Asked by: Taiwo Owatemi (Labour - Coventry North West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the cost to the public purse was of his use of military transport between Birmingham and RAF Northolt.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
The Treasury makes payments to suppliers, including other government departments, in line with published policies. The Treasury’s performance against these policies and further detail can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/search/transparency-and-freedom-of-information-releases?organisations%5B%5D=hm-treasury&parent=hm-treasury.Asked by: Taiwo Owatemi (Labour - Coventry North West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will allocate additional resources to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman to help clear the backlog of cases awaiting investigation.
Answered by Steve Barclay - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman’s funding is decided by Parliament and sanctioned by HM Treasury. Any additional funding will be a matter for the forthcoming spending review.
Asked by: Taiwo Owatemi (Labour - Coventry North West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of whether the suppliers of Non-Emergency Patient Transport Services recovering VAT will potentially inflate prices to the NHS.
Answered by Jesse Norman
Transport services for sick or injured persons in vehicles specially designed for that purpose, such as ambulances, are exempt from VAT. The law also allows the supply of transport services in any vehicle with seating to carry 10 or more passengers (including the driver) to be a zero-rated supply. Other supplies of patient transport services are subject to VAT.
NHS spending settlements cover all relevant costs, including any VAT that is not otherwise recoverable.
Asked by: Taiwo Owatemi (Labour - Coventry North West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Government has plans to bring forward legislative proposals to update regulations on the trading of financial instruments and assets through mobile applications to prevent unfair practices and price manipulation by those means.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is the UK’s financial markets conduct regulator and is responsible for protecting consumers, ensuring market integrity and promoting effective competition
As set out in the FCA’s statement of 29 January, broking firms are not obliged to offer trading facilities to clients and may withdraw or suspend services if it is necessary or prudent to do so. The FCA statement also said that they would take appropriate action wherever they see evidence of UK firms or individuals causing harm to UK consumers or markets.
The Government recognises that the pace and creativity of innovation in UK financial services creates new opportunities for businesses and consumers to participate in markets through technologies such as app-based platforms. However, investors should be aware that investing in securities comes with risks. The FCA’s statement of 29 January noted that any losses that result from such investments are unlikely to be covered under the Financial Services Compensation Scheme.
Asked by: Taiwo Owatemi (Labour - Coventry North West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reason HMRC do not accept Commonwealth, EU or other overseas passports as proof of identification for people completing their self-assessment tax returns online.
Answered by Jesse Norman
HMRC do not have access to other countries’ passport databases so they are unable to check the validity of overseas passports in the same way as they can with UK passports.Asked by: Taiwo Owatemi (Labour - Coventry North West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if HMRC will take steps to ensure all patient transport services as zero-rated for VAT purposes.
Answered by Jesse Norman
Under the current rules, transport services for sick or injured persons in vehicles specially designed for that purpose, such as ambulances, are exempt from VAT. The Government also allows the supply of transport services in any vehicle with seating to carry 10 or more passengers (including the driver) to be a zero-rated supply. Introducing a zero rate on all patient transport services would come at a cost to the Exchequer. While the Government keeps all taxes under review, there are no current plans to change the VAT treatment of patient transport services.
Asked by: Taiwo Owatemi (Labour - Coventry North West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what additional financial support he has made available for employers and employees in Tier 4 covid-19 lockdown areas.
Answered by Jesse Norman
Following further national restrictions announced on 4 January, the Government introduced further support over and above existing measures worth £4.6 billion across the UK. More information can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/46-billion-in-new-lockdown-grants-to-support-businesses-and-protect-jobs
This support will help businesses get through the difficult period through to the Spring. The Government will take further decisions about its economic response to coronavirus and how best to support the economy, businesses and jobs at the Budget.
Asked by: Taiwo Owatemi (Labour - Coventry North West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what additional financial support he has made available to employers and employees subject to Tier 4 covid-19 lockdown restrictions.
Answered by Jesse Norman
Following further national restrictions announced on 4 January, the Government introduced further support over and above existing measures worth £4.6 billion across the UK. More information can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/46-billion-in-new-lockdown-grants-to-support-businesses-and-protect-jobs
This support will help businesses get through the difficult period through to the Spring. The Government will take further decisions about its economic response to coronavirus and how best to support the economy, businesses and jobs at the Budget.