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1315102

registered interest
date	17/05/2021
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Statutory Sick Pay: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to (a) increase the rate of sick pay and (b) introduce immediate, automatic payment to people required to self-isolate as a result of a positive covid-19 test.
tabling member constituency	Ealing Central and Acton
tabling member printed	Dr Rupa Huq
uin	2382
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/05/2021 answer text <p>This government has a strong safety net that helps people who are facing hardship and are unable to support themselves financially and we have taken steps to strengthen that safety net as part of the government’s response to the pandemic.</p><p>As part of strengthening this safety net we have made Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) payable from the first day of sickness absence from work, rather than the fourth – where an individual is self-isolating due to coronavirus and meets all SSP eligibility conditions.</p><p>SSP provides a minimum level of income for employees when they are sick or incapable of work. Employers are legally required to pay SSP to eligible employees who are off work sick or incapable of work, where employees meet the qualifying conditions. Some employers may also decide to pay more, and for longer, through Occupational Sick Pay. More than half of employees receive more than SSP from their employer.</p><p>SSP is just one part of our welfare safety net and our wider government offer to support people in times of need. Where an individual’s income is reduced while off work sick and they require further financial support, they may be able to claim Universal Credit and new style Employment and Support Allowance, depending on their personal circumstances.</p><p> </p><p>Working people on low incomes who are required to remain at home by NHS Test and Trace to help stop the spread of the virus and cannot work from home could be eligible for a £500 payment to financially support them while self-isolating.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 20/05/2021 13:05:43 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4511 label Biography information for Dr Rupa Huq

1274188

registered interest
date	06/01/2021
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Statutory Sick Pay: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will raise the level of statutory sick pay to protect people affected by covid-19 outbreak.
tabling member constituency	Midlothian
tabling member printed	Owen Thompson
uin	133972
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/01/2021 answer text <p>This government has a strong safety net that helps people who are facing hardship and are unable to support themselves financially and we have taken steps to strengthen that safety net as part of the government’s response to the pandemic.</p><p>Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) provides a minimum level of income for employees when they are sick or incapable of work. For those who are sick, self-isolating or shielding due to coronavirus, SSP is now payable from the first day of work missed, rather than the fourth. Some employers may also decide to pay more, and for longer, through Occupational Sick Pay.</p><p>SSP is just one part of our welfare safety net and our wider government offer to support people in times of need. Where an individual’s income is reduced while off work sick and they require further financial support, for example where they are not eligible for SSP, they may be able to claim Universal Credit and new style Employment and Support Allowance, depending on their personal circumstances.</p><p>Working people on low incomes who are required to remain at home by NHS Test and Trace to help stop the spread of the virus and cannot work from home could be eligible for a £500 payment to financially support them while self-isolating.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p><strong>Background</strong></p><p> </p><ul><li>Individuals are eligible for SSP, from day one – rather than day 4, where they are unable to work because they are:</li></ul><p>o Sick, displaying symptoms or have tested positive for coronavirus</p><p>o self-isolating because they, or someone in their household (including an extended or linked household), is displaying symptoms or has tested positive for coronavirus</p><p>o self-isolating because they have been notified by the NHS or public health authority that they have come into contact with someone who has coronavirus.</p><p>o Self-isolating because they have been advised to do so by their doctor or health clinician before being admitted to hospital for planned or elective surgery</p><p>o shielding because they live or work in an area where shielding is reintroduced and they have been advised to do so by their doctor or health authority</p><p>Other SSP eligibility criteria will apply.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 11/01/2021 15:54:52 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4482 label Biography information for Owen Thompson

1260231

registered interest
date	10/12/2020
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Statutory Sick Pay: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will extend statutory sick pay to members of a household who are required to self-isolate and take unpaid covid-related absence due to another member of that household requiring non-covid related surgery.
tabling member constituency	Staffordshire Moorlands
tabling member printed	Karen Bradley
uin	128157
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/12/2020 answer text <p>Statutory Sick Pay is payable from the first day of absence from work, rather than the fourth to individuals who have been told to self-isolate by their doctor or a clinician before being admitted to hospital for planned or elective surgery. SSP eligibility conditions apply, including the requirement that an individual is sick or incapable of work for at least 4 days in a row (including non-working days).</p><p> </p><p>SSP is just one part of our welfare safety net and our wider government offer to support people in times of need. Those who are not eligible for SSP may be able to claim Universal Credit and new style Employment and Support Allowance, depending on their personal circumstances, to support them when they are unable to work during a period of isolation.</p><p> </p><p>Employers can choose to furlough employees through the CJRS if they are eligible to do so. Employees are able to be furloughed if they are unable to work because they have caring responsibilities resulting from coronavirus.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 15/12/2020 13:30:14 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4110 label Biography information for Dame Karen Bradley

