Asked by: Peter Bottomley (Conservative - Worthing West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with the trade association for the amusement machine industry and supply chain (BACTA) on its eligibility for the VAT reduction to 5 per cent; and if he agree to attend a meeting with BACTA.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
The Government has provided extensive guidance on the VAT treatment of cross-border goods and services following the end of the transition period and is committed to supporting businesses to enable them to continue to trade.
As with all tax measures, where new changes have been introduced, the Government includes its assessment of the impacts of the changes in Tax Information and Impact Notes. Notes for measures recently legislated for in the Taxation (Post-transition Period) Act were published alongside that legislation.
Asked by: Peter Bottomley (Conservative - Worthing West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the forthcoming spending review, if his Department will preserve the current ring-fence on public health funding for local authorities.
Answered by Steve Barclay
Details on public health funding for local authorities for 21/22 will be set out at the Spending Review on 25 November.
Investing in prevention is a vital part of the NHS Long Term Plan to help people live longer, healthier lives. In 2020/21, we invested £3.279 billion in local authority public health services through the Public Health Grant, in addition to what the NHS spent on preventative interventions such as immunisation and screenings.
Asked by: Peter Bottomley (Conservative - Worthing West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will introduce temporary support based on PAYE data for freelance workers who have not been registered for support through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme by previous employers.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
An employee on a fixed term contract can be re-employed, furloughed and claimed for, if either: their contract expired after 28 February 2020 and an RTI payment submission for the employee was notified to HMRC on or before 28 February 2020, or their contract expired after 19 March 2020 and an RTI payment submission for the employee was notified to HMRC on or before 19 March 2020. The decision to furlough an employee must be agreed by both the employer and employee.
The Government is also supporting people on low incomes who need to rely on the welfare system through a significant package of temporary measures. This includes a £20 per week increase to the Universal Credit standard allowance and Working Tax Credit basic element, and a nearly £1 billion increase in support for renters through increases to the Local Housing Allowance rates for Universal Credit and Housing Benefit claimants.?These changes will benefit new and existing claimants. Anyone can check their eligibility and apply for Universal Credit by visiting?https://www.gov.uk/universal-credit. In addition, many freelance workers may be eligible for the Coronavirus Self-Employment Income Support Scheme.
Asked by: Peter Bottomley (Conservative - Worthing West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether public sector employees under PAYE on zero-hours contracts are eligible for the Government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme in the event that those employees are unable to be redeployed.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
The Government expects that the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme will not be used by many public sector organisations, as most public sector employees are continuing to provide essential public services or contributing to the response to the coronavirus outbreak. Where employers receive public funding for staff costs, and that funding is continuing, the Government expect employers to use that money to continue to pay staff in the usual fashion, and correspondingly not furlough them. This also applies to non-public sector employers who receive public funding for staff costs. Organisations who are receiving public funding specifically to provide services necessary to respond to COVID-19 are not expected to furlough staff. In a small number of cases, for example where organisations are not primarily funded by the Government and whose staff cannot be redeployed to assist with the coronavirus response, the scheme may be appropriate for some staff. Employees on any type of employment contract are eligible for the scheme, including those on zero-hours contracts.
Asked by: Peter Bottomley (Conservative - Worthing West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the value to the economy of the British wine and sparkling wine industry in each of the last five years.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
The Government recognises the important role that wine, and the wine industry, plays in our economy and society. At Budget 2020 the Chancellor announced a freeze on wine duty, making the price of a bottle of wine 5p lower than it would have been had prices risen with inflation.
Asked by: Peter Bottomley (Conservative - Worthing West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the value to the economy of the Scottish whisky industry in each of the last five years.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
The Government recognises the important role of the Scottish whisky industry in Scotland, and in the UK economy.
At Budget 2020 the Chancellor announced a freeze on spirits duty, and a range of other measures to support the industry, including an additional £1m to promote Scottish food and drink products overseas.