Asked by: Jon Trickett (Labour - Normanton and Hemsworth)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent estimate he has made of the average length of time it takes for lorries to pass through customs at the Port of Dover.
Answered by Lucy Frazer
Recent estimates of the average length of time it takes for lorries to pass through customs at Dover have not been made. Short delays to freight movements have not been caused by new customs processes. The main causes were ship-fitting, which reduces capacity across the short straits, and higher than expected freight volumes. The Goods Vehicle Movement System and other customs systems are online and working as planned.
The Borders are flowing, we are continuing to monitor the situation closely, and are engaging with industry groups and local stakeholders in Kent.
We always act to preserve the flow, but we will not compromise on the security of the UK at the border. This includes fiscal security. HMRC continues to use a risk based, intelligence-led response to compliance issues working alongside Border Force.
Asked by: Jon Trickett (Labour - Normanton and Hemsworth)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much tax revenue was raised from the (a) Yorkshire and (b) London from (i) income earnings tax, (ii) tax on dividends, (iii) corporation tax and (iv) capital gains tax in each year since 2010.
Answered by Lucy Frazer
HMRC publishes statistics on income and tax by region for tax years from the year 2010-2011 onwards here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/income-and-tax-by-county-and-region-2010-to-2011
The Office for National Statistics publishes statistics on Corporation Tax by region for tax years from the year 2010 to 2011 onwards here:
HMRC publishes statistics on Capital Gains Tax by region for tax years from the year 2012- 2013 onwards in Table 5 here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/capital-gains-tax-statistics
Previous years are in the National Archives.
Asked by: Jon Trickett (Labour - Normanton and Hemsworth)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the number of people subject to Loan Charge repayments who have been made bankrupt.
Answered by Lucy Frazer
No estimate can be provided for the number of people who have fallen into debt or who have been declared bankrupt that are subject to the Loan Charge.
Where debts arise, HMRC are not always the only creditor. Some individuals are declared bankrupt as a result of a non-HMRC debt and some individuals may choose to enter insolvency themselves based on their overall financial position.
HMRC only ever considers insolvency as a last resort, and they encourage taxpayers to get in contact to agree the best way to settle their tax debts. To date, HMRC has not initiated insolvency proceedings against any taxpayer for a Loan Charge debt.
Anyone who is worried about being able to pay what they owe should contact HMRC, who may be able to agree an instalment arrangement based on the individuals’ financial circumstances, and there is no maximum length.
Asked by: Jon Trickett (Labour - Normanton and Hemsworth)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his latest estimate is of the number of people who will become bankrupt as a result of the Loan Charge.
Answered by Lucy Frazer
No estimate can be provided for the number of people who have fallen into debt or who have been declared bankrupt that are subject to the Loan Charge.
Where debts arise, HMRC are not always the only creditor. Some individuals are declared bankrupt as a result of a non-HMRC debt and some individuals may choose to enter insolvency themselves based on their overall financial position.
HMRC only ever considers insolvency as a last resort, and they encourage taxpayers to get in contact to agree the best way to settle their tax debts. To date, HMRC has not initiated insolvency proceedings against any taxpayer for a Loan Charge debt.
Anyone who is worried about being able to pay what they owe should contact HMRC, who may be able to agree an instalment arrangement based on the individuals’ financial circumstances, and there is no maximum length.
Asked by: Jon Trickett (Labour - Normanton and Hemsworth)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to announce a further review of the Loan Charge in response to the eighth referral of a case to the Independent Office for Police Conduct where a taxpayer has taken their life and used a disguised remuneration scheme.
Answered by Lucy Frazer
An independent review of the Loan Charge has already taken place. The 2019 Review, conducted by Lord Morse, concluded that it was right for the Loan Charge to remain in force and right for the Government to collect the tax due, but made a number of recommendations to reduce the impact of the policy.
The Government accepted all but one of the 20 recommendations, and those changes are estimated to have benefitted over 30,000 individuals, removing 11,000 from the Loan Charge entirely.
The charge on disguised remuneration loans is targeted at contrived tax avoidance schemes which seek to avoid income tax and National Insurance contributions by paying users their income in the form of loans, usually via an offshore trust. This kind of tax avoidance deprives the Exchequer of funds to deliver vital public services.
Any loss of life is a tragedy, and the Government’s thoughts are with the families of those affected. The Government will continue to work with HMRC to consider what additional support could be provided to taxpayers who need extra help.
Asked by: Jon Trickett (Labour - Normanton and Hemsworth)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made for the distribution of wealth in real terms per (a) household and (b) person among the UK population for years (i) 2019, (ii) 2020 and (iii) 2021 by quintile or decile.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - Leader of HM Official Opposition
The most recent comprehensive data on the distribution of wealth is available for the period 2016-18, collected by the Office for National Statistics and published in its biennial ‘Wealth in Great Britain’ publication. Owing to the time lag in more recent data becoming available, the Treasury has not conducted analysis of the distribution of wealth by quintile or decile in the years 2019, 2020 and 2021.
The government is committed to supporting household living standards during this difficult time for the country, and has announced an unprecedented package of support – including a boost to Universal Credit, the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), and the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) – helping to protect incomes, jobs, and support those most in need. Treasury analysis has shown that these interventions have supported the poorest working households most (as a proportion of income).
Asked by: Jon Trickett (Labour - Normanton and Hemsworth)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether employers including employment agencies are permitted to backdate payments to 4 January 2021 as part of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
For claims from 1 November 2020, an employer can claim before, during or after they process their payroll as long as their claim is submitted by the relevant deadline.
Claims can be backdated where employees have already been furloughed from that date. A claim cannot start any earlier than the date the employee was furloughed. Employers must have confirmed in writing to their employee that they had been furloughed.
Claims for furlough days in January 2021 must be submitted by 15 February 2021.
Asked by: Jon Trickett (Labour - Normanton and Hemsworth)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what Government support is available for people classed as self-employed solely for the 2019-20 tax year who have experienced a loss of income and are ineligible for the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
I refer the honourable Member to the answer given on 18 December 2020 to UIN 127482.
Asked by: Jon Trickett (Labour - Normanton and Hemsworth)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many HMRC tax offices there were in Yorkshire and the Humber region in (a) 2010 and (b) 2020.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
In January 2010, HMRC had 34 staffed offices and stand-alone enquiry centres in Yorkshire and the Humber region.
On 19 October 2020, an updated list of HMRC office closures, current staffed offices and regional centre opening dates, on a region by region basis, was committed to the House of Commons Library. This list has been deposited as paper reference DEP 2020-0609: http://data.parliament.uk/DepositedPapers/Files/DEP2020-0609/HMRC_Office_closures_and_regional_centre_opening_dates.pdf.
Asked by: Jon Trickett (Labour - Normanton and Hemsworth)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what information his Department holds on the average level of household debt in households in (a) Hemsworth Parliamentary constituency and (b) Yorkshire and the Humber region in the most recent period for which figures are available.
Answered by John Glen
The Government has delivered unprecedented support for living standards during this challenging time, protecting livelihoods with the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme, the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, temporary welfare measures, and other policy measures.
But the Government recognises that some people may be struggling with their finances at this difficult time. To help people in problem debt get their finances back on track, an extra £37.8 million support package is being made available to debt advice providers this financial year, bringing this year's budget for free debt advice in England to over £100 million.
Data on levels of over-indebtedness in Hemsworth and in Yorkshire and the Humber was last published in 2018 by the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS), who continue to fund the local delivery of free debt advice. MaPS will be publishing updated figures in 2021.