Asked by: Chris Ruane (Labour - Vale of Clwyd)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the economic effectiveness of the no-interest loan scheme pilot announced in Budget 2018.
Answered by John Glen
At Budget 2018, the Government announced that it will carry out a study into the feasibility of establishing a no-interest loans scheme in the UK, and design a pilot.
The Government has now launched the feasibility study, which is examining issues such as access, eligibility and funding models in order to determine how a pilot could work. The feasibility study is due to conclude shortly and the Government will be considering its recommendations.
Asked by: Chris Ruane (Labour - Vale of Clwyd)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the recommendations of the all-party parliamentary group on wellbeing economics' report entitled A spending review to increase wellbeing, published 24 May 2019; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Elizabeth Truss
I have noted the All Party Parliamentary Group on Wellbeing Economics report and the Treasury regularly receive representations on all aspects of public spending. The forthcoming Spending Review will allow us to take a systematic view of all public spending and introduce reforms in line with the Government’s vision for the UK economy and public services.
This will include working closely with departments to identify priorities and inform decisions on how to direct resources to improve people’s opportunities over the long-term.
Asked by: Chris Ruane (Labour - Vale of Clwyd)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the IPPR report Measuring the benefits of integration: The value of tackling skills underutilisation, published 18 June 2019, what assessment he has made of the effect on the economy of migrants employed in positions for which they are overqualified.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Treasury has not conducted analysis on the specific question of overqualification of migrants.
The future immigration system will support the UK economy to access the talent it needs. The Government has initiated an extensive programme of engagement to capture views, and ensure that we design a future system that works for the whole of the UK.
Asked by: Chris Ruane (Labour - Vale of Clwyd)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, on how many occasions his Department has received representations from the UK Statistics Authority on his Department's presentation and use of statistics in each year since 2010.
Answered by John Glen
Details on the UK Statistics Authority’s interventions are published in the correspondence[1], publications[2], and issues log[3] sections of their website and have been since 2010.
The Authority’s Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) also carry out regular assessments and systemic reviews, details of which can also be found on the Authority’s website[4].
In September 2018, the Authority published the first annual summary of its interventions for the financial year 2017/18[5]. The report for 2018/19 will be published in the autumn.
[1] https://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/correspondence-list/
[2] https://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/publications-list/
[3] https://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/reports-and-correspondence/issues-log/
[4] https://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/osr/
[5] https://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/publication/annual-casework-review-20172018/
Asked by: Chris Ruane (Labour - Vale of Clwyd)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what support his Department provides to staff in his Department (a) in their transition to retirement and (b) to (i) maintain and (ii) increase the physical and mental wellbeing staff planning for retirement.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
In their transition to retirement staff are invited to attend a Civil Service pre-retirement course focusing on many topics including wellbeing, activities, pension and other finances. They also have access to an Employee Assistance Programme free of charge that can provide information and support relating to retirement including preparation, change, relationships, staying active, benefit entitlement and wills. They may also be able to take partial retirement in order to reduce their working hours and ease them into retirement.
HM Treasury encourages staff throughout their careers to maintain good physical and mental wellbeing and work life balance. Much information, support and activities are available to them including:
HM Treasury also encourages volunteering that can continue into retirement, which can give those approaching retirement a sense of purpose going forward.
Asked by: Chris Ruane (Labour - Vale of Clwyd)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many civil servants in his Department have been seconded to (a) the Department for Exiting the European Union and (b) the Department for International Trade in each of the last three years.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The number of people loaned to each of these two departments in the last three years can be found in the following table:
Department | April 2016 to March 2017 | April 2017 to March 2018 | April 2018 to March 2019 |
DExEU | 17 | 14 | 16 |
DIT | 7 | 0 | 0 |