Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 6 June 2019 to Question 259082 on Peat Bogs: Environment Protection, when the 2019 Spending Review will take place
Answered by Elizabeth Truss
As the Chancellor announced at Spring Statement, if a deal with the EU is agreed, the 2019 Spending Review will conclude alongside an Autumn Budget.
Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with the Foreign Secretary on the cost to the public purse of the proposed new embassy building in Beijing.
Answered by Elizabeth Truss
The Foreign Secretary is responsible for developing plans to re-build the embassy and residence in Beijing. These plans, including the estimated costs, are subject to standard HM Treasury spending controls and approval.
Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the legal basis was for the Bank of England’s decision to freeze approximately 1125 gold bars stored by the Venezuelan central bank in November 2018.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Holding gold reserves on behalf of any foreign central bank is a matter for the Bank of England. Ultimately, the Bank is responsible for dealing with requests from its customers should they wish to repatriate their gold. HM Treasury only has direct control over the UK Government’s own holdings of gold within its official reserves, which are held at the Bank of England.
Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the number of Child Trust Funds where the addressee has gone away or become unlinked.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
HMRC does not have records of, nor have they made any estimations of, CTF accounts where the main contact of the CTF has lost their details, or where the main contact is not aware of the details of their CTF. CTF providers are required in legislation to send out regular statements to the registered contact for the account.
However, although the primary relationship is between the account provider and the child’s parents, if a parent doesn’t know which provider is managing their child’s account, they can use the following online form to track the account.
https://www.gov.uk/child-trust-funds
Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish the standard letter sent to 16 year olds that accompanies their National Insurance number.
Answered by Mel Stride - Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
The standard letter which HMRC sends to an individual shortly before their sixteenth birthday when they issue their National Insurance number is attached to this answer.
Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the accounting officer for his Department has sought a written ministerial direction for any expenditure on contingency planning for the UK leaving the EU without a deal.
Answered by Elizabeth Truss
I can confirm that HM Treasury’s accounting officer has not requested a written ministerial direction in relation to any expenditure on contingency planning for the United Kingdom leaving the European Union ‘without a deal’.
Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Draft Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community, published in November 2018, what his assessment is of the effect of articles 47-50 of that agreement on UK supply chains.
Answered by Mel Stride - Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
The Government has agreed in principle the terms of the UK’s smooth and orderly exit from the EU, as set out in the Withdrawal Agreement. It includes a time-limited Implementation Period that provides a bridge to the future relationship, allowing businesses to continue trading as now until the end of 2020.
Articles 47-50 provide an agreed high level text on how goods and customs procedures will be treated during this period. Goods in transit to or from the UK to the EU will retain their Union status and will be subject to existing declaration principles contained in the Union Customs Code (UCC). Additionally, UCC rules will be applied to non-union goods placed in temporary storage or special procedures in the UK and before separation for up to one year after the end of the Implementation Period, allowing trade time to discharge goods to a final customs procedure.
The draft Political Declaration on the future UK-EU relationship sets out a plan for a free trade area for goods, with no tariffs and no quotas, combining deep regulatory and customs cooperation and underpinned by provisions ensuring open and fair competition.
Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the money which will accrue to the public purse as a result of the coming into force of the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018; and for what reason that estimate was not published in the Avoidance and Evasion section of Budget 2018.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018 created no new monetary penalties for financial sanctions or anti-money laundering breaches. Any monetary penalties for breaches of financial sanctions imposed using the powers established by the Act will be paid into the Consolidated fund. No estimates have been made of the value of such potential penalties, or any other consequential implications for the public finances.
Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish the agenda for the Financial Action Task Force plenary meeting in June 2018.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is the international standard-setting body for Anti-Money laundering (AML) and countering the financing of terrorism (CFT). The FATF Plenary, its decision-making body, meets three times a year.
Due to the sensitive nature of Plenary discussions, agendas are not made public ahead of meetings. As is usual, following the June Plenary we will place a letter in the House library to update on developments at FATF.
Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will set out all companies that have been fined by HMRC for breaching the Money Laundering Regulations 2017 after June 2017.
Answered by Mel Stride - Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
As part of the new Money Laundering Regulations introduced in June 2017, HMRC has a duty to publish information about penalties charged under the Regulations.
Publishing decisions will be made on a case-by-case basis, considering proportionality, size of penalties and any impact on the financial markets or an ongoing investigation. These considerations will inform whether HMRC publishes with full identity, anonymously or not at all in a listing on GOV.UK.
HMRC is currently considering all relevant penalty cases and, where appropriate, will publish details on GOV.UK shortly and on an ongoing basis thereafter. All businesses receiving a penalty under the new regulations have been informed of HMRC’s duty to publish.
This requirement was not in the Money Laundering Regulations 2007 and the details of any penalties issued under those regulations cannot be published or disclosed.