Asked by: Conor McGinn (Independent - St Helens North)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on unemployment of the ending of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme in (a) St Helens North, (b) Liverpool City Region and (c) the North West.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) has supported 13,200 employments in St Helens North, 64,900 employments in the local authority of Liverpool and 1,035,600 employments in the North West region of England.
Many of these employments will have already returned to work. In the North West region of England, as of 31 July, the number of employments furloughed had fallen to 453,700.
The Government is adapting its response to the changing context, evolving as restrictions have changed. Today the Government has published its Winter Economy Plan, a targeted package of measures to support jobs and business through the winter months. As part of that Plan, the Job Support Scheme will support viable businesses who are facing lower demand due to COVID-19 to keep their employees in work and attached to the workforce. This is in addition to the targeted Plan for Jobs, which includes a Job Retention Bonus to encourage firms to keep on furloughed workers, providing £1.2 billion to significantly expand and enhance work search support, as well as additional support to people to build the skills they need to get into work, and the new £2 billion Kickstart Scheme, creating hundreds of thousands of new, fully subsidised jobs for young people.
Asked by: Conor McGinn (Independent - St Helens North)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on unemployment among 16-24-year olds of ending the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme in (a) St Helens North, (b) Liverpool City Region and (c) the North West.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) has supported the employment of nearly 1.89 million 16-24-year olds across the whole of the UK.
Many of these employees will have already returned to work. Across the whole of the UK and all ages, the number of employments furloughed has decreased from a peak of 8.9 million on 8 May to about 4.8 million on 31 July.
The Government is adapting its response to the changing context, and today the Government has published its Winter Economy Plan, a targeted package of measures to support jobs and business through the winter months. As part of that Plan, the Job Support Scheme will support viable businesses who are facing lower demand due to COVID-19 to keep their employees in work and attached to the workforce. This is in addition to the targeted Plan for Jobs, which includes a Job Retention Bonus to encourage firms to keep on furloughed workers, £1.2 billion to expand and enhance work search support, additional support to people to build the skills they need to get into work, and the new £2 billion Kickstart Scheme, creating hundreds of thousands of new, fully subsidised jobs for young people.
Asked by: Conor McGinn (Independent - St Helens North)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the effect on unemployment in the hospitality sector of ending the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme in (a) St Helens North, (b) Liverpool City Region and (c) the North West.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) has supported 182,000 employments in the accommodation and food services sector specifically in the North West region.
Many of these employments will have already returned to work. In the accommodation and food services sector across the UK, the number of employments furloughed has decreased from a peak of 1.62 million on 10 April to 942,300 on 31 July.
The Government is adapting its response to the changing context. As restrictions have changed, Government support has evolved. Today the Government has published its Winter Economy Plan, a targeted package of measures to support jobs and business through the winter months.
Asked by: Conor McGinn (Independent - St Helens North)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent estimate his Department has made of the number of people in (a) St Helens North constituency, (b) the North West and c) the UK for whom cash is their primary payment method.
Answered by John Glen
The Government recognises that cash remains important for many individuals and businesses across the UK. That is why, at the March 2020 Budget, the Chancellor announced that the Government will bring forward legislation to protect access to cash for those who need it.
The Government is engaging with the financial regulators, including through the Joint Authorities Cash Strategy Group, to monitor the impact of COVID-19 on the UK’s cash infrastructure and ensure that those who rely on cash to transact can continue to do so in the long-term. The Financial Conduct Authority and Payment Systems Regulators are developing a comprehensive picture of cash access infrastructure across the UK in relation to social economic factors that reflect consumer needs, building upon their mapping work carried out during the COVID-19 crisis.
LINK, the UK’s main ATM network, publishes the annual total of free-to-use ATMs across the UK since 1998 online. As of 2019, there were 45,000 free-to-use ATMs in the UK; although this is less than the peak number in 2017, this remains 13% higher than a decade ago. LINK’s Monthly ATM Footprint Report also publishes information monthly on the break down by constituency.
During the COVID-19 outbreak, financial services firms have announced a range of measures to support vulnerable customers. We are working with the Financial Conduct Authority to ensure there is continued support for these people. For example, many firms have methods for trusted third parties to access cash. Anyone with questions should contact their banking service provider.
Asked by: Conor McGinn (Independent - St Helens North)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the number of free-to-use ATMs in (a) St Helens North constituency, (b) the North West and (c) the UK in each year since 2010.
Answered by John Glen
The Government recognises that cash remains important for many individuals and businesses across the UK. That is why, at the March 2020 Budget, the Chancellor announced that the Government will bring forward legislation to protect access to cash for those who need it.
