Asked by: Catherine McKinnell (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne North)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many families were eligible for tax-free childcare in each UK (a) nation and (b) region in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
Families eligible for Tax-Free Childcare (TFC) are defined as those who meet the eligibility criteria and use qualifying childcare. HMRC does not hold this information for all families who could be eligible for TFC.
An estimate of the number of families eligible for TFC is derived from the Family Resources Survey. This is 1.3 million families across the UK over the past 5 years.
Since this is based on survey data, regional estimates are much less reliable and are not routinely produced but the table below was included in the Tax-Free Childcare Post Implementation Review and relates to March 2020 (see figure 4 on page 15):
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2014/28/pdfs/ukpgaod_20140028_en_001.pdf
The number of families that are eligible for TFC in each region is an estimate, based on information from the Family Resources Survey:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/family-resources-survey-financial-year-201718
Asked by: Catherine McKinnell (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne North)
Question to the HM Treasury:
What recent comparative assessment his Department has made of the effect on regional economies of the Government's covid-19 financial support package.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The government recognises that every region is feeling the impact of this crisis, and has taken unprecedented steps to support people and businesses across the country.
For example, the government has helped over a million employers furlough 9.6 million employments, including 350,700 in the North East, and supported over 60 billion pounds of loans, including £1.4bn for over 40,000 businesses in the North East. Regional breakdowns are published regularly on gov.uk.
Asked by: Catherine McKinnell (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne North)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will extend the VAT exemption on PPE for (a) self-employed physiotherapists and (b) independent providers.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The temporary zero rate of VAT on Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) was an extraordinary measure to help affected sectors (such as hospitals and care homes) during the initial shock of the COVID-19 pandemic and when the global supply of PPE did not meet demand. The zero rate applies to PPE that meets the standard set out in the guidance from Public Health England (PHE).
This measure will come to an end on 31 October (as legislated), as new measures introduced by the Government will ensure supply of COVID-19 related PPE to affected sectors from 1 November. Face coverings that do not meet the standard set by PHE should not be affected by the temporary zero rate coming to an end.
Asked by: Catherine McKinnell (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne North)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with cabinet colleagues on exempting (a) self-employed allied health professionals and (b) independent healthcare providers from VAT on PPE during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The temporary zero rate of VAT on Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) was an extraordinary measure to help affected sectors (such as hospitals and care homes) during the initial shock of the COVID-19 pandemic and when the global supply of PPE did not meet demand. The zero rate applies to PPE that meets the standard set out in the guidance from Public Health England (PHE).
This measure will come to an end on 31 October (as legislated), as new measures introduced by the Government will ensure supply of COVID-19 related PPE to affected sectors from 1 November. Face coverings that do not meet the standard set by PHE should not be affected by the temporary zero rate coming to an end.
Asked by: Catherine McKinnell (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne North)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of providing 12 months business rates relief to airports in England and Wales in response to covid-19 pandemic.
Answered by Jesse Norman
Business rates policy is devolved. Decisions on rates in Wales are for the Welsh government. The Government has provided enhanced support through business rates relief to businesses occupying properties used for retail, hospitality and leisure.
A range of other measures to support all business, including airports, has also been made available, including the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to help firms keep people in employment, and deferring Value Added Tax (VAT) payments. On 8 July the Chancellor set out a package of measures to support jobs across the UK, including a Job Retention Bonus to help firms keep furloughed workers and a new £2 billion Kickstart Scheme to create hundreds of thousands of new, fully subsidised jobs for young people.
Asked by: Catherine McKinnell (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne North)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether HM Treasury’s September 2019 publicity campaign on duty free cigarettes and alcohol for travellers to EU countries was subject to approval by Ministers in his Department.
Answered by Jesse Norman
This is Government policy and the announcement was subject to ministerial approval.
Asked by: Catherine McKinnell (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne North)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of peer-reviewed research on the net effect of free ports and enterprise zone schemes on employment levels.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government will establish new freeports after the UK leaves the EU in order to drive growth, create high-skilled jobs and ensure towns and cities in the UK benefit from Brexit trade opportunities.
The Government is considering a wide range of options to develop an ambitious and attractive policy on UK freeports, providing businesses with incentives that will attract investment and boost growth.
Alongside this, Enterprise Zones continue to drive growth across the country in order to attract new investment into specific places.
Asked by: Catherine McKinnell (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne North)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to section 2.26 of the print version of the Spending Round 2019 document, whether additional funding will be made available to the (a) Northern Powerhouse and (b) Midlands Engine.
Answered by Simon Clarke
Every place in the UK has a role to play in driving growth and we are committed to levelling up opportunities across towns, cities and communities across the country. As part of this, the recent Spending Round confirmed funding to extend a wide range of programmes into 2020/21, including for the Midlands Engine and the Northern Powerhouse.
Asked by: Catherine McKinnell (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne North)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 23 April 2019 to Question 246517 on the European Investment Bank, what recent progress his Department has made on establishing the UK’s future relationship with the European Investment Bank Group after the UK has left the EU.
Answered by Simon Clarke
The Prime Minister has been clear that we are committed to leaving the EU on October 31st. Any future relationship with the EIB would be discussed as part of wider negotiations on the UK-EU future relationship.
Asked by: Catherine McKinnell (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne North)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many complaints relating to the tax-free childcare scheme have been received by HMRC as of 31 May 2019.
Answered by Elizabeth Truss
More than half a million parents have successfully opened a childcare account, and the vast majority of parents use the childcare service without issues. Since Tax-Free Childcare (TFC) was fully rolled out in February 2018, the rate of new complaints received by HMRC in relation to the childcare service has decreased substantially, while the number of users of TFC has more than trebled.
However, it is not possible to break down complaints received about the childcare service between TFC and 30 hours free childcare complaints, as many parents receive both TFC and 30 hours free childcare.
I refer the honorable member to my answer on 28 November 2018 (193504) https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2018-11-20/193504/, which sets out that to 31 October 2018, HMRC received 4,560 complaints from parents who experienced technical issues with the childcare service.
From 1 November 2018 to 31 March 2019, HMRC received 943 new complaints from customers in relation to TFC and 30 hours free childcare (known as Tier 1). This includes complaints due to technical issues and customer service issues.
From 1 November 2018 to 31 March 2019, HMRC received 205 complaints from customers in relation to TFC and 30 hours free childcare where a customer was dissatisfied with our decision on their initial complaint and they have asked us to look at their concerns again (known as Tier 2).
As set out in HMRC’s monthly reports available for the 2018-19 period at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmrc-monthly-performance-reports#reporting-year-2018-to-2019, complaints are not always logged on HMRC’s live system during the month they are received and the numbers can, therefore, be revised upwards for subsequent monthly reports. The current month will be subject to greatest revision. The information to 31 May is therefore not yet available to a robust enough standard.