Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish an evaluation of the (a) financial and (b) public health effects in the Luton North constituency of the Eat Out to Help Out scheme.

HMRC published official statistics on the Eat Out to Help Out scheme on 25^th November 2020. Regional statistics will be published in due course.

The scheme was designed in a safe and responsible manner to aid business owners who worked hard to implement the social distancing guidelines and make their premises safe. The scheme was designed to boost demand when it is typically lowest – during the week, Monday-Wednesday – rather than at the weekend when some restaurants will face excess demand. It did not include spend on alcohol due to its public health impact, which has significant economic and social costs.

The Government considers the effect of all measures in aggregate, based on a range of epidemiological evidence and the expert advice of SAGE. Public Health England’s National COVID-19 Surveillance Reports over August and the early part of September showed that only a small fraction of incidents investigated were linked to restaurant settings. These reports are available on the Government’s website.