Schools: Coronavirus

(asked on 16th March 2020) - View Source

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what support is available to (a) single parents in employment and (b) other parents in the event that schools are closed as part of the response to the covid-19 outbreak.


Answered by
Steve Barclay Portrait
Steve Barclay
Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
This question was answered on 25th March 2020

The Secretary of State for Education has announced the closure of schools, colleges and early years settings as part of the country’s ongoing response to coronavirus. However, parents whose work is critical to this response and who cannot keep their children safe at home are able to access educational provision.

The government is ensuring it is protecting, as far as possible, people’s jobs and incomes during this outbreak. Last week, we announced further measures, including a Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to support businesses who would otherwise have laid off employees, and we are in turn encouraging employers to support their staff by looking at this and other support being made available to them before they take the decision to make staff redundant.

We also announced additional support with housing costs, including a mortgage holiday, higher support for low income renters, and a pause on tenant evictions, and support for low income households, including those on Universal Credit or Working Tax Credit. These measures will benefit many families, including single parents.

Guidance on the government’s response to coronavirus, including for parents and employers, is available at gov.uk/coronavirus.

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