Statements Made By The British Beer And Pub Association

EDM number 392 in 2013-14, proposed by Greg Mulholland on 10/07/2013.
Categorised under the topics of Companies, Regulation and Service industries.

That this House is troubled by the repeated misleading statements from the large leased pub-owning companies and the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA); believes this is a cynical attempt to persuade the Government not to fulfil its commitment to reform the failing Pubco business model through a statutory code of practice for companies with 500 or more pubs; notes that these organisations have sent reports and other documents to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills presenting them as evidence of the negative effects of reform when there is no reliable evidence to back up these claims; further believes this to be a desperate bid to stop the Government fulfilling its promise to enshrine in law the principle that a tied licensee should not be worse-off than a free of tie licensee; is especially concerned by incorrect and misleading statements made by the Chief Executive of the BBPA, Brigid Simmonds, when appearing as a witness before the Business, Innovation and Skills Committee on 11 June 2013; further notes that in her response to a letter from the All-Party Parliamentary Save the Pub Group detailing their concerns, Ms Simmonds has admitted to providing two incorrect statements; further notes that in the Business and Enterprise Committee's Seventh Report, Session 2008-09 (Pub Companies) pub company bosses were reported to have given partial and in one case positively false information to the Committee; calls on the Committee to take appropriate action; and further calls on the Department to properly scrutinise all claims made by those opposing reform.

This motion has been signed by a total of 15 MPs.