Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Labour - Denton and Reddish)
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 - President of the Board of Trade
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 (Labour - Denton and Reddish)
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
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.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Labour - Denton and Reddish)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what fiscal support his Department is providing for social clubs reliant on live music performances affected by covid-19 outbreak lockdown restrictions.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
Social clubs and other live music venues continue to have access to a range of support measures including, but not limited to:
In addition, on 5 July the Government announced that live music venues would be eligible to benefit from the Government’s world-leading £1.57 billion rescue package for Britain’s arts, culture and heritage industries.
The government will continue to engage with businesses and representative groups with the aim of ensuring that support provided is right for this sector and for the economy as a whole.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Labour - Denton and Reddish)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress his Department has made on the fundamental review of business rates.
Answered by Jesse Norman
On 28 April, HM Treasury set out timelines for tax policy consultations in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. As set out in that update, the call for evidence for the fundamental review of business rates will be published in the coming months. Stakeholders will be invited to contribute their views and engage throughout the review.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Labour - Denton and Reddish)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the Government's financial support to organisations in the voluntary, community and social enterprise sectors during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
The Government has announced unprecedented support for public services, workers and businesses to protect against the current economic emergency. Organisations in the voluntary, community and social enterprise sectors continue to have access the support packages that the Government has made available.
The Government has set out a £750 million package of support for charities providing key services and supporting vulnerable people during the COVID-19 crisis. Part of the funding for charities is being disbursed with £360 million directly allocated by government departments. The most up to date information is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-for-the-charity-sector#government-financial-support-for-charities. Our aim is to get funding to those in greatest need as soon as possible.
Charities also have access to cross-cutting support already announced including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme which enables them to furlough staff with the government paying 80% of wages, and VAT deferral.
Organisations that are not eligible for the charity support package could be able to access the other substantial government support that has been made available. Support for organisations in the voluntary, community and social enterprise sectors, remains under constant review.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Labour - Denton and Reddish)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending eligibility for the (a) Small Business Grants Fund and (b) Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund to small events businesses operating without fixed premises.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
The Small Business Grant Fund and the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund have been designed to help the smallest businesses, and small businesses in some of the sectors which have been hit hardest by COVID-19. Both grant funds are also designed to support small businesses facing high fixed property-related costs, which is why the funds have been tied to the business rates system.
Small businesses which are not eligible for business grants should still be able to benefit from other elements of the Government’s unprecedented package of support for business, including:
The Business Support website provides further information about how businesses can access the support that has been made available, who is eligible, when the schemes open and how to apply - https://www.businesssupport.gov.uk/coronavirus-business-support/.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Labour - Denton and Reddish)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of providing additional fiscal support for (a) small cafes, (b) restaurants, (c) bars and (d) hospitality businesses unable to re-open as covid-19 restrictions are eased while the two metre social distancing rules continue to apply.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
The Government has announced unprecedented support for business and workers to protect them against the current economic emergency including almost £300 billion of guarantees – equivalent to 15% of UK GDP. Businesses in the hospitality sector continue to have access to a range of support measures including, but not limited to:
The Business Support website provides further information about how businesses can access the support that has been made available, who is eligible and how to apply - https://www.gov.uk/business-coronavirus-support-finder.
On 11 May the Government published its COVID-19 recovery strategy which sets out our plan for moving to the next phase of our response. The strategy sets out a cautious roadmap for easing existing measures in a safe and measured way. The roadmap will be kept constantly under review, and we will continue to work hard to support business and workers as the situation evolves.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Labour - Denton and Reddish)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Prime Minister, what discussions he had on the death of George Floyd during his phone call with the President of the United States on 29 May 2020.
Answered by Boris Johnson
Details of my telephone call with President Trump can be found on the gov.uk website.
As I have said, I was appalled and sickened to see what happened to George Floyd. Racism and racist violence has no place in our society. This country has made huge strides. But there is so much more to do – in eradicating prejudice, and creating opportunity, and the government I lead is committed to that effort.