Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of (a) changing the requirements of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and Job Support Scheme to allow for eligibility to be considered on an individual basis and (b) those schemes using national insurance numbers to allow support to be transferable between successive employers.

The requirements of the Job Support Scheme (JSS) have been carefully considered to ensure that the scheme is effective at supporting jobs, is accessible to those who need it and minimises the risks of fraud.

Further details are set out in the JSS Policy Paper, which was published on 22 October 2020 and can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-job-support-scheme/the-job-support-scheme

Full guidance will be published shortly.