Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme of supporting beyond October 2020 people in (a) the events industry and (b) other sectors that have not yet been permitted to reopen.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer has said there will be no further extensions or changes to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS). After eight months of the CJRS, the scheme will close at the end of October.

The introduction of flexible furloughing further ensures that firms can adjust how they furlough to match their speed of reopening. Firms will be able to claim under the CJRS until October flexibly.

It would be challenging to target the CJRS to specific sectors in a fair and deliverable way, and it may not be the case that this is the most effective or sensible way to provide longer term support for those sectors who may not yet be reopening.

The Government will continue to engage with businesses and sectors with the aim of ensuring that support provided is right for those sectors and for the economy as a whole.