Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether public sector organisations can re-hire employees who stopped working for them on or after 28 February 2020 for the purposes of furloughing them through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.
If an individual was made redundant or stopped working for a public sector employer after 28 February, the employer can agree to re-employ that individual and place them on furlough, provided that the individual is not on furlough from another organisation.
Before furloughing individuals, public sector employers should first explore opportunities for the individual to be re-employed and redeployed elsewhere in the public sector, and should only claim through the scheme in line with guidance for public sector employers on the appropriate use of the scheme and the receipt of public funding.
The employer is under no obligation to re-employ and furlough staff.