Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of the (a) Job Support Scheme in (i) 2020-21 and (ii) 2021i22, and b) take-up of that scheme in terms of number of employments.

The Job Support Scheme is designed to protect jobs in businesses that are facing lower demand over the winter months due to COVID-19, to help their employees remain attached to the workforce. The total cost of the Job Support Scheme will depend on take-up; based on equivalent earnings to the average CJRS claim, the Government estimates the scheme would cost up to £1.8 billion for every million employments under the scheme for six months.