Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Furloughed Employees

Tuesday 22 June 2021 · 5 questions

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

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 2 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Between January and April 2021, 1.5 million people left the furlough scheme.
  • The furlough scheme has supported more than 11.5 million jobs since the start of the pandemic.
  • Government provided more than 7 billion of support to certain sectors, such as regional airports, which pay no business rates for the first half of the year.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Greg Smith Con Mid Buckinghamshire
Employment
Context

Concern about the number of furloughed individuals moving back into employment.

Question

What recent estimate his Department has made of the number of furloughed employees moving back into work?

Answer from Rishi Sunak

Between the end of January and the end of April, 1.5 million people left the furlough scheme. The most recent business survey from the Office for National Statistics estimates that the number of employees furloughed continued to decline after that point, to approximately 2 million at the end of May.

Answered
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Q2 Nicola Richards
Employment
Context

Recalling that at the start of the pandemic, many commentators feared unprecedented scale of job losses.

Question

Does my right hon. Friend recall that at the start of the pandemic, many commentators feared that it would lead to unemployment on an unprecedented scale? Has he estimated that impact of his furlough scheme on protecting jobs?

Answer from Rishi Sunak

The furlough scheme has supported more than 11.5 million jobs since the start of the pandemic, and forecasts suggested that unemployment would peak at around 12%. Those forecasts now show unemployment peaking at half that level, which means 2 million fewer people losing their jobs than previously feared.

Answered
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Q3 Greg Smith Con Mid Buckinghamshire
Economy Employment
Context

Employers in the constituency with employees still on furlough are desperate to return them to work but face uncertainty over lifting restrictions.

Question

The figures my right hon. Friend gave in his earlier answers are encouraging, but some employers in my constituency with employees still on furlough tell me that they are desperate to get those employees back to work, but the uncertainty over when restrictions will finally be lifted is holding them back. Does my right hon. Friend agree that the way to get the economy moving and get those employees back to work is for restrictions to be lifted by 19 July?

Answer from Rishi Sunak

My hon. Friend is right, and my hope and expectation is that we lift those restrictions on 19 July. By that point, we will have done what we set out to do, which is to get extra jabs in more people's arms to provide us with that extra level of protection.

Partly answered

Not addressed: While the Chancellor expressed hope for lifting restrictions by 19 July, he did not commit to it explicitly or provide details on how this would support employees returning to work.

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Q4 Abena Oppong-Asare Lab Erith and Thamesmead
Benefits & Welfare
Context

Independent experts have warned the Government multiple times about inadequate support for those who need to isolate.

Question

Independent experts have told the Government 12 times that the failure to provide adequate financial support to people self-isolating has contributed to the spread of covid, endangering lives and livelihoods. Will the Chancellor explain why the Treasury instructed Government officials actively to supress information about the furlough scheme?

Answer from Rishi Sunak

The hon. Lady is wrong, because the Government did no such thing. Indeed, guidance on usage of the furlough scheme was there in black and white—I am looking at it—and plain for everyone to see from the start. At the beginning of this crisis we improved the way that statutory sick pay works to deal with self-isolation.

Not addressed: The Chancellor did not address the specific question about suppressing information but instead highlighted actions taken by the Government at the start of the crisis.

How: Denial, Shifting Focus

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Q5 Mel Stride Con Central Devon
Economy Business & Trade
Context

The rapid pace of economic recovery and plans for further reopening have raised concerns about sectors needing more support post-furlough phase-out.

Question

Given the rapid pace of our economic recovery and the plans for the further reopening of the economy, I support my right hon. Friend's decision to phase out furlough by the end of September. However, does he accept that a small number of sectors are likely to require yet further support after that time—not least the travel sector?

Answer from Rishi Sunak

My right hon. Friend is right to highlight the difficult circumstances facing that sector, which is why I think in aggregate more than £7 billion of support has been provided to the sector through various means. For example, regional airports are paying no business rates for the first half of this year.

Partly answered

Not addressed: While acknowledging difficulties and providing some figures on past support, he did not commit to further specific support after September.

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