Self-employed Persons: Financial Support Debate

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Department: HM Treasury

Self-employed Persons: Financial Support

Bim Afolami Excerpts
Tuesday 24th March 2020

(4 years, 3 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Steve Barclay Portrait Steve Barclay
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Without straying into individual cases, the key advice from the Government is to follow the medical advice that was set out following the Prime Minister’s statement and updated on the Government website. That sets out the advice to workers, including what is safe to do and what is essential.

Bim Afolami Portrait Bim Afolami (Hitchin and Harpenden) (Con)
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In its unprecedented support for employed workers, the Treasury took a fairly generous overarching approach. I urge the Treasury—I am not the only one saying this; it represents the mood across the House—to take a similarly broad approach to benefit the majority of self-employed people who will need support, accepting that certain people may get support even if they do not quite need it.

Steve Barclay Portrait Steve Barclay
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The Treasury is looking at those issues in the design of the scheme. We recognise that the vast majority of self-employed people face very considerable challenges, and we are mindful of the urgency that goes with that.