Asked by: Alex Cunningham (Labour - Stockton North)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of extending the Breathing Space (Debt Respite Scheme) to 180 days.
Answered by Bim Afolami - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The government launched the Breathing Space scheme on 4 May 2021, and as of February 2024, over 216,000 people in problem debt have benefited from Breathing Space protections.
In developing the scheme, the government took the decision that sixty days is an appropriate period for breathing space to last to give individuals the time to engage with debt advice, whilst maintaining fairness and certainty for creditors.
Asked by: Alex Cunningham (Labour - Stockton North)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment has he made of the potential merits of the recommendation of the Road Haulage Association to extend full expensing to the cost of leased vehicles, published on 26 January 2024.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
At the Autumn Statement 2023, the government confirmed it will keep this proposal under consideration and will be publishing draft legislation for a period of technical consultation in due course.
The government will continue to work with industry on this important issue, through the established working group.
Asked by: Alex Cunningham (Labour - Stockton North)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the potential impact of alcohol duty on levels of public health.
Answered by Gareth Davies - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Treasury ministers and officials regularly engage with the Department of Health and Social Care on a variety of issues, including alcohol policy. The Treasury also engaged extensively with external stakeholders and other Government departments, including the Department of Health and Social Care, as part of the policy development and delivery process for the new alcohol reforms.
The Government has delivered on its commitment to review the outdated and complex alcohol duty system and introduced the biggest reform of alcohol duties for over 140 years. From 1 August 2023, all alcoholic products are now taxed by strength, putting public health at the heart of alcohol duty.
The Government is closely monitoring the impact of the recent reforms and will evaluate the impact of the new rates and structures three years after the changes took effect on 1 August 2023. This will allow time to understand the impacts on the alcohol market and public health, and for HMRC to gather useful and accurate data to evaluate the reform's effects.
Asked by: Alex Cunningham (Labour - Stockton North)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will take steps to establish a new compensation scheme for Equitable Life policyholders.
Answered by Bim Afolami - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Equitable Life Payment Scheme has been fully wound down and closed since 2016 and there are no plans to reopen any previous decisions relating to the Payment Scheme or review the £1.5 billion funding allocation previously made to it. Further guidance on the status of the Payment Scheme after closure is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/equitable-life-payment-scheme#closure-of-the-scheme.
Asked by: Alex Cunningham (Labour - Stockton North)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what was the number of claimants of decommissioning expenditure tax relief from the Petroleum Revenue Tax in each financial year from 2018-19 to 2022-23.
Answered by Gareth Davies - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Estimates of the cost of tax reliefs used by oil and gas companies under the Ring Fence Corporation Tax (RFCT) and Petroleum Revenue Tax (PRT) regimes, including the costs of RFCT and PRT decommissioning tax reliefs, are published at tax relief statistics gov.uk (www.gov.uk). This publication contains non-disclosive estimates of number of claimants for each relief, where relevant data are available.
A succinct summary of the UK’s ring fence oil and gas tax regime, including the relief available for decommissioning-related losses, is available on the relevant EITI website.
Asked by: Alex Cunningham (Labour - Stockton North)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the total annual rates of decommissioning tax relief from corporation tax were in each financial year between 2013-14 and 2022-23.
Answered by Gareth Davies - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Estimates of the cost of tax reliefs used by oil and gas companies under the Ring Fence Corporation Tax (RFCT) and Petroleum Revenue Tax (PRT) regimes, including the costs of RFCT and PRT decommissioning tax reliefs, are published at tax relief statistics gov.uk (www.gov.uk). This publication contains non-disclosive estimates of number of claimants for each relief, where relevant data are available.
A succinct summary of the UK’s ring fence oil and gas tax regime, including the relief available for decommissioning-related losses, is available on the relevant EITI website.
Asked by: Alex Cunningham (Labour - Stockton North)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many claimants of decommissioning tax relief from corporation tax there were in each financial year between 2013-14 and 2022-23.
Answered by Gareth Davies - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Estimates of the cost of tax reliefs used by oil and gas companies under the Ring Fence Corporation Tax (RFCT) and Petroleum Revenue Tax (PRT) regimes, including the costs of RFCT and PRT decommissioning tax reliefs, are published at tax relief statistics gov.uk (www.gov.uk). This publication contains non-disclosive estimates of number of claimants for each relief, where relevant data are available.
A succinct summary of the UK’s ring fence oil and gas tax regime, including the relief available for decommissioning-related losses, is available on the relevant EITI website.
Asked by: Alex Cunningham (Labour - Stockton North)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the impact of the tax treatment of different methods of plastic waste disposal on end-of-life carbon emissions for plastic products.
Answered by Gareth Davies - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Landfill Tax encourages waste, including plastic waste, to be diverted from landfill towards more sustainable waste management options such as recycling and recovery. There are carbon benefits associated with managing waste more sustainably. Since 2000, local authority waste sent to landfill in England has fallen by over 90%.
In addition, the Plastic Packaging Tax encourages businesses to use more recycled plastic in packaging, which will drive more collection and recycling of plastic waste. At Budget 2020, the government estimated the tax would increase use of recycled plastic in packaging by around 40% in 2022-23 - equal to carbon savings of nearly 200,000 tonnes.
The government considers the climate and environmental impacts of relevant tax changes and at Spring Budget, published climate assessments in relevant Tax Information and Impact Notes.
Asked by: Alex Cunningham (Labour - Stockton North)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when does his Department will conclude its review into energy bills support; and whether third parties and agencies will be consulted as a part of that review.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Energy Price Guarantee is a scheme that caps the unit price households pay for electricity and gas. This means that a typical household in Great Britain pays an average £2500 a year on their energy bill over this winter. This is expected to save consumers who use both gas and electricity around £700 this winter.
Through the Energy Bill Relief Scheme (EBRS), the government will provide a discount on wholesale gas and electricity prices for all non-domestic consumers (including UK businesses, the voluntary and public sectors).
The Chancellor has announced a Treasury-led review of energy support to take effect from April 2023. The objective of the review, which is not a formal Government consultation, is to design a new approach that will cost the taxpayer significantly less whilst ensuring enough support for those in need.
The Chancellor will announce the support which will be in effect from April 2023 in due course.
Asked by: Alex Cunningham (Labour - Stockton North)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has plans to (a) review inheritance policy and (b) increase the annual allowance for gifts.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
As with all taxes, the Government keeps this under review.