Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in Northern Ireland on introducing a universal basic income scheme for the duration of the covid-19 outbreak.

The Government is doing whatever it can to ensure that individuals, families and businesses are supported during the Covid-19 outbreak.

The Government’s priority has been to focus on measures that can be operationalised as quickly as possible in order to provide support to those who need it.

The Government has announced a wide-ranging package of measures to support individuals and families affected by Covid-19. These measures include:

• making Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) available for individuals diagnosed with Covid-19 or those unable to work because they are self-isolating in line with Government guidance. This is in addition to the change announced by the Prime Minister that SSP will be payable from day one instead of day four for affected individuals.
• introducing the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to help firms continue to keep people in employment. Businesses can put workers on temporary leave and the Government will pay cash grants to cover 80% of their wages up to a cap of £2,500 per month, providing they keep the worker employed.
• ensuring that those who are not eligible for SSP can now more easily make a claim for Universal Credit or Contributory Employment and Support Allowance.
• increasing the standard allowance in Universal Credit and the basic element of Working Tax Credit by up to £20 per week.
• a further temporary relaxation of earnings rules for self-employed Universal Credit claimants
• increasing the Local Housing Allowance for Universal Credit and Housing Benefit claimants to the 30^th percentile of market rents.

While all welfare policy is devolved to Northern Ireland, the Northern Ireland Executive will be fully funded to deliver these measures and the Government expects them to replicate GB policy.