Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the cost of the Goods Vehicle Movement Service; and what category of risk has been assigned for that service being delivered on (a) time and (b) budget.
Answered by Jesse Norman
HMRC are confident that they will have the Goods Vehicle Movement Service (GVMS) ready to be implemented at border locations where a pre-lodgement model is adopted on 31 December 2020 to use for all movements supporting the Northern Ireland Protocol, and by the time staging in of full controls for EU movements is complete by July 2021. Spending on the GVMS in 2020/21 is funded from within HMRC's EU Transition budget allocation of £382 million.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Infrastructure Projects Authority has awarded an RAG delivery confidence rating for the Goods Vehicle Movement Service.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Goods Vehicle Movement Service (GVMS) project is part of a wider programme of work delivering system and business process changes for the end of the transition period. The Infrastructure Projects Authority conducted a review of this programme of work in May and provided a delivery confidence assessment for the programme, not its constituent projects.
This programme of work is part of the Government Major Projects Portfolio (GMPP). The Government’s publication strategy sets out that the Delivery Confidence Assessment from the Q2 GMPP report for a programme is made public in the IPA’s next Annual Report.
HMRC will have the GVMS ready to be implemented at border locations where a pre-lodgement model is adopted on 31 December 2020 to use for all movements supporting the Northern Ireland Protocol, and by the time that staging in of full controls for EU movements is complete by July 2021.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether HMRC has provided advice to businesses in Northern Ireland on the additional processes that will be required for trade between Northern Ireland and Great Britain once the Northern Ireland Protocol comes into force.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Northern Ireland Protocol is clear that Northern Ireland is, and will remain, part of the UK’s customs territory. The Protocol allows the UK to maintain unfettered market access for goods moving from Northern Ireland to Great Britain, as is the case today. The Government has also set out that although there will be some limited additional processes for goods arriving in Northern Ireland, there will be no new physical customs infrastructure.
It is important that businesses understand how the Protocol will be implemented so they can make the necessary preparations for the end of the Transition Period. For that reason, the Government published a command paper on 20 May setting out the UK’s approach to the Northern Ireland Protocol. Ministers and officials meet Northern Ireland businesses regularly to provide clarity on approach and to allow for detailed discussion of proposals. HMRC are also engaging with industry partners who need to put systems in place for customs processes and will be extending that engagement in the coming weeks to businesses across the UK affected by the Northern Ireland Protocol to support them in getting ready.
HMRC have published a questionnaire on GOV.UK to identify and aid businesses who move goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. In due course, the Government will also set out more detailed plans for extensive HMRC support for businesses engaged in the limited additional processes, including providing access to facilitations to support the movement of goods.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent estimate he has made of (a) how long it takes to train a customs official and (b) the number of customs officials that (i) have been recruited and (ii) still need to be recruited for the purposes of operating the protocol in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Jesse Norman
HMRC have resource plans in place to enable them to meet their post-Transition Period requirements, including delivery of the Northern Ireland Protocol.
As a large department, HMRC use a combination of external recruitment and internal moves to fill vacancies, allowing for a strong blend of new and experienced staff and giving flexibility to allocate resource where and when it is needed.
For some roles, only on-the-job experience or training is required, whereas people in technical roles such as compliance undertake a rigorous and structured programme of learning. Many of these individuals have completed their technical training and are now consolidating that learning by working on “rest of the world” customs cases in preparation for the end of the Transition Period.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions HMRC have held with business representatives on when the trialling of the new Goods Vehicle Movement Service for trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland will begin.
Answered by Jesse Norman
It is important that businesses understand how the protocol will be implemented so that they can make the necessary preparations for the end of the Transition Period. For that reason, the Government published a command paper on 20 May setting out the UK’s approach to the Northern Ireland Protocol. Ministers and officials are meeting Northern Ireland businesses regularly to provide clarity on approach and to allow for detailed discussion of proposals. HMRC are also engaging with industry partners who need to put systems in place for customs processes and will be extending that engagement in the coming weeks to businesses across the UK affected by the Northern Ireland Protocol to support them in getting ready.
To support the freight and logistics industry HMRC will be building a new optional IT system to facilitate the movement of goods. HMRC will continue to develop their systems in readiness for the end of the Transition Period and they are engaging with industry as plans develop.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether businesses not listed as non-essential shops and public spaces which choose to close to safeguard their staff will be entitled to assistance under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme is designed to help firms that have been severely affected by coronavirus to retain their employees and protect the UK economy. The scheme is open to all UK employers providing they have created and started a PAYE payroll scheme on or before 19 March 2020 and have a UK bank account.
The Government has designed this package to be straightforward and comprehensive for businesses. Employers can claim a grant for the associated Employer National Insurance contributions and pension contributions (up to the level of minimum automatic enrolment employer pension contribution) on the subsidised furlough pay.
Full guidance for employers, including the requirements on businesses, can be found at: www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-for-wage-costs-through-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether businesses with workers with an increased risk of severe illness will be entitled to claim for the Worker Retention Scheme to ensure their salary is paid while they are following advice to stay at home.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government seeks, as far as possible, to protect people’s jobs and incomes. This is an unprecedented jobs retention scheme and the Government has been working hard to set out further details on the scheme. The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme is open to any individual who was on an employer’s PAYE payroll on 19 March 2020. Full details can be found in the guidance available at www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-for-wage-costs-through-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme and www.gov.uk/guidance/work-out-80-of-your-employees-wages-to-claim-through-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme, which provides answers to these questions.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme will apply to staff who are working in the UK on a spousal visa.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government seeks, as far as possible, to protect people’s jobs and incomes. This is an unprecedented jobs retention scheme and the Government has been working hard to set out further details on the scheme. The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme is open to any individual who was on an employer’s PAYE payroll on 19 March 2020. Full details can be found in the guidance available at www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-for-wage-costs-through-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme and www.gov.uk/guidance/work-out-80-of-your-employees-wages-to-claim-through-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme, which provides answers to these questions.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Government has plans to extend tax exemptions for sanitary products to incontinence products.
Answered by Jesse Norman
As announced in the Budget, women’s sanitary products are to be zero rated for VAT from 1 January 2021, meaning no VAT will be charged on their purchase.
Incontinence products can already be zero rated for VAT, if for example they are purchased for personal use by a person who is incontinent, or by any charity that makes the products available to incontinent people.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will place in the Library the letter from the Chief Secretary to the Treasury to the Chair of the Police Remuneration Review Body on the public sector pay round 2019-20.
Answered by Elizabeth Truss
I did not write to the Chair of the Police Remuneration Review Body ahead of the 2019/20 pay round. The Home Secretary’s remit letter was published on 10 January 2019.