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

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Callanan on 5 May (HL3252), which paragraph of the?Government guidance on the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme clarifies that pregnant employees can be furloughed under the Scheme if they and their employer agree, and provided they meet the normal eligibility requirements.

The Job Retention Scheme has been designed to help employers retain staff during the coronavirus outbreak. The guidance explains that anyone who meets the eligibility requirements can be considered for the Scheme - where the employee and employer agree. That includes pregnant women. The limited number of exclusions are explicitly set out in the guidance.