Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he make an assessment of the potential merits of amending the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to support small businesses by relaxing the three-week furlough period requirement for small businesses with small workforces to provide flexibility.

Employees must remain on furlough for a minimum of three weeks. This was a difficult decision but it is important that the scheme is consistent with public health guidance seeking to minimise the number of people outside their homes on a regular basis. It also protects employees by providing some certainty over their working arrangement. However, employees can be placed on furlough more than once while the scheme is open, and employers may rotate staff on furlough (for the minimum of three weeks each) if they choose.

This scheme supplements the other significant support announced for UK businesses, including the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme and the deferral of tax payments.