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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will introduce an appeals process for people released from employment without their company first applying for the furlough scheme.

Whilst we have encouraged companies to make use of the coronavirus job retention scheme (CJRS) and avoid making redundancies, there was no requirement that employers participate in the scheme as employers are best equipped to decide whether or not they furlough their employees. An appeals process would not be appropriate given the voluntary nature of the scheme.

The legislation makes clear that any redundancy and dismissal process should be fair and reasonable. Employees with the necessary qualifying service who believe that they have been unfairly dismissed, or that the dismissal was unfair in some other way, may be able to complain to an employment tribunal.