Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has had discussions with his French counterpart on the French Government's anti-inflation quarter initiative.
Answered by Andrew Griffith - Shadow Secretary of State for Business and Trade
The Chancellor regularly engages with his French counterpart on matters of shared interest, which has included policy approaches to managing inflation.
High inflation is not a challenge that is unique to the UK, with many advanced economies having seen record levels during the past 18 months. Food inflation in the UK is in line with other European countries and is lower than in Germany – so the UK is not alone in being impacted by this. We are helping the most vulnerable – who are the worst affected by rising food prices – by providing cost-of-living support worth an average of £3300 per household over this year and last.
The Prime Minister has set out that halving inflation this year is one of his highest priorities, and the fiscal approach the government set out at the Spring Budget will help achieve this objective. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) forecast that inflation will more than halve this year, falling to 2.9% by the end of 2023, before sustainably returning to target by the end of the forecast.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of (a) splitting and (b) alternating payments of (i) child benefit and (ii) other payments between separated parents.
Answered by John Glen
The Government has no plans to allow separated parents to split or alternate Child Benefit or other welfare payments between themselves.
Two people cannot claim Child Benefit, Child Tax Credit, the Universal Credit (UC) Child Element or UC childcare costs for the same child.
HMRC encourages parents to decide between themselves who should receive Child Benefit or Child Tax Credit. However, where they cannot reach an agreement, HMRC is able to decide who is entitled. Likewise, where a child or qualifying young person lives with two or more people who are not a couple, only the household who has the main responsibility for the child or qualifying young person is eligible to claim the UC Child Element or UC childcare costs.
The Government believes that it is in the interests of the child to direct support to the household or individual with the main responsibility for the child. If welfare payments were to be split or alternated between separated parents, it would not always clear how benefits should be apportioned between them, as shared care arrangements tend to vary over time.
However, the Government recognises that both parents, whether together or separated, have a responsibility to support their children. The Child Maintenance Service is available to encourage parents to make their own child maintenance arrangements or support them through the statutory scheme.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress his Department has made in establishing processes to strengthen the evidence required to demonstrate that (a) a tax repayment agent has been authorised by a customer and (b) a claim has been made with a customer’s consent before processing it.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
HMRC consulted last year on measures to ensure individual taxpayers get the information they need to make informed decisions about whether to use a repayment agent. ‘Raising standards in tax advice: Protecting customers claiming tax repayments’.
The ‘Summary of Responses and Next Steps’ was published on 11 January 2023 which set out actions to improve transparency in the repayment agent market and protect customers. These include rendering void assignments of income tax repayments. As announced in the Budget, the Government has rendered void assignments of income tax repayments. This took effect from 15 March 2023.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress his Department has made on bringing forward legislative proposals to stop the use of legally binding assignments by repayment agents as part of claiming an Income Tax repayment.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
HMRC consulted last year on measures to ensure individual taxpayers get the information they need to make informed decisions about whether to use a repayment agent. ‘Raising standards in tax advice: Protecting customers claiming tax repayments’.
The ‘Summary of Responses and Next Steps’ was published on 11 January 2023 which set out actions to improve transparency in the repayment agent market and protect customers. These include rendering void assignments of income tax repayments. As announced in the Budget, the Government has rendered void assignments of income tax repayments. This took effect from 15 March 2023.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress his Department has made on establishing an HMRC registration process for repayment agents.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
HMRC consulted last year on measures to ensure individual taxpayers get the information they need to make informed decisions about whether to use a repayment agent. ‘Raising standards in tax advice: Protecting customers claiming tax repayments’.
The ‘Summary of Responses and Next Steps’ was published on 11 January 2023 which set out actions to improve transparency in the repayment agent market and protect customers. These include rendering void assignments of income tax repayments. As announced in the Budget, the Government has rendered void assignments of income tax repayments. This took effect from 15 March 2023.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an estimate of the number of bank branches that have closed in (a) the Cynon Valley constituency and (b) Rhondday Cynon Taff local authority, in each year since 2010.
Answered by Andrew Griffith - Shadow Secretary of State for Business and Trade
The Government believes that all customers, wherever they live, should have appropriate access to banking services. Nonetheless, decisions on opening and closing branches are a commercial issue for banks and building societies. The Government does not intervene in these decisions or make direct assessments of these branch networks.
Guidance from the Financial Conduct Authority sets out its expectation of firms when they are deciding to reduce their physical branches or the number of free-to-use ATMs. Firms are expected to carefully consider the impact of planned branch closures on the everyday banking and cash access needs of their customers and consider possible alternative access arrangements. This ensures that the implementation of closure decisions is undertaken in a way that treats customers fairly.
Regarding the ATM network specifically, LINK (the scheme that runs the UK's largest ATM network) has commitments to protect the broad geographic spread of free-to-use ATMs and is held to account against these commitments by the Payment Systems Regulator.
LINK publishes the total number of free-to-use and pay-to-use ATMs across the UK on a regular basis. Further information is available on LINK’s website: https://www.link.co.uk/
Alternative options for access can be via telephone banking, through digital means such as mobile or online banking, and the Post Office. New shared banking hubs are also being introduced, providing basic banking services and dedicated space where community bankers from major banks can meet customers of that bank.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many (a) free-to-use and (b) paid-for ATMs have (i) opened and (ii) closed in (A) Cynon Valley constituency and (B) Rhondday Cynon Taff local authority since 2010.
