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1458299

registered interest
date	19/04/2022
answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept id	201
answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
hansard heading	Small Businesses: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans his Department has to support small businesses that are experiencing operational challenges as a result of the covid-19 pandemic.
tabling member constituency	Southport
tabling member printed	Damien Moore
uin	155907
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/04/2022 answer text <p>Small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) are the backbone of our economy and have a key role to play in driving economic growth. The Government has provided an unprecedented and comprehensive package of support to help as many businesses as possible during this challenging period.</p><p>The Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS), the Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Scheme (CLBILS) and the Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS) were instrumental in providing vital cashflow to businesses affected by the pandemic, unlocking almost £80bn of finance and reaching almost a third of SMEs in the UK. This has been supplemented by the Recovery Loan Scheme (RLS) which ensures they can continue to access loans and other kinds of finance as they grow and recover from the disruption of the Covid-19 pandemic. The RLS is still open to applications from SMEs until 30 June 2022. We have also implemented business rates relief worth £7 billion over five years.</p><p>This government is providing support on access to finance through the British Business Bank and our new ‘Help to Grow’ scheme will help small businesses across the UK learn new skills, reach new customers and boost profits.</p> answering member constituency Sutton and Cheam answering member printed Paul Scully question first answered 27/04/2022 16:47:15 answering member 4414 label Biography information for Paul Scully
tabling member	4669 label Biography information for Damien Moore

1386999

registered interest
date	10/12/2021
answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept id	201
answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
hansard heading	Small Businesses: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential effects that the covid-19 Plan B measures will have on small businesses; and what steps his Department is taking to limit the impacts those restrictions may have on businesses.
tabling member constituency	Stockton South
tabling member printed	Matt Vickers
uin	90960
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/12/2021 answer text <p>The Government’s Plan B has been designed to help control the spread of the virus whilst avoiding unduly damaging economic and social restrictions. Our £400bn COVID support package will continue to help businesses into spring next year. This includes the Recovery Loan scheme, Additional Restrictions Grants and protection from eviction.</p><p> </p><p>We will continue to respond proportionately to the changing path of the virus, as we have done since the start of the pandemic.</p> answering member constituency Sutton and Cheam answering member printed Paul Scully question first answered 20/12/2021 12:17:03 answering member 4414 label Biography information for Paul Scully
tabling member	4844 label Biography information for Matt Vickers

1385308

registered interest
date	06/12/2021
answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept id	201
answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
hansard heading	Small Businesses: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the level of accessibility to Covid Recovery Scheme loans for small and medium-sized businesses that are requesting amounts of less than £50,000.
tabling member constituency	Denton and Reddish
tabling member printed	Andrew Gwynne
uin	87626
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/12/2021 answer text <p>The Recovery Loan Scheme (RLS) is open to businesses requesting amounts of less than £50,000. The minimum facility size varies in the RLS, starting at £1,000 for asset and invoice finance, and £25,001 for term loans and overdrafts. As of 7 December 2021, the British Business Bank’s RLS portal showed that 29% of businesses had applied for a facility of less than £50,000. Note that the portal is continually updated and some lender data is still to be captured.</p> answering member constituency Sutton and Cheam answering member printed Paul Scully question first answered 09/12/2021 17:48:58 answering member 4414 label Biography information for Paul Scully
tabling member	1506 label Biography information for Andrew Gwynne

1349733

registered interest
date	22/07/2021
answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept id	201
answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
hansard heading	Small Businesses: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to support businesses that are owed significant rent arrears as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.
tabling member constituency	Isle of Wight
tabling member printed	Bob Seely
uin	38413
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2021 answer text <p>The Government will introduce legislation to support the orderly resolution of rental payments accrued by commercial tenants affected by the pandemic. The legislation will ringfence rent debt accrued during the pandemic by businesses affected by enforced closures. The legislation will also set out a process of binding arbitration to be undertaken between landlords and tenants. This is to be used as a last resort after bilateral negotiations have been undertaken and only where landlords and tenants cannot otherwise come to a resolution.</p> answering member constituency Sutton and Cheam answering member printed Paul Scully question first answered 09/09/2021 16:33:18 answering member 4414 label Biography information for Paul Scully
tabling member	4681 label Biography information for Bob Seely

