Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the proportion of furloughed workers who work in the supply chain for retail, leisure and hospitality; and what steps he is taking to support those businesses through the covid-19 outbreak.

HMRC publish monthly experimental statistics that provide estimates of the number and value of claims made to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, broken down by employer size, sector of the economy, geography, and employee age and gender. For example, as at 31 December, statistics show that there were 714,400 employments furloughed in the wholesale and retail and repair of motor vehicles sectors, and 1,115,700 furloughed in the accommodation and food services sector. Based on the number of employments eligible for furlough, this represents 16% and 55% of eligible staff, respectively.

The Government has put in place an economic package of support designed to provide businesses with more certainty over the coming months. In addition to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, this package has also included billions in loans, tax deferrals, and business rates relief. Local authorities have also been provided with £1.6 billion of discretionary funding through the Additional Restrictions Grant, that can be used at their discretion to support businesses which supply the retail, hospitality, and leisure sectors.