COVID-19: MPs’ Q&A PACK - Please find the attachment below for the full briefing, including more specific issues
Tax, finance and benefits issues
Issue: Support for Self Employed
Question: Why will the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme only be available from the beginning of June?
● The June introduction date is necessary to ensure that the scheme is both deliverable and fair.
● HMRC is working urgently to develop the scheme and estimates that the first payments will be made towards the beginning of June 2020.
● In the interim, the self-employed will still be eligible for other government support, including more generous universal credit and business continuity loans.
Issue: Support for Self Employed
Question: Will the self-employed be able to take on other work while in receipt of this grant?
● Yes, the self-employed will be able to take on other work during this time. In doing so, they should still obey the government’s general instructions for working during the outbreak.
● This grant aims to support lost income and to allow those in self-employment to continue their trades once this crisis has passed.
Issue: Support for Employees
Question: What guidance is available for the furlough scheme?
● If your employer chooses to place you on furlough, you will need to remain on furlough for a minimum of three weeks. However, your employer can place you on furlough more than once, and one period can follow straight after an existing furlough period, while the scheme is open. The scheme will be open for at least three months.
● Guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-for-wage-costs-through-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme
Issue: Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) phone lines
Question: Why are many people waiting for hours and what is being done to address concerns over receiving payments?
● The system is under unprecedented demand. DWP will be boosting staff numbers and redeploying existing staff to deal with the sustained high volume of claims.
● Around 10,000 existing staff are being moved to process new claims, with 1,000 already in place. In addition, DWP is expecting to recruit 1,500 extra people to aid the effort.
Impact of social distancing guidelines
Issue: Foreign travel
Question: What is being done to get British citizens abroad home and, where necessary, address their medical needs?
● The UK Government is in close contact with the other country authorities dealing with COVID-19 cases. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has been in touch with British nationals abroad and are providing support to the British people affected.
● The Foreign and Commonwealth Office teams around the world are working urgently to ensure that governments have sensible plans to enable the return of British and other travellers, and, crucially, to keep borders open for a sufficient period of time to enable returns to take place on commercial flights, wherever possible.
● As countries respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, including travel and border restrictions, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office advises British nationals against all but essential international travel. Any country or area may restrict travel without notice.
Issue: Driving
Question: How can motorists who need to extend their MOT do so before the March 30th deadline when many garages are closed?
● Guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-mots-for-cars-vans-and-motorcycles-due-from-30-march-2020
Issue: Moving house
Question: What is the latest advice on whether completions and rental agreements can continue to take place?
● Home buyers and renters should, as far as possible, delay moving to a new house while emergency measures are in place to fight coronavirus.
● If moving is unavoidable for contractual reasons, people must follow advice on social distancing to minimise the spread of the virus.
● Anyone who is experiencing symptoms, self-isolating or shielding from the virus should not consider moving house, unless there are exceptional health and safety circumstances.
NHS and public services
Issue: PPE
Question: Shortage of supplies reaching GP practices
● The government has central stockpiles of a range of medical products and is working closely with industry, the NHS and others in the supply chain to ensure these are delivered to the frontline, including the social care sector. No wholesaler has been asked to prioritise NHS provision over the care sector nor should they be doing so.
● New figures show the scale of the operation to ensure steady supply in the coming weeks and months:
● On 19 March, 2.6 million face masks and 10,000 sanitisers went to trusts in London.
● Over the course of three days, between 20 March and 23 March, more than 200 organisations, including all NHS hospitals, received further facemasks and PPE along with ambulance trusts and other NHS organisations.
● This week (w/c 23 March) supplies of the ‘FFP3’ sterile facemasks are being delivered to NHS Trusts, including ambulance trusts.
● Home care providers, care homes, and hospices are receiving deliveries with every provider receiving at least 300 facemasks.
● Every GP practice, dental practice and community pharmacy has now had a PPE delivery.
Issue: Local Resilience Forums
Question: What are you doing to support Local Resilience Forums?
● We have launched a new taskforce to strengthen local plans to help tackle the outbreak of coronavirus.
● The taskforce will bring together senior experts from across key sectors – including resilience, local government, public health and adult social care fields – who will assess Local Resilience Forum (LRF) plans and provide support and advice to ensure they are robust.
