All that Greater Manchester is asking for is proper financial support for our businesses, our self-employed and our lowest paid after 12 weeks of failed lockdown measures and as we face many more uncertain months ahead. When the Prime Minister is reported as struggling to live on his £150,000 a …
..."Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to create a national clean air fund to support the implementation of Clean Air Zones in cities.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - Leader of HM Official Opposition
We are determined to tackle air pollution given its significant negative impact on public health, the economy and the environment. Air quality has improved significantly over recent decades and will continue to improve thanks to the action we have already taken.
The Government has committed £880m to support Local Authorities deliver their Air Quality plans. Alongside this, the Government has also recently announced a £2 billion package to create a new era for cycling and walking – the largest ever boost for cyclists and pedestrians – which includes £225 million to help local authorities create pop-up cycle lanes and reallocate road space.
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 providing support for (a) the hair and beauty and (b) other industries that operate according to appointments to compensate for loss of income due to fewer appointments and regular cancellations as a result of Government regulations.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - Leader of HM Official Opposition
The Government recognises that this is a challenging time for the hair and beauty sector, where businesses were required to stay closed for longer than some others and as certain treatments were restricted until 15 August.
Businesses in this sector and those in its supply chain can already benefit from many elements of the Government’s unprecedented package of support for business, including grants, rates reliefs, loans and wage support packages.
The Government is adapting its response to the changing context, as we said we would. As restrictions have changed, government support has evolved. This week the government has published its Winter Economic Plan, a targeted package of measures to support jobs and business through the winter months. As part of that, the Job Support Scheme will support viable businesses who are facing lower demand due to Covid-19.
We will continue to monitor the impact of the restrictions necessary to curb the spread of Covid-19 on businesses and the economy and the need for further support.
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 increasing fines for shops selling illegal tobacco products.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - Leader of HM Official Opposition
The Government recognises that civil penalties could be strengthened and announced at March Budget that it intended to consult on new sanctions for businesses trading in illicit tobacco products. HMRC intend to launch that consultation later this year.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of a small business grant scheme targeted at small businesses which were ineligible for the original covid-19 business support schemes in the event of another covid-19 lockdown being imposed.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - Leader of HM Official Opposition
As of 24 August, over 893,000 business properties have received over £10.95 billion of grants from the Small Business Grant Fund and Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund. The Government also allocated up to an additional £617 million to Local Authorities for the Discretionary Grant Fund, to enable Local Authorities to support some of the businesses which missed out on the SBGF and RHLGF due to the way in which they interact with the business rates system. These schemes all closed to new applicants on 28 August.
The Government continues to review the economic situation and consider what support businesses need. However, there are currently no plans to establish a new grants scheme targeted at small businesses which did not receive grants from the original schemes.
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 financial implications for local authorities of excluding social care workers from the fast track visa programme; and whether the Government plans to provide additional funding to local authorities in relation to that matter.
Answered by Steve Barclay
The Government completed an Impact Assessment for the Immigration and Nationality (Fees) Regulations 2020: Introduction of the Health and Care Visa, IA number HO0369.
The Chancellor has written to Secretaries of State to launch the Comprehensive Spending Review. This is a multi-year Spending Review, setting resource budgets for three years (21-22 to 23-24) and capital budgets for four years (21-22 to 24-25) to set direction and firm budgets for the duration of the parliament. Any local government funding decisions, including decisions about social care workforce funding, will be taken as part of this Spending Review.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to ensure that local authorities with social care responsibilities will receive funding increases commensurate with any inflationary pressures in the sector.
Answered by Steve Barclay
The Government completed an Impact Assessment for the Immigration and Nationality (Fees) Regulations 2020: Introduction of the Health and Care Visa, IA number HO0369.
The Chancellor has written to Secretaries of State to launch the Comprehensive Spending Review. This is a multi-year Spending Review, setting resource budgets for three years (21-22 to 23-24) and capital budgets for four years (21-22 to 24-25) to set direction and firm budgets for the duration of the parliament. Any local government funding decisions, including decisions about social care workforce funding, will be taken as part of this Spending Review.
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 (a) for the implications for his policies of recent wholesale food data from the Federation of Wholesale Distributors and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and (b) of the potential merits of providing additional financial support to businesses within the wholesale sector to safeguard food supplies to public services.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - Leader of HM Official Opposition
The Government fully recognises the extreme disruption to people’s lives, jobs and businesses caused by the necessary actions taken to tackle COVID-19. It is for this reason that the Government has announced unprecedented levels of support for workers and businesses. Food and drink wholesalers, which have played a critical role in supporting the food supply chain throughout the past months, are eligible for a number of these schemes, including:
Food and drink wholesalers will also benefit from the Chancellor’s recent announcement of the Eat Out to Help Out Scheme which will encourage people to safely return to eating out at restaurants for sit-down meals.
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 Eat Out to Help Out period in areas that experience a local lock-down for all or part of August 2020.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
As announced at the Summer Economic Update, this scheme will run for the month of August and is designed to encourage people to return to eating out, while also supporting the recovery of the hospitality sector.
However, the Government acknowledges the potential for any future local lockdowns to affect how consumers and businesses benefit from the scheme, and so will be keeping this under careful review.