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Written Question
Aviation: Finance
Monday 22nd March 2021

Asked by: Tom Tugendhat (Conservative - Tonbridge and Malling)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what funding has been allocated to the Airspace Modernisation programme in response to Budget 2021.

Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade

The UK’s airspace is an essential part of our national transport infrastructure. The Government is therefore committed to modernising UK airspace, in order to deliver quicker, quieter and cleaner journeys and more capacity for the benefit of those who use and are affected by UK airspace.

The Government has recently announced that it will be providing up to £5.5m to support airspace modernisation over 20-21 and 21-22, to ensure that this work continues, despite the challenges that Covid-19 has presented for the aviation sector.


Written Question
Business: Coronavirus
Friday 20th November 2020

Asked by: Tom Tugendhat (Conservative - Tonbridge and Malling)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what support businesses not in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors, who can stay open during the November 2020 covid-19 lockdown in England, will receive to help cover for lost income as a result of fewer people leaving the home.

Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade

Businesses that are not in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors, which can stay open but are nonetheless severely affected by the enhanced COVID-19 restrictions, will continue to have access to the Government’s unprecedented package of support throughout the month of November.

This includes the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), which provides employees with 80% of their current salary for hours not worked, up to a maximum of £2,500 per month. The CJRS has been extended until the end of March and will give open businesses the flexibility to support employees for any amount of time and shift pattern. Further, self-employed individuals who are currently actively trading but are impacted by reduced demand due to coronavirus may also be eligible for the Self-employment income support scheme grant, covering November to January, which has increased to cover 80% of average profits, up to £7,500.

We have also provided Local Authorities with a further £1.1billion across England via the Additional Restrictions Grant. Local Authorities have discretion on how to use this funding in their areas, but we encourage them to set up discretionary grant schemes to support these businesses.


Written Question
Self-employed: Coronavirus
Friday 20th November 2020

Asked by: Tom Tugendhat (Conservative - Tonbridge and Malling)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what financial support is available during the period of November 2020 covid-19 lockdown restrictions for self-employed people who transferred from a Limited Company during the 2019-20 financial year and are ineligible for Self-Employment Income Support scheme and the Coronavirus Job Retention scheme.

Answered by Jesse Norman

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 to be able to verify their eligibility, still remain. Unlike for employees, self-employed income is not reported monthly, but at the end of each tax year on the individual’s Income Tax Self-Assessment return. This means that the most reliable and up-to-date record of self-employed income is from 2018-19 tax returns.

The SEISS Grant Extension continues to be just one element of a comprehensive package of support for individuals and businesses. This package includes Bounce Back loans, tax deferrals, rental support and other business support grants. The Government has also temporarily increased the Universal Credit standard allowance for 2020-21 by £20 per week and relaxed the Minimum Income Floor meaning that where self-employed claimants' earnings have significantly fallen, their Universal Credit award will have increased to reflect their lower earnings.


Written Question
Business: Coronavirus
Thursday 19th November 2020

Asked by: Tom Tugendhat (Conservative - Tonbridge and Malling)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what additional support, beyond the Discretionary Grant Fund scheme, he will provide to businesses ineligible for Government grants or loans, during the November 2020 covid-19 lockdown.

Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade

During this difficult time for the country, the Government is acutely aware of the extreme disruption to people’s lives, jobs, and businesses due to the necessary actions to tackle COVID-19.

The Local Authority Discretionary Grant Fund closed to new applicants on 28 August. However, the Government recognises that businesses which are legally required to close due to national or local restrictions, including those which were introduced on 5 November, will need additional support. This is why we have announced the Local Restrictions Support Grant (Closed) scheme, which will provide businesses in England which are legally required to close with grants of up to £3,000 per four-week closure period, depending on their rateable value.

Through the Local Restrictions Support Grant (Open), local authorities which were subject to restrictions on socialising between 1 August and 5 November will also receive additional funding so that they can make grants of up to £2,100 per month of closures to hospitality, leisure and accommodation businesses which were able to remain open but which experienced a severe reduction in demand due to restrictions on socialising.

On top of this, we have provided Local Authorities with a further £1.1 billion across England via the Additional Restrictions Grant. Local Authorities have discretion on how to use this funding to support businesses in their areas, but we encourage them to set up discretionary grant schemes to support businesses which can remain open, but which are nonetheless severely affected by the enhanced COVID-19 restrictions.

Businesses across the country should also be able to benefit from others measures in the Government’s unprecedented package of support for businesses, including:

  • The extension to 31 March of the CJRS, through which employees will receive up to 80% of their usual salary for hours not worked up to a maximum of £2,500 per month;
  • Support for the self-employed via the SEISS, which will provide the self-employed with grants worth up to 80% of trading profits, covering November to January;
  • The extension of the application deadline for loan guarantee schemes to the end of January 2021;
  • An adjustment to the Bounce Back Loan Scheme rules to allow those businesses who have borrowed less than their maximum (i.e. less than 25% of their turnover) to top-up their existing loan; and
  • Help for businesses in repaying loans from Government-backed schemes through the Pay as you Grow scheme and allowing lenders to extend the terms of CBILS loans to up to 10 years.

Written Question
Taxis: VAT
Wednesday 28th October 2020

Asked by: Tom Tugendhat (Conservative - Tonbridge and Malling)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have had with independent taxi operators on reducing VAT to five per cent.

Answered by Jesse Norman

The current structure of VAT rates raises a significant amount of revenue for the Government, raising over £130 billion in 2018/19. This plays an important part in funding the Government's spending priorities including hospitals, schools, and defence.

Changes to the current rate of VAT on the transport service provided by independent taxi operators would come at a cost to the Exchequer, and that cost would have to be balanced by increased taxes elsewhere, or reductions in public spending. Although the Government keeps all taxes under review, the Government has no current plans to change the VAT treatment of such goods.


Written Question
Non-domestic Rates: Coronavirus
Thursday 8th October 2020

Asked by: Tom Tugendhat (Conservative - Tonbridge and Malling)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to extend the Expanded Retail Discount scheme into the 2021-22 financial year.

Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade

As part of the Government’s package to support businesses affected by coronavirus, the Government has provided a business rates holiday for eligible properties in retail, hospitality and leisure, worth £10 billion year.

As set out in the Call for Evidence for the fundamental review of business rates, the Government anticipates setting out preliminary conclusions from the review on the most pressing areas, including reliefs, in the Autumn, ahead of final conclusions in Spring 2021.


Written Question
Business: Insurance
Monday 18th May 2020

Asked by: Tom Tugendhat (Conservative - Tonbridge and Malling)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what guidance his Department has issued to insurers on accepting claims in respect of business interruption cover during the covid-19 outbreak.

Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

The Government is in continual dialogue with the insurance sector about its contribution to handling this unprecedented situation. The Government is also working closely with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to ensure that the rules are being upheld during this crisis.

For those businesses which have an appropriate policy that covers government ordered closure and unspecified notifiable diseases, the Government’s social distancing instructions are sufficient to allow businesses to make a claim against their insurance, provided the other terms and conditions in their policy are met.

The FCA’s rules require insurers to handle claims fairly and promptly; provide reasonable guidance to help a policyholder make a claim, and appropriate information on its progress; not reject a claim unreasonably; and settle claims promptly once settlement terms are agreed. In addition, the FCA has said that, in light of COVID-19, insurers must consider very carefully the needs of their customers and show flexibility in their treatment of them.

Furthermore, on 15 April, FCA sent a letter to the insurance industry, setting out the FCA's expectation of firms regarding their handling of business interruption insurance claims, urging insurers to settle claims quickly in cases where there was a clear obligation to pay the claim in full or in part.

In addition, on 1 May, the FCA published a statement setting out their intention to seek legal clarity on the handling of business interruption insurance claims, in order to resolve any doubt for businesses facing uncertainty on their claims. In their statement the FCA also noted that insurers should look at how they can help consumers who are experiencing financial distress as a result of COVID-19.

However, most businesses have not purchased insurance that covers losses from COVID-19. Insurance policies differ significantly, so businesses are encouraged to check the terms and conditions of their specific policy and contact their providers.

The Government recognises that businesses who do not have appropriate insurance cover will require support from elsewhere. As such, businesses should explore the full package of support set out by the Chancellor, which includes measures such as business rates holidays, the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, and wage support.


