Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Covid-19: Employment

Tuesday 15 September 2020 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 3 Partly answered 0 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Mark Harper inquired about fiscal steps his Department is taking to protect jobs during the covid-19 outbreak.
  • The Government have implemented a 190 billion plan to support jobs, incomes, and businesses, one of the largest economic responses worldwide.
  • Nickie Aiken highlighted the effectiveness of the Government's help package for the retail and hospitality sectors.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Mark Harper Con
Economy Employment
Context

The MP is concerned about job protection amidst the economic impact of the pandemic.

Question

What fiscal steps his Department is taking to protect jobs during the covid-19 outbreak. I am concerned about protecting people's jobs, incomes and businesses in my constituency. The Government have taken significant action but more needs to be done.

Answer from Steve Barclay

The Government have put in place a £190 billion plan to protect people's jobs, incomes and businesses, one of the largest and most comprehensive economic responses in the world, and that includes the £30 billion made available under the plan for jobs.

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Q2 Nickie Aiken
Business & Trade
Context

The MP notes the success of the Eat Out to Help Out scheme in her constituency, highlighting its role in supporting demand in the hospitality industry.

Question

Will my right hon. Friend comment on the amazing package of help that the Government have given to the retail and hospitality sectors? Moving forward, what policies can we hope to expect to support these vital sectors, which are responsible for hundreds of thousands of jobs in my constituency?

Answer from Steve Barclay

My hon. Friend is right to recognise the effectiveness of that scheme in supporting demand. It was dismissed as a gimmick when my right hon. Friend the Chancellor launched it, but it has been warmly received by the hospitality industry. As she knows from her constituency and that of others, it is part of that wider package of support, including the cutting of the rate of VAT, which again has been a huge boost to that industry.

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Q3 Mark Harper Con
Education Employment
Context

The MP highlights the importance of providing future job opportunities, especially in sectors like hospitality and tourism. He mentions a local event focused on skills and training.

Question

Turning to the future though, we must make sure that we provide the job opportunities that we are going to need. In Gloucestershire, we had a lift-off event last Friday, organised by my hon. Friend the Member for Gloucester (Richard Graham) and supported by all six Gloucestershire MPs, where we focused on skills and training and brought together a range of employers. That is the kind of thing that I would like my right hon. Friends in the Treasury to think about supporting.

Answer from Steve Barclay

I pay tribute to my right hon. Friend for that event. I saw the read out and how positive it had been. He is right to focus on that forward piece, using the package of measures that my right hon. Friend set out. That includes, for example, the payment to employers for each new apprenticeship—up to £2,000 for those over 25—the £2 billion kickstart scheme, but also other schemes such as the tripling in the number of traineeships.

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