Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether people exempt from paying council tax will qualify for the council tax rebate.
Answered by Simon Clarke
The government has announced a £150 non-repayable council tax rebate from April this year for households in England in council tax bands A-D.
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities have published guidance on eligibility among households that are exempt from council tax; some of these households might be eligible for the discretionary funding administered by local authorities if they are not eligible for the core scheme.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether people will be exempt from repaying loans under the energy bill discount scheme as a result of their financial circumstances.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
All domestic electricity customers in Great Britain will receive a £200 reduction in their electricity costs from this October. This will be delivered via energy suppliers and will be clearly identifiable as a line item on electricity bills.
This will help people with the increase in energy bills by spreading the increased costs over a few years, so they are more manageable for households. This will give households time for their finances to adjust rather than having to deal with the whole price increase up front, providing relief to millions of households.
The energy bill reduction is not a loan - there is no interest due on it, no debt attached to it, and it will not affect recipients’ credit rating.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the energy bill discount scheme will be mandatory for all who qualify.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
All domestic electricity customers in Great Britain will receive a £200 reduction in their electricity costs from this October. This will be delivered via energy suppliers and will be clearly identifiable as a line item on electricity bills.
This will help people with the increase in energy bills by spreading the increased costs over a few years, so they are more manageable for households.
The energy bill reduction is not a loan – there is no interest due on it, no debt attached to it, and it will not affect your credit rating.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many applications to the Customs Grant Scheme have been successful.
Answered by Jesse Norman
Since the first wave of the Customs Grant Scheme opened in December 2018 up to 1 June 2021, over 8,500 applications have been successful.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much funding his Department has allocated to businesses under the Customs Grant Scheme.
Answered by Jesse Norman
Since the first wave of the Customs Grant Scheme opened in December 2018 up to 1 June 2021, a total of £81 million has been made available to businesses through the scheme. To date, over £69 million has been paid in total across all waves of the grant.Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many applications his Department has received for the Customs Grant Scheme.
Answered by Jesse Norman
Since the first wave of the Customs Grant Scheme opened in December 2018 up to 1 June 2021, over 14,500 applications have been received.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Government plans to extend the Customs Grant Scheme.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Customs Grant Scheme first opened in December 2018 and all funding made available through the latest round has now been applied for. There are currently no plans to extend the scheme further.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
What recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Transport on the potential economic benefits of including a Bradford city centre stop on the proposed Northern Powerhouse Rail line.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
The government will provide better rail connectivity between northern cities, and between London, the Midlands and the north. The Treasury is working closely with the Department for Transport and across government on the Integrated Rail Plan.
This will set out how best to scope, sequence and deliver Northern Powerhouse Rail and other major Network Rail programmes.
The government is committed to transport improvements in West Yorkshire, which has received over £300m in local transport funding. This includes funding to improve transport in Bradford.