Written Question
Hire Services: Government Assistance
Monday 11th May 2020

Asked by: Tom Tugendhat (Conservative - Tonbridge and Malling)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether events hire companies that offer dry-hire services to the public are eligible for financial support through the (a) Small Business Rate Relief, (b) Small Business Grant Fund and (c) Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund.

Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade

Events hire companies could be eligible for the Small Business Grant Fund if they are in receipt of Small Business Rates Relief or Rural Rates Relief. Businesses are eligible for a £10,000 per property, for each of their properties in receipt of these reliefs.

Events hire companies could also be eligible for the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Fund. Businesses are eligible for a £25,000 grant per property, for each property which is used for retail, hospitality or leisure purposes with a rateable value between £15,000 and £51,000. Businesses are also eligible for a £10,000 grant per property, for each property used for these purposes with a rateable value of £15,000 or less which is not in receipt of Small Business Rates Relief or Rural Rates Relief.

Events hire companies which are not eligible for grants from these two funds because of how they interact with the business rates system may be eligible for a discretionary grant from their Local Authority. Government has provided up to an additional £617m for Local Authorities in England to enable them to make grants payments to businesses in these circumstances.

Local Authorities are responsible for defining precise eligibility for these discretionary grant funds. However, it is our intention that the following businesses should be considered as a priority for these funds:

  • Businesses in shared offices;
  • Regular market traders who do not have their own business rates assessment;
  • B&Bs which pay Council Tax instead of business rates; and
  • Charity properties in receipt of charitable business rates relief which would otherwise have been eligible for Small Business Rates Relief or Rural Rate Relief.

Recipient businesses will also have to meet the following criteria:

  • They must be facing high fixed property-related costs;
  • They must be able to demonstrate that they have suffered a significant fall in income due to the Covid-19 crisis;
  • They must have fewer than 50 employees;
  • They must have been trading on or before 11th March.

Businesses will need to apply to their Local Authority in order to receive grants. Each Local Authority will need to create their own process, which may take some time. We encourage businesses to look out for their Local Authority’s version of this scheme, and to contact their Local Authority for more information in due course.


Written Question
Child Tax Credit
Wednesday 11th July 2018

Asked by: Tom Tugendhat (Conservative - Tonbridge and Malling)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many households in each English region were eligible for child tax credit for childcare as of 5 April 2017.

Answered by Elizabeth Truss

Estimates of the number of households in each English region were eligible for the childcare element of working tax credit as of 5 April 2017 can only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Our Child and Working Tax Credit Statistics: finalised awards, geographical analysis, 2016-17, provide a regional breakdown of the average number of households in receipt of the childcare element of working tax credit. This has been attached for reference.

Further information regarding Tax Credit take-up statistics for 2016-17 are yet to be published. The latest statistics for 2015-16, with a regional breakdown for all tax credits can be found by following the URL below on Table 9:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/666846/Child_Benefit__Child_Tax_Credit_and_Working_Tax_Credit_Take-up_rates_201....pdf

A subset of these statistics for households benefitting from the childcare element could only be produced at disproportionate cost.

Information regarding the take-up of the childcare element of working tax credit since inception can only be made available at disproportionate cost.


Written Question
Child Tax Credit
Wednesday 11th July 2018

Asked by: Tom Tugendhat (Conservative - Tonbridge and Malling)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many households in each English region have taken up child tax credit for childcare since that policy's inception.

Answered by Elizabeth Truss

Estimates of the number of households in each English region were eligible for the childcare element of working tax credit as of 5 April 2017 can only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Our Child and Working Tax Credit Statistics: finalised awards, geographical analysis, 2016-17, provide a regional breakdown of the average number of households in receipt of the childcare element of working tax credit. This has been attached for reference.

Further information regarding Tax Credit take-up statistics for 2016-17 are yet to be published. The latest statistics for 2015-16, with a regional breakdown for all tax credits can be found by following the URL below on Table 9:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/666846/Child_Benefit__Child_Tax_Credit_and_Working_Tax_Credit_Take-up_rates_201....pdf

A subset of these statistics for households benefitting from the childcare element could only be produced at disproportionate cost.

Information regarding the take-up of the childcare element of working tax credit since inception can only be made available at disproportionate cost.