Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has made an equality impact assessment of the decision to close the HMRC helpline between April and September each year.

Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

HMRC conducted a full Equalities Impact Assessment regarding the planned closure of the Self Assessment helpline between 8 April and 30 September 2024. However, HMRC has halted this plan while it engages with stakeholders about how to ensure all taxpayers’ needs are met as the Department shifts more people to online self-service.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department is taking steps to monitor the end destination of vehicle exports to ensure compliance with international sanctions.

Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

HMRC is responsible for the civil and criminal enforcement of export controls and trade sanctions which fall within its customs remit. In addition, for certain trade sanctions outside its customs, HMRC enforces under criminal law on referral from a civil enforcement body.

At UK ports and airports, HMRC in partnership with Border Force carries out targeted risk and intelligence-based checks to ensure traders are compliant with sanction measures and identify breaches.

HMRC takes breaches of sanctions seriously and undertakes a preliminary investigation into all credible allegations of Trade Sanctions offences.

Options for tackling breaches of export controls or sanctions range from the issuing of written warnings, through to compound settlements and, in the most serious cases, referral to the UK Prosecution Authorities for consideration of criminal prosecution.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to section 8.2 of the UK strategic export controls annual report 2022, published on 19 July 2023, HC1681, which countries the 157 end-use cases where non-listed items were prevented from leaving the UK and brought within export controls were destined for; what those items were; and how many items were affected.

Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

We do not put the detail you have requested in the public domain because its disclosure may prejudice operational detection and prevention capabilities.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reason kinship carers can only claim the lower rate of Child Benefit if they already have children for whom they claim Child Benefit; and if he will take steps to review this policy.

Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

The higher rate of Child Benefit can only be paid for the eldest child. It is intended to help all families with children, acknowledging the impact on a family’s finances of the arrival of a child/children in the family. The arrival of a child for the first time may mean for instance that many parents have to give up work altogether or work reduced hours. When Child Benefit ends for the eldest child, the higher rate becomes payable for the next eldest child. The government keeps all policies under review in the usual way.

Financial support for kinship carers is paid at the discretion of the local authority and in accordance with their model for assessing support needs. There is no limit on the level of support, including financial support, that local authorities can provide. The local authority should have in place clear eligibility criteria in relation to the provision of support services.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to page 37 of his Department's publication entitled, Spring Budget 2024: Policy Costings, published in March 2024, if he will publish the figures used by his Department for the size of the tax base in calculating those costings.

Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

The policy costing was based on data reflecting business rates receipts and reliefs as reported by local authorities in the National Non-Domestic Rates forms, which are publicly available on the gov.uk website.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 12 March 2024 to Question 16860,on Housing: Valuation, whether the Valuation Office Agency plans to collect additional (a) dwelling house codes and (b) value significant codes in addition to those used in England for the model.

Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Welsh Government has commissioned the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) to carry out a revaluation of all domestic property in Wales. To facilitate this, the VOA has built an Automated Valuation Model which has produced values for 1.46 million properties.

The following external datasets were used:

• Land Registry Price Paid data to supplement VOA sales data
• Land Registry Title Polygons and Ordnance Survey National Geographic Database for plot sizes for houses
• Ordnance Survey Master Map for building footprints for houses
• House Price Index to adjust sales in time
• National Statistics Postcode Lookup (NSPL) to incorporate Census Geography
• Ordnance Survey AddressBase Premium for latest property coordinate data
• Energy Performance Certificates

Additionally, as part of model development, sales verification was undertaken. VOA staff used a range of available data, such as aerial and street view photography, sales particulars, EPC certificates and Local Authority Planning websites to verify the usefulness of the sale.

The VOA has not collected additional codes over and above those already used within England and Wales.

I would observe that this is a policy proposed by the Labour Welsh Government, and does not represent the policy position of the UK Government in England.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 12 March 2024 to Question 16860 on Housing: Valuation, how many value estimates have been produced using the Valuation Office Agency's automated valuation model.

Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Welsh Government has commissioned the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) to carry out a revaluation of all domestic property in Wales. To facilitate this, the VOA has built an Automated Valuation Model which has produced values for 1.46 million properties.

The following external datasets were used:

• Land Registry Price Paid data to supplement VOA sales data
• Land Registry Title Polygons and Ordnance Survey National Geographic Database for plot sizes for houses
• Ordnance Survey Master Map for building footprints for houses
• House Price Index to adjust sales in time
• National Statistics Postcode Lookup (NSPL) to incorporate Census Geography
• Ordnance Survey AddressBase Premium for latest property coordinate data
• Energy Performance Certificates

Additionally, as part of model development, sales verification was undertaken. VOA staff used a range of available data, such as aerial and street view photography, sales particulars, EPC certificates and Local Authority Planning websites to verify the usefulness of the sale.

