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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to support businesses in the (a) transition to homeworking and (b) procurement of remote technology and office supplies to maximise homeworking during the covid-19 outbreak.

Government is clear that, where people can, they should work at home during the current coronavirus outbreak. In order to support this, and homeworking more generally, the ACAS and HSE websites provide extensive advice on employers responsibilities and duties, and guidance on best practice, including on addressing some of the negative impacts which can be associated with homeworking – such as loneliness and mental health. Both websites have been updated to take account of the current circumstances.

The Government is working with the private sector and business representative organisations to explore how to rapidly improve utilisation and increase adoption of existing technologies to help businesses return to work safely and adapt to new ways of operating and doing business. For example, we are supporting Be the Business, the business-led independent charity which launched in 2017 with the aim of helping UK SMEs to improve their productivity. In response to the COVID19 outbreak, Be the Business have published a range of online advice and guidance to help SMEs adapt their business practices, including transitioning to homeworking.

The Bounce Back Loans Scheme (BBLS) allows small businesses to borrow between £2,000 and £50,000, interest free for the first 12 months. At the discretion of the lender, this can be used to provide working capital for the business, such as investment in new technology.