Asked by: Cheryl Gillan (Conservative - Chesham and Amersham)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what further support he plans to make available to the weddings industry to ensure its future viability.
Answered by Paul Scully
Over the course of the pandemic, the Government has provided an unprecedented package of support to businesses, including those in the wedding sector, which it keeps under regular review.
I have met regularly with representatives of the wedding sector to understand the impact of COVID-19 on wedding businesses.
Asked by: Cheryl Gillan (Conservative - Chesham and Amersham)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when the restrictions on the number of people permitted to attend a wedding will next be reviewed.
Answered by Paul Scully
As my Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister has said, we intend to publish our plan for taking the country out of lockdown in the last week of February. That plan will depend on the continued success of our vaccination programme.
Asked by: Cheryl Gillan (Conservative - Chesham and Amersham)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing different guest restriction numbers at weddings in different covid-19 tiers; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Paul Scully
Wedding and civil partnership ceremonies with fifteen guests attending are allowed in Tiers 1, 2 and 3. Wedding receptions with fifteen guests can take place in Tiers 1 and 2 in COVID-19 Secure venues. Wedding receptions are not permitted in Tier 3.
Asked by: Cheryl Gillan (Conservative - Chesham and Amersham)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether exhibition businesses are eligible for covid-19-related grant funding from his Department.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Government has announced a package of support for businesses to help with their ongoing business costs in recognition of the disruption caused by Covid-19. This package of support includes the Small Business Grant Fund (SBGF) and the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund (RHLGF).
Under the SBGF, all businesses in England in receipt of Small Business Rates Relief or Rural Rates Relief as of 11 March 2020 will be eligible for a payment of £10,000.
Under the RHLGF, businesses in England that would have been in receipt of the Expanded Retail Discount (which covers retail, hospitality and leisure) on 11 March 2020, with a rateable value of less than £51,000, will be eligible for cash grants of up to £25,000 per property:
On?1 May,?the Government announced that up to £617 million has been made available to local authorities?in England to allow them to provide discretionary grants. The?Local Authority Discretionary Grants Fund is aimed at small businesses with ongoing fixed property-related costs that are not liable for business rates or rates reliefs.
Any enquiries on eligibility for, or provision of, these schemes should be directed to the relevant local authority.
Guidance to support local authorities to administer the Fund was published on 13 May at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-on-business-support-grant-funding.