Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the potential cost of updating the incoming Customs Declaration Service in order to cope with customs declarations once the UK leaves the EU customs union.
Answered by Jane Ellison
The new Customs Declarations Service is designed to accommodate increased volumes in customs declarations, including any arising as a consequence of the UK’s departure from the European Union. HM Revenue and Customs continues to monitor the position.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many (a) women and (b) men paid Class 4 national insurance contributions; and what the average amount paid was in the latest period for which figures are available.
Answered by Jane Ellison
In 2014-15, 550,000 women and 1,855,000 men had profits that were liable for Class 4 National Insurance contributions (NICs).
In 2014-15, the average annual amount paid by women was £1,120, and the average amount paid by men was £1,300. The average annual amount paid overall was £1,260.
This data is based on the Survey of Personal Incomes in 2014-15, the latest period in which figures are available.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his Department's policy is on how the money raised by the Apprenticeship Levy will be spent.
Answered by David Gauke
The apprenticeship levy will apply across the UK and will be collected from employers on a UK wide basis.
In England, levy paying employers will be able to access their levy funds through the Apprenticeship Service to pay for apprenticeship training and assessment.
By 2019-20, based on current forecasts, total spending across the UK will exceed what we expect to raise through the levy. Spending on apprenticeships in England will be £2.45 billion, and the Devolved Administrations will receive £460 million.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the hourly pay-rate is for his Department's cleaning staff.
Answered by Simon Kirby
The cleaning service at HM Treasury is provided through a service contract, let by the landlord for 1 Horse Guards Road (Exchequer Partnership). HM Treasury does not directly employ cleaners.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much his Department spent on travel that was not standard class in each of the last five years.
Answered by Simon Kirby
There are two publications which are published as part of the Government’s commitment to Transparency which contain information on travel and subsistence for Senior Officials and Ministers.
These can be found on the Gov.uk website following the links below:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/senior-officials-expenses
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of how much the increase in insurance premium tax announced in the Autumn Statement 2016 will add to the (a) total and (b) average amount paid annually for home insurance in (i) England and (ii) Cumbria.
Answered by Jane Ellison
Insurance Premium Tax is a tax on insurers, so any impact on premiums depends on how far and whether they pass on the rate increase.
If they pass on the full rate increase, it is estimated that this will add £7 to the average annual cost of combined buildings and contents insurance, or £3 to the average annual cost of contents only insurance. These figures are based on UK averages.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the effect the increase in insurance premium tax announced in the Autumn Statement 2016 will have on home insurance premiums for families affected by Storm Desmond.
Answered by Jane Ellison
Insurance Premium Tax is a tax on insurers, so any impact on premiums depends on how far and whether they pass on the rate increase.
If insurers pass on the whole rate increase, it is estimated that this would add £7 per year to the average annual cost of combined buildings and contents insurance, or £3 to the average annual cost of contents only insurance.
The Government announced an extra £700 million investment in flood defence and resilience measures after Storm Desmond. The Government has worked with the insurance industry to create the Flood Re scheme which ensures that households in areas of high flood risk can access insurance.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what proportion of payments by his Department to small businesses are made on time and in accordance with the prompt payment code.
Answered by Simon Kirby
HM Treasury currently does not distinguish between small and large businesses in relation to paying suppliers. The Government has a long standing policy commitment to pay 80% of undisputed invoices within 5 days, with the rest paid within 30 days. During 2015-16, HM Treasury paid 71.4% within 5 days and 97.5% within 30 days.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of his Department's decision to grant £14 million to the £165 million bid from the Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership on the number of essential growth projects in that county.
Answered by David Gauke
The Autumn Statement announced that the government will award £556 million from the Local Growth Fund to the North of England. Funding awarded to Cumbria LEP will be in addition to the £47.4 million already made available to Cumbria through previous rounds of growth deals. The final allocations to individual LEPs have not yet been confirmed and will be announced in the coming months.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what effect recent changes in the sterling rate has had on the UK's contribution to the EU.
Answered by David Gauke
Member States’ contributions to the EU Budget are made in national currency based on an exchange rate fixed on the last working day before the start of the EU Budget year. There are no subsequent changes to the exchange rate in that year. Recent changes in the exchange rate have had no impact on our payments to the EU in 2016.
As the OBR set out in their November 2016 forecast, changes in the exchange rate will affect the sterling value of euro-denominated payments, abatements and receipts. Overall, the OBR have revised down their forecast for the UK’s net contribution to the EU, which includes receipts to the UK public sector, over 2016-17 to 2020-21 by £0.3bn.