Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what financial support his Department is providing to people in (a) Coventry North East constituency and (b) Coventry who are clinically extremely vulnerable and unable to work from home.

People who are clinically extremely vulnerable and unable to work from home can be furloughed under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, subject to wider eligibility criteria. Provisional HMRC statistics indicate that there were 7,300 people furloughed in Coventry North East constituency and 20,200 in Coventry as of 31 January. People ineligible for furlough may be able to access Statutory Sick Pay, Universal Credit, or Employment and Support Allowance.

The government has also provided local authorities with additional funding to support people who are clinically extremely vulnerable. This funding can be used to provide support such as food parcels and medicines delivery for those shielding.

The government is committed to supporting all groups in society, including the most vulnerable, with the challenges caused by COVID-19. This is why we have put in place an unprecedented package of support by boosting the generosity of the welfare system by £7.4 billion in 2020-21, including a temporary £20 increase in the Universal Credit standard allowance and Working Tax Credit basic element. Individuals and families have also benefited from enhanced statutory sick pay, a stay on repossession proceedings and mortgage holidays.