1255538

registered interest
date	25/11/2020
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Statutory Sick Pay: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people who are clinically extremely vulnerable have registered for statutory sick pay since July 2020 because their workplace was not covid-secure.
tabling member constituency	Nottingham North
tabling member printed	Alex Norris
uin	120981
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/11/2020 answer text <p>Employees do not need to register for Statutory Sick Pay (SSP). Employers are legally required to pay SSP to eligible employees who are sick or incapable of work, where their employee meets the eligibility criteria. The government does not collect, or require the reporting of, any data on sickness absences from employers and so does not hold data on the number of clinically extremely vulnerable individuals receiving SSP.</p><p> </p><p>In England, shielding was paused nationally from 1 August 2020 to 5 November 2020. During this period, clinically extremely vulnerable individuals were not eligible for SSP on the basis of being clinically extremely vulnerable as they were not advised to shield and were able to go to work if they could not work from home. Clinically extremely vulnerable employees can be furloughed if their employer is eligible to do so.</p><p> </p><p>All employers are required to take steps to reduce the risk of exposure to COVID-19 in the workplace. If an individual has concerns about their health and safety at work, they can raise them with any union safety representatives, or ultimately with the organisation responsible for enforcement in their workplace, either the Health and Safety Executive or their local authority.</p><p>SSP is available to clinically extremely vulnerable individuals who have been advised to stay at home (known as shielding) and are unable to work as a result. Individuals will receive a notification, advising them on the shielding advice to follow and how long for. This notification may be in the form of a letter from their doctor or from the government.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 30/11/2020 16:05:19 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4641 label Biography information for Alex Norris

1251888

registered interest
date	13/11/2020
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Statutory Sick Pay: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of increasing the level of Statutory Sick Pay for people who have (a) tested positive for covid-19 and (b) been notified to self-isolate via the Track and Trace App.
tabling member constituency	North Down
tabling member printed	Stephen Farry
uin	92025
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/11/2020 answer text <p>Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) provides a minimum level of income for employees when they are sick or incapable of work. SSP is payable from the first day of absence from work, rather than the fourth, where an individual is unable to work due to COVID19. It is paid by employers at £95.85 per week for up to 28 weeks in any one period of entitlement. Some employers may also decide to pay more, and for longer, through Occupational Sick Pay.</p><p> </p><p>SSP is just one part of our welfare safety net and our wider government offer to support people in times of need, and we have taken steps to strengthen that safety net. Where an individual’s income is reduced while off work sick and they require further financial support, for example where they are not eligible for SSP, they may be able to claim Universal Credit and new style Employment and Support Allowance, depending on their personal circumstances. The Government introduced a package of temporary welfare measures worth around £9.3 billion this year to help with the financial consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. This included the £20 weekly increase to the Universal Credit Standard Allowance rates as a temporary measure for the 20/21 tax year. We are continuing to work with the Treasury on the best ways to support those receiving benefits.</p><p> </p><p>To help support people in Northern Ireland during the COVID-19 pandemic the Department for Communities has put in place additional support. Financial support may be available for short-term living expenses for those who have a positive Covid-19 diagnosis or are in self-isolation. A non-repayable Discretionary Support Self Isolation Grant may be available for those who are on a low income and are experiencing financial difficulties as a result of being told to self-isolate.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Background</strong></p><p>To help support people during the COVID-19 pandemic the Department for Communities has put in place additional support. This includes:</p><ul><li>a non-repayable Discretionary Support self-isolation grant payment to assist with short term living expenses where a person, or any member of their immediate family, is diagnosed with COVID-19 or is advised to self-isolate in accordance with guidance published by the Regional Agency for Public Health and Social Well-being and</li><li>extending Discretionary Support to full-time students suffering financial hardship as a direct result of COVID-19</li></ul> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 19/11/2020 14:11:23 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4856 label Biography information for Stephen Farry

