Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he plans to publish the Access to Cash Consultation.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The government recognises that cash remains an important part of daily life for millions of people across the UK, and remains committed to legislating to protect access to cash.
From 1 July to 23 September last year, the government held the Access to Cash Consultation on proposals for new laws to make sure people only need to travel a reasonable distance to pay in or take out cash. The government’s proposals intend to support the continued use of cash in people’s daily lives and help to enable local businesses to continue accepting cash by ensuring they can access deposit facilities.
The government received responses to the consultation from a broad range of respondents, including individuals, businesses, and charities. The government has carefully considered responses to the consultation and will set out next steps in due course.
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps the Government is taking to help improve access to alternative banking and payment options for (a) the elderly, (b) people with disabilities and (c) people with visual impairments.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Government wants to ensure that people, including those with characteristics of vulnerability, have appropriate access to banking services, which includes payment services. The Government works closely together with regulators and stakeholders from the public, private and third sectors.
The way consumers interact with their banking is changing, with more consumers opting for the convenience, speed and security of digital services. In 2020, 83% of UK adults used contactless payments, 72% used online banking and 54% used mobile banking, according to UK Finance. In addition to bank branch services, alternative options to access everyday banking services can be via telephone banking, through digital means such as mobile or online banking and via the Post Office. The Post Office Banking Framework allows 99% of personal banking and 95% of business customers to deposit cheques, check their balance and withdraw and deposit cash at 11,500 Post Office branches across the UK.
UK banks’ and building societies’ treatment of their customers is governed by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in its Principles for Businesses. This includes a general requirement for firms to provide a prompt, efficient and fair service to all of their customers. The FCA’s Handbook requires firms to identify customers who exhibit characteristics of vulnerability, and to deal with such customers appropriately. In February 2021, the FCA also published guidance for firms on the fair treatment of vulnerable customers, setting out a number of best practices.
In addition, like all service providers, banks and building societies are bound under the Equality Act 2010 to make reasonable adjustments, where necessary, in the way they deliver their services.
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of state for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on the introduction of additional measures to support (a) small- and medium-sized businesses and (b) the hospitality sector following the Government's updates on the spread of the omicron covid-19 variant on 15 December 2021; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
On 21st December, the government announced £1 billion of new grant support for the hospitality, leisure and cultural sectors in England to protect jobs and businesses from the adverse impacts of the Omicron variant.
The package of support announced includes the reintroduction of the Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme to help small and medium-sized employers cover the cost of Covid-related sick absences, covering up to two weeks per employee. This applies UK-wide.
The hospitality sector in England will benefit from:
The government has also announced that the devolved administrations will receive £860 million of up-front funding, to help them continue their response to Omicron. As the new cash grants are England-only, Barnett consequentials will lead to a total of around £150 million for the devolved administrations: £80 million for Scotland, £50 million for Wales, and £25 million for Northern Ireland.
HMRC also stand ready to support any business affected by the coronavirus pandemic through its Time to Pay arrangement. As part of this, businesses in the hospitality and leisure sectors in particular will be offered the option of a short delay, and payment in instalments, on a case by case basis.
The government is also waiving late filing and late payment penalties for Income Tax Self-Assessment (ITSA) taxpayers, including those in the hospitality sector, to support cashflow and ease administrative burdens. Taxpayers will not receive a late filing penalty if they file online by 28 February, and will not receive a late payment penalty if they pay their tax in full or set up a payment plan by 1 April.
This additional support is on top of the generous and wide-ranging support package already in place, which the Chancellor announced at the Spring and Autumn Budgets last year. Small and medium-sized businesses can access Government-guaranteed finance through the extended Recovery Loans scheme until June.
Businesses in the hospitality, retail and leisure sectors continue to benefit from capped business rates relief at 66% until the next financial year, when a new capped relief of 50% takes effect. Hospitality and tourism businesses also benefit from reduced VAT at 12.5% until the end of March.
Businesses will also be protected from eviction if they are behind on rent on their premises, thanks to the moratorium in place until March.
As we have done throughout the pandemic, we are closely monitoring the impact of COVID-19 on the economy. We will continue to respond appropriately and proportionately to the changing path of the virus.
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport regarding the introduction of additional measures to support the cultural and creatives industries since the Government's updates on the spread of the omicron covid-19 variant.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Treasury ministers regularly engage with ministers for the department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), including recently, to hear about the impact of COVID-19 and how the Government can continue to support the cultural and creative industries particularly affected by the Omicron variant.
Following these discussions, a further £30 million from the Culture Recovery Fund (CRF) has been made available for organisations as part of the Chancellor’s £1 billion support package announced on 21 December 2021. DCMS have confirmed that this funding will be used to support organisations at risk across the arts, culture and heritage sectors.
Last year the Chancellor announced an unprecedented intervention in the culture sector, announcing nearly £2 billion for the CRF to help protect jobs and cultural organisations across the country. So far more than £1.5 billion has been allocated to around 5,000 individual organisations and sites.
The Government’s £400 billion in COVID-19 support over the pandemic will continue to help businesses into spring of this year and we will continue to respond proportionately to the changing path of the virus, as we have done since the start of the pandemic.
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will reverse his decision to reduce the Official Development Assistance budget from 7 per cent to 5 per cent of Gross National Income.
Answered by Simon Clarke
The Government remains committed to international development and providing support to the world's poorest. However, we face extraordinary fiscal circumstances as a result of our unprecedented support to the economy in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The United Kingdom remains one of the leading development doners in the world, providing over £10 billion this financial year towards our key international development priorities.
In July, the Chancellor set out the responsible fiscal circumstances under which we will return to spending 0.7% of GNI on ODA: when the independent Office for Budget Responsibility’s fiscal forecast confirms that, on a sustainable basis, the government is not borrowing for day-to-day spending and underlying debt is falling: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2021-07-12/hcws172.
Given the government’s careful stewardship of the public finances and the strength of the recovery, the ODA fiscal tests are now forecast to be met in 2024-25. As such, the 2021 Spending Review provisionally sets aside additional unallocated ODA funding for 2024-25, on top of departmental ODA settlements, to the value of the difference between 0.5% and 0.7% of GNI.
The government will continue to monitor future forecasts closely and, each year over this period, will review and confirm, in accordance with the International Development (Official Development Assistance Target) Act 2015 Act, whether a return to spending 0.7% of GNI on ODA is possible against the latest fiscal forecast.
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a Genuine Progress Indicator as a method of measuring economic and social progress in the UK.
Answered by Simon Clarke
The department has made no such assessment. HM Treasury makes use of a range of data and indicators when analysing the economy and setting economic policy.Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 4 November 2021 to Question 67285 on Private Education: Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and with reference to the detailed sector breakdowns for the education sector, how many private schools claimed support from the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to pay staff over the 2021 summer holidays.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The objective of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) was to support employers to retain their employees. It was therefore not for the Government to decide whether an individual firm should take its staff off furlough. That was a decision for the employer, in consultation with the employee.
HMRC produce monthly Official Statistics on the CJRS. The most granular breakdown they provide for the education sector is split by pre-primary, primary and secondary. but does not cover a breakdown by type of school.
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his Department's definition is of a non-frontline civil servant; and how the existing level of non-frontline civil servants compares to the pre-covid outbreak level of non-frontline civil servants in 2019-20.
Answered by Simon Clarke
The Department’s definition is consistent with the Civil Service Statistics publication. We define non-frontline to include, for example, policy, tax, project delivery, finance, HR, communications and analysis.
We think it is right that we continue to invest in frontline services growth, such as prison staff, which improves public service delivery. There has also been reasonable growth in policy and corporate staff in response to EU Exit and Covid pressures. However, as demand starts to abate, we must ensure resourcing does not exceed requirements to deliver value for money and make sure the Civil Service is in line with our overall approach to efficiency.
Departments publish their planned Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) figures in their Outcome Delivery Plans (ODPs). To support greater transparency for how public money is spent, departments also provide a breakdown of these FTEs by priority outcome or department. ODPs will be revised in Spring 2022 and include FTE figures for the SR21 settlement period.
Civil Service Statistics presents detailed information on the UK Civil Service workforce, including on pay, diversity and location. It is led by the Cabinet Office and will next report over the financial year concluding 31st March 2022. Civil Service Statistics: 2022 will be available on the GOV.UK website in the Summer of 2022.
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many private schools claimed support from the Coronavirus Job Support Scheme over the 2021 summer holidays.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) was set up to support employers to retain their employees through the Covid-19 pandemic. After running continuously for nineteen months, the scheme closed on 30 September 2021.
The CJRS was available to all employers and employees, provided they met the eligibility criteria. It was therefore not for the Government to decide whether an individual firm should take its staff off furlough – that was a decision for the employer, in consultation with the employee.
There are detailed sector breakdowns for the education sector available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmrc-coronavirus-covid-19-statistics. HMRC also published a list of employers who claimed the CJRS from December 2020 to July 2021: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/employers-who-have-claimed-through-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what fiscal steps he is taking to support high street businesses to recover from the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
To support high street businesses in response to the pandemic, the Government provided an unprecedented business rates holiday for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure properties in England. This meant eligible properties paid no business rates for 15 months from 1 April 2020 and, thanks to the new 66% capped relief which took effect on 1 July 2021, over 90% of eligible businesses are estimated to see a 75% reduction in their business rates bill across this entire financial year to next April.
The Prime Minister also launched a strategy for the high street in July to transform town centres into vibrant places to live, work and visit. Derelict buildings will be transformed, streets will be cleaned up, and communities across the UK will be given the chance to own their local pubs, theatres, sports grounds and corner shops. 15 Town Deals worth £335 million to revitalise towns across England were also confirmed.