The VOA has not collected additional codes over and above those already used within England and Wales.

I would observe that this is a policy proposed by the Labour Welsh Government, and does not represent the policy position of the UK Government in England.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 12 March 2024 to Question 16860 on Housing: Valuation, which already available data from third parties was used for the model development.

Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Welsh Government has commissioned the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) to carry out a revaluation of all domestic property in Wales. To facilitate this, the VOA has built an Automated Valuation Model which has produced values for 1.46 million properties.

The following external datasets were used:

• Land Registry Price Paid data to supplement VOA sales data
• Land Registry Title Polygons and Ordnance Survey National Geographic Database for plot sizes for houses
• Ordnance Survey Master Map for building footprints for houses
• House Price Index to adjust sales in time
• National Statistics Postcode Lookup (NSPL) to incorporate Census Geography
• Ordnance Survey AddressBase Premium for latest property coordinate data
• Energy Performance Certificates

Additionally, as part of model development, sales verification was undertaken. VOA staff used a range of available data, such as aerial and street view photography, sales particulars, EPC certificates and Local Authority Planning websites to verify the usefulness of the sale.

The VOA has not collected additional codes over and above those already used within England and Wales.

I would observe that this is a policy proposed by the Labour Welsh Government, and does not represent the policy position of the UK Government in England.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will introduce alternative arrangements for HMRC to answer calls during the self-assessment telephone helpline closure between 8 April and 30 September 2024.

Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

HMRC has halted its planned changes to the Self Assessment, VAT and PAYE telephone helplines between April and September 2024 while it engages with stakeholders about how to ensure all taxpayers’ needs are met as the Department shifts more people to online self-service.

HMRC encourages customers to use its online services and the HMRC App where they can. These offer quicker and easier handling of most transactions and queries.

However, for those who are vulnerable, digitally excluded, or have complex tax affairs, HMRC's helpline and webchat advisers will remain available to provide the necessary support.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make it his policy for strategic export controls annual reports to provide separate figures for voluntary disclosures and seizures in relation to (a) strategic export restrictions and (b) trade sanctions.

Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

HMRC will take this request away for consideration.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to question 1 of his Department's consultation on business rates avoidance and evasion, published in July 2023, and to page 37 of his Department's publication entitled, Spring Budget 2024: Policy Costings, published in March 2024, whether his Department made an assessment of the potential merits of extending the reset period for empty property relief to six months.

Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

Responses to the Business Rates Avoidance and Evasion consultation made clear that avoidance of business rates through abuse of Empty Property Relief (EPR) is an area we need to take action on. Most respondents, and all those from local government, agreed that extending the EPR ‘reset period’ is an effective means of reducing rates avoidance. Extending the reset period to 13 weeks will help ensure a level playing field between ratepayers while maintaining support for landlords while they seek new tenants for vacant properties.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to question 1 of his Department's consultation on business rates avoidance and evasion, published in July 2023, and to page 37 of his Department's publication entitled, Spring Budget 2024: Policy Costings, published in March 2024, whether his Department made an estimate of the Exchequer impact of extending the reset period for empty property relief to six months.

Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

Responses to the Business Rates Avoidance and Evasion consultation made clear that avoidance of business rates through abuse of Empty Property Relief (EPR) is an area we need to take action on. Most respondents, and all those from local government, agreed that extending the EPR ‘reset period’ is an effective means of reducing rates avoidance. Extending the reset period to 13 weeks will help ensure a level playing field between ratepayers while maintaining support for landlords while they seek new tenants for vacant properties.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to publish a report on the impact of Consumer Duty on consumer contact with financial services firms in the 12 months since it's establishment.

Answered by Bim Afolami - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government has no plans to publish a report on the impact of the Consumer Duty.

The Consumer Duty was introduced by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), which is operationally independent from Government and is directly accountable to Parliament for how it carries out its functions. The FCA has committed to monitoring the outcomes experienced by different consumer groups, including those in vulnerable circumstances, to check they are not being disadvantaged as a result of the Duty. It also publishes information about the implementation of the Consumer Duty by firms, including examples of good practice and areas for improvement, on its website: https://www.fca.org.uk/firms/consumer-duty

The Financial Services and Markets Act 2023 introduced a new requirement on the financial services regulators to keep their rules under review, and to publish a statement of policy for how they conduct rule reviews. The FCA’s rule review framework can be found at: https://www.fca.org.uk/publications/corporate-documents/our-rule-review-framework.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to increase the financial inclusion of people with a learning disability.

