Asked by: Julie Cooper (Labour - Burnley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many times he has attended public meetings of the Treasury Committee since his appointment.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin - Shadow Minister (Business and Trade)
This is a matter of public record.
Asked by: Julie Cooper (Labour - Burnley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if his Department will offer tax relief on home insurance payments for occupants of council housing.
Answered by David Gauke
The Government’s preferred policy is to take people out of tax through higher personal allowances, and to lower tax rates when it is affordable to do so.
The Government has already pledged to raise the personal allowance to £12,500 by the end of this parliament.
Asked by: Julie Cooper (Labour - Burnley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many projects in Lancashire have been funded directly under the Northern Powerhouse initiative.
Answered by Greg Hands
The Northern Powerhouse is creating a single Northern economy that is greater than the sum of its parts. Lancashire will benefit from pan-Northern projects including the Northern Powerhouse Schools Strategy, Shale Wealth Fund, Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund and membership of Transport for the North. Lancashire will directly benefit from investments including a £251.11m growth deal, two Enterprise Zones, a National College for Onshore Oil and Gas at Blackpool, £56,000 for the refurbishment of the Muni theatre in Pendle and numerous transport schemes. Government does not hold information on the specific number of projects in Lancashire.
Asked by: Julie Cooper (Labour - Burnley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 1.249 of the Budget 2016, when and how the Government plans to consult on the priorities and delivery models of the Shale Wealth Fund; and how much of that fund he expects to be allocated to (a) Lancashire and (b) Burnley.
Answered by Damian Hinds
The Government will be consulting on the priorities and delivery models for the Shale Wealth Fund later this year. Details on how the government plans to consult on the Shale Wealth Fund will be announced in due course.
The Shale Wealth Fund is projected to deliver up to £1 billion of investment in the North and other shale producing areas over the next 25 years. This will provide additional funds over and above industry schemes and other sources of government funding. Further detail on how these funds will be allocated will be addressed when the government consults on the priorities and delivery models of the Shale Wealth Fund.
Asked by: Julie Cooper (Labour - Burnley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of raising the state pension age on levels of tax avoidance.
Answered by David Gauke
Information on the impacts of State Pension age rises can be found in Annex A of the Pensions Act 2011 Impact Assessment, and in Annex B of the Pensions Act 2014 at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pensions-act-2011-impact-assessment
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pensions-act-2014-impact-assessments-may-2014
The department has not made an assessment of the impact of raising the State Pension age on tax avoidance.
Asked by: Julie Cooper (Labour - Burnley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to tackle the use of money laundering services in the Maldives by UK citizens.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin - Shadow Minister (Business and Trade)
The Government believes that money laundering is a critical enabler of both terrorism and serious and organised crime. This is why the UK’s anti-money laundering regime contains controls and supervisory mechanisms which aim to make the UK financial system a hostile environment for illicit finances, whilst minimising the burden on legitimate businesses and reducing the overall burden of regulation.
The Government expects UK citizens to comply with anti-money laundering regulations both at home and abroad and strives, particularly through the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), to improve global standards and combat money laundering.
Asked by: Julie Cooper (Labour - Burnley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of the fall in China's foreign currency reserves on the UK economy.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin - Shadow Minister (Business and Trade)
China’s foreign exchange reserves have fallen over the past year, down $582.5bn since the start of 2015. However, the stock of reserves still remains sizeable, standing at $3.23 trillion. The UK’s exports to China have increased by 85% since 2010 but are still only 5% of total UK trade.
Asked by: Julie Cooper (Labour - Burnley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many tax investigations by the HM Revenue and Customs Large Business Service resulted in no additional tax due at the time of their conclusion in each of the last three years; and for how long each such investigation lasted.
Answered by David Gauke
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) does not publish this information. Since 2010, HMRC has brought in over £38 billion by effectively policing the tax rules as they apply to large businesses. This includes £7.3 billion from large businesses in 2014/15 alone.
Asked by: Julie Cooper (Labour - Burnley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many transfer pricing experts have been employed by HM Revenue and Customs in each of the last five years.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin - Shadow Minister (Business and Trade)
I refer the hon Member to the answer that I gave to the hon Member for Birmingham, Ladywood (Shabana Mahmood) on 26 February 2015. Link below: