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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of including coach companies as non-essential retail to ensure they can access financial support during the covid-19 outbreak.

I am answering the question under the assumption that it refers to the designation of businesses for the purpose of eligibility for Restart Grants.

The primary principle of the Restart Grant scheme is to support businesses that offer in-person services, where the main service and activity takes place in a fixed rate-paying premises, in the relevant sectors.

Coach Tour Operators are not eligible for the Restart Grant Scheme but maybe able to access discretionary support through the Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG). Local Authorities are free to provide ARG support that suits their local area and guidance for ARG makes clear that Local Authorities are able to issue ARG grants to tour operator businesses. My Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer announced at the Budget that an additional £425m will be made available via ARG meaning that more than £2bn has been allocated to Local Authorities since November 2020.