Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of reversing changes to eligibility thresholds for the Small Business Grant.

The eligibility threshold for the Small Business Grant Fund has not changed. Businesses are eligible for a grant of £10,000 per property, for each property in receipt of Small Business Rates Relief or Rural Rates Relief.

The eligibility thresholds for the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund have also remained the same since the scheme was announced on 17^th March. We have been working at pace to design grant schemes to support businesses and protect jobs throughout Covid-19. We apologise for a human error made on an early version of a Covid-19 support measures factsheet which stated that the rateable value cut-off for the £25,000 Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Fund grant was £14,999. This has since been updated on 9^th April. The guidance to Local Authorities has always been very clear that retail, hospitality and leisure properties with a rateable value of £15,000 or below would be eligible for a £10,000 grant under the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund.