Guernsey firms receiving financial support will not be named

The names of Guernsey businesses receiving coronavirus financial support during lockdown will not be published.

The Policy and Resources Committee (P&R) said it had "no intention" of releasing a list which identifies businesses offered payroll help.

However, the committee said it does plan to publish anonymous summaries of how public money is being spent.

Some business owners had expressed outrage over being possibly identified for getting support.

The States of Guernsey's payroll co-funding scheme pays 80% of the island's £8.70 minimum wage to employees, with businesses required to provide the remainder.

P&R has sought to reassure the public after some business owners expressed "concern and confusion" over being possibly identified as receiving support.

The Treasury lead for the committee, Deputy Mark Helyar, said it was regrettable there had been "confusion" among the public, arguing their plans had been "extensively misreported particularly in social media".

He explained they had "no intention of publishing details of individual claims" and the committee had never stated publically this was the plan for disclosing information about how taxpayer money was being spent during the pandemic.

Mr Helyar said: "Tens of millions of pounds of public money are currently being paid out in business support.

"It is vitally important that these funds go to claimants who need them and that the public, in due course, understand where the money has gone."

The clarification comes after a recent U-turn over a new clause which would have allowed the States to reclaim support from businesses who were profitable at the end of the year.

Initial plans were amended to allow the self-employed and sole traders to claim £50,000 of "personal expenses" before any attempts were made to recoup money,

The clause was subsequently suspended entirely until March after businesses expressed fears of "large scale redundancies" should it go ahead.

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