Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of the covid-19 outbreak on the business of (a) private dentists, (b) private physiotherapists, (c) other private healthcare providers; and whether he has plans to provide business rates relief to those sectors as provided to the hospitality sector.

The Government has provided enhanced support to the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors in England through business rates relief, given the direct and acute impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on those sectors. Business rates in Northern Ireland are devolved.

A range of further measures to support all businesses, including those not eligible for the business rates holiday, such as medical service providers, has also been made available. For example, the Government has launched the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to help firms continue to keep people in employment, and the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme offering loans of up to £5 million for SMEs through the British Business Bank. The Government is also deferring VAT payments for this quarter.