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1193517

	registered interest
	date	06/05/2020
	answering body	Women and Equalities
	answering dept id	31
	answering dept short name	Women and Equalities
	answering dept sort name	Women and Equalities
	hansard heading	Domestic Abuse: Coronavirus
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	What recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on access to safe accommodation for domestic abuse victims during the covid-19 outbreak.
	tabling member constituency	Sefton Central
	tabling member printed	Bill Esterson
	uin	902299
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/05/2020 answer text <p>This Government is committed to ensuring survivors get the support they need. I have regular discussion with colleagues across Whitehall, including my counterparts at the Home Office and the Ministry of Justice, and we have been closely informed by the latest data from the sector.</p><p>We have announced £3.2 billion to aid local authorities’ in their responses to Covid-19 pressures, including providing essential support for victims and their children.</p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Luke Hall question first answered 06/05/2020 16:39:43 answering member 4450 label Biography information for Luke Hall
	tabling member	4061 label Biography information for Bill Esterson

1688079

	registered interest
	date	01/02/2024
	answering body	Women and Equalities
	answering dept id	31
	answering dept short name	Women and Equalities
	answering dept sort name	Women and Equalities
	hansard heading	Equal Pay
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps the Government is taking to help reduce the gender pay gap.
	tabling member constituency	Sefton Central
	tabling member printed	Bill Esterson
	uin	901451
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/02/2024 answer text <p>The gender pay gap has fallen by approximately a quarter in the last decade.</p><p>It was a Conservative government that introduced gender pay gap reporting, building on the robust equal pay protections we already have in the Equality Act.</p><p>To accelerate progress we have supported legislation to: enhance flexible working, extend redundancy protection for those on maternity leave, and introduce carers leave.</p> answering member constituency Lewes answering member printed Maria Caulfield question first answered 07/02/2024 16:27:08 answering member 4492 label Biography information for Maria Caulfield
	tabling member	4061 label Biography information for Bill Esterson

60453

	registered interest
	date	06/06/2014
	answering body	Women and Equalities
	answering dept id	31
	answering dept short name	Women and Equalities
	answering dept sort name	Women and Equalities
	hansard heading	Marriage
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Ministers for Women and Equalities, what plans she has to enable civil partnerships to be amended to marriage without recourse to a separate legal process.
	tabling member constituency	Sefton Central
	tabling member printed	Bill Esterson
	uin	199521
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/06/2014 answer text <p>Section 9 of the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 provides that civil partners may convert their civil partnership into marriage under regulations to be made by the Secretary of State, and that the resulting marriage will be treated as having subsisted since the date the civil partnership was formed. Civil partnerships and marriage are separate legal institutions so a process is required for conversion. We are working hard to ensure that couples wanting to convert their civil partnerships into marriages are able to do so as soon as possible. We aim to do this before the end of 2014.</p><p>These aspects of implementing the Act take longer because they involve developing and implementing completely new procedures and processes. This contrasts with the work to make new marriages for same-sex couples possible, where we were able to build on existing processes so implementation was more straightforward.</p> answering member constituency Maidstone and The Weald answering member printed Mrs Helen Grant question first answered 16/06/2014 13:37:52 answering member 4018 label Biography information for Mrs Helen Grant
	tabling member	4061 label Biography information for Bill Esterson

1612195

	registered interest
	date	30/03/2023
	answering body	Wales Office
	answering dept id	28
	answering dept short name	Wales
	answering dept sort name	Wales
	hansard heading	Energy: Costs
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what comparative assessment he has made with Cabinet colleagues of energy costs in (a) Wales and (b) the rest of the UK.
	tabling member constituency	Sefton Central
	tabling member printed	Bill Esterson
	uin	904537
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/04/2023 answer text <p>The most recent data demonstrates that households in Wales pay a price broadly on par with the average across Great Britain. This Government has announced unprecedented support to protect households and businesses from high energy prices, including the recent extension of the Energy Price Guarantee. Our support has covered almost half of the typical household energy bill.</p> answering member constituency Monmouth answering member printed David T C Davies question first answered 19/04/2023 14:32:43 answering member 1545 label Biography information for David T C Davies
	tabling member	4061 label Biography information for Bill Esterson

