Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect on employer uptake of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme of requirements to disclose receipt of CJRS in businesses’ applications to sell goods or services to the public or private sectors as a gauge of business health.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The CJRS supports businesses to preserve employer-employee matches by providing a mechanism to pay the wages of furloughed employees.
The Government continues to monitor CJRS take-up, with HMRC's latest official statistics producing analysis of claims split by characteristics including employer size, sector of the economy, geography, age and gender.
The latest HMRC official statistics for November and December show the number of employments furloughed increased to 3.7 million on 1 November (when the CJRS extension launched), reaching 4.1 million on 11 November, and reduced to 3.8 million on 31 December* (*provisional figure).
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has received any representations on delaying the introduction of IR35 from April 2021.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government has been clear that the reform of the off-payroll working rules will be introduced on 6 April 2021. The Government remains committed to introducing this policy in order to address the unfairness of non-compliance with the existing off-payroll working rules. Organisations should continue to prepare for the implementation of the reform. Since the reform was delayed in April 2020, Parliament has passed legislation enacting the reform from April 2021.
Many businesses have already made significant preparations to ensure they are ready for the reform and HMRC are committed to supporting businesses and individuals in the run up to and beyond the reform being implemented. HMRC are providing webinars, workshops and one-to-one calls as well as publishing updated guidance and factsheets to enable businesses to prepare.
The Government regularly engages with a range of stakeholders to inform policy making. The Government continues to engage with key stakeholders and affected organisations in relation to their preparations for the forthcoming reform.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department plans to delay the introduction of IR35 from April 2021.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government has been clear that the reform of the off-payroll working rules will be introduced on 6 April 2021. The Government remains committed to introducing this policy in order to address the unfairness of non-compliance with the existing off-payroll working rules. Organisations should continue to prepare for the implementation of the reform. Since the reform was delayed in April 2020, Parliament has passed legislation enacting the reform from April 2021.
Many businesses have already made significant preparations to ensure they are ready for the reform and HMRC are committed to supporting businesses and individuals in the run up to and beyond the reform being implemented. HMRC are providing webinars, workshops and one-to-one calls as well as publishing updated guidance and factsheets to enable businesses to prepare.
The Government regularly engages with a range of stakeholders to inform policy making. The Government continues to engage with key stakeholders and affected organisations in relation to their preparations for the forthcoming reform.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his oral contribution of 11 January 2021, Official Report column 26, if he will publish the evidence from the Office for Budget Responsibility and Office for National Statistics which found that the UK’s economic performance is in line with comparable countries when corrected for measurement of public sector output.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The UK, along with the rest of the world, continues to face significant economic disruption in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic – no major economy avoided a dramatic fall in GDP earlier in the year.
International comparisons of economic performance are challenging, particularly given the different approaches that countries take to measuring the contribution of public services to GDP. The Office for National Statistics stated in the December Quarterly National Accounts that “international comparisons should be made with care if the estimates being compared are based on different approaches to measuring the volume of non-market output”.
Further, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) set out in their November Economic and Fiscal Outlook that “some countries, including the UK, use direct measures of some public sector output but others assume that it is given by the associated inputs. If the latter approach were still used in the UK, then the fall in GDP the second quarter would have been around 4 percentage points smaller.”
This represents around a fifth of the overall reported fall in UK GDP in the first half of 2020 and, if adjusted for, would leave the UK’s performance over this period closer in line with other advanced economies.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many HMRC staff-hours have been given to receiving training which pertains to elements of HMRC's responsibilities (a) in preparation for or (b) as a result of the UK leaving the EU in each of (a) 2016, (b) 2017, (c) 2018, (d) 2019, and (e) 2020 to date.
Answered by Jesse Norman
Since 2016, HMRC have had a range of roles comprising specialist and non-specialist roles to support the preparation for the UK leaving the EU, as well as operational and support roles for the post-transition period. Not all roles require additional training and HMRC do not track their requirements against all roles. HMRC are therefore unable to provide a breakdown of training time across the years and against staff complement, both for the preparation and post-transition period, without incurring significant additional costs.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what HMRC's full-time equivalent staffing levels were for (a) telephone and (b) webchat services providing businesses and individuals with advice on customs arrangements in each of the last 48 months.
Answered by Jesse Norman
Prior to 9 November 2020 customs & international trade telephone enquiries were handled through a combined Excise, Customs & international Trade (EXCIT) helpline. Demand for this line was significantly lower as the majority of the customer base, business and intermediaries alike, were experienced in trading on Rest of the World terms. Given the combined remit, HMRC are unable to provide the data requested.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, on what date prior to his announcement in the House of Commons on 9 October 2020 he first became aware of the problems faced by businesses forced to close as result of covid-19 restrictions that he referred to in that announcement.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government recognises that this an extremely challenging time for businesses across the UK, particularly those required to close due to necessary restrictions to protect public health.
During the pandemic, the Government has regularly engaged with businesses and trade groups to understand the needs of businesses and has also continually monitored the impact of restrictions and Covid-19 support. This has informed our efforts to evolve the support available for businesses when necessary, including those changes announced in the Chancellor’s statement in the House of Commons on 9 October 2020.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, on what date prior to his announcement in the House of Commons on 22 October 2020 he first became aware of the problems faced by self-employed people that resulted in the amending of the Job Support Scheme to provide support at the level of 40 per cent of prior trading profits.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government has provided, and will continue to provide, generous support to the self-employed during the COVID-19 pandemic through the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) The third grant, combined with up to £14,070 worth of support for each individual from the first and second grants, makes the SEISS one of the most generous schemes for the self-employed in the world.
The Government has adapted the generosity of the SEISS in line with the evolution of the virus. Following the announcement on 22 October that the third grant would cover 40 per cent of average monthly trading profits, the Government further increased the value of support to 55 per cent, and later – to 80 per cent of average trading profits for the period covering November to January, capped at £7,500 in total.
The Government’s policy responses are carefully designed to provide certainty and support to people and businesses across the UK to respond to the current public health restrictions. We continue to take a flexible approach and keep all impacts and policies under review.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many (a) staff, (b) director-level staff, and (c) director-general level staff have left a post in his Department in each of the last five years.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
The number of staff who have left the department from a post over the prior 5 years:
| 16/17 | 17/18 | 18/19 | 19/20 | 20/21* |
All staff | 322 | 293 | 341 | 298 | 107 |
Director | Less than 5 | Less than 5 | Less than 5 | Less than 5 | Less than 5 |
Director General | Less than 5 | Less than 5 | Less than 5 | Less than 5 | Less than 5 |
*The data for 20/21 covers the period April 20 to September 20
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many working days have been lost to staff sickness in his Department in each month of the last five years, by directorate.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
We do not report on sick days monthly, we do however have a return that we do annually. The number of sick days by directorate in each of the last 5 years can be found in the following tables:
2015/16
Directorate | Sick Days |
Business and International Tax | 135 |
Corporate Centre | 657 |
Economics | 107 |
Enterprise & Growth | 61 |
Financial Services | 270 |
Financial Stability | 71 |
Fiscal | 103 |
International | 428 |
IUK | 127 |
Ministerial & Communications | 148 |
National Infrastructure Commission | Fewer than 5 |
Personal Tax, Welfare & Pensions | 207 |
Public Services | 345 |
Public Spending | 227 |
Strategy, Planning & Budget | 68 |
Treasury Legal Advisors | Fewer than 5 |
Department | 2954 |
2016/17
Directorate | Sick Days |
Business and International Tax | 172.5 |
Corporate Centre | 668.5 |
Economics | 102 |
Enterprise & Growth | 76 |
Financial Services | 291 |
Financial Stability | 131.5 |
Fiscal | 68.5 |
International | 318.5 |
IUK | Fewer than 5 |
Ministerial & Communications | 211 |
National Infrastructure Commission | 27 |
Personal Tax, Welfare & Pensions | 504.5 |
Public Services | 272 |
Public Spending | 190.5 |
Strategy, Planning & Budget | 99 |
Treasury Legal Advisors | Fewer than 5 |
Department | 3132.5 |
2017/18
Directorate | Sick Days |
Business and International Tax | 103 |
Corporate Centre | 595 |
Economics | 119 |
Enterprise & Growth | 133 |
Financial Services | 400 |
Financial Stability | 213.5 |
Fiscal | 250 |
International | 425.5 |
Ministerial & Communications | 347.5 |
Personal Tax, Welfare & Pensions | 178.5 |
Public Services | 190 |
Public Spending | 180.5 |
Strategy, Planning & Budget | 71.5 |
Treasury Legal Advisors | Fewer than 5 |
Department | 3207 |
2018/19
Directorate | Sick Days |
Business and International Tax | 170.5 |
Corporate Centre | 850 |
Economics | 108.5 |
Enterprise & Growth | 116.5 |
Financial Services | 578.5 |
Financial Stability | 135 |
Fiscal | 174.5 |
International | 437.5 |
Ministerial & Communications | 148 |
Personal Tax, Welfare & Pensions | 259 |
Public Services | 268.5 |
Public Spending | 342.5 |
Strategy, Planning & Budget | 50 |
Department | 3639 |
2019/20
Directorate | Sick Days |
Business and International Tax | 245 |
Corporate Centre | 906.5 |
Economics | 366 |
Enterprise & Growth | 176.5 |
Financial Services | 490.5 |
Financial Stability | 132.5 |
Fiscal | 241 |
International | 607 |
Ministerial & Communications | 326.5 |
Personal Tax, Welfare & Pensions | 176 |
Public Services | 366 |
Public Spending | 602 |
Strategy, Planning & Budget | 71 |
Department | 4706.5 |
HM Treasury takes the wellness of its staff seriously. Wellness is incorporated within the Treasury’s Health, Safety and Wellbeing policy. Every quarter, staff complete pulse surveys to assess progress against wellbeing criteria from the annual People Survey. Directors and Deputy Directors take action relating to these results to improve their staff’s wellbeing and stress levels.
HM Treasury has the following support in place for those that are suffering due to stress: