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Written Question
Theatres: Tax Allowances
Tuesday 21st November 2023

Asked by: Alison Thewliss (Scottish National Party - Glasgow Central)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of permanently extending the higher rate of Theatre Tax Relief.

Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

The government recognises the value of the UK’s world-leading theatre sector.

That is why at Spring Budget 2023, the government went further to support theatres by announcing a 2-year extension to the current 45% (for non-touring productions) and 50% (for touring productions) rates of theatre tax relief (TTR). These rates will now taper to 30%/35% on 1 April 2025 and return to 20%/25% on 1 April 2026.

The government is not currently considering making the 45%/50% rates of TTR permanent, however, the government keeps the tax system under review.


Written Question
Theatres: Tax Allowances
Tuesday 21st November 2023

Asked by: Alison Thewliss (Scottish National Party - Glasgow Central)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing half of all marketing spend to be included in the qualifying costs of Theatre Tax Relief.

Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

The government recognises the value of the UK’s world-leading theatre sector. At Spring Budget 2023, the Government went further to support theatres by extending the 45 per cent (for non-touring productions) and 50 per cent (for touring productions) rates of TTR for a further 2 years.

Whilst the Government keeps all tax reliefs under review, the Government is not planning to expand the scope of Theatre Tax Relief (TTR) to include 50 per cent of marketing spend. The objective of theatre tax relief is to support and incentivise production and that is why eligible expenditure is focussed on the costs that are incurred producing and closing the theatrical production, rather than marketing.


Written Question
Private Companies: Taxation
Monday 13th November 2023

Asked by: Alison Thewliss (Scottish National Party - Glasgow Central)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many private limited companies that formed in 2021 have filed accounts with HMRC as of 7 November 2023.

Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care

HMRC has interpreted this question to refer to details of Corporation Tax (CT) returns filed by companies incorporated in 2021.

The deadline for filing all of those CT returns has not yet been reached, and some companies will have, or may still inform HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) that they are not trading, therefore HMRC would not expect returns from them. Given this, up to date and accurate information cannot be provided.


Written Question
Energy: Prices
Tuesday 21st March 2023

Asked by: Alison Thewliss (Scottish National Party - Glasgow Central)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made with Cabinet colleagues of the potential impact of changes in the Government’s energy support schemes on the economy.

Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

At Spring Budget 2023, the OBR forecast that taken together, the freezing of fuel duty, changes to alcohol duty and the extension of the Energy Price Guarantee (EPG) for three months lower CPI inflation by 0.7 percentage points in 2023-24.

The OBR forecast that overall the EPG, including the prior announcement at Autumn Statement, will take 2 percentage points off CPI inflation in the year 2023.The subsequent increases to fuel and alcohol duties and the EPG measure then add 0.4 percentage points to CPI inflation in 2024-25.


Written Question
Treasury: Meetings
Tuesday 18th October 2022

Asked by: Alison Thewliss (Scottish National Party - Glasgow Central)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what meetings he had on (a) 20, (b) 21 and (c) 22 September 2022.

Answered by Felicity Buchan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)

Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery.

Details of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel


Written Question
Financial Services
Monday 17th October 2022

Asked by: Alison Thewliss (Scottish National Party - Glasgow Central)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he had discussions with (a) Crispin Odey, (b) other representatives of Odey Asset Management and (c) representatives of other hedge funds in the (i) two weeks prior and (ii) three days after his statement to the House on 22 September 2022.

Answered by Andrew Griffith - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Treasury ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery.

Details of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel.


Written Question
Revenue and Customs: Information Officers
Tuesday 24th May 2022

Asked by: Alison Thewliss (Scottish National Party - Glasgow Central)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much HM Revenue and Customs spent on the employment of communications staff in 2021-22.

Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport

Expenditure on communications staffing was £17.25m in 2021/22.


Written Question
Revenue and Customs: Information Officers
Wednesday 9th March 2022

Asked by: Alison Thewliss (Scottish National Party - Glasgow Central)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many communications staff are employed (a) full time, (b) part time and (c) with flexible working arrangements in HMRC.

Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport

The number of staff working in HMRC to deliver communications functions is currently 256.

217 are employed on full time contracts and 39 are employed on part time contracts. All staff are considered to have flexible working arrangements.


Written Question
Revenue and Customs: Information Officers
Wednesday 9th March 2022

Asked by: Alison Thewliss (Scottish National Party - Glasgow Central)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much HMRC spends on the employment of communications staff annually.

Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport

In the latest available financial year, 2020-21, expenditure on communications staffing was £11,456,277.48.


Written Question
Treasury: Information Officers
Wednesday 9th March 2022

Asked by: Alison Thewliss (Scottish National Party - Glasgow Central)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much his Department spends on the employment of communications staff annually.

Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

In 2020/21, the last full year that data is available, HM Treasury spent £2,262,976 on the employment of communications staff.