Asked by: David Amess (Conservative - Southend West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 3 July 2020 to Question 64077, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of disclosing the full cost of fees and charges including the exchange rate margin as calculated from the mid-market rate provided by the ECB to ensure that consumers are able to make informed decisions when sending money abroad by bank transfer.
Answered by John Glen
Further to my response of 3 July 2020 to Question 64077, before the end of the Transition Period, the Government will bring forward secondary legislation under the EU Withdrawal Act 2018 to ensure that the provisions of the Cross Border Payments Regulation which require transparency of currency conversion fees and charges for credit transfers, continue to work effectively in UK law after the end of the Transition Period.
Asked by: David Amess (Conservative - Southend West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of (a) including limited company directors in the Self Employed Income Support Scheme and (b) including dividends as income in relation to covid-19 support schemes.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
I refer the Honourable Member to the written answer to Parliamentary Question 54215 given on 9 June 2020: www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2020-06-03/54215/.
Asked by: David Amess (Conservative - Southend West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what financial support he plans to offer new starters who cannot claim under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and have (a) been denied furlough pay by their previous employer and (b) are not eligible for universal credit.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
It has not been possible to include in the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme individuals for whom HMRC had not received a Real Time Information submission notifying payment in respect of that employee on or before the 19 March, as this would have significantly increased the risk of fraud.
Individuals with sufficient National Insurance contributions who have lost their job may be entitled to support from the welfare system, notably new style Jobseeker’s Allowance, which does not assess capital or partner income.
The Government has introduced wider measures to support those who may be in difficulty during the Covid-19 crisis, including mortgage holidays, a pause on evictions, hardship funds from local authorities, and help with utility bills.
Asked by: David Amess (Conservative - Southend West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether it is his Department’s policy to respond to all correspondence from Members of Parliament with (a) a generic Dear Colleague letter months after the initial query or (b) a detailed and prompt answer addressing the points that have been raised by that Member.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - Leader of HM Official Opposition
It is the Treasury’s policy to respond to correspondence from Members with an individual reply that addresses the points the member has raised, within 15 working days. However, the unprecedented volumes of correspondence received since the outbreak of COVID-19 has caused delays in responding.
Detailed Dear Colleague letters have occasionally been issued to Members to update them on changes to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme and to help them reply to their constituents as quickly as possible. The Treasury is working with any Members who have highlighted they cannot use the Dear Colleague letter to reply to their constituents and will provide a further reply to those Members as soon as possible.