Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Self-employment Income Support Scheme

Monday 18 May 2020 · 1 question

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 0 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Tracy Brabin questioned the Chancellor about the Self-employment Income Support Scheme, highlighting that tens of thousands of self-employed individuals are missing out on support.
  • The Chancellor responded that removing the earnings cap would not be the right or socially just thing to do.
  • The Chancellor mentioned that the average income of those above the earnings cap is 200,000 and 95% of self-employed individuals fall below the cap.

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Questions & Answers

Context

The scheme provides support worth up to £7,500 for millions of individuals. By the end of May 2020, more than 2 million claims had been made with grants totalling over £6 billion.

Question

Despite the Chancellor's claim that the self-employment support scheme is one of the most generous in the world, tens of thousands are still missing out—new starters, pay-as-you-earn freelancers, those paid through dividends and those earning over £50,000. Will the self-employed income support scheme be extended in line with the job retention scheme? Are there plans to lift the cap on profits? And will he please look again at supporting new starters?

Answer from The Chancellor of the Exchequer (Rishi Sunak)

We have discussed these things before, but I do not believe that removing the cap would be the right or socially just thing to do. The average income of those above the cap is £200,000 and 95% of self-employed individuals fall underneath the cap.

Answered

Not addressed: Extending the scheme in line with the job retention scheme and providing support for new starters were not directly addressed.

How: Removing The Cap Would Not Be Socially Just

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