Asked by: Hannah Bardell (Scottish National Party - Livingston)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 19 April 2018 to Question 135229 on Public Sector: Pensions, what progress has been made by responsible Departments in implementing the necessary regulatory changes arising from the Walker v. Innospec Limited judgement.
Answered by Elizabeth Truss
Departments responsible for the Police, Firefighters’, NHS, Local Government and Armed Forces pension schemes have made the necessary regulatory changes arising from the Walker v. Innospec Limited judgment. Departments responsible for the Teachers’ and Civil Service pension schemes are in the process of doing so.
Asked by: Hannah Bardell (Scottish National Party - Livingston)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an assessment of the implications for his policy on the rates of value added tax applied to newspapers and periodicals of the Cairncross review recommendation on extending the zero rate of that taxation to digital publications; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Mel Stride - Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
The Government keeps all taxes under review, including VAT on e-publications.
Any amendments to the VAT regime as it applies to physical publications and e-publications must be carefully assessed against policy, economic and fiscal considerations.
Asked by: Hannah Bardell (Scottish National Party - Livingston)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to tackle the increase in household debt.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The household debt-to-income ratio was 138% in Q4 2017, significantly below its pre-crisis high of 160% in Q1 2008. However, the government recognises the importance of supporting people who are over-indebted.
The government is setting up a new Single Financial Guidance Body, which will provide consumers with a single point of contact for help with all financial matters, and commission high-quality, free to user debt advice.
The government is also implementing a breathing space scheme, which will provide people with unmanageable debt a period of respite from creditor action of up to six weeks, in order to seek debt advice and enter into a sustainable debt solution.