Asked by: Kirsty Blackman (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen North)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of the conclusions of the AAT MP Survey Results, published on 21 January 2019, which found that 54 per cent of hon. Members would support changing the Women in Finance Charter to incorporate all sectors of the economy.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
It is the Government’s aspiration to see diversity across the UK economy. A diverse workforce is good for business – it is good for customers, for profitability and workplace culture.
HM Treasury’s Women in Finance Charter reflects our ambition to see an improved gender balance in the financial services industry. So far, 300 financial services firms have signed the Charter, committing to implement strategic actions to improve their gender balance at a senior level.
The AAT MP Survey Results positively highlights the need to take action to improve gender diversity across all sectors, as we work towards gender parity as a society.
We recognise that there is still further work to be done to address the gender imbalance in the wider economy, and the need to adopt an industry-led approach so that new initiatives are tailored to the issues each sector is facing. We are pleased to have already seen other sectors take action to improve their gender balance and establish their own initiatives including the Women in Maritime Pledge (the forerunner to the Women in Maritime Charter), the Women in Aviation and Aerospace Charter and the Tech Talent Charter.
We are supportive of this approach and encourage other sectors to consider what further action they can take to improve their gender balance. We will continue to focus on strengthening industry-led work in this area, and sharing knowledge and best practice across sectors, to maximise their impact on the wider economy.
Asked by: Kirsty Blackman (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen North)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the widening of the Women in Finance Charter to cover other sectors of the economy.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
It is the Government’s aspiration to see diversity across the UK economy. A diverse workforce is good for business – it is good for customers, for profitability and workplace culture.
HM Treasury’s Women in Finance Charter reflects our ambition to see an improved gender balance in the financial services industry. So far, 300 financial services firms have signed the Charter, committing to implement strategic actions to improve their gender balance at a senior level.
The AAT MP Survey Results positively highlights the need to take action to improve gender diversity across all sectors, as we work towards gender parity as a society.
We recognise that there is still further work to be done to address the gender imbalance in the wider economy, and the need to adopt an industry-led approach so that new initiatives are tailored to the issues each sector is facing. We are pleased to have already seen other sectors take action to improve their gender balance and establish their own initiatives including the Women in Maritime Pledge (the forerunner to the Women in Maritime Charter), the Women in Aviation and Aerospace Charter and the Tech Talent Charter.
We are supportive of this approach and encourage other sectors to consider what further action they can take to improve their gender balance. We will continue to focus on strengthening industry-led work in this area, and sharing knowledge and best practice across sectors, to maximise their impact on the wider economy.
Asked by: Kirsty Blackman (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen North)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether it is his Department’s policy to provide additional fiscal support to providers of public services should their costs change as a result of the UK leaving the EU without a deal and if (a) such inflationary effects have not been compensated by the Treasury and (b) the funding commitments referred to in response to Question 206791 have been deployed in full.
Answered by Elizabeth Truss
HM Treasury is in regular discussion with departments and public-sector providers about the pressures they face. As a responsible government, we are committed to ensuring that all necessary preparations are made before the UK’s departure from the EU in March, for all scenarios – including ‘no-deal’. Any specific queries relating to the preparations of individual departments or public-sector providers should be made to the department in question.
The funding commitments referred to in Question 206791 relate to two different financial years - 2018-19 and 2019-20. Funding will be confirmed through the estimates process in the relevant year.
Asked by: Kirsty Blackman (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen North)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the effect on the amount of customs revenue accruing to the public purse of (a) leaving the EU, (b) leaving the EU without a deal and (b) the Department for Transport’s decision to prioritise speed of goods processing over revenue collection at the border.
Answered by Mel Stride - Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
The amount of customs revenue collected will be dependent on the rates of import duty set and our relationship with the EU. In the event of “no deal” the Government will publish new UK duty rates, in due course, before we leave the EU.
Asked by: Kirsty Blackman (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen North)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to complete the roll-out of the Customs Declaration Service; and when the Customs Declaration Service will be available to all businesses.
Answered by Mel Stride - Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
The Customs Declaration Service is being delivered through three releases of functionality. The first two releases were implemented between August and December 2018, providing the majority of the functionality necessary for imports. The third release, planned for later this year, will provide the functionality necessary for exports. Some businesses are already using the new Customs Declaration Service, and HMRC expects all businesses to migrate to the new service after the third release has been implemented. In the meantime, the existing CHIEF system will remain available for businesses to use.
