Moray MP Douglas Ross has commented on the launch of the UK Government’s ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ scheme aimed at encouraging people to return to their local cafes, pubs and eateries.
Douglas said: “This scheme is exactly the sort of initiative which will help businesses in Moray and Scotland, bounce back from the restrictions which they had to endure during the last few months.
“Chancellor Rishi Sunak and the UK Government has already thrown substantial support into protecting jobs and businesses with packages such as the Job Retention Scheme and Self-Employed Income Support Scheme worth billions of pounds coming to Scotland, but we also need the SNP to offer similar support and put policies in place to help boost the economy here.
“The Covid-19 pandemic has hit rural Moray and every other corner of Scotland and damaged every sector of our economy, threatening businesses and jobs.
“The ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ scheme and the reduction in VAT for the hospitality and tourism sectors are crucially important to get people back into our restaurants, cafes and hotels and these measure have been widely welcomed, but we haven’t heard anything from the Scottish Government as to what they are going to do to power up our economy, create new job opportunities and further secure the incomes of families across Moray and the rest of Scotland.”