Asked by: Julie Cooper (Labour - Burnley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much money was accrued to the public purse from the Soft Drinks Industry Levy in the 2017-18 financial year.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Soft Drinks Industry Levy (SDIL) was introduced in April 2018 with money to the public purse accruing from this date.
Monthly and annual receipts from SDIL are published in HMRC’s National Statistics publication, which can be accessed via this link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/hmrc-tax-and-nics-receipts-for-the-uk
Asked by: Julie Cooper (Labour - Burnley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what fiscal steps he is taking to ensure that the UK has the ability to train the medical students it needs to supply NHS workforce requirements.
Answered by Elizabeth Truss
The government is delivering on its commitment to roll out an extra 1,500 medical school places. Around 630 have taken up places on medical courses in September 2018, bringing the total intake for 2018/19 to 6,701 - the highest on record. A further 690 will be available to students in 2019/20 and the remaining 180 places will be available in 2020/21.
The NHS has established a national workforce group, which will look at the future medical workforce as part of delivering on the workforce aims set out in the Long-Term Plan. The NHS will publish a detailed workforce implementation plan in the Spring.
Asked by: Julie Cooper (Labour - Burnley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of allocating funding for additional domestic medical student places to meet NHS demand.
Answered by Elizabeth Truss
The government is delivering on its commitment to roll out an extra 1,500 medical school places. Around 630 have taken up places on medical courses in September 2018, bringing the total intake for 2018/19 to 6,701 - the highest on record. A further 690 will be available to students in 2019/20 and the remaining 180 places will be available in 2020/21.
The NHS has established a national workforce group, which will look at the future medical workforce as part of delivering on the workforce aims set out in the Long-Term Plan. The NHS will publish a detailed workforce implementation plan in the Spring.
Asked by: Julie Cooper (Labour - Burnley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions his Department has had with the Department of Health and Social Care on funding for additional domestic medical student places.
Answered by Elizabeth Truss
The government is delivering on its commitment to roll out an extra 1,500 medical school places. Around 630 have taken up places on medical courses in September 2018, bringing the total intake for 2018/19 to 6,701 - the highest on record. A further 690 will be available to students in 2019/20 and the remaining 180 places will be available in 2020/21.
The NHS has established a national workforce group, which will look at the future medical workforce as part of delivering on the workforce aims set out in the Long-Term Plan. The NHS will publish a detailed workforce implementation plan in the Spring.
Asked by: Julie Cooper (Labour - Burnley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the number of people (a) affected and (b) made bankrupt by the 2019 disguised remuneration Loan Charge.
Answered by Mel Stride - Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer
The charge on disguised remuneration (DR) loans is targeted at artificial tax avoidance schemes where earnings were paid via a third party in the form of ‘loans’. These loans were paid in place of ordinary remuneration, with the sole purpose of avoiding income tax and National Insurance contributions. In reality these loans were never repaid. When taking into account the loan they received, loan scheme users have on average twice as much income as the average UK taxpayer.
The Government estimates that up to 50,000 individuals will be affected by the 2019 loan charge. HMRC has published a breakdown of individuals affected by industry. HMRC data indicates that fewer than 3% of those affected work in medical services (doctors and nurses) and teaching. Further information can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/loan-schemes-and-the-loan-charge-an-overview/tax-avoidance-loan-schemes-and-the-loan-charge#who-affected
HMRC has simplified the process for those who choose to settle their use of avoidance schemes before the charge arises, so that those earning less than £50,000 a year and no longer engaging in tax avoidance can agree a payment plan of up to five years without the need for detailed supporting information. There is no maximum period within which an overall settlement can be agreed, and HMRC will deal with individual cases appropriately and sympathetically.
Asked by: Julie Cooper (Labour - Burnley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the number of (a) doctors and (b) nurses who will be subject to the 2019 disguised remuneration loan charge.
Answered by Mel Stride - Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer
The charge on disguised remuneration (DR) loans is targeted at artificial tax avoidance schemes where earnings were paid via a third party in the form of ‘loans’. These loans were paid in place of ordinary remuneration, with the sole purpose of avoiding income tax and National Insurance contributions. In reality these loans were never repaid. When taking into account the loan they received, loan scheme users have on average twice as much income as the average UK taxpayer.
The Government estimates that up to 50,000 individuals will be affected by the 2019 loan charge. HMRC has published a breakdown of individuals affected by industry. HMRC data indicates that fewer than 3% of those affected work in medical services (doctors and nurses) and teaching. Further information can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/loan-schemes-and-the-loan-charge-an-overview/tax-avoidance-loan-schemes-and-the-loan-charge#who-affected
HMRC has simplified the process for those who choose to settle their use of avoidance schemes before the charge arises, so that those earning less than £50,000 a year and no longer engaging in tax avoidance can agree a payment plan of up to five years without the need for detailed supporting information. There is no maximum period within which an overall settlement can be agreed, and HMRC will deal with individual cases appropriately and sympathetically.
Asked by: Julie Cooper (Labour - Burnley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to respond to the fourth report of the House of Lords Economic Affairs Sub Committee report, The Powers of HMRC: Treating Taxpayers Fairly, HL paper 242, published on 4 December 2018.
Answered by Mel Stride - Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer
The Government will respond to the sub-Committee’s report in due course and in the usual way.
Asked by: Julie Cooper (Labour - Burnley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will undertake a review of the Small Brewer Relief scheme to remove barriers to growth for small and medium sized brewers.
Answered by Mel Stride - Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer
The government is aware of the challenges that Small Brewers Relief currently poses to growing brewers and we have engaged extensively with the industry in this regard.
We are ready to assist but industry must take the lead in agreeing reforms it thinks would be effective in encouraging growth and avoiding market distortion, whilst limiting costs to the public finances.
Asked by: Julie Cooper (Labour - Burnley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will review the progressive beer duty regime to ensure that the excise duty system supports growth in British beer exports.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The government is engaging with industry on Small Brewers Relief, but any action to encourage exports must be part of a wider, industry-led reform of the Relief and must respect our obligations under the relevant European Union law.
Asked by: Julie Cooper (Labour - Burnley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much funding his Department (a) plans to make available to the Department of Health and Social Care to implement a state-backed GP indemnity scheme in England and (b) what estimate he has made of the total cost to the NHS of that scheme.
Answered by Elizabeth Truss
As announced by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care last year, the government is developing a state-backed indemnity scheme for general practice. Our ambition is to provide a more stable and affordable system for general practice professionals. A state-backed scheme could provide financially sustainable cover for claims arising from the delivery of NHS primary medical care services.
This is a complex piece of work and decisions about pricing or costs are being considered. The Department for Health and Social Care has been working with the medical defence organisations that currently provide indemnity cover to GPs and with GP representatives on how a state-backed scheme could work. The government will continue to work with interested stakeholders, including GP representatives on the introduction of a scheme, including to explore how to fund new indemnity arrangements.