Asked by: Colum Eastwood (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Foyle)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what guidance his Department issues on the requirements for customs declarations for business-to-business shipments exceeding the value of £135 between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government has recently issued guidance on the long-term arrangements for business-to-business parcels which is available on gov.uk - www.gov.uk/government/publications/moving-parcels-from-great-britain-to-northern-ireland-under-the-windsor-framework-from-30-september-2024.
Asked by: Colum Eastwood (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Foyle)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department plans to take to implement public sector pay rises in Northern Ireland.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Government is accepting the headline pay recommendations of the independent Pay Review Bodies in full for 2023/24. This will be funded from within existing department budgets through a combination of greater efficiency and reprioritisation.
Equivalent decisions in Northern Ireland are devolved.
Asked by: Colum Eastwood (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Foyle)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what data his Department holds on the revenue raised by the Soft Drinks Industry Levy for Northern Ireland for financial year (a) 2020-21, (b) 2021-22 and (c) 2022-23; and if will provide details of how much of levy raised will be distributed to Northern Ireland using the Barnett formula.
Answered by Gareth Davies - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government does not breakdown the revenue raised from the Soft Drinks Industry Levy specifically for Northern Ireland.
Since January 2020, HMRC no longer publish disaggregated tax receipts. However, HMG continues to input into the Office for National Statistics’ Country and Regional Analysis publication which presents statistical estimates for the allocation of identifiable expenditure between the regions and nations of the UK and includes estimates for Northern Ireland. The latest report can be accessed via this link:
The devolved administrations are well funded through the operation of the Barnett formula, receiving around 20% more than equivalent UK Government spending in other parts of the UK.
The Block Grant Transparency publication sets out a full breakdown of the funding provided to the devolved administrations and is due to be updated shortly.
Asked by: Colum Eastwood (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Foyle)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much revenue has been generated by the soft drinks industry levy in Northern Ireland in each of the last three years; and whether this funding has been used to help tackle (a) poor oral health, (b) obesity, (c) diabetes and (d) other issues.
Answered by Gareth Davies - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government remains committed to helping people live healthier lives. Having a fit and healthy population is essential for a thriving economy and addressing obesity remains a priority for the Government.
The Government does not breakdown the revenue raised from the Soft Drinks Industry Levy (SDIL) specifically for Northern Ireland.
Headline statistics including total SDIL receipts are published online and can be accessed via this link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/soft-drinks-industry-levy-statistics
Asked by: Colum Eastwood (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Foyle)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of Section 63 and Schedule 14 of the Financial Services and Markets Bill on parity of Northern Ireland credits unions with those in Great Britain.
Answered by Andrew Griffith - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government is a strong supporter of the mutuals sector and recognises the unique role credit unions play in their communities, providing savings and affordable loans to their members.
Clause 63 introduces Schedule 14 of the Financial Services and Markets Bill 2022, which makes amendments to the Credit Unions Act 1979 to allow credit unions in Great Britain to offer a wider range of products and services, thereby supporting the growth, diversification, and development of the sector.
Responsibility for credit unions in Northern Ireland is a devolved matter.
Officials have engaged with counterparts in the Northern Ireland Department for the Economy and are willing to engage further should they wish to implement something similar for credit unions in Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Colum Eastwood (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Foyle)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of the proposed changes to rebated gas and oil scheduled for April 2022 on the sustainability of the construction sector in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
At Budget 2020, the Chancellor announced that the Government will remove the entitlement to use rebated diesel and biofuels from most sectors from April 2022. This will more fairly reflect the negative environmental impact of the emissions they produce and help to ensure that the tax system incentivises the development and adoption of greener alternative technologies. As part of the changes, duty will also be extended to biodiesel used for heating.
The Government recognised that these reforms would be a significant change for some businesses and ran a consultation to gather information on the expected impact and make sure it had not overlooked any exceptional reasons why affected sectors should be allowed to continue to use rebated diesel and biofuels beyond April 2022. During the consultation period, the Government engaged directly with a wide variety of organisations from all parts of the UK, including sectors which consume rebated diesel and biofuels, and fuel suppliers.
Following the consultation, the Chancellor granted entitlements to use rebated diesel and biofuels after April 2022 for a limited number of users, including for use in non-commercial heating and power generation. In the case of non-commercial heating, the Government felt there was a risk that removing entitlement would significantly increase the heating bills of households that use diesel, especially those in areas off the gas grid where there is no alternative.
The Government did not believe that the cases made by sectors that will not retain their red diesel entitlement outweighed the need to ensure fairness between the different uses of diesel fuels and the Government’s environmental objectives.
To support the development of alternatives that affected businesses can switch to, the Government is at least doubling the funding provided for energy innovation through the new £1 billion Net Zero Innovation Portfolio. From that portfolio, the Government announced the £40 million Red Diesel Replacement Competition, which will provide grant funding for projects that develop and demonstrate lower carbon, lower cost alternatives to red diesel for the construction, and mining and quarrying sectors.
HMRC have published interim guidance on the implementation of the changes to the tax treatment of rebated fuels, which is available at:
www.gov.uk/government/publications/changes-to-rebated-fuels-entitlement-from-1-april-2022
Asked by: Colum Eastwood (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Foyle)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of proposed fuel duty on (a) biodiesel, (b) bio blends and (c) fuel substitutes used in heating on the attractiveness of transitioning to lower carbon fuels as part of a transition to net zero emissions.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
At Budget 2020, the Chancellor announced that the Government will remove the entitlement to use rebated diesel and biofuels from most sectors from April 2022. This will more fairly reflect the negative environmental impact of the emissions they produce and help to ensure that the tax system incentivises the development and adoption of greener alternative technologies. As part of the changes, duty will also be extended to biodiesel used for heating.
The Government recognised that these reforms would be a significant change for some businesses and ran a consultation to gather information on the expected impact and make sure it had not overlooked any exceptional reasons why affected sectors should be allowed to continue to use rebated diesel and biofuels beyond April 2022. During the consultation period, the Government engaged directly with a wide variety of organisations from all parts of the UK, including sectors which consume rebated diesel and biofuels, and fuel suppliers.
Following the consultation, the Chancellor granted entitlements to use rebated diesel and biofuels after April 2022 for a limited number of users, including for use in non-commercial heating and power generation. In the case of non-commercial heating, the Government felt there was a risk that removing entitlement would significantly increase the heating bills of households that use diesel, especially those in areas off the gas grid where there is no alternative.
The Government did not believe that the cases made by sectors that will not retain their red diesel entitlement outweighed the need to ensure fairness between the different uses of diesel fuels and the Government’s environmental objectives.
To support the development of alternatives that affected businesses can switch to, the Government is at least doubling the funding provided for energy innovation through the new £1 billion Net Zero Innovation Portfolio. From that portfolio, the Government announced the £40 million Red Diesel Replacement Competition, which will provide grant funding for projects that develop and demonstrate lower carbon, lower cost alternatives to red diesel for the construction, and mining and quarrying sectors.
HMRC have published interim guidance on the implementation of the changes to the tax treatment of rebated fuels, which is available at:
www.gov.uk/government/publications/changes-to-rebated-fuels-entitlement-from-1-april-2022
Asked by: Colum Eastwood (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Foyle)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the changes to rebated diesel and biofuels scheduled for April 2022 on (a) consumers and (b) suppliers in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
At Budget 2020, the Chancellor announced that the Government will remove the entitlement to use rebated diesel and biofuels from most sectors from April 2022. This will more fairly reflect the negative environmental impact of the emissions they produce and help to ensure that the tax system incentivises the development and adoption of greener alternative technologies. As part of the changes, duty will also be extended to biodiesel used for heating.
The Government recognised that these reforms would be a significant change for some businesses and ran a consultation to gather information on the expected impact and make sure it had not overlooked any exceptional reasons why affected sectors should be allowed to continue to use rebated diesel and biofuels beyond April 2022. During the consultation period, the Government engaged directly with a wide variety of organisations from all parts of the UK, including sectors which consume rebated diesel and biofuels, and fuel suppliers.
Following the consultation, the Chancellor granted entitlements to use rebated diesel and biofuels after April 2022 for a limited number of users, including for use in non-commercial heating and power generation. In the case of non-commercial heating, the Government felt there was a risk that removing entitlement would significantly increase the heating bills of households that use diesel, especially those in areas off the gas grid where there is no alternative.
The Government did not believe that the cases made by sectors that will not retain their red diesel entitlement outweighed the need to ensure fairness between the different uses of diesel fuels and the Government’s environmental objectives.
To support the development of alternatives that affected businesses can switch to, the Government is at least doubling the funding provided for energy innovation through the new £1 billion Net Zero Innovation Portfolio. From that portfolio, the Government announced the £40 million Red Diesel Replacement Competition, which will provide grant funding for projects that develop and demonstrate lower carbon, lower cost alternatives to red diesel for the construction, and mining and quarrying sectors.
HMRC have published interim guidance on the implementation of the changes to the tax treatment of rebated fuels, which is available at:
www.gov.uk/government/publications/changes-to-rebated-fuels-entitlement-from-1-april-2022
Asked by: Colum Eastwood (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Foyle)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much revenue has been generated by the Soft Drinks Industry Levy in the last three years; and how much of that revenue has been provided to Northern Ireland through Barnett consequentials.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
Since its introduction in April 2018, the provisional total for revenue raised from the Soft Drinks Industry Levy up to and including March 2021 is £878 million. This consists of the following amounts raised per financial year:
2018-19: £240 million
2019-20: £337 million
2020-21 (provisional): £301 million
Funding for the devolved administrations through the Barnett formula is based on UK Government spending rather than revenues. A breakdown of the Northern Ireland Executive’s funding, including Barnett consequentials, can be found in the Block Grant Transparency publication.
Asked by: Colum Eastwood (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Foyle)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress has been made in establishing a freeport in Northern Ireland; and what engagement has been carried out with Foyle Port to identify Derry City and the North West as a site for a freeport.
Answered by Steve Barclay - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
At Budget, the Chancellor announced 8 Freeports from 8 regions of England, as selected by the Secretary of State for the Ministry for Housing, Communities & Local Government – this followed the fair, open and transparent assessment process outlined in the Bidding Prospectus.
We want to ensure that the whole of the UK can benefit, not just England. We have been in discussions with the Northern Ireland Executive to establish at least one Freeport in Northern Ireland as soon as possible.