Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that small businesses whose otherwise viable credit rating has been impacted by the covid-19 outbreak will be eligible to receive funding under the Government's Bounce Back Loan scheme.

Almost all viable UK-based businesses are eligible to apply for a loan under the Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS). You can apply for a loan if your business

- is based in the UK;

- was established before 1 March 2020;

- has been adversely affected by coronavirus.

There are no current plans to change the eligibility data, further details of which can be found on the British Business Bank website.

Decision-making on whether a business is eligible to access the BBLS is fully delegated to the accredited lenders for the scheme, and individual lending decisions remain at the discretion of these accredited lenders.