Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to amend Section 98 of the Employment Rights Act 1996 to require employers to justify their decision to dismiss an employee rather than place them on furlough during the covid-19 outbreak.

The purpose of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) is to help firms to keep their workers in employment. However, choosing to participate in the CJRS is ultimately at the discretion of employers, and they will not be required to justify their decision to dismiss an employee rather than to place them on furlough.