Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions she has had with her Gibraltarian counterpart on the potential impact of the new Remote Betting Duty on the Gibraltarian economy.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Increasing gambling duties will raise over £1 billion per year to support the public finances and forms part of our ambition to create a fair, modern and sustainable tax system.
The Government understands that Gibraltar has a gambling industry that faces the UK, and engaged with representatives of the Government of Gibraltar following the Budget and will continue to monitor all impacts of these changes.
Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to support investment into the UK's economic security.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Modern Industrial Strategy committed to strengthen our economic security through several steps, including through our uplift in defence spending, and strategic investments in critical sectors. The government is prioritising economic security and resilience through our public finance offer, with Public Financial Institutions and interventions working together to direct more investment at strategic sectors and supply chains. This includes the British Business Bank’s £4billion additional capital for Industrial Strategy sectors that will be the future cornerstone of the UK’s supply chains and security, and committing up to £330million to the expansion of the National Security Strategic Investment Fund, which invests into advanced dual-use technology companies to support the National Security and Defence community and start-ups across the country.
Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what proportion of cider production is eligible for draught relief.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
HMRC’s statistics on alcohol duty and reliefs are found here: Alcohol Bulletin - GOV.UK.
Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much and what percentage of cider duty receipts do registered cider makers not eligible for small producer relief raise.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
HMRC’s statistics on alcohol duty and reliefs are found here: Alcohol Bulletin - GOV.UK.
Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many and what percentage of registered cider makers are eligible for small producer relief.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
HMRC’s statistics on alcohol duty and reliefs are found here: Alcohol Bulletin - GOV.UK.
Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many and what percentage of small cider producers produce less than five hectolitres of pure alcohol and are exempt from alcohol duty payments.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Alcohol duty on all products collectively raises over £12bn a year, helping to fund vital public services as well as reduce harmful drinking.
The 2023 alcohol duty reforms brought much greater consistency of treatment between different types of alcohol. The reforms also increased duty on cider above 4.5% ABV, particularly targeting high-strength white ciders that have been linked to harmful drinking.
HMRC plans to evaluate the impact of these reforms three years after the changes took effect on 1 August 2023, and the Government welcomes evidence from industry on the impact of the changes so far.
HMRC does not collect data on cidermakers producing less than 5 hectolitres of pure alcohol in a year. This is because, as per Section 5.2 of the Alcoholic products technical guide, producers are not required to submit a return if they produced 5 hectolitres or less of alcohol in the previous year and have estimated that they will produce 5 hectolitres or less of alcohol in the current year, across all premises. More information on the Alcoholic products technical guide can be found here:
Alcoholic products technical guide - Section 5 — returns and payments - Guidance - GOV.UK
Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of equalising cider and beer duty.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Alcohol duty on all products collectively raises over £12bn a year, helping to fund vital public services as well as reduce harmful drinking.
The 2023 alcohol duty reforms brought much greater consistency of treatment between different types of alcohol. The reforms also increased duty on cider above 4.5% ABV, particularly targeting high-strength white ciders that have been linked to harmful drinking.
HMRC plans to evaluate the impact of these reforms three years after the changes took effect on 1 August 2023, and the Government welcomes evidence from industry on the impact of the changes so far.
HMRC does not collect data on cidermakers producing less than 5 hectolitres of pure alcohol in a year. This is because, as per Section 5.2 of the Alcoholic products technical guide, producers are not required to submit a return if they produced 5 hectolitres or less of alcohol in the previous year and have estimated that they will produce 5 hectolitres or less of alcohol in the current year, across all premises. More information on the Alcoholic products technical guide can be found here:
Alcoholic products technical guide - Section 5 — returns and payments - Guidance - GOV.UK
Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of including credit unions in the forthcoming National Financial Inclusion Strategy.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government recognises the importance of the credit union sector in promoting the financial inclusion, education, and resilience of communities throughout the country.
Today, I will publish the Government’s Financial Inclusion Strategy, setting out an ambitious programme of measures to improve financial inclusion and resilience for underserved groups across the UK.
The strategy builds on the Government’s recognition of the key role credit unions play in serving underserved groups, with interventions to support the credit union sector scale and serve its members more effectively.
Action to improve financial inclusion requires a joined-up approach and I look forward to continuing to work closely with the sector to deliver on the important interventions set out in the strategy.
Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress she has made on joint discussions between the Post Office and banks to expand the range of banking services available at post offices.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government is supportive of industry initiatives that assist access to in-person banking. These include the Post Office Banking Framework which allows personal and business customers to withdraw and deposit cash, check their balance, pay bills and cash cheques at 11,500 Post Office branches across the UK. The specific services provided under the Framework are subject to commercial negotiations between individual banks and the Post Office, and the Government has no role in deciding what these arrangements are.
In due course, as committed to, the government will look to host joint discussions with Post Office and the banking sector on collaboration between Post Office and the banking sector in providing cash and banking services, on a commercial and voluntary basis.
Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of credit unions in (a) providing affordable credit and (b) promoting financial resilience, in the context of the forthcoming National Financial Inclusion Strategy.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The government has committed to publish a Financial Inclusion Strategy later this year to improve access to financial products and the financial resilience of households in the UK. The strategy will address a range of barriers to financial inclusion, including a key focus on how to improve access to credit. This will seek to build on the government’s recognition of the key role credit unions play in serving underserved groups.
The government has made clear its strong support for the credit union sector, recognising the value that credit unions bring to their members in local communities across the country in providing savings products and affordable credit.
HM Treasury is delivering on measures announced by the Chancellor in last year’s Mansion House speech to support credit unions and the wider mutuals sector, including: concluding a call for evidence on potential reforms to credit union common bonds, supporting the industry-led Mutual and Co-operative Sector Business Council, and commissioning the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) to publish a report on the mutuals landscape by the end of 2025.