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Written Question
Self-employment Income Support Scheme
Thursday 14th January 2021

Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool, Riverside)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will open the Self Employed Income Support scheme to people in self-employment who were not eligible in the initial March 2020 launch of that scheme and now have two years' trading but are still not eligible for the latest round of support.

Answered by Jesse Norman

In designing and delivering the SEISS, the Government prioritised delivering support to as many people as possible as quickly as possible while guarding against the risk of fraud or abuse. The Government recognises that the rules needed to ensure that the SEISS works for the vast majority may mean that some people are not eligible for the grant. However, as the NAO acknowledges, the SEISS has been successful in supporting millions of people and protecting from large scale job losses.

The Government has taken a flexible and responsive approach and will continue to consider the matter carefully and work closely with stakeholders to explore how it can best support different groups.

The SEISS continues to be just one element of the package of support available to self-employed individuals, including Bounce Back loans, tax deferrals, rental support, increased levels of Universal Credit, mortgage holidays, and other business support grants.


Written Question
Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme
Thursday 14th January 2021

Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme will be updated to include people employed between 30 October 2020 and the national lockdown announced in January 2021.

Answered by Jesse Norman

The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme was extended on 31 October, ahead of the national lockdown on 1 November. The 30 October cut-off date allows as many people as possible to be included by going right up to the day before the announcement, balancing the risk of fraud that existed as soon as the scheme became public.

The Government understands that the new restrictions are challenging for some businesses, and the Chancellor has announced further support measures. These are carefully designed to complement the existing ones so as to ensure jobs and livelihoods are protected. This support includes a new one-off grant of up to £9,000 to support businesses in England which are legally required to close. This comes in addition to the existing monthly grants for closed businesses of up to £3,000 per month. Local authorities will also receive an additional £500m, to a total of £1.6bn, of discretionary funding to allow them to support their local businesses.

The CJRS is not the only support available for employees. The Government has boosted the generosity of the welfare system by £7.4bn in 2020-21 including through a temporary £20 a week increase in Universal Credit standard allowance and Working Tax Credit basic element. 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 £20 per week uplift is one part of a package of temporary welfare measures, which also includes the suspension of the Universal Credit Minimum Income Floor to support self-employed people on low incomes.


Written Question
Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme
Thursday 14th January 2021

Asked by: Jon Trickett (Labour - Hemsworth)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to make provision for employees who began their employment between 30 October 2020 and 4 January 2021 to receive assistance from the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme furlough scheme.

Answered by Jesse Norman

The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme was extended on 31 October, ahead of the national lockdown on 1 November. The 30 October cut-off date allows as many people as possible to be included by going right up to the day before the announcement, balancing the risk of fraud that existed as soon as the scheme became public.

The Government understands that the new restrictions are challenging for some businesses, and the Chancellor has announced further support measures. These are carefully designed to complement the existing ones so as to ensure jobs and livelihoods are protected. This support includes a new one-off grant of up to £9,000 to support businesses in England which are legally required to close. This comes in addition to the existing monthly grants for closed businesses of up to £3,000 per month. Local authorities will also receive an additional £500m, to a total of £1.6bn, of discretionary funding to allow them to support their local businesses.

The CJRS is not the only support available for employees. The Government has boosted the generosity of the welfare system by £7.4bn in 2020-21 including through a temporary £20 a week increase in Universal Credit standard allowance and Working Tax Credit basic element. 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 £20 per week uplift is one part of a package of temporary welfare measures, which also includes the suspension of the Universal Credit Minimum Income Floor to support self-employed people on low incomes.


Written Question
Self-employment Income Support Scheme
Monday 11th January 2021

Asked by: Peter Kyle (Labour - Hove)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will extend the eligibility criteria for the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme to provide greater coverage during the January 2021 ovid-19 lockdown period.

Answered by Jesse Norman

Throughout the crisis, the Government’s priority has been to protect lives and livelihoods. The Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) was designed to target support at those who most need it, while protecting the Exchequer against error, fraud, and abuse.

