§ Brian CotterTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions she had with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs prior to the decision to revoke the beer orders. [43341]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonSince the beer orders no longer have any effect, it was not necessary to discuss the matter with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
§ Brian CotterTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the impact that the revocation of the beer orders will have on Britain's micro-breweries; and whether a regulatory impact assessment has been produced. [43340]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonFollowing careful consideration of the Director-General of Fair Trading's review of the beer orders and taking into account the views of all interested parties, including those of micro-breweries, I decided that the beer orders are no longer relevant to the industry as it is currently structured. The provision on guest beers applied only to large brewers with tied estates. No such brewer now exists. Revocation will impose no costs on business and is deregulatory, so a regulatory impact assessment is unnecessary.