Asked by: Nick Smith (Labour - Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Money and Pensions Service's press release entitled Helplines forecast a call about debt every four minutes in January, published on 20 January 2021, what additional resources his Department plans to provide to ensure the sector is well-placed to scale up quickly to meet increased demand and additional need.
Answered by John Glen
The Government recognises the importance of providing a strong financial footing for the debt advice sector and is committed to helping people access the support they need to get their finances back on track.
The Government has agreed to maintain record levels of debt advice funding for the Money and Pension Service in 2021-22, bringing the budget for free debt advice in England to £94.6 million. This is more than a 70% increase since 2019-20 and reflects the Government’s commitment to ensure that appropriate support is available for people in problem debt, especially during this challenging time.
Asked by: Nick Smith (Labour - Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he had (a) discussions and (b) text communication with former Prime Minister David Cameron in Government support to Greensill Capital.
Answered by John Glen
I refer the honourable member to the recent publication by HM Treasury on this matter on gov.uk
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/response-to-a-freedom-of-information-request-on-greensill
Asked by: Nick Smith (Labour - Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he plans to take to support self-employed people whose industries have not re-started during the covid-19 outbreak after the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme closes on 19 October 2020.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
The Chancellor of the Exchequer has said there will be no further extension or changes to the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS). The SEISS will remain open for applications for the second and final grant until 19 October.
Some businesses will be affected by coronavirus for longer than others, and the Government will seek to support these businesses appropriately.
Those who require more support may be able to benefit from other elements of the comprehensive package of support for individuals and businesses. This package includes Bounce Back loans, tax deferrals, rental support,?increased levels of Universal Credit, mortgage holidays, and other business support grants. More information about the full range of business support measures is available at www.gov.uk/government/collections/financial-support-for-businesses-during-coronavirus-covid-19.
As the economy reopens, it is right that state support is reduced and the focus shifts to getting people back to work. On 8 July, the Government introduced the Plan for Jobs which will make available up to £30 billion to assist in creating, supporting and protecting jobs. The Plan supports jobs through the Kickstart Scheme, protects jobs by reducing the level of VAT for the hospitality and accommodation sector, and creates jobs through £8.6 billion of infrastructure, decarbonisation and maintenance projects. This is alongside many other measures that will help support people and kickstart the economic recovery. More information can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/a-plan-for-jobs-documents/a-plan-for-jobs-2020.