Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much funding has been allocated to hospices in England in each relevant budget year since the start of covid-19 related expenditure; and what the consequential allocations to each devolved Administration were.
Answered by Steve Barclay - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
In 2020/21 we have made available an additional £280m to hospices in England as part of the COVID-19 response.
Of this, £31m was funded by the Department for Health and Social Care from existing budgets (on which the devolved administrations have already received Barnett consequentials) and £249m was new funding confirmed at Supplementary Estimates 2020-21.
The £249m new funding generated £47m in Barnett consequentials for the devolved administrations at Supplementary Estimates 2020-21. This comprised £24m for the Scottish Government, £15m for the Welsh Government and £8m for the Northern Ireland Executive.
It is up to the devolved administrations to allocate this funding across their devolved responsibilities as they see fit, including to hospices.
Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what comparative assessment he has made of the level of taxation on Scotch Whisky and wine in France.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
HM Treasury keeps all taxes, including Scotch Whisky and wine, under review whilst preparing for fiscal events. Changes to duty rates are determined through assessment of the prevailing economic and fiscal circumstances in the UK; and as such no comparative assessment to France has been made.
Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending the temporary VAT reduction for the (a) hospitality sector and (b) other sectors that are most financially affected by the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The temporary VAT reduced rate came into effect on 15 July 2020 and was initially scheduled to end on 12 January 2021.
In order to continue supporting the cash flow and viability of over 150,000 businesses and to protect 2.4 million jobs, the Government extended the temporary reduced rate of VAT (five per cent) to goods and services supplied by the tourism and hospitality sectors until 31 March 2021.
The Government keeps all taxes under review, and any future tax decisions will be made at Budget.
Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish a final consequential funding figure specifically for hospices in Scotland.
Answered by Steve Barclay - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The UK Government has provided the Scottish Government with an unprecedented upfront funding guarantee this year. This means they are receiving at least £8.6 billion in additional resource funding this year on top of their Spring Budget funding.
The final amount will be confirmed at Supplementary Estimates 2020-21, including Barnett consequentials resulting from additional spending on hospices in England. Full details of Barnett consequentials will be published in Block Grant Transparency after the UK Budget.
It is up to the Scottish Government to allocate this funding across their devolved responsibilities as they see fit, including to hospices in Scotland.
Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 15 July 2020 to Question 72196 on Children's Play: Facilities, whether soft play centres are included in the temporary 5 per cent VAT provisions as set out in Revenue and Customs Brief 10 (2020).
Answered by Jesse Norman
Admissions to shows, theatres, circuses, fairs, amusement parks, concerts, museums, zoos, cinemas and exhibitions and similar cultural events and facilities are covered by the temporary reduced rate of VAT for attractions. This is set out in GOV.UK guidance on admission charges to attractions.
Whether the temporary reduced rate applies depends on the facts of each individual case. Generally, where an admission fee is charged for entry to premises that are predominantly dedicated to soft play for children, this would be covered by the reduced rate.
Further detail about the operation of the new reduced rate more generally can be found in Revenue and Customs Brief 10 (2020) on the temporary reduced rate of VAT for hospitality, holiday accommodation and attractions, which can be found on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of including bio-based and compostable bioplastics in the scope of the plastic packaging tax on levels of bio-based plastic packaging; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
On 12 November, the Government published the summary of responses to the recent consultation on the detailed design and implementation of the Plastic Packaging Tax. This included confirming the consultation proposal to include compostable and bio-based plastic packaging in the scope of the tax.
As set out in the summary of responses to the consultation, the Government believes that alternative plastics can play a role in addressing plastic waste if used in the right circumstances. However, further evidence is needed on the impact of widespread adoption of such materials. This includes the interaction with current waste management as noted in the 2019 call for evidence on standards for bio-based, biodegradable and compostable plastics. It is therefore right to include them within scope of the tax at this stage.
As part of the Bioeconomy Strategy, the Government is working with industry and the research community to better understand the impact of using bio-based, biodegradable and compostable plastics. Following the conclusion of the Bioeconomy Strategy, the Government will consider further the treatment of these plastics in relation to Plastic Packaging Tax.
The Government carefully considered the impacts of the tax when making the decisions set out in the summary of responses to the consultation. More information on impacts is available in the Tax Information and Impact Note - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/introduction-of-a-new-plastic-packaging-tax/introduction-of-a-new-plastic-packaging-tax
Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what evidence basis his Department used to inform the decision to include compostable material in the forthcoming plastic tax.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
On 12 November, the Government published the summary of responses to the recent consultation on the detailed design and implementation of the Plastic Packaging Tax. This included confirming the consultation proposal to include compostable and bio-based plastic packaging in the scope of the tax.
As set out in the summary of responses to the consultation, the Government believes that alternative plastics can play a role in addressing plastic waste if used in the right circumstances. However, further evidence is needed on the impact of widespread adoption of such materials. This includes the interaction with current waste management as noted in the 2019 call for evidence on standards for bio-based, biodegradable and compostable plastics. It is therefore right to include them within scope of the tax at this stage.
As part of the Bioeconomy Strategy, the Government is working with industry and the research community to better understand the impact of using bio-based, biodegradable and compostable plastics. Following the conclusion of the Bioeconomy Strategy, the Government will consider further the treatment of these plastics in relation to Plastic Packaging Tax.
The Government carefully considered the impacts of the tax when making the decisions set out in the summary of responses to the consultation. More information on impacts is available in the Tax Information and Impact Note - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/introduction-of-a-new-plastic-packaging-tax/introduction-of-a-new-plastic-packaging-tax
Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate has he made of the proportion of (a) producers and (b) importers of plastic packaging that would be liable for the plastic tax that deal with (i) bio-based and (ii) compostable plastics.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
The Government carefully considered the impacts of the tax across the supply chain when making the decisions set out in the summary of responses to the consultation, which was published on 12 November. As per the Tax Information and Impact Note, the Government considered the overall impacts on up to an estimated 20,000 producers and importers of plastic packaging that would be liable for the tax, including those who produce bio-based and compostable packaging. The proportion of those liable for Plastic Packaging Tax that handle bio-based and compostable packaging will depend on business decisions. More information on impacts is available in the Tax Information and Impact Note:
Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of the plastic packaging tax on trends in the availability of 100 per cent compostable packaging.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
The Government carefully considered the impacts of the tax across the supply chain when making the decisions set out in the summary of responses to the consultation, which was published on 12 November. As per the Tax Information and Impact Note, the Government considered the overall impacts on up to an estimated 20,000 producers and importers of plastic packaging that would be liable for the tax, including those who produce compostable packaging. More information on impacts is available in the Tax Information and Impact Note - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/introduction-of-a-new-plastic-packaging-tax/introduction-of-a-new-plastic-packaging-tax.
As set out in the summary of responses to the consultation the Government believes that alternative plastics can play a role in addressing plastic waste if used in the right circumstances. However, further evidence is needed on the impact of widespread adoption of such materials, and it is right to include them within scope of the tax at this stage. As part of the Bioeconomy Strategy, the Government is working with industry and the research community to better understand the impact of using bio-based, biodegradable and compostable plastics. Following the conclusion of the Bioeconomy Strategy, the Government will consider further these plastics in relation to Plastic Packaging Tax.
Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of the plastic packaging tax on businesses that produce 100 per cent compostable and bio-based packaging; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
On 12 November, the Government published the summary of responses to the recent consultation on the detailed design and implementation of the Plastic Packaging Tax. This included confirming the consultation proposal to include compostable and bio-based plastic packaging in the scope of the tax. As set out in the consultation, all packaging, including that which is 100% compostable, will be in scope of the tax if plastic is the predominant material by weight.
As set out in the summary of responses to the consultation, the Government believes that alternative plastics can play a role in addressing plastic waste if used in the right circumstances. However, further evidence is needed on the impact of widespread adoption of such materials, and it is right to include them within scope of the tax at this stage. As part of the Bioeconomy Strategy, the Government is working with industry and the research community to better understand the impact of using bio-based, biodegradable and compostable plastics. Following the conclusion of the Bioeconomy Strategy, the Government will consider further the treatment of these plastics in relation to Plastic Packaging Tax.
The Government carefully considered the impacts of the tax when making the decisions set out in the summary of responses to the consultation. More information on impacts is available in the Tax Information and Impact Note - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/introduction-of-a-new-plastic-packaging-tax/introduction-of-a-new-plastic-packaging-tax