Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect of the 2021 covid-19 lockdown on the level of stocks retained by food service wholesalers.
Answered by Baroness Prentis of Banbury
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Swansea East on 25 January 2021, PQ 138473.
Asked by: Carolyn Harris (Labour - Neath and Swansea East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will provide funding to food and drink wholesalers to account for excess stock accumulated by those businesses (a) in response to the end of the transition period and (b) as a result of hospitality and school closures during the covid-19 lockdown announced in January 2021.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - Leader of HM Official Opposition
Throughout the Covid-19 crisis, the Government has protected people’s jobs and livelihoods while also supporting businesses and public services across the UK. Food and drink wholesalers have been eligible for a number of economic support schemes, including:
• The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, which has been extended until the end of April 2021 for all parts of the UK;
• The opportunity to defer VAT payments due between 20 March and 30 June 2020; and
• The Bounce Back Loan Scheme for small businesses to borrow between £2,000 and £50,000, with no interest payments or fees for the first 12 months.
The UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement ensures UK businesses can continue to buy and sell goods from EU customers without tariffs or quotas.
Asked by: Carolyn Harris (Labour - Neath and Swansea East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will grant business rates relief to food service wholesalers that are closed due to the covid-19 lockdown announced in January 2021.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
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. Business rates are devolved in Wales, and so are a matter for the Welsh Government.
The Government has sympathy with all businesses affected by COVID-19, and has provided various schemes that can support specific firms such as wholesalers, including Coronavirus Business Interruption Loans, Bounce Back Loans, grants and VAT deferrals.
Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the extent of the dependence of (a) NHS hospitals and (b) care homes on supplies provided by food and drink wholesalers; and if he will make it his policy to give (i) business rates relief backdated to the start of the covid-19 outbreak to such wholesalers in recognition of the importance of their support for the NHS and (ii) other financial assistance to such wholesalers in recognition that they cannot make full use of the furlough scheme on account of their role in supporting the NHS.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
This year the Government has provided an unprecedented business rates holiday for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure properties due to the direct adverse effects of COVID-19, worth about £10 billion, and has frozen the business rates multiplier for all businesses for 2021-22.
The Government does not expect the Coronavirus Job Retention scheme (CJRS) to be widely used by public sector organisations. Where employers receive public funding for staff costs, and that funding is continuing, the Government expects employers to use that money to continue to pay staff in the usual fashion, and correspondingly not to furlough them through the CJRS. This also applies to non-public sector employers who receive public funding for staff costs. In a small number of cases, for example, where organisations are not primarily funded by the Government and whose staff cannot be redeployed to assist with the coronavirus response, the scheme may be appropriate for some staff.
There are various schemes that can provide support to specific firms such as wholesalers, including Coronavirus Business Interruption Loans, Bounce Back Loans, grants and VAT deferrals.
Asked by: Ian Lavery (Labour - Blyth and Ashington)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what direct financial support or grants the Government plans to make available for food and drink wholesalers as a result of those wholesalers not qualifying for support as they are not categorised as retail.
Answered by Paul Scully
Food and drink wholesalers are able to benefit from additional financial support recently announced by my Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, including the extension of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme until the end of March 2021,?extension of the existing loan schemes?and Future Fund?to the end of January 2021, with an ability to top-up bounce back loans, and?increased support through the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme Grant Extension.
Additionally, £1.1bn is being given to Local Authorities, distributed?on the basis of?£20 per head, for one-off payments to enable them to support businesses more broadly.
Asked by: Alan Brown (Scottish National Party - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what targeted rates relief support the Government has provided for food service wholesalers whose rateable value exceeds £51,000.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
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. Rates relief is available to all eligible retail, hospitality and leisure properties regardless of their rateable value. Business rates are devolved in Scotland, and so are a matter for the Scottish Government.
A range of further measures to support all businesses, including those not eligible for business rates relief, has also been made available.
Asked by: Alan Brown (Scottish National Party - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the hospitality venue covid-19 restrictions on the food service wholesale industry; what targeted support has been provided for that sector in response to the covid-19 outbreak; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - Leader of HM Official Opposition
The Government has provided unprecedented levels of support for workers and businesses to protect, as much as possible, against the current economic emergency. Food and drink wholesalers have been eligible for a number of these support schemes, with the most relevant likely to include:
Food and drink wholesalers have also benefited from the Eat Out to Help Out Scheme which provided over 100 million half price meals during August and helped to protect the livelihoods of the 1.8 million people working in the hospitality sector.
Asked by: Rachel Reeves (Labour - Leeds West and Pudsey)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, which businesses have been awarded a loan under the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme since 1 January 2020.
Answered by Paul Scully
The table below shows a breakdown of the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme facilities offered as per sector as of 4 October.
CBILS by sector:
Sector | Value of Loans Offered (£m) | Number of Loans Offered | Proportion of Offered Facilities |
Wholesale and Retail Trade; Repair of Motor Vehicles and Motorcycles | 2,612 | 10,270 | 18% |
Manufacturing | 2,047 | 7,376 | 13% |
Construction | 1,785 | 7,815 | 14% |
Professional, Scientific and Technical Activities | 1,444 | 6,009 | 11% |
Administrative and Support Service Activities | 1,376 | 6,017 | 11% |
Accommodation and Food Service Activities | 1,212 | 4,494 | 8% |
Information and Communication | 615 | 2,608 | 5% |
Transportation and Storage | 500 | 2,264 | 4% |
Human Health and Social Work Activities | 453 | 2,496 | 4% |
Arts, Entertainment and Recreation | 419 | 1,558 | 3% |
Real Estate Activities | 342 | 1,244 | 2% |
Financial and Insurance Activities | 323 | 737 | 1% |
Education | 273 | 827 | 1% |
Other Service Activities | 232 | 1,570 | 3% |
Mining and Quarrying; Electricity, Gas and Air Conditioning Supply; Water Supply; Sewerage, Waste Management and Remediation Activities | 196 | 709 | 1% |
Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing | 85 | 464 | 1% |
Sector not specified | 13 | 33 | 0% |
Details of individual aid awards under the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, the Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme and the Bounce Back Loan Scheme will be published where required on the European Commission’s Transparency Aid Module in due course.
Asked by: Emma Hardy (Labour - Kingston upon Hull West and Haltemprice)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to extend Business Rates Relief to food and drink wholesalers in Tier 3 local covid-19 alert level areas.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has published guidance for local authorities on eligible properties. As set out in the guidance, support is targeted at premises that are wholly or mainly being used as shops, restaurants, cafes, drinking establishments, cinemas and live music venues; for assembly and leisure; or as hotels, guest and boarding premises and self-catering accommodation. It is for local authorities to determine eligibility for reliefs, having regard to guidance issued by the Government.
Local authorities which were subject to restrictions on indoor socialising between 1 August and 5 November will receive funding to allow them to make backdated grants to businesses which were able to remain open during that period, but were experiencing a severe reduction in demand due to these restrictions. Local authorities across England will also receive a total of £1.1bn to provide further business grants and other forms of business support to companies in their areas.
Asked by: Emma Hardy (Labour - Kingston upon Hull West and Haltemprice)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on the wholesale food and drink sector of including that sector in the Business Rates Relief scheme.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
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. As set out in the guidance, support is targeted at premises that are wholly or mainly being used as shops, restaurants, cafes, drinking establishments, cinemas and live music venues; for assembly and leisure; or as hotels, guest and boarding premises and self-catering accommodation. It is for local authorities to determine eligibility for reliefs, having regard to guidance issued by the Government.
A range of further measures to support all businesses, including those not eligible for the business rates holiday, has also been made available.