The self-employed have been consistently let down by this government during the last year, particularly those who were on maternity or parental leave shortly before the pandemic. They feel they have faced discrimination and red tape when accessing financial support.
No-one should be penalised for having children.
I’m not convinced that Rishi Sunak is overly worried.
Stephen Kinnock: Community union self-employed members have raised serious concerns about discrimination in the self-employment income support scheme for those who have taken maternity or parental leave. They point out that eligibility conditions and calculation methods chosen by the Chancellor discriminate against women because they do not exempt periods of maternity leave. What steps has the Chancellor taken to ensure that all parents, and women in particular, are not penalised in their income support payments for having children?
Rishi Sunak: The guidance on eligibility for the particular circumstances the hon. Gentleman mentions has been published. It is designed to be fair to everyone and to take into account, as best we can, everyone’s varying and different circumstances.