Remote Education: Coronavirus

(asked on 6th January 2021) - View Source

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to provide financial support to parents unable to work due to the demands of home-schooling children while schools are closed due to the restrictions in place to address the COVID-19 pandemic.


Answered by
 Portrait
Lord Agnew of Oulton
This question was answered on 21st January 2021

The Government has invested over £300 million to support remote education, including providing devices and internet access to pupils who need it most.

Since its introduction, the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) has been available to anyone who has been unable to work due to caring responsibilities arising from COVID-19, such as caring for children who are at home as a result of school and childcare facilities closing, or caring for a vulnerable individual in their household. The Self-Employment Income Support Scheme is also available to parents and carers who cannot work because of childcare commitments.

In order to support businesses to retain their employees and protect the UK economy, the Chancellor has extended both the CJRS and SEISS until the end of April.

Individual families have also benefitted from increased welfare payments, enhanced statutory sick pay, a stay of repossession proceedings and mortgage holidays.

The government has provided over £400m for 1.3 million laptops and tablets for disadvantaged children and young people. Over 750,000 of these have already been delivered to schools.

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