Asked by: Alex Cunningham (Labour - Stockton North)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will take fiscal steps to support the rolling stock manufacturing sector in the upcoming (a) spending review and (b) Budget.
Answered by Elizabeth Truss
All decisions on future funding are for the Spending Review, where the government will consider its priorities in the round.
Asked by: Alex Cunningham (Labour - Stockton North)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what role his Department has in assessing the awarding of rail franchise tenders.
Answered by Elizabeth Truss
HM Treasury approval is sought at interim stages of rail franchise competitions to provide the necessary assurances that any award remains affordable and value for money.
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 potential merits of allocating additional resources to local authorities to provide high quality support for children and families through the forthcoming Spending Review.
Answered by Elizabeth Truss
Local authorities have access to over £200bn to deliver services, including children’s services, between 2015 and 2020. Local government Core Spending Power will increase in real terms next year.
At Budget 2018 the Government announced an additional £410m in 2019-20 for adults and children’s social care, and £84m to support local authorities to expand programmes for children and families.
Day-to-day departmental budgets for 2020-21 onwards have not yet been set. These are a matter for the Spending Review this year, where the Government will set out our priorities for public spending.
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 effect of (a) train manufacturing and (b) rolling stock contract awards on (i) job creation and (ii) levels of UK productivity.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Treasury welcomes the investment in the UK delivered through the awarding of rolling stock contracts to UK based train manufacturers. Rolling stock procurement is undertaken through fair and open competition, usually by train operators as part of their franchise commitments. As such the Treasury has not made any such assessments.
Asked by: Alex Cunningham (Labour - Stockton North)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his policy is on the allocation of surpluses from the apprenticeship levy to the Combined Authorities for the delivery of local skills agendas.
Answered by Elizabeth Truss
The current apprenticeship programme does not allocate funding to the Combined Authorities. The apprenticeships programme gives individual employers control over where apprenticeship funds are spent to meet current and future skills needs.
Transfers to other employers are one way to support local skills needs and help sectors build sustainable capability for the future.
Asked by: Alex Cunningham (Labour - Stockton North)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many social care employers have been subject to any form of action by HMRC for failing to keep sufficient minimum wage records in the most recent period for which figures are available.
Answered by Mel Stride - Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
The government is determined to ensure that everyone who is entitled to the National Minimum and Living Wage (NMW) receives it. Anyone who feels they have been unpaid NMW should contact Acas helpline on 0300 123 1100 or via the online complaints form at gov.uk. HMRC reviews all complaints that are referred to them.
As referenced in the answer to your question 169367, most NMW cases are subject to civil (non-criminal) sanctions, the consequences of which includes fines of up to 200% of the determined underpayment, and public naming.
HMRC NMW investigations take into account all non-compliance risks - of which lack of adequate records might be one - and a case is closed by a Notice of Underpayment (NOUs) which covers multiple risks. We do not hold data in a format that distinguishes record keeping from other risks identified.
Asked by: Alex Cunningham (Labour - Stockton North)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many social care employers have been prosecuted by HMRC for failing to keep sufficient minimum wage record in the most recent period for which figures are available.
Answered by Mel Stride - Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
The government is determined to ensuring that everyone who is entitled to the National Minimum and Living Wage (NMW) receives it. Anyone who feels they have been underpaid NMW should contact the Acas helpline on 0300 123 1100 or via the online complaints form at gov.uk. HMRC reviews all complaints that are referred to them.
Most NMW cases are subject to civil (non-criminal) sanctions, the consequences of which include fines of up to 200% of the determined underpayment, and public naming.
Prosecution is reserved for the most serious non-compliance, and since 2007 HMRC investigations have led to the successful prosecution of 14 UK employers for NMW related offences. These prosecutions have included one care sector provider, but not for the offence of failing to keep sufficient minimum wage records.
Asked by: Alex Cunningham (Labour - Stockton North)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to include hydrogen refuelling stations within the scope of the Charging Infrastructure Investment Fund.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The purpose of the Charging Infrastructure Investment Fund is to catalyse private sector investment into the electric vehicle chargepoint network.
There are separate interventions to support the uptake of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and roll out more cutting edge infrastructure. This includes funding which will see additional hydrogen refuelling stations being built as well as upgrades to existing refuelling infrastructure. In addition, government funding has supported the opening of the UK’s first integrated forecourt hydrogen refuelling station at the Shell Beaconsfield site, making it the first location in the country selling hydrogen fuel as well as petrol and diesel.
Asked by: Alex Cunningham (Labour - Stockton North)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 2 July 2018 to Question 157736, whether people using childcare vouchers are able to use that voucher scheme alongside (a) the childcare element to working tax credit and (b) universal credit.
Answered by Elizabeth Truss
Parents cannot claim Universal Credit or tax credits for the same childcare they are using childcare vouchers to fund. However, if a Universal Credit or tax credit claimant requires more childcare than their vouchers pay for, they can claim any additional amounts through Universal Credit or tax credits, provided they meet the eligibility conditions and can provide evidence of payments.
The government has increased the support for working parents on Universal Credit who can now get up to 85% of their childcare costs paid. Parents on tax credits get up to 70% of their childcare costs paid. This means the majority of Universal Credit and tax credits claimants are better off getting help through these schemes than through the childcare voucher scheme.
Many Universal Credit and tax credits claimants aren’t able to get childcare vouchers as the majority of schemes are run through salary sacrifice. You cannot salary sacrifice below the National Minimum Wage so those claimants earning close to this level aren’t able to get childcare vouchers.
Asked by: Alex Cunningham (Labour - Stockton North)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of the closure of the childcare vouchers scheme on universal credit claimants who currently access both schemes.
Answered by Elizabeth Truss
There will be no impact on parents currently using vouchers when the scheme closes to new entrants in October 2018. Parents that are using childcare vouchers will be able to continue doing so, while they work for the same employer and their employer continues to offer them.
Universal Credit claimants are unable to receive help with childcare costs through Universal Credit at the same time as using childcare vouchers.
The government has increased the support available to parents on Universal Credit, who can now get up to 85% of their childcare costs paid. This means the vast majority of Universal Credit claimants are better off getting help with their childcare costs through Universal Credit than through the voucher scheme.
Most vouchers schemes are run through salary sacrifice arrangements, and because you cannot salary sacrifice below the National Minimum Wage, the vast majority of parents on low income are not able to get childcare vouchers.