Asked by: Alyn Smith (Scottish National Party - Stirling)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on financial support for tenants during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Steve Barclay
The UK Government has been working closely with the Scottish Government on the response to the Covid-19 outbreak. To help prevent people getting into financial hardship or rent arrears, the UK Government has put in place an unprecedented support package, including support for businesses to pay staff salaries, as well as a strengthening of the welfare safety net with a nearly £7 billion boost to the welfare system. We have also increased Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates so that they are set at the 30th percentile of market rents in each area. These significant financial measures will help to support tenants to continue to pay their living costs, including rental payments.
Asked by: Alyn Smith (Scottish National Party - Stirling)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on financial support for students during the covid-19 outbreak over summer 2020 .
Answered by Steve Barclay
Education is a devolved matter. The UK Government has announced £3.7 billion of additional funding to the Scottish Government to support people, businesses and public services in Scotland in response to Covid-19. I am regularly in contact with my counterparts to discuss finances more broadly.
Asked by: Alyn Smith (Scottish National Party - Stirling)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps have been taken to increase the server capacity for his Department during the covid-19 oubreak.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - Leader of HM Official Opposition
There has been no requirement for additional steps to increase server capacity during the covid-19 outbreak.
HM Treasury retains an elastic, demand-driven infrastructure that is pro-actively monitored to scale as circumstances change.
Asked by: Alyn Smith (Scottish National Party - Stirling)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department has taken to prepare SMEs for the proposed changes to the IR35 rules from April 2020.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
The Government is committed to working with organisations to ensure changes to the rules are implemented correctly. HMRC are undertaking an extensive programme of education and support to help organisations prepare for the reform. This includes:
The reform of the off-payroll working rules in April 2020 will apply only to medium and large-sized businesses, minimising administrative burdens for the vast majority of engagers. The existing rules will continue to apply to the smallest 1.5m businesses.
Asked by: Alyn Smith (Scottish National Party - Stirling)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department has taken to advise people affected by proposed changes to the IR35 rules from April 2020.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
The Government is committed to working with organisations to ensure changes to the rules are implemented correctly. HMRC are undertaking an extensive programme of education and support to help organisations prepare for the reform. This includes:
The reform of the off-payroll working rules in April 2020 will apply only to medium and large-sized businesses, minimising administrative burdens for the vast majority of engagers. The existing rules will continue to apply to the smallest 1.5m businesses.
Asked by: Alyn Smith (Scottish National Party - Stirling)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of proposed changes to IR35 rules from April 2020 on SMEs in Scotland.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
The off-payroll working rules are designed to ensure that an individual who works like an employee, but through their own limited company, pays broadly the same Income Tax and National Insurance contributions as other employees. The rules do not apply to the self-employed or stop anyone working through their own company.
The reform of the off-payroll working rules in April 2020 will apply only to medium and large-sized businesses, minimising administrative burdens for the vast majority of engagers. The existing rules will continue to apply to the smallest 1.5m businesses.
The Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) published in July 2019 sets out HMRC’s assessment that the reform to the off-payroll working rules is expected to affect 170,000 individuals. The TIIN can be found here: www.gov.uk/government/publications/rules-for-off-payroll-working-from-april-2020/rules-for-off-payroll-working-from-april-2020. This is a UK-wide figure.