Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds South)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his policy is on the granting of new Special Drawing Rights to Belarus by the IMF.
Answered by John Glen
We are considering all appropriate and effective means of constraining the finances of the Lukashenko regime. The UK has already made more than 100 sanctions designations in response to the fraudulent elections and subsequent human rights violations in Belarus and remains committed to taking action against those responsible for the continued suppression of democracy, human rights and fundamental freedoms.
The IMF implemented a new general allocation of Special Drawing Rights on the 23 August. The unconditional nature of the SDR allocation means that Belarus will receive a new allocation in proportion to its quota share, consistent with the IMF’s Articles of Agreement. It is worth noting that IMF Special Drawing Rights, or SDRs, are an international reserve asset and are not money or currency, though may be exchanged with other countries for currency through a system of Voluntary Trading Arrangements. The UK retains the right to refuse to purchase SDRs from any countries that we choose. The UK has driven G7 calls for the SDR allocation to be accompanied by transparency and accountability measures and updated IMF guidance on how countries should appropriately use their SDRs.
Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds South)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on UK citizens living overseas who do not have a UK mobile phone number of increased security measures by UK banks that require the possession of such a number.
Answered by John Glen
Regulatory rules, known as Strong Customer Authentication (SCA), apply to UK banks and other UK payment service providers. These rules aim to improve security and reduce fraud by ensuring that the person requesting access to a payment account, or trying to make a payment, is either the payer or someone to whom they have given consent.
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is responsible for monitoring and enforcing the SCA rules, and has the power to amend them, subject to Treasury approval. The SCA rules do not require a UK mobile phone number to apply authentication, and the FCA has stated in published guidance that they encourage firms to consider the impact of their SCA solutions on different groups of customers as part of the design process.
Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds South)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish the (a) total number of applications made by businesses to the SME Brexit Support Fund, (b) number of grants that have been approved, and (c) total amount of funding in grants provided to date for each region of the UK.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
As of 19 July 2021, 5,414 businesses completed applications for grants of up to £2,000. Of this number, 4,376 have been offered a grant.
A regional breakdown of the figures shows that businesses in England have been offered £5,862,213, in Scotland £387,387, in Wales £196,546 and in Northern Ireland £360,174.
Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds South)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the planned capacity of the White Cliffs inland border facility is in Dover; and when that facility will become operational.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
HMRC are planning to be able to process up to 1,000 vehicles per day through their facility at Dover White Cliffs.
HMRC are currently working with their partners to build an end-to-end timeline and will confirm a date for the facility being operational in due course.
Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds South)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, which of the covid-19 support measures he announced in the 2021 Budget will apply to English Language Schools; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - Leader of HM Official Opposition
The Government has supported businesses, including English Language Schools, through the COVID-19 crisis through an unprecedented support package. The level of support for businesses continues to be tailored to reflect the changing circumstances.
The Budget confirms the continuation of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme in its current form until the end of June 2021. As the economy reopens and demand returns, the government will introduce employer contributions towards the cost of unworked hours until September 2021.
The Budget also announced the new Recovery Loan Scheme which will provide lenders with a guarantee of 80% on eligible loans between £25,000 and £10 million. The scheme will ensure that businesses in all parts of the UK can access the finance they need, including those who have already received support under the existing COVID-19 guaranteed loan schemes.
The government is also providing all local authorities in England with an additional £425 million of discretionary business grant funding, on top of the £1.6 billion already allocated.
I encourage English Language Schools to make full use of the extensive support available.
Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds South)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he plans to reply to the correspondence from the hon. Member for Leeds Central on complaint appeal 4720546844/244/CAD relating to the Valuation Office Agency.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
The correspondence regarding appeal case 4720546844/244/CAD was transferred to the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) for reply on 15 January 2021. The VOA responded directly to the Honourable Member on 3 February, and a copy of the VOA’s response was resent on 2 March.
Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds South)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the total value of assets frozen to date is from UK sanctions applied on 16 Burmese security and military personnel.
Answered by John Glen
The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) undertakes an annual review of frozen assets in the UK, requiring all persons or institutions that hold or control frozen assets in the UK to report to OFSI. Details of assets reported to OFSI in 2020 are not yet available and will be published in OFSI’s 2020-2021 Annual Review.
Details of assets reported to OFSI in 2019 were published in OFSI’s 2019-2020 Annual Review. As of September 2019, £12.5 billion of frozen funds across all regimes were reported to be held by UK institutions. This figure is provided on an aggregate basis so as not to disclose the value of funds held by particular individuals.
Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds South)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his Answer of 8 February to Question 148706, how many (a) applications and (b) successful applications for investment support have been made to the Future Fund scheme by firms located in (i) London, (ii) the South East and (iii) Yorkshire and the Humber.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - Leader of HM Official Opposition
The British Business Bank regularly publishes Future Fund data by location on its website. As of the 28th January, Future Fund applications data is as follows:
| Total Number of Application | Number of Applications Approved To Date | Proportion of Application Approved To Date |
London | 939 | 606 | 65% |
South East | 181 | 122 | 67% |
Yorkshire and the Humber | 50 | 31 | 62% |
The Future Fund uses a set of standard terms with published eligibility criteria. Applications that meet all the eligibility criteria receive investment, irrespective of location.
The total number of applications includes those which were declined and withdrawn, and those applications which are still being considered.