To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he made of the potential merits of the second, third and fourth grants under the Self Employment Income Support Scheme to have a ceiling for the amount of support received, rather than a ceiling for eligibility for support, similar to the model of the Coronavirus Job Retention Support Scheme.

The eligibility criteria for the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) grants have been designed to target support at self-employed people who most need it and who are most reliant on their self-employment income. In addition, the first three SEISS grants have a cap on the amount of support it is possible to receive.

The first SEISS grant was a taxable grant calculated at 80 per cent of three months’ average monthly trading profits, paid out in a single instalment and capped at £7,500 in total. The second SEISS grant was a taxable grant calculated at 70 per cent of three months’ average monthly trading profits, paid out in a single instalment and capped at £6,570 in total. The third SEISS grant is a taxable grant calculated at 80 per cent of three months’ average monthly trading profits, paid out in a single instalment and capped at £7,500 in total.

There will be a fourth SEISS grant covering February to April 2021. The Government will set out further details in due course.