Parents: Coronavirus

(asked on 17th December 2020) - View Source

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what financial support the Government is providing for parents of self-isolating children with special needs who (a) may not be entitled to 14-days paid dependants leave and (b) are unable to form a childcare bubble due to the particular needs of their child.


Answered by
Jesse Norman Portrait
Jesse Norman
This question was answered on 15th January 2021

The Government has provided a substantial package of support for individuals through this difficult time. Parents of children who are self-isolating under Government guidance may be eligible for “new style” Contributory Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) if they are ineligible for SSP and unable to work from home. The Government has made it easier for people to claim by removing the seven-day waiting period which means people can get support from day one.

Parents on lower incomes can also benefit from the Government’s temporary £20 per week increase to the Universal Credit standard allowance and Working Tax Credit basic element for 2020-21. This means that for a single Universal Credit claimant (25 or over), the standard allowance has increased from £317.82 to £409.89 per month. The Government has also suspended the Universal Credit Minimum Income Floor to support self-employed people on low incomes until the end of April. In addition, the Government has invested over £900 million this year, increasing the Local Housing Allowance rates for Housing Benefit and Universal Credit to the 30th percentile of market rents.

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