176580

	registered interest
	date	28/01/2015
	answering body	Wales Office
	answering dept id	28
	answering dept short name	Wales
	answering dept sort name	Wales
	hansard heading	Employment Agencies
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many staff in his Department have been employed through employment or recruitment agencies in each year since 2010-11.
	tabling member constituency	Sefton Central
	tabling member printed	Bill Esterson
	uin	222526
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/02/2015 answer text <p>The average number of staff employed through employment or recruitment agencies since 2010-11 is shown below:</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>2010-11</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2011-12</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2012-13</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2013-14</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2014-15</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>1</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>1</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>1</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>4</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>6</strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p><strong> </strong></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p><strong> </strong></p><p> </p> answering member constituency Vale of Glamorgan answering member printed Alun Cairns question first answered 04/02/2015 15:02:31 answering member 4086 label Biography information for Alun Cairns
	tabling member	4061 label Biography information for Bill Esterson

1127720

	registered interest
	date	21/05/2019
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Renewable Energy: Finance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	What recent assessment he has made of trends in the level of public funding for renewable energy since 2010.
	tabling member constituency	Sefton Central
	tabling member printed	Bill Esterson
	uin	911018
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/05/2019 answer text <p>The Government is committed to investing in renewable energy and our support has enabled the UK to become a world leader in clean growth with the fastest emissions reduction on a per person basis than any other G7 nation.</p><p> </p><p>We will spend £4.5 billion between 2016 and 2021 to support the development of renewable and low carbon heating through the Renewable Heat Incentive.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is also encouraging private sector innovation and £92 billion of private funding has been invested in clean energy in the UK since 2010.</p> answering member constituency Newark answering member printed Robert Jenrick question first answered 21/05/2019 13:43:49 answering member 4320 label Biography information for Robert Jenrick
	tabling member	4061 label Biography information for Bill Esterson

1177382

	registered interest
	date	10/02/2020
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Small Businesses: Living Wage
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to support small businesses to afford the recent increase in the National Living Wage.
	tabling member constituency	Sefton Central
	tabling member printed	Bill Esterson
	uin	14682
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/02/2020 answer text <p>The Government recognises that increases in the National Living Wage will mean extra costs for some businesses, However, it’s right that workers are fairly rewarded for their input into the economy. By the Spring, the Government will set out the Low Pay Commission’s remit for the years beyond 2020, taking account of the potential impact on employment and economic growth.</p><p> </p><p>To support businesses with the costs of employing staff, the Government has introduced the Employment Allowance to reduce employers’ National Insurance contributions bill by £3,000. Over 1 million employers are benefitting from this relief.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Salisbury answering member printed John Glen question first answered 13/02/2020 14:02:50 answering member 4051 label Biography information for John Glen
	tabling member	4061 label Biography information for Bill Esterson

1177385

	registered interest
	date	10/02/2020
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Business Rates
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the proposed long-term review of the business rates model of taxation.
	tabling member constituency	Sefton Central
	tabling member printed	Bill Esterson
	uin	14685
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/02/2020 answer text <p>In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of ministerial discussions are not normally disclosed. The Government is committed to conducting a fundamental review of business rates and further information will be announced in due course.</p> answering member constituency Hereford and South Herefordshire answering member printed Jesse Norman question first answered 13/02/2020 11:00:01 answering member 3991 label Biography information for Jesse Norman
	tabling member	4061 label Biography information for Bill Esterson

1186565

	registered interest
	date	19/03/2020
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Food Supply: Business Rates
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to extend business rate relief to food producers to mitigate the effect of the covid-19 outbreak on national food security.
	tabling member constituency	Sefton Central
	tabling member printed	Bill Esterson
	uin	32217
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/03/2020 answer text <p>The Government has provided enhanced support to the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors given the acute impacts of COVID-19 on those sectors. A range of measures to support all businesses has been made available, including the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan scheme, and the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to help firms continue to keep people in employment. HMRC have also set up a dedicated COVID-19 helpline to help those in need, and they may be able to agree a bespoke Time to Pay arrangement.</p><p> </p><p>This is the right response at the right time. As the wider economic picture becomes clearer, the Government will do whatever it takes to get the nation through the impacts of COVID-19, and the Government stands ready to announce further action wherever necessary.</p> answering member constituency Hereford and South Herefordshire answering member printed Jesse Norman grouped question UIN 32218 question first answered 24/03/2020 15:28:32 answering member 3991 label Biography information for Jesse Norman
	tabling member	4061 label Biography information for Bill Esterson

