Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what impact assessment his Department has made of the effect on working families of (a) reduction in income thresholds and (b) increases in the tax credits taper rate.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The effect on working families of the reduction in income thresholds and increased in the tax credit taper rate should not be considered separately from wider policies in the Budget, such as our commitment to introducing the National Living Wage and increases to the personal tax allowance.
Taking the welfare changes in the Budget together with the record increases in the income tax personal allowance and the introduction of the new National Living Wage, 8 out of 10 working households will be better off in 2017-18.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the possible effect of UK exit from the EU on the long-run rate of economic growth in (a) the UK and (b) London.
Answered by David Gauke
The Government has a clear mandate to improve Britain’s relationship with the rest of the EU, and to reform the EU so that it creates jobs and increases living standards for all its citizens. As the Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne) has noted, the best outcome for the UK economy is that we achieve major economic reform of the EU. The Prime Minister is focused on success: he believes he can and will succeed in reforming and renegotiating our relationship with the EU and campaigning to keep the UK in the EU on that basis.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of recent changes to tax and tax credits on the income of women who choose to stay at home to care for children.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The Government recognises the commitment and value of parents who choose to stay at home to look after their children, and the difficulties they might face. The Government has introduced the Marriage Allowance which will benefit married parents who do not use their full personal allowance; it has made reforms to the state pension which will improve pension provision for those who choose not to work due to caring responsibilities; and introduced a new package of childcare support to help parents balance work and family life.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the reasons are for the time taken to open the safe corridor pilot for UK-Somalia remittances.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Action Group on Cross Border Remittances will next meet on Friday 27 March 2015. Over the past year, the group has undertaken a number of initiatives to improve trust and transparency in the money service business (MSB) sector and give banks greater confidence to deal with MSBs – and crucially remittances continue to flow to Somalia and other developing countries.
Working closely with the supervisors, the Action Group has initiated revised guidance to the MSB sector and for those banking MSBs. The National Crime Agency have worked collaboratively with the banking and MSB sectors to improve understanding of the risks and how they can be managed, and the Safer Corridor pilot has been initiated.
The Safer Corridor Pilot is implemented by the World Bank, and funded by the Department for International Development (DFID.) The World Bank is currently revising the design of the pilot based on feedback received from extensive consultation with key market players, including regulators, banks and MSBs. DFID expects the World Bank to complete the design by the end of April with a view to starting procurement soon after. Whilst this has taken time, it is also ensuring that the pilot will respond to the needs of all stakeholders and increasing the chances of the pilot achieving its desired impact.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he expects the safe corridor pilot for remittances to Somalia to open.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Action Group on Cross Border Remittances will next meet on Friday 27 March 2015. Over the past year, the group has undertaken a number of initiatives to improve trust and transparency in the money service business (MSB) sector and give banks greater confidence to deal with MSBs – and crucially remittances continue to flow to Somalia and other developing countries.
Working closely with the supervisors, the Action Group has initiated revised guidance to the MSB sector and for those banking MSBs. The National Crime Agency have worked collaboratively with the banking and MSB sectors to improve understanding of the risks and how they can be managed, and the Safer Corridor pilot has been initiated.
The Safer Corridor Pilot is implemented by the World Bank, and funded by the Department for International Development (DFID.) The World Bank is currently revising the design of the pilot based on feedback received from extensive consultation with key market players, including regulators, banks and MSBs. DFID expects the World Bank to complete the design by the end of April with a view to starting procurement soon after. Whilst this has taken time, it is also ensuring that the pilot will respond to the needs of all stakeholders and increasing the chances of the pilot achieving its desired impact.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the recent work undertaken by the Action Group on Cross Border Remittances.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Action Group on Cross Border Remittances will next meet on Friday 27 March 2015. Over the past year, the group has undertaken a number of initiatives to improve trust and transparency in the money service business (MSB) sector and give banks greater confidence to deal with MSBs – and crucially remittances continue to flow to Somalia and other developing countries.
Working closely with the supervisors, the Action Group has initiated revised guidance to the MSB sector and for those banking MSBs. The National Crime Agency have worked collaboratively with the banking and MSB sectors to improve understanding of the risks and how they can be managed, and the Safer Corridor pilot has been initiated.
