Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether dental practices meeting the criteria will be eligible to apply for the top up to the local business grants fund scheme announced on the 2 May 2020.

Dental practices may be eligible for the Discretionary Grant Scheme in England. This has made up to £617m of additional funding available to Local Authorities to enable them to make payments of up to £25,000 to businesses which are ineligible the existing grants schemes. Local Authorities have received guidance regarding which kinds of businesses should be considered a priority. Local Authorities may also choose to pay grants to businesses according to local economic need, so long as businesses meet the following criteria:

• They face ongoing fixed building-related costs
• They can demonstrate that they have suffered a significant fall in income due to COVID-19
• They have fewer than 50 employees;
• They were trading on or before 11th March

Dental practices, along with other businesses, may also benefit from a range of support measures including:

• The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS)
• The Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS)
• The Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBL) for small and micro enterprises
• VAT deferral for up to 12 months
• The Time To Pay scheme, through which businesses in financial distress, and with outstanding tax liabilities, can receive support with their tax affairs
• Protection for commercial leaseholders against automatic forfeiture for non-payment until June 30, 2020

The Business Support website provides further information about how businesses can access the support that has been made available, who is eligible, when the schemes open and how to apply -https://www.gov.uk/business-coronavirus-support-finder.