Robert Lloyd - a Sir Gar Blog of random news . . . and some Clecs!

Today saw the Parliamentary debate to review the beer duty escalator, an important debate to save rural pubs and the brewing industry as a whole. With more than 104,000 signatures, a campaign by real ale group Camra set out to urge the Treasury to review the beer duty escalator and scrap it. The chief Executive of the West Wales brewer and pub operator, the Evan-Evans group, Simon Buckley said: "The brewing industry in Wales was poorly served by its MPs in this vital and important debate. "Only three MPs from Wales stepped forward to support the brewing and pub industry - Carmarthen East and Dinefwr Plaid Cymru MP Jonathon Edwards, the Tory MP for Conwy, and Albert Owen, Plaid, Ynys Mon. "Where were the rest of the Labour and Tory MPs? They were noticeably absent. "How can we ever get the support our industry so desperately deserves and needs if our elected representatives cannot support such an important debate and show moral support to us one of the major employer...

Leading Welsh brewer Simon Buckley has welcomed the Parliamentary debate calling on the Government to review its 'damaging' policy of the ‘beer duty escalator’. The debate will be on Thursday, November 1, and has been called by the Backbench Business Committee in response to the ‘Stop the Beer Duty Escalator’ e-petition ( www.camra.org.uk/saveyourpint ) which currently stands at more than 104,000 signatures. The escalator increases beer duty by 2% above inflation automatically every year and is making pub-going unaffordable. As a result, the pub industry is struggling and pubs are closing at an alarming rate of 12 every week in the UK. Mr Buckley, chief executive of the Llandeilo-based Evan-Evans brewery, said: “Enough is enough. The pub is widely recognised as one of the hubs of local community life. The Government must do more to support the pub industry. The beer escalator is damaging the pub and beer business." Carmarthen East and Dinefwr MP Jonathon Edwards plans to ...