Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of compensating firms ineligible for support from the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme who have maintained the salaries of employees.

Those businesses not eligible for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme may have access to other elements of the Government’s package of financial support.

Support for businesses has reached millions of firms, paying out over £70bn in loans and grants. This includes through the Small Business Grant Fund, business rates holidays, the Bounce Back Loans Scheme, the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, tax deferrals for VAT and Self-Assessment, preventing commercial tenants from being evicted, the Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme, and the Future Fund.

HM Treasury and HMRC are undertaking an evaluation that will assess the delivery of the CJRS and the Job Retention Bonus. The Government will publish the CJRS Evaluation Strategy by December 2020, and the CJRS Evaluation Report by the end of 2021.