Asked by: Deidre Brock (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what funding is available through the Scottish Government for victims of contaminated blood.
Answered by Steve Barclay - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Following UK government decisions at Spending Round 2019, the Scottish Government benefited from an increase of over £1.3 billion in the Barnett-based block grant, which will therefore increase to £34.5 billion in 2020-21. This is the biggest day-to-day funding settlement for Scotland in a decade.
It is for the Scottish Government to allocate this funding across their devolved responsibilities, including to victims of contaminated blood if they so choose.
Asked by: Deidre Brock (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to implement the Fifth Anti-Money Laundering Directive of the EU.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The government transposed the vast majority of the provisions in the Fifth Anti-Money Laundering Directive into domestic law through, ‘The Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing (Amendment) Regulations 2019’, which came into force on 10 January 2020.
This transposition ensures the UK’s AML/CTF regime remains comprehensive, responsive to emerging threats, and in line with evolving international standards set by the Financial Action Task Force.
The consultation on the implementation of the Directive committed to a further technical consultation on the details of the implementation of measures related to trust registration. This consultation will launch in early 2020 and will ensure the Trust Registration Service contains a robust and proportionate framework, which will be transposed into domestic law during 2020.
Asked by: Deidre Brock (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his policy is on preventing banks in the UK being used as depositories in the laundering of state funds from other nations.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
HM Treasury is responsible for the Money Laundering Regulations 2017 (‘the Regulations’). The Regulations set out the high-level requirements on regulated firms to combat money laundering and ensure that key professionals identify their customers and understand the purpose behind transactions, including the source of funds. The Regulations are designed to combat illicit finance, while minimising the burden on legitimate customers.
The Regulations require firms in scope of the regulations to have in place appropriate risk-management systems and procedures to determine whether a customer (or their beneficial owner) is a Politically Exposed Person (PEP), family member of a PEP or close associate of a PEP.
PEPs are individuals entrusted with a prominent public function. This definition includes but is not limited to heads of state, heads of government, ministers and deputy or assistant ministers, members of parliament or of similar legislative bodies.
PEPs can pose a high money laundering risk because they may be able to abuse their position for private gain. Not all PEPs, however, pose the same money laundering risk; there is a hierarchy depending on country of origin and rank, from middle tier officials to individuals with significant or absolute control over the levers, patronage and resources in a given area. For example, the Financial Conduct Authority’s guidance states that UK PEPs should be considered as lower risk.
Where a firm has identified that a customer (or their beneficial owner) is a PEP, family member or close associate of a PEP, it must conduct an appropriate range of Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD) measures. When carrying out EDD on PEPs, firms must take adequate measures to establish the source of wealth and source of funds which are involved in the proposed transaction or business relationship, get approval from senior management to establish or continue a relationship with that person and carry out enhanced monitoring of the business relationship.
Asked by: Deidre Brock (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish the correspondence between the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and HMRC on support to SMEs in the event that the UK leaves the EU without an agreement.
Answered by Jesse Norman
In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of ministerial discussions and correspondence are not normally disclosed.
Asked by: Deidre Brock (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether (a) his Department, (b) his Department's agencies and (c) his Department's associated public bodies have entered into contracts with Emerdata Limited in the last year.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
No contracts have been entered into with this company.
Asked by: Deidre Brock (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many records his Department holds that have reached the time limit for their transfer to the National Archives but have not been transferred.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
HM Treasury currently holds the following legacy records (pre-1994):
23,310 | - Records still to be reviewed, retained by means of Retention Instrument |
9,645 | - Records selected for transfer to The National Archives, retained by means of Retention Instrument |
55,600 | - Records awaiting destruction |
11,774 | - Records planned for transfer in calendar year 2019 |
13 | - Records retained for an inquiry or investigation |
526 | - Records and extracts retained from transferred records |
Asked by: Deidre Brock (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has plans to reform the calculation of the Retail Price Index.
Answered by Elizabeth Truss
As set out at Budget 2018, the government recognises the flaws in the way that the Retail Prices Index (RPI) is measured and has made progress in moving away from using it. However, given the extensive use of the RPI across the public and private sectors further moves away from the measure are complex and potentially costly.
The government’s objective is that the Consumer Prices Index including owner occupiers’ housing costs (CPIH) will become its headline measure over time, and that it will reduce the use of the RPI when and where practicable.
Asked by: Deidre Brock (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what funding allocation Scotland will receive as a result of Barnett formula determinations on spending in preparation for the UK leaving the EU without a withdrawal agreement.
Answered by Elizabeth Truss
The Government has provided more than £4.2 billion of additional funding to prepare for EU Exit since 2016, including over £2 billion for core activities in 2019-20 for deal and no deal scenarios.
The 2019-20 allocations were announced in a Written Ministerial Statement on 18 December 2018, with the Scottish Government allocated £54.7m through the Barnett Formula.
This follows the Scottish Government’s £37.3m Barnett-based allocation from a £1.5 billion fund in 2018-19.
Asked by: Deidre Brock (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, which (a) external data analysts and (b) data collection companies his Department has used in each of the last five years.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The information requested is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
HMT routinely records contracts let, where the total contract value is of £10,000 (excl VAT) or more on the Tender and Contract Database.
While the database does retain details of individual suppliers it does not categorise them according to their status e.g. whether they are data analysts and / or data collection companies
To ascertain the information requested would involve drilling down into the information contained and a call out to all individual suppliers to ascertain their formal status at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Deidre Brock (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many staff are employed by HMRC in each region; and how many staff will be employed in each HMRC regional hub when those hubs are fully operational.
Answered by Mel Stride - Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
The number of full time equivalent (FTE) staff currently employed by HMRC in each region, together with the number who will be based in each HMRC Regional Centre, is set out in the table below.
Additionally HMRC will be retaining a Headquarters, five Specialist sites and six Transitional Sites which will remain operational after the opening of the regional centres, as set out in the table below. The Ipswich Transitional site will become a Specialist Site in 2026.
HMRC is still finalising its plans for its regional centres in Nottingham and Newcastle and for the second phases of Glasgow and Manchester. The figures included in the table are what has been previously announced.
Region | Current FTE @ 28/02/2018 | Regional Centre | FTE | Specialist Site | FTE | Transitional site | FTE |
Scotland | 7738 | Edinburgh | 2,680 | Gartcosh | 260 | East Kilbride | 1,100 |
Glasgow (Phase 1) | 2,670 | ||||||
Northern Ireland | 1773 | Belfast | 1,780 |
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Wales | 4038 | Cardiff | 3,600 |
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North East | 9834 | Newcastle | 5,300 to 5,600 |
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| Washington | 2,100 |
North West | 11336 | Liverpool | 3,500 |
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Manchester (Phase 1) | 2000 |
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| Salford | 2,500 | ||
Yorkshire & the Humber | 4136 | Leeds | 3,850 |
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West Midlands | 3871 | Birmingham | 2,650 | Telford | 600 |
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East Midlands | 3114 | Nottingham | 2,500 to 2,800 |
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South West | 1375 | Bristol | 1,350 |
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London, South East and East | 12,522 | Croydon | 2,700 | Dover | 140 | Reading | 550 |
Stratford | 3,800 | Worthing | 900 | Portsmouth | 850 | ||
Westminster HQ | 1,000 | Ipswich |
| Ipswich | 450 |
Current FTE includes staff who are assumed to be transferring to DWP. This is particularly relevant in Scotland and the North West.