Answered by Andrew Griffith - Shadow Secretary of State for Business and Trade
The Government believes that all customers, wherever they live, should have appropriate access to banking services. Nonetheless, decisions on opening and closing branches are a commercial issue for banks and building societies. The Government does not intervene in these decisions or make direct assessments of these branch networks.
Guidance from the Financial Conduct Authority sets out its expectation of firms when they are deciding to reduce their physical branches or the number of free-to-use ATMs. Firms are expected to carefully consider the impact of planned branch closures on the everyday banking and cash access needs of their customers and consider possible alternative access arrangements. This ensures that the implementation of closure decisions is undertaken in a way that treats customers fairly.
Regarding the ATM network specifically, LINK (the scheme that runs the UK's largest ATM network) has commitments to protect the broad geographic spread of free-to-use ATMs and is held to account against these commitments by the Payment Systems Regulator.
LINK publishes the total number of free-to-use and pay-to-use ATMs across the UK on a regular basis. Further information is available on LINK’s website: https://www.link.co.uk/
Alternative options for access can be via telephone banking, through digital means such as mobile or online banking, and the Post Office. New shared banking hubs are also being introduced, providing basic banking services and dedicated space where community bankers from major banks can meet customers of that bank.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of (a) shared banking hubs and (b) other community banking services on the ability of people to access banking services.
Answered by Andrew Griffith - Shadow Secretary of State for Business and Trade
The Government believes that all customers, wherever they live, should have appropriate access to banking services. Nonetheless, decisions on opening and closing branches are a commercial issue for banks and building societies. The Government does not intervene in these decisions or make direct assessments of these branch networks.
Guidance from the Financial Conduct Authority sets out its expectation of firms when they are deciding to reduce their physical branches or the number of free-to-use ATMs. Firms are expected to carefully consider the impact of planned branch closures on the everyday banking and cash access needs of their customers and consider possible alternative access arrangements. This ensures that the implementation of closure decisions is undertaken in a way that treats customers fairly.
Regarding the ATM network specifically, LINK (the scheme that runs the UK's largest ATM network) has commitments to protect the broad geographic spread of free-to-use ATMs and is held to account against these commitments by the Payment Systems Regulator.
LINK publishes the total number of free-to-use and pay-to-use ATMs across the UK on a regular basis. Further information is available on LINK’s website: https://www.link.co.uk/
Alternative options for access can be via telephone banking, through digital means such as mobile or online banking, and the Post Office. New shared banking hubs are also being introduced, providing basic banking services and dedicated space where community bankers from major banks can meet customers of that bank.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish the level of appreciation of mileage rates payments accounting for inflation for national health service employees since 2010.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
Approved Mileage Allowance Payments (AMAPs) are used by employers to reimburse an employee’s expenses for business mileage in their private vehicle.
AMAPs are intended to create administrative simplicity and certainty by using an average rate, which reflects vehicle running costs including fuel, servicing and depreciation. Fuel is therefore only one component. As an average, it will necessarily be more suitable for some drivers than others. This may vary across sector.
The AMAP rate is advisory and employers can choose to pay more or less than the advisory rate. It is therefore ultimately up to employers, including public sector organisations, local government and the NHS to determine the rate at which they reimburse their employees. Employees who receive less than the AMAP rate can claim tax relief on the difference. Employees who receive more may be taxed on the difference.
The reimbursement of travel costs for NHS employees is covered by the NHS Terms and Conditions, jointly agreed by employers and the NHS trade unions. In November, the NHS Staff council reviewed these terms and conditions and recommended that from 1 January 2023 reimbursement rates for cars should increase to 59ppm for the first 3,500 miles and 24ppm thereafter.
Like all taxes and allowances, the Government keeps the AMAP rate under review.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish the level of appreciation of mileage rates payments accounting for inflation for local government employees since 2010.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
Approved Mileage Allowance Payments (AMAPs) are used by employers to reimburse an employee’s expenses for business mileage in their private vehicle.
AMAPs are intended to create administrative simplicity and certainty by using an average rate, which reflects vehicle running costs including fuel, servicing and depreciation. Fuel is therefore only one component. As an average, it will necessarily be more suitable for some drivers than others. This may vary across sector.
The AMAP rate is advisory and employers can choose to pay more or less than the advisory rate. It is therefore ultimately up to employers, including public sector organisations, local government and the NHS to determine the rate at which they reimburse their employees. Employees who receive less than the AMAP rate can claim tax relief on the difference. Employees who receive more may be taxed on the difference.
The reimbursement of travel costs for NHS employees is covered by the NHS Terms and Conditions, jointly agreed by employers and the NHS trade unions. In November, the NHS Staff council reviewed these terms and conditions and recommended that from 1 January 2023 reimbursement rates for cars should increase to 59ppm for the first 3,500 miles and 24ppm thereafter.
Like all taxes and allowances, the Government keeps the AMAP rate under review.