Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether UK National Minimum Wage resource has been dedicated to the maritime sector.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
All businesses, irrespective of size or business sector, are responsible for paying the correct minimum wage to their staff. HMRC does not stand for anyone failing to meet their obligation to pay at least the minimum wage.
As of March 2022 HMRC had 390 full time equivalent National Minimum Wage (NMW) officers in post. NMW officers work across all sectors in the UK, including the maritime sector, undertaking targeted activity where they identify a potential risk.
HMRC takes seriously and considers all complaints received, if anyone thinks they are not receiving at least the minimum wage, they can contact Acas, in confidence, on 0300 123 1100 or submit a query online: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pay-and-work-rights-complaints. HMRC also welcomes information from third parties, if any person or organisation has information about potential NMW breaches they can get in touch with us via GOV.UK by searching “pay and work rights complaints”.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has received recent representations on the provision of HMRC employment data to airports for the purpose of facilitating employment checks.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
HMRC has received representation from the industry and is working closely with the Department of Transport. HMRC has provided support and guidance to the industry that allows employees to present their employment history to prospective employers and, on Monday 25 July, will enhance the employment history service within the Personal Tax Account to make the process easier. HMRC has an equivalent process for those customers unable to use the digital service.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many vessels the HMRC has assessed for compliance with the minimum wage; and what resources HMRC has allocated to undertaking those compliance assessments.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The Government is determined that everyone who is entitled to the National Minimum Wage (NMW) receives it.
HMRC will not hesitate to take action to ensure that workers receive what they are legally entitled to and continue to crack down on employers who ignore the law. Since 2015, HMRC have secured over £115 million for more than 1.1 million workers.
HMRC considers all complaints from workers. If anyone thinks they are not receiving at least the minimum wage, they can contact Acas, in confidence, on: 0300 123 1100, or report their employer online here: www.gov.uk/minimum-wage-complaint.
HMRC do not just rely on complaints. They also undertake proactive enforcement activities, such as selecting cases for investigation based on their own risk modelling and undertaking outreach activities to help employers understand their obligations and making sure workers know their rights. Alongside this, they consider all intelligence and/or information shared with them.
When HMRC investigates for potential NMW breaches, they look at the whole workforce for an employer. Between the 2015-16 financial year and the 2021-22 financial year, they carried out 18 investigations into employers working in the maritime sector.
HMRC deploy resources to risk, flexing deployment to respond to complaints from workers and using their own detailed risk identification processes to assess and respond to the level of risk in a sector.
On 1 October 2020, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy changed the law so that seafarers, and other maritime persons, who work or ordinarily work in the UK or in UK territorial waters (generally 12 nautical miles from the seashore) are generally entitled to NMW. This is regardless of where the vessel is registered or whether the worker ordinarily resides in the UK.
HMRC has worked with maritime worker representatives and employers to raise awareness of the new NMW legislation that came into force on 1 October 2020. HMRC have written to employers in the maritime sector, asking them to check that they are paying all their workers the correct minimum wage and pointing them to available guidance.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 1 April 2022 to Question 145936, on Shipping: Minimum Wage, how many inspections of businesses HMRC has undertaken to ensure that seafarers and other maritime persons who work or ordinarily work in the UK or in UK territorial waters are paid the national minimum wage.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The Government is determined that everyone who is entitled to the National Minimum Wage (NMW) receives it.
HMRC will not hesitate to take action to ensure that workers receive what they are legally entitled to and continue to crack down on employers who ignore the law. Since 2015, HMRC have secured over £115 million for more than 1.1 million workers.
HMRC considers all complaints from workers. If anyone thinks they are not receiving at least the minimum wage, they can contact Acas, in confidence, on: 0300 123 1100, or report their employer online here: www.gov.uk/minimum-wage-complaint.
HMRC do not just rely on complaints. They also undertake proactive enforcement activities, such as selecting cases for investigation based on their own risk modelling and undertaking outreach activities to help employers understand their obligations and making sure workers know their rights. Alongside this, they consider all intelligence and/or information shared with them.
