Asked by: Baroness Wheatcroft (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Ministerial Directions have been issued in Her Majesty's Treasury since October 2020; and what matters they related to.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
None.
There have been two Ministerial Directions issued since October 2020: one by the Secretary of State in Defra concerning a Movement Assistance Scheme to support traders moving agri-food commodities and equines from Great Britain to Northern Ireland; and one by the Secretary of State in the then Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government concerning the funding of fire alarms and walking watches for private and social sector buildings over 18 metres with unsafe cladding.
Asked by: Baroness Wheatcroft (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Ministerial Directions have been issued since October 2020.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
There have been two Ministerial Directions issued since October 2020: one by the Secretary of State in Defra concerning a Movement Assistance Scheme to support traders moving agri-food commodities and equines from Great Britain to Northern Ireland; and one by the Secretary of State in the then Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government concerning the funding of fire alarms and walking watches for private and social sector buildings over 18 metres with unsafe cladding.
Asked by: Baroness Wheatcroft (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what consultation they have had, if any, with (1) Visit Britain, (2) the British Retail Consortium, (3) the Walpole Group, (4) the Airport Operators Association, and,(5) the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions, about the decision to end the VAT Retail Export Scheme.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The Government published a consultation on the potential approach to duty-free and tax-free goods following the transition period which ran from 11 March to 20 May. During this time the Government held a number of virtual meetings with stakeholders to hear their views, and received 73 responses to the consultation. The Government is also continuing to meet and discuss with stakeholders following the announcement of these policies.
The detailed rationale for these changes and a list of respondents to the consultation can be found in the summary of responses to the consultation.
HMRC estimate that VAT Retail Export Scheme refunds cost about £0.5 billion in VAT in 2019 for about 1.2 million non-EU visitors. HMRC also estimate that fewer than one in ten non-EU visitors use the VAT Retail Export Scheme.
In 2019 the ONS estimate there were substantially more EU visitors (24.8 million) than non-EU passengers (16.0 million) to the UK. This implies an extension to EU residents would significantly increase the cost by up to an estimated £0.9 billion. This would result in a large amount of deadweight loss by subsidising spending from EU visitors which already happens without a refund mechanism in place, potentially taking the total cost up to about £1.4 billion per annum.
The final costings will be subject to scrutiny by the independent Office for Budget Responsibility and will be set out at the next forecast.
Asked by: Baroness Wheatcroft (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact, following the ending of the VAT Retail Export Scheme, on (1) the retail, (2) the tourism, and (3) the attractions, sectors.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The Government published a consultation on the potential approach to duty-free and tax-free goods following the transition period which ran from 11 March to 20 May. During this time the Government held a number of virtual meetings with stakeholders to hear their views, and received 73 responses to the consultation. The Government is also continuing to meet and discuss with stakeholders following the announcement of these policies.
The detailed rationale for these changes and a list of respondents to the consultation can be found in the summary of responses to the consultation.
HMRC estimate that VAT Retail Export Scheme refunds cost about £0.5 billion in VAT in 2019 for about 1.2 million non-EU visitors. HMRC also estimate that fewer than one in ten non-EU visitors use the VAT Retail Export Scheme.
In 2019 the ONS estimate there were substantially more EU visitors (24.8 million) than non-EU passengers (16.0 million) to the UK. This implies an extension to EU residents would significantly increase the cost by up to an estimated £0.9 billion. This would result in a large amount of deadweight loss by subsidising spending from EU visitors which already happens without a refund mechanism in place, potentially taking the total cost up to about £1.4 billion per annum.
The final costings will be subject to scrutiny by the independent Office for Budget Responsibility and will be set out at the next forecast.
Asked by: Baroness Wheatcroft (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what decision they have reached following their consultation on the proposal that employers hiring an ex-offender should receive a National Insurance holiday for that individual.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The Government keeps all taxes under review and will continue to consider this proposal in light of its wider strategy on supporting ex-offenders.
The Government has already taken a number of steps to support ex-offenders in gaining employment, including establishing the New Futures Network, a specialist part of the prison service that brokers partnerships between prisons and employers; and committing to deliver a Prison Education Service, with a key priority being to enable more prisoners to find employment on release.
Asked by: Baroness Wheatcroft (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether (1) the number, and (2) the cost, of (a) those directly employed by government departments, and (b) those hired as consultants by government departments, to work on matters related to Brexit, has increased since the Brexit referendum; and if so, by how much.
Answered by Lord Bates
Whilst HM Treasury has oversight of all policies with spending implications, we do not collate information on recruitment numbers or individual costs, including recruitment and consultancy costs, incurred ahead of EU Exit. Where spend is not novel, contentious or repercussive, and is not above delegated limits, departments have autonomy to incur expenditure without seeking formal HM Treasury clearance.