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1244780

registered interest
date	20/10/2020
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Education: Disadvantaged
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	What discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education on additional financial support in helping to close the disadvantage attainment gap.
tabling member constituency	Harlow
tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
uin	907789
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/10/2020 answer text <p>I have regular discussions with the Secretary of State on Education policy. We are committed to ensuring no child, whatever their background, falls behind as a result of this pandemic. Our £1 billion catch-up plan includes £350 million for a National Tutoring Programme targeted at disadvantaged children. We have also provided over £2.4 billion of Pupil Premium funding this year for the most disadvantaged.</p> answering member constituency North East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Steve Barclay question first answered 20/10/2020 14:55:10 answering member 4095 label Biography information for Steve Barclay
tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1239365

registered interest
date	30/09/2020
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Employment: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department plans to introduce support for people who are ineligible for existing covid-19 support schemes.
tabling member constituency	Harlow
tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
uin	97551
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/10/2020 answer text <p>The Government has prioritised helping the greatest number of people as quickly as possible, including self-employed individuals, businesses of all sizes and the unemployed. The Government’s package of support to date totals over £190bn, with the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme alone having supported the wages of people in 9.6 million jobs. As the restrictions have changed, support has also evolved. The Government recognises it is not possible to preserve every job or business indefinitely, and will focus on targeting support as effectively as possible. Most recently, the Government announced a package of measures in the Winter Economy Plan, including the Job Support Scheme, that will continue to protect jobs and businesses through the uncertain months ahead.</p> answering member constituency Hereford and South Herefordshire answering member printed Jesse Norman question first answered 09/10/2020 09:24:24 answering member 3991 label Biography information for Jesse Norman
tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1238352

registered interest
date	28/09/2020
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 his extension of the Self-employed Income Support Scheme is a grant covering 20 per cent on average monthly trading profits.
tabling member constituency	Harlow
tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
uin	96047
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/10/2020 answer text <p>The Self-Employment Income Support Scheme Grant Extension has been introduced to help the self-employed who are actively trading but are suffering from reduced demand due to COVID-19, to help them continue to trade through the winter months. The Government has broadly aligned the size of the grant with the Government’s contribution provided for employees through the Job Support Scheme.</p> answering member constituency Hereford and South Herefordshire answering member printed Jesse Norman question first answered 01/10/2020 14:36:14 answering member 3991 label Biography information for Jesse Norman
tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1235544

registered interest
date	17/09/2020
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Treasury: Apprentices
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress his Department is making on meeting the 2.3 per cent public sector apprenticeship target.
tabling member constituency	Harlow
tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
uin	91610
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/09/2020 answer text <p>As of 31 March 2020, the Civil Service has achieved a total of 2.1% of its total workforce as apprentices against the legislative target for the public sector of 2.3% by March 2021. HM Treasury Group has achieved 2.4% of the total staff employed within the department and those of its arms length bodies which are in scope for the target. We are also on track to meet our target in the current year 2020/21. Given this target is a percentage of the total workforce the percentage changes in line with workforce fluctuations over time therefore making it challenging to predict when a department will meet it. The data for 2018/19 can be found <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-apprenticeship-data-2018-to-2019" target="_blank">here</a>. The data for 2019/20 will be released on <a href="http://gov.uk/" target="_blank">gov.uk</a> by the end of September 2020.</p><p>Departments are committed to increasing the number of apprentices across the Civil Service and continue to work towards the 2.3% target. The impact of the current pandemic has slowed recruitment due to priority work and logistics. With the current strategy and targets coming to an end in April 2021, the Civil Service is already focusing on how to continue to support the apprenticeship agenda and drive forward apprenticeship recruitment, pulling on the Plan for Jobs initiative and considering the current economic situation.</p> answering member constituency Saffron Walden answering member printed Kemi Badenoch question first answered 22/09/2020 08:57:34 answering member 4597 label Biography information for Kemi Badenoch
tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1233377

registered interest
date	10/09/2020
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 his Department plans to publish local data on the cost to the public purse of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.
tabling member constituency	Harlow
tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
uin	88290
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/09/2020 answer text <p>The Government has no plans to publish local data on the costs of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. This is because HM Revenue and Customs do not have complete data for the value of claims by area.</p><p> </p><p>Claims are made by employers in respect of their PAYE schemes and the scheme addresses tend to reflect business headquarters and payroll office locations (where these differ) rather than where employees live or work. Using scheme level data would potentially give a misleading picture. In addition, for claims for fewer than 100 employees HMRC do not collect the amount claimed for each employment, so the data at employment level is incomplete.</p><p> </p><p>For these reasons, the cost of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme in Harlow is unavailable.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Hereford and South Herefordshire answering member printed Jesse Norman grouped question UIN 88291 question first answered 15/09/2020 13:01:09 answering member 3991 label Biography information for Jesse Norman
tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1233378

registered interest
date	10/09/2020
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme: Harlow
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the cost is of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme in Harlow to date.
tabling member constituency	Harlow
tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
uin	88291
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/09/2020 answer text <p>The Government has no plans to publish local data on the costs of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. This is because HM Revenue and Customs do not have complete data for the value of claims by area.</p><p> </p><p>Claims are made by employers in respect of their PAYE schemes and the scheme addresses tend to reflect business headquarters and payroll office locations (where these differ) rather than where employees live or work. Using scheme level data would potentially give a misleading picture. In addition, for claims for fewer than 100 employees HMRC do not collect the amount claimed for each employment, so the data at employment level is incomplete.</p><p> </p><p>For these reasons, the cost of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme in Harlow is unavailable.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Hereford and South Herefordshire answering member printed Jesse Norman grouped question UIN 88290 question first answered 15/09/2020 13:01:09 answering member 3991 label Biography information for Jesse Norman
tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1229166

registered interest
date	28/08/2020
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Employment: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps the Government is taking to financially support individuals who are required to self-isolate as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.
tabling member constituency	Harlow
tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
uin	81813
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/09/2020 answer text <p>The Government has committed to an unprecedented package to support individuals through this difficult time. This includes the introduction of the Coronavirus Job Retention and Self-Employment Income Support Schemes, as well as injecting an additional £9 billion into the welfare system according to Office for Budget Responsibility estimates.</p><p> </p><p>Individuals asked to isolate by the Test and Trace service will be eligible for Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) if they are unable to work from home. This is in addition to changes already made, which make SSP payable from day one rather than day four of absence from work. Employees will still be entitled to claim SSP from their employers even if they are asked to self-isolate several times. An SSP Rebate Scheme was announced at Budget to support SMEs which may face a financial strain due to staff absences caused by Covid-19.</p><p> </p><p>Self-employed people are eligible for “new style” Contributory Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) if they are incapable of work due to COVID-19, including all those who are required to self-isolate according to Government guidance. The Government has made it easier for people to claim by removing the seven-day waiting period which means people can get support from day one.</p><p> </p><p>The welfare system is best placed to provide support for those not eligible for SSP. This group will benefit from changes to the welfare system to support the most vulnerable. These changes include a £20 per week increase to the Universal Credit (UC) standard allowance and Working Tax Credit basic element, and a nearly £1 billion increase in support for renters through increases to the Local Housing Allowance rates for UC and Housing Benefit claimants.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, the Department for Health and Social Care recently launched a trial for a new payment for those self-isolating in the highest risk areas in England. Starting with a trial in Blackburn with Darwen, Pendle and Oldham, individuals will be eligible if they are unable to work from home while self-isolating. This payment is in addition to the welfare safety net and SSP, providing a further incentive to self-isolate.</p><p>It will be available to people currently receiving at least one of the following benefits: Universal Credit, Working Tax Credits, income-related Employment and Support Allowance, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, Income Support, Pension Credit, or Housing Benefit.</p> answering member constituency Hereford and South Herefordshire answering member printed Jesse Norman question first answered 08/09/2020 16:01:09 answering member 3991 label Biography information for Jesse Norman
tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1220338

registered interest
date	02/07/2020
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, what financial support he plans to make available to people shielding and unable to work from home who were not furloughed under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme by 10 June 2020 cut-off date and who reside in an area under a local lockdown.
tabling member constituency	Harlow
tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
uin	68323
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/07/2020 answer text <p>On 22 June, the Prime Minister announced that the Government will relax the current public health guidance for those identified as Clinically Extremely Vulnerable (CEV) to shield at home. This means from 1 August they will be able to return to work if they are unable to work from home, provided their workplace is COVID-safe.</p><p> </p><p>It is important that this group continue to take careful precautions, and employers should do all they can to enable them to work from home where this is possible, including moving them to other roles if required. Where this is not possible, those who have been shielding should be provided with the safest on-site roles that enable them to maintain social distancing from others.</p><p> </p><p>If employers cannot provide a safe working environment, the CEV will continue to have access to an unprecedented package of financial support. This is not limited to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, but also includes changes to Statutory Sick Pay to make it payable from Day 1, the introduction of the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme, and an increase in the generosity of welfare payments worth a further £8bn.</p><p> </p><p>This support is also available for those who live in areas affected by local lockdowns.</p> answering member constituency Hereford and South Herefordshire answering member printed Jesse Norman grouped question UIN 68324 question first answered 07/07/2020 15:40:28 answering member 3991 label Biography information for Jesse Norman
tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1220339

registered interest
date	02/07/2020
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, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Prime Minister of 10 June 2020, Official Report column 281, what steps he is taking to support people who are newly shielding after the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme cut-off date and unable to work from home.
tabling member constituency	Harlow
tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
uin	68324
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/07/2020 answer text <p>On 22 June, the Prime Minister announced that the Government will relax the current public health guidance for those identified as Clinically Extremely Vulnerable (CEV) to shield at home. This means from 1 August they will be able to return to work if they are unable to work from home, provided their workplace is COVID-safe.</p><p> </p><p>It is important that this group continue to take careful precautions, and employers should do all they can to enable them to work from home where this is possible, including moving them to other roles if required. Where this is not possible, those who have been shielding should be provided with the safest on-site roles that enable them to maintain social distancing from others.</p><p> </p><p>If employers cannot provide a safe working environment, the CEV will continue to have access to an unprecedented package of financial support. This is not limited to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, but also includes changes to Statutory Sick Pay to make it payable from Day 1, the introduction of the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme, and an increase in the generosity of welfare payments worth a further £8bn.</p><p> </p><p>This support is also available for those who live in areas affected by local lockdowns.</p> answering member constituency Hereford and South Herefordshire answering member printed Jesse Norman grouped question UIN 68323 question first answered 07/07/2020 15:40:28 answering member 3991 label Biography information for Jesse Norman
tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1218236

registered interest
date	26/06/2020
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Coronavirus: Quarantine
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to cover in full the potential loss of earnings for people notified via the NHS Test and Trace service as needing to self-isolate due to the covid-19 outbreak.
tabling member constituency	Harlow
tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
uin	65112
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/07/2020 answer text <p>The Government has announced an unprecedented package to support individuals through this difficult time. This includes the introduction of the Coronavirus Job Retention and Self-Employment Income Support Schemes, as well as injecting an additional £8bn into the welfare system.</p><p> </p><p>DWP has laid new regulations to ensure that people asked to isolate by the Test and Trace service will be eligible for Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) if they are unable to work from home. This is in addition to changes already made, which make SSP payable from day one rather than day four of absence from work. Employees will still be entitled to claim SSP from their employers even if they are asked to self-isolate several times. The SSP Rebate Scheme was announced at Budget to support SMEs which may face a financial strain due to staff absences caused by Covid-19.</p><p> </p><p>Self-employed people are eligible for “new style” Contributory Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) if they are incapable of work due to Covid-19, including all those who are required to self-isolate according to Government guidance. The Government has made it easier for people to claim by removing the seven-day waiting period which means people can get support from day one.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is committed to helping the lowest paid through the coronavirus outbreak, and the welfare system is best placed to provide this support.</p> answering member constituency Hereford and South Herefordshire answering member printed Jesse Norman question first answered 01/07/2020 13:10:23 answering member 3991 label Biography information for Jesse Norman
tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon