Tuesday Volume 690 9 March 2021 No. 186 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Tuesday 9 March 2021 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2021 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 635 9 MARCH 2021 636 have access to occupational sick pay and cannot work House of Commons from home should be eligible for the Test and Trace support payments? Tuesday 9 March 2021 Steve Barclay: The hon. Lady is right that many people —indeed, the majority of workers—will have support The House met at half-past Eleven o’clock from employers above statutory sick pay, but it is for the reason she outlines that my right hon. Friend the Chancellor PRAYERS also announced that there will be a payment of £500 for those not qualifying for the means-tested benefit, paid through the discretionary scheme that was funded at [MR SPEAKER in the Chair] the Budget and to be administered by local authorities. Virtual participation in proceedings commenced (Orders, 4 June and 30 December 2020). Judith Cummins [V]: Bradford Council has the highest [NB: [V] denotes a Member participating virtually.] demand for self-isolation payments in the country,reflecting the fact that most people in our city are unable to work from home. The standard scheme for people in receipt of certain benefits is fully funded, but the discretionary Oral Answers to Questions scheme, which the council must use for everyone else, is not. In fact, the funding for Bradford falls far short of demand, so will the Minister urgently look into this so that councils with a high demand can support all workers TREASURY who need to self-isolate? The Chancellor of the Exchequer was asked— SteveBarclay:Thehon.Ladymakesafairpoint,whichis thattherewasapressureontheschemeforlocalauthorities. Self-isolation: Financial Barriers It is for exactly that reason that my right hon. Friend the Chancellor announced in the Budget that there will be Vicky Foxcroft (Lewisham, Deptford) (Lab): What an increase to £20 million per month for the discretionary assessment he has made of implications for his policies scheme. He also listened to representations from the of the financial barriers to people’s compliance with the hon. Lady and others about widening the scope of requirement to self-isolate during the covid-19 outbreak; eligibility under that scheme. and if he will make a statement. [913154] Kate Hollern [V]: The Government have now made Judith Cummins (Bradford South) (Lab): What available £20 million a month in discretionary self-isolation assessment he has made of implications for his policies funding for local authorities, despite only making of the financial barriers to people’s compliance with the £15 million available for four months when the scheme requirement to self-isolate during the covid-19 outbreak; first started, and because of this, hundreds of people in and if he will make a statement. [913167] Blackburn have been denied support to self-isolate. Does the Minister now accept that initial allocations fell well Kate Hollern (Blackburn) (Lab): What assessment he below what was needed and contributed to the rise in has made of implications for his policies of the financial cases, and does he think that that is fair on my constituents? barriers to people’s compliance with the requirement to self-isolate during the covid-19 outbreak; and if he will Steve Barclay: It is right that there was support in make a statement. [913169] place, but it is also right that my right hon Friend the Chancellor has listened to points made by Members Mrs Sharon Hodgson (Washington and Sunderland across the House, which is why the discretionary support West) (Lab): What recent discussions he has had with has been increased and also why it has been extended to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the cover parents who are unable to work because they are adequacy of financial support arrangements for people caring for a child who is self-isolating and a number of who are self-isolating during the covid-19 outbreak. other factors. I think that shows once again the willingness [913182] of this Government to respond to the path of the virus and to adapt our schemes to what is needed with, in The Chief Secretary to the Treasury (Steve Barclay): particular, the extensive support that is now being offered People who are instructed to self-isolate by NHS Test and has throughout the pandemic been offered to local and Trace and are on a qualifying means-tested benefit, authorities. unable to work from home and losing income as a result may be entitled to a payment of £500 from their local Mrs Hodgson [V]: In November, a constituent of mine authority. was told to isolate via the NHS covid-19 app. She would have been eligible for the isolation payment, but as she Vicky Foxcroft [V]: We need people to self-isolate to was told to isolate via the app, she was never given an control transmission and ease restrictions, yet many are NHS Test and Trace account ID, and therefore her continuing to work as they cannot survive on £95.85 application could go no further. My constituent was statutory sick pay per week. The Chancellor has been affected financially as she could not work, and she has asked about this on numerous occasions, and it was been going round in circles, even with my help, trying to disappointing that nothing new was announced in his access the payment. Can the Minister advise if my Budget. Does the Minister agree that those who do not constituent can still access this payment retrospectively? 637 Oral Answers 9 MARCH 2021 Oral Answers 638 Steve Barclay: It is always difficult to comment without The Chief Secretary to the Treasury (Steve Barclay): seeing the full facts of an individual case, and I know the TheGovernmenthaveprovidedanunprecedentedmultibillion- hon. Lady is always an incredibly assiduous constituency pound package of support for Britain’scharities, including Member and will ensure that the case is looked at. On £750millionof dedicatedfundingthathashelpedmorethan the specifics, I would also point to the fact that there is 15,000 organisations across the country respond to the a wider package of support as well. For example, in impacts of covid-19 and relieve the pressure on our NHS. addition to the self-isolation payments, there is often eligibilityforself-employedworkersthroughtheself-employed Craig Whittaker [V]: As we all know, yesterday marked income support scheme. There is a wide range of measures, International Women’s Day, a day when we celebrate but obviously it will depend on the individual case. and recognise the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. However, this pandemic has Meg Hillier (Hackney South and Shoreditch) (Lab/ also shone a light on domestic abuse and the struggles Co-op): Test and Trace has now been allocated £37 billion, of many women across the country, so will my right hon. but its head, Baroness Dido Harding, has told both the Friend set out what steps he is taking to support charities Public Accounts Committee and the Science and in this field so we can ensure that victims and their children Technology Committee that the big struggle is to get can access the support they need? people to isolate. So, although the Government have provided support for people to self-isolate, surely the Steve Barclay: I join my hon. Friend in marking Chief Secretary can go back and look again to ensure International Women’s Day yesterday, and he raises a that what the Treasury is providing enables test, trace very important issue. That is why my right hon. Friend and isolate to be truly effective, or we are really not going the Chancellor at the Budget last week committed a to beat this pandemic? further £90 million of funding; that, of course, builds on the £125 million announced at the spending review SteveBarclay:Thehon.Ladyisrightabouttheimportance and indeed the earlier £25 million that had also been of Test and Trace; it is key to our unlocking the economy provided, recognising the 65% increase in calls to the and to addressing the much more substantive costs in national domestic abuse hotline and the renewed focus terms of the non-pharmaceutical interventions. As she within Government on this important issue. will know as Chair of the PAC, while I as Chief Secretary and my right hon. Friend the Chancellor will always look Alison Thewliss (Glasgow Central) (SNP) [V]: Charities at the cost of Test and Trace, the bigger prize is getting across these islands have done amazing work through our economy opened. On the substantive point the hon. the pandemic, so with the Finance Bill coming up will Lady raises on the self-isolation payments, again I point the Treasury reward the efforts of these charities and to the fact that at the Budget my right hon. Friend the encourage the public to donate by temporarily increasing Chancellor increased the funding for discretionary support; the rate of gift aid from 20% to 25% and expanding the that sits alongside the £500 itself, and is in addition to small donations scheme to make gift aid much easier to the wider support that the majority of employers provide. claim? James Murray (Ealing North) (Lab/Co-op) [V]: The Steve Barclay: I join the hon. Lady in recognising the Government’s road map out lockdown says that self- huge contribution that charities have made. In respect isolation is critically important to halting the spread of of specific tax measures, obviously they were dealt with disease, yet Baroness Harding has recently admitted by my right hon.