Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 13 May 2020 to Question 42946, what discussions he has held with businesses in the haulage industry on the potential need of businesses to access a furlough scheme on a monthly basis to cope with unpredictable business demand through the covid-19 pandemic.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government has announced a range of measures to support all businesses, including hauliers, such as the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme. The Department for Transport continues to engage with the haulage industry to understand the impact of COVID-19 on the sector.
As the economy re-opens, the Government will support people back into work. The Government announced on 12 May that the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme will be extended for four months, until the end of October.
From August to October, the scheme will continue for all sectors and regions of the UK, but with greater flexibility to support the transition back to work. Employers currently using the scheme will be able to bring furloughed employees back part-time. The Government will set out full details by the end of May.
Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 13 May 2020 to Question 42936 on Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, what contingency plans he has in the event that greater flexibility is needed to support business where demand is unpredictable.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government keeps the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme under review, as well as other schemes to support businesses during COVID-19. It continues to engage with the business community and monitor developments in order to ensure a targeted and effective response.
Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 12 May 2020 to Question 42942 on Roads: Freight, if he will make an estimate of the cost to the public purse of extending business rates relief to haulage companies for (a) one and (b) six months.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government has provided enhanced support to the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors in England through business rates relief given the direct and acute impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on those sectors.
A range of further measures to support all businesses, including those not eligible for the business rates holiday, such as haulage companies, has also been made available.
The Government is monitoring the sectoral impact of COVID-19 and is keeping all support under review.
Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 11 May 2020 to Question 42938 on Fuels: Excise Duties, what estimate he has made of the number of SMEs that would benefit from a temporary suspension of fuel duty for the logistics sector during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
This Government is committed to support the logistics sector and haulage businesses in the United Kingdom, which are an essential part of our economy.
Budget announced that fuel duty would be frozen for a tenth consecutive year. This has saved the average van driver £18 and the average haulier £113 per tank of fuel relative to 2011. To deliver this saving for businesses and households, the Government has foregone already £67bn and will forego a further £46bn by the end of 2025 compared to fuel duty rising in line with inflation. Furthermore, HGV Vehicle Excise Duty has been frozen since 2001.
Fuel duty raised £28.0bn in 2018-19, contributing to meeting the costs of vital public services such as the NHS, that are playing a crucial role in aiding the Government’s economic response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 11 May 2020 to Question 42939 on Fuels: Excise Duties, if he will make an estimate of the cost to the public purse of suspending fuel duty on a monthly basis for the logistics industry.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
This Government is committed to support the logistics sector and haulage businesses in the United Kingdom, which are an essential part of our economy.
Budget announced that fuel duty would be frozen for a tenth consecutive year. This has saved the average van driver £18 and the average haulier £113 per tank of fuel relative to 2011. To deliver this saving for businesses and households, the Government has foregone already £67bn and will forego a further £46bn by the end of 2025 compared to fuel duty rising in line with inflation. Furthermore, HGV Vehicle Excise Duty has been frozen since 2001.
Fuel duty raised £28.0bn in 2018-19, contributing to meeting the costs of vital public services such as the NHS, that are playing a crucial role in aiding the Government’s economic response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 11 May 2020 to Question 42940 on Fuels: Excise Duties, if he will make a comparative assessment of the level of fuel duty derogations available to the French logistics sector; and whether those derogations can be applied in the UK as part of the recovery from the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
This Government is committed to support the logistics sector and haulage businesses in the United Kingdom, which are an essential part of our economy.
Budget announced that fuel duty would be frozen for a tenth consecutive year. This has saved the average van driver £18 and the average haulier £113 per tank of fuel relative to 2011. To deliver this saving for businesses and households, the Government has foregone already £67bn and will forego a further £46bn by the end of 2025 compared to fuel duty rising in line with inflation. Furthermore, HGV Vehicle Excise Duty has been frozen since 2001.
Fuel duty raised £28.0bn in 2018-19, contributing to meeting the costs of vital public services such as the NHS, that are playing a crucial role in aiding the Government’s economic response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will (a) change the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme 19 March cut-off date eligibility criterion from RTI submission date to contract start date and (b) set up an HMRC task force to examine evidence of contract start date on a case-by-case basis to prevent fraud.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government has prioritised helping the greatest number of people as quickly as possible, and the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) will enable millions of people to remain employed.
The Government set up the CJRS to operate at significant scale and with limited manual intervention. Processing claims for the CJRS in cases where HMRC did not have RTI data would require much greater manual handling by HMRC, which would significantly slow down the system. Extending the cut-off date beyond 20 March would significantly increase the risk of abuse because HMRC could not verify claims using data after this point.
The 19 March deadline date allows as many people as possible to be included by going right up to the day before the announcement, while addressing the risk of fraud that existed as soon as the scheme became public.
Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of business rates on the financial sustainability of haulage companies during the covid-19 pandemic.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government has provided enhanced support to the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors in England through business rates relief given the direct and acute impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on those sectors.
A range of further measures to support all businesses, including those not eligible for the business rates holiday, such as haulage companies, has also been made available. For example, the Government has launched the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to help firms keep people in employment, the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme offering loans of up to £5 million for SMEs through the British Business Bank backed by an 80% Government guarantee, and is deferring VAT payments for this quarter.
The Government is monitoring the sectoral impacts of COVID-19, and keeps all support under review.
Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending business rates relief to haulage companies during the covid-19 pandemic.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government has provided enhanced support to the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors in England through business rates relief given the direct and acute impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on those sectors.
A range of further measures to support all businesses, including those not eligible for the business rates holiday, such as haulage companies, has also been made available. For example, the Government has launched the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to help firms keep people in employment, the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme offering loans of up to £5 million for SMEs through the British Business Bank backed by an 80% Government guarantee, and is deferring VAT payments for this quarter.
The Government is monitoring the sectoral impacts of COVID-19, and keeps all support under review.