Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Labour - Denton and Reddish)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department is taking steps to help support people who took out mortgages before 2008 with regulated banks which subsequently collapsed and are now unable to switch to new mortgage deals.
Answered by Andrew Griffith - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government understands that being unable to switch your mortgage can be extremely concerning, and, alongside the Financial Conduct Authority and industry, have shown we are willing to act through the introduction of a ‘modified affordability assessment’. We are also regularly in contact with key stakeholders, including recently with the All Party Parliamentary Group on Mortgage Prisoners.
The Government remains committed to this issue, and welcomes any further practical and proportionate solutions that would meaningfully assist affected borrowers and be fair to other borrowers in the wider market.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Labour - Denton and Reddish)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 8 November 2021 to Question 68145 and the Answer of the 26 October 2021 to question 60363, on what evidential basis his Department concluded that reviewing legislation on VAT on automated external defibrillators would impose significant additional pressure on the public finances in the absence of a specific cost-benefit analysis.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The Government has received over £50 billion worth of requests for relief from VAT since the EU referendum. Any new VAT relief would come at a cost to the exchequer.
There are existing VAT reliefs in place to aid the purchase of Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs), including VAT relief on purchases made by local authorities and those made through voluntary contributions, where the AED is donated to eligible charities or the NHS.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Labour - Denton and Reddish)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 26 October 2021 to Question 60363, what the cost to the public purse would be of removing VAT on automated external defibrillators.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
HMRC does not hold information on VAT revenue from specific products or services. Businesses are not required to provide figures at a product level on their VAT returns, as this would impose an excessive administrative burden.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Labour - Denton and Reddish)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Answer of 19 January 2018 to Question 123106 on Defibrillators: VAT, what plans his Department has to review legislation on VAT on automated external defibrillators.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The Government takes the safety of the public seriously and, as noted in the previous answer, already provides several VAT reliefs to aid the purchases of Automated External Defibrillators and other first aid equipment.
Going further would impose significant additional pressure on the public finances, to which VAT makes a significant contribution. VAT raised around £130 billion in 2019/20 and helps to fund key spending priorities. Any reduction in tax paid is a reduction in the money available to support important public services, including the NHS and policing.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Labour - Denton and Reddish)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to mitigate the estimated £20 million that the economy of Tameside will lose as a result of the suspension of the universal credit uplift.
Answered by Simon Clarke
The government has always been clear that the £20 per week increase to Universal Credit was a temporary measure to support households whose incomes and earnings were affected by the economic shock of Covid-19.
Now that the economy has reopened, the government is focusing on supporting people to move into and progress in work through the comprehensive Plan for Jobs. The £2 billion Kickstart scheme will create 250,000 new, fully subsidised jobs for young people, and the new three-year Restart programme will provide intensive and tailored support to over one million unemployed Universal Credit claimants.
At Spring Budget, the government announced policies that will benefit places most in need, including additional funding for skills and job support and the first round of the £4.8bn Levelling Up Fund. Furthermore, 11 local authorities – including Tameside - in the North West will be priority places for the £220 million Community Renewal Fund, which will invest in people, communities and businesses across the UK. The government will announce successful bids in due course.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Labour - Denton and Reddish)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 14 June 2021 to Question 12080 on Tourism and Travel: Coronavirus, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of replicating travel agent support packages seen in some European countries that (a) refund lost commissions and (b) give sector specific grants of a percentage of usual turnover.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
The government appreciates the significant disruption the pandemic has had on travel agents and companies facing difficulties can draw upon the unprecedented package of measures announced by the Chancellor including, the COVID loans schemes and extended furlough.
In England, travel agents can benefit from the £5 billion package of grant support announced at Budget. This includes Restart Grants worth up to £6,000 if classified as non-essential retail or up to £18,000 if classified as a leisure or accommodation business. This package of support also includes the £425 million top-up to the Additional Restrictions Grant which has already provided Local Authorities (LAs) with £1.6 billion. This funding is at the LAs discretion and is intended to support businesses which are not eligible for Restart Grants, but which are nonetheless experiencing a severe impact on their business.
The government continues to review all the economic support schemes, including grant support, as the public health response evolves.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Labour - Denton and Reddish)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will hold discussions with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on the costs to the public purse of leaseholders (a) losing their home and (b) declaring bankruptcy as a result of the costs of resolving fire safety issues.
Answered by Steve Barclay - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The Chancellor of the Exchequer liaises with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on a wide range of issues, including on the Government’s £5 billion investment in building safety.
On 10 February 2021, the Government announced a 5-point plan for investment in building safety, with £3.5 billion earmarked for the removal of unsafe cladding on high-rise residential buildings, as well as a new finance scheme for cladding removal on buildings between 11 and 18 metres where no leaseholder will ever pay more than £50 a month.
These measures will provide certainty to residents and lenders, boosting the housing market and helping to ensure that developers, investors and building owners who have the means make a fair contribution to costs of remediation, without passing on costs to leaseholders.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Labour - Denton and Reddish)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 1 March 2021 to Question 157029, for what reason the Government has excluded wholesalers in the retail, hospitality or leisure supply chain from the business rates relief available for retail, hospitality or leisure businesses.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government has provided enhanced support to the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors through business rates relief given the direct and acute impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on those sectors, and their direct relationship with consumers at the end of supply chains that include wholesalers.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has published guidance on eligibility for the relief, which is targeted at premises that are wholly or mainly used as shops, restaurants, cafes, drinking establishments, cinemas and live music venues; for assembly and leisure; or as hotels, guest and boarding premises, and self-catering accommodation.
A range of other measures have been made available for all businesses, including wholesalers, such as the extension of the furlough scheme, extension to VAT cuts, Recovery Loan schemes, and enhanced Time to Pay for taxes.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Labour - Denton and Reddish)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending the business rates relief available for retail, hospitality or leisure businesses to wholesalers in the retail, hospitality or leisure supply chain.
Answered by Jesse Norman
This year, due to the direct adverse effects of COVID-19, the Government has provided an unprecedented business rates holiday for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure properties worth over £10 billion. The Government has also frozen the business rates multiplier for all businesses for 2021-22.
The Budget will set out the next phase of the Government’s plans to tackle the virus, protect jobs and support business.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Labour - Denton and Reddish)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether eligible individuals will receive a Self-Employment Income Support Scheme payment for February 2021.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government recognises the importance of supporting the self-employed during the COVID-19 outbreak. The Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) provides generous support to self-employed individuals who meet the eligibility criteria.
As part of the Winter Economy Plan, the Government announced a six-month extension to the SEISS, in the form of a third and fourth grant.
The third SEISS grant covered the period from November 2020 to January 2021, with the claims window closing on 29 January. As of 31 December, it received claims from 1.9 million individuals, totalling £5.4bn.
The fourth SEISS grant will provide a lump sum to cover the period from February to the end of April 2021. Further details on the SEISS, including the fourth grant, will be announced on 3 March.