Hospitality Industry: Coronavirus

(asked on 19th May 2020) - View Source

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of the recommendations in Hospitality Union’s #NationalTimeOut campaign; and what recent steps he has taken to support the hospitality industry during the covid-19 pandemic.


Answered by
Kemi Badenoch Portrait
Kemi Badenoch
President of the Board of Trade
This question was answered on 2nd June 2020

During this difficult time the Treasury is working intensively with employers, delivery partners, industry groups and other government departments to understand the long-term effects of social distancing across all key areas of the economy.

We appreciate the concerns of Hospitality Union’s NationalTimeOut campaign and the Government recognises the extreme disruption the necessary actions to combat Covid-19 are having on businesses and sectors like hospitality.

That is why the Chancellor has already announced unprecedented support for individuals and businesses, to protect against the current economic emergency. This includes changes to our welfare system including Universal Credit and Statutory Sick Pay; grant schemes such as the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund and the Discretionary Grant Fund, which are primarily and predominantly aimed at small businesses facing high fixed property-related costs; a range of government-backed and guaranteed loan schemes; the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, and the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme.

We will continue to monitor the impact of government support with regard to supporting public services, businesses, individuals, and sectors such as hospitality. We are also keeping the exit strategy of all schemes under review as we respond to this pandemic and consider the longer-term economic recovery.

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