1186566

	registered interest
	date	19/03/2020
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Food Supply: Coronavirus
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has plans to introduce tax breaks to enable food producers in financial distress as a result of the covid-19 outbreak to main food supplies.
	tabling member constituency	Sefton Central
	tabling member printed	Bill Esterson
	uin	32218
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/03/2020 answer text <p>The Government has provided enhanced support to the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors given the acute impacts of COVID-19 on those sectors. A range of measures to support all businesses has been made available, including the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan scheme, and the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to help firms continue to keep people in employment. HMRC have also set up a dedicated COVID-19 helpline to help those in need, and they may be able to agree a bespoke Time to Pay arrangement.</p><p> </p><p>This is the right response at the right time. As the wider economic picture becomes clearer, the Government will do whatever it takes to get the nation through the impacts of COVID-19, and the Government stands ready to announce further action wherever necessary.</p> answering member constituency Hereford and South Herefordshire answering member printed Jesse Norman grouped question UIN 32217 question first answered 24/03/2020 15:28:31 answering member 3991 label Biography information for Jesse Norman
	tabling member	4061 label Biography information for Bill Esterson

1191215

	registered interest
	date	28/04/2020
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Customs: Standards
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the average time taken was for goods to clear customs (a) entering and (b) leaving the UK in each month in 2020.
	tabling member constituency	Sefton Central
	tabling member printed	Bill Esterson
	uin	41035
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/05/2020 answer text <p>95% of Import Frontier Declarations and 99% of Export Declarations receive clearance from customs in 10 minutes. The 10 minutes relate to a trade facilitation time agreed by HMRC to enable traders to be able to amend their declarations within this 10-minute period, before clearance is granted.</p><p>The remaining 5% for Imports and 1% for Exports are accounted for by Declarations that are held in order to perform Documentary or Physical Controls on the goods or to deal with other matters such as the collection of revenue.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Hereford and South Herefordshire answering member printed Jesse Norman question first answered 04/05/2020 15:22:17 answering member 3991 label Biography information for Jesse Norman
	tabling member	4061 label Biography information for Bill Esterson

1216276

	registered interest
	date	22/06/2020
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Investment Income: 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 whether companies have paid dividends while in receipt of the Government's covid-19 support packages.
	tabling member constituency	Sefton Central
	tabling member printed	Bill Esterson
	uin	62422
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/06/2020 answer text <p>Government support is aimed at businesses in genuine need. Our current measures are well-targeted at such businesses, bearing in mind the need to act very quickly to deliver this unprecedented package. We expect everyone to act responsibly and in the spirit of the package, and only claim and use support as intended. The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) for example provides compensation for the cost of paying furloughed workers –money that goes directly to the pockets of workers who might otherwise lose their jobs, whilst Business Rates reductions and Local Authority grant schemes are targeted at sectors which are facing severe hardship. The Government is keeping all measures under constant review.</p><p> </p><p>Companies borrowing more than £50million through the Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CLBILS) or accessing the Covid Corporate Financing Facility (CCFF) beyond 19 May 2021, face restrictions on dividend payments, capital distributions and senior pay.</p> answering member constituency Saffron Walden answering member printed Kemi Badenoch question first answered 25/06/2020 14:23:43 answering member 4597 label Biography information for Kemi Badenoch
	tabling member	4061 label Biography information for Bill Esterson

