Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if his Department will make an estimate of the potential number of (a) business exits, (b) insolvencies in 2022-23; and what assessment he has made of (i) the potential extent of business mergers and consolidation in 2022-23 in (ii) the effect of (A) business exits, (B) insolvencies and (C) business consolidation on employment rates.

Support schemes such as the CJRS and government-backed loans kept insolvencies and business exits below normal levels throughout much of the pandemic.

To protect businesses from aggressive creditor action during Covid enforced restrictions there was a temporary ban on Winding Up Petitions (WUP) for Covid-19-related debt. As the economy returns to normal trading conditions, it is right that creditor powers are restored.

Insolvencies returned to pre-covid levels in September 2021, coinciding with the end of the WUP ban. It is too early to assess the full impact of support ending on business consolidation as some support schemes, such as the rent moratorium, are still in place.

Vacancy levels are higher than normal. As a result, we expect that the employment rate should remain relatively stable in the face of business exits and consolidation in 2022-23.