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<p>The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme was designed as a temporary, economy-wide
measure to support businesses while widespread restrictions were in place. Closing
the scheme at the end of September is designed to strike the right balance between supporting
the economy as it opens up, continuing to provide support and protect incomes, and
ensuring that incentives are in place to get people back to work as demand returns.
This approach has worked; the OBR have estimated that without the short-term fiscal
easing announced in the Budget, and in particular the CJRS extension, unemployment
would have been about 300,000 higher in the fourth quarter of this year than the 2.2
million in the central forecast.</p><p> </p><p>The Government recognises the particular
challenges that the travel industry has faced as a result of COVID-19. In England
travel agents have recently benefited from Restart Grants worth up to £6,000, and
can continue to benefit from the £2 billion of discretionary grant funding that has
been made available to local authorities in England through the Additional Restrictions
Grant (ARG). Furthermore, the aviation and aerospace sectors are being supported with
over £12 billion that has been made available through loan guarantees, support for
exporters, the Bank of England’s Covid Corporate Financing Facility (CCFF) and grants
for research and development. In addition, airports continue to benefit from the renewed
Airport and Ground Operations Support Scheme announced at Budget.</p><p> </p><p>The
Global Travel Taskforce (GTT) report sets out a clear framework for the Government’s
objective of establishing a safe and sustainable return to international travel, which
is key to enabling the sector’s recovery. It has been created following extensive
engagement with the international travel and tourism industries, and changes following
the recent checkpoint review of the GTT are a vital step in enabling the recovery
of travel operators and those whose jobs rely on the travel industry.</p><p> </p><p>The
Government has shown throughout the pandemic that it is prepared to adapt support
if the path of the virus changes. It continues to engage closely with sectors across
the economy, including the travel industry, in order to understand their recovery
horizons as the vaccine is rolled out and restrictions ease.</p>
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