Asked by: Lisa Forbes (Labour - Peterborough)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on the (a) employment prospects and (b) financial security of former staff of the HMRC office in Peterborough of the closure of that office.
Answered by Jesse Norman
HMRC’s office in Peterborough (Churchgate) is scheduled to close in December 2020 with staff moving where possible to the Stratford Regional Centre, or to Croydon or Nottingham if these are more suitable options. One-to-one meetings between staff and managers to discuss personal circumstances and support packages tailored to individual needs are scheduled to start in November 2019. The precise impact of the office closure will not be known until these meetings have been completed.
HMRC will support people who are unable to move to work through all possible options, including helping them to find another role and offering advice and training on applying for jobs. HMRC have a close working relationship with the other government departments in Peterborough and will continue to scope opportunities for their staff as they arise.
HMRC are committed to supporting their people and in July 2019 HMRC published a People and Equality Impact Assessment, which is available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/817787/People_and_Equality_Impact_Assessment_-_Locations_Programme__2019_.pdf. The document sets out the actions HMRC are taking across the UK to minimise the impacts on their people.
Asked by: Lisa Forbes (Labour - Peterborough)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to ensure banks are able to effectively tackle cybercrime.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Government is determined to protect consumers and further improve the resilience of the finance sector.
The Financial Authorities (HM Treasury, the Bank of England, Prudential Regulation Authority, and the Financial Conduct Authority) work together to assess, test and improve the operational resilience, including cyber resilience, of the finance sector.
The finance sector also benefits from a dedicated team within the National Cyber Security Centre, who work closely with industry, the Financial Authorities, and the National Crime Agency to protect firms and provide support during incidents.
In July 2018, the Prudential Regulation Authority and the Financial Conduct Authority published a joint Discussion Paper on an approach to improve the operational resilience, including cyber resilience, of firms and financial market infrastructures.
It has also been made easier for customers to report fraud or cybercrime to law enforcement. Action Fraud is the UK’s reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime, providing a central point of contact for information about fraud and financially motivated internet crime.