Speaker; as your fourth Chancellor of the year, I sincerely hope that I am here this time next year to wish you merry Christmas as well.

Answer from Jeremy Hunt

Merry Christmas to you and your staff, Mr Speaker; as your fourth Chancellor of the year, I sincerely hope that I am here this time next year to wish you merry Christmas as well. The Government are very conscious that these are tough times for businesses as well as families. That is why in the autumn statement I announced, among many other measures, a package of business rates support worth £13.6 billion over the next five years, including a 75% relief for retail, hospitality and leisure properties. That will help thousands of businesses in Scotland.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Chancellor did not address specific fiscal steps to support households, local authorities, charities beyond the announced business rates support.

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Q2 Neale Hanvey
Economy Energy
Context

The constituency of Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath hosts major energy corporations, wind farms supplying millions with energy, yet local businesses struggle financially. The question highlights the case of a historic ice arena facing severe energy costs.

Question

A very merry Christmas to you and yours, Mr Speaker, and a happy new year to boot. My constituency of Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath plays host to energy giants Shell and ExxonMobil; Seagreen and Berwick Bank wind farms, which supply 2.8 million homes in England with energy, are just off our coastline. In such a land of energy plenty, it is perverse that so many people live in poverty and that businesses struggle to survive. Kirkcaldy ice arena is the oldest rink in the United Kingdom and home to the Fife Flyers ice hockey team. It survived world war two, fire, the financial crash and covid, but in energy-rich Scotland it is struggling to pay its unavoidable energy costs. What targeted support is the Chancellor going to make available for energy-dependent companies such as the rink? Will he meet me to discuss how best to tackle the problem?

Answer from Jeremy Hunt

We have announced a package of support for businesses this winter worth nearly £20 billion; it will help businesses throughout the United Kingdom, including in Scotland. It includes special measures for energy-intensive industries. We will shortly announce plans that will take effect from next April.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Chancellor did not provide specific targeted support or commit to a meeting to discuss individual cases like Kirkcaldy ice arena.

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