Hart: Commitment to saving jobs and businesses

WELSH Secretary Simon Hart said the Westminster Government remained committed to “saving as many businesses and jobs as we can still stands” through the furlough scheme.

Mr Hart, who was speaking ahead of Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s Summer Statement on Wednesday, said the UK Government was determined to support firms during the crisis.

One in three workers in Wales are living off the UK Government scheme.

When he was asked yesterday if furlough would target particular industries and be more specific, Mr Hart told BBC

Wales: “It has been looked at, I think the Chancellor is making a big announcement this week on Wednesday. He’s always said right from the word go, the Treasury wants to be flexible and they want to help as many individuals and businesses as he possibly can within the realms of possibility that is.”

Mr Hart added: “Quite rightly in my view, he has set a timescale and a taper on furlough, the nation is getting back to work now, hopefully safely within the confines of Covid recovery.

“It’s for him to make judgements around that but his comments on day one of this, which is – our job is to save as many businesses and as many jobs as we can, we won’t get them all but as many as we can – that still stands. It remains, people forget this, this remains the most generous scheme and regime on the planet. One in three people in Wales at the moment are receiving their income and are maintaining their livelihood because of a UK Government intervention during Covid. There is nowhere else in the world who are doing it the way we are doing it.”

The job retention scheme is currently due to end at the end of October.