Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to help ensure that banks continue to provide banking facilities for charities and community groups without imposing unaffordable charges.
Answered by John Glen
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been unprecedented demand for banking services, this accompanied with working restrictions due to social distancing has meant banks have faced significant capacity pressures which has limited their ability to meet demand for bank accounts, among other things.
Banks continue to work hard to meet this demand. Ultimately, the decisions about what products are offered and to whom remain commercial decisions for banks and building societies. Similarly, decisions concerning the pricing of products, including account charges, are also commercial decisions for these institutions. While I recognise the important role of the third sector, I hope you can appreciate that it would be inappropriate for the Government to intervene in these decisions.
Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will reconsider the provisions under Section 33 of the VAT Act 1994 which mean charitable bodies cannot recover VAT on public benefit works on endowed sites.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
Eligibility for VAT refunds for public bodies is subject to strict criteria, as set out in UK legislation. Although the Government keeps all taxes under review, there are no plans to extend the scope of Section 33 at this time.
Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to ensure that elderly people in self-isolation due to the outbreak of covid-19 are able to access cash for grocery shopping.
Answered by John Glen
The Government recognises that cash will remain important to the daily lives of millions of people during the Covid-19 outbreak, particularly to those in vulnerable groups.
The UK has a resilient cash supply system and the cash industry has well developed contingency arrangements. The Government is working closely with the cash industry and regulators to ensure that people continue to be able to access their cash.
The banking and finance industry has committed to support all customers who are impacted. Customers who are impacted are advised to temporarily use alternatives where possible - such as digital banking, telephone banking or the Post Office - or contact their account provider.
Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the cost to the public purse was of the (a) freezes and (b) reductions in alcohol duty in each year since 2012.
Answered by Steve Barclay
Based on the Office for Budget Responsibility’s (OBR) published policy costings, we estimate the cumulative loss to the Exchequer from the successive alcohol duty freezes and cuts from financial year 2013-14 to the current financial year 2018-19 to be around £5.2bn.
The annual impacts on the Exchequer are reported in the table below.
(£m) | 2013-14 | 2014-15 | 2015-16 | 2016-17 | 2017-18 | 2018-19 | 2019-20 |
Exchequer Impact | -170 | -505 | -685 | -770 | -820 | -1,059 | -1,217 |
These past decisions will also incur future losses to the Exchequer in years beyond 2019-20. The OBR’s costings of previously announced policies currently extend to 2023-23, and the future impact of these announced freezes and cuts in the alcohol duties to that year is estimated to be around £5.2bn.
The future annual impacts are set out in the table below.
(£m) | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 |
Exchequer Impact | -1,246 | -1,282 | -1,320 | -1,361 |
The OBR’s policy costings are available at the following link:
http://budgetresponsibility.org.uk/download/policy-measures-database/
Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will ensure the immediate release of Roadchef pension fund monies to Christine Slack and other former Roadchef employees; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
The administration of the tax system is a matter for HM Revenue and Customs. It would not be appropriate for Treasury Ministers to become involved in the administration of the tax system in specific cases.