Asked by: Lord Austin of Dudley (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to remove the VAT on all digital publications.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government keeps all taxes under review, including VAT.
Any amendments to the VAT regime as it applies to physical publications and e-publications must be carefully assessed against policy, economic and fiscal considerations. Any representations on this issue will be considered as part of the fiscal events process.
Asked by: Lord Austin of Dudley (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will ask the Chief Executive of HMRC to hold discussions with the Chief Executive of the Roadchef Employee Benefits Trust on a resolution to the current dispute with that organisation.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The administration of the tax system is a matter for HM Revenue and Customs. It would not be appropriate for Treasury Ministers to become involved in the administration of the tax system in specific cases.
Asked by: Lord Austin of Dudley (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when the National Infrastructure Strategy will be published.
Answered by Simon Clarke
The Chancellor confirmed on August 9th that the National Infrastructure Strategy will be published in autumn 2019.
Asked by: Lord Austin of Dudley (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what fiscal steps his Department is taking to prevent pub closures.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The government remains committed to supporting pubs and we have taken action to this end – including cuts to business rates worth over £10 billion by 2023 and a £1,000 business rates discounts for small and medium pubs.
Furthermore, at Autumn Budget 2017 the government announced a freeze to all alcohol duties. Cuts to alcohol taxes since 2013 mean the average tax on a pint of beer is estimated to be 12p lower than it otherwise would have been, showing the government’s continued support for the country’s local pubs.
Asked by: Lord Austin of Dudley (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that people are not better off out of work than in work.
Answered by Elizabeth Truss
Work is the best route out of poverty and the government is ensuring that work always pays. Increases in the National Living Wage (NLW) have handed full-time minimum wage workers a pay rise of over £2,000 since the introduction of the NLW, and changes to the personal allowance will see 1.2m individuals taken out of income tax altogether by 2018-19 (compared to 2015-16).
We have also made sure the welfare system is fairer and rewards work. Universal Credit (UC) replaces six benefits with one and applies a single taper to claimants’ benefit awards, removing the poor incentives of the old system to ensure that it always pays more to be in work than out of work.
The Government’s childcare offer is also ensuring parents are supported into work. UC provides support for childcare costs worth up to £1108 per month for two or more children. Eligible working families in England are also entitled to 30 hours free childcare for three and four-year olds, worth up to £5000 per year. A lone parent only has to earn around £6,500 a year to be able to access this entitlement and a couple just over £13,000, making work pay for parents.
Asked by: Lord Austin of Dudley (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the costs of hiring contractors are not increased as a result of the extension of IR35 off-payroll tax to the private sector.
Answered by Mel Stride - Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
The Government recently consulted on how to best tackle non-compliance with the off-payroll working rules (known as IR35) in the private sector and is considering consultation responses. The impact and effect on businesses will depend on the outcome of those consultations.
HM Revenue and Customs published independent research on the impact of the April 2017 reform to off-payroll working rules in the public sector. The research found that the majority of public bodies have felt little change in either their ability to fill vacancies or the rates paid to contractors.
Link to the independent research:-
Asked by: Lord Austin of Dudley (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of trends in the level of public sector pay in the last five years.
Answered by Elizabeth Truss
The Government’s pay policy has always been designed to strike the right balance between being fair to public servants and being fair to all those, including public sector workers themselves, whose taxes pay for them.
That approach has not changed, and the Government continually assesses that careful balance. The current assessment is that salaries in the public sector are, on average, comparable to those in the private sector with the additional benefit of higher pension entitlements in many cases.
The ONS publishes the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), which includes median gross annual earnings in the public sector. A time series of this data from 1997 to 2017 can be accessed via the following link:
Asked by: Lord Austin of Dudley (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Financial Secretary to the Treasury of 7 March 2018, Official Report, column 428, what proportion of HMRC staff based in Brierley Hill, West Midlands, his Department estimates will be able to (a) transfer to an HMRC Regional Centre or (b) complete their career in that location.
Answered by Mel Stride - Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
HMRC believes that the majority of its workforce in Brierley Hill will be able to move to a regional centre or see out their career in an existing HMRC office. The exact position will be known after the one to one meetings between staff and their managers, around a year in advance of any move which affects them, as these discussions take into account personal circumstances. HMRC has been clear that if someone can move to a regional centre and has the skills it needs or is able to develop them, there will be a role for them. It will continue to offer practical support for people who want to remain in the Civil Service, as well as for those who may choose to leave.
Asked by: Lord Austin of Dudley (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment the Government has made of the listing of shares in the Russian state-owned energy company Rosneft on the London Stock Exchange in light of provisions in the new Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
Council Regulation (EU) 833/2014 implements measures aimed at limiting investment in 11 Russian entities with a view to increasing the costs of Russia's actions to undermine Ukraine's territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence. Rosneft is captured by this Regulation, but this does not stop the London Stock Exchange allowing them to be listed. As we will be bound by EU sanctions until we leave the EU, if Rosneft can be listed on the London Stock Exchange according to the EU Council Regulation, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is under no obligation to stop them from being listed. Until the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act is commenced, we will continue to impose sanctions in alignment with EU partners. The UK complies with EU sanctions, which include economic restrictions on Rosneft under the Economic Sanctions linked to the full implementation of the Minsk Agreements.
Asked by: Lord Austin of Dudley (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if the Government will review the regulations relating to the admission of Russian companies to the London Stock Exchange as a result of plans by that exchange to suspend the trading of shares in EN+ Group.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is the competent authority for listings. For listed companies, the UK Listing Authority (a division of the FCA) monitors and enforces compliance with the Listing Rules. The decision as to whether to prevent the trading of certain shares on the London Stock Exchange rests with the FCA and London Stock Exchange. The FCA has no power to refuse a listing for reasons of security or national interests. Under the applicable legislation, the Treasury has no power to intervene to block a flotation on national security grounds.
The Government operates a rule of law based system whereby sanctions can only be applied when clear criteria are met. Any additional legislation on listings on the grounds of national security would need to demonstrably add value to the Government’s existing powers.