Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people affected by the loan charge has Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs referred to suicide prevention organisations since that charge was introduced.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Any loss of life is a tragedy, and my thoughts are with the families of those affected. The Government takes concerns about the wellbeing of all taxpayers seriously and recognises that the Loan Charge can add significant pressures for some taxpayers.
Individuals are supported on a case-by-case basis and all HMRC call handlers and case workers are trained to identify taxpayers who might need extra help, including those in distress. The support HMRC provides could be in relation to their tax affairs, or by signposting to specialist voluntary and community organisations, such as Mind or Samaritans. However, we do not keep a composite record of taxpayers that HMRC has referred to these specialist organisations.
The Government is working with HMRC to consider what additional specialised support could be provided to taxpayers who need extra help.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to protect access to cash.
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.
As part of the Financial Services Act 2021, the Government made legislative changes to support the widespread offering of cashback without a purchase by shops and other businesses.
From 1 July to 23 September last year, the Government held the Access to Cash Consultation on further 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: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress he has made on the findings of the Access to Cash consultation which closed on 23 September 2021.
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.
As part of the Financial Services Act 2021, the Government made legislative changes to support the widespread offering of cashback without a purchase by shops and other businesses.
From 1 July to 23 September last year, the Government held the Access to Cash Consultation on further 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: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with (a) his Ukrainian counterpart and (b) the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs on Ukrainian sovereign debt relief.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Chancellor continues to engage with G7 partners and International Financial Institutions on progressing current and future support to Ukraine. This includes a G7 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meeting held on 1 March with the Ukrainian Finance Minister.
Alongside our allies, we’ve hit Russia with the most severe package of sanctions it has ever seen and our economic and humanitarian support to Ukraine now totals around £400 million. This includes USD$100 million of funding to Ukraine through the World Bank Multi-Donor Trust Fund and that we stand ready to provide USD$500 million in loan guarantees to support Multilateral Development Bank lending. This support has also enabled a package to be agreed on 8 March of over $700m for direct fiscal support to Ukraine via the World Bank, to help mitigate direct economic impacts.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions has he had with (a) bank and card issuers, (b) the Financial Conduct Authority, c) the British Bankers’ Association and (d) the UK Cards Association on (i) subscription traps and (ii) supporting customers to cancel continuous payment authorisations.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Government is committed to tackling subscriptions traps and other business practices that harm consumers. To that end, the Government has been working closely with regulators to ensure consumers can easily cancel unwanted subscription contracts and avoid facing unreasonable charges.
Regarding Continuous Payment Authorities (CPAs), the Payment Services Regulations regulate how CPAs are established, and the rights and obligations of payers, payees and payment service providers. In its published guidance on the regulations, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) states that consumers have the right to cancel CPAs by contacting their payment service provider at any time before the end of the business day before a payment is due to be made, and to obtain an immediate refund from their payment service provider if any future payments are debited from their account after they have revoked their consent.
Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery.
Details of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-giftsand-overseas-travel
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending the Social Investment Tax Relief in Wales.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Social Investment Tax Relief (SITR) was introduced in 2014 to encourage risk finance investments in qualifying social enterprises and charities. Social enterprises anywhere in the UK can benefit from SITR, provided that they meet certain qualifying conditions.
HMRC statistics show that up to 2018-19, about 110 enterprises have used the scheme to raise £11.2 million.
The Government keeps all taxes and reliefs under review in order to ensure they continue to meet policy objectives in a way that is fair and effective. The Government previously published a Call for Evidence in 2019 on SITR’s use to date. A response to the consultation will be published in due course and a decision on SITR’s future will be announced at the Budget.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Social Investment Tax Relief in Wales.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Social Investment Tax Relief (SITR) was introduced in 2014 to encourage risk finance investments in qualifying social enterprises and charities. Social enterprises anywhere in the UK can benefit from SITR, provided that they meet certain qualifying conditions.
HMRC statistics show that up to 2018-19, about 110 enterprises have used the scheme to raise £11.2 million.
The Government keeps all taxes and reliefs under review in order to ensure they continue to meet policy objectives in a way that is fair and effective. The Government previously published a Call for Evidence in 2019 on SITR’s use to date. A response to the consultation will be published in due course and a decision on SITR’s future will be announced at the Budget.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to cap the interest accrued during mortgage payment holidays.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
Mortgage holidays have provided support for borrowers to manage their finances during a period of uncertainty. Borrowers will still need to repay the full balance of their loan, and will continue to accrue interest during the payment holiday, unless the lender has indicated otherwise. There are various options for managing this, for example, by increasing their remaining monthly payments, or by adding an extension to the term. Borrowers should talk to their lender to understand the options they offer.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions officials in his Department have had with (a) small maritime ports and (b) wharves in (i) Amlwch, (ii) Menai bridge and (iii) the rest of Wales on the necessary infrastructure for compliance with regulations in the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement.
Answered by Jesse Norman
HMRC carried out high level engagement with small maritime ports and wharves ahead of the end of the transition period; this includes those within Wales.
Ports indicating an intention to operate CTC will have also received direct communications from HMRC to understand their position for January 2021. Officials will carry out more detailed engagement with these stakeholders ahead of July 2021 to ensure they are ready for the introduction of staged controls.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the number of jobs that will be created by the establishment of an offsite HMRC facility to serve the port of Holyhead; and what proportion of those jobs will be (a) professional and (b) routine.
Answered by Jesse Norman
Estimates have been carried out based on volumes of traffic and expectations of site use.
HMRC are currently planning on in excess of 120 full time equivalent roles on site, attending over three shifts a day. The majority of roles will range from security and traffic marshalling to front office staff. Specialist roles will be provided by Defra, the Welsh Government and Border Force.