Answered by Bim Afolami - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government aims to ensure that all people have access to useful and affordable financial products and services. To promote financial inclusion, the Government works closely with the regulators and stakeholders from the public, private and third sectors.

The FCA’s vulnerability guidance requires firms to identify vulnerable customers, which can include those with a learning disability, and to consider the needs of these customers appropriately.

The Consumer Duty builds on this work by raising the standard expected from firms for all customers with a focus on delivering good outcomes and preventing harm.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many full time equivalent staff are dedicated to the work of the Illicit Tobacco Taskforce; how often will the taskforce meet; has the taskforce met to date; whether illicit vaping products will be included as part of its remit; and what recent estimate has he made of losses in tax revenue from the illicit trade in (a) tobacco and (b) vaping products in each of the last 10 years.

Answered by Gareth Davies - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

We plan to establish the taskforce during 2024/25. We are not yet able to give details on meeting frequency or staff numbers.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what fiscal steps his Department is taking to provide financial support for disabled people with the rise in the cost of living.

Answered by Bim Afolami - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The government has demonstrated its commitment to supporting the most vulnerable. Over the last two years, the government has provided support to help households with the cost of living totalling £96 billion – an average of £3400 per UK household.

Individuals who incur extra cost due to a long-term health conditions or disability may be eligible for Personal Independence Payment, which can be worth over £8,900 per year. This has been complemented in recent years with two £150 Disability Cost of Living Payments, to help the most vulnerable through the period of high inflation.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the adequacy of funding for social care.

Answered by Laura Trott - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

The government has made available up to £8.6bn in additional funding over this financial year and next to support adult social care and discharge. This includes £500m announced in January which has specifically been made available to support local authorities with the cost of social care in 2024-25 in response to representations from local government stakeholders. This funding will enable local authorities to buy more care packages, help people leave hospital on time, improve workforce recruitment and retention, and reduce waiting times for care.

At Spring Budget, the government announced it is investing £165 million over the next 4 years to significantly expand the capacity of the children’s home estate in England, improving outcomes for looked after children and unlocking productivity savings by reducing local government reliance on emergency provision. The government is also exploring further ways to combat profiteering and bring down costs in the children’s care market. This is in addition to the £200 million the government has already committed in response to the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government what, if any, statutory powers the Bank of England has to issue binding directions to (1) the Prudential Regulation Authority, (2) the Financial Conduct Authority, and (3) the Payment Systems Regulator; and on how many occasions in each year since 2007 they have been exercised.

Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Treasury has statutory powers to issue directions to the Bank of England, which can only be used under specific conditions or circumstances. None of the powers outlined below have ever been used.

• Under section 4 of the Bank of England Act 1946, the Treasury may direct the Bank, after consultation with the Governor, to action that is deemed to be necessary in the public interest. This power of direction applies to all of the Bank’s activities, with the exception of monetary policy and the exercise of the Bank’s functions as the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA).

• Under section 19 of the Bank of England Act 1998, the Treasury may by order, after consultation with the Governor, direct the Bank with respect to monetary policy if it is deemed to be in the public interest and required by extreme economic circumstances.

• Under section 410 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, the Treasury may direct the PRA and the Bank to not take an action that would be incompatible with the UK’s international obligations.

• Under Section 61 of the Financial Services Act 2012, the Treasury may direct the Bank on specific measures relating to the assistance to or stabilisation of financial institutions.

The Bank of England also has powers to direct the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA), Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and Payment Systems Regulator (PSR).

• Under section 9H of the Bank of England Act 1998, the Bank of England’s Financial Policy Committee (FPC) has powers of direction over the PRA and FCA (limited to the use of specific macroprudential tools). To date, the FPC has only ever used this power to implement the Leverage Ratio.

• Under sections 9Y and 9Z of the Bank of England Act 1998, the Bank may direct the FCA to provide documents or information that the Bank reasonably requires for its financial stability functions. This power has never been used.

• Under section 100 of the Financial Services (Banking Reform) Act 2013, the Bank has the power to direct the PSR not to exercise its powers, under specific circumstances. This power has never been used.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of slowing wage growth on household finances and consumer spending; and what steps they are taking to mitigate any negative impact.

Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

Real wages have increased for seven consecutive months and are 1.1% above their pre-pandemic level.

ONS retail sales volumes increased by 3.4% on the month in January, representing a full recovery of the decline seen in December 2023.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government what, if any, statutory powers they have to issue binding directions to the Bank of England; and on how many occasions in each year since 2007 they have been exercised.

Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Treasury has statutory powers to issue directions to the Bank of England, which can only be used under specific conditions or circumstances. None of the powers outlined below have ever been used.

