Oral Answers to Questions

Rosie Cooper Excerpts

Tuesday 1st November 2011 Commons Chamber

[Miss Smith]

I know that my right hon. Friend the Chancellor is looking into exactly this and we shall be reporting back on it.

[Rosie Cooper (West Lancashire) (Lab)]

9. How many firms have participated in the national insurance holiday for new businesses.

[The Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury (Mr David Gauke)]

As of 25 October 2011, Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs had received 8,761 successful applications for the national insurance contributions holiday. A breakdown of information by constituency on the amounts claimed and jobs supported for the first year of the scheme will be published shortly in a factsheet in the House of Commons Library.

[Rosie Cooper]

Could the Minister tell the House how much of the £1 billion allocated for the national insurance holiday has actually been given to businesses?

[Mr Gauke]

As I say, we will be updating the House with all those details shortly, but there are 1,600 or so businesses in the north-west region that are benefiting from it. I visited one of them not far from her constituency a few weeks ago which was very appreciative of the scheme. Where the scheme is available, I encourage hon. Members to highlight it to their constituents.