Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking taken to ensure that (a) Support for Mortgage Interest and (b) other support schemes started before the rise in the cost of living offer the same level of support to individuals as they did before that rise began.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Support for low-income homeowners is provided through the Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) loans scheme. SMI is available for homeowners who qualify for an income-related benefit and are unable to meet their mortgage repayments. The primary purpose of SMI is to enable people to stay in their homes without fear of repossession. SMI makes a contribution towards the eligible mortgage interest and so provides robust protection against repossession.
From 3rd April 2023, we will extend the support SMI provides by allowing those on Universal Credit (UC) to apply for a loan after three months, instead of nine. We will also abolish the zero earnings rule to extend support to in-work UC claimants and allow existing SMI claimants to move into work and better support themselves.
The interest rate we pay is based on the Bank of England published average and is designed to reflect changes in interest rates by changing when the average varies 0.5 percentage points or more from the rate in payment. The lending industry continue to accept that the rate of SMI we pay may not always reflect the rate of interest charged on the claimant’s mortgage.
In April, we are uprating benefit rates and State Pensions by 10.1%. In order to increase the number of households who can benefit from these uprating decisions, the benefit cap levels are also increasing by the same amount. To further support those who are in work, from 1 April 2023, the National Living Wage (NLW) will increase by 9.7% to £10.42 an hour for workers aged 23 and over - the largest ever cash increase for the NLW.
Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to ensure that homeowners remain in their homes despite the rise in the cost of living.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Support for low-income homeowners is provided through the Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) loans scheme. SMI is available for homeowners who qualify for an income-related benefit and are unable to meet their mortgage repayments. The primary purpose of SMI is to enable people to stay in their homes without fear of repossession. SMI makes a contribution towards the eligible mortgage interest and so provides robust protection against repossession.
From 3rd April 2023, we will extend the support SMI provides by allowing those on Universal Credit (UC) to apply for a loan after three months, instead of nine. We will also abolish the zero earnings rule to extend support to in-work UC claimants and allow existing SMI claimants to move into work and better support themselves.
The interest rate we pay is based on the Bank of England published average and is designed to reflect changes in interest rates by changing when the average varies 0.5 percentage points or more from the rate in payment. The lending industry continue to accept that the rate of SMI we pay may not always reflect the rate of interest charged on the claimant’s mortgage.
In April, we are uprating benefit rates and State Pensions by 10.1%. In order to increase the number of households who can benefit from these uprating decisions, the benefit cap levels are also increasing by the same amount. To further support those who are in work, from 1 April 2023, the National Living Wage (NLW) will increase by 9.7% to £10.42 an hour for workers aged 23 and over - the largest ever cash increase for the NLW.
Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he plans to increase the level of mental health support for civil servants who deal with people who are suicidal as result of the rise of the cost in living.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
DWP have taken steps to increase staff awareness of the mental health difficulties that may be experienced by our customers, so they can direct them to further support at any stage of the claimant journey. We have carried out a significant review of our mental health learning utilising experts and psychologists. The learning is mandatory for all customer contact colleagues to help better support claimants who may present with mental health issues. The learning supports our colleagues to explore their impact on customers, the steps needed to build relationships and how to respond appropriately to customers’ needs.
The Department has an extensive suite of products available to employees from a health, safety and wellbeing perspective. These are easy to find and access for everyone. DWP has an excellent Employee Assist Programme that offers support or counselling for individuals dealing with potentially suicidal customers alongside being fully supported by their line managers.
Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had discussions with her counterparts in the European Union on introducing a new visa which would allow people in the creative industries to spend more than 90 days consecutively working in EU countries.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
This Government recognises the importance of the UK’s creative and cultural industries, not only to the economy and international reputation of the United Kingdom, but also to the wellbeing and enrichment of its people. We want musicians and performers to be able to tour abroad easily.