1341957

registered interest
date	29/06/2021
answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept id	201
answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
hansard heading	Small Businesses: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans he has to continue to support SMEs experiencing a slow recovery as covid-19 restrictions are eased.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	24258
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/07/2021 answer text <p>Throughout the pandemic, the Government has sought to protect people’s jobs and livelihoods in businesses across the UK.</p><p>The Government put in place an economic package of support totalling £352 billion through the furlough and self-employed income support schemes, support for businesses through grants and loans, business rates and VAT relief.</p><p>At the Budget, my Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer announced a generous extension of economic support to reflect the easing of restrictions and enable the private sector to bounce back as quickly as possible. Most of our schemes do not end until September or after, in order to provide continuity and certainty for businesses.</p><p>The Recovery Loan scheme which launched on 6 April 2021 will ensure UK businesses of any size, including small businesses can continue to access loans and other kinds of finance up to £10million per business as they grow and recover from the disruption of the Covid-19 pandemic. The scheme is open until 31 December 2021, subject to review.</p><p>At Budget, it was also announced that Local Authorities in England will receive a top-up worth a total of £425m to the Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG) fund. This, combined with the £1.6 billion previously allocated, means that Local Authorities will have received over £2bn in discretionary grant funding, to support businesses which are experiencing severe impact due to public health restrictions.</p><p>In order to aid businesses and employees through the next stage of the pandemic, at the Budget the Government extended the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) for a further five months from May until the end of September 2021, when the CJRS will close. Furloughed workers in the UK will continue to receive generous support as the CJRS ensures employees receive 80 per cent of their current salary for hours not worked, up to £2,500 per month. From November 2020 to the end of June 2021, employers were only required to pay NICs and pension contributions. As the economy reopens and demand returns, the Government is asking 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 will increase to 20 per cent in August and September.</p><p> </p><p>In line with the extension to the CJRS, the Government announced at Budget 2021 that the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) will continue until September, with a fourth and a final fifth grant. This provides certainty to business as the economy reopens and means the SEISS will continue to be one of the most generous schemes for the self-employed in the world.</p><p>In order to further support small businesses to prosper after Covid, and improve their growth, productivity and resilience, the Government is introducing the £520m Help to Grow programme. Announced at Spring Budget, the Help to Grow programmes will support UK small businesses scale and grow as they recover from the pandemic. Help to Grow: Management will provide intensive leadership and management skills support to 30,000 small businesses. Help to Grow: Digital could support 100,000 small businesses with online advice and a voucher for software costs.</p> answering member constituency Sutton and Cheam answering member printed Paul Scully question first answered 07/07/2021 15:14:17 answering member 4414 label Biography information for Paul Scully
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1329611

registered interest
date	04/06/2021
answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept id	201
answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
hansard heading	Small Businesses: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent estimate he has made of the number of small businesses fined by Companies House and HMRC during the covid-19 outbreak for late (a) filing and (b) payment; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Leeds Central
tabling member printed	Hilary Benn
uin	10162
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/06/2021 answer text <p>Companies House registers companies, not businesses. The information currently filed with Companies House does not allow it to determine company size. Therefore, it cannot determine the number of small companies that have been subject to a late filing penalty. However, the total number of Civil Penalties raised during the period 1st April 2020 to 31st May 2021 are 241,918.</p><p> </p><p>In order to assist companies affected by the pandemic, measures were put in place by the Department, including allowing companies extra time to file accounts. Also, any appeal to the Registrar against paying a penalty on the grounds a company has been impacted by the pandemic immediately before the filing deadline are being treated sympathetically.</p> answering member constituency Sutton and Cheam answering member printed Paul Scully question first answered 14/06/2021 15:49:45 answering member 4414 label Biography information for Paul Scully
tabling member	413 label Biography information for Hilary Benn

