Lord Mohammed of Tinsley (LD)

My Lords, I add my voice to the comments that were made by the right reverend Prelate, the former Bishop of Sheffield—I remember him well and his commitment to the city—particularly on the issues around the Company of Cutlers. Its members are a tough bunch but they are fair—sometimes they speak truth to power, and often that is what is required. I will follow up on the points raised by my noble friend Lord Fox, particularly on the current turmoil in the energy market with the ongoing conflicts, first, in Ukraine and, more recently, in the Middle East. I suspect that he has been speaking to many people across the steel sector and not only in Sheffield, but I will stick to Sheffield and Stocksbridge. There is a point to be made about the cost of energy. I understand that large energy-intensive businesses can hedge energy prices over a longer period, but a number of smaller businesses, including those with limited credit available to them, are really suffering now, leading to vulnerability and volatility as energy prices are paid either a day ahead or in the short term. I will give the Minister an example. I spoke to a steel contractor over the weekend which had an order that it was preparing for last week. All the materials and energy costs were factored in at the time and it was just about to make a profit, but after the Israeli attack on the Iranian gas field and then the Iranian attack on Qatar its gas price went up by 30%, because it did not have a great credit rating. From making a potential small profit, it is now going to incur a loss. These organisations are desperately looking for help right now—not in 2027. Can the Minister say what the Government are doing, particularly now, to help small and medium-sized businesses, or those with issues with their credit rating?