Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the £594m discretionary fund announced to support businesses impacted by the January 2021 covid-19 lockdown will be accessible to (a) airlines, (b) airports, (c) ground handlers and (d) other aviation businesses.

As per the Chancellor’s announcement on 5 January, local authorities in England will receive a £500 million top-up to the £1.1 billion which they have already received for the Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG). We encourage local authorities to use their ARG allocations to set up a discretionary grant scheme, for example to make payments to businesses which are affected by the lockdown, but which are not legally closed themselves. Local authorities can also use the ARG to support businesses indirectly including by providing additional guidance and support for businesses in their areas.

Local Authorities are responsible for determining the precise eligibility for the Additional Restrictions Grant in their areas, based on their assessment of local economic need.

The announcement on 5 January also includes £729 million of funding for the devolved administrations as part of the unprecedented upfront funding guarantee. The total of the guarantee is reviewed regularly to ensure it reflects all additional funding and was most recently increased by £800 million to £16.8 billion on 24 December.