1307795

registered interest
date	12/04/2021
answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept id	201
answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
hansard heading	Small Businesses: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what support his Department is providing to small businesses that are unable to access business grant schemes during the covid-19 outbreak because they share premises with a larger business and are not therefore registered as business ratepayers.
tabling member constituency	Vauxhall
tabling member printed	Florence Eshalomi
uin	179734
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/04/2021 answer text <p>For those business who fall outside of the business rates system support may be available through the Additional Restrictions Grant. The Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG) continues to enable Local Authorities to put in place discretionary business support and target businesses who may not be eligible to receive Grant Support under the mandatory schemes. Local Authorities are responsible for the administration for the Additional Restrictions Grant.</p><p> </p><p>My Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer has announced an additional £425m will be made available via the Additional Restrictions Grant meaning that more than £2bn has been made available to Local Authorities since November 2020. Local Authorities are responsible for the administration of the Grant Scheme.</p><p> </p><p>Businesses and entrepreneurs that have not been able to access support, or who are unsure about the support that may be available, can also contact their nearest Business Growth Hub. Government has supported the establishment of a network of 38 of these hubs, led by each Local Enterprise Partnership area in England. Expert advisers can offer businesses of all sizes free, tailored 1-1 guidance on areas such as planning, building resilience, and funding. The hubs can also signpost further resources such as webinars and networking opportunities. LEP and Growth Hub contact details are listed online: <a href="https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lepnetwork.net%2Flocal-growth-hub-contacts%2F&amp;data=04%7C01%7Ccate.hilton%40beis.gov.uk%7Cb2881a0c7a31437ccd2d08d8fe8290f3%7Ccbac700502c143ebb497e6492d1b2dd8%7C0%7C0%7C637539184008155287%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&amp;sdata=plppPvw0uI1q8Hkop44507qzxu5cJaFHnK1R%2BqR9cIY%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">www.lepnetwork.net/local-growth-hub-contacts/</a>. Firms based in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales can access similar business support through the devolved governments.</p><p> </p><p>The Government’s free Business Support Helpline FREEPHONE 0800 998 1098 also provides impartial advice and can often signpost firms to further specialised sources of information.</p> answering member constituency Sutton and Cheam answering member printed Paul Scully question first answered 15/04/2021 16:26:40 answering member 4414 label Biography information for Paul Scully
tabling member	4870 label Biography information for Florence Eshalomi

1282626

registered interest
date	01/02/2021
answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept id	201
answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
hansard heading	Small Businesses: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to protect small and micro businesses from closure as a result of the covid-19 outbreak in (a) Coventry North East constituency, (b) Coventry, (c) the West Midlands and (d) England.
tabling member constituency	Coventry North East
tabling member printed	Colleen Fletcher
uin	146909
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/02/2021 answer text <p>The Government introduced an unprecedented and comprehensive package of business support measures to help as many individuals and businesses as possible during this difficult period.</p><p> </p><p>This support package included measures such as the small business grants, the coronavirus loan guarantee schemes, the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), the deferral of VAT and income tax payments, and more. These measures were designed to be accessible to businesses in most sectors and across the UK.</p><p> </p><p>Further measures were also announced by my Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer that build on the significant support already available, as well as set out how current support will evolve and adapt. This includes the extension of the CJRS until the end of April 2021, the extension of the coronavirus loan guarantee schemes until 31 March 2021, and the introduction of Pay As You Grow measures, meaning businesses now have the option to repay their Bounce Back Loans over a period of up to ten years. Businesses who also deferred VAT due from 20 March to 30 June 2020 will now have the option to opt-in to a scheme to allow them to pay in smaller instalments up to the end of March 2022, interest free. Businesses and individuals can use our checker tool on GOV.UK at: <a href="https://gbr01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fcoronavirus%2Fbusiness-support&amp;data=04%7C01%7Cbenjamin.dixon%40communities.gov.uk%7Cbe1fd454185a4c60fd7308d8c77d9434%7Cbf3468109c7d43dea87224a2ef3995a8%7C0%7C0%7C637478689460425570%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&amp;sdata=1PvA2d49R2ccvGGSD9yxI%2BL79A48kVG9ozaJOsfjY48%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">www.gov.uk/coronavirus/business-support</a> to quickly and easily determine whether they are eligible for any further financial support at this time.</p><p> </p><p>Additionally, businesses and individuals are able to access tailored advice through our Freephone Business Support Helpline, online via the Business Support website, or through their local Growth Hubs in England. The Government will also continue to work closely with Local Authorities, businesses, Business Representative Organisations, and the financial services sector to monitor the implementation of current support.</p><p> </p><p>During this period of national restrictions business mandated to close have been able to access grants of up to £4,500 per six-week closure period. The Government has also announced an additional payment for closed businesses of £9,000 to help businesses through to the Spring.</p><p> </p><p>For those businesses not mandated to close but who have had their trade adversely affected by restrictions local authorities have been allocated a further £500m in discretionary funding via the Additional Restrictions Grant, in addition to £1.1bn already allocated in November 2020.</p> answering member constituency Sutton and Cheam answering member printed Paul Scully question first answered 04/02/2021 16:59:26 answering member 4414 label Biography information for Paul Scully
tabling member	4378 label Biography information for Colleen Fletcher