1235075

	registered interest
	date	16/09/2020
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Working Tax Credit: 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 financial effect on working tax credits received by health and social care workers of additional hours that have been worked during the covid-19 outbreak.
	tabling member constituency	Sefton Central
	tabling member printed	Bill Esterson
	uin	91028
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/09/2020 answer text <p>The Tax Credit system has a degree of flexibility built in, in order to help claimants manage changes in income. The Tax Credit disregard means that the first £2,500 of a increase or decrease in household income, compared with the previous tax year is disregarded. Therefore carers, NHS staff and other key workers working additional hours and experiencing an increase in income of up to £2,500 per year will see no change in their overall Tax Credit award.</p><p>The Government also recognises that Tax Credits were introduced in the early 2000s and no longer fully reflect the world of work for many people. That is why we are introducing Universal Credit.</p><p>Universal Credit replaces Tax Credits and other legacy benefits, to provide a single system of means-tested support for working age people. Universal Credit is assessed and paid monthly and is based on claimants’ actual earnings in the month, rather than their annual income.</p> answering member constituency North East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Steve Barclay question first answered 21/09/2020 09:11:31 answering member 4095 label Biography information for Steve Barclay
	tabling member	4061 label Biography information for Bill Esterson

1240029

	registered interest
	date	02/10/2020
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Revenue and Customs: Staff
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many HMRC staff were allocated to Loan Charge counter-avoidance activities in (a) July, (b) August and (c) September 2020.
	tabling member constituency	Sefton Central
	tabling member printed	Bill Esterson
	uin	98703
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/10/2020 answer text <p>In July, August, and September 2020, HMRC had about 1,000 staff working to help taxpayers affected by the Loan Charge to settle their use of disguised remuneration tax avoidance schemes.</p> answering member constituency Hereford and South Herefordshire answering member printed Jesse Norman question first answered 07/10/2020 14:29:50 answering member 3991 label Biography information for Jesse Norman
	tabling member	4061 label Biography information for Bill Esterson

1242836

	registered interest
	date	13/10/2020
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Taxis: Coronavirus
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what financial support is available for self-employed taxi drivers who have been told by NHS England to self-isolate due to underlying health reasons and who have been told that they do not qualify for bounce back loans because they do not have business bank accounts.
	tabling member constituency	Sefton Central
	tabling member printed	Bill Esterson
	uin	102772
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/10/2020 answer text <p>The government is committed to supporting self-employed individuals through any period in which they have to self-isolate. Self-employed individuals may be eligible for “new style” Contributory Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) if they are incapable of work due to Covid-19, including those who are required to self-isolate according to Government guidance. We have made it easier for people to claim new style ESA by removing the seven-day waiting period which means people can get support from day one. If they are on a low-income, they may also be entitled to a £500 self-isolation payment.</p><p> </p><p>Individuals who are self-isolating can also access the wider support which the government has made available to self-employed people. In addition to bounce back loans, self-employed individuals may be eligible for the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) which remains open for applications and has recently been extended. The SEISS Grant Extension will last for 6 months, from November 2020 to April 2021.</p><p> </p><p>This support for the self-employed is in addition to a comprehensive welfare offer: according to OBR estimates, the government has injected a further £9.3bn into the welfare system to support individuals who are unable to work or on a low income, including the self-employed. For those on low incomes, the government has relaxed the UC minimum income floor for all self-employed claimants.</p><p> </p><p>The Government launched Bounce Back Loans on 4<sup>th</sup> May 2020 to ensure that the smallest businesses can access loans of up to £50,000 in a matter of days. However, decisions regarding which products, like business bank accounts, to offer remain at the discretion of lenders, and the Government does not intervene in these decisions.</p> answering member constituency Salisbury answering member printed John Glen question first answered 16/10/2020 13:03:10 answering member 4051 label Biography information for John Glen
	tabling member	4061 label Biography information for Bill Esterson

1242844

	registered interest
	date	13/10/2020
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Tax Avoidance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many loan charge settlements were (a) offered and (b) agreed during July, August and September 2020.
	tabling member constituency	Sefton Central
	tabling member printed	Bill Esterson
	uin	102774
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/10/2020 answer text <p>HMRC do not hold aggregate data on when individual taxpayers were issued with settlement offers.</p><p>HMRC are currently compiling, analysing and assuring settlement data up to 30 September 2020. HMRC plan to report the number of agreed settlements when they publish their report on how they have implemented the Loan Charge changes following the Independent Loan Charge Review, later this year.</p> answering member constituency Hereford and South Herefordshire answering member printed Jesse Norman question first answered 16/10/2020 12:47:07 answering member 3991 label Biography information for Jesse Norman
	tabling member	4061 label Biography information for Bill Esterson

