{"value":{"id":1186643,"askingMemberId":4638,"askingMember":null,"house":"Commons","memberHasInterest":false,"dateTabled":"2020-03-19T00:00:00","dateForAnswer":"2020-03-23T00:00:00","uin":"32276","questionText":"To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to support businesses that may be unable to afford rental payments on properties as a result of loss of income during the covid-19 outbreak.","answeringBodyId":14,"answeringBodyName":"Treasury","isWithdrawn":false,"isNamedDay":false,"groupedQuestions":[],"answerIsHolding":false,"answerIsCorrection":false,"answeringMemberId":3991,"answeringMember":null,"correctingMemberId":null,"correctingMember":null,"dateAnswered":"2020-03-26T00:00:00","answerText":"<p>The Government has already moved to support residential renters by ensuring landlords are unable to start eviction proceedings for at least a three-month period; this now applies to businesses renting commercial properties.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is also providing £20 billion of business rates support and grant funding to help the most affected firms manage their cashflow through this period, including: giving retail, hospitality and leisure businesses in England a 100% business rates holiday for the next 12 months; providing grants of £10,000 to small businesses eligible for Small Business Rate Relief, and; providing further £25,000 grants to retail, hospitality and leisure businesses operating from premises with a rateable value over £15,000 and below £51,000.</p><p> </p><p>SMEs will also be able to access the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme offering loans of up to £5 million through the British Business Bank, backed by an 80% government guarantee.</p><p> </p><p>For larger firms, there is a new lending facility from the Bank of England to help support liquidity, helping them bridge coronavirus disruption to their cash flows through loans.</p><p> </p><p>Finally, the HMRC Time To Pay Scheme is in place for all businesses and self-employed people in financial distress to provide support with their tax affairs.</p>","originalAnswerText":"","comparableAnswerText":"","dateAnswerCorrected":null,"dateHoldingAnswer":null,"attachmentCount":0,"heading":"Business: Coronavirus","attachments":[],"groupedQuestionsDates":[]},"links":[{"rel":"self","href":"/Questions/1186643","method":"GET"}]}