Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential difficulties caused to businesses of the length of the notice period between the announcement on the future of the job retention scheme on 29 May 2020 and the cut-off date for an employee to be furloughed on the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme by 10 June 2020.
Answered by Jesse Norman
At the end of May the Government sought to give employers as much certainty as possible on how the CJRS will work until the end of October.
Closing the scheme to new entrants is necessary for a gradual closure of the scheme. The focus is now on bringing those currently furloughed back into productive employment.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the difficulties caused to businesses of the further guidance on the flexible furlough scheme being published after the cut-off date for an employee to be placed on the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The announcement on 29 May provided the key information required for firms to make decisions about furloughing employees. Full information on how the scheme will change from 1 July has been available in published factsheets since the Chancellor announced the changes.
The guidance was updated on 12 June only to provide additional detail on how the scheme will operate in practice.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will extend eligibility for the (a) Small Business Grants Fund and (b) business rates relief to include private dental practices.
Answered by Jesse Norman
A business with a property that on 11 March 2020 was eligible for Small Business Rate Relief Scheme or the Rural Rate Relief Scheme, will be eligible for the Small Business Grant Fund (SBGF). Any enquiries on eligibility for, or provision of, the SBGF should be directed to the relevant local authority. There are currently no plans to change eligibility criteria for the schemes. However, officials are keeping in close contact with local authorities to monitor and understand how the schemes are being implemented.
A range of further measures to support all businesses including those not eligible for the business rates holiday, such as dentists, has also been made available. For example, the Government has launched the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to help firms keep people in employment, the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme offering loans of up to £5 million for SMEs through the British Business Bank backed by an 80% Government guarantee, and is deferring VAT payments for this quarter.
The Government will consider any further financial assistance necessary to help businesses get through this period.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has plans to increase the level of funding available to key workers for childcare to meet the increased costs of that care as a result of social distancing measures during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Steve Barclay - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Parents continue to have access to the Government’s childcare offers during the Covid-19 crisis. This includes support through Universal Credit or Working Tax Credit worth up to 85% and 70% of childcare costs respectively, up to 30 hours of free childcare a week for 3 and 4-year-olds, and up to £2,000 per year of support through Tax Free Childcare.
Schools also continue to offer places to the children of key workers, as they have done since the end of March.
To ensure key workers working additional hours do not lose their entitlement to free hours or Tax Free Childcare, for this tax year we are temporarily relaxing the maximum income threshold for those parents.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has plans to continue the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme for the (a) hospitality and (b) leisure sectors while covid-19 social distancing measures affect businesses in those sectors.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The CJRS will close at the end of October, after eight months.
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 that may not be the most effective or sensible way to provide longer term support for those sectors most affected by coronavirus.
The Government will continue to engage with businesses and representative groups, with the aim of ensuring that support provided is right for these sectors and for the economy as a whole.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of Government support for self-employed people who are structured as a one-person limited company and receive income through an annual payroll near the end of the tax year, and are therefore ineligible for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.
Answered by Jesse Norman
For an employee, including self-employed people who have a one-person limited company, to be eligible for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, 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 19/20 tax year. Anyone paid annually and notified on an RTI submission after that date will not be eligible for the scheme, as is the case for those who are paid more frequently and were not notified to HMRC on or before 19 March.
This scheme supplements the other significant support announced for UK businesses, including the Bounce Back Loans Scheme for small businesses, 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/.