Asked by: Seema Malhotra (Labour (Co-op) - Feltham and Heston)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what fiscal support he is providing to hairdressing businesses in response to the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Paul Scully
We have put in place one of the most generous packages of support in the world, worth over £280 billion. For hairdressing businesses, this includes a business rates holiday, various loans schemes and the extended furlough scheme. Closed businesses such as hairdressers can currently receive a grant of up to £3,000 a month and a one-off payment up to a maximum £9,000.
My Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer has also announced an additional one-off ‘Restart Grants’ for businesses, including for the personal care sector in England. This new Restart Grants Scheme will provide up to £18,000 for business premises in the sector.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, on what date and at what time hairdressing salons in tier 2 covid-19 areas are allowed to re-open after the November 2020 lockdown restrictions come to an end.
Answered by Paul Scully
My Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister addressed the nation on Monday 23 November setting out Government’s COVID-19 Winter Plan. The COVID-19 Winter Plan sets out that the current national restrictions will be lifted on 2 December. Close Contact Services, including hairdressing salons, can open in all tiers from 2 December at 00:01.
Our Safer Working guidance has been updated ahead of the new tiering regime.
Asked by: Baroness Keeley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (England) (No. 4) Regulations 2020, if he will publish the scientific advice on the effect of closing (a) nail and beauty salons, (b) hair salons and (c) barbers on the transmission of covid-19.
Answered by Nadine Dorries
Throughout the pandemic, the Government has listened carefully to the views of the scientific community, in particular the information from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) and its sub-groups when taking decisions on the best way to tackle the pandemic.
The evidence that is considered by SAGE and used to support the Government’s response to COVID-19 is shared on GOV.UK at the following link:
Close contact services including hairdressing and beauty services are associated with an increased risk of transmission of the virus. Scientists have made it clear that the more you break the chains of transmission the more you reduce spread of the virus. Therefore, the current restrictions are in place to limit the number of interactions that people have and therefore reduce the risk spread.
Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if businesses permitted to remain open can sell goods provided by businesses that are required to cease trading by the November 2020 covid-19 restrictions.
Answered by Paul Scully
In England, COVID-secure businesses can continue to sell goods – such as a hairdressing salon selling shampoo or beauty products – online or via click-and-collect. If a business is able to trade goods in a COVID-secure manner while following the new national restrictions and all of the other trade requirements behind selling another good, they can.
Asked by: Alex Davies-Jones (Labour - Pontypridd)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 25 September 2020 to Question 93721 on Self-employment Income Support Scheme: Personal Care Services, which (a) industries and (b) businesses are included in the other service activities sector bracket when calculating the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme statistics.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
The sector “Other service activities” includes the activities of membership organisations, the repair of computers and personal and household goods and a variety of personal service activities. A breakdown of the activities in the sector is provided below.
o Activities of business, employers and professional membership organisations
o Activities of trade unions
o Activities of other membership organisations
o Repair of computers and communication equipment
o Repair of personal and household goods
o Washing and (dry-)cleaning of textile and fur products
o Hairdressing and other beauty treatment
o Funeral and related activities
o Physical well-being activities
o Other personal service activities not elsewhere classified
Asked by: Scott Benton (Independent - Blackpool South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment the Government has made of the potential merits of additional regulation in the hairdressing industry to allow only those with formal qualifications in the industry to operate both from salons and in people's homes.
Answered by Paul Scully
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided to the petition P002432, “The regulation of the Hair, Barber and Beauty industries”, 20 May 2019, Official Report, Volume 660.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth Sutton and Devonport)
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 level of risk of covid-19 being transmitted in (a) tattooists, and (b) hairdressers.
Answered by Helen Whately - Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
The Government has considered the impact of close contact services such as tattooing and hairdressing on COVID-19 transmission. The advice from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) is clear that the risk of COVID-19 transmission increases with close contact, prolonged contact and higher numbers of contact. Given the nature of both tattooing and hairdressing, close contact is inevitable. Both pose a high risk of transmission, though there is a greater likelihood of prolonged proximity and exposure in tattooing compared to hairdressing.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what public health concerns he identified as part of his recent decision-making not to re-open tattooists' premises as covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased.
Answered by Helen Whately - Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
The Government has considered the impact of close contact services such as tattooing and hairdressing on COVID-19 transmission. The advice from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) is clear that the risk of COVID-19 transmission increases with close contact, prolonged contact and higher numbers of contact. Given the nature of both tattooing and hairdressing, close contact is inevitable. Both pose a high risk of transmission, though there is a greater likelihood of prolonged proximity and exposure in tattooing compared to hairdressing.
Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when tattoo parlours will be permitted to reopen as covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased.
Answered by Paul Scully
Hairdressers and barbers in England were able to reopen from 4 July to offer hairdressing services. Other close contact services, like tattoo parlours, remain closed until further notice. My Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister, in his speech on 3rd July, stated that a timetable for the reopening of these closed sectors would be set out this week.
We appreciate that this is difficult for some businesses. Our approach is guided by the scientific and medical advice, and every step is weighed against the evidence, remembering that the more we open up the more vigilant we will need to be.
Asked by: Andrew Murrison (Conservative - South West Wiltshire)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the evidential basis is for permitting the reopening of hairdressers but not beauty salons and nail bars as covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased.
Answered by Paul Scully
Hairdressers and barbers in England were able to reopen from 4 July to offer hairdressing services. Other close contact services, like beauty salons, remain closed until further notice. The Ministerial Taskforces have been getting scientific input from Public Health England (PHE), who have been directly involved in the taskforce meetings, helping to resolve scientific issues as they draft the guidance. This guidance has been drawn up alongside businesses, business representative organisations, trade unions, and the Health and Safety Executive, taking into account the latest scientific and medical advice.
We appreciate that this is difficult for some businesses. Our approach is guided by the scientific and medical advice, and every step is weighed against the evidence, remembering that the more we open up the more vigilant we will need to be.
The Government is working with the remaining closed services to establish a timeline for when they can reopen safely.