Asked by: Lord Naseby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they propose to uplift the maximum property allowance for Lifetime ISAs from the current cap of £450,000, set in April 2017.
Answered by Baroness Penn
The Lifetime ISA is intended to support younger people saving for their first home or for later life by offering a generous government bonus of 25% on up to £4,000 of savings each year. These funds, including the government bonus, can be used to purchase a first home up to the value of £450,000.
The Government considers that the £450,000 price cap remains suitable to support the majority of first-time buyers across the UK who typically purchase less expensive properties than other buyers.
The most recent Office for Budget Responsibility forecast stated that bonus payments will have an exchequer cost of £3.7 billion between 2021 and 2027. The price cap ensures that this significant investment of public money is more precisely targeted towards households that may find it more difficult to get onto the property ladder.
First-time buyers who can purchase a home valued over £450,000 are likely to have an income significantly above that of the average household in the UK and are therefore more likely to be able to purchase a first home without the support of this scheme.
The Government continues to keep all aspects of savings policy under review.
Asked by: Lord Naseby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether (1) they, or (2) the Financial Conduct Authority, approved the use by the Financial Ombudsman Service of 'mass claims' to deal with claims against consumer credit companies.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The Treasury is in regular dialogue with the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) including on matters relating to consumer credit affordability and redress claims.
To help alleviate the pressure on firms, the FOS currently sets the number of free cases at 25. From the 26th complaint onwards, businesses are currently charged a £650 case fee to cover the cost of subsequent complaints brought against them, regardless of outcome. It is estimated that nine in ten businesses whose customers bring complaints to the FOS won’t pay any case fees.
It is important to note that the FOS is an independent non-governmental body which makes decisions within the statutory framework agreed by Parliament. The Government is not involved in the day-to-day operations of the FOS.
The independence of the FOS is vital to its role. Its credibility, authority and value to consumers would be undermined if it were possible for the Government to intervene in its decision making.
Asked by: Lord Naseby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Financial Ombudsman Service about (1) the Ombudsman's mass claims unit, and (2) the affordability of mass claims relating to consumer credit companies.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The Treasury is in regular dialogue with the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) including on matters relating to consumer credit affordability and redress claims.
To help alleviate the pressure on firms, the FOS currently sets the number of free cases at 25. From the 26th complaint onwards, businesses are currently charged a £650 case fee to cover the cost of subsequent complaints brought against them, regardless of outcome. It is estimated that nine in ten businesses whose customers bring complaints to the FOS won’t pay any case fees.
It is important to note that the FOS is an independent non-governmental body which makes decisions within the statutory framework agreed by Parliament. The Government is not involved in the day-to-day operations of the FOS.
The independence of the FOS is vital to its role. Its credibility, authority and value to consumers would be undermined if it were possible for the Government to intervene in its decision making.
Asked by: Lord Naseby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of Her Majesty's Treasury staff based in central London were working from their office desks on 2 September.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
HM Treasury does not hold this information.
Asked by: Lord Naseby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to review the implementation of the forthcoming VAT reverse charge for construction services as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
In light of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the construction sector, the Government has decided to delay the introduction of the VAT domestic reverse charge for building and construction services, to 1 March 2021.
Asked by: Lord Naseby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what plans he has to ensure that plated salad is served in the House of Lords Bishop’s Bar.
Answered by Lord Laming
The Senior Deputy Speaker has asked me, as Chair of the Services Committee to respond to these questions on his behalf.
At its meeting on 11 July 2019 the Services Committee agreed to trial a revised service in the Bishops’ Bar, taking effect from the return of the House in September. Due to the dissolution and recess periods the Committee agreed that the trial be extended until April 2020.
During the trial period food preparation has been removed from the Bishops’ Bar, due to health and food safety concerns. This has meant that it is no longer possible for staff to customise salads and sandwiches at the point of sale. The Committee also agreed to the removal of toasted sandwiches from the Bishops’ Bar as part of the trial. A variety of toasted sandwiches remain available for purchase in the River Restaurant, with the choice of eating in or taking away. Two plated salad options have remained on offer in the Bishops’ Bar during the trial period and should the trial changes be made permanent these plated salad options will remain.
The Committee did not introduce these changes lightly. They were the subject to several discussions by the Committee; the minutes of which are available on the Committee’s webpage.
A report on the trial and future provision of services in the Bishops’ Bar is expected to be considered by the Committee at its April meeting. Once the Committee has had the opportunity to consider the report, it will be made available on the Committee’s webpage.
Asked by: Lord Naseby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what plans he has to revert to the pre-October 2019 House of Lords Bishop’s Bar food service, in particular the provision of customisable salads and sandwiches.
Answered by Lord Laming
The Senior Deputy Speaker has asked me, as Chair of the Services Committee to respond to these questions on his behalf.
At its meeting on 11 July 2019 the Services Committee agreed to trial a revised service in the Bishops’ Bar, taking effect from the return of the House in September. Due to the dissolution and recess periods the Committee agreed that the trial be extended until April 2020.
During the trial period food preparation has been removed from the Bishops’ Bar, due to health and food safety concerns. This has meant that it is no longer possible for staff to customise salads and sandwiches at the point of sale. The Committee also agreed to the removal of toasted sandwiches from the Bishops’ Bar as part of the trial. A variety of toasted sandwiches remain available for purchase in the River Restaurant, with the choice of eating in or taking away. Two plated salad options have remained on offer in the Bishops’ Bar during the trial period and should the trial changes be made permanent these plated salad options will remain.
The Committee did not introduce these changes lightly. They were the subject to several discussions by the Committee; the minutes of which are available on the Committee’s webpage.
A report on the trial and future provision of services in the Bishops’ Bar is expected to be considered by the Committee at its April meeting. Once the Committee has had the opportunity to consider the report, it will be made available on the Committee’s webpage.
Asked by: Lord Naseby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, in the light of the publication by HMRC on 26 October of the Tobacco tax gap estimates 2016–17, what assessment they have made of the relationship between tobacco duty rises and the number of smokers seeking to purchase non-UK duty paid tobacco.
Answered by Lord Bates
The behavioural response to a rise in prices is captured by the price elasticity of demand. More information on HMRC’s long-run estimate of the price elasticity of demand for cigarettes can be found in HM Revenue and Custom’s publication ‘Econometric Analysis of Cigarette Consumption in the UK’.
Information on the size of the illicit market for cigarettes and hand rolling tobacco is available in HM Revenue and Custom’s publication ‘Tobacco tax gap estimates for 2016-17’.
Both of these publications may be found on the government’s website.
Asked by: Lord Naseby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the impact of a second tobacco duty increase this year on the revenue of HM Treasury.
Answered by Lord Bates
The government keeps all taxes under review at fiscal events, and we will consider this issue carefully as part of the Autumn Budget process.
Asked by: Lord Naseby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the financial impact on HM Treasury revenues of the prohibition on small tobacco packages imposed by the EU Tobacco Products Directive.
Answered by Lord Bates
In their December 2014 Economic and fiscal outlook the OBR revised the underlying downward trend in clearances of tobacco. This was to account for various factors including the expected effects of the Tobacco Products Directive.
The 2016 Economic and fiscal outlook noted the effect on receipts from the introduction of standardised tobacco packaging was assumed to be captured by this downward trend in clearances.
No financial impacts has been made separately of the impact of the prohibition on small tobacco packages.