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1464296

registered interest
date	18/05/2022
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	Business: Coronavirus
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that local authorities are co-operating on calculating the level of (1) fraud, and (2) error, in business support grants administered.
tabling member printed	Lord Taylor of Warwick
uin	HL356
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/05/2022 answer text <p>BEIS continues to work closely with Local Authorities to minimise the risk of fraud and error, and to take action where this does occur. Local Authorities are required to undertake assurance activity for all COVID-19 Business Grant schemes, to ensure that the recipients were eligible to receive the funds and that funds were paid correctly. Where it is identified that an award of a grant was non-compliant, funding issued will be subject to recovery and all cases of fraud will be pursued. The Assurance and Debt Recovery Guidance can be found on the COVID-19 Business Grants page at Gov.UK.</p> answering member printed Lord Callanan question first answered 31/05/2022 11:16:20 answering member 4336 label Biography information for Lord Callanan
tabling member	1796 label Biography information for Lord Taylor of Warwick

1417553

registered interest
date	27/01/2022
answering body	Cabinet Office
answering dept id	53
answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
hansard heading	Business: Coronavirus
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Agnew of Oulton on 24 January (HL Deb, col 21) where he stated that "total fraud loss across government is estimated at £29 billion a year", whether they will provide a list containing details of that loss.
tabling member printed	Lord Sikka
uin	HL5751
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/02/2022 answer text <p>The 2019-20 Fraud Landscape Report Bulletin, (which predates the pandemic), states that our best estimate of total fraud and error losses to Government are between £29bn and £52bn per year. This comprises the published estimates for fraud and error loss in tax and welfare, and an estimate for the rest of the system where the level is less well known.</p><p> </p><p>For the 'rest of Government' (i.e. outside DWP and HMRC) the proportion of the estimate is between £2.5bn and £25bn a year. The ‘rest of Government’ estimate is overseen by an independent Oversight Board and built from a group of completed fraud and error measurement exercises done over the past 5 years.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord True question first answered 08/02/2022 17:24:16 answering member 4200 label Biography information for Lord True
tabling member	4885 label Biography information for Lord Sikka

1404198

registered interest
date	18/01/2022
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Business: Coronavirus
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the report HMRC responses to inaccurate claims, published on 12 January, what is the methodology for estimating the amount lost to fraud and error; what is the value of these claims; and what is the forecasted expenditure for such claims, for (1) the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (2) the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme phases 1 to 3, and (3) the Eat Out to Help Out scheme.
tabling member printed	Lord Sikka
uin	HL5515
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/01/2022 answer text <p>The Government introduced unprecedented COVID support, helping millions of people across the UK. The schemes were designed to protect against Error and Fraud (E&amp;F) by only making grants to individuals and businesses matched to information already on HMRC systems wherever possible, preventing ineligible claims, blocking suspicious claims up front, and investing in post-scheme compliance.</p><p> </p><p>The latest E&amp;F estimates and expenditure across the COVID-19 support schemes are included in HMRC’s 2021 Annual Report and Accounts, released on 4 November 2021, which can be found on the gov.uk website.</p><p> </p><p>HMRC has published a technical document alongside the Annual Report and Accounts 2020 to 2021 detailing the methodology for measuring E&amp;F in the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) phases 1 to 3, and the Eat Out to Help Out scheme (EOHO). This can be found on the gov.uk website.</p><p> </p><p>HMRC aim to produce updated E&amp;F estimates for CJRS and SEISS by Summer 2022.</p><p> </p><p>HMRC are taking tough action to tackle fraudulent behaviour. Anyone who keeps money despite knowing they were not entitled to it, faces repaying up to double the amount, plus interest, and potentially criminal prosecution in serious cases.</p><p> </p><p>HMRC established the Taxpayer Protection Taskforce and is estimated to recover approximately £800 million to £1 billion in the two years to 2022-23, on top of around £500 million recovered in the year 2020-21. HMRC will continue to address fraud and error in the schemes beyond the duration of the taskforce.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 31/01/2022 15:26:27 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
tabling member	4885 label Biography information for Lord Sikka

1387427

registered interest
date	13/12/2021
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Business: Coronavirus
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have (1) to extend VAT relief, and (2) to reduce business rates, to support businesses implementing the new COVID-19 restrictions.
tabling member printed	Lord Taylor of Warwick
uin	HL4918
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/12/2021 answer text The Government has provided over £400 billion of direct support to the economy during this financial year and last which has helped to safeguard jobs, businesses, and public services in every region and nation of the UK through the pandemic.<p> </p><p>The reduced rate of VAT for hospitality and tourism has cost over £8 billion and will continue to support businesses until 31 March 2022. There are no plans to extend the length of this relief. Eligible businesses in the retail, hospitality, and leisure sectors in England will benefit from business rates relief worth over £6 billion in the year 2021-22. All taxes are kept under review, but it is appropriate that the temporary tax reliefs are first reduced, and then removed, in order to strengthen and rebuild the public finances.</p> answering member printed Lord Agnew of Oulton question first answered 20/12/2021 18:17:46 answering member 4689 label Biography information for Lord Agnew of Oulton
tabling member	1796 label Biography information for Lord Taylor of Warwick

