Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many HMRC staff were allocated to Loan Charge counter-avoidance activities in (a) July, (b) August and (c) September 2020.
Answered by Jesse Norman
In July, August, and September 2020, HMRC had about 1,000 staff working to help taxpayers affected by the Loan Charge to settle their use of disguised remuneration tax avoidance schemes.
Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the financial effect on working tax credits received by health and social care workers of additional hours that have been worked during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Steve Barclay - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The Tax Credit system has a degree of flexibility built in, in order to help claimants manage changes in income. The Tax Credit disregard means that the first £2,500 of a increase or decrease in household income, compared with the previous tax year is disregarded. Therefore carers, NHS staff and other key workers working additional hours and experiencing an increase in income of up to £2,500 per year will see no change in their overall Tax Credit award.
The Government also recognises that Tax Credits were introduced in the early 2000s and no longer fully reflect the world of work for many people. That is why we are introducing Universal Credit.
Universal Credit replaces Tax Credits and other legacy benefits, to provide a single system of means-tested support for working age people. Universal Credit is assessed and paid monthly and is based on claimants’ actual earnings in the month, rather than their annual income.
Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of whether companies have paid dividends while in receipt of the Government's covid-19 support packages.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
Government support is aimed at businesses in genuine need. Our current measures are well-targeted at such businesses, bearing in mind the need to act very quickly to deliver this unprecedented package. We expect everyone to act responsibly and in the spirit of the package, and only claim and use support as intended. The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) for example provides compensation for the cost of paying furloughed workers –money that goes directly to the pockets of workers who might otherwise lose their jobs, whilst Business Rates reductions and Local Authority grant schemes are targeted at sectors which are facing severe hardship. The Government is keeping all measures under constant review.
Companies borrowing more than £50million through the Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CLBILS) or accessing the Covid Corporate Financing Facility (CCFF) beyond 19 May 2021, face restrictions on dividend payments, capital distributions and senior pay.
Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the average time taken was for goods to clear customs (a) entering and (b) leaving the UK in each month in 2020.
Answered by Jesse Norman
95% of Import Frontier Declarations and 99% of Export Declarations receive clearance from customs in 10 minutes. The 10 minutes relate to a trade facilitation time agreed by HMRC to enable traders to be able to amend their declarations within this 10-minute period, before clearance is granted.
The remaining 5% for Imports and 1% for Exports are accounted for by Declarations that are held in order to perform Documentary or Physical Controls on the goods or to deal with other matters such as the collection of revenue.
Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to extend business rate relief to food producers to mitigate the effect of the covid-19 outbreak on national food security.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government has provided enhanced support to the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors given the acute impacts of COVID-19 on those sectors. A range of measures to support all businesses has been made available, including the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan scheme, and the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to help firms continue to keep people in employment. HMRC have also set up a dedicated COVID-19 helpline to help those in need, and they may be able to agree a bespoke Time to Pay arrangement.
This is the right response at the right time. As the wider economic picture becomes clearer, the Government will do whatever it takes to get the nation through the impacts of COVID-19, and the Government stands ready to announce further action wherever necessary.
Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has plans to introduce tax breaks to enable food producers in financial distress as a result of the covid-19 outbreak to main food supplies.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government has provided enhanced support to the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors given the acute impacts of COVID-19 on those sectors. A range of measures to support all businesses has been made available, including the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan scheme, and the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to help firms continue to keep people in employment. HMRC have also set up a dedicated COVID-19 helpline to help those in need, and they may be able to agree a bespoke Time to Pay arrangement.
This is the right response at the right time. As the wider economic picture becomes clearer, the Government will do whatever it takes to get the nation through the impacts of COVID-19, and the Government stands ready to announce further action wherever necessary.
Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to support small businesses to afford the recent increase in the National Living Wage.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Government recognises that increases in the National Living Wage will mean extra costs for some businesses, However, it’s right that workers are fairly rewarded for their input into the economy. By the Spring, the Government will set out the Low Pay Commission’s remit for the years beyond 2020, taking account of the potential impact on employment and economic growth.
To support businesses with the costs of employing staff, the Government has introduced the Employment Allowance to reduce employers’ National Insurance contributions bill by £3,000. Over 1 million employers are benefitting from this relief.
Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the proposed long-term review of the business rates model of taxation.
Answered by Jesse Norman
In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of ministerial discussions are not normally disclosed. The Government is committed to conducting a fundamental review of business rates and further information will be announced in due course.
Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)
Question to the HM Treasury:
What recent assessment he has made of trends in the level of public funding for renewable energy since 2010.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Government is committed to investing in renewable energy and our support has enabled the UK to become a world leader in clean growth with the fastest emissions reduction on a per person basis than any other G7 nation.
We will spend £4.5 billion between 2016 and 2021 to support the development of renewable and low carbon heating through the Renewable Heat Incentive.
The Government is also encouraging private sector innovation and £92 billion of private funding has been invested in clean energy in the UK since 2010.
Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Answer of 15 May 2018 to Question 142837 on Royal Bank of Scotland: Small Businesses, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the compensation scheme for SME customers of the Royal Bank of Scotland.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
RBS’ recent commitments to establish an independent appeal process for consequential loss claims and to stand aside from any money that might be returned to them from redress paid to insolvent companies are important steps in improving the operation and transparency of the redress scheme for businesses affected by RBS' Global Restructuring Group.
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has previously confirmed that RBS’ processes as part of the compensation scheme are appropriate steps for the bank to take, and the Treasury is in regular contact with the FCA about how the voluntary scheme is progressing.