Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to reduce VAT on essential repairs to pre-1919 properties.
Answered by Jesse Norman
There was previously a zero rate of VAT on restorative work to listed and historic buildings. However, the relief was mainly being used to carry out extension work, which was contrary to the intent of the legislation to preserve heritage, and was removed following consultation in 2012.
The Government has no current plans to change the VAT treatment of restorative construction work on listed and historic buildings.
Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he plans to respond to the correspondence of 19 June 2020 from the hon. Member for Glasgow North West on access to the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme and amendments and submissions made after 26 March.
Answered by Jesse Norman
HM Treasury asked HMRC to respond as they have operational responsibility for the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme. Ruth Stanier, Director General, duly replied to the correspondence on 7 September. HMRC apologise for the delay in replying.
Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether companies in breach of consumer contracts are eligible for covid-19 support.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) enforces rules on unfair contract terms. On 30th April the CMA published a statement on its views on consumer protection law including in relation to COVID-19. People and businesses who have seen or experienced businesses behaving unfairly during the coronavirus outbreak can report it to the CMA by using their dedicated webpage: https://www.coronavirus-business-complaint.service.gov.uk/.
The Government has announced unprecedented support for business and workers to protect them against the current economic emergency including almost £300 billion of guarantees – equivalent to 15% of UK GDP. The Business Support website provides further information about how businesses can access the support that has been made available, who is eligible and how to apply - https://www.gov.uk/business-coronavirus-support-finder.
Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he plans to respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Glasgow North West constituency of 1 April 2020 in relation to support for the self-employed, temporary and freelance workers.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
HM Treasury has received unprecedented amounts of correspondence since the start of the coronavirus outbreak, and apologises for the delay in responding to the Honourable Member. The Honourable Members’ correspondence is receiving attention and will be replied to as soon as possible.Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he plans to respond to the letter of 6 April 2020 from the hon. Member for Glasgow North West on access to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme for new employees.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
HM Treasury has received unprecedented amounts of correspondence since the start of the coronavirus outbreak, and apologises for the delay in responding to the Honourable Member. The Honourable Members’ correspondence is receiving attention and will be replied to as soon as possible.Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he plans to respond to the letter of 24 April 2020 from the hon. Member for Glasgow North West on umbrella employment and the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
HM Treasury has received unprecedented amounts of correspondence since the start of the coronavirus outbreak, and apologises for the delay in responding to the Honourable Member. The Honourable Members’ correspondence is receiving attention and will be replied to as soon as possible.Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he would make a change in the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme regulations to allow the 2019-20 tax year results to be used in calculations for payments made under that scheme.
Answered by Jesse Norman
It has not been possible to include those who began trading after the 2018-19 tax year in the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme. This was a very difficult decision and it was taken for practical reasons. It is correct that individuals can now submit Income Tax Self Assessment returns for 2019-20, but there would be significant risks for the public purse if the Government relied on these returns for the scheme. HMRC would not be able to distinguish genuine self-employed individuals who started trading in 2019-20 from fake applications by fraudulent operators and organised criminal gangs seeking to exploit the SEISS. The Government cannot expose the tax system to these risks.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer has said there will be no further extension or changes to the SEISS. However, the newly self-employed may still be eligible for other financial support provided by the Government. The SEISS is one element of a comprehensive package of support for individuals and businesses, including the newly self-employed. This package includes Bounce Back loans, tax deferrals, rental support,?increased levels of Universal Credit, mortgage holidays, and other business support grants. More information about the full range of business support measures is available at: www.gov.uk/government/collections/financial-support-for-businesses-during-coronavirus-covid-19.
Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he plans to make an announcement on the next stage of the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Chancellor of the Exchequer announced an extension to the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme on 29 May.
Eligible individuals whose business is adversely affected by COVID-19 will be able to claim a second and final grant when the scheme reopens for further applications in August. Individuals will be able to claim a taxable grant worth 70 per cent of their average monthly trading profits, paid out in a single instalment covering three months’ worth of profits and capped at £6,570 in total.
There will be no further changes and no further extensions to the scheme, which continues to be one of the most generous in the world.
Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of including the Post Office Document Certification service in the list of approved document certifiers for HMRC services.
Answered by Jesse Norman
HMRC currently have no plans to ask the Post Office to provide document verification services.
Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he plans to respond to the Third Report of the Treasury Committee, Session 2019, published on 1 November 2019.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The government responded to the report on 5th February 2020 and the Committee will publish our response in the usual way in due course.