Asked by: Chris Ruane (Labour - Vale of Clwyd)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish the (a) location, (b) postcode and (c) number of employees of each the HMRC offices that have (i) closed and (ii) relocated in each year since 2010.
Answered by Mel Stride - Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
The location, postcode and number of employees of each of the HMRC offices closed in each year from 2010, are detailed in the attached table.
The information requested concerning the number of staff relocated from HMRC offices closed in each year from 2010, can only be provided at a disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Chris Ruane (Labour - Vale of Clwyd)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of establishing a financial services tribunal.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Government recognises how important it is for small businesses to have access to the mechanisms they need to settle disputes fairly, should they ever need to make a complaint about their bank.
The Government welcomes the FCA’s policy statement on widening SMEs’ access to the Financial Ombudsman Service, as well as the work being conducted in this area by UK Finance and the All Party Parliamentary Group on Fair Business Banking, and will consider their conclusions this Autumn.
Asked by: Chris Ruane (Labour - Vale of Clwyd)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of amending the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Regulated Activities) Order 2001 to include unregulated financial activity.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Regulated Activities) Order 2001 specifies the activities that fall within the scope of UK financial services regulation. The Government continues to keep those activities that fall within the scope of the Regulated Activities Order under review.
Asked by: Chris Ruane (Labour - Vale of Clwyd)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of establishing a financial services tribunal.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Government recognises how important it is for small businesses to have access to the mechanisms they need to settle disputes fairly, should they ever need to make a complaint about their bank.
The Government welcomes the FCA’s policy statement on widening SMEs’ access to the Financial Ombudsman Service, as well as the work being conducted in this area by UK Finance and the All Party Parliamentary Group on Fair Business Banking, and will consider their conclusions this Autumn.
Asked by: Chris Ruane (Labour - Vale of Clwyd)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussion he has had with his counterparts in (a) ECOFIN nations, (b) the G7 nations and (c) any other nations on the merits of an internationally coordinated digital tax.
Answered by Mel Stride - Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
The Government has been at the forefront of international efforts to update international tax rules for the digital economy.
The Government is continuing to engage in negotiations within the EU on the European Commission’s proposal for a Digital Services Tax.
It also continues to discuss reforms to the international tax framework for digital businesses with other countries, including within the G7.
Asked by: Chris Ruane (Labour - Vale of Clwyd)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 11 September 2018 to Question 171310 on Brexit, what proportion of that funding has been allocated to (a) the devolved administrations and (b) local government.
Answered by Elizabeth Truss
A full breakdown of how the £1.5bn for 2018/19 was allocated can be found in my Written Ministerial Statement, HCWS540, laid on the 13th March (https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2018-03-13/HCWS540/). This includes £73.9 million for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland due to Barnett consequentials. This money will be paid out in Supplementary Estimates 18/19 later this financial year. Departments will be invited to bid for 2019/20 EU Exit preparation funding later in the year. Details of timings and process will be set out in due course.
HM Treasury does not provide funding to local authorities directly. Local authorities receive funding through MHCLG or from departments when their policy imposes costs on the local authority.
Asked by: Chris Ruane (Labour - Vale of Clwyd)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made of an assessment of the potential merits of launching a consultation into the long-term viability of the pub industry.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The government is committed to ensuring the long-term viability of the pub industry.
At Autumn Budget 2017 we continued the £1,000 business rate discount for small and medium pubs in 2018/19, and pubs are benefitting from wider reforms and reductions to business rates – which will provide over £10 billion in support by 2023.
We will continue to evaluate how best to support local pubs as part of the Budget process.
Asked by: Chris Ruane (Labour - Vale of Clwyd)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing a Spahn tax on currency transactions.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Government has made no assessment of introducing a Spahn tax on currency transactions.
As per the Exchange Equalisation Account Act 1979, the Government’s official reserves are available for checking undue fluctuations in the exchange value of sterling.
Asked by: Chris Ruane (Labour - Vale of Clwyd)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department uses Office for National Statistics estimates of personal well-being when formulating policy; and what policies his Department has introduced to improve national well-being in the last 12 months.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
HM Treasury considers a wide range of information when formulating policy, including personal wellbeing statistics. The government has supported living standards through raising the personal allowance and introducing the National Living Wage, and supporting families through the introduction of Tax-Free Childcare.
Asked by: Chris Ruane (Labour - Vale of Clwyd)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what additional resources he is allocating to HMRC to assist parents in locating lost Child Trust Fund accounts.
Answered by Mel Stride - Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
HMRC allocates resource in a flexible manner to manage emerging pressures by identifying savings and reallocating resources within its overall allocations set by the Treasury. Information on the structure and organisation of HM Revenue and Customs is available at
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hmrc-annual-report-and-accounts-2017-to-2018