Asked by: Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the planned timetable is for the Valuation Office Agency reviewing the business rate valuation representations made by Boundary Outlet headquartered in Colne, Lancashire; and if he will hold discussions with the Valuation Office Agency on expediting the assessment process.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) carries out its valuations independently of Ministers and is currently meeting its statutory deadlines in relation to its Check, Challenge, Appeal (CCA) service.
It is not possible to disclose information about the specific CCA cases involved, as the Commissioners for Revenue and Customs Act 2005 restricts the VOA from providing this information to protect ratepayer confidentiality.
The VOA’s 2022-2023 annual report, which will contain the most recent performance statistics, is planned for publication in November.
Asked by: Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether businesses that do not pay business rates are eligible to apply for grants through the Covid-19 Business Grants Fund.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
Only businesses which as of 11 March 2020 had their own rating assessment / rates valuation are eligible for the Business Grants Funds. The Small Business Grant Fund and the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund have been designed to support the smallest businesses, and smaller businesses in some of the sectors which have been hit hardest by the measures taken to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Both schemes have been tied to the business rates system because these businesses are likely to face particularly high fixed costs, such as fixed rents and other building-related costs. The grants schemes are already making a real difference to many thousands of businesses, which have received a total of over £1 billion since the schemes were launched.
Small businesses in shared offices / premises, where the overall building’s rates valuation is too big to qualify for a grant, and where the users of the shared space don’t have their own rating assessment, are not eligible for the grants’ scheme. However, small businesses which are not eligible for these schemes should be able to benefit from other measures in the Government’s unprecedented package of support for business, including:
The Business Support website provides further information about how businesses can access the support that has been made available, who is eligible, when the schemes open and how to apply - https://www.businesssupport.gov.uk/coronavirus-business-support/.
Asked by: Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the guidance published by his Department on 23 March 2020, entitled Covid-19: support for businesses, what steps he is taking to ensure that businesses that (a) sub-lease space from others and (b) are run from home are able to access business grants.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
Only businesses which as of 11 March 2020 had their own rating assessment / rates valuation are eligible for the Business Grants Funds. The Small Business Grant Fund and the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund have been designed to support the smallest businesses, and smaller businesses in some of the sectors which have been hit hardest by the measures taken to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Both schemes have been tied to the business rates system because these businesses are likely to face particularly high fixed costs, such as fixed rents and other building-related costs. The grants schemes are already making a real difference to many thousands of businesses, which have received a total of over £1 billion since the schemes were launched.
Small businesses in shared offices / premises, where the overall building’s rates valuation is too big to qualify for a grant, and where the users of the shared space don’t have their own rating assessment, are not eligible for the grants’ scheme. However, small businesses which are not eligible for these schemes should be able to benefit from other measures in the Government’s unprecedented package of support for business, including:
The Business Support website provides further information about how businesses can access the support that has been made available, who is eligible, when the schemes open and how to apply - https://www.businesssupport.gov.uk/coronavirus-business-support/.
Asked by: Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent steps he has taken to support economic growth in (a) Yorkshire and the Humber, (b) the North East and (c) the North West.
Answered by David Gauke
Creating an economy that works for everyone is a key priority of this Government. At the Autumn Statement, the government announced allocations worth £1.8 billion from the Local Growth Fund to all English regions, including £556 million to the North of England. This is in addition to the £2.8 billion the North has already received from the Local Growth Fund for expenditure on projects essential to local economic growth. The government is also investing £13 billion in transport across the North over the course of this parliament and launched a Northern Powerhouse strategy at this Autumn Statement, setting out the steps we will take to tackling key productivity barriers across the North.
Asked by: Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to support infrastructure development in West Yorkshire.
Answered by David Gauke
The government is taking steps to improve infrastructure across the UK, including committing to over £100 billion capital investment by the end of the Parliament.
Since 2010, more than 200 schemes have been delivered in Yorkshire and the Humber. The National Infrastructure Pipeline sets out 29 projects and programmes worth £6.6bn for the region. This includes nearly £1bn for the West Yorkshire Plus transport fund, to help increase employment opportunities and economic growth by creating 20,000 jobs.
Asked by: Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the potential savings for Government departments due to the falling price of oil over the course of this Parliament.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
No such estimate has been made.
Asked by: Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of the falling price of oil on consumer spending in all sectors of the economy.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
Cheaper oil and low inflation will support living standards across the country for hardworking families and reduce business costs. The OBR noted in their November 2015 Economic and Fiscal Outlook document, that they expected the fall in oil prices in the second half of 2014 to have supported real income and consumption during 2015.
Asked by: Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to tackle the use of money laundering services abroad by UK citizens.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
The Government believes that money laundering is a critical enabler of both terrorism and serious and organised crime. This is why the UK’s own anti-money laundering regime contains controls and supervisory mechanisms which aim to make the UK financial system a hostile environment for illicit finances, whilst minimising the burden on legitimate businesses and reducing the overall burden of regulation.
The Government expects UK citizens to comply with anti-money laundering regulations both at home and abroad and works hard, particularly through the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), to improve global standards and combat money laundering.
Asked by: Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the projected growth of the economy in Yorkshire and Humber over the course of this Parliament.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The government does not publish projected growth forecasts for individual regions of the country. However, last year we published our Long Term Economic Plan for Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire where we detailed our ambition for the region to achieve a long term growth rate to at least that of the whole of the UK. This would increase the size of the Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire economies by an extra £13 billion in real terms by 2030, equivalent to over £2,000 per person.
Asked by: Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on the local economy of the potential closure of HM Revenue and Customs offices in West Yorkshire.
Answered by David Gauke
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has announced its plans to create a new regional centre in West Yorkshire, investing in up to 4,400 full time posts in the region. HMRC will be offering career opportunities to those from across the county in a range of the Department’s professions and intends to partner with local colleges and universities to provide a pipeline of staff to work in its new centre. The Department’s proposed changes will also save money for the taxpayers of West Yorkshire as HMRC’s national estates costs will reduce by around £100 million a year by 2025.