Asked by: Kirsty Blackman (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen North)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the additional expenditure that will be required in each Department in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a negotiated deal.
Answered by Elizabeth Truss
As a responsible government, we are committed to ensuring all necessary preparations are made before the UK’s departure from the EU in March, for all scenarios - including ‘no deal’.
At Autumn Budget 2017, the Chancellor announced an additional £1.5bn in both 2018/19 and 2019/20 to help departments and the devolved administrations prepare for all Brexit scenarios; for 2019/20, this was further increased by £500m at Budget 2018, to £2bn. A full breakdown of the 2018/19 allocations can be found in the Chief Secretary’s Written Ministerial Statement HCWS540, laid before Parliament on the 13th March 2018: (https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2018-03-13/HCWS540/)
A full breakdown of the 2019/20 allocations can be found in the Chief Secretary’s Written Ministerial Statement HCWS1205, laid before Parliament on the 19th December 2018: (https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2018-12-18/HCWS1205/)
HM Treasury is in regular discussions with departments regarding their EU-exit preparations; any specific queries relating to the preparations of individual departments or public-sector providers should be made to the department in question.
Asked by: Kirsty Blackman (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen North)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions his Department has had with other Departments on providing fiscal support to the providers of public services for changes to their costs in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a negotiated deal.
Answered by Elizabeth Truss
As a responsible government, we are committed to ensuring all necessary preparations are made before the UK’s departure from the EU in March, for all scenarios - including ‘no deal’.
At Autumn Budget 2017, the Chancellor announced an additional £1.5bn in both 2018/19 and 2019/20 to help departments and the devolved administrations prepare for all Brexit scenarios; for 2019/20, this was further increased by £500m at Budget 2018, to £2bn. A full breakdown of the 2018/19 allocations can be found in the Chief Secretary’s Written Ministerial Statement HCWS540, laid before Parliament on the 13th March 2018: (https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2018-03-13/HCWS540/)
A full breakdown of the 2019/20 allocations can be found in the Chief Secretary’s Written Ministerial Statement HCWS1205, laid before Parliament on the 19th December 2018: (https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2018-12-18/HCWS1205/)
HM Treasury is in regular discussions with departments regarding their EU-exit preparations; any specific queries relating to the preparations of individual departments or public-sector providers should be made to the department in question.
Asked by: Kirsty Blackman (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen North)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has plans to provide financial support to businesses in Scotland deploying no-deal contingency plans as a result of the Government deferring the meaningful vote on the Withdrawal Agreement.
Answered by Elizabeth Truss
The Government has taken steps throughout the EU Exit process to help businesses to prepare for a range of potential scenarios. These include the Government as a whole publishing 106 specific technical notices to help businesses prepare for March 2019 in the event of a ‘no deal’ scenario, and HMRC publishing a ‘Partnership Pack’ and sending letters to 145,000 traders setting out some actions businesses should take now to prepare for changes at the border in a ‘no deal’ scenario. We will continue to work with the Scottish Government to support businesses in Scotland.
Asked by: Kirsty Blackman (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen North)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will ensure that the views of civil society organisations are included in the insight from external stakeholders document that will be provided to Members before voting on the EU withdrawal agreement.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Government has met its commitment to provide appropriate analysis to Parliament ahead of the vote on the final deal. This analysis brings together the best expertise and experience from departments across government, and insight from external stakeholders. Ministers and officials from across Government regularly engage with a range of external experts and other stakeholders in order to inform our negotiations, and to understand their concerns and priorities regarding our EU exit
Asked by: Kirsty Blackman (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen North)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what correspondence has there been between his Department and the Scottish Government on the establishment of a Scottish National Investment Bank.
Answered by Elizabeth Truss
Treasury ministers and officials have regular discussions with our counterparts in the Scottish Government on matters of importance to Scotland’s economy and the wider UK.
Derek Mackay, Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Economy and Fair Work in the Scottish Government, wrote to the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 1 May setting out plans for the Scottish National Investment Bank. Officials subsequently met to discuss the Scottish Government’s proposals.