Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will hold discussions with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on the costs to the public purse of leaseholders (a) losing their home and (b) declaring bankruptcy as a result of the costs of resolving fire safety issues.
Answered by Steve Barclay
The Chancellor of the Exchequer liaises with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on a wide range of issues, including on the Government’s £5 billion investment in building safety.
On 10 February 2021, the Government announced a 5-point plan for investment in building safety, with £3.5 billion earmarked for the removal of unsafe cladding on high-rise residential buildings, as well as a new finance scheme for cladding removal on buildings between 11 and 18 metres where no leaseholder will ever pay more than £50 a month.
These measures will provide certainty to residents and lenders, boosting the housing market and helping to ensure that developers, investors and building owners who have the means make a fair contribution to costs of remediation, without passing on costs to leaseholders.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 1 March 2021 to Question 157029, for what reason the Government has excluded wholesalers in the retail, hospitality or leisure supply chain from the business rates relief available for retail, hospitality or leisure businesses.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
The Government has provided enhanced support to the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors through business rates relief given the direct and acute impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on those sectors, and their direct relationship with consumers at the end of supply chains that include wholesalers.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has published guidance on eligibility for the relief, which is targeted at premises that are wholly or mainly used as shops, restaurants, cafes, drinking establishments, cinemas and live music venues; for assembly and leisure; or as hotels, guest and boarding premises, and self-catering accommodation.
A range of other measures have been made available for all businesses, including wholesalers, such as the extension of the furlough scheme, extension to VAT cuts, Recovery Loan schemes, and enhanced Time to Pay for taxes.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending the business rates relief available for retail, hospitality or leisure businesses to wholesalers in the retail, hospitality or leisure supply chain.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
This year, due to the direct adverse effects of COVID-19, the Government has provided an unprecedented business rates holiday for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure properties worth over £10 billion. The Government has also frozen the business rates multiplier for all businesses for 2021-22.
The Budget will set out the next phase of the Government’s plans to tackle the virus, protect jobs and support business.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether eligible individuals will receive a Self-Employment Income Support Scheme payment for February 2021.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
The Government recognises the importance of supporting the self-employed during the COVID-19 outbreak. The Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) provides generous support to self-employed individuals who meet the eligibility criteria.
As part of the Winter Economy Plan, the Government announced a six-month extension to the SEISS, in the form of a third and fourth grant.
The third SEISS grant covered the period from November 2020 to January 2021, with the claims window closing on 29 January. As of 31 December, it received claims from 1.9 million individuals, totalling £5.4bn.
The fourth SEISS grant will provide a lump sum to cover the period from February to the end of April 2021. Further details on the SEISS, including the fourth grant, will be announced on 3 March.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will allocate funding in the 2021 Budget to the Union Learning Fund.
Answered by Steve Barclay
The government will publish the Budget on Wednesday 3 March 2021. The Budget will set out the next phase of the plan to tackle the virus and protect jobs and will be published alongside the latest forecasts from the Office for Budget Responsibility.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the distributional effects of his Department's recent changes to the Green Book methodology.
Answered by Steve Barclay
The Green Book is the government’s guidance on how to develop and appraise policies that meet Government objectives. The guidance provides a framework for policymakers to think through all relevant costs and benefits of a proposal, including any distributional effects that may arise in particular parts of the UK, or to groups within UK society. It also makes clear that all proposals must take equalities impacts into account as required by the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) under the Equality Act 2010.
The updated Green Book contains stronger references to equalities requirements alongside further detailed guidance and requirements on distributional and place-based appraisal to ensure that distributional effects are not overlooked.
However, the Green Book is not a decision-making tool with direct distributional effects. Instead, the Green Book provides a framework for considering and presenting relevant information which helps to shape advice to Ministers and decisionmakers who take the final decision.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what evidence was used to inform his Department's recent changes to the Green Book methodology; and if he will publish that evidence.
Answered by Steve Barclay
The review of the Green Book was informed by extensive consultation with a wide range of stakeholders, including academics, the National Audit Office, the National Infrastructure Commission, analytical experts and users of the Green Book both in Whitehall and in the Devolved Administrations, the Northern Powerhouse and regional and local government. HM Treasury also reviewed past policy development to understand how appraisal was being applied in practice.
The process and findings of the review are outlined in detail in the Final Report of the 2020 Green Book Review published on the 25th of November on the Government website.