Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has plans to enable employees that had a signed contract but had not started work prior to the announcement of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to be furloughed under that scheme; and when he plans to respond to the letters of 27 March 2020 and 16 April 2020 from the hon. Member for Edinburgh East.

Processing claims for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme where HMRC do not have RTI data by 19 March would require much greater manual handling by HMRC, which would significantly slow down the system while risking substantial levels of fraud. It would also require greater resource for HMRC when they are already under significant pressure to deliver the system designed. Those not eligible for the scheme may be able to access the other support Government is providing, including a package of temporary welfare measures and up to three months’ mortgage payment holidays for those struggling with their mortgage payments.

The Honourable Member will appreciate that at this unprecedented time the Government is receiving very significant volumes of correspondence. HM Treasury officials are working to ensure that all Honourable Members receive a reply to correspondence as soon as possible.