Asked by: David Duguid (Conservative - Banff and Buchan)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to freeze or lower excise duties on whisky.
Answered by Helen Whately - Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
As announced at Autumn Budget 2021, the duty rates on beer, cider, wine and spirits will be frozen for another year, saving consumers £3 billion over the next five years and supporting the hospitality industry and its suppliers as they recover from the pandemic. Due to the continued freeze on alcohol duty, Scotch whisky is also facing the lowest real-terms tax rate since 1918.
Asked by: David Duguid (Conservative - Banff and Buchan)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to support small independent breweries in Scotland.
Answered by Helen Whately - Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
The Treasury has acted through its unprecedented coronavirus response to support small breweries, including through furlough, grants and allowing breweries to remain open throughout the Covid-19 lockdown.
The Treasury committed to reform Small Brewers Relief (SBR) to ensure it continued to support growth. Our review is ongoing, and we will publish our response to our technical consultation in due course.
As announced at Autumn Budget 2021, the duty rates on alcohol will be frozen for another year, saving consumers £3 billion over the coming years. This will save beer drinkers £900m and consumers 3p off a pint of beer. Since ending the beer duty escalator in 2013, compared to previous planned rises, consumers have saved 21p off a pint of beer.
Asked by: David Duguid (Conservative - Banff and Buchan)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he plans to accept bids for a freeport in the northeast of Scotland.
Answered by Simon Clarke
Freeports will be national hubs for trade, innovation and commerce, regenerating communities across the UK attracting new businesses, spreading jobs, investment and opportunity to towns and cities up and down the country.
We remain committed to establishing at least one Freeport in Scotland and specific locations will be chosen in a fair, open and transparent allocation process.
Asked by: David Duguid (Conservative - Banff and Buchan)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of proposed changes to IR35 rules from April 2020 on trends in the level of employment in the oil and gas sector in Scotland.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
The off-payroll working rules (commonly known as IR35) are designed to ensure that an individual who works like an employee, but through their own limited company, pays broadly the same Income Tax and National Insurance contributions as other employees. The rules do not apply to the self-employed or stop anyone working through their own company.
The Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) published in July 2019 sets out HMRC’s assessment that the reform to the off-payroll working rules is expected to affect 170,000 individuals; this is a UK-wide figure. The TIIN can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/rules-for-off-payroll-working-from-april-2020/rules-for-off-payroll-working-from-april-2020.
Asked by: David Duguid (Conservative - Banff and Buchan)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to provide financial relief to Equitable Life policyholders.
Answered by John Glen
In 2010 the government allocated up to £1.5 billon, tax free, for payment to affected policyholders. More detail on the history of the action taken on this issue can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/equitable-life-payment-scheme-final-report.
Asked by: David Duguid (Conservative - Banff and Buchan)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when his Department next plans to meet with representatives of (a) the Scottish Government and (b) Scottish business to discuss the allocation of funds raised by the apprenticeship levy.
Answered by Elizabeth Truss
The Treasury meets with the Scottish Government regularly to discuss matters of mutual interest.
The Scottish Government will receive £239 million in 2019-20, which represents a population share of the Apprenticeship Levy forecast. Skills is devolved in Scotland and it is for the Scottish Government to determine how to use this funding.
Asked by: David Duguid (Conservative - Banff and Buchan)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his Department's policy is on the statutory immunity of the Financial Conduct Authority in cases where it is found to have acted negligently.
Answered by John Glen
The Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (FSMA) provides the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) with immunity from liability in damages, including damages arising as a result of negligence. It is important, however, to bear in mind that this statutory immunity does not confer immunity from (i) claims that property rights protected by Article 1 Protocol 1 of the Human Rights Act 1998 have been unlawfully interfered with, or (ii) claims for judicial review of the FCA's actions.
The statutory immunity of the FCA is important in enabling it to take a robust approach to regulation. This immunity allows the FCA to focus its resources on pursuing its objectives without the distraction of claims that may frustrate these efforts, or the risk that firms can delay supervisory interventions through vexatious litigation.
The FCA’s statutory immunity is held to account by an Independent Complaints Commissioner who can consider complaints about the way the FCA has carried out, or failed to carry out, its role. The Commissioner has powers to recommend the payment of compensation and to require the FCA to publish its response to the recommendation, for example where it decides not to pay compensation.