1366077

registered interest
date	03/11/2021
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	Business: Coronavirus
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what guidance they are providing to businesses about applications to the relief funds announced in March 2020.
tabling member printed	Lord Taylor of Warwick
uin	HL3701
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/11/2021 answer text <p>The Small Business Grants Fund (SBGF) and the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grants Fund (RHLGF), both announced in the 11 March 2020 Budget, have supported many thousands of small businesses through this challenging period.</p><p>The Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) provided financial support to smaller businesses affected by coronavirus (COVID-19). This scheme closed to new applications on 31 March 2021. Guidance on how to apply for this scheme was published on 23 March 2020. This guidance was withdrawn on 1 April 2021 after the scheme had closed to new applications, but is still available to read</p><p> </p><p>Guidance on the above schemes, a well as guidance from 18 March 2020 on whether a business is eligible for business rates relief, is available on the GOV.UK website.</p> answering member printed Lord Callanan question first answered 17/11/2021 17:45:50 answering member 4336 label Biography information for Lord Callanan
tabling member	1796 label Biography information for Lord Taylor of Warwick

1358391

registered interest
date	04/10/2021
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Business: Coronavirus
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to support educational travel businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
tabling member printed	Baroness Goudie
uin	HL2841
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/10/2021 answer text <p>The government has worked at pace to provide an unprecedented and comprehensive package of support to help as many individuals and businesses as possible during this challenging period.</p><p> </p><p>The measures introduced include the small business grants, the coronavirus loan guarantee schemes, the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), the deferral of VAT and income tax payments. These measures have been designed to be accessible to businesses in most sectors and across the UK.</p><p> </p><p>Further measures have been announced by my Right Hon. Friend, the 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 September 2021, extending and amending the coronavirus loan guarantee schemes to allow businesses more time and greater flexibility to repay their loans, and the extension of the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme grant.</p><p> </p><p>The ‘Pay as you Grow’ measures will give UK businesses that borrowed under the Bounce Back Loan Scheme the option to repay their loan over a period of up to ten years, and benefit from repayment holidays where required.</p><p> </p><p>The Recovery Loan Scheme (RLS), which launched on 6 April 2021, will ensure UK businesses of any size can continue to access loans and other kinds of finance up to £10 million per business as they grow and recover from the disruption of the COVID-19 outbreak. For RLS, the government guarantees 80% of the finance to the lender to ensure they continue to have the confidence to lend to businesses. The scheme is open until 31 December 2021, subject to review.</p><p> </p><p>In line with the autumn and winter plan the Government continues to keep arrangements for international travel and the relaxation of travel restrictions under review.</p> answering member printed Baroness Barran question first answered 18/10/2021 16:34:10 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
tabling member	3575 label Biography information for Baroness Goudie

1312588

registered interest
date	28/04/2021
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	Business: Coronavirus
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 survey on the cost of COVID-19 to tradespeople by Simply Business, published on 23 April; and what steps they are taking to support the economic recovery of the construction industry from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
tabling member printed	Lord Taylor of Warwick
uin	HL15348
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/04/2021 answer text <p>It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. I will correspond directly with the noble Lord.</p> answering member printed Lord Callanan question first answered 29/04/2021 09:28:46 answering member 4336 label Biography information for Lord Callanan
tabling member	1796 label Biography information for Lord Taylor of Warwick

1311255

registered interest
date	21/04/2021
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	Business: Coronavirus
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 level of business debt accrued during the COVID-19 pandemic.
tabling member printed	Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick
uin	HL15185
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/04/2021 answer text <p>In February 2021, the stock of total loans outstanding, and held by monetary financial institutions, to UK non-financial businesses (seasonally adjusted), was £528 billion, up from £487 billion in February 2020 (Source: BoE Bankstats).</p><p> </p><p>Within this, the stock of total loans outstanding owed by UK SMEs was £215 billion in February 2021, up from £167 billion in February 2020.</p> answering member printed Lord Callanan question first answered 28/04/2021 16:52:38 answering member 4336 label Biography information for Lord Callanan
tabling member	4130 label Biography information for Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick

1311256

registered interest
date	21/04/2021
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Business: Coronavirus
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 the equitable distribution of schemes designed to support businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
tabling member printed	Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick
uin	HL15186
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/04/2021 answer text <p>The Government has provided £25 billion in cash grants for businesses. The Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy has been working closely with local authorities to ensure that these grants are delivered as swiftly as possible and directed towards the businesses that have been most impacted by the pandemic.</p><p> </p><p>This includes the £5 billion of funding allocated at the March Budget for Restart Grants and the discretionary Additional Restrictions Grant fund.</p><p>Local authorities received their allocation for the new Restart Grants on 6th April, and we encourage local authorities to pay eligible businesses as soon as possible.</p><p> </p><p>To access the Additional Restrictions Grant top-up, local authorities will have to spend their existing allocation by the end of June. Those which have already done so will receive their top-up payment in the coming weeks.</p> answering member printed Lord Agnew of Oulton question first answered 29/04/2021 11:48:08 answering member 4689 label Biography information for Lord Agnew of Oulton
tabling member	4130 label Biography information for Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick

1311281

registered interest
date	21/04/2021
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	Business: Coronavirus
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many financial institutions not approved by regulators have been accredited under loan schemes designed to support businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
tabling member printed	Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick
uin	HL15187
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/04/2021 answer text <p>Details of lenders accredited to deliver the Covid-19 Loan Schemes were published on the British Business Bank’s website while the schemes were in operation.</p><p> </p><p>Providing a list would incur a disproportionate cost to the Department. Each lender’s regulatory status is available on the relevant regulator’s website.</p> answering member printed Lord Callanan question first answered 28/04/2021 16:56:06 answering member 4336 label Biography information for Lord Callanan
tabling member	4130 label Biography information for Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick