Select committee: Business, Innovation, Science and Trade Committee
Conclusion 17
Second Report - The impact of Coronavirus on businesses and workers: interim pre-Budget report
Published 26 Feb 2021
Paragraph 62
Addressed to Department for Business and Trade
Business, Innovation, Science and Trade Committee The impact of coronavirus on businesses and workers All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Conclusion (the committee's words)
Throughout the pandemic the Government has attached expiry dates to support measures, which have since been found to be premature. In most cases, the measures have ultimately ended up being extended, which is undoubtedly the correct decision. In the early months of the pandemic, it was difficult to know long health measures would need to last. This has been further complicated by the discovery of new variants of the disease which appear to be significantly more infectious. However, the situation we find ourselves in is no longer novel. By continually failing to take a long-view, particularly now that we understand that health restrictions (and therefore business support) will be necessary for as long as the virus is prevalent, needless long-term damage is done to the economy and workers through repeated ‘cliff edges’, which ultimately turn out to be artificial.
From: Business, Innovation, Science and Trade Committee, Second Report - The impact of Coronavirus on businesses and workers: interim pre-Budget report (HC 1264), paragraph 62, 26 February 2021
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 19 May 2021 (deadline 26 April 2021).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government's response sets out the further support announced since the report, including extended schemes and a new Recovery Loan Scheme, and declines some proposals on eligibility and loan debt.
- On targeted support, it says the new Recovery Loan Scheme will keep an 80% guarantee while "not extending the 100% guarantee for longer than needed", so support is "more targeted going forwards, as recommended by the Committee".
- On gaps in support, it extended the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and Self-Employment Income Support Scheme until September, but says that proposals for Company Owner Directors have not been taken forward because they rely on self-certification and would risk fraud.
- On commercial rent arrears, it says the best solution is "market led negotiations" between landlords and tenants, but it "is ready to intervene further as necessary" and has launched a Call for Evidence. Tenant protection measures are due to expire on 30 June 2021.
- On Covid loan debt, it states that the loans "are to be repaid" and that the private sector "should be the first port of call" for refinancing, pointing instead to the "Pay As You Grow" repayment options.