The Government has taken a flexible and responsive approach and will continue to consider the matter carefully and work closely with stakeholders to explore how it can best support different groups.

Moreover, the SEISS continues to be just one element of a substantial package of support for the self-employed. Those ineligible for the SEISS may still be eligible for other elements of the support available. The Universal Credit standard allowance has been temporarily increased for 2020-21 and the Minimum Income Floor relaxed for the duration of the crisis, so that where self-employed claimants' earnings have fallen significantly, their Universal Credit award will have increased to reflect their lower earnings. In addition to this, they may also have access to other elements of the package, including Bounce Back loans, tax deferrals, rental support, mortgage holidays, self-isolation support payments, and other business support grants.


Written Question
Self-employed: Coronavirus
Friday 18th December 2020

Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing support to newly self-employed individuals who have been ineligible for covid-19 support to date.

Answered by Jesse Norman

The Government has looked carefully at ways to support groups such as the newly self-employed, and acknowledges that it has not been possible to support everyone as they might want. The practical issues that prevented the Government from being able to include the newly self-employed in 2019-20 in the original Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS), namely that HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) will not have access to their self-assessment returns in order to verify their eligibility, still remain.

The Government continues to work closely with stakeholders to explore how it can support different groups. The Government has engaged with various proposals but has not yet found a way to overcome the fundamental issue of safeguarding against fraud and abuse.

However, newly self-employed individuals who are ineligible for SEISS may still be eligible for other elements of the support available. The Universal Credit standard allowance has been temporarily increased for 2020/21 and the Minimum Income Floor relaxed for the duration of the crisis, so that where self-employed claimants' earnings have fallen significantly, their Universal Credit award will have increased to reflect their lower earnings. In addition to this, they may also have access to other elements of the support package, including Bounce Back loans, tax deferrals, rental support, mortgage holidays, self-isolation support payments and other business support grants.


Written Question
Directors: Coronavirus
Tuesday 24th November 2020

Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will bring forward a dedicated coronavirus income support scheme for limited company directors that fall outside his Department's definitions of what constitutes self-employed, an employed individual or an employer.

Answered by Jesse Norman

The Government has acknowledged that it has not been possible to support everyone as they might want.

The practical issues that prevented the Government from being able to include company owner-managers in the original Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS), namely the inability of HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to verify the source of their dividend income without introducing unacceptable levels of fraud risk, still remain. This issue also remains when considering an alternative scheme specifically for limited company directors.

As with the previous SEISS grants, it is not possible for HMRC to distinguish between dividends derived from an individual’s own company and dividends from other sources, and between dividends in lieu of employment income and as returns from other corporate activity.

Company directors who pay themselves a salary through a PAYE scheme are able to apply for CJRS support, subject to meeting the eligibility criteria of the scheme. In addition, company directors may be eligible for other elements of the package of financial support available. This includes Bounce Back loans, tax deferrals, rental support, mortgage holidays, increased levels of Universal Credit, self-isolation support payments and other business support grants.


Written Question
Self-employment Income Support Scheme
Thursday 19th November 2020

Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the eligibility criteria for the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme prior to the application process opening for the third grant to allow people represented by #ExcludedUK to access that scheme.

Answered by Jesse Norman

The practical issues that prevented the Government from being able to include company owner-managers in the original Self-Employment Income Support Scheme, namely the inability of HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to verify the source of their dividend income without introducing unacceptable levels of fraud risk, still remain. Similarly, the practical issues that prevented the Government from being able to include the newly self-employed in 2019-20 in the original SEISS, namely that HMRC will not have access to their self-assessment returns in order to verify their eligibility, still remain.

The Government has tried to target the SEISS at those who most need it through a maximum £50,000 threshold for average trading profits, and the requirement to earn 50 per cent or more of income from self-employment.

As previously announced, new eligibility criteria have been introduced for the third SEISS grant in order to ensure that it will only be available to self-employed traders who are facing reduced demand or those who are temporarily unable to trade due to COVID-19.

The Government has acknowledged that it has not been possible to support everyone as they might want. Those ineligible for the SEISS may still be eligible for other elements of the package of financial support available, including tax deferrals, rental support, self-isolation support payments and other business support grants.


Written Question
Self-employment Income Support Scheme: Directors
Wednesday 11th November 2020

Asked by: Stephen Hammond (Conservative - Wimbledon)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of allowing self-employed limited company directors to claim for support from the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme Grant Extension.

Answered by Jesse Norman

The practical issues that prevented the inclusion of Company Owner-Managers in the original Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS), namely not being able to verify the source of their dividend income without introducing unacceptable fraud risk, still remain.

As with the previous SEISS grants, it is not possible for HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to distinguish between dividends derived from an individual’s own company and dividends from other sources, and between dividends in lieu of employment income and as returns from other corporate activity.

This means, unlike the SEISS grants that use information HMRC already holds, targeting additional support would require owner-managers to make a claim and submit information that HMRC could not efficiently verify to ensure payments were made to eligible companies for eligible activity. This is about managing and securing the SEISS Grant Extension against fraud risk and misuse.

These eligibility criteria strike the right balance between ensuring support is granted to those who need it, whilst protecting value for the taxpayer.

Those ineligible for the SEISS Grant Extension may still be eligible for other elements of the unprecedented financial support available. This includes Bounce Back loans, tax deferrals, rental support, mortgage holidays, self-isolation support payments and other business support grants.


Written Question
Employment: Coronavirus
Thursday 5th November 2020

Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the potential benefits of providing financial support to people who are (a) freelancers (b) take their pay through dividends, (c) newly self-employed, (d) have both self-employed and PAYE income and (c) other labour groups previously ineligible for financial support packages during the November 2020 covid-19 lockdown.

Answered by Jesse Norman

The Government has provided, and will continue to provide, generous support to the self-employed, including freelancers, through the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) Grant Extension.

The Government has acknowledged that it has not been able to support everyone as they would want. The practical issues that prevented the Government from being able to include those self-employed individuals who take their pay through dividends, namely not being able to verify the source of their dividend income without introducing unacceptable fraud risk, still remain.

Similarly, the issues that prevented eligibility being extended to the newly self-employed under previous SEISS grants, namely that HMRC will not have access to their self-assessment returns in time to verify their eligibility, also remain.

The self-employed are very diverse and have a wide mix of turnover and profits, and in some cases have substantial alternative forms of income too. The design of the SEISS, including the eligibility requirement that an individual’s trading profits must be at least equal to their non-trading income, means it is targeted at those who need it most, and who are most reliant on their self-employment income.

These eligibility criteria strike the right balance between ensuring support is granted to those who need it, and protecting value for the taxpayer.

Those not eligible for the SEISS Grant Extension may still be eligible for other elements of the unprecedented financial support package available. This includes Bounce Back loans, tax deferrals, rental support, mortgage holidays, self-isolation support payments and other business support grants.


Written Question
Self-employed: Coronavirus
Tuesday 21st July 2020

Asked by: Lisa Cameron (Conservative - East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he has made an assessment of the potential merits of enabling newly self-employed people who do not qualify for the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme to submit (a) copies of invoices and verification for services or products and (b) copies of business bank accounts to HMRC to verify payments.

Answered by Jesse Norman

It has not been possible to include those who began trading after the 2018-19 tax year in the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme. This was a very difficult decision and it was taken for practical reasons.

In order to minimise the risk of fraud, the SEISS has been designed to use information already known to HMRC. HMRC would not be able to distinguish genuine self-employed individuals who started trading in 2019-20 from fake applications by fraudulent operators and organised criminal gangs seeking to exploit the SEISS. The Government cannot expose the tax system to these risks.

The newly self-employed may be eligible for other elements of the unprecedented financial support provided by the Government. This package includes Bounce Back loans, tax deferrals, rental support,?increased levels of Universal Credit, mortgage holidays, and other business support grants.