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1254277

registered interest
date	23/11/2020
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Self-employment Income Support Scheme
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reason (a) income from furnished holiday lets is not included in calculations for support under the Self Employed Income Support Scheme and (b) an individual must receive more than half of their income from self-employment in order to be eligible for support from that scheme.
tabling member constituency	Brecon and Radnorshire
tabling member printed	Fay Jones
uin	119386
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/12/2020 answer text <p>The self-employed are very diverse and have a wide mix of turnover and profits, with monthly and annual variations even in normal times, and in some cases with substantial alternative forms of income too. The design of the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS), including the eligibility requirement that an individual’s trading profits must be no more than £50,000 and at least equal to their non-trading income, means it is targeted at those who need it the most, and who are most reliant on their self-employment income</p><p><br>Income from furnished holiday lets is classified as non-trading income and therefore it is not considered as part of a self-employed individual’s trading profits.</p><p>Beyond this, the SEISS continues to be just one element of a comprehensive package of support for the self-employed. The Universal Credit standard allowance has been temporarily increased for 2020-21 and the Minimum Income Floor relaxed for the duration of the crisis, so that where self-employed claimants' earnings have fallen significantly, their Universal Credit award will have increased to reflect their lower earnings. In addition to this, they may also have access to other elements of the package, including Bounce Back loans, tax deferrals, rental support, mortgage holidays, self-isolation support payments and other business support grants.</p> answering member constituency Hereford and South Herefordshire answering member printed Jesse Norman question first answered 01/12/2020 15:49:06 answering member 3991 label Biography information for Jesse Norman
tabling member	4763 label Biography information for Fay Jones

1254310

registered interest
date	23/11/2020
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme: Charities
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the effect on the economy of charity sector organisations having to stop delivering vital services in order to be eligible for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.
tabling member constituency	Linlithgow and East Falkirk
tabling member printed	Martyn Day
uin	119299
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/12/2020 answer text <p>The purpose of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme is to support people who would otherwise have been made redundant. To prevent fraudulent claims, we made clear that individuals cannot work or volunteer for their organisation. This is to protect individuals too – if we allowed workers to volunteer for their employer, the employer could ask them to effectively work full time while only paying them 80% of the wages.</p><p> </p><p>On 8 April the Chancellor announced a £750m support package for charities providing key services and supporting vulnerable people during the Covid-19 crisis. This includes £360 million direct from Government departments. Up to £200 million is supporting hospices, with the rest supporting organisations like St John Ambulance and the Citizens Advice Bureau as well as charities supporting children, victims of domestic abuse or disabled people. £200 million is being distributed by the National Lottery Community Fund through the Coronavirus Community Support Fund. The Fund closed to new applications on 17 August and £184m - 97% of the total fund value – had been awarded as of 13 October.</p><p><em> </em></p><p>The Government also matched public donations to the BBC’s “Big Night In” charity appeal, with over £37 million being distributed by Comic Relief, Children In Need and the National Emergencies Trust to charities on the frontline. 100% of the Fund value of £34.4m was awarded as of 15 October.</p> answering member constituency Saffron Walden answering member printed Kemi Badenoch question first answered 01/12/2020 17:06:59 answering member 4597 label Biography information for Kemi Badenoch
tabling member	4488 label Biography information for Martyn Day

1254311

registered interest
date	23/11/2020
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether people who have been furloughed during the covid-19 outbreak who were earning the minimum wage and who have turned 21 since being part of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme will receive an uplift in their furlough rate to the minimum wage rate for people over 21 years of age.
tabling member constituency	North East Fife
tabling member printed	Wendy Chamberlain
uin	119396
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/11/2020 answer text <p>The original policy design of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme aimed to sustain individuals at 80 per cent of their pre-COVID income, up to a maximum grant of £2,500 per month, and the default reference period for the CJRS is that of the pre-COVID period. For the majority of employees and employers, this means that it is not necessary to recalculate the basis of the claim. For newer employees under the extended scheme, it has simply not been possible to extend this default option, hence the reference period is necessarily different for this group. As with all decisions under the CJRS, the Government is balancing the need to support as many employers and individuals as fully as it possibly can, with the need to get the CJRS running quickly and make it easy to use.</p><p> </p><p>The National Minimum Wage is calculated on the basis of hours worked and/or time spent training. Under flexible furloughing, furloughed workers will be paid National Minimum Wage for any hours the individual spends working. For hours where the employee is furloughed under the CJRS, workers will be paid the lower of 80 per cent of their reference salary, or £2,500. The terms of the scheme do allow for employers to make a top-up payment should they deem this affordable and appropriate.</p><p> </p><p>If workers are required to complete training courses during the hours they are furloughed, then they must be paid at least the appropriate 2020/21 National Minimum Wage for the time spent training, even if this is more than the 80 per cent of their monthly earnings that will be subsidised.</p><p> </p><p>The Chancellor has always been clear that the Government would keep the situation under review, adapting its approach as the context evolved. In January, the Government will review the CJRS policy, taking into account economic circumstances across the UK.</p> answering member constituency Hereford and South Herefordshire answering member printed Jesse Norman question first answered 26/11/2020 11:16:40 answering member 3991 label Biography information for Jesse Norman
tabling member	4765 label Biography information for Wendy Chamberlain

1254350

registered interest
date	23/11/2020
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Coronavirus: Disease Control
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish his Department’s September 2020 modelling on the economic effect of (a) introducing the covid-19 circuit-breaker recommended by SAGE and (b) the November 2020 lockdown in England.
tabling member constituency	Liverpool, Walton
tabling member printed	Dan Carden
uin	119347
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/11/2020 answer text <p>Throughout the pandemic, economic analysis has been a key part of the advice that ministers use to inform decisions taken in this fast-moving health environment.</p><p> </p><p>The Treasury continues to provide economic analysis to ministers on an ongoing basis as part of policy making and design. The Treasury does not produce formal forecasts for the UK economy. Economic and fiscal forecasting is the responsibility of the independent OBR who updated their forecasts on 25 November 2020.</p> answering member constituency Salisbury answering member printed John Glen question first answered 26/11/2020 16:28:48 answering member 4051 label Biography information for John Glen
tabling member	4651 label Biography information for Dan Carden

1254351

registered interest
date	23/11/2020
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Debts and Poverty: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Government has plans to commission an independent assessment of the effect of the covid-19 outbreak on levels of (a) poverty and (b) household debt experienced by (i) groups with protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010, (ii) different regions of the UK and (iii) people (A) on zero-hours contracts, (B) who are self-employed and (C) with other types of employment status.
tabling member constituency	Liverpool, Walton
tabling member printed	Dan Carden
uin	119348
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/11/2020 answer text <p>The Government continues to monitor and publish trends in households’ circumstances across the UK, using a range of sources.</p><p> </p><p>The Government already publishes data on people in low income households by various protected characteristics, region and economic status through its Household Below Average Income (HBAI) publication.</p><p> </p><p>However, in order to illustrate the challenge faced by households during COVID-19, and how Government interventions have supported households of different income levels, HM Treasury published a distributional analysis alongside the Summer Economic Update: Plan for Jobs showing estimates of the change in household net incomes between February and May 2020. The Government will consider updating this analysis at an appropriate point in the future. Given the economic and fiscal significance of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) and the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) as responses to the COVID-19 outbreak, HM Treasury and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) have committed to evaluating the two schemes and their impacts.</p><p> </p><p>The Office for National Statistics routinely publishes data on financial debt through the Wealth and Assets Survey, which includes breakdowns by age and region. The Government works closely with the Money and Pensions Service to monitor financial difficulty through an annual survey of 22,000 people. The latest data will be published next month. The Government also monitors information coming from the Financial Conduct Authority’s biennial Financial Lives Survey, which provides a comprehensive insight into the finances of 16,000 adults and has data by characteristics such as gender, age and working status. The latest survey will be published in early 2021. This is in addition to Government engagement with other stakeholders to monitor and understand the current and future impact of COVID-19 on people’s finances, including on the demand for debt advice and debt solutions.</p><p> </p><p>In respect of assessing the impacts of policy decisions on people with protected characteristics, HM Treasury carefully considers the equalities impacts of the individual policy decisions taken on all policies that are likely to affect those sharing protected characteristics, in line with both its legal obligations under the Equalities Act 2010 and with its strong commitment to equality issues.</p> answering member constituency Hereford and South Herefordshire answering member printed Jesse Norman question first answered 26/11/2020 10:57:09 answering member 3991 label Biography information for Jesse Norman
tabling member	4651 label Biography information for Dan Carden

1254365

registered interest
date	23/11/2020
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Foreign Companies: VAT
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to ensure that overseas sellers are aware of the need to register to pay UK VAT for goods under £135 from 1 January 2021; and when he plans to publish guidance on registration.
tabling member constituency	Mid Derbyshire
tabling member printed	Mrs Pauline Latham
uin	119229
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/12/2020 answer text HMRC have published guidance on 20 July 2020 and 20 November 2020 setting out information on the proposed changes for overseas sellers and online marketplaces and what businesses will need to do in order to prepare, including when and how to register for VAT. answering member constituency Hereford and South Herefordshire answering member printed Jesse Norman question first answered 01/12/2020 15:48:58 answering member 3991 label Biography information for Jesse Norman
tabling member	4025 label Biography information for Mrs Pauline Latham