When HMRC investigates for potential NMW breaches, they look at the whole workforce for an employer. Between the 2015-16 financial year and the 2021-22 financial year, they carried out 18 investigations into employers working in the maritime sector.
HMRC deploy resources to risk, flexing deployment to respond to complaints from workers and using their own detailed risk identification processes to assess and respond to the level of risk in a sector.
On 1 October 2020, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy changed the law so that seafarers, and other maritime persons, who work or ordinarily work in the UK or in UK territorial waters (generally 12 nautical miles from the seashore) are generally entitled to NMW. This is regardless of where the vessel is registered or whether the worker ordinarily resides in the UK.
HMRC has worked with maritime worker representatives and employers to raise awareness of the new NMW legislation that came into force on 1 October 2020. HMRC have written to employers in the maritime sector, asking them to check that they are paying all their workers the correct minimum wage and pointing them to available guidance.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether HMRC have withdrawn personal statement PAYE validation services for airport staff awaiting security clearance.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
HMRC has not withdrawn any such services and continues to make employment history available to any employee. This can be found through the HMRC app: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-official-hmrc-app/the-free-hmrc-app and the employee’s digital Personal Tax Account: https://www.gov.uk/personal-tax-account. There are also arrangements in place to support those unable to access their digital tax account. HMRC would be happy to investigate any specific claims where it appears that such services have been withdrawn.Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what powers HMRC has to enforce the National Minimum Wage on vessels operating out of UK ports.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
HMRC enforces the National Minimum Wage (NMW) and National Living Wage (NLW) in line with the law and policy set out by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).
The National Minimum Wage Act 1998 enables HMRC to enforce NMW across all business sectors in the UK.
The Act provides HMRC officers with a number of powers to enforce the NMW, including: the power to inspect records; enforcing payment of arrears of NMW by issuing a Notice of Underpayment; charging penalties of up to 200% of the arrears; and for the most serious cases (involving obstruction, falsifying of documents or wilful failure to pay workers the NMW) referring cases for prosecution to the Crown Prosecution Service.
Since 1 October 2020, following a change in the law, seafarers and other maritime persons who work or ordinarily work in the UK or in UK territorial waters (generally 12 nautical miles from the seashore) are generally entitled to NMW.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland's evidence to the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee of 20 January 2021 on the Work of the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Q100, HC 264, whether the Government plans to publish guidance for businesses on steel tariffs.
Answered by Jesse Norman
On the issue of steel movements into Northern Ireland, the Government wrote to affected businesses in January and published guidance on 3 March.
This guidance is available online: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reference-document-for-the-customs-northern-ireland-eu-exit-regulations-2020/the-steel-notice
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Spending Review 2020, what the timescale is for the £4 billion Levelling Up Fund.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
The government is launching a new Levelling Up Fund worth £4bn for England, that will attract up to £800m for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in the usual way. The Levelling Up Fund will invest in local infrastructure that has a visible impact on people and their communities and will support economic recovery. The SR makes available up to £600m in 2021-22. Further funding will be spread over subsequent years up to 24/25.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what contingency plans are in place in the event that the Customs Declaration Service is not fully operational on 1 January 2021.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The changes required to the Customs Declaration Service to facilitate Northern Ireland’s trade with Great Britain and the Rest of the World have been in the trade test environment since 15 October and are on track to be implemented in December.
External readiness remains the most significant challenge to successful delivery, and the Government has procured the Trader Support Service to mitigate trader readiness challenges. This is a free service to support businesses with the new administrative process under the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when traders will be provided with details on what data to input into the Trader Support Service to ensure that goods can continue to move on 1 January 2021.
Answered by Jesse Norman
When traders register with the Trader Support Service they will receive support and guidance on what the Protocol means for them. This will include the steps they need to take to comply with the Protocol.
The Trader Support Service will support traders to understand the information they will need to collect about their goods, including their description, value and any supporting documentation required. HMRC and the consortium are currently finalising technical details on how the declaration service will operate, and will be setting out the specifics of how information should be provided via the TSS shortly.
The service will then use this information to complete import and safety and security declarations on behalf of trader users. Where a business uses the TSS to complete these they will not need access to HMRC systems, such as CDS or ICS, themselves.