Asked by: Charlie Elphicke (Independent - Dover)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the tax gap for import duties.
Answered by Jane Ellison
HM Revenue and Customs does not make separate estimates of the tax gap for import VAT and customs duties. The most recent tax gap estimates are available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/measuring-tax-gaps
Asked by: Charlie Elphicke (Independent - Dover)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the tax gap for customs duties on goods imported from outside the EU.
Answered by Jane Ellison
HM Revenue and Customs has not estimated a tax gap for customs duties on goods imported from outside of the EU.
Asked by: Charlie Elphicke (Independent - Dover)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether there is a memorandum of understanding or other form of agreement between HM Revenue and Customs and the Home Office for securing the collection of and compliance with import taxation.
Answered by Jane Ellison
There is a Partnership Agreement which sets out the collaborative working arrangements between HM Revenue and Customs and the Home Office in respect of Border Force. Border Force is an operational command within the Home Office responsible for frontline operations at the border. These frontline operations include the collection and protection of revenue from the importation of goods.
The Partnership Agreement is published at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/partnership-agreement-between-hmrc-and-border-force.
Asked by: Charlie Elphicke (Independent - Dover)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress has been made on the replacement of the Customs CHIEF system; and when that replacement is expected to be introduced.
Answered by Jane Ellison
The replacement of the current CHIEF system is progressing well, and in line with the HM Revenue and Customs Programme Delivery Plans. Full implementation of the new Customs Declaration Service is planned for January 2019.
Asked by: Charlie Elphicke (Independent - Dover)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the tax gap for import VAT.
Answered by Jane Ellison
HM Revenue and Customs does not make separate estimates of the tax gap for import VAT and customs duties. The most recent tax gap estimates are available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/measuring-tax-gaps
Asked by: Charlie Elphicke (Independent - Dover)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the potential contribution of the system due to replace Customs CHIEF to a more-intelligence led, frictionless border.
Answered by Jane Ellison
The controlled physical release of goods at UK ports is an essential part of the future Customs operational model. To support this model the new Customs Declaration Service will incorporate a fully automated risk assessment tool using intelligence driven information to target illicit freight movements. This approach will minimise the administrative burdens at the border for the majority of compliant imports and exports.
Asked by: Charlie Elphicke (Independent - Dover)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the annual saving to the Exchequer from the introduction of fees for (a) employment tribunals, (b) judicial review and (c) criminal courts.
Answered by Priti Patel
The Government estimates that the introduction of fees for proceedings before the Employment Tribunals will generate approximately £9 million per annum from 2014/15 net of fee remissions.
The increases to fees for Judicial Review were part of a package of reforms to fees in the civil courts introduced in April 2014 to bring the fees closer to cost recovery. We estimate the fees for judicial review might contribute around £2million to this package, subject to the effect of fee remissions.
The introduction of the Criminal Courts Charge is estimated to generate gross cash inflows of between approximately £105 million and £185 million per annum in steady state (2023/24). The estimate of the cost of enforcement is approximately £25 million per annum in steady state.
Asked by: Charlie Elphicke (Independent - Dover)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions his Department has had with the Financial Conduct Authority on the effectiveness of the Payment Services Directive in tackling online fraud.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Treasury Ministers and officials meet with a wide range of organisations as part of the usual policy making process.
As part of the ongoing negotiations on the revised Payments Service Directive, HM Treasury has been engaging closely with the Financial Conduct Authority. This has been to ensure that the UK fulfills its objectives by supporting a clear, proportionate and effective Payment Services Directive II, which aims to promote competition, transparency and greater protection for consumers, including protections against online fraud.
It might be useful to know that the Treasury publishes a list of ministerial meetings with external organisations. This is available online at: http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/minister_hospitality.htm.
Asked by: Charlie Elphicke (Independent - Dover)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the full burden of (a) demand, (b) construction and (c) availability risk for the Thames Tideway Tunnel project has been transferred from the Government to Thames Tideway Tunnel Limited; and what the effect of each such transfer has been on the UK national balance sheet under the guidance given in ESA 95 Manual Chapters VI.4 and VI.5.
Answered by Danny Alexander
The Thames Tideway Tunnel is a private sector project. The Government has never been responsible for ‘the full burden’ of the project referred to in the question. Until 5 June, Thames Water Utilities Ltd had full responsibility for the project.
On 5 June, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs tabled a Written Ministerial Statement informing the House that the Government had Specified the Thames Tideway Tunnel project, in accordance with the Water Industry (Specified Infrastructure Projects) (English Undertakers) Regulations 2013. He also issued a Preparatory Work Notice for Thames Water Utilities Ltd requiring or permitting it to do certain preparatory work in relation to the Tunnel project.
The full statement is available here:
The full notices issued on 5 June, together with the reasons for exercising these powers are available here:
Specifying the project means that, other than those works described in the Preparatory Work Notice, Thames Water Utilities Ltd is prevented from undertaking the infrastructure project and is instead required to put it out to tender, by running a competitive procurement for an infrastructure provider which will finance and deliver the Tunnel that is separate from Thames Water.
The Government is confident that both the project and the infrastructure provider will be classified to the private sector, and will not impact the public balance sheet.
Asked by: Charlie Elphicke (Independent - Dover)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when HM Revenue and Customs will next audit the compliance and performance of Mapeley STEPS Contractor Limited in respect of all the STEPS Contractor's obligations under the agreement, including those applicable to the implementation of any change and all personnel and management policies and practices and quality management under 17.1 (d) of the private finance initiative contract between HM Revenue and Customs and Mapeley STEPS Contractor Limited.
Answered by David Gauke
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) monitors the performance of its contractor regularly under a range of provisions. Commercial discussions between HMRC and its suppliers are confidential.