Asked by: Amy Callaghan (Scottish National Party - East Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the price of sunscreen on the rate of people wearing sunscreen and the risk of cancer among those who do not wear it.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
No specific assessment has been made.
Asked by: Amy Callaghan (Scottish National Party - East Dunbartonshire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to (a) remove and (b) reduce VAT on essential healthcare products.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
VAT rules do not distinguish between supplies on the basis of whether they might be considered essential. VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption, and the twenty per cent standard rate applies across a very broad range of goods and services. While there are exceptions to the standard rate, these are strictly limited by legal and fiscal considerations. One such exception is that medicines on the NHS prescription list are zero-rated for VAT when dispensed by a pharmacist.
Removing or reducing VAT on a broad range of healthcare products would likely come at a significant cost to the Exchequer, and with no guarantee that it would reduce the cost to consumers of the products themselves. While all taxes are kept under review, the Government has no current plans to make changes here.
Asked by: Amy Callaghan (Scottish National Party - East Dunbartonshire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to provide additional cost of living support to families with seriously ill children.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Government recognises that the rising cost of living has presented additional financial challenges to many people, and especially to the most vulnerable members of society, such as children with serious health conditions and their families. That is why the Government is taking decisive action to support households while ensuring we act in a fiscally responsible way.
If a child or young person has extra-costs arising from their disability, then they may qualify for disability benefits such as Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for children or Child Disability Payment in Scotland. At Autumn Statement 2022, the Government announced that it will provide a further Disability Cost of Living Payment of £150 in 2023/24 to people in receipt of extra-costs disability benefits such as Child Disability Payment or DLA for children. This is additional to the £150 payment for recipients of disability benefits in 2022 already announced as part of the Cost of Living package in May. The families and/or carers of disabled children will benefit from this payment if they live in the same household as a disabled child. These payments can also be received in addition to the other Cost of Living Payments for households on means-tested benefits (such as Universal Credit), namely the £650 payment announced in May and the additional £900 payment announced at Autumn Statement.
Disabled children and their families will also benefit from other forms of non-means-tested support which the Government is providing to assist with household energy bills. We have taken decisive action to support millions of households with rising energy costs through the Energy Price Guarantee, which limits the price suppliers can charge customers for units of gas and electricity. In addition to the Energy Price Guarantee, millions of the most vulnerable households will receive further support this year through the £400 Energy Bills Support Scheme.
Asked by: Amy Callaghan (Scottish National Party - East Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much public funding his Department has spent on cancer research in each year since 2015.
Answered by George Freeman
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), a partner organisation of BEIS, funds research relating to cancer across all UKRI councils.
The table below presents spend data for each of the relevant Research Councils for each year from 2015/16 to 2020/21.
Cancer research
Year | 2015/16 | 2016/17 | 2017/18 | 2018/19 | 2019/20 | 2020/21 |
UKRI spend £m[i] | 98.1 | 116.9 | 109 | 114.4 | 119.1 | 125.5 |
MRC spend £m | 96.2 | 102.7 | 93.4 | 96.3 | 101.6 | 106.6 |
BBSRC spend £m | Data not available | 12.9 | 14.3 | 15.2 | 14.2 | 15.2 |
ESRC spend £m | 1.9 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 2.9 | 3.3 | 3.7 |
Notes on cancer research figures
Asked by: Amy Callaghan (Scottish National Party - East Dunbartonshire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an assessment of the feasibility of establishing a new lower band for electric cars under the Expensive Car Supplement.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Expensive Car Supplement applies to all cars with a list price of more than £40,000 – which captures approximately the 20% most expensive cars.
The Expensive Car Supplement exemption for EVs is due to end in 2025. New zero emission cars registered on or after 1 April 2025 will therefore be liable to pay the supplement where eligible. However, there will remain reduced rates for EVs for their first year of registration.
Like all taxes, the Chancellor keeps the Expensive Car Supplement under review.
Asked by: Amy Callaghan (Scottish National Party - East Dunbartonshire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has had discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the potential impact of the Autumn Statement 2022 on the planned timetable for the transition to zero emission vehicles.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Chancellor meets regularly with his Cabinet colleagues on a range of issues.
The EV transition continues at pace, with new electric car registrations increasing by 76% in 2021 compared to 2020, and sales of used pure electric cars reaching a record high. The success of this transition in normalising EVs on our roads means that it’s right to begin to bring electric vehicles into the motoring tax system, ensuring that all motorists start to pay a fairer tax contribution.
Leveraging VED on EVs is not expected to significantly impact purchasing decisions. The government remains committed to its net zero objectives and will continue to offer a range of incentives to encourage the uptake of EVs.
Asked by: Amy Callaghan (Scottish National Party - East Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman’s reports on the Women's State Pension age, if he will hold discussions with representatives of Women Against State Pension Inequality on the Ombudsman's fundings.
Answered by Laura Trott - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman has not completed his investigation into communication of changes to women’s state pension. It would be inappropriate to discuss the investigation whilst it is ongoing. Section 7(2) of the Parliamentary Commissioner Act 1967 states that Ombudsman investigations “shall be conducted in private”.
The Department is cooperating fully with the PHSO in their investigation.
Asked by: Amy Callaghan (Scottish National Party - East Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman’s reports on the Women's State Pension age, whether he is taking steps to improve communications processes in his Department.
Answered by Laura Trott - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman’s investigation into the communication of changes to women’s State Pension age is ongoing. Section 7(2) of the Parliamentary Commissioner Act 1967 states that Ombudsman investigations “shall be conducted in private”.
It would be inappropriate to comment whilst the investigation is ongoing.
Asked by: Amy Callaghan (Scottish National Party - East Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of his Department's communications on changes to the State Pension age for women born in the 1950s.
Answered by Laura Trott - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman’s investigation into the communication of changes to women’s State Pension age is ongoing. Section 7(2) of the Parliamentary Commissioner Act 1967 states that Ombudsman investigations “shall be conducted in private”.
It would be inappropriate to comment whilst the investigation is ongoing.
Asked by: Amy Callaghan (Scottish National Party - East Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has plans to introduce incentives to encourage the uptake of low emission vehicles, in the context of the removal of the Vehicle Excise Duty.
Answered by Jesse Norman
From 2025, electric vehicles will still have preferential first year rates of VED in comparison to the most polluting vehicles, in addition to having preferential rates of company car tax out to April 2028.