Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton South)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to support the hospitality sector during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
The Government understands that this is a very challenging time for the UK’s hospitality sector and night-time businesses, and recognises that the hospitality sector has been significantly impacted by the pandemic. Throughout the crisis the Government’s priority has been to protect lives and livelihoods. The Government is delivering support to this sector and these businesses through:
The Government is continuing to collect evidence on the impact of the pandemic on the hospitality industry and work with businesses and representative groups to ensure that support provided is right for this industry and the economy as a whole.
Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the need for support during the January 2021 covid-19 lockdown for (a) breweries and (b) other businesses within the hospitality supply chain that do not qualify for covid-19 Government grants.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
The Government recognises that breweries, and other businesses within the hospitality supply chain have been acutely disrupted by recent necessary restrictions to hospitality businesses. Throughout the crisis the Government’s priority has been to protect lives and livelihoods. The Government has acted to deliver support to these businesses through:
Breweries have and will continue to benefit directly from Government support schemes, and indirectly from the support offered to the pubs and restaurants they supply, protecting jobs in the industry. The Government is continuing to collect evidence on the impact of the pandemic on the sector and to work with businesses and representative groups to inform our efforts to support this sector.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to provide local authorities with additional guidance on support schemes for the (a) leisure and (b) hospitality sector in tier 2 local covid alert level areas.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Local Restrictions Support Grant (Open) scheme provides Local Authorities with discretionary funding to support businesses in the hospitality, accommodation and leisure sectors who have been severely affected by local restrictions but are not required to close. Local Authorities will be eligible for this scheme when under Tier 2 and Tier 3 restrictions. The updated guidance for the period from 2nd December has been published on GOV.UK:
For those businesses mandated to close on a sector basis, regardless of the local restriction in place, such as nightclubs, the Local Restrictions Support Grant (Sector) will provide grants of up to £3000 per 28-day period. This guidance is also available on GOV.UK.
The Christmas Support Payment for ‘wet-led’ pubs is a one-off £1,000 grant to support the wet-led pubs during the festive period in Tier 2 and Tier 3. This guidance is also available on gov.uk.
Businesses mandated to close under Tier 2 and Tier 3 restrictions will be eligible for Local Restrictions Support Grant (Closed) payments of up to £3,000 per 28-day period. This guidance is also available on gov.uk.
Asked by: Emma Hardy (Labour - Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department plans to offer additional financial support to the hospitality industry operating in areas with Tier 3 covid-19 restrictions during December 2020.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
The Government understands that this is a very challenging time for the UK’s hospitality and leisure sectors, and it recognises that the hospitality and leisure sectors have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic.
The Government is continuing to collect evidence on the impact of the pandemic on the hospitality industry and work with businesses and representative groups to ensure that support provided is right for this industry and the economy as a whole.
The Government has acted to deliver targeted support to these sectors through the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund, the Eat Out to Help Out Scheme, and a reduction in VAT for hospitality, holiday accommodation and attractions from 20% to 5% until 31 March 2021. In addition, the hospitality sector continues to have access to a range of Government support measures including, but not limited to:
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he plans to issue additional guidance on the student travel window to students who intend to return to hospitality and leisure roles after the national covid-19 restrictions end on 2 December 2020.
Answered by Paul Scully
We have produced guidance for employers and employees to ensure workplaces are COVID-secure. All guidance and measures are kept under review and updated accordingly.
The Department for Education’s guidance for students and others regarding the student travel window is located here.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what sector specific support is being provided for (a) independent brewers and (b) public houses during the November 2020 covid-19 lockdown restrictions period.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
The Government recognises that breweries and public houses have been acutely disrupted by recent necessary restrictions to the hospitality sector. That is why the Government has extended the unprecedented package of support measures, to protect businesses and jobs. This includes:
Independent breweries have and will continue to benefit directly from Government support schemes, and indirectly from the support offered to the pubs and restaurants they supply, protecting jobs in the industry. The Government is continuing to collect evidence on the impact of the pandemic on the sector and to work with businesses and representative groups to inform our efforts to support this sector.
Asked by: Emma Hardy (Labour - Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will allocate additional financial support to (a) hostels and (b) other group accommodation providers to ensure that they have adequate funding until the 2021 tourist season.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
The Government recognises the extreme disruption the necessary actions to combat Covid-19 are having on hostels and other accommodation providers.
During this difficult time the Treasury is working intensively with employers, delivery partners, industry groups and other government departments such as the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport to understand the long-term effects of Covid-19 on the accommodation sector.
Some of the sector has already benefitted from the wide range of support, launched by the Government, to safeguard the economy during the pandemic. This includes a temporary reduction on VAT for tourism and hospitality from 20% to 5% until the end of March, and the deferral of VAT payments; a year-long business rates holiday for eligible businesses; grant schemes including the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant and the Local Authority Discretionary Grant; the Self Employed Income Support Scheme, and the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.
We have also provided local authorities with £1.1bn to enable them to support businesses over the coming months, as they form a key part of local economies.
?In response to the England-wide restrictions announced by the Prime Minister on the 31 October, we have announced a new set of national support measures. This includes an extension to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to March 2021, more generous support for the self-employed, extended application windows for government-backed loans and cash grants of up to £3,000 for businesses forced to close.
While we will not be able to protect every single job or save every single business, nor stand in the way of the economy adapting and people finding new jobs or starting new businesses, we will continue to monitor the impact of Government support with regard to supporting businesses, individuals, and sectors such as accommodation as we respond to this pandemic.
Asked by: Gill Furniss (Labour - Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to support breweries supplying pubs in Tier 2 and Tier 3 local covid-19 alert level areas.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
The Government recognises that breweries have been acutely disrupted by recent necessary restrictions to the hospitality businesses they supply. That is why the Government has extended the unprecedented package of support measures, to protect businesses and jobs. This includes:
Small breweries have and will continue to benefit directly from Government support schemes, and indirectly from the support offered to the pubs and restaurants they supply, protecting jobs in the industry. The Government is continuing to collect evidence on the impact of the pandemic on the sector and to work with businesses and representative groups to inform our efforts to support this sector.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - Wolverhampton South West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what financial support is available for small brewers experiencing financial hardship as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
The Government recognises that breweries have been acutely disrupted by recent necessary restrictions to the hospitality businesses they supply. That is why the Government has extended the unprecedented package of support measures, to protect businesses and jobs. This includes:
Small breweries have and will continue to benefit directly from Government support schemes, and indirectly from the support offered to the pubs and restaurants they supply, protecting jobs in the industry. The Government is continuing to collect evidence on the impact of the pandemic on the sector and to work with businesses and representative groups to inform our efforts to support this sector.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of varying the hospitality curfew to account for lower evening transmission rates across different categories of leisure and hospitality premises.
Answered by Nadine Dorries
Experience from areas of local interventions where the curfew has implemented suggests it strikes the right balance, allowing businesses to trade for the majority of the evening while reducing the risk of non-compliance with social distancing measures and unnecessary contact with people you do not usually meet.
Early data also suggests that a significant proportion of exposure to the virus is seen in the hospitality sector, which is even more pronounced in younger age groups. We will continue to gather evidence and monitor the data. We have seen from Belgium how effective operating restrictions can be, where a marked decline in case numbers was seen after early closure measures were introduced.
The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care will conduct the reviews, following discussion with other Ministers and always guided by officials and experts, ensuring the measures continue to be both proportionate and necessary.