Asked by: Anne Main (Conservative - St Albans)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will suspend the 2019 Loan Charge while the review of that charge is ongoing.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government remains committed to tackling tax avoidance schemes, but it has listened to concerns about the impact of the Loan Charge on individuals. An independent review is under way to consider the appropriateness of the Loan Charge as a policy response, and its impact on individuals.
The reviewer, Sir Amyas Morse, has been asked to provide recommendations by mid-November so that any individuals affected can have certainty about their next steps in advance of the 31 January 2020 Self - Assessment deadline.
While the Review is under way, it is right that the Loan Charge remains in force, in line with current legislation.
HMRC has made clear it will consider all personal circumstances to agree a manageable and sustainable payment plan wherever possible and there is no maximum limit on how long a customer can be given to pay the charge.
Further information about the Review and guidance for affected taxpayers is available at www.gov.uk/government/publications/disguised-remuneration-independent-loan-charge-review.
Asked by: Anne Main (Conservative - St Albans)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his (a) Myanmar and (b) Bangladeshi counterpart on the safe repatriation of the Rohingya refugees in southern Bangladesh.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
We are clear that any repatriation of refugees must be safe, voluntary, dignified and meet international humanitarian principles and standards. We agree with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) that the conditions for such repatriation do not yet exist in Rakhine.
Following recent reports of potential repatriations, we worked closely with the UNHCR, and engaged with the Governments in Bangladesh and Myanmar to underline that returns must be safe, voluntary and dignified. We welcome Bangladesh's continued commitment to the principle of voluntariness and note Myanmar's acknowledgement that some Rohingya have a right to return. We will continue to make representations to the Governments of both Bangladesh and Myanmar.
Asked by: Anne Main (Conservative - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ensure water companies responsibly manage their water abstraction activities from chalk streams.
Answered by George Eustice
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Anne Main (Conservative - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent steps her Department has taken to reduce the number of recyclable cups and bottles sent to landfill.
Answered by George Eustice
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Anne Main (Conservative - St Albans)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what (a) financial and (b) other support her Department provides to pubs in high value property areas.
Answered by Jesse Norman
To provide support for pubs, the Government announced a freeze on beer duty at Budget 2018. The price of a typical pint of beer in 2019 will be 2p lower than it would have been had duty increased with inflation. Cuts and freezes to alcohol duty since 2013 have provided over £5.2 billion in support for the alcoholic drinks sector; revenues that would have otherwise gone to the Exchequer.
Many pubs are also benefitting from the business rates retail discount announced at Budget 2018, which is cutting bills by one third for two years. It is available to properties with a rateable value below £51,000, and is worth an estimated £1 billion to businesses. Up to 75% of pubs in England could be eligible for the discount, subject to state aid limits and eligibility for other reliefs.
Pubs are also benefitting from wider reforms and reductions to business rates. In total, since Budget 2016 the Government has announced measures which are saving businesses more than £13 billion over the next five years.
Asked by: Anne Main (Conservative - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to increase the level of funding for special education needs pupils in schools.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
Our ambitions for children and young people with complex special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) are exactly the same as for every other child and young person. As part of this, we are pleased to announce that we will be providing an additional £700 million, 10% in high needs funding next year alone, which will help local authorities to ensure that they can continue to offer the right support for children and young people with the most complex SEND.
Asked by: Anne Main (Conservative - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to increase access to lifelong learning.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
Our adult skills system seeks to improve productivity, employment levels and social inclusion. It supports people who are starting out in their careers, those who want to upskill and those who want or need to change careers.
Adult skills and lifelong learning provision includes:
Asked by: Anne Main (Conservative - St Albans)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to increase the level of support it provides to the FinTech sector in the UK.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The UK has been independently ranked as the best place in the world to start and grow a Fintech firm, and the government is committed to maintaining the UK’s leading edge in the sector. That is why the government has delivered against all of the commitments made in the Fintech Sector Strategy, which was launched last year.
The government announced at Mansion House 2019 that HM Treasury would launch a review into the payments landscape, which looks to ensure that regulation and infrastructure is able to keep pace with new payments models. The government also announced that it would explore building on the success of Open Banking by developing an agenda for ‘Open Finance’, looking at ways to safely and securely share data across a wider range of financial services products. This will further revolutionise the sector and increase the ability of Fintech firms to compete with traditional financial services firms.
Asked by: Anne Main (Conservative - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to tailor medical assessments for benefits to take account of the needs of ME sufferers.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
Both the assessment for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and the Work Capability Assessment (WCA) are functional assessments designed to respectively contribute towards the extra costs that arise as a result of a long-term health condition or disability, and to assess an individual’s capability to work. Both benefits are based on the impact of a person’s disability or health condition, not on the condition itself. This is important, as we recognise that the same condition can affect different people in different ways.
Assessors are provided with training and guidance in the full range of health conditions, including ME. For instance, all WCA assessors have access to a learning module on chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS)/ME, that is externally quality assured by an expert clinician. Furthermore, the PIP providers have recently been involved in a programme of engagement with CFS/ME stakeholders, and have developed a comprehensive suite of training products on CFS/ME.
Asked by: Anne Main (Conservative - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent representations the Government has made to the Government of Japan against its decision to resume commercial whaling.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
We are very disappointed with Japan’s decision to withdraw from the International Whaling Commission and restart commercial whaling. The Prime Minister raised concerns with Prime Minister Abe during his visit to the UK in January. The Secretary of State has written to his Japanese counterpart on this matter. We will continue to work with the Japanese Government to engage with them and raise our concerns at every level, and we urge them to rethink their decision.