EU Member States are principally responsible for deciding the rules governing what work UK visitors can undertake in each Member State. That is why we have engaged with EU Member States about the importance of touring; most recently raised at the EU-UK Partnership Council in March. From these discussions, almost all Member States have confirmed they offer visa and work permit free routes for musicians and creative performers, many for up to 90 days. This includes most of the UK’s biggest touring markets such as France, Germany, Spain and the Netherlands.
Beyond these exemptions, creatives are required to obtain the relevant visa or work permit for the relevant Member State, as artists from other third countries are required to do. We have developed guidance on GOV.UK to support artists to understand the visa and permit requirements for medium and long term stays in Member States.
The Government is committed to supporting the sector to adapt to these new arrangements, and we continue to work with the sector and directly with Member States to clarify what creative workers need to do.
Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to take further steps with Cabinet colleagues to encourage road users to transition away from petrol and diesel vehicles, in the context of Net Zero targets.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government recognises that a whole package of measures is needed to support the switch to zero emission driving.
HM Treasury has ensured that EVs continue to benefit from a favourable tax regime. There are now over a million plug-in vehicles on UK roads, the majority of which are exempt or pay minimal VED. From 2025, electric vehicles will still have preferential first year rates of VED in comparison to the most polluting vehicles. There are also preferential rates of company car tax for EVs out to April 2028. These measures will continue to support the uptake of electric vehicles.
Ministers across government departments continue to collaborate on the implementation of the Net Zero Strategy. In the Strategy, the Government announced that it will introduce a zero emission vehicle mandate, setting targets for a percentage of manufacturers' new car and van sales to be zero emission each year from 2024. The Government will shortly publish more details on the design of the ZEV mandate, including uptake trajectories, and accompanying CO2 emissions regulation.
Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make a comparative between trends in the level of SUV use and levels of (a) road safety and (b) pollution.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
Trends in the level of SUV use are not held by the Department for Transport. The definition of SUV and the use of these vehicles is imprecise.
Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the expensive car supplement.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Cars with a list price when new exceeding £40,000 pay an additional supplement for five years as well as paying the standard rate of Vehicle Excise Duty (VED), which means those who can afford the most expensive cars pay more than the standard rate paid by other drivers.
The £40,000 threshold was set as a suitable way of distinguishing the more luxury end of the new car market. As around 80% of all new cars currently have a list price below £40,000, the Government considers this threshold to be suitable.
As with all taxes, the expensive car supplement is kept under review and any changes are considered and announced by the chancellor.
Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of her immigration policies on the (a) population of and (b) labour market in Scotland.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The UK’s immigration system enables individuals to enter UK for work purposes from all parts of the world where they have a suitable job offer and meet our criteria. This is helping fill skills gaps, boosting our economy and through specific visa offers, such as the Health and Care visa, supporting our public services.
There is no compelling argument that Scotland should have a different immigration system to the rest of the UK. Indeed it’s economy benefits from the simplicity and clarity of having one single system for our country. Scotland’s economically active rate is closely aligned with UK average. Minor variations are accounted for in the Scotland specific Shortage Occupation List.
Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of extending the eligibility criteria for the Warm Home Discount Scheme to include women on maternity leave who do not qualify for means-tested benefits.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Warm Home Discount prioritises people who are most at risk of being in fuel poverty. Fuel poverty is a combination of low incomes and high energy costs, so the scheme is targeted at those on means tested benefits whose homes are expensive to heat. Women on maternity leave do not automatically fall into that category.
Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if her Department will take steps to help improve service delivery standards of parcel delivery companies.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Ofcom, which is the independent regulator for the sector, has powers to impose requirements on postal operators to protect customers.
In its review of the regulatory framework for post last year, Ofcom concluded that competition in the parcels market was driving benefits for consumers but that there were some problems that needed to be addressed. It proposed new guidance on complaints handling processes for parcel operators which will take effect from 1 April 2023. Ofcom has committed to ongoing monitoring and to consider enforcement action, or further regulation, if progress is not made.