Asked by: Janet Daby (Labour - Lewisham East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
What recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on increasing the level of statutory sick pay.
Answered by Steve Barclay
In response to the pandemic, the Government has extended Statutory Sick Pay so that self-isolators are eligible and it is payable from day one rather than day four. Statutory Sick Pay is a statutory minimum and more than half of employees receive more when they are off sick. Changes to Statutory Sick Pay are one part of the Government’s wider support package for those sick or self-isolating, which includes the Test and Trace Support Payments, the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme and the temporary £20 per week increase in Universal Credit.
Asked by: Janet Daby (Labour - Lewisham East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many (a) credit unions and (b) credit unions affiliated to faith groups there are in the UK.
Answered by John Glen
There are currently 429 active credit unions in the United Kingdom.
Neither HM Treasury, the Prudential Regulation Authority nor the Financial Conduct Authority collect information on the affiliation of credit unions to faith groups. It is therefore not possible to provide the number of credit unions affiliated to faith groups in the United Kingdom.
The Government is, however, aware of the strong links between certain faith communities and credit unions. I was pleased to take part in a roundtable recently hosted by one such credit union, the Pentecostal Credit Union, to discuss issues facing its members.
Asked by: Janet Daby (Labour - Lewisham East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of increasing the effective tax rate at which Gift Aid is paid to 25 per cent.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - Leader of HM Official Opposition
The Government is fully committed to supporting charities through the Gift Aid regime. This relief is tied to the basic rate of tax paid by donors, currently at 20%, so can only be changed if the personal basic tax rate changes.
The Government recognises that the sector is experiencing significant pressures and has made available an unprecedented package of economic support, including a £750 million package specifically for charities.
Asked by: Janet Daby (Labour - Lewisham East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the net amount was of unclaimed eligible gift aid in (a) 2017, (b) 2018 and (c) 2019.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - Leader of HM Official Opposition
In 2018 HMRC published research which estimated there was up to £564 million of Gift Aid that was not claimed on eligible donations. This is published on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/charitable-giving-and-gift-aid-research
HMRC does not make annual estimates of unclaimed eligible gift aid as customers do not supply the necessary administrative information.
Asked by: Janet Daby (Labour - Lewisham East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to support company directors during the covid-19 outbreak who have previously paid themselves through a combination of salary and dividends.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
Those who pay themselves a salary through their own company may be eligible to claim for 80% of usual monthly wage costs, up to £2,500 a month, through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS). The CJRS is available to employers, including personal service companies, and individuals paying themselves a salary through a PAYE scheme are eligible.
Income from dividends is a return on investment in the company, rather than wages, and is not eligible for support. Under current reporting mechanisms it is not possible for HM Revenue and Customs to distinguish between dividends derived from an individual’s own company and dividends from other sources, and between dividends in lieu of employment income and as returns from other corporate activity. Expanding the scope would require HMRC to collect and verify new information. This would take longer to deliver and put at risk the other schemes which the Government is committed to delivering as quickly as possible.
Individuals who are not eligible for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme might be able to access the other support Government is providing, including the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme and the deferral of tax payments. More information about the full range of business support measures is available at?www.businesssupport.gov.uk/coronavirus-business-support/
Asked by: Janet Daby (Labour - Lewisham East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish (a) the amount paid to Bank Mellat to settle their recent lawsuit against the Government and (b) how much the Government spent on defending the claim.
Answered by John Glen
Bank Mellat’s claims have now been concluded and the amount paid in respect of the settlement was €91,352,709.35. HM Treasury made a payment of £1.01m in 2013/14 towards Bank Mellat’s legal costs following Bank Mellat’s previous success in the Supreme Court. Beyond this payment and the cost of settlement, the total HM Treasury costs associated with defending the Bank Mellat case as at 14th October are £19,715,202.91. This sum was spent on a variety of legal and expert costs over the course of 10 years defending the case, following Bank Mellat’s original claim of damages of $4.3 billion.
Asked by: Janet Daby (Labour - Lewisham East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Secretary of State for Treasury, what estimate he has made of the proportion of UK lorries travelling across the English Channel that will be prepared for French customs checks in the event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
The Government has recently published our assessment of the flow of freight across the border in a Reasonable Worst Case Scenario as of 2 August. The assessment can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/831199/20190802_Latest_Yellowhammer_Planning_assumptions_CDL.pdf
Since that date, the Government has taken significant steps to improve levels of trader and haulier readiness to improve overall flow across the short Strait crossings. This includes a £100m public information campaign and additional funding for businesses and trade associations to support traders and hauliers to get ready.