The Safer Corridor Pilot is implemented by the World Bank, and funded by the Department for International Development (DFID.) The World Bank is currently revising the design of the pilot based on feedback received from extensive consultation with key market players, including regulators, banks and MSBs. DFID expects the World Bank to complete the design by the end of April with a view to starting procurement soon after. Whilst this has taken time, it is also ensuring that the pilot will respond to the needs of all stakeholders and increasing the chances of the pilot achieving its desired impact.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, on what date it is planned that the Action Group on Cross Border Remittances will next meet.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Action Group on Cross Border Remittances will next meet on Friday 27 March 2015. Over the past year, the group has undertaken a number of initiatives to improve trust and transparency in the money service business (MSB) sector and give banks greater confidence to deal with MSBs – and crucially remittances continue to flow to Somalia and other developing countries.
Working closely with the supervisors, the Action Group has initiated revised guidance to the MSB sector and for those banking MSBs. The National Crime Agency have worked collaboratively with the banking and MSB sectors to improve understanding of the risks and how they can be managed, and the Safer Corridor pilot has been initiated.
The Safer Corridor Pilot is implemented by the World Bank, and funded by the Department for International Development (DFID.) The World Bank is currently revising the design of the pilot based on feedback received from extensive consultation with key market players, including regulators, banks and MSBs. DFID expects the World Bank to complete the design by the end of April with a view to starting procurement soon after. Whilst this has taken time, it is also ensuring that the pilot will respond to the needs of all stakeholders and increasing the chances of the pilot achieving its desired impact.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what mechanisms his Department has put in place to ensure that all its polices are consistent with the UK's commitment to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
HM Treasury considers the impacts of its legislative and wider policy work, including impacts specifically on children. In the course of this work it consults with a number of expert groups and, in particular, works closely with Government Departments with lead responsibilities on policies important for the welfare of children.This approach reflects the government’s commitment to fairness as well as to meeting our wider commitments and legal obligations.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to ensure harmonisation of the approaches of the UK, the US and the EU in freezing assets of people suspected of funding international terrorism.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury, Lord Deighton, is the Minister who holds the financial sanctions portfolio and is responsible for making decisions in relations to terrorist asset freezes.
There are three counter-terrorism sanctions regimes in operation in the UK – the UN’s Al Qaida sanctions regime, the EU regime targeted at non-Al Qaida terrorists external to the EU, and the UK unilateral power to freeze under the Terrorist Asset Freezing etc. Act 2010 (“TAFA”). The Foreign Office lead UK input to the UN and EU regimes. The Treasury relies upon advice from law enforcement and security agencies when considering proposals to freeze the assets under TAFA of those believed to be involved in terrorist activity. Those agencies are best placed to judge which tools, including asset freezes, are most appropriate to disrupt terrorist activity.
HM Treasury acts to implement asset freezes under the UN and EU regimes once regulations giving effect to these freezes are promulgated by the EU. The FCO leads HMG work on listings under these regimes. The Treasury administers the domestic asset freezing regime with advice from law enforcement and security agencies who are best placed to advise on the necessity of an asset freeze.
There is a high degree of overlap between UK and US terrorist asset freezing lists, though legislative differences mean that it will not always be possible for UK and US listings to be an exact mirror.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, which Minister in his Department has responsibility for overseeing investigations into freezing assets of people suspected of funding international terrorism.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury, Lord Deighton, is the Minister who holds the financial sanctions portfolio and is responsible for making decisions in relations to terrorist asset freezes.
There are three counter-terrorism sanctions regimes in operation in the UK – the UN’s Al Qaida sanctions regime, the EU regime targeted at non-Al Qaida terrorists external to the EU, and the UK unilateral power to freeze under the Terrorist Asset Freezing etc. Act 2010 (“TAFA”). The Foreign Office lead UK input to the UN and EU regimes. The Treasury relies upon advice from law enforcement and security agencies when considering proposals to freeze the assets under TAFA of those believed to be involved in terrorist activity. Those agencies are best placed to judge which tools, including asset freezes, are most appropriate to disrupt terrorist activity.
HM Treasury acts to implement asset freezes under the UN and EU regimes once regulations giving effect to these freezes are promulgated by the EU. The FCO leads HMG work on listings under these regimes. The Treasury administers the domestic asset freezing regime with advice from law enforcement and security agencies who are best placed to advise on the necessity of an asset freeze.
There is a high degree of overlap between UK and US terrorist asset freezing lists, though legislative differences mean that it will not always be possible for UK and US listings to be an exact mirror.