Asked by: Tracey Crouch (Conservative - Chatham and Aylesford)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of not delaying the abolition of social investment tax relief until an alternative structure can be implemented.
Answered by Jesse Norman
I refer the Honourable Member to the answer that I gave on 3 September to UIN 82342 and 82341.
Asked by: Tracey Crouch (Conservative - Chatham and Aylesford)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what representations his Department has received on extending Social Investment Tax relief for two years to April 2023.
Answered by Jesse Norman
I refer the Honourable Member to the answer that I gave on 3 September to UIN 82342 and 82341.
Asked by: Tracey Crouch (Conservative - Chatham and Aylesford)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to encourage take up of the social investment tax relief scheme to rebuild communities after the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Jesse Norman
SITR is designed to support a broad range of social enterprises, which may have a variety of social missions and community benefits. The Government committed to a full review of SITR within two years of its expansion, and published a Call for Evidence last year on the use of the SITR scheme to date, including as to why it has been used less than anticipated and what impact it has had on access to finance for social enterprises. A Summary of Responses to the Call for Evidence will be published in due course.
The Government is committed to helping social enterprises and charities through the COVID-19 outbreak. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has helped to accelerate the release of previously committed dormant bank account money. This initiative has enabled Big Society Capital to establish and capitalise a Resilience and Recovery Loan Fund, which aims to improve access to the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) for social enterprises.
Asked by: Tracey Crouch (Conservative - Chatham and Aylesford)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on the use of the social investment tax relief scheme to support the Government's strategy to tackle loneliness.
Answered by Jesse Norman
SITR is designed to support a broad range of social enterprises, which may have a variety of social missions and community benefits. The Government committed to a full review of SITR within two years of its expansion, and published a Call for Evidence last year on the use of the SITR scheme to date, including as to why it has been used less than anticipated and what impact it has had on access to finance for social enterprises. A Summary of Responses to the Call for Evidence will be published in due course.
The Government is committed to helping social enterprises and charities through the COVID-19 outbreak. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has helped to accelerate the release of previously committed dormant bank account money. This initiative has enabled Big Society Capital to establish and capitalise a Resilience and Recovery Loan Fund, which aims to improve access to the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) for social enterprises.
Asked by: Tracey Crouch (Conservative - Chatham and Aylesford)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to make food and drink wholesalers who supply to care homes, hospitals and schools eligible for the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
The Government recognises that this is a very challenging time for businesses in a wide variety of sectors. Small businesses occupying properties for retail, hospitality or leisure purposes are likely to be particularly affected by COVID-19 due to their reliance on customer footfall, and the fact that they are less likely than larger businesses to have sufficient cash reserves to meet their high fixed property-related costs. The Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund (RHLGF) is intended to help small businesses in this situation.
Local Authorities (LAs) can choose to make discretionary grants to businesses in other supply chains, like the wholesale food and drink sector, if they feel there is a particular local economic need. The Government has allocated up to an additional £617 million to LAs to enable them to give discretionary grants to businesses in this situation. LAs may choose to focus payments on those priority groups which are most relevant to their local areas or to businesses outside of these priority groups, so long as the business was trading on 11th March, and has not received any other cash grant funded by central Government.
Small businesses which are not eligible for business grants should still be able to benefit from other elements of the Government’s unprecedented package of support for business. The Business Support website provides further information about how businesses can access the support that has been made available, who is eligible, when the schemes open and how to apply - https://www.gov.uk/business-coronavirus-support-finder.
Asked by: Tracey Crouch (Conservative - Chatham and Aylesford)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will extend eligibility for business rates relief to food and drink wholesalers.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government has provided enhanced support to the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors through business rates relief given the direct and acute impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on those sectors. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has published guidance for local authorities on eligible properties.
A range of further measures to support all businesses, including those not eligible for the business rates holiday, such as wholesalers, has also been made available. For example, the Government has launched the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to help firms keep people in employment, and the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme.
Asked by: Tracey Crouch (Conservative - Chatham and Aylesford)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to extend business rates relief during the covid-19 outbreak to the wholesale food and drink industry that supplies care homes, schools and hospitals.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government has provided enhanced support to the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors through business rates relief given the direct and acute impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on those sectors. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has published guidance for local authorities on eligible properties.
A range of further measures to support all businesses, including those not eligible for the business rates holiday, such as wholesalers, has also been made available. For example, the Government has launched the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to help firms keep people in employment, and the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme.
Asked by: Tracey Crouch (Conservative - Chatham and Aylesford)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with the insurance industry on the validity of travel insurance for holidays cancelled as a result of the new quarantine regulations due to 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 to understand and influence its contribution to handling this unprecedented situation.
Travel insurance typically applies only for losses that cannot be recovered from elsewhere, that is, after any refunds from airlines, travel, or accommodation providers. Although insurance against travel disruption due to pandemics is typically included in travel insurance policies, customers should first contact travel providers or accommodation providers for reimbursement. In the next instance, credit card providers would provide a refund under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 if the payment was made by credit card and cost was over £100 per unit.
If there is no still recoverable cost from these sources, a travel insurance claim may be applicable where the policy covers UK travel. Some policies will only cover foreign travel, but more comprehensive policies will also cover UK travel.
Travel insurance policies differ so, if in doubt, customers should speak to their insurer or check the terms and conditions of their policy.
We have discussed with insurers the importance of insurance cover for Covid-19 in restoring consumers with the confidence to travel again. Firms assure us that they will look to extend cover again where and when they can. They are monitoring announcements by Government and reviewing their position as the situation evolves. We will continue to monitor this situation closely.
Asked by: Tracey Crouch (Conservative - Chatham and Aylesford)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of the modified affordability assessment on the number of mortgage prisoners unable to access new mortgage products.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Government remains committed to supporting these borrowers, which is why the Government and the FCA have taken action to remove the regulatory barriers that previously prevented switching.
Lenders are currently making the necessary adjustments and system changes to enable them to use the modified affordability assessment for borrowers looking to re-mortgage. We expect lenders to start offering these borrowers products using the new rules soon.
I have written to Stephen Jones, Chief Executive Officer of UK Finance outlining my expectation that as many of its members as possible should move quickly to offer new deals to borrowers that are eligible to switch under the new FCA rules. You can read the letter here:
Asked by: Tracey Crouch (Conservative - Chatham and Aylesford)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with UK Finance on its members using the modified affordability assessment for mortgage prisoners.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Government remains committed to supporting these borrowers, which is why the Government and the FCA have taken action to remove the regulatory barriers that previously prevented switching.
Lenders are currently making the necessary adjustments and system changes to enable them to use the modified affordability assessment for borrowers looking to re-mortgage. We expect lenders to start offering these borrowers products using the new rules soon.
I have written to Stephen Jones, Chief Executive Officer of UK Finance outlining my expectation that as many of its members as possible should move quickly to offer new deals to borrowers that are eligible to switch under the new FCA rules. You can read the letter here: