Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what advice he is giving to English language schools at risk of closure which are not eligible for covid-19 financial support.

We support English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) courses as part of our wider effort to improve adult literacy in England. Funding is available through the Adult Education Budget for courses and qualifications at pre-entry, entry level 1 to 3, level 1 and level 2. In 2018/19, the department supported 120,500 adult learners to improve their levels of English through ESOL classes.

However, English Language Teaching Centres are private language schools, and as such are not in receipt of any funding from the department. We have therefore made no assessment of the adequacy of support for them during the COVID-19 outbreak. My right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, has announced an extensive and unprecedented package of support measures for businesses across the country and as such we have delivered one of the most generous and comprehensive packages of support globally, with a total fiscal response of close to £200 billion.

The measures introduced, including loan schemes, grant funding, tax deferrals and the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), have been designed to be accessible to businesses in most sectors and across the UK.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer has also announced an extension to the Coronavirus Business Interruption Scheme, the Bounce Back Loan Scheme and other loan schemes until 31 January, ensuring there is further support in place for firms who need it during this ongoing period of difficulty.

On 31 October, my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister, announced that the CJRS will remain open until December, with employees receiving 80% of their current salary for hours not worked, up to a maximum of £2,500. Under the extended scheme, the cost for employers of retaining workers will be reduced compared to the previous version of the scheme, which was due to end on 31 October. This means the extended furlough scheme is more generous for employers than it was in October.

In addition, business premises forced to close in England are to receive grants worth up to £3,000 per month under the Local Restrictions Support Grant. A further £1.1 billion is being given to local authorities, distributed on the basis of £20 per head, for one-off payments to enable them to support businesses more broadly.