Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has received representations on (a) reported higher levels of women than men being furloughed under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and (b) the potential effect of that matter on the gender pay gap.

So far, the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) has helped 1.2 million employers across the UK furlough 9.6 million jobs, protecting people’s livelihoods. The latest data shows that across the UK, 1.6 million female employees were furloughed at the end of August and 1.5 million male employees. This data is publicly available on GOV.UK.

When designing the CJRS and subsequent reforms, the Government undertook an analysis of how the policies were likely to affect individuals with protected characteristics in line with Public Sector Equality Duties. This was done according to internal procedural requirements for ensuring that equalities considerations inform decisions taken by ministers.

HM Treasury and HMRC are undertaking an evaluation that will assess the delivery and impact of the CJRS. The Government intends to publish the CJRS evaluation plan in December 2020 and an evaluation report by the end of 2021.