Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether suitable businesses purposes for which loans provided under the Covid Corporate Financing Facility may be utilised include payments (a) for kerosene futures, (b) for buying fuel, (c) to avoid buying fuel for which agreements or contracts have already been entered into and (d) to (i) Avalon and (ii) other aircraft leasing companies.

The Covid Corporate Financing Facility is designed to support companies who would ordinarily seek market-based finance to strengthen working capital, but find themselves struggling to access financial markets in this uncertain operating environment. It primarily provides bridging support to see through the temporary nature of Covid-19 related disruption, by catalyzing the market for short term corporate funding.

Since 19 May the Government has imposed restraints on capital distributions (including dividends and share buybacks), as well as senior pay, on companies accessing the CCFF. Firms must provide a letter of commitment to these constraints to HMT, which HMT reserves the right to publish if it becomes aware the terms of the letter have not been complied with.

In order to ensure support can be provided quickly, and in a broad-based manner, those are the only conditions imposed on participating firms at this time. Firms must meet strict criteria to access the CCFF so that the Government is confident the funds will be repaid.