Energy prices for pubs, restaurants and hospitality businesses

That this House notes with alarm the findings from Ofgem’s Non-domestic market review that hospitality businesses are unable to secure competitive energy contracts, and that they are the most likely sector to be refused service by many energy suppliers; regrets that continuing inflated energy costs are a major contributory factor in pubs, restaurants and other hospitality businesses being forced to close for good; further notes with concern the resulting loss of community amenities, employment, and negative effects on the wider supply chain; calls on the government to urgently introduce statutory protections within the energy market to enable hospitality businesses to have access to an equivalent range of suppliers and rates as other non-domestic energy customers; urges Ofgem to mandate greater transparency in non-domestic billing and prices for non-domestic energy users; requests that the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero takes immediate steps to end the practice of energy suppliers blacklisting entire sectors such as hospitality from their products; and further calls on the government to improve the regulation of energy brokers, by introducing a formal and binding redress scheme for non-domestic users, and requiring greater transparency on fees.