Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of providing additional fiscal support for (a) small cafes, (b) restaurants, (c) bars and (d) hospitality businesses unable to re-open as covid-19 restrictions are eased while the two metre social distancing rules continue to apply.

The Government has announced unprecedented support for business and workers to protect them against the current economic emergency including almost £300 billion of guarantees – equivalent to 15% of UK GDP. Businesses in the hospitality sector continue to have access to a range of support measures including, but not limited to:

• A 12-month business rates holiday for all eligible retail, leisure and hospitality businesses in England
• The retail, hospitality and leisure grant fund (RHLGF)
• A Discretionary Grant Fund for Local Authorities in England
• 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 – with an option for the Government to extend if needed.

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

On 11 May the Government published its COVID-19 recovery strategy which sets out our plan for moving to the next phase of our response. The strategy sets out a cautious roadmap for easing existing measures in a safe and measured way. The roadmap will be kept constantly under review, and we will continue to work hard to support business and workers as the situation evolves.