COVID-19 Update 27th May 2021

Date for Home Office Immigration Briefing

The Home Office has been in touch to say that there has been a problem with the booking link that they sent through for the 14^th June SME briefing session on the new Immigration Strategy and EU Settlement Scheme that I sent round last week. As such, they have sent a new link for you and your member to use to book this event.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-points-based-immigration-and-eu-settlement-scheme-sme-stakeholders-tickets-155775405431

Employment Survey

Thank you to everyone that has sent out and completed the Employment Survey that I send out last Thursday. I’ve received over 400 responses so far which is excellent but we could always do with a few more so can I ask everyone to send out a reminder to members so that we can get above 500 responses by Friday.

Here is the link to the survey for those that missed it last time.

https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/9NBT6XX

Transport Figures

The DfT figures for transport use over the last week have been published and these are interesting as the cover the first week of Step 3 and the easing of restrictions. While there has been  an increase of a few percent in the use of public transport, the move to Step 3 has not produced a step-change in transport use. For example, in the week before Step 3, bus services operated at 59.5% capacity, while the week afterwards they were at 62.5% capacity. The change in national rail usage was even lower, with services operating at 42% capacity the week before Step 3 and at 42.5% capacity the week afterwards..

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/transport-use-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-pandemic

Travel Behaviour Tracker

Staying with travel and transport, DfT have also published the 4th Wave of their “All Change?” research on travel behaviour. While this research is someone out-of-date as it is based on surveys undertake in Feb/March there is a wealth of interesting information on people’s transport use and expectations regarding domestic and overseas travel. For example:

• • 29% of people said that they were less likely to use air transport in future
  • 33% of people said that they were less likely to go on a cruise ship in future
  • 24% of people said that they would wait 12 months from restrictions ending before going on an overseas holiday

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-travel-behaviour-during-the-lockdown

ONS Wellbeing Survey

The Office for National Statistics has published it’s latest data on wellbeing and happiness, which has some interesting implications for tourism. Two of the key points are:

• • People working from home are generally less happy and more lonely than people who are going into work
  • People who are working from home are more likely to feel uncomfortable about leaving home

So having employees return to the office would increase their happiness and make them more likely to undertake activity that would support the tourism and hospitality sector.

https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/wellbeing/bulletins/coronavirusandcontributorstosubnationalwellbeing/januarytomarch2021

Trade Credit Reinsurance Scheme to End

The Government has announced that the Trade Credit Reinsurance scheme will end as planned on 30^th June. Under this scheme, eligible insurers were provided with a government-backed reinsurance agreement, covering insurance offered on business transactions within the UK and overseas. The scheme is ending because insurers have told the Government that they longer require the scheme as they will take back full underwriting control.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/update-on-the-trade-credit-reinsurance-scheme