PARLIAMENTARY DEBATE
Rural Businesses - 1 May 2025 (Commons/Commons Chamber)

Rural areas offer significant potential for growth and are central to our economy, so we are working closely with other Government Departments, including the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, to improve the quality of life for people living and working in rural areas. Later this year, we will launch the business growth service, which, in partnership with the growth hub network in England, will make it easier for businesses, including those in rural areas, to get the information and support that they need to thrive.

I thank the Minister for his answer. I am encouraged that his Department is working with other Departments.

There are brilliant vineyards in Mid Sussex, such as Bolney wine estate, which produce high-quality English wine. They form a vital part of the rural economy and they also entice domestic and international tourism. With the end of the wine duty easement on 1 February causing significant concerns across the sector, what steps is the Minister taking to ensure that the English wine industry is not damaged by that and instead can continue to grow and go from strength to strength?

We recognise that the English wine industry, which has gone from strength to strength in recent years, is a crucial part of the rural economy and of the food and drink offer that the UK can rightly be proud of. It is one reason that we are seeking to increase exports of food and drink, including helping English vineyards to export English wine to a range of markets overseas, and we will certainly continue to do that.