Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many surviving spouses in each public sector pension scheme have lost their pension because they have (a) remarried and (b) established a (i) legal and (ii) other partnership.
Answered by Darren Jones - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The data required to answer this question is not held centrally by HM Treasury, but some of the relevant data may be held by individual Public Service Pension Schemes (PSPSs). While the cessation of survivor pensions upon remarriage or cohabitation was a common feature across older legacy PSPSs, all active members of major PSPSs are now accruing pensions in reformed schemes that do not cease survivor pensions in the case of remarriage or cohabitation.
Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to ensure value for money in public spending.
Answered by John Glen - Shadow Paymaster General
Value for money is at the heart of government spending. It is one of the key considerations for any decision involving the use of public funds across government.
Since the Spending Review, the government has taken several steps to ensure it continues to deliver the greatest value from every pound of taxpayer’s money it spends. Departments have reprioritised and identified further efficiencies to help manage the impacts of inflation, protect vital frontline services and give our key public sector workers the pay rise they deserve.
This is only the start, the Chancellor has asked me to lead an ambitious Public Sector Productivity Programme targeted at increasing public sector productivity growth, both in the short- and long-term.
Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will provide funding to veterans charities to ensure continued support is made available to veterans who were in receipt of support under the Veterans Mobility Fund.
Answered by John Glen - Shadow Paymaster General
The Government is committed to supporting all our veterans, and to ensuring that they continue to thrive after leaving the services.
Since 2014, the Government has committed £773m of LIBOR fines to support Armed Forces and Emergency Service charities.
As part of this package, the Chancellor awarded the Royal British Legion £3m to develop a Veterans Mobility Fund, designed to meet the wellbeing needs of veterans discharged with service-attributable serious physical injury. At the same time, the Chancellor also awarded £10m to develop a Veterans Hearing Fund, providing support to veterans who suffered hearing loss during service.
In 2019, at the Royal British Legion’s request, the Treasury authorised the transfer of almost £1.5m from the Veterans Mobility Fund to the Veterans Hearing Fund, following dramatic increases in the rate of applications for the Hearing Fund and a comparatively static application rate for the Mobility Fund. Both the Veterans Hearing and Veterans Mobility Funds have now closed.
Since 2020, we have announced a further £10m funding to support veterans’ mental health, £475k to support the development of a digital and data strategy for the sector, £5m to enable charities to address the impact of events in Afghanistan on veterans, a £5m Veterans’ Health Innovation Fund, and £8.55m in December last year to end veteran homelessness in 2023.
More than 100 service charities, including those who support veterans, also benefitted from £6m of the £750m to support the charity sector announced by the Chancellor in April 21 in support of COVID-19.
The Governments Veterans’ Strategy Action Plan sets out the steps we will take in the next two years towards our ambition of making the UK the best place in the world to be a veteran by 2028.
Decisions on additional funding on Veterans’ issue are routinely considered at fiscal events.
Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to his statement on the economic update on the 26 May 2022 and his commitment to legislate to deliver support on the same terms in every part of the UK, whether it is his policy that people with the same circumstances will receive the same level of support regardless of where they live.
Answered by Simon Clarke
Most of the support announced by the Chancellor on 26 May is being provided directly to households in all parts of the UK by the UK Government.
The one-off Cost of Living payments will be paid directly to households across the UK. In the absence of a functioning Executive in Northern Ireland, the UK Government is supporting the Northern Irish people through these payments, on exactly the same terms as the rest of the UK.
The Energy Bill Support Scheme applies to Great Britain only, but equivalent support will be provided to people in Northern Ireland, and the Household Support Fund is England-only, but the devolved administrations will receive around £79 million through the Barnett formula.
Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the oral Statement of 3 February 2022, Official Report, on the Economic Update, whether the £150 rebate will be paid in full to all households in bands A to D in April 2022, with a cash payment to those households with monthly bills less than £150.
Answered by Simon Clarke
Households in bands A-D that are eligible for the rebate will receive the £150 rebate in full through a cash payment from their local authority, even where their monthly council tax bill is less than £150.
Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the oral Statement of 3 February 2022, Official Report, on the Economic Update, whether all households in council tax bands A to D will receive the £150 council tax rebate including those receiving council tax support.
Answered by Simon Clarke
All households in council tax bands A to D who are not exempt from council tax will receive the £150 council tax rebate in full, including those receiving council tax support.
Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to Autumn Budget and Spending Review 2021, whether the money being raised through the residential property developer tax will be additional to the £5 billion previously announced for the Building Safety Fund.
Answered by Lucy Frazer
The Residential Property Developer Tax will raise at least £2 billion over the next decade. This will help to fund the £5 billion package of funding that was announced in February 2021 for the removal of unsafe cladding from the highest risk buildings.
Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many funds are allocated to local authorities by his Department through a process of competitive bidding; and if he will publish the names of those funds.
Answered by Simon Clarke
The Government is committed to providing local authorities with the flexibility they need to use funding in a way that responds to local needs and priorities. The Local Government Finance settlement and the vast majority of local government’s Core Spending Power (£51.3bn) is un-ringfenced, giving local authorities flexibility over their spending decisions. Local authorities also receive significant funding through unringfenced Section 31 grants.
There are times when dedicated competitive biddable funding streams are the best way to make sure local authorities receive the support they need to deliver the Government’s objectives, including specific funding initiatives, trials or pilots. In such circumstances, HM Treasury works closely to support Departments as they seek to maximise value for money by considering the timing, value and conditions attached to any funding.
HM Treasury does not distribute any biddable funds to local authorities as these are administered separately by departments.
Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 20 September 2021 to Question 49949 on Social Services: Finance, how much and what proportion of the £5.4 billion referred to is (a) to pay for the cap of £86,000, (b) towards paying providers a fair rate, (c) additional money for local authorities to pay for care and (d) to be used for any other purposes.
Answered by Simon Clarke
As outlined in my response to your written question of September 15th, the government will set out its plans for spending across all public services at the Spending Review on October 27th. This will include adult social care spending.Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with refence to the Plan for Health and Social Care, published September 2021, what estimate he has made of the costs of the funding and system reform commitments referred to in paragraph 36 of that Plan over financial years (a) 2022-23, (b) 2023-24 and (c) 2024-25; and if he publish the costs related to the specific commitments in that Plan.
Answered by Simon Clarke
In Build Back Better: Our plan for health and social care,[1] the Government set out that £5.4bn in additional funding will be provided to support a sustainable social care system that is fit for the future.
This funding will end unpredictable care by introducing a cap of £86,000 on the costs of care; and include over £500 million pounds to support the adult social care workforce, in recognition of their tireless efforts during the pandemic.
It also includes funding to enable all Local Authorities to move towards paying providers a fair rate for care, which should drive up the quality of adult social care services, improve workforce conditions and increase investment.
The government will set out its plans for spending across all public services at the Spending Review on October 27th.
[1]https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1015736/Build_Back_Better-_Our_Plan_for_Health_and_Social_Care.pdf