HMRC to look at impact of COVD-19 job retention scheme on Falkirk businesses

The committee’s Coronavirus and Scotland Report made a number of recommendations to government ministers, including the need to review the impact the coronavirus pandemic economic support packages have had on people throughout the country.

The Scottish Affairs Committee reported stated: “The evidence we have received suggests the economic support packages provided by both the UK and Scottish Governments have been effective.

“Nonetheless, we believe there is a case for conducting a review of the impacts of these packages, ensure they provided value for money and were targeted appropriately, and to see what lessons could be learned for any future similar contingencies.

“This review should take place by Easter 2021 and implement lessons learned into contingency planning by the end of 2021 at the latest.”

In response to this HM Treasury (HMT) and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) have committed to undertaking a detailed evaluation of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) and the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS).

A committee spokesperson said: “Given the economic and fiscal significance of these unprecedented economic support packages, it is important to understand the implementation, impact and value for money of the schemes, and to build an evidence base for future policy making and to inform future services.”

The CJRS evaluation strategy will be published shortly, and the findings of the CJRS evaluation report will be published by the end of the year.

However, the self-employment data necessary to carry out a full Self-Employment Income Support Scheme evaluation will not be available until 2022.