• Under section 4 of the Bank of England Act 1946, the Treasury may direct the Bank, after consultation with the Governor, to action that is deemed to be necessary in the public interest. This power of direction applies to all of the Bank’s activities, with the exception of monetary policy and the exercise of the Bank’s functions as the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA).

• Under section 19 of the Bank of England Act 1998, the Treasury may by order, after consultation with the Governor, direct the Bank with respect to monetary policy if it is deemed to be in the public interest and required by extreme economic circumstances.

• Under section 410 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, the Treasury may direct the PRA and the Bank to not take an action that would be incompatible with the UK’s international obligations.

• Under Section 61 of the Financial Services Act 2012, the Treasury may direct the Bank on specific measures relating to the assistance to or stabilisation of financial institutions.

The Bank of England also has powers to direct the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA), Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and Payment Systems Regulator (PSR).

• Under section 9H of the Bank of England Act 1998, the Bank of England’s Financial Policy Committee (FPC) has powers of direction over the PRA and FCA (limited to the use of specific macroprudential tools). To date, the FPC has only ever used this power to implement the Leverage Ratio.

• Under sections 9Y and 9Z of the Bank of England Act 1998, the Bank may direct the FCA to provide documents or information that the Bank reasonably requires for its financial stability functions. This power has never been used.

• Under section 100 of the Financial Services (Banking Reform) Act 2013, the Bank has the power to direct the PSR not to exercise its powers, under specific circumstances. This power has never been used.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government, following the publication of the draft Payment Services (Amendment) Regulations 2024, what steps they are taking to introduce legal safeguards to protect consumer rights and ensure transparency in the process of delaying payments for further investigation.

Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

The government takes the issue of fraud very seriously and is dedicated to protecting the public from this devastating crime.

The government has published draft legislation that allows the sending of payments to be delayed where there are reasonable grounds to suspect fraud or dishonesty, and more time is needed to contact the customer or relevant third parties.

Subject to some exceptions to ensure Payment Service Providers (PSPs) meet other legal obligations, for example around tackling financial crime, PSPs will be obliged to inform the customer, set out the reasoning behind a delay, and what information or actions are needed to enable the PSP to decide whether to execute the payment.

The government intends to introduce this legislation in summer 2024 and, subject to Parliamentary approval, for it to come into force on 7 October 2024.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether recurring financial provision will be made to implement the Windsor Framework; and, if so, what quantum they are expecting.

Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

As set out in the Statement of Funding Policy, the UK Government will fund the direct costs associated with reaching the required level of compliance to implement the UK Government’s obligations under the Windsor Framework. Funding will continue to be provided to the Northern Ireland Executive for this purpose through the Estimates process.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton on 12 March (HL Deb col 1905), how much money the United Kingdom pays to the European Union annually; on what that money is spent; and what plans they have, and to what timescale, for its reduction.

Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

Details of how much money the UK has paid the EU under the Withdrawal Agreement, its purposes, forecasts of future payments and timings are set out in the annual European Union Finances Statement. The most recent version covers payments made in 2023 and is available in the library of the House and on Gov.uk.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that customs controls do not disproportionately affect small and medium-sized businesses trading between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government is committed to ensuring smooth trade flows within the UK internal market.

The UK Internal Market Scheme (UKIMS) replaced the previous UK Trader Scheme on 30 September 2023. UKIMS allows a much wider range of businesses to move goods into Northern Ireland under the existing ‘not at risk’ arrangements than the previous scheme, with over 3,000 new businesses now authorised.

Under UKIMS, the turnover threshold below which companies involved in processing can move eligible goods under the scheme quadrupled from the old £500,000 limit up to £2m, benefiting SMEs. From 30 September 2024, UKIMS traders will also be able to benefit from the new simplified processes for UK internal market movements which will scrap burdensome supplementary declarations and allow for the use of a simpler dataset based on standard commercial information as opposed to full customs declarations as is required currently.

There is tailored support available for all sizes of businesses trading between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, including small and medium-sized businesses, via the free-to-use Trader Support Service (TSS).

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made in March in simplifying trade procedures between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, to minimise disruption for businesses.

Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government is committed to ensuring smooth trade flows within the UK internal market.

The UK Internal Market Scheme (UKIMS) replaced the previous UK Trader Scheme on 30 September 2023, allowing a much wider range of businesses to move goods into Northern Ireland under the existing ‘not at risk’ arrangements, with over 3,000 new businesses now authorised.

From 30 September 2024, UKIMS traders will also be able to benefit from the new simplified processes for UK internal market movements which will scrap burdensome supplementary declarations and allow for the use of a simpler dataset based on standard commercial information as opposed to full customs declarations as is required currently.

There is also tailored support available for businesses trading between Great Britain and Northern Ireland via the free-to-use Trader Support Service (TSS).