1245553

	registered interest
	date	21/10/2020
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Employee Ownership
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the value was of shares issued through Share Incentive Plans by (a) partnership, (b) matching (c) free and (d) dividend shares in each of the last five years.
	tabling member constituency	Sefton Central
	tabling member printed	Bill Esterson
	uin	106984
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/11/2020 answer text <p>Share Incentive Plans (SIPs) is a tax-advantaged employee share scheme offered by the Government.</p><p> </p><p>HMRC publishes annual statistics on Employee Share Schemes, including the value of shares, which are available here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/employee-share-schemes-statistics#national-statistics" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/employee-share-schemes-statistics#national-statistics</a></p><p> </p><p>The table below shows the value of awarded shares for the last four years by type of share. Figures for 2014-15 are not available due to the introduction of the Employment Related Securities service.</p><p> </p><p>Table 1- Initial value of SIP shares by share type (£m)</p><p> </p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>SIP – initial value of awarded shares <strong>(£m)</strong></p></td><td><p>Free shares</p></td><td><p>Partnership shares</p></td><td><p>Matching shares</p></td><td><p>Dividend shares</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>14-15</p></td><td><p>-</p></td><td><p>-</p></td><td><p>-</p></td><td><p>-</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>15-16</p></td><td><p>240</p></td><td><p>510</p></td><td><p>310</p></td><td><p>130</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>16-17</p></td><td><p>120</p></td><td><p>430</p></td><td><p>260</p></td><td><p>130</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>17-18</p></td><td><p>120</p></td><td><p>300</p></td><td><p>160</p></td><td><p>80</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>18-19</p></td><td><p>110</p></td><td><p>310</p></td><td><p>170</p></td><td><p>70</p></td></tr></tbody></table> answering member constituency Salisbury answering member printed John Glen question first answered 02/11/2020 11:57:27 answering member 4051 label Biography information for John Glen
	tabling member	4061 label Biography information for Bill Esterson

1245554

	registered interest
	date	21/10/2020
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Employee Ownership and Save as You Earn
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to widen participation in the (a) Save As you Earn and (b) Share Incentive Plan all-employee share schemes.
	tabling member constituency	Sefton Central
	tabling member printed	Bill Esterson
	uin	106985
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/11/2020 answer text <p>The Government wants to promote employee share ownership in the UK, which is why it offers tax advantaged employee share schemes such as Save As You Earn (SAYE) and Share Incentive Plans (SIPs).</p><p> </p><p>Employers can offer these schemes to share financial rewards with staff who choose to take part. This supports recruitment and retention and helps to encourage employee productivity. The Government keeps all the employee share schemes under review.</p><p> </p><p>In 2018/19, 310,000 employees were granted share options under a SAYE scheme, and around 2.84 million employees were awarded or purchased partnership shares under a SIP.</p><p> </p><p>Information on the employee share schemes for the 2020/21 tax year will not be available until 2021. However, the Government has taken steps to support employees in a SIP or SAYE scheme through the COVID-19 outbreak. This includes extending the payment holiday terms for employees in SAYE plans where the employee is furloughed, has had working hours reduced or has taken unpaid leave during the pandemic, and allowing furlough payments to constitute as salary so SIP contributions can continue to be deducted from these payments.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Hereford and South Herefordshire answering member printed Jesse Norman grouped question UIN 106986 question first answered 02/11/2020 15:22:00 answering member 3991 label Biography information for Jesse Norman
	tabling member	4061 label Biography information for Bill Esterson

