Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions has he had with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on the rejection of wholesalers from Local Authority Discretionary Funds.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
Local authorities in England have received an additional £500 million of discretionary funding under the Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG) scheme to support their local businesses. This builds on the £1.1 billion of discretionary funding which they have already received to support their local economies and help businesses impacted by the COVID-19 crisis.
It is up to each local authority to determine eligibility for this scheme based on their assessment of local economic need. However, we encourage local authorities to support businesses which have been impacted by COVID-19 restrictions, but which are ineligible for the other grant schemes, this can include suppliers to the retail, hospitality, and leisure sectors.
Businesses which do not receive grant funding should be able to benefit from other aspects of the Government’s unprecedented package of economic support including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, and Government-backed loans.
Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will protect people purchasing houses from lost sales due to mortgages and other loans not being fulfilled due to the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Government is committed to supporting homeowners and home buyers during COVID-19. This included making mortgage holidays available to all mortgage holders for up to 6 months support for consumers struggling with mortgage payments; consumers have until 31 March 2021 to apply and all holidays must be completed by 31 July. We also brought in a temporary Stamp Duty Land Tax cut in order to encourage and maintain confidence in the property market.
The Government does not seek to intervene in individual home purchases, but, we have worked with industry on a range of measures to make the process of buying and selling homes quicker, cheaper and less stressful. For example, we published "how to " guides to lead consumers through the process, ensured estate agent referral fees are transparent, set an 10 day turnaround for searches and started work to test reservation agreements which will increase commitment between buyers and sellers.
Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if the Government will require businesses to actively offer furlough to clinically extremely vulnerable employees.
Answered by Jesse Norman
An employer can claim for any employees who were employed and on their PAYE payroll on 30 October 2020. The employer must have made a PAYE Real Time Information (RTI) submission to HMRC between 20 March 2020 and 30 October 2020, notifying a payment of earnings for that employee.
This includes education supply staff who are unable to work and clinically extremely vulnerable people, where they meet these eligibility criteria.
The furloughing of staff through the CJRS is a voluntary arrangement entered at the employers’ discretion and agreed by employees. The decision whether an individual firm should put its staff on furlough, or take them off it is one for the employer, in consultation with the employee.
Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of the ineligibility of wholesalers for business rates relief on the viability of care home supply chains throughout the North of England.
Answered by Jesse Norman
No such assessment has been made, but the Government recognises this is a difficult time for businesses. This is why it has spent over £280 billion on economic support, including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, business grants and the Bounce Back Loan Scheme, which wholesalers may be able to benefit from. If businesses are in a difficult position?with regard to?business rates bills, they are encouraged to contact their local authority to discuss what support may be available. The Government is conducting a fundamental review of business rates and will outline plans for future business rates reliefs in the New Year.
Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assumptions he has made about available spending for social care in his spending forecast for 2021-22.
Answered by Steve Barclay - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The Spending Review provided councils with access to over £1bn of new spending power to fund social care in 21/22. This includes £300m of new grant funding for social care and is on top of maintaining £3.5bn of existing social care grants.
In addition, we expect to provide councils with over £3bn to help manage the impact of COVID-19 across their services, including in social care.
This will support local authorities to maintain care services while keeping up with rising demand and recovering from the impact of COVID-19.
Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 28 September 2020 to Question 94333 on Football: taxation, if he will require HMRC to not take action against professional football clubs who find themselves unable to meet their tax obligations as a result of the restrictions imposed as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Jesse Norman
HMRC continue to speak to individual clubs, sporting bodies and DCMS to ensure they can give support to businesses experiencing difficulty paying their liabilities. Where clubs have been unable to pay in full, Time to Pay (TTP) arrangements have been agreed. For those unable to submit acceptable proposals or make any payments, HMRC continue to maintain a dialogue with them.
In accordance with the moratorium introduced as part of the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020, along with other creditors, HMRC cannot currently initiate any winding up action against companies. This is in place until 31 December 2020.
Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reason (a) self-employed individuals receive wage support up to 20 per cent of pre-covid-19 income under the Self Employment Income Support Scheme and (b) people in full-time employment can receive up to 77 per cent through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) is helping self-employed people adversely affected by COVID-19. 2.7 million people claimed £7.8 billion of support under the first grant, and as at 20 September 2.2 million people had claimed £5.6 billion of support under the second grant.
The Government has announced a package of measures in the Winter Economy Plan that will continue to protect jobs and help businesses through the uncertain months ahead. The package includes a new Job Support Scheme (JSS) and an extension to the SEISS.
Under the next phase of the SEISS, eligible people will be able to claim a taxable grant covering 20% of their average monthly trading profits, paid out in a single instalment covering 3 months’ worth of profits, and capped at £1,875 in total.
Under the Job Support Scheme, employees must be working 33% of their usual hours. For every hour not worked by the employee, both the Government and employer will pay a third each of the usual hourly wage for that employee. The Government contribution will be capped at £697.92 a month.
The Government has broadly aligned the next SEISS grant with the Government’s contribution to the Job Support Scheme. The extension is not intended to provide a direct income replacement, as people will be continuing to work while claiming the grant. Those who require more support may have access to other elements of the Government’s support package.
Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the letter entitled, Business Rates Support for all Leisure Businesses from the Local Government Association and others, dated 24 April 2020, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of classifying coach operators as leisure businesses to enable those businesses to access covid-19 business rates and grant schemes.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government has provided enhanced support through business rates relief and business grants to businesses occupying properties used for retail, hospitality and leisure given the direct and acute impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on those sectors.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has published guidance for Local Authorities (LAs) on the implementation of the business rates holiday for retail, hospitality and leisure. Eligibility is based on the use of property, and it is for LAs to determine eligibility in line with guidance.
While certain businesses will not be eligible for business rates relief, they may still benefit from the wider business and employment support package the Government has made available, including the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) and the deferral of VAT payments for this quarter. In addition, LAs can choose to make discretionary grants to businesses which have been excluded from the existing grants schemes if they consider there is a particular local economic need. To receive a discretionary grant, a business must have been trading as of 11 March and must not have received any other cash grant funded by central Government (with the exception of the SEISS).
Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, which local authorities have furloughed workers to date; and how many workers have been furloughed by each of those local authorities.
Answered by Jesse Norman
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given on 11 June. As with the answer of 11 June (UIN 55864) it is not possible to provide an answer in the time available. In addition, in order to protect the confidentiality of individual organisations’ tax affairs HMRC are unable to provide information on individual local authorities.
Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many and which local authorities have furloughed workers to date; and how many workers have been furloughed by each of those local authorities.
Answered by Jesse Norman
It is not possible to provide an answer in the time available.