Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will instruct the Financial Conduct Authority to require Liverpool Victoria to inform its owners of any benefit the (a) LV Chief Executive and (b) Board will attract from a merger; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is operationally independent from the Government. These questions have therefore been passed to the FCA who will respond directly to the Honourable Member by letter. Copies of the letters will be placed in the Library of the House.
Regarding the costs relating to Liverpool Victoria’s (LV’s) proposed demutualisation and sale to Bain Capital, these will be disclosed as part of LV’s 2021 annual report.
In respect of a potential merger between LV and Royal London, these parties have announced that their talks have ceased, and consequently there is nothing further for the Government to add on this matter.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many benefits fraud cases involving child benefit his Department was investigating involving a child considered at risk where the child was residing in Russia, as of 26 January 2022.
Answered by Simon Clarke
Information in the form requested is not readily available and could only be obtained/compiled/collated at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many staff in his Department were working on cases involving allegations of child benefit fraud where the recipient had left the UK and was believed to be living overseas, as of 26 January 2022.
Answered by Simon Clarke
Information in the form requested is not readily available and could only be obtained/compiled/collated at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the average length of time was that child benefit claims have continued to be paid following an allegation to the Department that an individual had left the UK and was no longer habitually resident in the UK, in each of the last five years.
Answered by Simon Clarke
Information in the form requested is not readily available and could only be obtained/compiled/collated at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in how many and what proportion of child benefit fraud cases has the recipient been believed to have relocated from the UK and where the Department has continued to make payments, in each of the last five years.
Answered by Simon Clarke
Information in the form requested is not readily available and could only be obtained/compiled/collated at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the longest investigation by his Department is involving a potential child benefit fraud case where the recipient is believed to be living in Russia.
Answered by Simon Clarke
Information in the form requested is not readily available and could only be obtained/compiled/collated at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many letters and emails has his Department's Complaints Team received relating to allegations of child benefit fraud by a recipient living in Russia and no longer habitually resident in the UK, since 2020; how many allegations of child benefit fraud his Department has received about a recipient living in Russia and no longer habitually resident in the UK, since August 2020; and how many cases his Department has been alerted to where a person in receipt of child benefit was believed to be living in Russia and subject to legal proceedings in that country since 2020.
Answered by Simon Clarke
Information in the form requested is not readily available and could only be obtained/compiled/collated at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of including information directed at people eligible to receive Specified adult Childcare Credits on the Child Benefit (CH2) form; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Simon Clarke
Guidance on Specified Adult Childcare (SAC) credits is already provided on gov.uk. We think that including SAC credits information on the Child Benefit form could distract from the key message on the importance of claiming Child Benefit as SAC credits gives access to benefits such as National Insurance credits.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 6 September 2021 to Question 38132, on Financial Services: EU Action, what progress has been made in the UK and EU on signing the Memorandum of Understanding on financial services; what timeframe has been agreed for greater regulatory cooperation on financial services; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
As detailed in the answer to Question 38132, technical discussions on the text of the Memorandum of Understanding on financial services regulatory cooperation have concluded. The Government is ready to sign but further steps are required on the EU side before the MoU will come into effect and the UK-EU Forum can be convened.