Asked by: Angela Crawley (Scottish National Party - Lanark and Hamilton East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will take steps to support jobs in the aerospace sector supply chain by establishing a long-term supply chain investment fund to recapitalise suppliers who are unable to take on new debt.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
I am aware of the challenging conditions facing the aerospace sector. That is why we are supporting the aerospace sector and its aviation customers with over £9 billion support through the Bank of England’s Covid Corporate Financing Facility, grants for research and development, loan guarantees and support for aerospace exports.
Asked by: Angela Crawley (Scottish National Party - Lanark and Hamilton East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending eligibility to the extended Self-Employment Income Support Scheme to freelance performers and musicians.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The forthcoming Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) Grant Extension will help provide critical support to the self-employed, including freelance performers and musicians. The SEISS Grant Extension will support those who are currently eligible for the SEISS and are actively continuing to trade but are facing reduced demand due to COVID-19. The scheme will last for 6 months, from November 2020 to April 2021.
The extension will be in the form of two grants. The first grant will cover a three-month period from the start of November until the end of January. The second grant will then cover the subsequent three-month period from the start of February until the end of April.
Those who require further support may be able to benefit from other elements of the comprehensive package of support for individuals and businesses. This package includes Bounce Back loans, tax deferrals, rental support, increased levels of Universal Credit, mortgage holidays, and other business support grants.
Asked by: Angela Crawley (Scottish National Party - Lanark and Hamilton East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will extend the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme for self-employed people who rely on the hospitality sector for their income.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) Grant Extension provides crucial support for the self-employed, including those in the hospitality sector. It is targeted at those who are currently actively trading but are facing reduced demand due to COVID-19, in order to help them continue trading in the forthcoming winter months.
The Government understands that some businesses and sectors will be affected by COVID-19 to a greater extent than others. The SEISS continues to be just one element of a comprehensive package of support for the self-employed. Those not eligible for the SEISS Grant Extension may still be eligible for other elements of the unprecedented financial support available.
The Government has temporarily increased the Universal Credit standard allowance for 2020-21 and relaxed the Minimum Income Floor for the duration of the pandemic so that where self-employed claimants' earnings have significantly fallen, their Universal Credit award will have increased to reflect their lower earnings. In addition to this, the self-employed have access to other elements of the package, including Bounce Back loans, tax deferrals, rental support, mortgage holidays, and other business support grants.
Asked by: Angela Crawley (Scottish National Party - Lanark and Hamilton East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to extend the availability of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to people with blood cancer who have been shielding and (a) cannot work from home and (b) have been advised to continue shielding from August 2020.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government recognises the challenges facing those with cancer, and the current level of unprecedented support for people’s incomes is available for those who are living with cancer. This includes the Self- Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) and the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS).
The Chancellor announced on 12 May that the CJRS scheme will be extended until October.
Before 30 June, any employee could be furloughed. From 1 July, an employee can only continue to be furloughed if they have previously been furloughed for at least 3 consecutive weeks taking place any time between 1 March 2020 and 30 June.
For those required to shield after 1 August, they will receive letters/notification advising them of this, and they will continue to be eligible for Statutory Sick Pay on the basis of their shielding status.
Asked by: Angela Crawley (Scottish National Party - Lanark and Hamilton East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing furlough under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme for employees of companies which make a yearly RTI submission by using information from 2018-19.
Answered by Jesse Norman
For an employee to be eligible for the CJRS they must have been notified to HMRC on a real-time information (RTI) submission on or before 19 March. Those paid annually are eligible to claim, as long as they meet the relevant conditions including being notified to HMRC on an RTI submission on or before 19 March 2020, which relates to a payment of earnings in the 2019/2020 tax year. Anyone paid annually and notified on an RTI submission after that date will not be eligible for the scheme, which puts them in the same position as those who are paid more frequently and were not notified to HMRC on or before 19 March. The 19 March date allows as many people as possible to be included by going right up to the day before the announcement and mitigates the risk of fraud that existed as soon as the scheme became public.
Asked by: Angela Crawley (Scottish National Party - Lanark and Hamilton East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has plans to extend the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme to people whose self-employed profits are less than 50 per cent of their income.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) is only available to those whose trading profit makes up 50% or more of their total income, as the SEISS aims to provide financial support to those who rely on self-employment as their main source of income. Many individuals earn small amounts of income from self-employment in addition to income from employment and other sources. These individuals may benefit from other policies such as the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.
Individuals may have access to a range of grants and loans depending on their circumstances, and the SEISS supplements the significant support already announced for UK businesses, including the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme and the deferral of tax payments. More information about the full range of business support measures is available at www.businesssupport.gov.uk/coronavirus-business-support/.
Asked by: Angela Crawley (Scottish National Party - Lanark and Hamilton East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has plans to extend the duration of the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The UK has one of the most generous self-employed COVID-19 support schemes in the world. The Self-Employment Income Support Scheme opened on 13 May, ahead of schedule, and it provides support worth up to £7,500 each to millions of individuals. Recipients will have the grants in their bank accounts within six working days of making an application.
The Chancellor indicated that the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme would be temporary when he announced it at the end of March, and that it could be extended if necessary. The Government is keeping this under review.
As the economy re-opens, the Government will consider how to adjust support in a way that ensures people can get back to work, protecting both the UK economy and livelihoods.
Asked by: Angela Crawley (Scottish National Party - Lanark and Hamilton East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he plans to respond to the letters of (a) 27 March, (b) 1 April and (c) 16 April 2020 from the hon. Member for Lanark and Hamilton East on the Coronavirus Jobs Retention Scheme.
Answered by Jesse Norman
HM Treasury has received unprecedented amounts of correspondence since the start of the coronavirus outbreak, and apologises for the delay in responding to the Honourable Member. The Honourable Member’s correspondence is receiving attention and will be replied to as soon as possible.
Asked by: Angela Crawley (Scottish National Party - Lanark and Hamilton East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to provide furlough payments under the Coronavirus Jobs Retention Scheme for the hospitality sector until social distancing measures allow them to safely reopen, and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government has extended the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme until October 2020. Extending the scheme in its current form until July will provide workers, businesses and the economy with clarity on this vital support. After July, the Government will introduce more flexibility to the furlough scheme in a measured way that protects people’s incomes and helps support furloughed employees as they return to work. From August through to the end of October, employers currently using the scheme will have more flexibility to bring their furloughed employees back to work part-time while still receiving support from the scheme. Employers using the scheme will start contributing some of the costs of their workers’ salaries, substituting in part the contribution that the Government is currently making. The Government will outline more details of how this will work by the end of May.
It is the case that some firms will be affected by coronavirus for longer than others, and the Government will seek to support these firms appropriately. It would be challenging to target the CJRS to specific sectors in a fair and deliverable way, and it may not be the case that this is the most effective or sensible way to provide longer term support for those sectors most affected by coronavirus.
The Government will continue to monitor developments and engage with affected sectors, with the aim of ensuring that support provided is right for these sectors and for the economy as a whole.
Asked by: Angela Crawley (Scottish National Party - Lanark and Hamilton East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will issue guidance on the Coronavirus Jobs Retention Scheme for umbrella companies on whether they can claim 80 per cent of average take home pay for contract workers in furlough, and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) covers employees on any type of employment contract, including full-time, part-time, agency, flexible or zero-hour contracts. It covers agency workers (including those employed by umbrella companies), so long as the other eligibility conditions of the scheme are met.
Employers should follow HMRC’s comprehensive online guidance in order to calculate the correct reference pay. This guidance can be applied to all forms of employment contract.
Where an employee has been paid a variable amount, the reference pay is calculated by looking at the average pay over the financial year 2019/20, or in some instances by means of a one-year look-back test. Only payments that the employer was obliged to make should be included.