Asked by: Lord Browne of Ladyton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Penn on 14 November (HL Deb col 384), what assessment they have made of the availability of out-of-hours fraud and complaints teams within high street banks; and what consideration they have given to mandating a minimum level of out-of-hours provision.
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. Tackling fraud requires a unified and coordinated response from government, regulators, law enforcement and the private sector to better protect the public and businesses from fraud.
While specific decisions on the opening hours of high street banks and the out-of-hours services provided are commercial decisions for the firm, many of the major UK retail banks provide 24-hour helplines for customers who have been victims of fraud.
More broadly, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) requires banks and building societies to maintain effective systems and controls to prevent financial crime. The FCA’s rules also require firms to properly investigate all complaints, and, through ongoing supervision, it continues to monitor firms’ complaint handling processes.
If certain banks or building societies have more extensive out-of-hours fraud and complaints facilities, customers may choose to switch to an alternative provider using the Current Account Switch Service (CASS). The switch service is free to use and comes with a guarantee to protect customers from financial loss if something goes wrong. This means that customers are more able than ever to hold their banks or building society to account by voting with their feet, and that firms are incentivised to work hard to protect their existing customers from fraud and deal with complaints efficiently.
Asked by: Lord Browne of Ladyton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many civil servants have resigned from the team responsible for capital spending in the Department for Education in each year for the past five years.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The information is not held in the format requested.
Asked by: Lord Browne of Ladyton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the cost of providing 30 hours of free childcare each week to children aged between 9 months and 4 years, with one or both parents in full-time education or training.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department does not hold the data on the number of parents of children under four years of age that are in full time education or training.
In the Spring Budget 2023, the government announced a number of transformative reforms to childcare for parents, children and the economy. By 2027/28, the government will expect to be spending in excess of £8 billion every year on free hours and early education, helping working families with their childcare costs. This represents the single biggest investment in childcare in England ever.
The announcement included the expansion of the 30 hours free childcare offer, through which eligible working parents in England will be able to access 30 hours of free childcare per week for 38 weeks per year from when their child is 9 months old to when they start school. The key objective of this measure is to support parental participation in the labour market, which is why the offer is conditional on work.
All students, who work in addition to their studies and earn the equivalent of at least 16 hours a week at national minimum/living wage, and under £100,000 adjusted net income per year, will be eligible for this offer. If they are unable to meet this threshold, they will remain eligible for the universal 15 hours of free early education, which is available to all 3- and 4-year-olds regardless of family circumstances.
The department recognises the value of parents continuing in education and provides a range of support for students in further or higher education (HE) to support them with childcare.
Eligible undergraduate students attending full-time HE courses qualify for fee loans to meet the full costs of their tuition and partially means-tested loans as a contribution towards their living costs.
Additional support is provided for full-time students with dependent children. This support includes the Childcare Grant and Parents’ Learning Allowance which are based on a student’s household income.
The Childcare Grant is available for parents in HE undertaking a full-time undergraduate course and is paid to help with weekly childcare costs. The amount of childcare grant payable in 2023/24 will be based on 85% of actual childcare costs, subject to a maximum grant of £188.90 per week for one child only or £323.85 per week for two or more children. The Parents’ Learning Allowance is for full-time undergraduate students with one or more dependent children. For the 2023/24 academic year, students could receive up to £1,915 a year depending on household income. Students whose household incomes are £39,796 or less qualify for the full Childcare Grant and Parents Learning Allowance applied for.
In addition to the standard student support package set out above, eligible nursing, midwifery and allied health profession students receive a non-repayable training grant of a minimum of £5,000 per academic year. Eligible students with child dependants can also access a further £2,000 per academic year.
Asked by: Lord Browne of Ladyton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many parents of children under four years of age are in full time education or training.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department does not hold the data on the number of parents of children under four years of age that are in full time education or training.
In the Spring Budget 2023, the government announced a number of transformative reforms to childcare for parents, children and the economy. By 2027/28, the government will expect to be spending in excess of £8 billion every year on free hours and early education, helping working families with their childcare costs. This represents the single biggest investment in childcare in England ever.
The announcement included the expansion of the 30 hours free childcare offer, through which eligible working parents in England will be able to access 30 hours of free childcare per week for 38 weeks per year from when their child is 9 months old to when they start school. The key objective of this measure is to support parental participation in the labour market, which is why the offer is conditional on work.
All students, who work in addition to their studies and earn the equivalent of at least 16 hours a week at national minimum/living wage, and under £100,000 adjusted net income per year, will be eligible for this offer. If they are unable to meet this threshold, they will remain eligible for the universal 15 hours of free early education, which is available to all 3- and 4-year-olds regardless of family circumstances.
The department recognises the value of parents continuing in education and provides a range of support for students in further or higher education (HE) to support them with childcare.
Eligible undergraduate students attending full-time HE courses qualify for fee loans to meet the full costs of their tuition and partially means-tested loans as a contribution towards their living costs.
Additional support is provided for full-time students with dependent children. This support includes the Childcare Grant and Parents’ Learning Allowance which are based on a student’s household income.
The Childcare Grant is available for parents in HE undertaking a full-time undergraduate course and is paid to help with weekly childcare costs. The amount of childcare grant payable in 2023/24 will be based on 85% of actual childcare costs, subject to a maximum grant of £188.90 per week for one child only or £323.85 per week for two or more children. The Parents’ Learning Allowance is for full-time undergraduate students with one or more dependent children. For the 2023/24 academic year, students could receive up to £1,915 a year depending on household income. Students whose household incomes are £39,796 or less qualify for the full Childcare Grant and Parents Learning Allowance applied for.
In addition to the standard student support package set out above, eligible nursing, midwifery and allied health profession students receive a non-repayable training grant of a minimum of £5,000 per academic year. Eligible students with child dependants can also access a further £2,000 per academic year.
Asked by: Lord Browne of Ladyton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the average expenditure on VAT by private, voluntary and independent childcare providers, and (2) the cost to the Treasury of zero-rating those childcare providers.
Answered by Baroness Penn - Minister on Leave (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State)
VAT has been designed as a broad-based tax on consumption, and the twenty per cent standard rate applies to most goods and services. Exceptions to the standard rate have always been strictly limited by both legal and fiscal considerations.
Ofsted-registered nurseries and childcare providers are exempt from VAT. This means they do not have to charge VAT to their customers, but it also means they cannot recover the VAT they incur on the things they buy.
We do not hold data on irrecoverable VAT expenditure as businesses are not required to report this information to HMRC in their VAT returns.
While we keep all taxes under review there are no plans to make changes to the VAT exemption which nurseries currently enjoy. Representations on changes to the VAT system will be considered through the normal fiscal event process.
Asked by: Lord Browne of Ladyton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the average business rates charged to nurseries in England, and (2) the cost of exempting early years providers from business rates.
Answered by Baroness Penn - Minister on Leave (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State)
The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) is responsible for valuing non-domestic property for business rates purposes. Based on VOA data from April 2023, the mean rateable value (RV) for a day nursery or play school in England is £26,400. This indicates that, before applying any relevant reliefs, an average nursery in England would pay around £13,175 in business rates for 2023-24.
The sector has a total RV of around £320 million and represents nearly half a percent of England’s RV. The Government keeps the tax system under review.
At Autumn Statement 2022, the Government announced a freeze to the business rates multiplier. This third consecutive freeze supports all ratepayers, including Early Years businesses, and means bills are 6% lower than without the freeze.
Asked by: Lord Browne of Ladyton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with international partners in respect of the possibility of deploying UK military personnel to support (1) EUFOR’s Operation Althea, or (2) NATO headquarters in Sarajevo.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
The UK Government regularly discusses maintaining stability in the Western Balkans with our NATO Allies and European partners. The UK provides support for EUFOR ALTHEA through NATO (the operation is carried out with recourse to NATO assets and capabilities) and coordinated bilateral exercising. The UK will support the renewal of EUFOR's UN Security Council mandate, due by November.
The UK already has military personnel deployed to NATO's headquarters in Sarajevo.
Asked by: Lord Browne of Ladyton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the African Union's ability and willingness to fulfil its mandate to monitor the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement in Ethiopia.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The African Union (AU) plays an important role in regional stability. The UK believes in African leadership and supports the African Union's role in facilitating the implementation of Ethiopia's Cessation of Hostilities Agreement. We support the critical role that the AU Monitoring, Verification and Compliance Mission continues to play in contributing to more sustainable peace in northern Ethiopia.
Asked by: Lord Browne of Ladyton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made (1) of the resilience of current human rights protections in India, and (2) how human rights issues may affect current and future strategic and security partnerships with India as part of their “Indo-Pacific Tilt”.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The British High Commission in New Delhi consistently monitors human rights across India. The UK Government has a broad and deep partnership with the Government of India and we discuss all elements of our relationship, including human rights, and raise issues where we have them. Both our countries are committed to transforming defence and security cooperation and to enhancing engagements in support of a free, open and secure Indo-Pacific.
Asked by: Lord Browne of Ladyton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Barran on 7 January (HL Deb, col 281), and the statement that "the vast majority of people who gamble do not experience harm", what assessment they have made of the report by Naomi Muggleton et al The association between gambling and financial, social and health outcomes in big financial data, published in Nature on 4 February.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The 2016 combined Health Surveys, estimated that 1.2% of people who gamble are likely to be problem gamblers, with a further 2% at moderate risk, and 4.4% at low risk of experiencing some harm related to gambling. The Health Surveys use two validated screening questionnaires to assess problem gambling, which ask whether respondents have experienced a range of negative behaviours and outcomes related to gambling including spending more than they could afford to lose, chasing losses and borrowing money to pay gambling debts.
Recently published analysis of banking transaction data has demonstrated a correlation between higher rates of gambling spend as a proportion of income and indicators of lower financial inclusion, wellbeing and healthiness. These correlations were generally strongest after the 75th percentile of spend levels. The analysis found that the majority of people who gamble spend only a small proportion of their income on gambling, and did not establish a causative link between gambling spend and the indicators identified.
The government launched its Review of the Gambling Act 2005 on 8 December with the publication of a Call for Evidence. The Review will be wide-ranging and evidence led, and aims to make sure that the regulation of gambling is fit for the digital age.