Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of his decision not to release details of the fourth Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) grant covering February to April 2021 until the Budget on 3 March 2020 on the ability of eligible self-employed people to pay their personal and business bills and expenses in February 2021; and for what reason he did not make those details available at the same time as he announced the extension of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to April 2021.

The Government is committed to supporting the self-employed population during the COVID-19 pandemic through a substantial package of support.

The three Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) grants combined provided up to £21,570 of support for each individual, placing the SEISS among the most generous schemes for the self-employed in the world. As of 31 December, about 2.7 million individuals have made claims totalling over £18.9 billion so far across all three grants.

The claims window for the third grant closed on 29 January 2021. The Government confirmed in January that further details of the fourth grant, which will cover February to the end of April, will be announced alongside other economic updates at Budget in March.

The SEISS is just one element of a substantial package of support for the self-employed which includes Bounce Back loans, tax deferrals, rental support, mortgage holidays, self-isolation support payments and other business support grants.