Asked by: Simon Hart (Conservative - Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what assessments the Government has made of the potential effects on (a) the economy, (b) policing and (c) public safety of the UK not leaving the EU; and if they will publish those assessments.
Answered by Robin Walker
The Government does not hold this information; the EU will determine its policy direction once a new Commission takes office on 1 November. The British people voted to leave the European Union and the Government is committed to delivering this by 31 October.
However, in November 2018 the Government published analysis of the long run economic impact of leaving the EU across a range of scenarios, and a separate assessment of the Future Security Partnership. It is worth noting that the UK only participates in certain parts of the EU policing acquis.
Asked by: Simon Hart (Conservative - Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what civil contingency plans are in place in the event that the UK does not leave the EU; and if he will publish those plans.
Answered by David Lidington
The UK Government has a responsibility to plan for, respond to and recover from a wide variety of challenges and events. As such Government departments work with partners in the public and private sectors to develop and test contingency plans for such challenges.
It is the Government’s policy to leave the EU with a deal. As a responsible Government we have been planning, and continue to prepare for all eventualities associated with the UK leaving the EU. This includes managing the impacts of a no deal Brexit if they arise.
Asked by: Simon Hart (Conservative - Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the average length of time for probate to be granted in the last (a) three months and (b) financial year.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Official statistics are not published on the average length of time from receipt of the application to the issue of a grant of probate. Internal management information, which is not subject to the rigorous quality assurance processes of official statistics, however shows that in the last financial year (2018/2019) the average time was three weeks.
Whilst timeliness data are not yet available for the last three months, it is clear that waiting times have increased. Urgent action has been taken to address these temporary delays, staffing has been increased and the digital service further improved, and as a result waiting times are starting to reduce.
There are no prescribed target times for dealing with probate applications. The recent increase in waiting times has been caused by a combination of an increased volume of incoming work and the transition to a new case management IT system. The move to the new system meant that staff had to spend time being trained and familiarising themselves with the system – which also had some initial performance issues that have been addressed.
Asked by: Simon Hart (Conservative - Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of staff have been redeployed from the HMRC probate team to other Departments in the last 12 months; and whether the probate registry is understaffed as a result.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The administration of the probate service is the responsibility of Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service. No staff have been redeployed from the probate service to other departments in the last 12 months and therefore there has been no change on the staffing levels.
Asked by: Simon Hart (Conservative - Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the new online probate application system.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
This service is assessed through a range of measures, such as user feedback and user satisfaction. Of 4,995 responses from users who submitted their application online 93% indicated, from five feedback options, that they were satisfied or very satisfied with the online application service provided. The online system is being continually improved and developed as a result of the feedback provided.
Asked by: Simon Hart (Conservative - Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the digitisation of the Probate Service.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The 2018 amendments to the non-contentious probate rules enabled personal applications to be submitted online. This service is assessed through a range of measures, such as user feedback and user satisfaction. Of 4,995 responses from users who submitted their application online 93% indicated, from five feedback options, that they were satisfied or very satisfied with the online application service provided. The online system is being continually improved and developed as a result of the feedback provided.
Asked by: Simon Hart (Conservative - Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment has been made of the level of delays in the granting of probate as a consequence of the transition to the new online probate system.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Urgent action has been taken to address the delays which have been experienced in the probate service. Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service is increasing staffing levels and further improving the digital service to help reduce waiting times.
Asked by: Simon Hart (Conservative - Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when the new digital probate system will be fully functional.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The new digital case management system is fully functional and the online service for personal applicants to apply for probate, where the deceased has left a Will, has been publicly available since July 2018. Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service plans to have online services available in probate for all user groups and types of probate applications by the end of Autumn 2019.
Asked by: Simon Hart (Conservative - Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that people not signed up to the transfer deadline for digital VAT records can sign up without a penalty or receive an extension.
Answered by Mel Stride - Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
There is a high level of awareness of the upcoming introduction of Making Tax Digital (MTD) for VAT among businesses and tax professionals, and the number of businesses making preparations gives us confidence that the vast majority will be ready. Over 43,000 businesses have already joined the pilot service, with thousands more joining every day.
In research carried out in December 2018, 8 in 10 VAT mandated businesses were aware of MTD either by name or concept. Of those who were aware, 83% had already started to prepare.
It’s important to note that the 1st April deadline is not a cliff edge by which time businesses need to have signed-up. The first returns for most businesses under the new system won’t be due until August at the earliest.
HMRC has been working closely with the software industry so that businesses will be able to choose products that suit both their budget and their needs. That includes software which has been developed specifically to support different types of sector and ‘bridging software’ to allow businesses to continue keeping their records in spreadsheets if they prefer.
HMRC’s comprehensive Impact Assessment, developed in consultation with external stakeholders and informed by both quantitative and qualitative evidence, anticipated net ongoing software costs of £37m for those businesses needing to operate MTD. Costs will vary by individual business, with some providers offering free software and over 140 existing subscription products are being updated at no cost at all.
We recognise that businesses will require time to become familiar with these new requirements. As confirmed at Spring Statement, during the first year of VAT mandation we are committed to taking a light touch approach to penalties. HMRC will not issue record keeping or filing penalties where businesses are doing their best to comply with MTD.
Asked by: Simon Hart (Conservative - Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect on SMEs of the cost of purchasing software to meet the forthcoming online digital VAT records obligation.
Answered by Mel Stride - Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
There is a high level of awareness of the upcoming introduction of Making Tax Digital (MTD) for VAT among businesses and tax professionals, and the number of businesses making preparations gives us confidence that the vast majority will be ready. Over 43,000 businesses have already joined the pilot service, with thousands more joining every day.
In research carried out in December 2018, 8 in 10 VAT mandated businesses were aware of MTD either by name or concept. Of those who were aware, 83% had already started to prepare.
It’s important to note that the 1st April deadline is not a cliff edge by which time businesses need to have signed-up. The first returns for most businesses under the new system won’t be due until August at the earliest.
HMRC has been working closely with the software industry so that businesses will be able to choose products that suit both their budget and their needs. That includes software which has been developed specifically to support different types of sector and ‘bridging software’ to allow businesses to continue keeping their records in spreadsheets if they prefer.
HMRC’s comprehensive Impact Assessment, developed in consultation with external stakeholders and informed by both quantitative and qualitative evidence, anticipated net ongoing software costs of £37m for those businesses needing to operate MTD. Costs will vary by individual business, with some providers offering free software and over 140 existing subscription products are being updated at no cost at all.
We recognise that businesses will require time to become familiar with these new requirements. As confirmed at Spring Statement, during the first year of VAT mandation we are committed to taking a light touch approach to penalties. HMRC will not issue record keeping or filing penalties where businesses are doing their best to comply with MTD.