Government Response

The Government responded to this petition on Thursday 15th October 2020

On 9th October the Chancellor extended the Job Support Scheme to provide temporary help to businesses that have been legally required to close as a direct result of the Covid-19 restrictions.

The Government intends that extension to cover those directly employed by business conference venues and exhibition centres that have been unable to open as a result of the further measures to address rising cases of Covid-19, announced on September 22. They will be setting out more detail in due course.

The Government recognises the extreme disruption the necessary actions to combat Covid-19 are having on sectors like events. We recognise the energy the industry devoted to the pilot tests, exploring how individual events could be run safely and while those tests were successful, they were overtaken by circumstances when last month, in the light of rising Covid-19 cases, the Prime Minister had to pause the reopening of business events.

Coronavirus is the biggest threat this country has faced in decades – and this country is not alone. All over the world we are seeing the devastating impact of this invisible killer.

The steps taken to slow the spread of the virus have required unprecedented restrictions on people’s lives and on businesses’ ability to operate. The situation is continuously changing and we’ve seen big increases in the number of infections in the UK.

During this difficult time the Treasury is working intensively with employers, delivery partners, industry groups and other government departments such as the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport to understand the long-term effects of Covid-19 on the events sector.

Some of the sector has also benefitted from the support packages, launched by the Government, to safeguard the economy during the pandemic.

This includes the deferral of VAT payments and a year-long rates holiday for eligible businesses while some businesses have benefitted from a range of government-backed and guaranteed loan schemes, the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Fund and the Discretionary Grant.

In addition, 94% of event venues have been able to make use of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.

The primary goal of the Government’s economic policy remains unchanged - to support people’s jobs - but the way we achieve that must evolve, reflecting the evolving circumstances and uncertainty of the months ahead. We are determined to get Britain’s economy back firing on all cylinders. As we do, protecting people’s health remains our top priority.

We are adapting our response to the changing context, as we said we would. The Job Support Scheme is designed to support viable businesses who are facing lower demand due to Covid-19 keep their employees in work and attached to the workforce. The scheme will also cover businesses that are legally required to close their premises as a direct result of Coronavirus restrictions set by one or more of the four governments in the UK.

As in many schemes similar to the JSS around the world, the company will be reimbursed after it claims, beginning from early December. Employers will first need to know if they are eligible for the scheme, and this also ensures HMRC can make vital checks to stop fraudulent or criminal claims to protect taxpayers’ money.

These are the right steps to take to support people and businesses, to minimise deep and long-lasting impacts, and to support the economy through this difficult period.

While we will not be able to protect every single job or save every single business, we will continue to monitor the impact of Government support with regard to supporting businesses, individuals, and sectors such as events as we respond to this pandemic.

HM Treasury

Parliamentary Debate

This petition was debated in Parliament on Monday 11th January 2021

See Debate Details