To ask the Minister for the Economy how she is working with the Minister for Communities to support workers to claim Income Support rather than being made redundant, which could allow businesses to remain dormant rather than cease trading and allow employees to keep their job.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced the Coronavirus Jobs Retention Scheme (CJRS) which will cover 80% of workers’ wages, if they otherwise would have been redundant due to the crisis. The CJRS is a temporary scheme open to all UK employers starting from 1 March 2020 and it is designed to support employers whose operations have been severely affected by COVID-19. This would provide more support for workers rather than claiming benefits such as Universal Credit.

The Department of Finance (DoF) has been liaising regularly with the Treasury to test and clarify how the CJRS will operate, and most importantly, provide the support that is urgently needed.

I am in contact with the Finance Minister and the Chancellor on any issues relating to the UK-wide schemes and I will continue to work with my Executive colleagues to consider what further support measures can be made available for the economy during the current health and economic crisis.