Asked by: Tommy Sheppard (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department has taken to improve public understanding of the link between national insurance credits and child benefit; and what assessment his Department has made of the effect on the pension income of stay-at-home parents who do not claim child benefit of the high-income child benefit tax charge.
Answered by Elizabeth Truss
The government has always encouraged families to claim Child Benefit to receive the associated National Insurance credits and help protect their future right to the State Pension.
Parents are advised to do this on the Child Benefit claim form (which is included in Bounty Packs that go to new parents), through the HMRC helpline, and online at GOV.UK.
From April 2019 the Child Benefit claim form and accompanying notes will further emphasise the non-monetary benefits a Child Benefit award provides: in particular, the associated National Insurance credits which protect their State Pension.
In addition, HMRC is developing social media content and material that can be distributed to external partners, to further promote the importance of claiming.
Most parents are able to qualify for the new State Pension, even if there are gaps of up to 15 years in their National Insurance records. This means that those parents who have not claimed Child Benefit still have the opportunity to achieve the full State Pension.
Asked by: Tommy Sheppard (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 26 June 2018 to Question 156466, on Fort Kinnaird: Sales, in what ways the revenue from the sale of the Crown Estate’s interest in Fort Kinnaird is planned to be used for the benefit of the UK as a whole.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Crown Estate’s revenue surplus, including any from the sale of Fort Kinnaird, is passed to the UK Consolidated Fund, which funds activities across the whole of the UK. If the UK government spends more in England, then where policy areas are devolved, the Devolved Administrations will receive a population share of the funding through application of the Barnett formula, which they will be able to spend in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland as they wish.
Asked by: Tommy Sheppard (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to ensure that the Scottish Government receives a share of the sale to a private company of Fort Kinnaird.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
90B(3) of the Scotland Act 1998 stipulated that assets held in joint venture structures, rather than by The Crown Estate alone, were not included in the transfer to Scottish Ministers.
The Crown Estate held a 50% interest in the Gibraltar English Limited Partnership, with the remainder held by the Hercules Unit Trust, advised by British Land.
The Crown Estate operates independently from Government under the Crown Estate Management Act 1961 and therefore HM Treasury has had no discussions on the sale of Fort Kinnaird with private companies.
Revenue from the sale of The Crown Estate’s interest in Fort Kinnaird will be passed to the UK Consolidated Fund, for the benefit of the UK as a whole.
Asked by: Tommy Sheppard (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when his Department began discussions with M&G Estates on the sale of Fort Kinnaird.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
90B(3) of the Scotland Act 1998 stipulated that assets held in joint venture structures, rather than by The Crown Estate alone, were not included in the transfer to Scottish Ministers.
The Crown Estate held a 50% interest in the Gibraltar English Limited Partnership, with the remainder held by the Hercules Unit Trust, advised by British Land.
The Crown Estate operates independently from Government under the Crown Estate Management Act 1961 and therefore HM Treasury has had no discussions on the sale of Fort Kinnaird with private companies.
Revenue from the sale of The Crown Estate’s interest in Fort Kinnaird will be passed to the UK Consolidated Fund, for the benefit of the UK as a whole.