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Written Question
Children: Day Care
Wednesday 23rd February 2022

Asked by: Mick Whitley (Labour - Birkenhead)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the number and proportion of applications for thirty hours of free childcare for 3 and 4 year olds that were found to have been wrongly denied in 2020 - 2021.

Answered by Simon Clarke

In 2021 HMRC overturned 750 decisions that parents were not eligible for 30 hours free childcare for 3 and 4-year-old children of working parents on review or appeal, out of 815,000 customer journeys. This represents 0.1% of all eligibility decisions being overturned.

Speech in Commons Chamber - Tue 25 Jan 2022
Downing Street Parties: Police Investigation

"Every day, in my constituency of Birkenhead, parents are going hungry so that their children can eat, while elderly people are living in freezing homes because they simply cannot afford to put their heating on. Will the Minister concede that the Government are more interested in their own internal turmoil …..."
Mick Whitley - View Speech

View all Mick Whitley (Lab - Birkenhead) contributions to the debate on: Downing Street Parties: Police Investigation
Speech in Commons Chamber - Tue 18 Jan 2022
Coronavirus Grant Schemes: Fraud

"The announcement that no action will be taken to recover the nearly £4 billion fraudulently claimed from the covid support schemes stands in stark contrast to the Government’s treatment of some of the poorest people in my constituency who had their benefits cut off, and who were even chased through …..."
Mick Whitley - View Speech

View all Mick Whitley (Lab - Birkenhead) contributions to the debate on: Coronavirus Grant Schemes: Fraud
Speech in Commons Chamber - Tue 11 Jan 2022
Household Energy Bills: VAT

"Our country faces the worst cost-of-living crisis in recent memory as families grapple with rising inflation, soaring food costs and an energy crisis that has rapidly got out of control. This Government’s decade-long failure to reduce the country’s foreign energy dependence has left us especially exposed to the devastating impact …..."
Mick Whitley - View Speech

View all Mick Whitley (Lab - Birkenhead) contributions to the debate on: Household Energy Bills: VAT
Written Question
Child Benefit: Taxation
Tuesday 14th December 2021

Asked by: Mick Whitley (Labour - Birkenhead)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of the introduction of the High-Income Child Benefit Tax charge on single-parent families.

Answered by Simon Clarke

The Government introduced the High Income Child Benefit Charge (HICBC) from January 2013 to ensure that support for families is targeted at those who need it most. The tax charge applies to anyone with an individual income over £50,000 who claims Child Benefit, or whose partner claims it. HICBC is calculated on an individual rather than a household basis, in line with other income tax policy.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) does not routinely collect information on the circumstances of individuals in a household, so HMRC cannot assess the impact the introduction of the High Income Child Benefit charge has had on single parent families.

Written Question
Child Benefit: Taxation
Tuesday 14th December 2021

Asked by: Mick Whitley (Labour - Birkenhead)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of increasing the income threshold for the High-Income Child Benefit Tax charge.

Answered by Simon Clarke

The Government is committed to managing the public finances in a disciplined and responsible way by targeting support where it is most needed. At present, the adjusted net income threshold of £50,000 only affects a small minority of those with comparatively high incomes.

The Government set the High Income Child Benefit Charge (HICBC) thresholds at these levels to help target public expenditure in the way it considered most effective. As with all elements of tax policy, the Government keeps this under review as part of the annual Budget process.

Speech in Commons Chamber - Tue 21 Sep 2021
Working People’s Finances: Government Policy

"I welcome the opportunity to say clearly to the Government that their current pursuit of benefit cuts and tax hikes, their economic mismanagement of the energy sector and the housing market—to name but two—and their casual indifference to the spectre of soaring inflation in the price of basic goods and …..."
Mick Whitley - View Speech

View all Mick Whitley (Lab - Birkenhead) contributions to the debate on: Working People’s Finances: Government Policy
Speech in Commons Chamber - Tue 21 Sep 2021
Working People’s Finances: Government Policy

"My right hon. Friend makes a good point. I made that point to the Prime Minister, who just did not give me an answer.

Those working people will be hit by both the cut and the increase in national insurance. They will number thousands of working hairdressers, shop assistants, street …..."
Mick Whitley - View Speech

View all Mick Whitley (Lab - Birkenhead) contributions to the debate on: Working People’s Finances: Government Policy
Speech in Commons Chamber - Tue 14 Sep 2021
Health and Social Care Levy Bill

"I draw the attention of the House to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests.

More than two years ago, the Prime Minister promised that he had a plan to fix our country’s broken social care system. It was something that my constituents in Birkenhead so desperately needed—from …..."
Mick Whitley - View Speech

View all Mick Whitley (Lab - Birkenhead) contributions to the debate on: Health and Social Care Levy Bill
Written Question

Question Link

Tuesday 18th May 2021

Asked by: Mick Whitley (Labour - Birkenhead)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential economic merits of expanding the definition of infrastructure under the Levelling Up Fund to include environmental regeneration projects with merit that may have been refused funding under the Green Recovery Challenge as a result of oversubscription.

Answered by Kemi Badenoch - Leader of HM Official Opposition

The Levelling Up Fund will invest in a range of high value local investment priorities that improves everyday life across the UK. A range of benefits for will considered during the assessment process for the Fund, with projects expected to be fully aligned to UK legal commitments, such as delivering Net Zero. Further information on this can be found on gov.uk.