1245555

	registered interest
	date	21/10/2020
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Employee Ownership and Save as You Earn: 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 effect of the covid-19 outbreak on employee participation levels in (a) Save As You Earn and (b) Share Incentive Plan schemes.
	tabling member constituency	Sefton Central
	tabling member printed	Bill Esterson
	uin	106986
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/11/2020 answer text <p>The Government wants to promote employee share ownership in the UK, which is why it offers tax advantaged employee share schemes such as Save As You Earn (SAYE) and Share Incentive Plans (SIPs).</p><p> </p><p>Employers can offer these schemes to share financial rewards with staff who choose to take part. This supports recruitment and retention and helps to encourage employee productivity. The Government keeps all the employee share schemes under review.</p><p> </p><p>In 2018/19, 310,000 employees were granted share options under a SAYE scheme, and around 2.84 million employees were awarded or purchased partnership shares under a SIP.</p><p> </p><p>Information on the employee share schemes for the 2020/21 tax year will not be available until 2021. However, the Government has taken steps to support employees in a SIP or SAYE scheme through the COVID-19 outbreak. This includes extending the payment holiday terms for employees in SAYE plans where the employee is furloughed, has had working hours reduced or has taken unpaid leave during the pandemic, and allowing furlough payments to constitute as salary so SIP contributions can continue to be deducted from these payments.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Hereford and South Herefordshire answering member printed Jesse Norman grouped question UIN 106985 question first answered 02/11/2020 15:22:00 answering member 3991 label Biography information for Jesse Norman
	tabling member	4061 label Biography information for Bill Esterson

1246292

	registered interest
	date	22/10/2020
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Photography: Coronavirus
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to support self-employed wedding photographers who work from home and have not been eligible for covid-19 financial support since March 2020.
	tabling member constituency	Sefton Central
	tabling member printed	Bill Esterson
	uin	107642
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/11/2020 answer text <p>The Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) is helping those that have been adversely affected by COVID-19 and has already provided over £13 billion of support. Those ineligible for the SEISS may still be eligible for other elements of the unprecedented financial support available. This package includes Bounce Back loans, tax deferrals, rental support, mortgage holidays, and other business support grants. All 11 million UK self-assessment taxpayers will also be able to benefit from the recently enhanced Time to Pay ‘self-service’ facility to establish a 12-month, interest-free payment arrangement for up to £30,000 of self-assessment debt.</p><p> </p><p>Furthermore, the application deadline for four temporary coronavirus loan schemes – Bounce Back Loans, Coronavirus Business Interruption Loans, Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loans (CBILS) and the Future Fund - has also been extended to 30 November. Up to half a million businesses which deferred their VAT bills will also be given more breathing space through the New Payment Scheme, which gives them the option to spread their payments over the financial year 2021-2022.</p> answering member constituency Hereford and South Herefordshire answering member printed Jesse Norman question first answered 02/11/2020 16:40:03 answering member 3991 label Biography information for Jesse Norman
	tabling member	4061 label Biography information for Bill Esterson

1247725

	registered interest
	date	02/11/2020
	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, for what reason financial assistance was not offered to limited company directors during the covid-19 outbreak.
	tabling member constituency	Sefton Central
	tabling member printed	Bill Esterson
	uin	110123
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/11/2020 answer text <p>The Government has not taken a principled stance against support for company owner-managers who pay themselves via dividends. 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 and 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.</p><p> </p><p>This means, unlike announced support schemes which use information HMRC already hold, targeting additional support would require owner-managers to make a claim and submit information that HMRC could not efficiently or consistently verify to ensure payments were made to eligible companies for eligible activity.  This is about identifying what is operationally feasible, managing technical complexities and fraud risks, and ensuring that other forms of support the Government has already committed to are delivered in a timely way.</p><p> </p><p>The Self-Employment Income Support Scheme continues to be just one element of a comprehensive package of support for individuals and businesses. This package includes Bounce Back loans, tax deferrals, rental support, increased levels of Universal Credit, mortgage holidays, and other business support grants.</p> answering member constituency Hereford and South Herefordshire answering member printed Jesse Norman question first answered 05/11/2020 16:11:57 answering member 3991 label Biography information for Jesse Norman
	tabling member	4061 label Biography information for Bill Esterson

1248391

	registered interest
	date	03/11/2020
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Tax Avoidance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he plans to publish the report on the Government's implementation of Loan Charge changes following the Independent Loan Charge Review.
	tabling member constituency	Sefton Central
	tabling member printed	Bill Esterson
	uin	110798
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/11/2020 answer text <p>HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) plan to report to Parliament on the implementation of Loan Charge changes following the Independent Loan Charge Review by the end of 2020.</p> answering member constituency Hereford and South Herefordshire answering member printed Jesse Norman question first answered 09/11/2020 16:21:21 answering member 3991 label Biography information for Jesse Norman
	tabling member	4061 label Biography information for Bill Esterson

