Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether businesses that are closed as a result of Tier 3 local covid-19 alert level restrictions will be eligible for the Job Retention Bonus in January 2021.

The Chancellor has always been clear that the Government would keep the situation under review, adapting its approach as the context evolved. The purpose of the Job Retention Bonus (JRB) was to encourage employers to keep previously furloughed staff in work until the end of January. However, as the CJRS is being extended to the end of March 2021, the policy intent of the JRB falls away. As such, the JRB will not be paid in February. The Government will instead redeploy a retention incentive at the right time.