To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to increase the terms of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme in the event that COVID-19 restrictions last beyond the 21 June.
Answered on
23 June 2021
On Monday 14 June, the Prime Minister set out why a short four-week delay to the roadmap is necessary. Employers will not be asked to make contributions to wages for hours worked through the CJRS until 1 July 2021, as announced at Spring Budget when the scheme was extended to the end of September.
This is the same approach the Government successfully introduced last summer, where comparable restrictions were in place. It is therefore right to continue with the existing timetable to reintroduce a small employer contribution, in order to strike the right balance between supporting the economy as it opens up, continuing to provide support and protect incomes, and ensuring incentives are in place to get people back to work as demand returns.
At March Budget 2021, the Government deliberately went long and erred on the side of generosity; specifically to accommodate short delays to the roadmap, such as this. Most of the Government schemes do not end until September or after, in order to provide continuity and certainty for businesses and families.