Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to ensure umbrella companies comply with legislation on the deduction of employers’ taxes from contractors’ pay.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
Like all employers, umbrella companies are responsible for paying employer National Insurance contributions (NICs) where they are due. Employers cannot, by law, deduct employer NICs from an employee's gross pay. The payment of employer NICs out of the umbrella company’s fee may be shown on the same payslip as deductions, such as Income Tax, from the employee’s gross pay, meaning that it can look as if an individual is paying the employer NICs, when this is not actually the case.
All agency workers must be given a Key Information Document by an agency before agreeing terms, including when the agency worker is engaged through an umbrella company. Key Information Documents set out details about the engagement, including rates of pay. This allows workers to see how deductions and fees are made through the labour supply chain and how this affects their gross pay and net pay.
When set up and operated correctly, umbrella companies comply with tax and NICs legislation. Umbrella company employees who believe that an umbrella company is not complying with its tax or NICs obligations can report it to HM Revenue and Customs:
www.gov.uk/government/organisations/hm-revenue-customs/contact/report-fraud-to-hmrc
Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of appeals to the Tribunals Service for (a) personal independence payment, (b) employment and support allowance, (c) income support, (d) jobseekers allowance and (e) tax credits were successful in (i) Glasgow South West constituency, (ii) Glasgow, (iii) Scotland and (iv) Great Britain in (A) 2021-22 and (B) 2022-23.
Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
Information about appeals to the First-tier Tribunal (Social Security and Child Support) (SSCS) is published at: www.gov.uk/government/collections/tribunals-statistics.
SSCS appeals are listed into the hearing venue nearest to the appellant’s home address. Glasgow Tribunal Centre is the only SSCS venue serving the Glasgow South West constituency. The published data (which can be viewed at the link above) provide information about the outcomes of (a) Personal Independence Payment (PIP), and (b) Employment Support Allowance (ESA), for (i) Glasgow South West constituency (this is covered by the Glasgow data), (ii) Glasgow, (iii) Scotland and (iv) Great Britain in (A) 2021-22 and (B) 2022-23.
The tables below contain the requested information for Glasgow and Scotland for (c) Income Support, (d) Job Seekers Allowance and (e) Tax Credits for 2021 – 22; and 2022-23:
| INCOME SUPPORT | |||||
Glasgow Venue1 | Scotland HMCTS Region1 | |||||
No. Cleared at Hearing | No. Decision in Favour | % Decision in Favour2 | No. Cleared at Hearing | No. Decision in Favour | % Decision in Favour | |
2021_20223 | 15 | 5 | 53% | 30 | 14 | 47% |
2022_20233 | 4 | ~ | ~ | 8 | ~ | ~ |
| JOB SEEKER’S ALLOWANCE | |||||
Glasgow Venue | Scotland HMCTS Region | |||||
No. Cleared at Hearing | No. Decision in Favour | % Decision in Favour | No. Cleared at Hearing | No. Decision in Favour | % Decision in Favour | |
2021_2022 | 9 | ~ | ~ | 26 | 9 | 35% |
2022_2023 | 9 | ~ | ~ | 25 | 5 | 20% |
| TAX CREDITS | |||||
Glasgow Venue | Scotland HMCTS Region | |||||
No. Cleared at Hearing | No. Decision in Favour | % Decision in Favour | No. Cleared at Hearing | No. Decision in Favour | % Decision in Favour | |
2021_2022 | 9 | ~ | ~ | 21 | 13 | 62% |
2022_2023 | 3 | ~ | ~ | 11 | 5 | 45% |
Notes: |
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1. SSCS data is normally registered to the venue nearest to the appellant’s home address. We cannot retrieve data based on the appellant’s actual address but can produce reports detailing the numbers of cases that were dealt with at one of our Regional centres or heard at a specific venue. 2. Proportion based on the number of cases found in favour of the appellant at a tribunal hearing as a percentage of the cases heard at a tribunal hearing. 3. 1st April – 31st March
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Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many staff in his Department investigate benefit fraud; and what recent estimate he has made of the cost of fraud to the public purse in the last 12 months.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The latest information of the number of Full Time Equivalent (FTE) staff who are in paid employment and undertake investigations on benefit fraud is in the table below:
| Nov |
DWP Product | 2023 |
CFC ESOC | 527.7 |
CFC Fraud Investigations (Including Surveillance) | 627.05 |
Totals | 1154.8 |
Please note the following caveats
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Information on the cost of fraud to the public purse has been set out in the DWP Annual Report and Accounts 2022-23. DWP annual report and accounts 2022 to 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) |
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Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many jobcentre clients have been assisted by an Armed Forces Champion in Glasgow South West constituency in the last 12 months.
Answered by Mims Davies - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Since April 2023, 231 members of the local Armed Forces community have been supported by an Armed Forces Champion in the Glasgow South West constituency.
Please note that the data supplied is derived from unpublished management information, which was collected for internal departmental use only, and has not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard.
Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of civil servants on temporary contracts in his Department are women.
Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The information is already available in the public domain:
Permanent and temporary civil servants by sex, age band and department: 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of SCS2 civil servants on full-time equivalent contracts in his Department are women.
Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
As of 30 June 2023, 42% of the SCS 2 cohort within the Ministry of Justice were declared as women.
Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications of the Employment Appeal Tribunal ruling in the 2017 case of Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council v Willetts & Ors for the calculation of holiday pay entitlement for staff in his Department.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
The Cabinet Office is working closely with our shared services provider (SSCL) to implement a solution. Early indications are that this will take place in Spring 2024.
I have informed the Public and Commercial Services Union that a full response to their letter of 22 August 2023 will be sent in due course.
Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans to reply to the letter of 22 August 2023 from the Public and Commercial Services Union on the ruling in Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council v Willetts & Ors.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
The Cabinet Office is working closely with our shared services provider (SSCL) to implement a solution. Early indications are that this will take place in Spring 2024.
I have informed the Public and Commercial Services Union that a full response to their letter of 22 August 2023 will be sent in due course.
Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the impact of the explosion at the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza on people in Gaza; and if he will seek an independent investigation into that explosion.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department's policies of damage to water and sanitation systems in Gaza.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.