1254392

registered interest
date	23/11/2020
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Business Rates: Christchurch
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will (a) instruct the Valuation Office Agency to complete its work on the allocation of rateable values to the individual business premises at Aerodrome Studios, Airfield Way, Christchurch and (b) compensate businesses affected by the original decision not to allow the premises to be split for rating purposes following the reversal of that decision on appeal.
tabling member constituency	Christchurch
tabling member printed	Sir Christopher Chope
uin	119163
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/11/2020 answer text <p>The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) has a statutory duty to maintain the Rating List by assessing the rateable value (RV) of all non-domestic properties in line with the appropriate legislation. The VOA carries out its valuations independently of ministers and is currently meeting its statutory deadlines in relation to its Check, Challenge, Appeal service.</p> answering member constituency Hereford and South Herefordshire answering member printed Jesse Norman question first answered 26/11/2020 10:59:53 answering member 3991 label Biography information for Jesse Norman
tabling member	242 label Biography information for Sir Christopher Chope

1254407

registered interest
date	23/11/2020
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Sole Traders: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what grant support is available to one-person limited companies trading from the director's home that are affected by covid-19 restrictions.
tabling member constituency	Broxtowe
tabling member printed	Darren Henry
uin	119411
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/11/2020 answer text <p>The Winter Economy Plan set out a package of targeted measures in response to the current economic context that will enable businesses to protect jobs and manage their finances in the face of reduced or uncertain demand. These include extending the temporary VAT reduced rate for hospitality and tourism, extending the application window of the access to finance schemes, and providing further support for employees and the self-employed.</p><p> </p><p>Following the extension of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), company directors who pay themselves a salary through a PAYE scheme are able to apply for CJRS support, subject to meeting the eligibility criteria of the scheme. In addition, company directors may be eligible for other elements of the package of financial support available. This includes Bounce Back loans, tax deferrals, rental support, mortgage holidays, increased levels of Universal Credit, self-isolation support payments and other business support grants.</p> answering member constituency Hereford and South Herefordshire answering member printed Jesse Norman question first answered 26/11/2020 11:02:08 answering member 3991 label Biography information for Jesse Norman
tabling member	4794 label Biography information for Darren Henry

1254419

registered interest
date	23/11/2020
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Bounce Back Loan Scheme
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Government plans to extend the Bounce Back Loan Scheme in response to the additional time businesses have been subject to covid-19 lockdown restrictions.
tabling member constituency	Beaconsfield
tabling member printed	Joy Morrissey
uin	119379
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/11/2020 answer text <p>The Government launched the Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS) to ensure that the smallest businesses could access loans of up to £50,000 in a matter of just days. As of 15 November, the scheme had supported nearly 1.4 million businesses with facilities totaling over £42 billion.</p><p>Originally, the scheme was due to close to new loan applications on 4 November. However, this end date has already been extended twice; initially to 30 November and subsequently to the existing scheme end date of 31 January 2021. This extension ensures that businesses have more time to make loan applications, supporting them through the pandemic.</p><p>Furthermore, the Government is continuing to work with lenders and business representatives to introduce a new, successor loan guarantee scheme, set to begin once the existing guarantee schemes (BBLS, along with the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme and Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme) close to new applications. More details around this new scheme will be released in due course.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Salisbury answering member printed John Glen question first answered 26/11/2020 16:27:16 answering member 4051 label Biography information for John Glen
tabling member	4759 label Biography information for Joy Morrissey

1254420

registered interest
date	23/11/2020
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Banks: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to support bank branches at risk of closure during the covid-19 outbreak.
tabling member constituency	Beaconsfield
tabling member printed	Joy Morrissey
uin	119380
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/11/2020 answer text <p>Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, the Government has worked closely with the financial regulators to ensure that banks, building societies, credit unions and the Post Office continue to maintain branch access for essential banking services while balancing the needs of their customers with the safety and welfare of staff. The vast majority of branches have remained open.</p><p> </p><p>In the longer term, banking service providers will need to balance customer interests, market competition, and other commercial factors when considering its branch strategy. Decisions on opening and closing branches are taken by the management team of each bank on a commercial basis and the Government does not intervene in these decisions.</p><p> </p><p>However, the Government also firmly believes that the impact of branch closures should be understood, considered, and mitigated where possible so that all customers, wherever they live, continue to have access to over the counter banking services.</p><p> </p><p>Since May 2017, the major high street banks have signed up to the Access to Banking Standard, in which they commit to ensure customers are well informed about branch closures, the bank’s reasons for closure and options for continued access to banking services.</p><p> </p><p>In September 2020, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) published guidance setting out their expectation of firms when they are deciding to reduce their physical branches or the number of free-to-use ATMs. Firms are expected to carefully consider the impact of a planned closure on their customers’ everyday banking and cash access needs, and other relevant branch services and consider possible alternative access arrangements. This will ensure the implementation of closure decisions is done in a way that treats customers fairly.</p><p> </p><p>Alternative options for access might include the Post Office, where 95% of business and 99% of personal banking customers are able to carry out their everyday banking at over 11,500 Post Office branches across the UK.</p> answering member constituency Salisbury answering member printed John Glen question first answered 27/11/2020 10:09:51 answering member 4051 label Biography information for John Glen
tabling member	4759 label Biography information for Joy Morrissey