Asked by: Nick Smith (Labour - Blaenau Gwent)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Minister for the Cabinet Office's oral statement of 13 July 2020, Official Report, column 1268, on EU Exit: End of Transition Period, how much has been spent on developing HMRC border trading systems as at 16 July 2020; and what estimate his Department has made of the future cost for that development.
Answered by Jesse Norman
HMRC’s spending on EU Exit and Transition in 2017/18 was £46.8m, and in 2018/19 was £261.7m.
HMRC’s spending in 2019/20 will be confirmed with the publication of their annual accounts in October.
Funding for the systems to meet the requirements of the end of the transition period is included within HMRC’s EU transition budget allocation.
Previous year figures include the Border and Protocol Delivery Group (BPDG), which was located with HMRC.
HMRC funding for 2020/21, excluding BPDG who have now moved to the Cabinet Office, consists of the £357m at Main Estimate with the addition of £50m for intermediaries support, £69m agreed by HMT, and £185m announced by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, for border readiness. HMRC remain in regular contact with HMT to ensure that HMRC are resourced sufficiently to carry out requirements.
Future costs will be subject to the forthcoming comprehensive spending review.
Asked by: Nick Smith (Labour - Blaenau Gwent)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Minister for the Cabinet Office's 12 July 2020 news story entitled Government accelerates border planning for the end of the Transition Period, what improvements are required to HMRC border systems; and what his timeframe is for their (a) development and (b) completion.
Answered by Jesse Norman
HMRC are making changes to ensure that border systems have the capacity and functionality to process anticipated volumes of declarations by the end of the Transition Period. HMRC’s delivery for December 2020 requires the scaling of key IT systems, integration with other Government department systems, and trader and border industry readiness to comply with new requirements. HMRC also need to develop new functionality and processes to implement the Northern Ireland Protocol and get traders, and the wider border industry, ready to use them. HMRC’s plans are on track to meet the requirements of the Northern Ireland Protocol at the end of December 2020 and the staging in of customs controls by July 2021.
HMRC have clear plans to develop delivery plans with carriers and operators, accommodating technical build and testing activity in line with their individual plans to December. Technical discussions with carriers and operators to supplement this testing are in progress and will continue through to 31 December 2020. HMRC are also working with Community System Providers (CSPs), Software Developers (SWDs) and the wider border industry to ensure they are aware of and can prepare for border arrangements. HMRC are also undertaking calls with stakeholder groups following the publication of the Border Operating Model on 12 July.
Asked by: Nick Smith (Labour - Blaenau Gwent)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Minister for the Cabinet Office's 12 July 2020 news story entitled Government accelerates border planning for the end of the Transition Period, whether his Department and HMRC plan to test border systems with industry representatives before the end of the transition period.
Answered by Jesse Norman
HMRC are making changes to ensure that border systems have the capacity and functionality to process anticipated volumes of declarations by the end of the Transition Period. HMRC’s delivery for December 2020 requires the scaling of key IT systems, integration with other Government department systems, and trader and border industry readiness to comply with new requirements. HMRC also need to develop new functionality and processes to implement the Northern Ireland Protocol and get traders, and the wider border industry, ready to use them. HMRC’s plans are on track to meet the requirements of the Northern Ireland Protocol at the end of December 2020 and the staging in of customs controls by July 2021.
HMRC have clear plans to develop delivery plans with carriers and operators, accommodating technical build and testing activity in line with their individual plans to December. Technical discussions with carriers and operators to supplement this testing are in progress and will continue through to 31 December 2020. HMRC are also working with Community System Providers (CSPs), Software Developers (SWDs) and the wider border industry to ensure they are aware of and can prepare for border arrangements. HMRC are also undertaking calls with stakeholder groups following the publication of the Border Operating Model on 12 July.
Asked by: Nick Smith (Labour - Blaenau Gwent)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 2.182 of Budget 2020, what the timeframe is for the publication of the call for evidence on pension administration.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Government recognises the different impacts of the two systems of paying pension tax relief on pension contributions for workers earning below the personal allowance. At Budget 2020, the Government announced a call for evidence will be published on pensions tax relief administration, in line with our manifesto commitment to comprehensively review this issue. In the light of COVID-19, the Government is considering the publication of this and other Government documents on a case by case basis, taking into account the impact of COVID-19 on stakeholders, and will provide more information on the timeframe for publication of this call for evidence in due course.
The Government has sought to support low earners through a range of measures, including increasing the personal allowance to £12,500 and committing to a new ambitious target for the National Living Wage.
Asked by: Nick Smith (Labour - Blaenau Gwent)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to support economic recovery in Wales after the covid-19 outbreak; and whether he plans to introduce the Shared Prospeity Fund to help aid that recovery.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
The Treasury’s priority is to support the whole UK economy through the immediate crisis – including in Wales. We have taken unprecedented steps to keep as many people as possible in their existing jobs, support viable businesses to stay afloat and protect the incomes of the most vulnerable. These measures aim to protect the productive capacity of the whole UK economy and to enable a strong and sustainable recovery from this crisis.The government will use the UK Shared Prosperity Fund to level up opportunity in each of our four nations. This means investing in people, improving their life chances. The government will set out plans for the Fund in due course.