Coronavirus (COVID-19): Mobile and Home Based Close Contact Services Fund - applications and award by service type

Introduction and background

The Mobile and Home Based Close Contact Services Fund was for owners and operators of mobile and home-based close contact service businesses and for registered driving instructors in Scotland. It was aimed at businesses such as beauticians, massage therapists, hairdressers/barbers, tattooists, services or procedures which require physical contact or close physical proximity between a provider and a customer and are not ancillary to medical, health, or social care services as defined in The Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Restrictions and Requirements) (Local Levels) (Scotland) Regulations 2020.

The funding was announced in December 2020 as part of a £185 million package of targeted coronavirus (COVID-19) support. The fund opened to applications from 16 February 2021 and closed to new applications on 23 March 2021, with applications being processed up to 16 April 2021. Applicants that provided incorrect information in their initial application were given another chance to provide the correct information- referred to below as a secondary application.

Applicants were eligible to receive a one-off grant of £4000 (£2,000 for the period to end December 2020 and a further £2,000 to cover the period from January 2021 onwards). The majority of payments (99%) were made between 18 February 2021 and 30 April 2021.

More information about the Mobile and Home Based Close Contact Services Scheme is available on the Business Support page.

Number of applications and payments by service type

The table below provides: the number of initial and secondary applications, the number of applications rejected and awarded and the total amount paid broken down by service type:

• ‘art services’ include portrait painting and indoor photography
• ‘beauty services’ include make-up, tanning and nail treatments
• ‘body modification services’ include tattooing, piercing, micropigmentation and Botox
• ‘complementary and alternative medicine services’ includes only those requiring physical contact or close physical proximity between persons
• ‘fashion services’ includes dress-fitting and tailoring
• ‘hairdressing and hair removal services’ includes shaving, waxing, eyebrow threading and laser hair removal
• ‘massage therapies’ includes Swedish massage, deep tissue massage, Thai massage, scalp massage, and Rolfing
• ‘spa and wellness services’ includes Reiki, manicure, pedicure, hydrotherapy, aromatherapy, exfoliation, dermatology and skincare
• ‘other services’ included services such as cleaning services, decorators, chauffeurs, music tutors, and health and fitness instructors

Table 1 Applications and payments (£) by service type

Service type	Number of initial  applications	Number of secondary applications	Number rejected	Number of awards	Amount paid (£)
Art services	298	88	114	272	1,088,000
Beauty services	1,767	510	616	1,661	6,644,000
Body modification services	112	24	38	98	392,000
Complementary and alternative medicine services	227	63	67	223	892,000
Driving Instruction	2,078	628	698	2,008	8,032,000
Fashion services	107	32	52	87	348,000
Hairdressing and hair removal services	3,066	982	1,140	2,908	11,632,000
Massage therapies	674	163	203	634	2,536,000
Spa and wellness services	50	17	26	41	164,000
Other services	1,654	570	1,211	1,013	4,052,000
Total	10,033	3,077	4,165	8,945	35,780,000

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In total, £35.78 million was paid to recipients of the Mobile and Home Based Close Contact Service Fund, with the largest proportion going to hairdressing and hair removal services (£11.6 million, 33%) followed by driving instructors (£8.0 million, 22%) and beauty services (£6.6 million, 19%). The overall acceptance rate was 89%, with 31% of those approved given another chance (secondary application).

An experimental statistics publication for Scotland

Experimental statistics are defined by the Code of Practice for Statistics as 'a subset of newly developed or innovative official statistics undergoing evaluation, that are published in order to involve users and stakeholders in the assessment of their suitability and quality at an early stage'.

More detail on statistical designations is available on the U.K. Statistics Authority website.

Correspondence and enquiries

For enquiries about the publication please contact:

Pippa Stone

COVID-19 Business Support Statistics

Email: Pippa.stone@gov.scot

For general enquiries about Scottish Government statistics, please contact: Office of the Chief Statistician, Telephone: 0131 244 0442, e-mail: statistics.enquiries@scotland.gsi.gov.uk.