Asked by: David Crausby (Labour - Bolton North East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the average number of calls made to HM Revenue and Customs helpline numbers about a single issue was before that issue was resolved in the last 12 months.
Answered by David Gauke
| HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) does not hold this information, and it could only be collected at disproportionate costs. | |||||
Asked by: David Crausby (Labour - Bolton North East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to reduce the length of time taken to answer calls to tax credit helplines.
Answered by David Gauke
The steps taken to reduce the length of time taken to answer calls to tax credit helplines is set out in the answer to questions number 58, given on 27 May 2015.
Asked by: David Crausby (Labour - Bolton North East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions his Department has had with the (a) Prudential Regulation Authority and (b) Financial Conduct Authority about reports of UK banks paying allowances to employees in order to avoid the EU's bonus cap; and what steps he plans to take to reduce such practices.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom
The UK is at the forefront of global efforts to tackle excessive pay in the financial sector and ensure that pay is aligned with performance, with a tough Remuneration Code that requires deferral of at least 60% of bonuses of senior bankers and limits the amounts that can be paid in cash. Bonuses are down significantly since their peak under the last Government, and are now largely deferred and paid in shares.
In contrast, the EU's bonus cap is a poorly thought through measure that undermines rather than reinforces our efforts by pushing up fixed pay. It was introduced without any proper impact assessment and has issues around its compatibility with the EU Treaty; for these reasons we are challenging it in the European Court of Justice. However, pending the outcome, the Government is fully implementing the cap in the UK, and the Prudential Regulation Authority is responsible for ensuring that the banks comply with these rules.
Asked by: David Crausby (Labour - Bolton North East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much has been paid through working tax credits to people in Bolton North East constituency in each of the last three years.
Answered by David Gauke
Table 1: Bolton North East constituency Working Tax Credit entitlement
Tax Year | Total WTC entitlement |
2010-11 | £19 million |
2011-12 | £18 million |
2012-13 | £16 million |
These figures have been rounded to the nearest £ million.