Scottish Conservative Leader, Jackson Carlaw has hailed the UK Government’s job retention scheme for helping to protect thousands of jobs across East Renfrewshire.
The Eastwood MSP says it highlights the strength of being part of the United Kingdom during a time of unprecedented crisis and shows that the UK Government has provided invaluable financial support to individuals and businesses throughout Scotland during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The latest figures from HMRC show that a total of 628,200 people across Scotland have been protected by the so-called furlough scheme, with a total of 10,100 jobs protected in East Renfrewshire alone.
The UK Government has provided further support to businesses and individuals in Scotland through the self-employed scheme, bounce back loans, VAT referrals and increases in welfare support such as Universal Credit, as well as an extra £3.8 billion in support through Barnett Consequential funding.
Jackson Carlaw MSP for Eastwood said:
“The figures from the job retention scheme are absolutely astonishing and highlight the unprecedented support provided by the UK Government in order to protect thousands of jobs across East Renfrewshire.
“This crisis has truly shown the strength of being part of the union and the need for a UK wide response to the existing national emergency.
“The job retention scheme from the UK Government has been one of the biggest employment support initiatives from any country in the world and these figures highlight that over the past few months, more than 10,000 jobs have been protected here in East Renfrewshire.
“The UK Government has also provided further support through the self-employed scheme, bounce back loans, VAT referrals and increases in Universal Credit as well as £3.8 billion worth of extra support through Barnett Consequential funding.
“The UK Government has stepped up and supported businesses and individuals in East Renfrewshire throughout this crisis, safeguarding jobs, protecting the vulnerable and helping our economy recover in the future.”