Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff Central)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the cost of underwriting EU projects in Wales that extend beyond the UK's period of membership of the EU.
Answered by Elizabeth Truss
The potential cost of the Government’s guarantee of EU projects in Wales will be subject to a number of factors. These include the outcome of the negotiations and the outcome of bids made directly to the Commission. Departments and devolved administrations are focusing on ensuring the guarantee will be administered if necessary.
Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff Central)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the total projected cost to the Exchequer to 2020 of additional Government staff being hired to manage the UK's exit from the EU.
Answered by Elizabeth Truss
Whilst HM Treasury has oversight of all policies with spending implications, we do not collate information on all individual costs, including recruitment costs, incurred ahead of EU Exit. Where spend is not novel, contentious or repercussive, and is not above delegated limits, departments have autonomy to incur expenditure without seeking formal HMT clearance.
Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff Central)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the number of bank branch closures in (a) 2014, (b) 2015 and (c) 2016.
Answered by Steve Barclay - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The Treasury does not collect data relating to bank branch closures.
Decisions on the opening and closing of individual bank branches are taken by the management team of each bank on a commercial basis without intervention from Government. While banks and building societies need to balance customer interests, market competition, and other commercial factors when considering their strategy, the Government is pleased to see that the industry is committing to further improvements to protect those affected by branch closures.
For this reason, the Government welcomed the launch of the new Access to Banking Standard in May 2017. The Standard commits banks to ensure customers are better informed about branch closures and the reasons for them closing, along with the options they have locally to continue to access banking services, including specialist assistance for customers who need more help. The Access to Banking Standard is monitored and enforced by the independent Lending Standards Board.
Since January, 99% of banks’ personal customers are able to withdraw cash, deposit cash and cheques, and make balance enquiries at a Post Office counter via its network of 11,600 branches. Government will have provided nearly £2 billion during the period 2011 to 2018 to maintain and modernise the Post Office network.
Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff Central)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will list the Government departments that his Department does not anticipate needing discrete funding to prepare for UK negotiations on the EU resulting in no deal in the 2017-18 financial year.
Answered by Elizabeth Truss
The Treasury has committed over £250 million of additional spending in 2017-18 to prepare for Brexit from the Reserve. Departmental allocations will be set out at Supplementary Estimates in the usual way.
Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff Central)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the total amount of discrete funding his Department estimates each Government Department will receive to aid preparations for UK negotiations on the EU resulting in no deal in the 2017-18 financial year.
Answered by Elizabeth Truss
The Treasury has committed over £250 million of additional spending in 2017-18 to prepare for Brexit from the Reserve. Departmental allocations will be set out at Supplementary Estimates in the usual way.
Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff Central)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the effect that a statutory breathing space for indebted households would have on alleviating problem debt and bankruptcy.
Answered by Steve Barclay - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The government fully supports the principles of better debt management and lower levels of problem debt. This government has a manifesto commitment to introduce a statutory breathing space that would give heavily indebted consumers a period of respite from enforcement action, and further interest and charges for a period of up to six weeks. Where appropriate, they will be offered a statutory repayment plan to help them pay back their debts in a sustainable way. We will outline further information on how this policy could be implemented in due course.
Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff Central)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people in (a) Cardiff Central constituency and (b) Cardiff County local authority area have had a tax credit claim stopped by Concentrix; and how many such claims were subsequently reinstated by HM Revenue and Customs.
Answered by Jane Ellison
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) does not hold data broken down specifically by constituency areas.
HMRC is currently focussed on resolving the outstanding cases but will be preparing regional analysis, which will be available in due course.
Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff Central)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of his Department's fiscal policies on the financial position of women.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
In line with the Equality Act and the Government’s strong commitment to gender equality, ministers carefully consider the impacts for women when developing fiscal and other policies.
It is equally important for the future finances of both women and men that we have chosen to tackle the deficit; other Government policies including increases in the income tax personal allowance, the simplified state pension, auto enrolment into pensions, the National Living Wage, and free and tax-free childcare are also especially beneficial to women.
Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff Central)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether employers that have offshored their company payroll will be required to pay the apprenticeship levy.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Further details of how the Apprenticeship Levy will operate will be set out in the Finance Bill and draft clauses will be published early in 2016.
Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff Central)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much the apprenticeship levy is expected to raise in (a) 2017-18, (b) 2018-19 and (c) 2019-20.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Apprenticeship Levy is expected to raise:
These figures are published in table 3.1 of the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015 document which is available on gov.uk.