To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by Prospect Inquiry into the future of self-employment, published in December 2020; and what plans they have to increase financial support for the self-employed.
Answered on
27 January 2021
The Government has provided a substantial package of support worth £280 billion in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Government will continue to look for ways to improve the package of support available and work closely with stakeholders to explore how it can best support different groups.
The Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) is providing generous support to self-employed people affected by the pandemic and HMRC have received over £18.5bn of claims for the SEISS so far.
The third SEISS grant is open for applications. The Government will set out further details on the level of the fourth grant, to cover February to April 2021, in due course.