Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate his Department has made of potential job losses in the wedding industry without additional covid-19 financial support as the sector operates at restricted capacity until 21 June 2021.

I meet regularly with the industry-led Weddings Taskforce, established to represent a wide range of interests in the weddings sector [in England], to understand the impact of the pandemic on jobs and businesses.

Over the course of the pandemic the Government has provided an unprecedented package of financial support to businesses, including those in the wedding industry, which we keep under regular review. The Chancellor announced in his Budget a raft of new measures to further support businesses, including those in the wedding industry. These include:

• Extension of the Coronavirus Job Support Scheme to the end of September 2021.

• £5 billion for new Restart Grants.

• The Government is also providing all Local Authorities in England with an additional £425 million of discretionary business grant funding, on top of the £1.6 billion already allocated.

• Eligible businesses in hospitality sector will benefit from business rates relief worth over £6 billion in 2021 to 2022.