1249283

	registered interest
	date	05/11/2020
	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 an economic assessment of the effect of the November 2020 covid-19 lockdown.
	tabling member constituency	Sefton Central
	tabling member printed	Bill Esterson
	uin	112035
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/11/2020 answer text <p>As the Chancellor said in his letter to the Treasury Committee on 4 November, HM Treasury does not prepare formal forecasts for the UK economy, which are the responsibility of the independent OBR. They will publish their next forecast on 25 November.</p><p>In addition, within their statutory mandates, the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) produce analysis which reflect their independent judgements regarding the impact of Covid-19 on the likely path of the economy. They updated their projections in their Monetary Policy Report published on 5 November. This reflected UK restrictions announced up to 31 October, including “heightened England-wide measures for the period 5 November to 2 December”. In this scenario, GDP was revised downwards and is now expected to contract by 2% in Q4 reflecting the impact of stricter measures to control Covid-19.</p> answering member constituency Salisbury answering member printed John Glen question first answered 10/11/2020 13:17:11 answering member 4051 label Biography information for John Glen
	tabling member	4061 label Biography information for Bill Esterson

1250304

	registered interest
	date	10/11/2020
	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, if he will make an assessment of the potential scope for fraud in claims by directors of limited companies in respect of future financial support provided in response to the covid-19 outbreak.
	tabling member constituency	Sefton Central
	tabling member printed	Bill Esterson
	uin	113545
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/11/2020 answer text <p>The Government has prioritised delivering support to as many people as possible, as quickly as possible, while guarding against the risk of fraud or abuse. This meant making difficult decisions, and the Government has acknowledged that it has not been able to support everyone as they would want.</p><p> </p><p>The practical issues that prevented the Government from being able to include company owner-managers in the original Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS), namely not being able to verify the source of their dividend income without introducing unacceptable fraud risk, still remain.</p><p> </p><p>Similarly, it would not be appropriate for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), designed to replace the immediate costs of employment, to be used to replace a distribution of net profits that have yet to be determined.</p><p> </p><p>Opening up the CJRS or SEISS scheme to cover dividends, for which no up-to-date accurate data source is available, would either have required allowing “pay now check later” claims, which HMRC could not realistically have policed, or added one-to-one manual review steps which would have drastically slowed down payments and required unfeasible amounts of resources to process.</p><p> </p><p>Company owner-managers may still be eligible for other support available including CJRS (in respect of their salary but not their dividends), Bounce Back loans, tax deferrals, rental support, increased levels of Universal Credit, mortgage holidays, and other business support grants.</p> answering member constituency Hereford and South Herefordshire answering member printed Jesse Norman question first answered 16/11/2020 16:08:24 answering member 3991 label Biography information for Jesse Norman
	tabling member	4061 label Biography information for Bill Esterson

1250307

	registered interest
	date	10/11/2020
	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, if he will publish an equality impact assessment on the difference in financial support available to (a) workers paid through PAYE who qualified for furlough, (b) workers paid through PAYE who did not qualify for furlough, (c) self-employed workers who qualified for the self employed income support scheme, (d) self-employed workers who did not qualify for the self employed income support scheme and (e) limited company directors who paid themselves in dividends but not through PAYE.
	tabling member constituency	Sefton Central
	tabling member printed	Bill Esterson
	uin	113547
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/11/2020 answer text <p>When designing the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme policies and subsequent reforms the Government undertook an analysis of how the policies were likely to affect individuals sharing protected characteristics in line with its Public Sector Equality Duties. This is in line with the internal procedural requirements and support in place for ensuring that equalities considerations inform decisions taken by ministers.</p><p> </p><p>The completion and publication of formal Equality Impact Assessment documents is not a legal or procedural requirement. Equality impacts are appropriately assessed and flagged to ministers. HMT has rigorous processes in place to ensure that it complies with its legal requirements under the Equality Act 2010.</p> answering member constituency Hereford and South Herefordshire answering member printed Jesse Norman question first answered 16/11/2020 16:06:34 answering member 3991 label Biography information for Jesse Norman
	tabling member	4061 label Biography information for Bill Esterson