Asked by: Kevin Brennan (Labour - Cardiff West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many over-indebted consumers there were from each socio-economic group in the most recent period for which figures are available.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
HM Treasury does not hold information on the number or profile of over-indebted consumers, nor is there any universally agreed definition of what constitutes an over-indebted consumer.
The Money Advice Service (MAS) has statutory responsibility to assist members of the public with the management of debt, and within this remit MAS publishes data on the levels of over-indebtedness in the UK. Their most recent report, A Picture of Over-Indebtedness, estimates the statistical likelihood of individuals being over indebted based on a number of characteristics and is available online:
https://www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/en/corporate/a-picture-of-over-indebtedness
The technical report includes detailed data and a description of the methodology, and is also available online:
Asked by: Kevin Brennan (Labour - Cardiff West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the number of businesses that have registered for (a) VAT and (b) PAYE in each region and nation of the UK between 2010 and 2014.
Answered by David Gauke
The Office for National Statistics publishes a breakdown of the number of businesses registered for VAT and/or PAYE by region:
Previous releases of this publication including data from 2010 onwards can be found here:
https://www.ons.gov.uk/businessindustryandtrade/business/activitysizeandlocation/bulletins/ukbusinessactivitysizeandlocation/previousReleases
Asked by: Kevin Brennan (Labour - Cardiff West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what average time was taken to hear non-domestic rates appeals in each local authority area in the latest year for which data is available.
Answered by David Gauke
The latest statistics on the average (median) time taken to resolve challenges, for non-domestic properties by local authority as at 30 September 2015 can be found on the VOA disclosure log in table Average time to resolve challenges, 30 September 2015:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/non-domestic-rating-average-time-to-clear
The time taken to resolve an appeal can be affected by a number of factors, such as the complexity of the case or whether the case proceeds to be listed for hearing by the independent Valuation Tribunal. Some cases can be held up in litigation or placed on hold at the ratepayer's request.
Asked by: Kevin Brennan (Labour - Cardiff West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the average penalty awarded against employers who failed to pay the national minimum wage was in each year since 2012.
Answered by David Gauke
The Government is determined that everyone who is entitled to the National Minimum Wage (NMW) receives it. Anyone who feels they have been underpaid NMW should contact the Acas helpline on 0300 123 1100. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) reviews all complaints that are referred to them.
Employers who pay workers less than the minimum wage not only have to pay arrears of wages at current minimum wage rates but also face financial penalties of up to £20,000 per underpaid worker. A further increase in penalties will come into force in April 2016 and will increase the penalty percentage from 100% to 200% of the underpayments owed to each worker, up to the existing maximum.
In 2014/15, HMRC issued 705 penalties totalling £934,660. I refer the honourable member to the answer provided at UIN 205613 for information on previous years.
Asked by: Kevin Brennan (Labour - Cardiff West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many non-domestic rate arrears appeals were (a) lodged and (b) heard in each of the last 10 years.
Answered by David Gauke
The information requested is accessible via Tables LRW1and LRW2 of our 2005 and 2010 NDR Challenges and changes publications. Links below:
Asked by: Kevin Brennan (Labour - Cardiff West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much central government infrastructure investment was in each region of the UK since 2010.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Historic data for regional infrastructure investment by government is not currently available. However historical capital expenditure figures including government’s infrastructure investment can be obtained from the following link :
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/country-and-regional-analysis-2015
Asked by: Kevin Brennan (Labour - Cardiff West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to Principle G of the Cabinet Office Consultation Principles 2016, what steps he took to (a) consider how the summer holiday period would affect consultation with stakeholders and (b) mitigate such effects when deciding on the consultation period on proposals relating to exit payments in the public sector.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The consultation on a public sector exit payment cap ran from 31 July to 27 August 2015. These dates ensured that the consultation concluded in advance of the Enterprise Bill’s introduction on 16 September 2015, to inform the content of the ‘public sector employment: restrictions on exit payments’ clause.
In addition, this policy was a clear manifesto commitment made in April 2015 and the intention to legislate was announced in May. The Government also considered responses received after the official consultation deadline.
The consultation received over 4000 responses, which is a good indication that there was sufficient time to comment and demonstrates that stakeholders were able to effectively engage with the proposals. The measure has also undergone full Parliamentary scrutiny during the passage of the Enterprise Bill.
Asked by: Kevin Brennan (Labour - Cardiff West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 5 February 2016 to Question 24869, whether the (a) Royal Bank of Scotland, (b) Bradford and Bingley and c) Northern Rock banks have received any public funding since they were taken into public ownership.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
In 2008 and 2009 HM Treasury made a number of interventions to support institutions including Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), Bradford & Bingley and Northern Rock.
Full details of the funds used and outstanding balances can be found at the Office of Budget Responsibility’s (OBR) website and at UK Financial Investments’ (UKFI) website:-
http://budgetresponsibility.org.uk/
Asked by: Kevin Brennan (Labour - Cardiff West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 4February 2016 to Question 24536, what assessment he has made of the number of exit payments in the private sector above £1 million; and what assessment his Department has made of the effect of such exit payments on pay inequality within and between the public and private sectors.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Exit payment terms and contractual arrangements, including the number of individuals on those terms, vary significantly across the private sector and within the public sector. The Government has made no specific assessment of the number of exit payments in the private sector above £1 million. The Government accepts there may be examples of terms in the private sector that match or exceed those in the public sector; including some private sector exit packages that exceed £1 million. Conversely, the Government has seen no evidence that redundancy terms such as employer-funded early retirement, which are widely available across the public sector and often cost employers tens, or even hundreds of thousands of pounds per person, are replicated to the same extent in the private sector.
The Government has a duty to ensure public sector exit payments are fair and provide value for money to the tax payer. This is why, in the 2015 Spending Review, the Government announced it would consult on further cross public sector action on exit payment terms to ensure greater consistency within the public sector and reduce the cost of redundancy pay-outs. This consultation was launched on the 5 February 2016 and can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/further-consultation-on-limiting-public-sector-exit-payments.
The Government believes that the remuneration of senior staff in the private sector is primarily a matter for companies and their shareholders. Comprehensive reforms were introduced in 2013 to require companies to put their forward-looking pay policies, which must include details of their approach to exit payments, to a binding shareholder vote at least every three years. Companies are therefore only able to make exit payments within the limits that have been approved by a majority of shareholders.
Overall, public sector pay remains on average comparable to private sector pay, and public sector defined benefit pensions are amongst the best available. HM Treasury analysis, as well as independent studies, show public sector pay at a premium for most of the last Parliament, and a significant continued premium when pensions are taken into account (IFS October 2014).
Asked by: Kevin Brennan (Labour - Cardiff West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the amount of tax revenue lost due to the illicit trade in tobacco in each year for which data is available.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
Estimates of tax revenue losses associated with illicit tobacco are published every year. The latest estimates, for the years 2006/7 to 2014/15, are published in ‘Tobacco Tax Gap estimates 2014-15’.
This can be accessed via the GOV.UK website:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/tobacco-tax-gap-estimates
HM Revenue and Customs makes no other estimate of the value of the illicit tobacco trade.