Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Government plans to fund all additional infrastructure required to facilitate a potential free port in Milford Haven.
Answered by Steve Barclay - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
We are considering a wide range of measures to create vibrant, innovative Freeports which are attractive to domestic and international investors looking to start or grow their UK operations. We are considering additional targeted funding for infrastructure improvements in Freeport areas to level up communities and increase employment opportunities.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 29 April 2020 to Question 39478 on Revenue and Customs: Staff, what plans his Department has to increase the grant funding available for customs agent training as a result of the covid-19 pandemic.
Answered by Jesse Norman
A full range of business support measures has been made available to UK businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.Separately, the Government has made available £34m of funding to support the expansion of the customs intermediaries sector, including the development of an online customs academy to deliver training to the sector. The Government continues to work closely with industry to consider if further support is needed.
The UK has a well-established industry of customs intermediaries which serve British businesses trading outside the EU. The sector is varied and consists of a number of different business models, including specific customs agents, freight forwarders and fast parcel operators; all of which will require differing numbers of staff. Government support of £34m has been designed to meet the needs of the sector to build capacity, covering training and IT innovation, as well as recruitment. The further expansion of the sector will require the recruitment and training of talented individuals from all backgrounds.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 29 April 2020 to Question 39478 on Revenue and Customs: Staff, how many of the 50,000 customs agents target have been recruited as at May 2020.
Answered by Jesse Norman
A full range of business support measures has been made available to UK businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.Separately, the Government has made available £34m of funding to support the expansion of the customs intermediaries sector, including the development of an online customs academy to deliver training to the sector. The Government continues to work closely with industry to consider if further support is needed.
The UK has a well-established industry of customs intermediaries which serve British businesses trading outside the EU. The sector is varied and consists of a number of different business models, including specific customs agents, freight forwarders and fast parcel operators; all of which will require differing numbers of staff. Government support of £34m has been designed to meet the needs of the sector to build capacity, covering training and IT innovation, as well as recruitment. The further expansion of the sector will require the recruitment and training of talented individuals from all backgrounds.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 29 April 2020 to Question 39478 on Revenue and Customs: Staff, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of retraining people who have been made redundant due to covid-19 as customs agents.
Answered by Jesse Norman
A full range of business support measures has been made available to UK businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.Separately, the Government has made available £34m of funding to support the expansion of the customs intermediaries sector, including the development of an online customs academy to deliver training to the sector. The Government continues to work closely with industry to consider if further support is needed.
The UK has a well-established industry of customs intermediaries which serve British businesses trading outside the EU. The sector is varied and consists of a number of different business models, including specific customs agents, freight forwarders and fast parcel operators; all of which will require differing numbers of staff. Government support of £34m has been designed to meet the needs of the sector to build capacity, covering training and IT innovation, as well as recruitment. The further expansion of the sector will require the recruitment and training of talented individuals from all backgrounds.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 29 April 2020 to Question 39478 on Revenue and Customs: Staff, how many additional customs agents the Government plans to have (a) recruited and (b) retrained by December 2020.
Answered by Jesse Norman
A full range of business support measures has been made available to UK businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.Separately, the Government has made available £34m of funding to support the expansion of the customs intermediaries sector, including the development of an online customs academy to deliver training to the sector. The Government continues to work closely with industry to consider if further support is needed.
The UK has a well-established industry of customs intermediaries which serve British businesses trading outside the EU. The sector is varied and consists of a number of different business models, including specific customs agents, freight forwarders and fast parcel operators; all of which will require differing numbers of staff. Government support of £34m has been designed to meet the needs of the sector to build capacity, covering training and IT innovation, as well as recruitment. The further expansion of the sector will require the recruitment and training of talented individuals from all backgrounds.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will amend the Treasury Direction in relation to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to enable employers to furlough employees (a) on sick leave and (b) that were pregnant women and sent home on sick leave following the Prime Minister’s public advice statement of 16 March 2020.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Direction does not prevent someone from being furloughed if they are pregnant, on Statutory Sick Pay or are eligible for Statutory Sick Pay, including if they are following shielding measures in line with public health guidance. This is consistent with the published guidance and the Prime Minister’s public advice statement.
The Government is grateful for the feedback it has received on both the HM Treasury Direction and HMRC’s guidance. HMRC and HM Treasury will continue to consider these comments and will provide appropriate clarification if necessary.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make it his policy to issue guidance to (a) businesses and (b) employers on the (i) support they are required to provide to pregnant employees and (ii) the furloughing of pregnant employees who are unable to work safely or work from home during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Jesse Norman
It is against the law to discriminate against anyone because of being pregnant. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 continue to apply, and guidance can be found here: https://www.hse.gov.uk/mothers/law.htm.
An employee can be furloughed if they are pregnant, including if they are following shielding measures in line with public health guidance. When furloughing pregnant employees, the normal rules for maternity and other forms of parental leave and pay apply. Employers can claim through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) for enhanced (earnings related) contractual pay for employees who qualify for maternity pay.
All employers are eligible to claim under the scheme and the Government recognises different businesses will face different impacts from coronavirus. Guidance on the scheme is available for employers at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-job-retention-scheme-step-by-step-guide-for-employers, and for employees at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/check-if-you-could-be-covered-by-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress has been made on (a) recruiting and (b) training additional HMRC customs agents.
Answered by Jesse Norman
HMRC have engaged extensively with the customs intermediaries sector on demand for customs broker services post-EU Exit and a possible shortfall in capacity. In response to feedback, HMRC have made £34 million available to support the sector with training, improvements in automation and recruitment of customs agents, and HMRC continue to consider ways to promote innovation in the sector and increase capacity. This support has funded approximately 19,200 training courses in customs processes and procedures and the creation of a new UK Customs Academy to provide online training courses and industry-recognised qualifications.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will take steps to ensure that interest is not charged on PAYE payments that are deferred as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government has announced an unprecedented package of support for businesses and individuals affected by COVID-19. This includes the deferment of VAT and Income Tax Self-Assessment payments for specified periods. Interest on these deferred payments will be waived.
All other taxes are required to be reported and paid on time, and interest continues to apply to late payments. HMRC have scaled up their Time to Pay service, which is available to any taxpayer in temporary financial distress as a result of COVID-19 and with outstanding tax liabilities. Time to Pay arrangements are tailored to the taxpayer and can include deferment of tax payments and an agreed time period to repay. They can cover any tax liability, including PAYE.
The Government has announced a range of other support for businesses, including grants for small businesses and government-backed loans that do not accrue interest for the first 12 months. Further information about HMRC’s dedicated COVID-19 support can be found by visiting the GOV.UK website.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when information on the two child limit policy was most recently included in leaflets sent to claimants renewing their child tax credit claim.
Answered by Jesse Norman
HMRC provide information about this policy in leaflets which are sent to all claimants in their renewal packs and to those customers finalising their claim in year. Leaflets were last issued in the 2018/19 Tax Credit renewals packs and will again be included in 2019/20 renewal packs from April 2020 onwards.
Information is also available on GOV.UK, while Jobcentre Plus staff can advise on how the policy operates. Claimants were alerted to this policy when it was announced by the Government as part of Summer Budget 2015.
DWP and HMRC also produce annual joint reports with statistics relating to the implementation of the policy. The most recent of these was published on 31 July 2019 and can be found online at: