Asked by: Paul Bristow (Conservative - Peterborough)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answers of 9 July 2021 to Question 25963 and 14 September 2021 to Question 44455 on NHS England and NHS Improvement, whether the Chief Secretary to the Treasury received a detailed organisation breakdown from NHSEI, including the grade number, cost and relevant job descriptions broken down by team in each directorate; and whether the Chief People Officer and other relevant senior officials in NHSEI agreed to meet him to discuss spending taxpayers’ money responsibly.
Answered by Simon Clarke
I am hoping to receive the information requested from NHSEI regarding the breakdown of their organisation very shortly. I am also seeking to arrange a meeting on this subject in the coming weeks.
Asked by: Paul Bristow (Conservative - Peterborough)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 9 July 2021 to Question 25963 on NHS England and NHS Improvement, whether the Chief Secretary to the Treasury has received the information he sought from NHSEI; and whether a meeting has been arranged with the Chief People Officer or other relevant senior officials in NHSEI.
Answered by Steve Barclay - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The Chief Secretary to the Treasury is committed to spending taxpayers’ money responsibly and delivering value for money for them. To support his work, he has requested that NHSEI, like other ALBs, share a detailed organisation breakdown, including the grade number, cost and relevant job descriptions broken down by team in each directorate. He has asked for a meeting with the Chief People Officer and other relevant Senior Officials in NHSEI to discuss this and hopes that one can be agreed as soon as possible.
Asked by: Paul Bristow (Conservative - Peterborough)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions the Chief Secretary to the Treasury has had with the NHS Chief People Officer on value-for-money in (a) the administration of Our NHS People and (b) human resources, organisational development and workforce teams under NHS England and NHS Improvement.
Answered by Steve Barclay - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The Chief Secretary to the Treasury is committed to spending taxpayers’ money responsibly and delivering value for money for them. To support his work, he has requested that NHSEI, like other ALBs, share a detailed organisation breakdown, including the grade number, cost and relevant job descriptions broken down by team in each directorate. He has asked for a meeting with the Chief People Officer and other relevant Senior Officials in NHSEI to discuss this and hopes that one can be agreed as soon as possible.
Asked by: Paul Bristow (Conservative - Peterborough)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) implications for revenue and (b) potential merits of extending employee national insurance contributions to people over the age of 65.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The “Estimated costs of principal tax reliefs” publication sets out that the estimated cost of the exemption of those over State Pension age (SPa) from paying National Insurance contributions (NICs) was about £1.1bn in 2019-20. However, this does not take account of any behavioural changes as a result of the relief and, in practice, if it were withdrawn, taxpayers’ behaviour could alter so that the actual yield would be very different from, and often smaller than, that shown in the tables:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/main-tax-expenditures-and-structural-reliefs.
As with all taxes,the Treasury keeps National Insurance Contributions under review.
Asked by: Paul Bristow (Conservative - Peterborough)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how his Department works with HMRC to help ensure that VAT rulings are equitable to all stakeholders; and whether his Department monitors the appeals process of those decisions.
Answered by Jesse Norman
HM Treasury has no statutory authority over the application of VAT rulings or the appeals process of those decisions; this is wholly within the remit of HM Revenue and Customs. HM Revenue and Customs apply the law objectively to ensure that businesses apply the tax rules correctly.
Asked by: Paul Bristow (Conservative - Peterborough)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what financial support is available for self-employed people in the entertainment sector during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government recognises the impact that closures across the country will have on the entertainment industry, as well as those who work within it, and remains committed to supporting the sector through the impact of the pandemic.
The Culture Recovery Fund has already supported a wide range of cultural organisations, including venues, festivals and theatres. The £1 billion already committed has supported 3,000 organisations and more than 75,000 jobs. The remaining £400m of Culture Recovery Fund grants and loans announced on 11 December will support significant cultural organisations and those who work within them who now face financial distress as a result of closure, as well as helping them transition back to fuller opening in the spring.
Further, the third grant of the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) will be available to self-employed individuals, including those working within the entertainment sector, who have been affected by reduced demand or have been unable to trade due to COVID-19, which they believe will lead to a significant reduction in their trading profits.
The online service for the third grant is open to claims until 29 January 2021. Guidance on who can claim has been published on gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-a-grant-through-the-coronavirus-covid-19-self-employment-income-support-scheme.
There will also be a fourth grant covering February to April 2021. The Government will set out further details, including the level of the fourth grant, in due course.
Moreover, the SEISS continues to be just one element of a substantial package of support for the self-employed. Those ineligible for the SEISS may still be eligible for other elements of the support available. The Universal Credit standard allowance has been temporarily increased for 2020-21 and the Minimum Income Floor relaxed for the duration of the crisis, so that where self-employed claimants' earnings have fallen significantly, their Universal Credit award will have increased to reflect their lower earnings. In addition to this, they may also have access to other elements of the package, including Bounce Back loans, tax deferrals, rental support, mortgage holidays, self-isolation support payments and other business support grants.
Asked by: Paul Bristow (Conservative - Peterborough)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment the Government has made of the potential merits of changing the rules governing Save As You Earn (SAYE) schemes to make resignation from an employer a good leaver reason.
Answered by Jesse Norman
Save As You Earn (SAYE) is a scheme that allows employees to save up to £500 a month over a three or five year savings contract. Savings can be taken as cash, or used to purchase tax-advantaged company shares at a price determined at the start of the contract. The scheme is intended to support staff retention and engagement, by encouraging employees to regularly save towards a financial reward offered by the employer.
The SAYE scheme allows businesses to distinguish between a “good leaver” and a “bad leaver” if an employee leaves within the agreed savings period. The Government believes that these current rules are an appropriate way to support the policy’s aims. “Good leavers”, such as those who leave the company on retirement or redundancy, can retain the scheme's tax advantages when exercising their share options. Where employees leave the company voluntarily, they can still withdraw their accrued savings in the scheme, but do not receive tax advantaged shares. No assessment has been made of making resignation from an employer a “good leaver” reason.
The Government keeps all taxes and reliefs under review.
Asked by: Paul Bristow (Conservative - Peterborough)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of reducing the Share Incentive Plan (SIP) holding period from five to three years.
Answered by Jesse Norman
Share Incentive Plans (SIPs) are tax-advantaged employee share schemes, intended to encourage businesses to share financial rewards with their staff, to help to motivate their workforce, support productivity and recruit and retain staff.
SIPs provide generous tax reliefs on shares, including exemption from IT and NICs, and CGT benefits if shares are kept in the plan until sold. To receive the full tax relief, shares must be held for at least five years. The Government believes this is an appropriate length of time to support the policy’s aims to assist staff retention and improved productivity, as well as helping to align company and employee interests.
The Government keeps all taxes and reliefs under review.
Asked by: Paul Bristow (Conservative - Peterborough)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the provision of increased funding for dementia care in Budget 2020.
Answered by Steve Barclay - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
At the 2019 Spending Review, the Government provided an additional £1bn funding for social care in 2020-21. In addition the Government has committed to urgently seek a cross-party consensus to bring forward proposals and legislation for long-term reform of adult social care. In line with successive administrations, the details of Ministerial discussions are not normally discussed.