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Congratulating the hon. Member for Twickenham on securing the debate, Andrea Leadsom praised the Chancellor's policies but also expressed sympathy for specific businesses and sectors that have missed out due to timing issues or irrelevant support types.
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Thanking the Government for its £210 billion fiscal response to the pandemic, Andrew Selous noted that individuals such as construction industry scheme card holders, directors paying themselves through dividends and newly self-employed workers have received less support compared to those in PAYE employment.
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Critiqued the Government's schemes for failing to support many workers due to gaps in eligibility criteria, highlighting issues faced by newly self-employed individuals, those affected by the 50% threshold, and women on maternity leave. Emphasised ongoing discrimination against women post-maternity leave.
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The speaker acknowledged the challenges faced by newly self-employed individuals and provided specific cases from her constituency, including a make-up artist who used her husband's pension to set up a business, a couple living on child benefit due to reduced income, and an individual supplementing their small pension with self-employment but not eligible for support.
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Reminded Members about new call list system and social distancing measures. Advised to sanitise microphones before use and dispose of materials afterwards. Instructed those late in the call list to use Public Gallery seats.
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The speaker highlighted that about 3 million people are ineligible for Government support despite being the backbone of the economy, such as self-employed individuals and those in creative sectors. She shared examples of constituents struggling due to lack of assistance.
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The speaker applauded the scale of financial support provided by the Government but pointed out that many self-employed individuals and freelancers were left behind. He mentioned a local business owner, Liz Huband, who was ineligible for the self-employment income support scheme due to part-time work, leading to distress and suffering.
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The speaker expressed anger at the Government's denial of support to 3 million people, highlighting cases such as a self-employed filmmaker denied support and forced into benefits. She also cited an example of a family business struggling due to the pandemic and turning to selling equipment for survival.
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Paying tribute to the hon. Member for Twickenham, Esther McVey highlighted the campaign asking supermarkets to return their covid business exemption money to support those who have had no financial assistance during the pandemic period.
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Since the start of the pandemic, most people and small businesses received timely support from the government. However, a large number fell through the cracks. One example is Graham Whitehead, who became self-employed in January 2019 but did not meet the threshold of 50% self-employed income for the tax year, receiving only £6.27 in universal credit by July 2020. Imran urged that funds returned to the Treasury from Tesco and Sainsbury's should be repurposed to support those who have yet to receive adequate support.
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Jeff highlighted cases of individuals in Greater Manchester, including Luana, Shan, and Zena, all of whom were recommended to pay themselves through dividends but are struggling due to irregular income. He asked the Minister to look at proposals from organisations such as the Federation of Small Businesses for a director support scheme based on trading profits. Jeff urged the Minister to listen to constituents who have fallen through the gaps.
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The speaker praised the Government's economic response during the pandemic, noting benefits like bounce back loans and furlough schemes. He also called on the Minister to ensure businesses that were not in financial trouble return the rate relief received from the government.
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Commends the hon. Member for Twickenham on securing the debate and highlights that 3 million people are ineligible for support due to a deliberate policy decision by the Government. Mentions Gemma, who moved from employed to self-employed in 2019 but did not qualify for support despite submitting her tax return showing accurate earnings. Also mentions Joanna, whose pensions were counted towards earned income in 2018-19 and is now ineligible due to an accident involving a family member. Asked why HMRC and Treasury have not done a data-matching exercise between their records and Companies House to distinguish between directors of small companies and anonymous investors in large ones, nine months into the pandemic.
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Richard thanked the hon. Member for Twickenham and focused on company directors as risk-takers crucial to our recovery. He suggested a standard reporting event where people can demonstrate a negative impact on their business and confirm they have not received any benefit from Government under existing schemes. Richard urged the Minister to find ways to support these individuals with scarce taxpayers' funds.
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The speaker expressed concern about the exclusion of many self-employed individuals from support schemes, highlighting a constituent who started as a driving instructor recently and therefore did not qualify for financial aid. The MP criticised the government's failure to deliver promised support, describing affected people as 'collateral damage' due to economic illiteracy.
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Chairing a meeting of the gaps in support all-party parliamentary group, Tracy Brabin highlighted that an estimated 68,000 people are excluded from support in Yorkshire, affecting entrepreneurs, business people, creatives and strivers who have been paying a heavy price for flexibility.