Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 5.81 of the Autumn Statement 2023, published in November 2023, what his planned timetable is to open the consultation on the VAT treatment of private hire vehicles.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
As announced at Spring Budget, the Government will launch the consultation on the impacts of the July 2023 High Court ruling in Uber Britannia Ltd v Sefton MBC in April.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will introduce a track and trace system for imported vaping products.
Answered by Gareth Davies - Shadow Minister (Business and Trade)
Track and Trace requirements for cigarettes and hand-rolling tobacco have been in place, in the UK, since 20 May 2019. These requirements are due to be extended to other tobacco products, such as cigars, cigarillos and pipe tobacco from 20 May 2024. This does not include vaping products.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment has been made of the adequacy of resources available to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman to (a) consider referrals in a reasonable timeframe and (b) to manage the demand on its services.
Answered by John Glen
The Parliamentary and Health Services Ombudsman (PHSO), as an independent organisation, requested and received an increase in funding at the 2021 Spending Review, with its total Resource budget £41.8m in 2023/24 and Capital budget £11.7m.
As it is independent from Government and accountable to Parliament with its work is scrutinised by the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee. It is therefore, not for HM Treasury to comment on the adequacy of the resources available to the PHSO.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to reform requirements to date (a) Vehicle Excise Duty and (b) other taxes from the first of the month.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
The Government has to balance simplicity and fairness when making decisions on the administration of taxes. The administration of different taxes will vary depending on the nature of the tax base.
It is a longstanding feature of the vehicle tax system that VED is issued from the first of a month. Issuing VED from a date other than the first of the month would add complexity to the vehicle tax system.
All taxes, including VED, are kept under review, and any changes are considered and announced by the Chancellor.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with the Financial Conduct Authority on publishing a policy statement on free access to cash services for low-income families, as part of the digital pound initiative.
Answered by Andrew Griffith - Shadow Secretary of State for Business and Trade
Treasury Ministers have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. Details of ministerial meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-giftsand-overseas-travel
While the adoption of digital payments continues to develop at pace, the government recognises that millions of people continue to use cash, particularly those in vulnerable groups. Therefore, the government is currently taking legislation through Parliament to protect access to cash across the UK as part of the Financial Services and Markets Bill.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he supports Ghana's request for an expedited process for debt relief through the G20 Common Framework.
Answered by Andrew Griffith - Shadow Secretary of State for Business and Trade
The UK welcomes Ghana’s request for a debt treatment under the G20 Common Framework for Debt Treatments beyond the Debt Service Suspension Initiative. We stand ready to deliver a debt treatment for Ghana under the Common Framework in a timely and efficient manner.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the contribution of the co-operative sector to the UK economy.
Answered by Andrew Griffith - Shadow Secretary of State for Business and Trade
The Government is committed to having a thriving co-operatives sector and creating a modern and supportive business environment in the UK. The Government acknowledges the vital contribution co-operatives make to the economy, serving local communities up and down the UK. For instance, the Co-op Economy Report 2021 conducted by the trade body Co-operatives UK found that co-operatives contributed £39.7 billion to the UK economy in 2021, up £1.1 billion from 2020.
At Budget 2021, the Government announced the £150m Community Ownership Fund. This allows community groups to bid for up to £250,000 matched-funding to help them buy or take over local community assets at risk of being lost and run them as community-owned businesses, supporting co-operative entrepreneurship. To date, 71 projects across the UK have benefitted from the fund.
Most recently, the Government is supporting a Private Members' Bill on Co-operatives, Mutual Insurers, and Friendly Societies, which will grant HM Treasury the power to bring forward regulations to give those mutuals further flexibility in determining for themselves the best strategies for their business regarding their surplus capital.
Furthermore, the Government also aims to continue to develop a modern and supportive business environment to set co-operatives and mutuals up for success. As part of this, the Government is currently exploring options for reviewing key pieces of legislation underpinning the co-operatives and mutuals sectors.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to support the co-operative sector across the UK.
Answered by Andrew Griffith - Shadow Secretary of State for Business and Trade
The Government is committed to having a thriving co-operatives sector and creating a modern and supportive business environment in the UK. The Government acknowledges the vital contribution co-operatives make to the economy, serving local communities up and down the UK. For instance, the Co-op Economy Report 2021 conducted by the trade body Co-operatives UK found that co-operatives contributed £39.7 billion to the UK economy in 2021, up £1.1 billion from 2020.
At Budget 2021, the Government announced the £150m Community Ownership Fund. This allows community groups to bid for up to £250,000 matched-funding to help them buy or take over local community assets at risk of being lost and run them as community-owned businesses, supporting co-operative entrepreneurship. To date, 71 projects across the UK have benefitted from the fund.
Most recently, the Government is supporting a Private Members' Bill on Co-operatives, Mutual Insurers, and Friendly Societies, which will grant HM Treasury the power to bring forward regulations to give those mutuals further flexibility in determining for themselves the best strategies for their business regarding their surplus capital.
Furthermore, the Government also aims to continue to develop a modern and supportive business environment to set co-operatives and mutuals up for success. As part of this, the Government is currently exploring options for reviewing key pieces of legislation underpinning the co-operatives and mutuals sectors.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to increase co-operative and employee ownership of business.
Answered by Andrew Griffith - Shadow Secretary of State for Business and Trade
The Government is committed to having a thriving co-operatives sector and creating a modern and supportive business environment in the UK. The Government acknowledges the vital contribution co-operatives make to the economy, serving local communities up and down the UK. For instance, the Co-op Economy Report 2021 conducted by the trade body Co-operatives UK found that co-operatives contributed £39.7 billion to the UK economy in 2021, up £1.1 billion from 2020.
At Budget 2021, the Government announced the £150m Community Ownership Fund. This allows community groups to bid for up to £250,000 matched-funding to help them buy or take over local community assets at risk of being lost and run them as community-owned businesses, supporting co-operative entrepreneurship. To date, 71 projects across the UK have benefitted from the fund.
Most recently, the Government is supporting a Private Members' Bill on Co-operatives, Mutual Insurers, and Friendly Societies, which will grant HM Treasury the power to bring forward regulations to give those mutuals further flexibility in determining for themselves the best strategies for their business regarding their surplus capital.
Furthermore, the Government also aims to continue to develop a modern and supportive business environment to set co-operatives and mutuals up for success. As part of this, the Government is currently exploring options for reviewing key pieces of legislation underpinning the co-operatives and mutuals sectors.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent estimate he has made of the proportion of businesses that accept cash payments by (a) sector and (b) geographical area.
Answered by Andrew Griffith - Shadow Secretary of State for Business and Trade
As technology and consumer behaviour changes, it should remain the choice of individual organisations as to whether to accept or decline any form of payment, including cash or card, based on their consideration of factors such as customer preference and cost.
Nonetheless, the Government recognises that many people continue to transact in cash across the UK and engages closely with financial regulators to monitor and assess trends relating to cash. Research published by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in 2020 found that 98% of small businesses would never turn away a customer if they needed to pay by cash.
The Government is currently taking legislation to protect access to cash across the UK through Parliament as part of the Financial Services and Markets Bill 2022. The legislation will establish the FCA as the lead regulator for access to cash with responsibility and powers to seek to ensure reasonable provision of withdrawal and deposit facilities. This will support local businesses to continue accepting cash.
Further details about the Financial Services and Markets Bill can be found on the Parliament website: https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/3326