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure a consistent and friction-free supply of goods to Northern Ireland from Great Britain.

Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government is committed to ensuring smooth trade flows within the UK internal market.

The UK Internal Market Scheme (UKIMS) replaced the previous UK Trader Scheme on 30 September 2023, allowing a much wider range of businesses to move goods into Northern Ireland under the existing ‘not at risk’ arrangements, with over 3,000 new businesses now authorised.

From 30 September 2024, UKIMS traders will also be able to benefit from the new simplified processes for UK internal market movements which will scrap burdensome supplementary declarations and allow for the use of a simpler dataset based on standard commercial information as opposed to full customs declarations as is required currently.

There is also tailored support available for businesses trading between Great Britain and Northern Ireland via the free-to-use Trader Support Service (TSS).

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the quality of customer services provided by His Majesty's Revenue and Customers to taxpayers; and whether they will undertake a review or ask an independent third party to do so.

Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

The quality of HMRC's customer service is regularly assessed by various bodies, including the Treasury Select Committee, National Audit Office, independent Adjudicator's Office, and Public Accounts Committee. HMRC also has internal customer surveys and key performance metrics to monitor its customer service objectives as outlined in the HMRC Charter.

HMRC Performance is published on a monthly and quarterly basis on GOV.UK:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmrc-monthly-performance-reports

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmrc-quarterly-performance-updates

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential (1) costs, and (2) benefits, of reintroducing tax-free shopping for international visitors, including the impact on (a) retail sales, (b) employment levels, and (c) economic recovery.

Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

As set out at Spring Budget 2024, the government is considering the findings of the OBR’s review of the original costing of the withdrawal of tax-free shopping, published in the Economic and Fiscal Outlook on 6 March, alongside industry representations and broader data. The government welcomes further submissions in response to the OBR’s findings.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to table 8.5 in the UK strategic export controls annual report 2022, published on 19 July 2023, HC1681, of the strategic exports and sanctions seizures in each year, how many and what proportion related to (a) strategic exports controls seizures and (b) goods subject to trade sanctions; what the destination countries were for each seizure; and in each case, (i) what and (ii) how many items were seized.

Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

Information on seizures of goods subject to sanctions and strategic export controls is available here:
UK strategic export controls annual report 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to table 8.4 of the UK strategic export controls annual report 2022, published on 19 July 2023, HC1681, of the voluntary disclosures received, how many and what proportion related to (a) export controls and (b) sanctions violations; and what the destination country for each case was.

Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

Information on voluntary disclosures relating to trade sanctions and strategic export controls is available here:

UK strategic export controls annual report 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to section 8.2 of the UK strategic export controls annual report 2022, published on 19 July 2023, HC1681, what the (a) value and (b) destination country of each compound settlement issued by HMRC was.

Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

Information on Compound Settlements issued by HMRC are available here:

UK strategic export controls annual report 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions has he had with businesses on tax-free shopping for international visitors.

Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

As the UK’s economic and finance ministry, HM Treasury has regular discussions with representatives from a wide range of industries including travel and retail as well as business representative organisations covering many sectors.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the evidential basis is for his Department's tweet of 6 January 2024 that the UK had the lowest effective average personal tax rate in the G7; and what the effective average personal tax rate is in each G7 country.

Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government is committed to rewarding hard work through a fair and simple tax system that is also competitive internationally. The Government is taking a responsible approach by delivering tax cuts within the fiscal rules.

The tweet of 6 January 2024 was based on the most recently published data from the OECD’s Taxing Wages 2023 publication. This shows the total personal tax liability divided by salary for a single employed individual with no children on average earnings for Germany (37.4%), Italy (28.8%), France (27.7%), Canada (25.6%), the US (24.8%) and Japan (22.3%). Following the 2p NICs cut made at Autumn Statement, the effective personal tax rate for an employee on £44,300 (the OECD’s figure for UK average earnings) reduced from 23.6% to 21.5%, which would be the lowest rate in the G7, according to the latest available OECD data. This has fallen to 20.1% following the further 2p NICs cut made at Spring Budget.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of when defence spending will reach 2.5% of GDP; whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of raising defence spending to 3% of GDP; and if he will have discussions with the Leader of the House on finding time to debate the Early Day Motion in the name of the hon. Member for Clacton, number 455, on Future defence spending.

Answered by Laura Trott - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

The government has consistently prioritised defence spending. The Ministry of Defence was the first department to get certainty on its budgets in this Parliament. This settlement was the largest sustained spending increase in defence since the end of the Cold War, with a £24 billion uplift in cash terms over the four-year period. In March 2023, we also provided an extra £11 billion for defence and national security priorities over the next five years, with £4.95 billion over the next two years.

The government’s aspiration over the longer-term is to invest 2.5% of GDP on defence, when the fiscal and economic circumstances allow.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the announcement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 2 March concerning the requirement by 2027 for pension funds to disclose how much they invest in British businesses, what steps they are taking to assess the potential consequences on overall competitiveness and attractiveness of the UK as an investment destination.

Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Chancellor announced at Spring Budget that the government will introduce new requirements for Defined Contribution pension funds to disclose publicly their level of UK equity investments, working closely with the Financial Conduct Authority (the FCA) who share responsibility for setting requirements for the market. The FCA will consult in the Spring. The government will introduce equivalent requirements for Local Government Pension Scheme funds in England & Wales. The government will review what further action should be taken if the data does not demonstrate that UK equity allocations are increasing.

This complements the wider reforms that the Government and regulators are already undertaking to boost UK markets.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are considering to mitigate the potential inflationary effects of the increase in the National Living Wage and the National Minimum Wage.

Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

In March 2020 the Office for Budget Responsibility estimated that meeting the National Living Wage target of 2/3rds of median earnings by 2024 would increase the level of consumer price inflation by less than 0.1 per cent across that period. Evidence shows employers respond to minimum wage increases in a variety of ways, most commonly by absorbing the additional cost and accepting lower profits.

Inflation reduces real incomes, creates uncertainty, and slows economic growth. It’s essential that the government continues with its efforts to keep inflation down. Inflation has more than halved, falling from its peak of 11.1% in October 2022 to 3.4% in February. The OBR forecasts that inflation will return to the 2% target in the second quarter of this year, a year earlier than forecast in November.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is the timetable for the launch of the British ISA announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Budget Statement on 6 March.

Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

At Spring Budget 2024, the Chancellor announced the creation of a UK ISA. Alongside this, the Government published a consultation seeking responses on the policy design and implementation. The consultation closes on 6^th June 2024, after which we will consider responses and next steps.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what information his Department holds on the number of (a) mortgage term extensions, (b) interest-only payment switches and (c) repossessions in relation to a mortgaged property since the publication of the Mortgage Charter on 26 June 2023.

Answered by Bim Afolami - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government’s Mortgage Charter - in addition to the significant safeguards already in place - is providing support to vulnerable households, and mortgage arrears and repossessions remain low.

On 22 March the Financial Conduct Authority published data on the uptake of the Mortgage Charter since July 2023. (https://www.fca.org.uk/data/mortgage-charter-uptake).

More broadly, there is a wide variety of data and statistics about the mortgage market in the UK available from the Bank of England (https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/statistics), the Financial Conduct Authority (https://www.fca.org.uk/data) and UK Finance (https://www.ukfinance.org.uk/data-and-research/data).

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the potential impact of the Mortgage Charter on levels of (a) forbearance, (b) arrears and (c) repossessions.

Answered by Bim Afolami - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government’s Mortgage Charter - in addition to the significant safeguards already in place - is providing support to vulnerable households, and mortgage arrears and repossessions remain low.

On 22 March the Financial Conduct Authority published data on the uptake of the Mortgage Charter since July 2023. (https://www.fca.org.uk/data/mortgage-charter-uptake).

More broadly, there is a wide variety of data and statistics about the mortgage market in the UK available from the Bank of England (https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/statistics), the Financial Conduct Authority (https://www.fca.org.uk/data) and UK Finance (https://www.ukfinance.org.uk/data-and-research/data).

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government, following reports that the economy returned to growth in January after entering a recession in the second half of 2023, what steps they are taking to (1) support, and (2) sustain positive momentum in, sectors of the economy which have shown signs of growth in 2024.

Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

The government is pursuing an ambitious policy agenda to increase growth and productivity across the economy. This includes making full expensing permanent, a tax cut to companies of over £10 billion a year, to ensure the UK has one of the most generous capital allowances regimes in the world and backing the UK’s priority growth sectors. At Spring Budget 2024, the government set out the next steps in delivering a £4.5 billion funding package for strategic manufacturing sectors over the five years to 2030 and announced over £1 billion of new tax reliefs for creative industries.

The IMF forecasts that the UK will have the third fastest cumulative growth in the G7 over the 2024-2028 period and the OBR expects that policies announced in the previous three fiscal events will increase the size of the economy by 0.7% by 2028-29.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the UK can apply any duty rate on alcoholic beverages in Northern Ireland which are below the EU minimum rate.

Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

The same alcohol duty rates apply across the whole UK. The new alcohol duty system was implemented on 1 August 2023 and moves all alcohol to taxation by strength for the first time. The rates were set at the right level to support businesses and meet public health objectives.

