MSP hails success of job retention scheme

Shadow Finance Secretary Donald Cameron has hailed the UK Government’s job retention scheme for helping to protect more than two thousand jobs across the Western Isles.
Highlands and Islands Conservative MSP Donald Cameron welcomed the job retention scheme figures and said that they  highlighted the support provided by the UK Government in order to protect jobs in the Islands.Highlands and Islands Conservative MSP Donald Cameron welcomed the job retention scheme figures and said that they  highlighted the support provided by the UK Government in order to protect jobs in the Islands.
Highlands and Islands Conservative MSP Donald Cameron welcomed the job retention scheme figures and said that they highlighted the support provided by the UK Government in order to protect jobs in the Islands.

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 2,600 protected across the islands alone.

Mr Cameron, a Highlands and Islands Conservative MSP said: “These figures from the job retention scheme for the Western Isles are quite remarkable and highlight the support provided by the UK Government in order to protect jobs here and across Scotland.

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“As we know, the Western Isles, which have a high dependence on tourism, are extremely vulnerable to the economic impact of the pandemic, so these measures are incredibly important for us.

“They underline the advantages we gain from being part of the union and the need for a collective UK wide response to this unprecedented crisis.”

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.