1278069

registered interest
date	19/01/2021
answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept id	201
answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
hansard heading	Small Businesses: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to ensure wider access to Government support for small businesses during the covid-19 outbreak.
tabling member constituency	Nottingham East
tabling member printed	Nadia Whittome
uin	140332
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/01/2021 answer text <p>The Government introduced an unprecedented and comprehensive package of business support measures to help as many individuals and businesses as possible during this difficult period. This support package included measures such as the small business grants, the coronavirus loan guarantee schemes, the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), the deferral of VAT and income tax payments, and more. These measures were designed to be accessible to businesses in most sectors and across the UK.</p><p> </p><p>Further measures were also announced by the Chancellor that build on the significant support already available as well as set out how current support will evolve and adapt. This includes the extension of the CJRS until the end of April 2021, the extension of the coronavirus loan guarantee schemes until 31 March 2021, and the introduction of Pay As You Grow measures, meaning businesses now have the option to repay their Bounce Back Loans over a period of up to ten years. Businesses who also deferred VAT due from 20 March to 30 June 2020 will now have the option to opt-in to a scheme to allow them to pay in smaller instalments up to the end of March 2022, interest free.</p><p> </p><p>Business premises that are required by law to close during the current period of national restrictions which began on 5 January 2021 can also access grants of up to £4,500 per 6 weeks of closure under the Local Restrictions Support Grant (Closed). In addition, each closed business will be eligible for a one-off payment of up to £9,000 via the Closed Business Lockdown Payment. Local authorities have also been allocated a further £500 million in discretionary funding via the Additional Restrictions Grant to support businesses that are significantly impacted by the restrictions even though not required to close. This is in addition to £1.1 billion already allocated in November 2020. Local authorities have discretion to use this funding to support businesses in the way they see fit.</p><p> </p><p>Further initiatives include the BEIS-led Small Business Leadership Programme and Peer-to-Peer networks, to help businesses build resilience and grow. In addition, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) announced £20 million in July 2020 to help small and medium-sized businesses acquire new technology and seek advice on digital adoption in order to continue or diversify their business activities in light of the pandemic. This is provided through grants of between £1000 and £5000 and is fully funded by the Government with no obligation for businesses themselves to contribute financially.</p><p> </p><p>Additionally, businesses are able to access tailored advice through our Freephone Business Support Helpline, online via the Business Support website or through their local Growth Hubs in England. The Government will also continue to work closely with local authorities, businesses, business representative organisations, and the financial services sector to monitor the implementation of current support.</p> answering member constituency Sutton and Cheam answering member printed Paul Scully question first answered 26/01/2021 17:42:16 answering member 4414 label Biography information for Paul Scully
tabling member	4869 label Biography information for Nadia Whittome

1258416

registered interest
date	04/12/2020
answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept id	201
answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
hansard heading	Small Businesses: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the level of support available to small businesses in Slough during the covid-19 outbreak.
tabling member constituency	Slough
tabling member printed	Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi
uin	125293
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/12/2020 answer text <p>The Government is making substantial business grants available through Local Authorities to support businesses that have been mandated to close or had their trade affected by national or local Covid-19 restrictions.</p><p> </p><p>The Local Restrictions Support Grant (Closed) will offer grants of up to £1,500 per two-week period, available to all businesses in England that have been required to close due to local and national restrictions.</p><p> </p><p>The Local Restrictions Support Grant (Open) is a discretionary fund designed to support those businesses that whilst not mandated to close, are severely impacted by restrictions.</p><p> </p><p>On top of the support being provided centrally, the <a href="https://gbr01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fthamesvalleyberkshire.co.uk%2F&amp;data=04%7C01%7CHayley.Knowles%40communities.gov.uk%7C28675ac65137473d264808d89a9f5a41%7Cbf3468109c7d43dea87224a2ef3995a8%7C0%7C0%7C637429356488925632%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&amp;sdata=1dQrjB5wrh7eOYThu7klCo5ZrLyLt8zxpTpxTd9eHzI%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">Thames Valley Berkshire Local Enterprise Partnership</a> has committed £11.3 million of capital to create a funding escalator of loans and equity. This will support expansion plans and help with short-term cash flow issues. In addition, Thames Valley Berkshire Business Growth Hub Recovery and Growth Programme is supporting businesses to help them plan their recovery, build resilience and maximise opportunities to grow.</p> answering member constituency Sutton and Cheam answering member printed Paul Scully question first answered 09/12/2020 12:28:59 answering member 4414 label Biography information for Paul Scully
tabling member	4638 label Biography information for Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi