Commenting on remarks made by the Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak today on the extension of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to March 2021, Dr Liz Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Chambers of Commerce, said:

“This announcement gives Scottish businesses a glimmer of hope that we may be able to survive and work through this crisis.

“What we cannot do is to continue with uncertainty which is impacting business confidence, employee motivation and our ability to plan and invest.

“Movement in the management of the virus must be towards the re-opening of the economy, with support such as the furlough scheme available to support businesses if restrictions need to be imposed. However, the furlough scheme alone will not be enough to save businesses so the Chancellor must continue and expand his commitment to providing businesses with guaranteed grants support to help businesses recover.

“The Scottish Government should continue to follow an evidence-led approach and work in partnership with industry before applying additional, harsher economic restrictions. That also means expanding test and trace capability to which is a key enabler to keeping the economy open.”