The Government is engaging with the financial regulators, including through the Joint Authorities Cash Strategy Group, to monitor the impact of COVID-19 on the UK’s cash infrastructure and ensure that those who rely on cash to transact can continue to do so in the long-term. The Financial Conduct Authority and Payment Systems Regulators are developing a comprehensive picture of cash access infrastructure across the UK in relation to social economic factors that reflect consumer needs, building upon their mapping work carried out during the COVID-19 crisis.
LINK, the UK’s main ATM network, publishes the annual total of free-to-use ATMs across the UK since 1998 online. As of 2019, there were 45,000 free-to-use ATMs in the UK; although this is less than the peak number in 2017, this remains 13% higher than a decade ago. LINK’s Monthly ATM Footprint Report also publishes information monthly on the break down by constituency.
During the COVID-19 outbreak, financial services firms have announced a range of measures to support vulnerable customers. We are working with the Financial Conduct Authority to ensure there is continued support for these people. For example, many firms have methods for trusted third parties to access cash. Anyone with questions should contact their banking service provider.
Asked by: Conor McGinn (Independent - St Helens North)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to promote adequate access to alternative payment methods during the covid-19 outbreak for people whose primary payment method is cash.
Answered by John Glen
The Government recognises that cash remains important for many individuals and businesses across the UK. That is why, at the March 2020 Budget, the Chancellor announced that the Government will bring forward legislation to protect access to cash for those who need it.
The Government is engaging with the financial regulators, including through the Joint Authorities Cash Strategy Group, to monitor the impact of COVID-19 on the UK’s cash infrastructure and ensure that those who rely on cash to transact can continue to do so in the long-term. The Financial Conduct Authority and Payment Systems Regulators are developing a comprehensive picture of cash access infrastructure across the UK in relation to social economic factors that reflect consumer needs, building upon their mapping work carried out during the COVID-19 crisis.
LINK, the UK’s main ATM network, publishes the annual total of free-to-use ATMs across the UK since 1998 online. As of 2019, there were 45,000 free-to-use ATMs in the UK; although this is less than the peak number in 2017, this remains 13% higher than a decade ago. LINK’s Monthly ATM Footprint Report also publishes information monthly on the break down by constituency.
During the COVID-19 outbreak, financial services firms have announced a range of measures to support vulnerable customers. We are working with the Financial Conduct Authority to ensure there is continued support for these people. For example, many firms have methods for trusted third parties to access cash. Anyone with questions should contact their banking service provider.
Asked by: Conor McGinn (Independent - St Helens North)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme, what recent estimate he has made of the number of women whose average income calculation has been reduced by maternity leave taken in the previous three tax years.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
Eligibility for the SEISS and the size of the grant paid out is based on information provided to HMRC on self-assessment returns. Self-assessment returns do not include information on breaks in trade, such as the dates or the reasons. HMRC do not know why an individual’s profits may have dropped from self-assessment returns. As a result, a precise estimate relating to the impact of maternity leave is not available. However, the SEISS grant is calculated based on average profits between 2016/17 and 2018/19. This mitigates any periods of reduced earnings which all self-employed individuals may experience.
Asked by: Conor McGinn (Independent - St Helens North)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to provide financial assistance to employees who were working before 19 March 2020, but are exempt from the furlough scheme due to a real-time information submission after this date by their employer.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme is open to any individual who was on an employer’s PAYE payroll on or before 19 March 2020 and for whom HMRC received an RTI submission notifying payment in respect of that employee on or before the 19 March 2020. Those not eligible for the scheme may be eligible for other support Government is providing, including a package of temporary welfare measures and up to three months’ mortgage payment holidays for those struggling with their mortgage payments.
Asked by: Conor McGinn (Independent - St Helens North)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many and what proportion of businesses in (a) St Helens, (b) Liverpool City Region and (c) the North West have a rateable value of less than £51,000.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
As of 31 March 2019:
(a) For the St Helens billing authority, there were 4,704 non-domestic properties. 4,267 (91%) of these had a Rateable Value of less than £51,000;
(b) For the Liverpool City Region (combining the billing authorities of Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral) there were 47,676 non-domestic properties. 43,541 (91%) of these had a Rateable Value of less than £51,000;
(c) For the North West region, there were 273,784 non-domestic properties. 251,829 (92%) of these had a Rateable Value of less than £51,000.
The Valuation Office Agency publishes statistics on the stock of properties at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/non-domestic-rating-stock-of-properties-including-business-floorspace-2019. The next update to these statistics is planned for July 2020.
Asked by: Conor McGinn (Independent - St Helens North)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment his Department has made of the effect of business rates on the ability of registered childcare providers to remain financially viable in England.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
The Government appreciates that business rates can represent a high fixed cost for small businesses. Childcare providers may be eligible for Small Business Rates Relief, where the smallest businesses pay no business rates at all. All childcare providers will benefit from the change from RPI to CPI indexation of business rates.
The Government will be conducting a fundamental review of business rates.