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1193445

registered interest
date	05/05/2020
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure employers follow their guidance that atypical workers on PAYE, including agency workers, individuals on zero-hours contracts, and casual workers, are eligible to be furloughed under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme; and whether they intend to send communications to employers encouraging them to do so.
tabling member printed	Lord Black of Brentwood
uin	HL3985
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/05/2020 answer text <p>The Government encourages all firms affected by coronavirus to treat their employees fairly and carefully. The scheme is already helping firms keep millions of people in employment by covering most wage costs. While there is no obligation for employers to take up the scheme, the scheme is open to all UK employers provided they have a PAYE scheme registered on HMRC’s real time information system for PAYE on 19 March 2020; enrolled for PAYE online; and have a UK bank account. HMRC must also have received an RTI submission notifying payment in respect of that employee on or before 19 March 2020. Employers can claim for employees on any type of employment contract, including full-time, part-time, agency, flexible or zero-hour contracts.</p><p> </p><p>Those not eligible for the scheme may have access to other support which the Government is providing, including a package of temporary welfare measures and up to three months’ mortgage payment holidays for those who may be in difficulty with their mortgage payments.</p> answering member printed Lord Agnew of Oulton question first answered 20/05/2020 15:36:05 answering member 4689 label Biography information for Lord Agnew of Oulton
tabling member	4171 label Biography information for Lord Black of Brentwood

1193446

registered interest
date	05/05/2020
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	Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will review the economic incentive for employers and agencies to furlough casual workers in cases where (1) employers and agencies do not have any contractual obligations to provide workers with work and no correlative duty to pay, and (2) employers may have potential future liability to pay casual workers with redundancy pay after undertaking a fair redundancy procedure.
tabling member printed	Lord Black of Brentwood
uin	HL3986
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/05/2020 answer text <p>The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme is designed to help employers whose operations have been severely affected by coronavirus (COVID-19) to retain their employees and protect the UK economy. Employers can claim for employees on any type of employment contract, including full-time, part-time, agency, flexible or zero hours contracts.</p><p> </p><p>In this unprecedented time, we would urge employers and agencies to take socially responsible decisions and listen to the concerns of their workforce. Employers and employees, including casual workers, should come to a pragmatic agreement about these arrangements. We have been clear that employers should carefully consider the guidance.</p><p> </p><p>However, the scheme is not an employment right and it is up to the employer to decide who to furlough.</p><p> </p><p>Normal redundancy rules and payments apply while an employee is furloughed. The employee will maintain rights to redundancy payments and against unfair dismissal during the period of furlough. Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme grants cannot be used to substitute redundancy payments.</p> answering member printed Lord Callanan question first answered 19/05/2020 13:02:30 answering member 4336 label Biography information for Lord Callanan
tabling member	4171 label Biography information for Lord Black of Brentwood

1193447

registered interest
date	05/05/2020
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme: Voluntary Work
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government why they have prohibited furloughed employees to continue working or volunteering for the organisation they have been furloughed from under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme; and what assessment they have made of the potential merits of financial measures adopted by governments in other countries, including the (1) Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy, and (2) Australian JobKeeper Payment, that allow furloughed employees to continue working for their businesses.
tabling member printed	Lord Black of Brentwood
uin	HL3987
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/05/2020 answer text <p>The purpose of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) is to support people who would otherwise have been made redundant. To prevent fraudulent claims, the Government made it clear that individuals cannot work or volunteer for their organisation.</p><p>This aims to protect individuals too; if workers were allowed to volunteer or work for their employer, the employer could ask them to work in an effectively full time way while only paying 80% of the wages. Individuals are permitted to work for another employer, undertake training or volunteer subject to public health guidance, and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport is working with other government departments and the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector to identify areas where volunteers can contribute to the COVID-19 response.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is closely monitoring other international employment protection schemes, and is engaging with other governments to inform the decision-making process for the CJRS.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Agnew of Oulton question first answered 20/05/2020 15:35:42 answering member 4689 label Biography information for Lord Agnew of Oulton
tabling member	4171 label Biography information for Lord Black of Brentwood

1193448

registered interest
date	05/05/2020
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the policy that allows employees and workers paid via PAYE to be furloughed by more than one employer under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, why they have required 50 per cent of an individual’s income to be from self-employment in order to be able to access 80 per cent profits under the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme; and what assessment they have made of the potential merits of lowering the threshold of income from self-employment from 50 per cent to 25 per cent.
tabling member printed	Lord Black of Brentwood
uin	HL3988
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/05/2020 answer text <p>The Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) aims to provide financial support to those who rely on self-employment as their main source of income, so that it is targeted at those who need it most. Many individuals earn small amounts of income from self-employment in addition to income from employment and other sources.</p><p>These individuals may benefit from other support, including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. The SEISS supplements the significant support already announced for UK businesses, including the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, the Bounce Back Loans Scheme and the deferral of tax payments.</p> answering member printed Lord Agnew of Oulton question first answered 19/05/2020 13:12:51 answering member 4689 label Biography information for Lord Agnew of Oulton
tabling member	4171 label Biography information for Lord Black of Brentwood

1193449

registered interest
date	05/05/2020
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Self-employment Income Support Scheme
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential negative impact on graduates, and individuals who have been on sick leave or maternity leave, caused by the policy of offering self-employed individuals a grant through the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme based on the average monthly self-employed profit from the last three tax; and whether they will introduce special circumstances that allow individuals to discount these years when calculating average profits to better reflect their current position.
tabling member printed	Lord Black of Brentwood
uin	HL3989
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/05/2020 answer text <p>Claiming Maternity Allowance or taking parental/sickness leave does not mean that the trade has ceased and therefore should not affect a person’s eligibility for Self-Employment Income Support Scheme, as long as the individual intends to return to the trade after maternity/paternity/adoption leave.</p><p> </p><p>Anyone who submitted a tax return in 2018/19, and meets the eligibility criteria, will be eligible for the SEISS. The Government recognises that some people may not have submitted a 2018/19 return for a range of reasons, including due to parental/sickness leave or entering the labour market as a new graduate.</p><p>The Chancellor has indicated that delivering a scheme for the self-employed is a very difficult operational challenge, particularly in the time available. It is not possible for HMRC to know the reasons why an individual’s profits may have dropped in earlier years from income tax self-assessment returns. However, to help those with volatile income in 2018/19, HMRC can determine an individual’s eligibility on either their profits in 2018-19, or on an average between 2016-17 to 2018-19.</p> answering member printed Lord Agnew of Oulton question first answered 20/05/2020 15:30:13 answering member 4689 label Biography information for Lord Agnew of Oulton
tabling member	4171 label Biography information for Lord Black of Brentwood

1193450

registered interest
date	05/05/2020
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and Self-employment Income Support Scheme
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the justification for the cap on trading profits in order to access the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme to be set at £50,000 when there is no cap on earnings in the eligibility criteria for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.
tabling member printed	Lord Black of Brentwood
uin	HL3990
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/05/2020 answer text <p>The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) and Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) are different schemes. The CJRS is designed to prevent businesses laying off staff. The SEISS is designed to support the living standards of the self-employed.</p><p> </p><p>The SEISS, including the £50,000 threshold, is designed to target those who need it most and who are most reliant on their self-employment income. The self-employed are a very diverse population. They have a wide mix of turnover and profits, with monthly and annual variations even in normal times. The self-employed can also offset losses against profits in other years and other forms of income. Some may see their profits unaffected by the current situation, while others will have substantial alternative forms of income. For example, those who had more than £50,000 from self-employment profits in 2017-18 had an average total income of more than £200,000.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, the self-employed can continue to work and remain eligible for the taxable grant as long as they meet the other criteria, including their trade being adversely affected as a result of COVID-19.</p><p> </p><p>Those with average profits above £50,000 may still benefit from other support. Individuals may have access to a range of grants and loans depending on their circumstances. The SEISS supplements the significant support already announced for UK businesses, including the Bounce Back Loan Scheme for small businesses, the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, and the deferral of tax payments. More information about the full range of business support measures is available on GOV.UK.</p> answering member printed Lord Agnew of Oulton question first answered 20/05/2020 15:29:41 answering member 4689 label Biography information for Lord Agnew of Oulton
tabling member	4171 label Biography information for Lord Black of Brentwood