Asked by: Angela Crawley (Scottish National Party - Lanark and Hamilton East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will take steps to ensure that February and March new starter workers who were not able to notify HMRC of their employment before 19 March 2020 are eligible for the Coronavirus Jobs Retention Scheme.
Answered by Jesse Norman
Extending the cut-off date for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme beyond 20 March, when the scheme was announced, would enable criminals to exploit the scheme by providing fraudulent payroll data that HMRC could not easily verify. Processing claims beyond 20 March while managing the significant fraud risks would require much greater manual handling by HMRC which would substantially slow down the system and therefore delay the delivery of grants that many businesses desperately need.
Those not eligible for this grant may be able to access the other support the Government is providing, including a package of temporary welfare measures and up to three months’ mortgage payment holidays for those struggling with their mortgage payments.
Asked by: Angela Crawley (Scottish National Party - Lanark and Hamilton East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer,if he will introduce funding to enable people who cannot access superfast broadband to stay connected online during lockdown through mobile data packages.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
The Government has announced unprecedented support for businesses and workers to protect them against the current economic emergency.
The Government has also worked with the UK’s major telecommunications providers to agree measures to support connectivity for vulnerable consumers and the NHS.
In addition, the government recently announced that vulnerable and disadvantaged children across England are to receive laptops, tablets and 4G routers to make remote education accessible. We are also working with the major telecommunications providers to make it easier for families to access selected educational resources by temporarily exempting these sites from data charges.
Asked by: Angela Crawley (Scottish National Party - Lanark and Hamilton East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the covid-19 outbreak, what guidance his Department has issued to finance companies on the provision of repayment holidays for people that have lost income or been made redundant.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
Banks and building societies are ready and able to support consumers impacted by COVID-19. On the 17 March, the Chancellor announced on behalf of the sector that banks and building societies will offer a 3-month ‘mortgage holiday’ for borrowers that are financially struggling with their repayments. This forbearance measure will enable affected borrowers to defer their mortgage payments for up to 3 months while they get back on their feet.
The FCA have also published guidance on payment holidays and repossession action for firms that engage in mortgage lending activities. This means that second charge mortgages are also captured by the measures. You can view the guidance here:
https://www.fca.org.uk/consumers/mortgages-coronavirus-consumers
As a form of forbearance, the option of a mortgage repayment holiday is open to any customer regardless of whether they are in payment shortfall. Any customer who is concerned about their current financial situation should get in touch with their lender at the earliest possible opportunity to discuss the best option for their them.
The Government has introduced an unprecedented £350bn package of measures to support businesses access the finance they need during this difficult period, and announced significant measures to directly provide support for SMEs including grants, business rates relief and other tax measures.
Asked by: Angela Crawley (Scottish National Party - Lanark and Hamilton East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his recent announcement on mortgage payment holidays during the covid-19 outbreak extends to those paying second mortgages.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
Banks and building societies are ready and able to support consumers impacted by COVID-19. On the 17 March, the Chancellor announced on behalf of the sector that banks and building societies will offer a 3-month ‘mortgage holiday’ for borrowers that are financially struggling with their repayments. This forbearance measure will enable affected borrowers to defer their mortgage payments for up to 3 months while they get back on their feet.
The FCA have also published guidance on payment holidays and repossession action for firms that engage in mortgage lending activities. This means that second charge mortgages are also captured by the measures. You can view the guidance here:
https://www.fca.org.uk/consumers/mortgages-coronavirus-consumers
As a form of forbearance, the option of a mortgage repayment holiday is open to any customer regardless of whether they are in payment shortfall. Any customer who is concerned about their current financial situation should get in touch with their lender at the earliest possible opportunity to discuss the best option for their them.
The Government has introduced an unprecedented £350bn package of measures to support businesses access the finance they need during this difficult period, and announced significant measures to directly provide support for SMEs including grants, business rates relief and other tax measures.
Asked by: Angela Crawley (Scottish National Party - Lanark and Hamilton East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress has been made on the public sector pension scheme valuation.
Answered by Rishi Sunak - Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, and Minister for the Union
Valuations of the public service pension schemes are carried out every four years. The valuations set employer contribution rates to ensure the full costs of pensions are recognised and met by employers at the point scheme liabilities arise. The last valuations of the schemes considered the position as at 31 March 2016 and were completed earlier this year. Employer contribution rates have been set and came into effect on 1 April 2019. On 19 January the then Chief Secretary to the Treasury made a written statement (HCWS1286) announcing a pause to the cost control element of the valuations. The pause was necessary following a court ruling that an element of the reforms made to schemes in 2015 gave rise to unlawful discrimination. The matter has been remitted to the Employment Tribunal to determine how the discrimination is to be remedied. The Government has confirmed that it will take steps to remedy the discrimination in all public service pension schemes. Until a remedy is agreed it is not possible to assess the value of the public service pension schemes with any certainty at this time.
Asked by: Angela Crawley (Scottish National Party - Lanark and Hamilton East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when the Government plans to introduce the plastic packaging tax announced in the 2018 Budget.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
At Budget 2018, the Chancellor announced his intention to tackle the scourge of single-use plastic waste through the introduction of a new tax on plastic packaging which does not contain a sufficient amount of recycled content. Earlier this year, the government launched a consultation seeking views on the initial proposed design for the tax. This closed in May and the government intends to publish a summary of responses in due course.
As with any new tax, extensive work must be carried out before implementation, to ensure the tax operates effectively. The new tax will be introduced in April 2022.
Asked by: Angela Crawley (Scottish National Party - Lanark and Hamilton East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what fiscal steps he has taken to discourage investment in fossil fuels overseas.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Government engages in a range of activities designed to facilitate lower global greenhouse gas emissions, including through international diplomacy, and the provision of Official Development Assistance.
As set out in the Green Finance Strategy, the Government will align the UK’s Official Development Assistance spending with the Paris Agreement. In practical terms, this will include ensuring any investment support for fossil fuels affecting emissions is in line with the Paris Agreement temperature goals and transition plans.
Asked by: Angela Crawley (Scottish National Party - Lanark and Hamilton East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what measures he uses to identify poverty.
Answered by Elizabeth Truss
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) publish an annual Households Below Average Income (HBAI) report which provides statistics on measures of poverty.
Asked by: Angela Crawley (Scottish National Party - Lanark and Hamilton East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Minister for the Cabinet Office of 24 April 2019, Official Report column 743, what arrangements the Treasury has negotiated with civil servants employed in HMRC in order to permit higher wage increases than the proposed 1 per cent to 1.5 per cent pay award.
Answered by Mel Stride - Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
The 2018 Civil Service pay guidance allows departments to submit business cases, based on improvements to efficiency and productivity, for higher pay. The HMRC Chief Executive has shared that he is exploring HMRC’s opportunities for doing this in 2019.
Asked by: Angela Crawley (Scottish National Party - Lanark and Hamilton East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the harm caused by high interest payday loans.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
On 1 April 2014, regulation of the consumer credit market, including payday lenders, was transferred to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The government has given the FCA strong powers to protect consumers and to take action against firms and individuals that do not meet its standards.
The government legislated to require the FCA to introduce a cap on the cost of payday loans, which came into force on 2 January 2015. The FCA published a feedback statement in July 2017, showing that the price cap has been effective, leading to savings of approximately £150 million for 760,000 individuals using payday loans each year.
At Autumn Budget 2018 the Government announced a package of measures to help low income consumers access safe, affordable and sustainable credit.