We have implemented these broad reforms across the whole of the UK: taxation by strength, Draught Relief, and Small Producer Relief. This was impossible in Northern Ireland under the original Protocol. The Windsor Framework secured substantive, legally binding changes to ensure that Northern Ireland benefits from the same VAT and alcohol taxes as apply in the rest of the United Kingdom.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 21 March 2024 to Question 19192 on Tax Avoidance, whether it is his Department's policy to cease recovery of any liabilities incurred before December 2010 in cases where a taxpayer has not received an update for a period of 12 months or more from the initial date of an open enquiry or assessment.

Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

In the 2019 Independent Loan Charge Review, Lord Morse recommended that the Loan Charge should only apply to loans made on or after 9 December 2010. The Government accepted this recommendation.

Lord Morse was also clear that, for years before this date, where there is an open enquiry or assessment under appeal, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) should still have the ability to pursue the tax due under the existing rules. HMRC has proceeded on this basis and it is its policy to collect tax where it has the ability to do so.

As part of its overall compliance processes and its commitment to update taxpayers at least annually, all of these taxpayers should have received correspondence from HMRC in the last 12 months.

When HMRC opens an enquiry, the information sheet provided includes information about a taxpayer’s right to apply to the First Tier Tribunal for the enquiry to be closed. One of the grounds for making such an application is where there has been an excessive delay during which a taxpayer has not received any communication from HMRC.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made representations to the Minister for Women and Equalities in support of a 0% VAT rate on audiobooks to prevent discrimination against people with (a) dyslexia, (b) sight (i) loss and (ii) impairment and (c) disabilities preventing them from holding a physical book.

Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government is committed to supporting those with disabilities who may struggle to access physical books and therefore rely more heavily on audiobooks. In line with its statutory obligations under the Equality Act, the Government carefully considers the impact of VAT policy on those with disabilities.

However, there is never any guarantee that any VAT cut is passed onto consumers. It is therefore not clear that cutting the VAT on audiobooks would actually benefit consumers, including those with disabilities.

Given this, the government does not currently have any plans to change the VAT treatment of audiobooks.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of charging VAT on (a) academic and (b) other educational audiobooks on access to education for people with (i) dyslexia, (ii) sight loss and (iii) impairment who cannot hold books.

Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government is committed to supporting those with disabilities who may struggle to access physical books and therefore rely more heavily on audiobooks. In line with its statutory obligations under the Equality Act, the Government carefully considers the impact of VAT policy on those with disabilities.

However, there is never any guarantee that any VAT cut is passed onto consumers. It is therefore not clear that cutting the VAT on audiobooks would actually benefit consumers, including those with disabilities.

Given this, the government does not currently have any plans to change the VAT treatment of audiobooks.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to his Department's publication entitled HMT ministers’ overseas travel, published on 21 March 2024, how much of the £15,991 spent on his visit to the USA from 20 to 22 October 2023 was spent on air travel.

Answered by Gareth Davies - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government publishes details of Ministerial travel on GOV.UK. As has been the case under successive administrations, the Government does not publish granular detail on Ministers' travel either at home or abroad.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the systemic impact from the Financial Conduct Authority’s crackdown on wealth management services under the Consumer Duty; what estimate they have made of the likely total compensation that will need to be paid by wealth management firms; and what other areas of the financial sector they expect to be impacted by the Consumer Duty.

Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

Requirements regarding financial adviser ongoing services started in 2013 following the Retail Distribution Review, with additional requirements resulting from the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive in 2018.

In February, the FCA wrote to a number of financial adviser firms requesting information about their delivery of ongoing services, for which their clients continue to be charged. The FCA is collecting this information to assess what, if any, further regulatory work it may undertake in this area.

The FCA’s new Consumer Duty seeks to set a higher and clearer standard of care that firms owe their customers. The FCA is an independent non-governmental body and is responsible for determining the application of the relevant rules. The Government will continue to monitor the effectiveness of Consumer Duty rules, as they bed in and as industry becomes more familiar with them.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will allow British National (Overseas) visa holders to voluntarily pay up to 15 years' worth of Class 3 national insurance contributions towards a state pension, in cases where such visa holders have been denied access to their Mandatory Provident Fund pension savings by HSBC.

Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

British National Overseas individuals who live or work abroad (or have previously) are usually able to make backdated voluntary National Insurance contributions payments for the previous six tax years where they have either previously lived in the UK for three years in a row or paid at least three years of contributions.

For the tax years 2016 to 2017 and 2017 to 2018 the government has extended the deadline for paying voluntary contributions to 5 April 2025.

