Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what guidance he has given to businesses on allowing staff to take time off as a result of contracting covid-19 or being told to isolate by NHS Track and Trace.

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has provided guidance to numerous workplaces here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/working-safely-during-coronavirus-covid-19. These make it clear what steps need to be applied and link through to the Department for Health and Social Care’s latest advice around self-isolation and Test and Trace.

All guidance makes it clear that, by law, from 28 September employers must not knowingly require or encourage someone who is being required to self-isolate to come to work.