Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether employers can keep workers on the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme until the end of October 2020 whose fixed-term contracts are due to end in November 2020.

The Government has ensured that the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) is available for as many people as possible. Hence, employees can be on any type of contract and be eligible to be furloughed under the CJRS.

From August 2020, the level of the grant will be tapered slowly to reflect that people will be returning to work. An employer can continue to claim for all employees furloughed for 21 days before 30 June as long as any single claim period does not exceed the maximum number of employees they claimed for under any claim before 30 June.

Further information on eligibility for the CJRS can be found at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/check-which-employees-you-can-put-on-furlough-to-use-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme.