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1349064

	registered interest
	date	21/07/2021
	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, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of closing the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme on the travel industry; and what assessment he has made of the potential merits of a sector-specific extension to that scheme for industries which will not have fully reopened by September.
	tabling member constituency	Dulwich and West Norwood
	tabling member printed	Helen Hayes
	uin	37539
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/09/2021 answer text <p>In order to aid businesses and employees, at Budget 2021 the Government extended the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) for a further five months from May until the end of September 2021, at which point the CJRS will close. Furloughed workers in the UK will continue to receive more generous support than those in many other countries, as the CJRS ensures employees receive 80 per cent of their current salary for hours not worked, up to £2,500 per month. As the economy reopened and demand returned, the Government asked employers to make a small additional contribution of 10 per cent towards the cost of paying for unworked hours, from July. As the economy reopens further, this employer contribution has increased to 20 per cent in August and September.</p><p> </p><p>It is right to continue with the existing timetable to reintroduce employer contributions, in order to strike the right balance between supporting the economy as it opens up, continuing to provide support and protect incomes, and ensuring incentives are in place to get people back to work as demand returns. At the end of June the number of jobs furloughed was as its lowest since the scheme began, at 1.9 million jobs furloughed. Almost three million jobs have moved off the furlough scheme since March as the economy began to bounce back and businesses reopened.</p><p> </p><p>The Government recognises the challenging circumstances facing the travel sector as a result of COVID-19 and firms experiencing difficulties can draw upon the unprecedented package of measures announced by the Chancellor, including schemes to raise capital and flexibilities with tax bills. The aerospace sector and its aviation customers are being supported with over £11 billion made available through loan guarantees, support for exporters, the Bank of England’s Covid Corporate Financing Facility and grants for research and development.</p> answering member constituency Hereford and South Herefordshire answering member printed Jesse Norman question first answered 06/09/2021 15:22:43 answering member 3991 label Biography information for Jesse Norman
	tabling member	4510 label Biography information for Helen Hayes

1349065

	registered interest
	date	21/07/2021
	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, what estimate his Department has made of the potential number of job losses in the travel industry following the end of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.
	tabling member constituency	Dulwich and West Norwood
	tabling member printed	Helen Hayes
	uin	37540
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/09/2021 answer text <p>The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme was designed as a temporary, economy-wide measure to support businesses while widespread restrictions were in place. Closing the scheme at the end of September is designed to strike  the right balance between supporting the economy as it opens up, continuing to provide support and protect incomes, and ensuring incentives are in place to get people back to work as demand returns.  This approach has worked; the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Report (MPR) forecasts that the unemployment rate will on average be around 4.7% across Q3 and Q4, a downwards revision from the May MPR which projected unemployment to peak at 5.4% in Q3 and below the OBR Spring forecast (6.5% in the final quarter of 2021).</p><p> </p><p>The Government recognises the particular challenges the travel industry has faced as a result of COVID-19. In England travel agents have recently benefited from Restart Grants worth up to £6,000, and can continue to benefit from the £2 billion of discretionary grant funding that has been made available to local authorities in England through the Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG), while the aviation and aerospace sectors are being supported with over £11 billion that has been made available through loan guarantees, support for exporters, the Bank of England’s Covid Corporate Financing Facility (CCFF) and grants for research and development. In addition, airports continue to benefit from the renewed Airport and Ground Operations Support Scheme announced at Budget.</p><p> </p><p>The Global Travel Taskforce (GTT) report sets out a clear framework for the Government’s objective of establishing a safe and sustainable return to international travel, which is key to enabling the sector’s recovery. It has been created following extensive engagement with the international travel and tourism industries, and changes following the recent checkpoint review of the GTT are a vital step in enabling the recovery of travel operators and those whose jobs rely on the travel industry.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has shown throughout the pandemic that it is prepared to adapt support if the path of the virus changes. It continues to engage closely with sectors across the economy, including the travel industry, to understand their recovery horizons as the vaccine is rolled out and restrictions ease.</p> answering member constituency Hereford and South Herefordshire answering member printed Jesse Norman question first answered 06/09/2021 15:19:59 answering member 3991 label Biography information for Jesse Norman
	tabling member	4510 label Biography information for Helen Hayes

1278627

	registered interest
	date	20/01/2021
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Small Businesses: Coronavirus
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of support provided to the (a) self-employed, (b) freelancers and (c) the directors of small limited companies who are unable to trade during the third national lockdown.
	tabling member constituency	Dulwich and West Norwood
	tabling member printed	Helen Hayes
	uin	140887
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/01/2021 answer text <p>The Government has taken substantial steps to support the self-employed and freelancers during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) receiving claims from about 2.7 million people so far, totalling over £18.5 billion.</p><p> </p><p>Company directors and other individuals who are not eligible for support under the SEISS may still be eligible for other elements of the wider £280bn support package available, including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (in respect of their salary but not their dividends), Bounce Back loans, tax deferrals, rental support, increased levels of Universal Credit and mortgage holidays.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has also introduced the Local Restrictions Support Grant (LRSG) (Closed), giving businesses forced to close due to national or local restrictions up to £3,000 per month. This was worth over £1bn for the four weeks of national lockdown in November and will benefit over 600,000 business premises. In addition, these businesses will benefit from one-off grants of up to £9,000 as announced on 5 January.</p><p> </p><p>Businesses which are not eligible for the grants for closed businesses may be able to benefit from funding from the Additional Restrictions Grant. The Government recently increased the funding available under this scheme to £1.6 billion across England. It is up to each local authority to determine eligibility for this scheme based on their assessment of local economic need; the Government encourages local authorities to support businesses which have been affected by COVID-19 restrictions, but which are ineligible for the other grant schemes.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Hereford and South Herefordshire answering member printed Jesse Norman question first answered 25/01/2021 17:04:11 answering member 3991 label Biography information for Jesse Norman
	tabling member	4510 label Biography information for Helen Hayes

1276716

	registered interest
	date	14/01/2021
	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, what plans his Department has to enable people who were previously unable to access the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme to apply for support through that scheme based on their self-assessment for the 2019-20 financial year.
	tabling member constituency	Dulwich and West Norwood
	tabling member printed	Helen Hayes
	uin	137980
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/01/2021 answer text <p>The Government has acknowledged that it has not been possible to support everyone as they might want.</p><p> </p><p>The practical issues that prevented the Government from being able to include the newly self-employed in 2019-20 in the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS), namely that HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) will not have access to the full set of 2019-20 self-assessment returns in order to verify their eligibility, still remain. The latest year for which HMRC have tax returns for all self-employed individuals is 2018-19.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has taken a flexible and responsive approach and has extended the SEISS over the coming months. The Government will continue to look for ways to improve the SEISS grant and existing support.</p> answering member constituency Hereford and South Herefordshire answering member printed Jesse Norman question first answered 19/01/2021 12:10:54 answering member 3991 label Biography information for Jesse Norman
	tabling member	4510 label Biography information for Helen Hayes

1271367

	registered interest
	date	15/12/2020
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Taxation: Coronavirus
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many (a) self-employed people, (b) freelancers and (c) sole-directors of small limited companies have deferred their tax payments from July 2020 in response to the covid-19 outbreak; and what assessment he has made of the ability of those people who have so deferred their tax payments to begin making repayments in January 2021.
	tabling member constituency	Dulwich and West Norwood
	tabling member printed	Helen Hayes
	uin	130153
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/01/2021 answer text <p>1.5 million Self Assessment taxpayers took advantage of the opportunity to defer their July 2020 payment on account. It is not possible to specify how many of these were (a) self-employed people, (b) freelancers and (c) sole directors of small limited companies.</p><p> </p><p>The Chancellor and HMRC understand that many Self-Assessment taxpayers who deferred their July 2020 Payment on Account may have difficulty in paying their Self-Assessment payments becoming due on 31 January 2021.</p><p> </p><p>HMRC have enhanced their automated online Time to Pay service, enabling taxpayers to clear their January 2021 Self-Assessment liabilities in up to 12 monthly instalments, without the taxpayer needing to contact HMRC directly to set up their payment plan.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Hereford and South Herefordshire answering member printed Jesse Norman question first answered 11/01/2021 16:05:36 answering member 3991 label Biography information for Jesse Norman
	tabling member	4510 label Biography information for Helen Hayes

1271368

	registered interest
	date	15/12/2020
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Taxation: 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 (a) self-employed people, (b) freelancers and (c) sole-directors of small limited companies who have deferred their tax payments in response to the covid-19 outbreak and remain unable to make those payments.
	tabling member constituency	Dulwich and West Norwood
	tabling member printed	Helen Hayes
	uin	130154
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/01/2021 answer text <p>The Chancellor understands that many Self-Assessment taxpayers, including self-employed persons, freelancers and sole directors of small limited companies, who deferred their tax payments in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, may be unable to make those payments.</p><p> </p><p>Those taxpayers within the Self-Assessment tax system who deferred paying their July 2020 Payment on Account will have that payment and possibly two other payments to make on 31 January 2021. In order to assist those taxpayers, HMRC have enhanced their self-service Time to Pay online facility.</p><p> </p><p>Prior to October 2020, that service could only be used to pay tax liabilities of up to £10,000. However, HMRC increased the threshold to £30,000, so that it is now available to far more Self-Assessment taxpayers than before. Self-Assessment taxpayers eligible to use this service can set up a direct debit payment arrangement online without having to contact HMRC directly. HMRC estimate that up to 95% of Self-Assessment taxpayers owing Self-Assessment payments on 31 January 2021 will be able to use this online payment service to spread their payments over 12 instalments.</p><p> </p><p>Taxpayers with Self-Assessment tax liabilities over £30,000 may still agree a Time to Pay arrangement with HMRC by contacting them directly. Further information is available on GOV.UK.</p><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member constituency Hereford and South Herefordshire answering member printed Jesse Norman question first answered 11/01/2021 15:01:33 answering member 3991 label Biography information for Jesse Norman
	tabling member	4510 label Biography information for Helen Hayes

1257228

	registered interest
	date	01/12/2020
	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 discussions his Department has had with (a) the Department for Work and Pensions, (b) the Health and Safety Executive and (c) other Departments on organisations' duty of care to employees with underlying health conditions who are refused furlough.
	tabling member constituency	Dulwich and West Norwood
	tabling member printed	Helen Hayes
	uin	123645
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/12/2020 answer text <p>The furloughing of staff through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme is a voluntary arrangement entered at the employers’ discretion and agreed by employees. That means it is not for the Government to decide whether an individual firm should put its staff on furlough.</p><p> </p><p>Treasury ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors (including MPs, businesses, professional representative bodies, and the unions) throughout the development of the COVID-19 support package, including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.</p><p> </p><p>Details of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel</a></p> answering member constituency Hereford and South Herefordshire answering member printed Jesse Norman question first answered 07/12/2020 15:10:33 answering member 3991 label Biography information for Jesse Norman
	tabling member	4510 label Biography information for Helen Hayes

1257229

	registered interest
	date	01/12/2020
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Directors: Coronavirus
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the number of employees of small limited companies whose jobs are at risk as a result of the ineligibility for covid-19 related financial support of directors who are paid through dividends.
	tabling member constituency	Dulwich and West Norwood
	tabling member printed	Helen Hayes
	uin	123646
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/12/2020 answer text <p>The Government prioritised delivering support to as many people as possible as quickly as possible, while guarding against the risk of fraud or abuse. The Government takes an evidence-based approach when developing policy. This meant making difficult decisions, and the Chancellor has acknowledged that it has not been possible to support everyone as they would want.</p><p> </p><p>Dividends are not covered by the CJRS. Income from dividends is a return on investment in the company, rather than wages. Under current reporting mechanisms it is not possible for HM Revenue &amp; Customs (HMRC) to distinguish between dividends derived from an individual’s own company and dividends from other sources, and between dividends in lieu of employment income and as returns from other corporate activity. Those who pay themselves a salary through their own company may be eligible for the CJRS. The CJRS is available to employers, including personal service companies, and individuals paying themselves a salary through a PAYE scheme are eligible.</p><p> </p><p>HMRC designed the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) using information already in hand, in order to make it deliverable quickly and to minimise the risk of fraud. Expanding the scope would have required HMRC to collect new information that they would not be able to manageably or consistently verify in order to ensure that payments were made to eligible companies and for eligible activity.</p><p>It is important to secure the SEISS against fraud risk and misuse.</p><p> </p><p>The CJRS and SEISS are only two elements of a substantial package of support for businesses and individuals. There is access to affordable, Government-backed finance through the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) and the Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CLBLS) for large firms, along with the Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBL) for small and micro enterprises. Over £65 billion (as of 15 November) has been dispensed through these schemes.</p> answering member constituency Hereford and South Herefordshire answering member printed Jesse Norman question first answered 07/12/2020 14:47:05 answering member 3991 label Biography information for Jesse Norman
	tabling member	4510 label Biography information for Helen Hayes

1257230

	registered interest
	date	01/12/2020
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Directors: 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 provide support to directors of small limited companies who are unable to trade on a financially viable basis during the (a) national covid-19 restrictions and (b) tier system of local covid alert level restrictions from 2 December 2020.
	tabling member constituency	Dulwich and West Norwood
	tabling member printed	Helen Hayes
	uin	123647
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/12/2020 answer text <p>The Government has acknowledged that it has not been possible to support everyone as they might want. The practical issues that prevented the Government from being able to include directors of limited companies in the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS), namely the inability of HM Revenue and Customs to verify the source of their dividend income without introducing unacceptable levels of fraud risk, still remain. This issue prevents implementing an alternative scheme specifically for limited company directors.</p><p> </p><p>Company directors who pay themselves a salary through PAYE are able to apply for CJRS support, subject to meeting the eligibility criteria of the scheme. Directors may also be eligible for other elements of the wider package of financial support available, including the Local Restrictions Support Grants, Government-backed loan schemes, tax deferrals, mortgage holidays, self-isolation support payments and increased levels of Universal Credit to reflect lower earnings.</p> answering member constituency Hereford and South Herefordshire answering member printed Jesse Norman grouped question UIN 123648 question first answered 07/12/2020 15:02:03 answering member 3991 label Biography information for Jesse Norman
	tabling member	4510 label Biography information for Helen Hayes

1257231

	registered interest
	date	01/12/2020
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Directors: 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 support directors of small limited companies who are unable to trade on a financially viable basis during the (a) current national restrictions and (b) tier system of local covid alert level restriction from 2 December 2020.
	tabling member constituency	Dulwich and West Norwood
	tabling member printed	Helen Hayes
	uin	123648
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/12/2020 answer text <p>The Government has acknowledged that it has not been possible to support everyone as they might want. The practical issues that prevented the Government from being able to include directors of limited companies in the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS), namely the inability of HM Revenue and Customs to verify the source of their dividend income without introducing unacceptable levels of fraud risk, still remain. This issue prevents implementing an alternative scheme specifically for limited company directors.</p><p> </p><p>Company directors who pay themselves a salary through PAYE are able to apply for CJRS support, subject to meeting the eligibility criteria of the scheme. Directors may also be eligible for other elements of the wider package of financial support available, including the Local Restrictions Support Grants, Government-backed loan schemes, tax deferrals, mortgage holidays, self-isolation support payments and increased levels of Universal Credit to reflect lower earnings.</p> answering member constituency Hereford and South Herefordshire answering member printed Jesse Norman grouped question UIN 123647 question first answered 07/12/2020 15:02:04 answering member 3991 label Biography information for Jesse Norman
	tabling member	4510 label Biography information for Helen Hayes