Statutory Code: BISC chairman Adrian Bailey urges Government to 'act now'

The Business, Innovation & Skills Committee (BISC) said the Government risks running out of time in this Parliament if it doesn’t “act, and act now”.

On Friday the Business department published the consultation responses to its proposed statutory code. The department asked the BISC for its views in light of the published responses.

Committee will not reopen inquiry​

BISC chairman Adrian Bailey MP has written a letter to Cable and said the committee will not be reopening its inquiry into pubs and has urged the Government to bring forward a Bill.

Last week business minister Jo Swinson said the Government would announce its proposals in the New Year – the BIS had said it would do so by the end of 2013.

Bailey said: “We gave our views in our July 2013 report – the latest in a long series of reports on this matter – in which we called on the Government to bring forward legislation without delay. Asking the Committee for its views on the evidence appears to be just the sort of delay we warned against.

“It is for the Government to assess the evidence and legislate accordingly. However, despite the fact that it has had six months to consider the views of the industry, it has done neither.

'Drag its feet'​

“If the Government continues to drag its feet there is a serious risk that there will be insufficient parliamentary time left to establish a statutory code.

“At the beginning of the Parliament, the Secretary of State gave us an undertaking that he would act in the interest of the pub industry. If he doesn’t do so very soon, we will end the Parliament exactly where we started. This would be an unacceptable failure. The Government must act and act now.

Writing for the Publican’s Morning Advertiser last week, Swinson said: “This is an important matter and it is no time to rush head first into the issue.”

Adrian Bailey has asked for Cable’s response to the report by 8 January 2014.

To read the letter click here: