Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - North West Durham)
Question to the HM Treasury:
, To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an estimate of the potential increase in cider duty required for (a) bottled and (b) off-licence beer on licenced premises from a keg or barrel to achieve revenue neutrality by offsetting a beer duty reduction of (i) 1p per pint (ii) 5p per pint (ii) 10p per pint (iii) 50 percent and (iv) 100 percent.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
The Government has consulted industry and other stakeholders on the possibility of charging different alcohol duty rates in different places as part of its Alcohol Duty Review. As noted in the call for evidence document, while beneficial to recipients, such a differential would add complexity and cost to the existing duty arrangements. The Government is now analysing the feedback received and will respond in due course.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - North West Durham)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an estimate of the increase in beer duty required to achieve revenue neutrality for (a) bottled and (b) off-licence beer on licenced premises.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
The Government has consulted industry and other stakeholders on the possibility of charging different alcohol duty rates in different places as part of its Alcohol Duty Review. As noted in the call for evidence document, while beneficial to recipients, such a differential would add complexity and cost to the existing duty arrangements. The Government is now analysing the feedback received and will respond in due course.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - North West Durham)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the (a) potential merits of and (b) implications for his policy on levelling up of siting the National Infrastructure Bank in North West Durham.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government is considering a range of factors and locations, in order to ensure that it chooses a location in the North of England that meets the Bank’s needs, as well as supporting the Government’s wider levelling up agenda. At Budget, the Chancellor will set out details regarding the operations, mandate and scale of the bank.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - North West Durham)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of the temporary increase in universal credit; and whether he has made an assessment of the potential effect on (a) fuel duty and (b) income tax in the event that that increase was maintained by raising those taxes.
Answered by Steve Barclay - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
As we have done throughout this crisis, the government is continuing to assess how best to support people and the economy, taking into account the health and economic context as it develops.
Extending the temporary £20 per week increase in Universal Credit and Tax Credits by a further 12 months would cost over £6 billion. To illustrate the scale of this cost, it would take a 1p increase to the basic rate of income tax and a 3p increase in fuel duty combined to raise £6 billion.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - North West Durham)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of the Financial Conduct Authority becoming the single regulator tasked with protecting consumers’ access to cash, including monitoring and publishing detail of acceptance levels.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Government recognises that cash remains important to millions of people across the UK and has committed to protecting access to cash. The Government published a Call for Evidence on 15 October 2020 seeking views on the key considerations associated with cash access, including deposit and withdrawal facilities, cash acceptance, and regulatory oversight of the cash system.
The Government will ensure that regulators have the right responsibilities and powers to oversee the cash system. As set out in the Call for Evidence, effective coordination between the financial authorities will continue to be critical, but the Government considers that there may also be benefit in giving a single authority overall responsibility for ensuring the retail cash system meets the needs of consumers and businesses. The Government’s view is that the FCA may be well positioned to take on the function through legislation. The Call for Evidence closed on the 25 November 2020. The Government is considering responses and will set out next steps in due course.
The Government also remains closely engaged with the financial regulators, including through the Treasury-chaired Joint Authorities Cash Strategy Group, to monitor and assess risks around cash relating to COVID-19. In order to help control the virus, all businesses and individuals are encouraged to follow the latest Government advice. It is important to wash your hands regularly. To work safely, retailers have been recommended to minimise contact around transactions, for example, considering using contactless payments. It remains the individual retailer’s choice as to whether to accept or decline any form of payment, including cash or card.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - North West Durham)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish the Government's timeframe for bringing forward legislative proposals for protecting people’s ability to access cash following his commitment in the March 2020 Budget.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Government recognises that cash remains important to millions of people across the UK and has committed to protecting access to cash. The Government published a Call for Evidence on 15 October 2020 seeking views on the key considerations associated with cash access, including deposit and withdrawal facilities, cash acceptance, and regulatory oversight of the cash system.
The Government will ensure that regulators have the right responsibilities and powers to oversee the cash system. As set out in the Call for Evidence, effective coordination between the financial authorities will continue to be critical, but the Government considers that there may also be benefit in giving a single authority overall responsibility for ensuring the retail cash system meets the needs of consumers and businesses. The Government’s view is that the FCA may be well positioned to take on the function through legislation. The Call for Evidence closed on the 25 November 2020. The Government is considering responses and will set out next steps in due course.
The Government also remains closely engaged with the financial regulators, including through the Treasury-chaired Joint Authorities Cash Strategy Group, to monitor and assess risks around cash relating to COVID-19. In order to help control the virus, all businesses and individuals are encouraged to follow the latest Government advice. It is important to wash your hands regularly. To work safely, retailers have been recommended to minimise contact around transactions, for example, considering using contactless payments. It remains the individual retailer’s choice as to whether to accept or decline any form of payment, including cash or card.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - North West Durham)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will appoint the Financial Conduct Authority to track changes in cash acceptance by UK businesses in response to research from Which? that found one in three people have had their cash refused since the start of the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Government recognises that cash remains important to millions of people across the UK and has committed to protecting access to cash. The Government published a Call for Evidence on 15 October 2020 seeking views on the key considerations associated with cash access, including deposit and withdrawal facilities, cash acceptance, and regulatory oversight of the cash system.
The Government will ensure that regulators have the right responsibilities and powers to oversee the cash system. As set out in the Call for Evidence, effective coordination between the financial authorities will continue to be critical, but the Government considers that there may also be benefit in giving a single authority overall responsibility for ensuring the retail cash system meets the needs of consumers and businesses. The Government’s view is that the FCA may be well positioned to take on the function through legislation. The Call for Evidence closed on the 25 November 2020. The Government is considering responses and will set out next steps in due course.
The Government also remains closely engaged with the financial regulators, including through the Treasury-chaired Joint Authorities Cash Strategy Group, to monitor and assess risks around cash relating to COVID-19. In order to help control the virus, all businesses and individuals are encouraged to follow the latest Government advice. It is important to wash your hands regularly. To work safely, retailers have been recommended to minimise contact around transactions, for example, considering using contactless payments. It remains the individual retailer’s choice as to whether to accept or decline any form of payment, including cash or card.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - North West Durham)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Government has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a small distillers duty relief to help small spirits producers grow their businesses.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
The Government held a call for evidence in 2020 on reforms to alcohol duty, which closed on 29 November. The Government is now analysing the responses, and will provide updates in due course. The Government is considering the role of small producer reliefs as part of this review.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - North West Durham)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 30 November 2020 to Question 121034 on the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, when HMRC plans to publish the information on the companies that made claims under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme for periods starting on or after 1 December 2020; and how regularly that information will be published.
Answered by Jesse Norman
In line with the published direction, as part of HMRC’s commitment to transparency and to deter fraudulent claims, HMRC will publish information about employers who claim under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) for periods starting on or after 1 December. This will not cover employer details for use of the CJRS prior to December. The first of these publications will be made at the end of January and will be followed on a regular monthly basis subsequently.
The publication of information will be made in line with data protection law.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - North West Durham)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what VAT rate he plans to apply to reusable menstrual products in January 2021.
Answered by Jesse Norman
At Spring Budget on 11 March 2020, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that a zero rate of VAT will apply to women’s sanitary products from 1 January 2021, at the end of the transition period. This will apply to those products which are currently subject to the reduced rate of five per cent, for example, tampons and pads, and to reusable menstrual products, such as keepers.