Asked by: Thelma Walker (Labour - Colne Valley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department has taken to reduce its use of single-use plastics.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Treasury recently introduced discounts for customers using their own cup (20p) or catering container (9p) at all catering facilities in 1 Horse Guards Road, and re-useable cups and catering containers are available to buy. We are working with suppliers to on further improvements to replace or reduce the use of single-use plastics.
Asked by: Thelma Walker (Labour - Colne Valley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans his Department has to review legislation related to VAT paid on community-purchased defibrillators after the UK leave the EU.
Answered by Mel Stride - Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer
The current legal framework limits the VAT exemptions we can apply to defibrillators. Although there may be opportunities to make changes to the VAT system in the future there will be no immediate changes to our relationship with the EU until we have left.
However, we recognise that provision of defibrillators could help those who have a cardiac arrest outside a hospital setting. The government maintains several VAT reliefs to aid purchases of defibrillators, including purchases made by local authorities and those made through voluntary contributions which are donated to eligible charities or the NHS.
Asked by: Thelma Walker (Labour - Colne Valley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the accrued to the public purse from VAT on community-purchased defibrillators in each of the last five financial years.
Answered by Mel Stride - Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer
This level of detail is not required on VAT returns, so there is not data available on how much revenue is raised on the purchase of particular products.
Asked by: Thelma Walker (Labour - Colne Valley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of removing value added tax from community-purchased defibrillators.
Answered by Mel Stride - Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer
The current legal framework limits the VAT exemptions the Government can apply. The Government does maintain several VAT reliefs to aid purchases of defibrillators. These include VAT refunds of purchases made by local authorities and VAT relief for purchases made through voluntary contributions which are donated to eligible charities or the NHS.
Asked by: Thelma Walker (Labour - Colne Valley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that the terms and conditions of insurance policies are drafted in plan English to facilitate consumer understanding.
Answered by Steve Barclay
The readability of the terms and conditions set out in life insurance policies falls within the remit of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). As such, HM Treasury has not conducted research into this topic.
The FCA is the UK’s conduct of business regulator and is an independent public body. The FCA has confirmed that it will provide a written response to the Member’s question. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.