Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether public sector workers who are clinically extremely vulnerable, and who cannot work from home, are eligible to be furloughed under the extended Job Retention Scheme.

Where employers receive public funding for staff costs, and that funding is continuing, the Government expects employers to use that money to continue to pay staff in the usual fashion, and correspondingly not to furlough them through the CJRS. In a small number of cases, for example where organisations are not primarily funded by the Government and whose staff cannot be redeployed to assist with the coronavirus response, the extended CJRS may be appropriate for some staff.

BEIS Safer Workplaces guidance advises that workers who can work effectively from home should do so over the winter. Specific to clinically extremely vulnerable workers, the guidance also outlines steps employers can take to suit their and their employees’ unique circumstances, including changing roles or adjusting work patterns. Employers can be furloughed under the CJRS when they are unable to work because they are shielding in line with public health guidance.

Furthermore, the Government has ensured that employees who were on an employer’s PAYE payroll before 31 October 2020 can be claimed for under the CJRS extension. Therefore, those who started work after the initial CJRS began and are required to shield will be supported. In cases where their employer chooses not to furlough them under the CJRS and does not have other suitable policies in place, Statutory Sick Pay is available as a safety net.