Asked by: Ben Wallace (Conservative - Wyre and Preston North)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, by how much (a) Resource Departmental Expenditure Limits and (b) Capital Departmental Expenditure Limits will be reduced following the cancellation of the northern leg of HS2 in each affected Department; and if he will publish in which Departments these savings will be made.
Answered by Laura Trott - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The government has committed to re-invest every penny that is saved from the cancelled phases of HS2 into alternative transport projects through Network North.
This means that every penny of the £19.8 billion committed to the Northern leg of HS2 will be reinvested in the North; every penny of the £9.6 billion committed to the Midlands leg will be reinvested in the Midlands; and the full £6.5 billion saved through our rescoped approach at Euston will be spread across every other region in the country.
Departmental Expenditure Limits in 2024-25 are published at the relevant Estimates in the usual way. Departmental budgets beyond 2024-25 will be set as part of the next Spending Review.
Asked by: Jonathan Ashworth (Labour (Co-op) - Leicester South)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the policy paper entitled Transforming for a digital future: 2022 to 2025 roadmap for digital and data, updated on 29 February 2024, what steps his Department has taken to mitigate the risks of red-rated legacy IT systems.
Answered by Gareth Davies - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
I refer the hon Member to the answer given on 29 November 23 to PQ UIN 3658.
Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what regular reviews of the funeral plan market his Department undertook between 2001 and 2018.
Answered by Bim Afolami - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The government works closely with the FCA to continually review the regulatory perimeter to ensure that the right balance is struck between proportionately protecting consumers, minimising costs on business, and ensuring consumers have access to useful and affordable financial products and services.
Once made aware of consumer detriment in the pre-paid funeral plans sector, the government investigated and confirmed these reports through its 2018 call for evidence. The government then consulted widely with industry and passed legislation in January 2021 to bring all pre-paid funeral plan providers and intermediaries within the FCA regulatory perimeter.
This has ensured that 1.6 million funeral plan customers are, for the first time, protected by compulsory and robust regulation.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton South)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what support his Department provides to help (a) hair and (b) beauty businesses with VAT rates.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
VAT is the UK’s third largest tax forecast to raise £176 billion in 2024/25, helping to fund key spending priorities, such as the NHS, education and defence.
The Government recognises that VAT can disproportionately impact particular sectors, including the hair and beauty sector. However, VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption and the 20 per cent standard rate applies to most goods and services. Any request for a new VAT relief, such as in the form of a reduced rate, should be viewed in the context of over £50 billion of requests the Government has received since the EU referendum.
Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether Fairer Finance and Dignity raised issues regarding Safe Hands Funeral Plans in meetings with his Department in (a) 2017 and (b) 2018.
Answered by Bim Afolami - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
During a wide-ranging meeting with industry in July 2017 to discuss pre-paid funeral plans, some concerns about Safe Hands funeral plans were raised with HM Treasury.
In response, officials advised that such concerns should be reported to the FCA, reflecting the fact that HM Treasury has no investigatory or enforcement powers of its own.
Asked by: Matt Hancock (Independent - West Suffolk)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much funding the Financial Conduct Authority provided to the Digital Regulation Cooperation Forum in the 2022-23 financial year.
Answered by Bim Afolami - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
These are matters for the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and Payment Systems Regulator (PSR), which are operationally independent from Government. The FCA and the PSR will respond to the Honourable Member by letter, and a copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House of Commons.
Asked by: Matt Hancock (Independent - West Suffolk)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the pay ranges at each grade are for Payment Systems Regulator staff based (a) in and (b) outside London.
Answered by Bim Afolami - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
These are matters for the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and Payment Systems Regulator (PSR), which are operationally independent from Government. The FCA and the PSR will respond to the Honourable Member by letter, and a copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House of Commons.
Asked by: Matt Hancock (Independent - West Suffolk)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the pay ranges at each grade are for Financial Conduct Authority staff based (a) in and (b) outside London.
Answered by Bim Afolami - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
These are matters for the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and Payment Systems Regulator (PSR), which are operationally independent from Government. The FCA and the PSR will respond to the Honourable Member by letter, and a copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House of Commons.
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of changing the terms of the Financial Services Compensation Scheme to (a) protect savers when (i) banks and (ii) building societies merge and (b) increase the level of protection for accounts that originated under separate banking licences.
Answered by Bim Afolami - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) carries out its deposit protection function within rules set by the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA). Under PRA rules, customer deposits held by authorised banks, building societies and credit unions in UK establishments are protected by the FSCS up to £85,000 per person, per banking licence. Under PRA rules, if there is a merger, the relevant firm must normally inform depositors at least one month before it takes effect. They must then give depositors three months to withdraw or transfer any deposit balances above the FSCS compensation limit without incurring penalties.
The PRA is required to review the deposit protection limit every five years, with the next review due to occur by 2025.
Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what criteria the Financial Conduct Authority uses to decide what markets to (a) monitor and (b) intervene in.
Answered by Bim Afolami - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 establishes the framework for financial services regulation. It provides for the Treasury and Parliament, through legislation, to determine which activities, products and markets are regulated and fall within the remit of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 also gives the FCA a set of statutory objectives and the appropriate regulatory tools and powers to pursue those objectives.
The question of how the FCA monitors and intervenes in the markets it regulates, in order to fulfil its statutory functions, is a matter for the FCA, which is operationally independent from Government. The FCA will respond to the Honourable Member by letter on this matter, and a copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House of Commons.