Baroness Walmsley
Main Page: Baroness Walmsley (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Baroness Penn
I thank the noble Lord for his question. We are, of course, extremely concerned about the impact of Covid on employment. That is why the job retention scheme applies to all people on the PAYE system, including those on zero-hours contracts. We have also made the welfare system more generous during this period, including adding to the standard allowance on universal credit.
Baroness Walmsley (LD)
My Lords, farmers are vital to our food industry but, to make ends meet, many have diversified. This makes access to government support complex and difficult. Many are finding that the money is not reaching them, and they certainly cannot contemplate taking on more debt. This is causing hardship and they risk losing their farms. What can the Government do about this?
Baroness Penn
I thank the noble Baroness for her question. The Government continue to engage with farmers and the NFU to see what support we can put in place for the sector. Of course, all existing business support is available to farmers and we will look at any particular problems that they may have in accessing that support.