Scottish Conservative and Unionist MSP Liz Smith has hailed the UK Government’s job retention scheme for helping to protect thousands of jobs across Perth and Kinross.
The MSP says it highlights the strength of being part of the United Kingdom during a time of unprecedented crisis and shows that Westminster has provided invaluable 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 19,700 protected in Perth and Kinross 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.
Commenting, Liz Smith, who represents the Mid Scotland and Fife region, said: “These figures from the job retention scheme are absolutely astonishing and highlight the support provided by the UK Government in order to protect thousands of jobs across Perth and Kinross.
“This crisis has truly shown the strength of being part of the union and the need for a UK-wide response to this unprecedented crisis.
“The job retention scheme from the UK Government scheme has been one of the biggest support schemes from any country in the world and these figures highlight just how many thousands of jobs have been protected over the last few months, including those in Perth and Kinross.”