Asked by: Karin Smyth (Labour - Bristol South)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on estimating the potential resource requirement for retraining people who are no longer employed as a result of the covid-19 outbreak; and if he will include investment in the adult skills budget in the next spending review.
Answered by Steve Barclay - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The Chancellor has had various discussions with Cabinet colleagues on education and skills, including retraining.
Decisions on departmental budgets beyond 2020-21 will be made at the Comprehensive Spending Review.
Asked by: Karin Smyth (Labour - Bristol South)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 29 June 2020 to Question 64246 on Self-employment Income Support Scheme: Maternity Leave, whether self-employed women who took maternity leave during the last three years will be entitled to the same amount under the Self Employed Income Support Scheme as they would had they not taken maternity leave during that period.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government has amended the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) eligibility conditions to support newly self-employed parents. This is an amendment to bring these individuals into eligibility for the scheme.
The grant for the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme is calculated using an average of the self-employed individual’s trading profits and has been designed to even out fluctuations in earnings which self-employed people may experience for any number of reasons.
Asked by: Karin Smyth (Labour - Bristol South)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with his Department on the implications for Government policy of the amount of support through the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme self employed women on maternity leave can claim.
Answered by Jesse Norman
As announced on 17 June, the Government is amending the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) eligibility conditions to support self-employed new parents.
This means self-employed parents will be able to claim grants if they were taking time out of their trade to care for their new-born or newly adopted child and, as a result, did not submit a Self-Assessment tax return for 2018-19 or their trading profits in 2018-19 were less than their non-trading income.
Further details of the change for self-employed parents will be set out at the start of July in published guidance.
Asked by: Karin Smyth (Labour - Bristol South)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of underwriting the City Region Deal for the West of England to remove the financial risk from the unitary authorities of the economic downturn caused as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
The devolution deal agreed between Government and West of England Combined Authority provides the region with several grant funding streams, such as a 30-year commitment to £30m p/a of ‘gainshare’ funding, as well as devolved budgets and powers across transport and skills. Government has committed to these funding streams in the devolution deal it agreed with the West of England – this should provide reassurance to the local area that this funding will continue to come forward.
The constituent Local Authorities of the West of England have received support from a significant package of Government funding to help them meet pressures resulting from Covid-19, with Local Authorities in the region receiving over £50m of the £3.2bn of new grant funding approved.
Asked by: Karin Smyth (Labour - Bristol South)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing a council tax support grant for local authorities that face significant shortfalls in council tax as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Steve Barclay - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The Government has provided councils with a significant package of support to help them meet a range of pressures they face as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. We have announced over £3.2bn of new funding for councils and over £5bn of further measures to support councils’ cashflow.
Asked by: Karin Smyth (Labour - Bristol South)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for Health on 9 January 202, Official Report, Column 727, what progress his Department has made on the review of the section 41 VAT rules.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government is currently working on the section 41 VAT policy paper and this will be published in due course.
Asked by: Karin Smyth (Labour - Bristol South)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for Health of 9 January 2020, Official Report, Column 727 when he plans to issue a call for evidence on the review of the section 41 VAT rules.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government is currently working on the section 41 VAT policy paper and this will be published in due course.
Asked by: Karin Smyth (Labour - Bristol South)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will confirm that none of the 870,651 alleged Tax Credit overpayments which were remitted as detailed in the HM Revenue & Customs Annual Report and Accounts 2011-12 have been transferred to his Department for collection through universal credit.
Answered by Elizabeth Truss
HMRC can confirm that none of the Tax Credit overpayments remitted have been transferred to DWP for collection through Universal Credit.
Asked by: Karin Smyth (Labour - Bristol South)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when HMRC plans to reach an agreement with the Roadchef Employee Benefit Trust on outstanding tax issues.
Answered by Mel Stride - Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
The administration of the tax system, including where appropriate the repayment of tax or duties, is a matter for HMRC. It would not be appropriate for Ministers to become involved in the administration of the tax system in specific cases.
Asked by: Karin Smyth (Labour - Bristol South)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 26 October to Question 180796 on Carers: Welfare Tax Credits, when the Government plans to bring forward legislative proposals to change the tax credit sequencing rules that are applied to non-parental carers.
Answered by Elizabeth Truss
The government recognises the immense value of the care provided by non-parental carers and adoptive parents. It is for this reason that we are ensuring that they receive support irrespective of the order in which these children enter their household. Regulations to extend support in Child Tax Credit and Universal Credit were laid in Parliament on 5 November 2018 and came into force on 28 November 2018. The regulations can be viewed here:
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2018/1130/made
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2018/1129/made