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Job Protection: Covid-19

Volume 684: debated on Wednesday 18 November 2020

This Government have taken a broad set of measures to protect jobs in Wales and across the UK during the covid-19 outbreak. We have shown flexibility, most recently by extending the furlough scheme until the end of March.

To what extent have jobs and livelihoods in Wales been protected by the Government’s financial support through the Chancellor’s furlough and self-employment schemes and business grants and loans? Are there other ways in which the Welsh Senedd has been supported by the UK Government?

The short answer is that they have been protected to an enormous extent as a result of measures taken by the UK Government. Over 400,000 people in Wales have benefited from the furlough scheme, £2 billion-worth of financial support has been provided through the UK Government’s self-employment income support scheme, and £5 billion extra has been given to the Welsh Government. Not all that money has yet been spent, so there is plenty more that the Welsh Government could be doing to support businesses and jobs in Wales.