1242079

registered interest
date	09/10/2020
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Statutory Sick Pay: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has made an assessment of the effect of the rate of statutory sick pay on the number of people who choose to remain at home when they experience symptoms of covid-19.
tabling member constituency	Ynys Môn
tabling member printed	Virginia Crosbie
uin	101327
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/10/2020 answer text <p>This Government has a strong safety net that helps people who are facing hardship and are unable to support themselves financially. We have taken steps to strengthen that safety net so that people are supported to do the right thing where they are required to self-isolate. We have extended eligibility for SSP, and made it payable from day 1 – rather than day 4 – for employees who are sick or need to self-isolate because of covid-19. Employers can choose to pay more than SSP and many do.</p><p> </p><p>SSP is just one part of our welfare safety net and our wider government offer to support people in times of need. Where an individual’s income is reduced while off work sick and they require further financial support they may be able to claim Universal Credit and new style Employment and Support Allowance, depending on individual circumstances. Working people on low incomes who are required to remain at home by NHS Test and Trace to help stop the spread of the virus and cannot work from home could be eligible for a £500 payment to financially support them while self-isolating.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong>Background</strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><ul><li>SSP is paid entirely by the employer at £95.85 per week for up to 28 weeks.</li><li>Approximately 60% of employees receive more than the statutory minimum from their employer.</li><li>If an individual claims Universal Credit while receiving SSP their SSP will be taken into account when calculating their Universal Credit.</li><li>We have strengthened our wider safety net by temporarily increasing the standard allowance of Universal Credit by the equivalent of £20 per week, meaning that claimants will be up to £1,040 better off for the 20/21 tax year.</li></ul> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 14/10/2020 13:13:02 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4859 label Biography information for Virginia Crosbie

1235015

registered interest
date	16/09/2020
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Statutory Sick Pay: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the economic effect of self-isolation on people who are (a) reliant on and (b) ineligible for statutory sick pay.
tabling member constituency	Newport West
tabling member printed	Ruth Jones
uin	91154
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/09/2020 answer text <p>Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) provides a minimum level of income for employees when they are off work sick. SSP should not be looked at in isolation. Where an employee’s income is reduced while off work sick and they require further financial support, for example where they are not eligible for SSP, they may be able to claim Universal Credit and new style Employment and Support Allowance, depending on individual circumstances.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p> </p><p> </p><p><strong>Background</strong></p><p>SSP is paid at a flat level of £95.85 per week.</p><p>Where an individual receives both SSP and Universal Credit, SSP will be taken into account when calculating the Universal Credit payment.</p><p>An estimated 2 million individuals do not qualify for SSP because they earn below the Lower Earnings Limit (£120 per week).</p><p>From 28 September 2020 a new £500 Test and Trace Support payment will be introduced for working people who are on low incomes and cannot work from home who are required by NHS Test and Trace to remain at home to help stop the spread of the virus.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 22/09/2020 14:08:02 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4716 label Biography information for Ruth Jones

1235207

registered interest
date	16/09/2020
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Statutory Sick Pay: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance her Department is providing to people with covid-19 symptoms who are required to self-isolate and do not qualify for statutory sick pay in (a) Erith and Thamesmead constituency and (b) England.
tabling member constituency	Erith and Thamesmead
tabling member printed	Abena Oppong-Asare
uin	91170
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/09/2020 answer text <p>The guidance given to customers is dependent on their own personal circumstances. They will be signposted to the most relevant benefit.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p> </p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 21/09/2020 12:42:02 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4820 label Biography information for Abena Oppong-Asare

1229535

registered interest
date	28/08/2020
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Statutory Sick Pay: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Chancellor of the Exchequer's oral contribution, Official Report, 11 March 2020 col 280, what the evidential basis was for the Government's commitment to reimburse businesses with fewer than 250 employees for statutory sick pay costs in relation to employees being off work for covid-19-related reasons for up to a fortnight as potentially providing over £2 billion for up to two million businesses; and if she will place the modelling used to underpin that estimate in the Library.
tabling member constituency	Houghton and Sunderland South
tabling member printed	Bridget Phillipson
uin	81830
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/09/2020 answer text <p>The government recognises that small and medium enterprises (SMEs) may need financial support where they incur additional costs of paying Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) due to increased absences relating to Covid-19. Under the Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme, SMEs can reclaim up to two weeks of SSP per employee paid for sickness absences relating to Covid-19.</p><p> </p><p>A range of costings were carried out in March 2020 based on the situation at the time. This was prior to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme being developed.</p><p> </p><p>We will continue to revise costings based on outturn data from initial claims and the latest information about the Covid-19 outbreak.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 03/09/2020 16:39:59 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4046 label Biography information for Bridget Phillipson

1220887

registered interest
date	06/07/2020
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Statutory Sick Pay: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the covid-19 outbreak, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the general public is aware that statutory sick pay is payable from the first day of sickness.
tabling member constituency	Hemsworth
tabling member printed	Jon Trickett
uin	69451
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/07/2020 answer text <p>Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) guidance is available for the general public to access at <a href="https://www.gov.uk/statutory-sick-pay" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/statutory-sick-pay</a>.</p><p> </p><p>The guidance states that employees may get SSP for every day they are off work if they cannot work because of coronavirus (COVID-19). The SSP guidance can also be accessed through the coronavirus (COVID-19) hub on GOV.UK: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus</a></p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 14/07/2020 13:01:07 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	410 label Biography information for Jon Trickett