Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has made an impact assessment of the potential effect of Budget 2021 on women working in the (a) wedding and (b) the hair and beauty industries.

The Treasury carefully considers the impact of its decisions on those sharing protected characteristics, including at Budgets and other fiscal events, in line with its legal obligations under the Equality Act 2010.

Measures announced at Budget which the wedding and hair and beauty sectors may benefit from include an extension of the furlough scheme until September; extensions to the Self Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS); 12 months of relief from business rates; a new UK-wide recovery loan scheme; enhanced Time to Pay for taxes; a 12 month VAT cut; and cash grants to protects businesses. The Government recognises that employees in the wedding events sector, and the hair and beauty sector are more likely to be female. Therefore, in as much as these business support measures contribute to business survival, and thus the continued employment of these employees, these support measures will benefit women working in these sectors.