Asked by: Jack Dromey (Labour - Birmingham, Erdington)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, whether his Department operates a red, amber and green rating system for categorising Freedom of Information requests according to their presentational sensitivity.
Answered by David T C Davies - Secretary of State for Wales
The Office of the Secretary of State for Wales works to answer Freedom of Information requests within the timescales set out in the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and does not operate a red, amber and green rating system in doing so.
Asked by: Jack Dromey (Labour - Birmingham, Erdington)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department operates a red, amber and green rating system for categorising Freedom of Information requests according to their presentational sensitivity.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
The Treasury does not operate such a system.
All FOI requests are treated exactly the same, regardless of who the request is from and their occupation.
Asked by: Jack Dromey (Labour - Birmingham, Erdington)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of easing covid-19 restrictions for amateur choirs.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
I know that the restrictions on singing are frustrating to large numbers of amateur choirs and performance groups across the country and that many people have made sacrifices in order to drive down infections and protect the NHS over the last year. I can assure you that everyone across Government wants to ease these restrictions as soon as possible.
However, it is important that we take a cautious approach in easing restrictions.
We will continue to keep guidance and restrictions under review, in line with the changing situation. As set out in the roadmap, we hope to remove all legal limits on social contact at step 4. Further detail on step 4 will be set out as soon as possible.
Asked by: Jack Dromey (Labour - Birmingham, Erdington)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what comparative assessment he has made of the number of (a) additional HMRC customs agents that are required to manage the new trading rules with the EU under the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement and (b) those agents required in February 2020.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government does not employ customs agents/customs intermediaries directly, and it does not have a target for numbers of customs agents. Readiness of the customs intermediary sector relates to the capacity to make declarations, rather than numbers of staff employed. This is because the sector is varied and made up of a number of different business models including specific customs brokers, freight forwarders and fast parcel operators; all of which will require different numbers of staff to complete declarations and to provide their services. Many in the sector have innovated and brought in significant IT solutions to automate many processes which has reduced the numbers of staff they require. The Government has helped them to do this by making over £80 million of support available, including flexible grants that can be used for IT and training, as well as recruitment, depending on the needs of the business.
The Government knows the intermediary sector has used this support and increased capacity significantly. The findings of recent Ipsos Mori surveying of the sector (published on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/research-into-the-customs-intermediaries-sector-wave-2-report) show that customs intermediaries expected to increase their capacity four fold to meet additional demand. In addition, the Government has created an intermediary register on GOV.UK to help traders find an agent. This holds a list of intermediaries that traders could use and shows which are taking on new clients, and the services offered. Over 300 intermediaries have highlighted they are taking on new clients, including those that specialise in smaller traders or movements of goods subject to SPS controls.
The Government continues to monitor the situation closely and engage with the sector to understand the support it needs, keeping measures under review.
Asked by: Jack Dromey (Labour - Birmingham, Erdington)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many additional customs agents have been employed by HMRC since February 2020.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government does not employ customs agents/customs intermediaries directly, and it does not have a target for numbers of customs agents. Readiness of the customs intermediary sector relates to the capacity to make declarations, rather than numbers of staff employed. This is because the sector is varied and made up of a number of different business models including specific customs brokers, freight forwarders and fast parcel operators; all of which will require different numbers of staff to complete declarations and to provide their services. Many in the sector have innovated and brought in significant IT solutions to automate many processes which has reduced the numbers of staff they require. The Government has helped them to do this by making over £80 million of support available, including flexible grants that can be used for IT and training, as well as recruitment, depending on the needs of the business.
The Government knows the intermediary sector has used this support and increased capacity significantly. The findings of recent Ipsos Mori surveying of the sector (published on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/research-into-the-customs-intermediaries-sector-wave-2-report) show that customs intermediaries expected to increase their capacity four fold to meet additional demand. In addition, the Government has created an intermediary register on GOV.UK to help traders find an agent. This holds a list of intermediaries that traders could use and shows which are taking on new clients, and the services offered. Over 300 intermediaries have highlighted they are taking on new clients, including those that specialise in smaller traders or movements of goods subject to SPS controls.
The Government continues to monitor the situation closely and engage with the sector to understand the support it needs, keeping measures under review.
Asked by: Jack Dromey (Labour - Birmingham, Erdington)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement, and its integrated social security protocol, provides for UK nationals who worked and accrued state pension entitlements in Belgium before 1 January 2021, but have not reached state pension age, to maintain their state pension rights accrued in Belgium payable on the date they would be eligible for state pension under the Belgian system, including with any indexation increases.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Further to my reply of 9th March 2021 (UIN 162545), State Pension arrangements remain unchanged following the UK’s Exit from the EU including for UK nationals who have relevant social security contributions in Belgium, as well as other EU member states.
