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 - Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer
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
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.
Asked by: Angela Crawley (Scottish National Party - Lanark and Hamilton East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many fines the Financial Conduct Authority has issued against payday lenders in the past year.
Answered by John Glen
On 1 April 2014, regulation of the consumer credit market, including high-cost credit, was transferred to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
We have passed the Honourable Members question on to the FCA, who will reply directly by letter. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.
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 Answer of 15 February 2019 to Question 220289, Children: Maintenance, if she will provide further information on the overall care test used to determine entitlement to child benefit.
Answered by Elizabeth Truss
Child Benefit is payable where a claimant is responsible for a child under the age of 16, or a qualifying young person up to the age of 20 in full-time non-advanced education or approved training. A person is treated as being responsible for a child in any week where:
(i) they have the child living with them in that week; or
(ii) they are contributing to the upkeep of the child at a weekly rate not less than the amount of Child Benefit payable for that week.
Only one person can get Child Benefit in respect of a child. In cases of shared care, where more than one person meets the entitlement criteria and makes a claim for Child Benefit, priority rules apply. These rules are set out in the Child Benefit Technical Manual at the following link.
www.gov.uk/hmrc-internal-manuals/child-benefit-technical-manual/cbtm08001