Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 13 March 2020 to Question 25731 on Small Businesses: Coronavirus, how much of the £12 billion will be spent in Yorkshire and the Humber.

The Government is committed to supporting individuals, businesses, and communities affected by the Coronavirus. At Budget, the Chancellor announced £30 billion of support to help deal with the crisis by investing in public services, increasing support for vulnerable people, and providing businesses with tax reliefs and loans.

Significant further actions have since been announced, including: a Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme allowing small and large employers to apply for a Government grant covering 80% of workers’ salaries up to £2,500 a month; cash grants of up to £25,000 for retail, hospitality, and leisure businesses with a rateable value of between £15,000 and £51,000; and deferral of the next quarter of VAT payments for firms, until the end of June 2020, representing a £30 billion injection for employers.

Many of these measures are demand-led and their use will depend on decisions taken by individual businesses. As such, it is not possible to determine in advance how much will be spent in any particular region.