Asked by: Rachel Reeves (Labour - Leeds West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people worked for the Taxpayer Protection Taskforce in each month between April 2021 and December 2022.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
At Spring Budget 2021 the Government announced a £100 million investment into the Taxpayer Protection Taskforce of 1,250 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) staff up to March 2023. The taskforce was established to extend HMRC’s work to address fraud and error in the COVID support schemes that they administered (Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, Self-Employment Income Support Scheme, and Eat Out to Help Out). The table below shows the month-by-month breakdown of resources deployed in the taskforce from April 2021 to end of October 2022. HMRC are unable to provide more recent data as this is still being assured.
Table 1: Monthly breakdown of FTE staff deployed to taskforce:
Period | Apr 2021 | May 2021 | Jun 2021 | Jul 2021 | Aug 2021 | Sep 2021 | Oct 2021 | Nov 2021 | Dec 2021 | Jan 2022 | Feb 2022 | Mar 2022 |
Total FTE | 908 | 1,018 | 1,216 | 1,291 | 1,228 | 1,256 | 1,180 | 1,184 | 1,145 | 1,101 | 1,096 | 1,142 |
Period | Apr 2022 | May 2022 | Jun 2022 | Jul 2022 | Aug 2022 | Sep 2022 | Oct 2022 |
Total FTE | 1,180 | 1,155 | 1,246 | 1,203 | 1,230 | 1,232 | 1,187 |
Asked by: Rachel Reeves (Labour - Leeds West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has been made aware of any security breaches in his Department relating to Ministers in his Department during his time in post.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
It is a long-established practice of the Treasury not to comment either on whether a security breach has been identified, or any subsequent outcome.
Asked by: Rachel Reeves (Labour - Leeds West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what procedures are in place to prevent the use of personal mobile phones for government business in his Department.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
There is a place for the use of a variety of digital channels in fast moving modern environments. Ministers will have informal conversations from time to time, in person or remotely, and relevant content from such discussions is passed back to officials. They will also use a variety of digital communications channels for personal, political and Parliamentary matters.
Asked by: Rachel Reeves (Labour - Leeds West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will provide details of any government business he has conducted from his own personal devices or accounts.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Cabinet Office has published guidance to departments on the use of private email that covers how information is held for the purposes of access to information, and how formal decisions are recorded for the official record. This guidance is being updated to reflect changes in technology and ways of working and will be published by the Cabinet Office in due course.
It is Government policy not to comment on individual Ministers’ security arrangements. Ministers receive support and expert advice to help them meet their obligations in the most appropriate and secure fashion. That includes regular security briefings for Ministers, and advice on protecting their personal data and mitigating cyber threats.
Asked by: Rachel Reeves (Labour - Leeds West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent estimate he has made of the impact of the raising of the projected energy price cap on the efficacy of the cost of living payments.
Answered by Simon Clarke
In May 2022, we announced over £15 billion of additional cost of living support, targeted at those with the greatest need. This package builds on over £22 billion previously announced, meaning government support for the cost of living now totals over £37 billion this year, equivalent to 1.5% of GDP. As a result, millions of vulnerable households will receive at least £1,200 of support this financial year, with the vast majority of households receiving at least £550.
We have always been clear that the government cannot seek to offset the entire impact of the increased cost of living for all groups. The government is committed to managing the public finances in a responsible way by targeting support where it is most needed, and we continue to monitor a range of factors, including the Ofgem price cap.
The government is monitoring a range of pressures on households, including the cost of energy, and as we move into winter we will continue to listen to people’s concerns and will seek to help households through challenging times ahead.
Asked by: Rachel Reeves (Labour - Leeds West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the economic cost of the red weather heat alert of 18 and 19 July 2022.
Answered by Richard Fuller
We do not hold data on the specific cost of the red weather heat alert 18 – 19th July 2022. The ONS monthly estimate of GDP for July will become available on the 12th of September 2022.
Information about the risks to different economic sectors from heatwaves more generally can be found in the UK’s Third Climate Change Risk Assessment which is based on the Independent Assessment of UK Climate Risk, the statutory advice provided by the Climate Change Committee, commissioned by the UK Government and devolved administrations.
The support the government has provided over the past two years has put the UK economy in a good position to deal with current challenges, with a record number of employees on payrolls and a strong economic recovery from the pandemic. Annual growth in 2021 was the fastest in the G7 and the latest GDP figures for June showed the UK economy was 0.9% above its pre-pandemic levels.
Asked by: Rachel Reeves (Labour - Leeds West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the OECD's United Kingdom Economic Snapshot published in June 2022, what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department’s policies over the next twelve months of the zero per cent growth forecast for GDP in 2023.
Answered by Richard Fuller
Annual growth in 2021 was the fastest in the G7, and GDP data for Q1 2022 showed the UK had the joint fastest growth in the G7.
The Office for Budget Responsibility are the government’s official forecaster, and they will update their forecasts for UK GDP in the Autumn.
Like other advanced economies, the UK is affected by global economic challenges, including the unprovoked Russian invasion of Ukraine. Support provided over the past two years has put the UK economy in a good position to deal with these challenges, with a record number of employees on payrolls and a strong economic recovery from the pandemic.
The government has also taken significant action to support households with the cost of living, totalling around £37bn this year.
Asked by: Rachel Reeves (Labour - Leeds West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the OECD's United Kingdom Economic Snapshot published in June 2022, what assessment he has made of the implications for the UK economy of the zero per cent growth forecast for GDP in 2023.
Answered by Richard Fuller
I refer the Honourable Member to the answer I gave to PQ UIN 37482.
Asked by: Rachel Reeves (Labour - Leeds West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department made of additional payments to multiple-home owners in their distributional analysis on the Cost of Living Support package.
Answered by Simon Clarke
The Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) consulted on the basis of paying EBSS via domestic electricity meter points. The Government response will be published later in the summer.
The Government’s intention is for EBSS to reach as many households as possible from October, while minimizing the administrative complexity of the scheme. The Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has consulted on the basis of paying EBSS via domestic electricity meter points.
While some households have second homes or multiple meter points, it is important to balance this against the timely and efficient delivery of this scheme.
Distributional analysis produced by HM Treasury relies on an established microsimulation model of the UK tax and benefit system. This model is designed to be used for estimating the impacts of a wide range of policies and does not contain information about households’ multiple home ownership.
Asked by: Rachel Reeves (Labour - Leeds West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an estimate of the revenue that would be raised from removing the VAT-exempt status of private schools.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Many supplies of education, including those provided by eligible independent schools, are exempt from VAT. This means that no VAT is charged to the final consumer, and that the schools cannot recover VAT they incur on their costs.
The Government keeps all taxes under review, and any future changes to the UK tax system will be costed in the usual way.