Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the benefits being made available to employees as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic are available to those who were on zero-hours contracts and whose employment has ceased.

The Government is committed to supporting people through this unprecedented time. We have introduced a number of measures, including the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme and the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), as well as ensuring Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) is payable from day 1, to ensure people are supported.

Unemployed people who are not eligible for SSP or CJRS, may be able to claim Universal Credit (UC), ‘new style’ Jobseeker’s Allowance, or ‘new style’ Employment and Support Allowance, and this will include those people who are self-isolating in accordance with government guidelines.

People on zero hour contracts who are already claiming UC do not need to take any actions, as UC will auto adjust to represent the income received within that assessment period.

More information about the support available during the Covid-19 outbreak is available at: www.gov.uk/coronavirus.