Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to support homeowners with rising mortgage rates.
Answered by Felicity Buchan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
Around 75% of mortgage holders are on a fixed-rate mortgage, and will therefore be shielded from rate rises in the short term.
We are also taking steps to help everyone with cost-of-living pressures through the Energy Price Guarantee and the Energy Bills Support Scheme, in addition to £37 billion of targeted cost-of-living support this financial year.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Bow)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make it his policy to grant a general licence for humanitarian activities in Ukraine in order that charities are able to spend the money donated to them by the British public.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI), in HM Treasury, does not accept applications for general licences, however OFSI prioritises specific licence applications made for humanitarian purposes to help ensure that funds can get to where they are needed most as quickly as possible. This includes applications to permit humanitarian activities in Ukraine, where there is specific provision in the regulations for OFSI to grant such licences.
OFSI is proactively engaging with humanitarian organisations to understand their needs in delivering activities in Ukraine and will continue to closely monitor the situation.