Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to carry out an impact assessment of the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme; what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of that scheme in providing support for people who are self-employed or freelancers; and whether he plans to review the eligibility criteria for the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme.

On 22 October, HM Treasury and HMRC announced that the Government will carry out an evaluation of the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS). This will be undertaken through 2021 and 2022. This is because self-employment data necessary to carry out a full SEISS evaluation will not be available until 2022, upon receipt of Self-Assessment returns.

The SEISS has provided, and will continue to provide, valuable support to the self-employed during the COVID-19 pandemic, with claims from more than 2.7 million individuals under the first two grants totalling £13.7 billion.

The Government has announced that the SEISS Grant Extension will be available to self-employed individuals who were previously eligible for SEISS 1 and 2, even if they did not in fact claim the grant; who intend to continue to trade; and who are, due to COVID-19, either currently trading and affected by reduced demand, or temporarily unable to carry out their business. This will ensure that support is targeted at those who most need it. There will also be a fourth grant covering February to April 2021. Further details, including the level of the fourth grant, will be set out in due course.

The Government has acknowledged that it has not been possible to support everyone as they might want. Those ineligible for the SEISS may still be eligible for other elements of the unprecedented financial support available. This includes Bounce Back loans, tax deferrals, rental support, mortgage holidays, self-isolation support payments and other business support grants.