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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what additional support the Government plans to provide to (a) staff and (b) suppliers of Debenhams following its closure during the covid-19 outbreak.

We recognise that this must be a worrying time for Debenhams’ employees, their families and their suppliers.

Government is doing everything we can to support Debenhams’ employees and suppliers during the Covid-19 outbreak. UK wide schemes include a Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme where small and large employers will be eligible to apply for a government grant of 80% of workers’ salaries up to £2,500 a month, a Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme to support SMEs with a turnover of up to £45 million access vital financial support, a Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme providing a Government guarantee of 80% to enable banks to make loans of up to £25 million to firms with an annual turnover of between £45 million and £500 million and a new Covid-19 Corporate Financing Facility where the Bank of England will buy short term debt from larger companies.

Certain support such as Business Grants and the Business Rates Holiday is devolved in Northern Ireland. The devolved administrations will receive at least £3.5bn as a result of the support for businesses in England so they can provide support in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.