Excise Duties: Alcoholic Drinks

Mr. Sanders
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many representations his Department has received from (a) hon. Members and (b) members of the public on charges: the rate of duty on beer in the last 12 months; and how many were (i) in favour and (ii) against increases in duty.

Angela Eagle
Treasury Ministers and officials receive representations from a wide range of organisations and individuals in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such representations.

Mr. Sanders
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will assess the effect of the increase in beer duty announced in the 2009 Budget on (a) trends in the rate of public house closures and (b) local economies.

Angela Eagle
As with all tax policy decisions, we will be monitoring the impact of alcohol duty increases on a range of factors.

I regularly meet representatives from the trade, including the British Beer and Pub Association, to listen to their views on the impact of alcohol duty policy on the pub industry.