All UK State Pension recipients in the EU will have their State Pension paid (including annual increases) in line with rates in the UK. These arrangements have been agreed with the EU and all its member states on a reciprocal basis in the Withdrawal Agreement for those who moved across borders up to 31 December 2020 and in the Trade and Cooperation Agreement for those who move across borders from 1 January 2021. This means that Belgium, and other EU Member States, will reciprocate the position outlined above in relation to pension entitlement in those States.
The Department for Work and Pensions, together with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and other departments, are working with the European Union and its Member States to ensure that that the Citizen's Right provisions under the agreements with the EU are implemented on both sides.
The UK Government is not entering any unilateral negotiations with Belgium on State Pensions.
Asked by: Jack Dromey (Labour - Birmingham, Erdington)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the Government's policy is on UK nationals' access to accrued state pension entitlements in the event that a reciprocal bilateral agreement on state pension entitlements is not agreed with Belgium; and which Minister is responsible for that policy.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Further to my reply of 9th March 2021 (UIN 162545), State Pension arrangements remain unchanged following the UK’s Exit from the EU including for UK nationals who have relevant social security contributions in Belgium, as well as other EU member states.
All UK State Pension recipients in the EU will have their State Pension paid (including annual increases) in line with rates in the UK. These arrangements have been agreed with the EU and all its member states on a reciprocal basis in the Withdrawal Agreement for those who moved across borders up to 31 December 2020 and in the Trade and Cooperation Agreement for those who move across borders from 1 January 2021. This means that Belgium, and other EU Member States, will reciprocate the position outlined above in relation to pension entitlement in those States.
The Department for Work and Pensions, together with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and other departments, are working with the European Union and its Member States to ensure that that the Citizen's Right provisions under the agreements with the EU are implemented on both sides.
The UK Government is not entering any unilateral negotiations with Belgium on State Pensions.
Asked by: Jack Dromey (Labour - Birmingham, Erdington)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Government has entered into negotiations with the Belgian Government to ensure the continued state pension rights of UK nationals who have paid into the Belgian state pension system.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Further to my reply of 9th March 2021 (UIN 162545), State Pension arrangements remain unchanged following the UK’s Exit from the EU including for UK nationals who have relevant social security contributions in Belgium, as well as other EU member states.
All UK State Pension recipients in the EU will have their State Pension paid (including annual increases) in line with rates in the UK. These arrangements have been agreed with the EU and all its member states on a reciprocal basis in the Withdrawal Agreement for those who moved across borders up to 31 December 2020 and in the Trade and Cooperation Agreement for those who move across borders from 1 January 2021. This means that Belgium, and other EU Member States, will reciprocate the position outlined above in relation to pension entitlement in those States.
The Department for Work and Pensions, together with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and other departments, are working with the European Union and its Member States to ensure that that the Citizen's Right provisions under the agreements with the EU are implemented on both sides.
The UK Government is not entering any unilateral negotiations with Belgium on State Pensions.
Asked by: Jack Dromey (Labour - Birmingham, Erdington)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the reciprocal pension rights of UK and Belgian nationals who have yet to reach state retirement age, which were accrued in Belgium or in the UK before the end of the transition period, are the subject of bilateral negotiations towards agreement between the UK and Belgium.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Further to my reply of 9th March 2021 (UIN 162545), State Pension arrangements remain unchanged following the UK’s Exit from the EU including for UK nationals who have relevant social security contributions in Belgium, as well as other EU member states.
All UK State Pension recipients in the EU will have their State Pension paid (including annual increases) in line with rates in the UK. These arrangements have been agreed with the EU and all its member states on a reciprocal basis in the Withdrawal Agreement for those who moved across borders up to 31 December 2020 and in the Trade and Cooperation Agreement for those who move across borders from 1 January 2021. This means that Belgium, and other EU Member States, will reciprocate the position outlined above in relation to pension entitlement in those States.
The Department for Work and Pensions, together with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and other departments, are working with the European Union and its Member States to ensure that that the Citizen's Right provisions under the agreements with the EU are implemented on both sides.
The UK Government is not entering any unilateral negotiations with Belgium on State Pensions.
Asked by: Jack Dromey (Labour - Birmingham, Erdington)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 2 February 2021 to Question 145127 on customs: ICT, how many individuals were employed in each team in the month of (a) December 2020 and (b) March 2021.
Answered by Jesse Norman
In December HMRC had 165 FTE employed on the Customs and International Trade helpline, webchat and accompanying activity, and HMRC now have 145 FTE employed on the Customs and International Trade helpline, webchat and accompanying activity.