Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor for the Exchequer, if she will take steps to ensure that pupils without an education, health and care who have experienced trauma are exempt from the introduction of VAT on private school fees.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The Government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity, ensuring every child has access to high-quality education, which is why we have made the tough decision to end tax breaks for private schools. This will raise revenue for essential public services, including investing in the state education system.
Where pupils are placed in a private school because their needs cannot be met in the state sector, and they have their places funded by their Local Authority, the Local Authority will be able to reclaim the VAT they incur on these pupils’ fees. In Northern Ireland, it will be the Education Authority who fund placements in private schools and will be able to reclaim the VAT in this way.
Where a placement at a specific private school is necessary to meet the pupil’s needs in England, that school will be named in the pupil’s Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). This means that the VAT change will not impact pupils with the most acute additional needs, where these needs can only be met in private schools.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions she has had with private schools on the Government's proposed policy to implement VAT on private school fees.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
As the Government announced on 29 July, as of 1 January 2025, all education services and vocational training supplied by a private school in the UK for a charge will be subject to VAT at the standard rate of 20%.
A technical note setting out the details of this policy has been published online here: VAT on Private School Fees & Removing the Charitable Rates Relief for Private Schools - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). Draft VAT legislation has also been published alongside this technical note.
A technical consultation on the legislation and technical note will run until 15 September 2024. The Government is engaging with a range of stakeholders as part of this consultation.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she plans to introduce tax free shopping in tourist destinations.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Earlier this year, the Office for Budget Responsibility conducted a review of the previous government’s 2020 costing of removing tax-free shopping for tourists. The OBR’s updated estimate is that the withdrawal of the VAT Retail Export Scheme will lead to a saving for the Exchequer of around £540 million by 2025-26 (compared to £460 million when originally costed in 2020).
The Government has inherited a challenging fiscal position. Debt is near 100% of GDP and borrowing is more than double what it was before the pandemic. In addition to this, a recent Treasury audit has revealed an additional £21.9 billion pressure on departmental spending.
The Chancellor has confirmed that she will be making decisions on tax policy, in this context, at the Budget on 30 October.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when she plans to spend 0.7% of Gross National Income on Official Development Assistance.
Answered by Darren Jones - Minister for Intergovernmental Relations
This Government is committed to restoring ODA spending at the level of 0.7 per cent of GNI as soon as fiscal circumstances allow. The Government will set out its approach to the House in due course.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what her policy is on divesting North Sea oil and gas production.
Answered by Tulip Siddiq
The Government is strongly committed to the net zero transition, but it is clear that North Sea oil and gas production will be with us for decades to come. The Government will manage the North Sea in a way that manages existing fields for their lifespan and does not jeopardise jobs, even as we take steps to reduce our reliance.
Transforming the financial sector so that it is aligned with net zero can be supported by companies having a transition plan that is specific to them, detailing how their business will align with net zero. This will support an orderly transition.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she plans to take to consult stakeholders on her Department's proposed policy to implement VAT on private school fees.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The Government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity, ensuring every child has access to high-quality education, which is why we have made the tough decision to end tax breaks for private schools. This will raise revenue for essential public services, including investing in the state education system.
Further details on this policy will be set out in due course. The Government engaged with a wide range of stakeholders with an interest in Government policy as a matter of course, and this will include engagement with stakeholders with an interest in VAT being applied to private school fees.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of bank closures on (a) local communities and (b) elderly people's access to banking services.
Answered by Bim Afolami
Whilst decisions to open or close a bank branch are commercial decisions for firms, and the Government does not intervene on individual closures, it is imperative that banks and building societies recognise the needs of all their customers, including those who still need to use in-person services. The impact of branch closures must be mitigated where possible so that all customers, wherever they live, continue to have appropriate access to banking services.
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)’s guidance sets out that firms must carefully consider the impact of planned branch closures on their customers’ everyday banking and cash access needs, and put in place reasonable alternatives. This seeks to ensure the implementation of closure decisions is done in a way that treats customers fairly. Where firms fall short, the FCA may ask for closures to be paused or other options to be put in place.
Alternative options to access everyday banking services can be via telephone banking, through digital means such as mobile or online banking and via the Post Office or Banking Hubs. The Post Office allows personal and business customers to carry out everyday banking services at 11,500 Post Office branches across the UK.
Banking Hubs are an initiative which enable customers of participating banks to access cash and banking services in shared facilities. Over 100 Banking Hubs have been announced so far, and the Government hopes to see these Hubs open as soon as possible.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will take steps to incentivise pension funds to invest in the UK.
Answered by Bim Afolami
The Government is taking steps to strengthen capital markets, boost savings, increase pension fund transparency and facilitate investment in UK companies. Building on the announcements at Mansion House and Autumn Statement, at Spring Budget the Chancellor announced further measures incentivise pension funds to invest in the UK.
This includes introducing new requirements for DC and local government pension funds to disclose publicly their level of international and UK equity investments, and DC funds will be required to compare their performance against their largest competitors. We will then consider what further action should be taken if we are not on a positive trajectory.
These measures are to ensure that pension managers are focused on securing good returns for savers, rather than focused on driving down management fees at the expense of long-term performance.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he made an assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the potential merits of increasing funding for SEND provision in the Spring Budget 2024.
Answered by Laura Trott - Shadow Secretary of State for Education
The Chancellor and Chief Secretary hold regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on spending priorities for fiscal events.
Spring Budget 2024 committed to an initial £105 million over the next four years towards a wave of 15 special free schools. This will create over 2,000 additional high-quality places across England for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
In the 2024/25 financial year, high needs revenue funding is rising to over £10.5 billion, an increase of over 60% from 2019/20. We also published the SEND and alternative provision improvement plan last year, which set out our plans to reform the system so that children and young people with SEND will get high-quality, early support wherever they live in the country.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 2.20 of the Spring Budget 2024, HC 560, if he will take steps to ensure the (a) governance and (b) accountability of the £3.4 billion allocated to the NHS.
Answered by Laura Trott - Shadow Secretary of State for Education
The Government and NHS England have been working closely together on plans to improve productivity following the publication of the Long Term Workforce Plan last summer, including on the announcement last week of £3.4bn additional investment allowing the NHS to commit to a significant increase in productivity growth.
This investment will continue to remain subject to close work between Government and NHS, recognising its importance for ensuring the NHS’s sustainability and ability to deliver better outcomes for patients.
To support delivery of the productivity programme, Spring Budget also highlighted that an external expert advisory panel will be convened to ensure that technological and digital transformation plans have the support and challenge to deliver on its goals, with NHS England also starting reporting against new productivity metrics regularly from the second half of 2024-25. Further detail will be set out in due course