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

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the level of support required to retain jobs in the aerospace industry across the UK.

The aerospace sector is being supported with over £8.5 billion of support through the Bank of England’s Covid Corporate Financing Facility, grants for research and development, loan guarantees, and support for aerospace exports. My Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer has extended the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to the end of October, allowing aerospace employers to ensure they retain as many employees as possible. In addition, and the Chancellor launched the Job Retention Bonus, which will to help the sector to retain furloughed workers.

In addition, to support employment, the Government is investing a total of £1.6 billion to scale-up employment support schemes, training, and apprenticeships to help people looking for a job, including in the aerospace sector. The investment will include:

• A £2000 payment to businesses for each new apprentice they hire under the age of 25. This is in addition to the existing £1,000 payment the Government already provides for new 16 to 18-year-old apprentices and those aged under 25 with an Education, Health and Care Plan.
• £111 million funding to triple the scale of traineeships in 2020-21 ensuring more young people have access to high quality training.
• £17 million of funding to triple the number of sector-based work academy placements in 2020-21.
• Nearly £900 million to double the number of work coaches to 27,000.
• An extra £32 million investment in the National Careers Service benefiting over a quarter of a million more young people.