COMMUNITY PUB INQUIRY

That this House welcomes the All Party Parliamentary Beer Group's Community Pub Inquiry Report; believes that Britain's community pubs are an undervalued resource, the unsung heroes of their neighbourhoods, with livelihoods increasingly under threat; is concerned that 36 pubs close every week in the UK; recognises the proposals set out by the group, including halting any further rises in beer duty, lowering tax on pump drawn ales as opposed to canned or bottled beer, removing many of the regulatory burdens that affect pubs, improving targeted rate relief, working with local authorities to make diversification plans simpler, quicker and more affordable and improving targeted funding for training to help licencees develop necessary business skills; and calls on the Government to seriously consider the inquiry's recommendations as a matter of urgency in order to halt the alarming number of pubs closing every week.