| answer text |
<p>The Government has committed to a significant package to support individuals through
this difficult time. This includes the introduction of the Coronavirus Job Retention
Scheme (CJRS) and the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme, as well as the injection
of an additional £9.3bn into the welfare system according to Office for Budget Responsibility
estimates.</p><p> </p><p>If an employee has average weekly earnings of at least £120
per week, they will be eligible for Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) if they are self-isolating
under Government guidance and cannot work from home. This includes parents living
in the same households as children self-isolating with symptoms of COVID-19. The Government
has changed the rules so that SSP is now payable from day 1, not day 4, for COVID-19
cases.</p><p> </p><p>Parents of children who are self-isolating under Government guidance
may be eligible for “new style” Contributory Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
if they are ineligible for SSP and unable to work from home. 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>In terms of wider support, the
Chancellor has recently announced that the CJRS will be extended until the end of
March 2021. The Government has striven to ensure that the CJRS can be accessed by
as many people as possible. All employers with a UK bank account and a PAYE payroll
scheme registered on or before 30 October can claim, while employees are required
to have been employed and on an employer’s PAYE payroll on 30 October 2020. Any employee
who meets the eligibility criteria can be furloughed by their employer.</p><p> </p><p>Parents
on lower incomes can also benefit from the Government’s wider 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>
|
|
