Oral Answers to Questions

Andy McDonald Excerpts

Tuesday 7th December 2021 Commons Chamber

[Rishi Sunak]

My hon. Friend makes an excellent point about the Welsh Government. This Government are supporting hospitality businesses with a lower rate of VAT till spring worth £7 billion and a business tax cut next year that has Barnett consequentials for the Welsh Government, so hopefully they can do the same.

[Andy McDonald (Middlesbrough) (Lab)]

T2. New research from the TUC shows that 647,000 workers in sectors such as hospitality, retail and entertainment do not qualify for statutory sick pay. Before the Chancellor points to the Government’s temporary support scheme, 64% of people who apply for it are told that they do not qualify. The Government have been quick to hand massive contracts to their friends, so why can they not improve statutory sick pay for workers so that more people can afford to self-isolate and recover from illness when they need to?

[Rishi Sunak]

At the beginning of the crisis, we improved how statutory sick pay works, making it payable from day one. We also changed some things in universal credit and indeed expanded its definition. We also put in place self-isolation payments to help.