Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what financial support he has made available to parents who are home schooling due to the January 2021 covid-19 lockdown.

The government has invested over £300 million to support remote education, including providing devices and internet access to pupils who need it most.

Since its introduction, the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) has been available to anyone who has been unable to work due to caring responsibilities arising from COVID-19, such as caring for children who are at home as a result of school and childcare facilities closing, or caring for a vulnerable individual in their household. The Self-Employment Income Support Scheme is also available to parents and carers who cannot work because of childcare commitments.

In order to support businesses to retain their employees and protect the UK economy, the Chancellor has extended both the CJRS and SEISS until the end of April 2021.

Individual families have also benefitted from increased welfare payments, enhances statutory sick pay, a stay of repossession proceedings and mortgage holidays.