The deadline has also been extended to 5 April 2025 for eligible customers to pay voluntary contributions for the tax years 6 April 2006 to 5 April 2016. Further guidance on the eligibility and deadlines for making voluntary contributions, including for those living or working abroad is published online at https://www.gov.uk/voluntary-national-insurance-contributions(opens in a new tab).

The Government keeps all taxes under review.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government, following reports that public expectations for inflation have fallen to the lowest level in over two years, what assessment they have made of the impact of falling expectations on (1) wage growth trends, and (2) employment dynamics; and what steps they are taking to address any potential challenges in sustaining wage growth while maintaining price stability.

Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

Inflation has more than halved, falling from its peak of 11.1% in October 2022 to 3.4% in February 2024 and nominal whole economy total pay has fallen from a peak of 8.9% in the three months to June to 5.6% in the three months to January 2024.

In the three months to January 2024 the unemployment rate was 3.9%, up by 0.1ppt on the year but low by historical standards. The OBR forecast that there will be a moderate rise in unemployment to a peak of 4.5% in Q4 2024 before declining to 4.1% by 2028.

Whilst inflation has fallen it still remains above the 2% target. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) continues to have the government’s full support as it takes action to sustainably return it to target.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the evidential basis is for his Department's tweet of 29 September 2023 that the UK was the fastest growing European G7 country since 2010.

Answered by Bim Afolami - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The calculations underlying this statistic were based on public information available on the 29 September 2023, including quarterly GDP data published by the Office for National Statistics for the UK and OECD data for the remaining G7 European economies.

The data showed that cumulative GDP growth in the UK from the beginning of 2010 (change on 2009 Q4) through to 2023 Q2 of 24.2% was greater than that of France (16.4%), Italy (3.5%) and Germany (21.2%).

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to ensure the National Payments Vision results in meaningful competition in retail payments.

Answered by Bim Afolami - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

Payments are essential to the UK’s economy, both for individuals and for businesses, and are a cornerstone of growth and competitiveness. The government is committed to maintaining the UK’s reputation for a world-leading payments ecosystem and will publish the National Payments Vision as soon as possible later this year.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, which stakeholders he is consulting on the National Payments Vision.

Answered by Bim Afolami - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

Payments are essential to the UK’s economy, both for individuals and for businesses, and are a cornerstone of growth and competitiveness. The government is committed to maintaining the UK’s reputation for a world-leading payments ecosystem and will publish the National Payments Vision as soon as possible later this year.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he plans to publish the National Payments Vision.

Answered by Bim Afolami - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

Payments are essential to the UK’s economy, both for individuals and for businesses, and are a cornerstone of growth and competitiveness. The government is committed to maintaining the UK’s reputation for a world-leading payments ecosystem and will publish the National Payments Vision as soon as possible later this year.

We want the Government to increase the 40% tax bracket in line with inflation. They have frozen this, which we believe is causing people to work longer and harder to earn a decent living. Working people should not be penalised for wanting to have a good quality of life for their families.

We want the Government to make it a statutory requirement for creditors to have to check the ID of people applying for credit, to better protect people from fraud and identity theft.

We want the Government to remove any form of tax implications on bonuses. Bonuses are rewards for our hard work and we believe should not be taxed.

We want the Government to reduce the withdrawal penalty from a Lifetime ISA from 25% to 20% so savers needing to withdraw for reasons other than first time buying or retirement, are not punished for wanting to reallocate their savings.

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Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government when the Euston ministerial task force was created; what are its terms of reference; who are its members; on what dates has it met; and whether it intends to publish minutes of its meetings or other relevant papers.

Answered by Lord Davies of Gower - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The establishment of the Euston Quarter Ministerial Task Force was announced at Spring Budget on 6 March 2024. It will oversee the next stages of delivery at Euston, set strategic direction and facilitate decision making. Membership of the Task Force will include Ministers from the Department for Transport, HM Treasury and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. Officials from these Government Departments and the Infrastructure and Projects Authority will also attend. Further details will be confirmed in due course.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what (a) criteria and (b) assessment process was used to determine the award of up to £75 million to BMW made under section 8 of the Industrial Development Act 1982.

Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The award to BMW met the following criteria;

• The award is associated with a strategically important and significant opportunity related to an internationally mobile investment.
• Significant private sector investment will be leveraged.
• A significant number of jobs will be created and/or safeguarded.
• The award meets Government’s value for money requirements.
• The award is deemed legally compliant in accordance with the UK Subsidy Control Act 2022

The assessment process followed HM Treasury Green Book Appraisal Guidance including detailed due diligence conducted by an independent third party. The assessment process also included scrutiny by the Industrial Development Advisory Board.

The award to BMW supports a total investment of £575m by the company and will secure production of new electric models of the Mini at the plant in Oxford.

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