Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what is the total value of Russian state sovereign wealth that has been frozen as a result of the UK's sanctions.
Answered by Gareth Davies - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
As stated in OFSI’s most recent Annual Review published in November 2022, between February and October 2022, £18.39 billion in frozen funds were reported to the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI), part of HM Treasury, in relation to persons designated under the Russia sanctions regime. This figure is provided in aggregate so as not to disclose the value of any funds held by particular individuals. HM Treasury does not break down reported assets in the manner requested.
An updated value of frozen assets reported to OFSI will be published later this year, in OFSI’s 2022-2023 Annual Review.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the (a) average and (b) total value of unclaimed Child Trust Funds for children in (i) Plymouth, (ii) Devon and (iii) the South West.
Answered by Andrew Griffith - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Information on Child Trust Funds as of 5th April 2022, are available in HMRC’s Annual Savings Statistics. This includes figures on averages and total market value, but not by geographic location.
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/annual-savings-statistics-2023
A geographical breakdown the accounts created or unclaimed, or their average or total value, could only be provided at a disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many Child Trust Funds have been created for children in (a) Plymouth, (b) Devon and (c) the South West.
Answered by Andrew Griffith - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Information on Child Trust Funds as of 5th April 2022, are available in HMRC’s Annual Savings Statistics. This includes figures on averages and total market value, but not by geographic location.
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/annual-savings-statistics-2023
A geographical breakdown the accounts created or unclaimed, or their average or total value, could only be provided at a disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many Child Trust Funds created for children in (a) Plymouth, (b) Devon and (c) the South West are unclaimed.
Answered by Andrew Griffith - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Information on Child Trust Funds as of 5th April 2022, are available in HMRC’s Annual Savings Statistics. This includes figures on averages and total market value, but not by geographic location.
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/annual-savings-statistics-2023
A geographical breakdown the accounts created or unclaimed, or their average or total value, could only be provided at a disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing an independent review of the loan charge.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
I refer the Hon Member to the answer that I gave on 16 March to the Hon Member for Portsmouth South, UIN 162282.Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reasons his Department have not introduced an energy tariff discount for people using energy to run medical and disability equipment.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Government has provided an unprecedented package to support households with their rising energy bills. The additional measures announced at Spring Budget bring total government support for energy bills to £1,500 for the typical household since October 2022.
As announced at Autumn Statement, the Government will develop a new approach to consumer protection in domestic energy markets, which will apply from April 2024 onwards. The Government will work with consumer groups and industry to consider the best approach, including options such as social tariffs, as part of wider retail market reforms. The objectives of this new approach will be to deliver a fair deal for domestic consumers, ensure the energy market is resilient and investable over the long-term, and support an efficient and flexible energy system.
The Government also meets with disability focus groups and charities to understand the impacts the changes in the cost of living are having on disadvantaged people, which includes those who use life-saving treatment at home. The Government recognises that the rising cost of living has presented additional financial challenges to many people, and especially to the most vulnerable members of society, such as disabled people and people with long-term health conditions.
At Autumn Statement 2022, the Government announced that it will provide a further Disability Cost of Living payment of £150 in 2023/24 to people in receipt of extra-costs disability benefits such as Personal Independence Payment (PIP) or Disability Living Allowance (DLA), in addition to the £150 payment from the Cost of Living package in May last year. These payments can be received in addition to the other Cost of Living Payments for households on means-tested benefits, namely the £650 payment announced in May and the additional £900 payment announced at Autumn Statement.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much Ukraine owes to the UK in (a) public and (b) private debt.
Answered by Richard Fuller
Ukraine’s total debt stock to the UK government is £21.09 million as reported on the UK government website. UK private holdings of Ukrainian debt securities amounted to USD$1.43 billion in June 2021 according to the most recently available IMF data. This accounted for 5.5% of the total value of foreign-owned Ukrainian debt securities, as reported by IMF’s Coordinated Portfolio Investment Survey. As bonds are tradable instruments, holders can fluctuate on a regular basis.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that carers within the armed forces community are supported when faced with an increased cost of living.
Answered by Simon Clarke
The government values the vital contribution made by carers to society and continues to provide financial support to unpaid carers – including members of the Armed Forces community – through Carer’s Allowance, the Carer Element in Universal Credit and through other benefits. Carers within the Armed Forces community have access to various channels of government support. Carers may be eligible for Carer’s Allowance if the person for whom they care receives disability benefits or related qualifying payments such as Armed Forces Independence Payment and the War Pension Constant Attendance Allowance.
The government understands that the rising cost of living has presented additional financial challenges to many people, and particularly to the most vulnerable members of society such as disabled people and their carers. That is why the Cost of Living package announced on 26 May includes UK-wide support to help disabled people with the particular extra costs they are facing, with 6 million people who receive non-means-tested disability benefits due to receive a one-off Disability Cost of Living Payment of £150. Veterans in receipt of a disability benefit through the Department for Work and Pensions, such as Personal Independence Payment, or in receipt of similar support specifically for veterans – such as Armed Forces Independence Payment, the War Pension Mobility Supplement or War Pension Constant Attendance Allowance – are eligible for the £150 Disability Cost of Living Payment. Carers of these veterans will also benefit from this payment if they live in the same household.
Carers may also be able to benefit from other elements of the £37 billion of support for the cost of living the government has announced this year, which include: a one-off Cost of Living Payment of £650, paid in two instalments, for over 8 million households across the UK in receipt of means-tested benefits; an extra one-off £300 this year for over 8 million pensioner households, to cover the rising cost of energy this winter; and £400 off the bills of all domestic electricity customers in Great Britain from October, through the expansion of the Energy Bills Support Scheme (EBSS).
Previously announced measures to help people tackle the cost of living will also benefit carers, including frozen alcohol duty and fuel duty, raising the NICs threshold, council tax rebates and the rise in the National Living Wage to £9.50 an hour. For people that are not eligible for Cost of Living Payments or for those that still need additional support, the government is providing an extra £500 million of local support, via the Household Support Fund. The Fund will be extended from this October to March 2023, bringing total funding for the scheme to £1.5 billion.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the cost of living support offered to carers within the armed forces community.
Answered by Simon Clarke
The government values the vital contribution made by carers to society and continues to provide financial support to unpaid carers – including members of the Armed Forces community – through Carer’s Allowance, the Carer Element in Universal Credit and through other benefits. Carers within the Armed Forces community have access to various channels of government support. Carers may be eligible for Carer’s Allowance if the person for whom they care receives disability benefits or related qualifying payments such as Armed Forces Independence Payment and the War Pension Constant Attendance Allowance.
The government understands that the rising cost of living has presented additional financial challenges to many people, and particularly to the most vulnerable members of society such as disabled people and their carers. That is why the Cost of Living package announced on 26 May includes UK-wide support to help disabled people with the particular extra costs they are facing, with 6 million people who receive non-means-tested disability benefits due to receive a one-off Disability Cost of Living Payment of £150. Veterans in receipt of a disability benefit through the Department for Work and Pensions, such as Personal Independence Payment, or in receipt of similar support specifically for veterans – such as Armed Forces Independence Payment, the War Pension Mobility Supplement or War Pension Constant Attendance Allowance – are eligible for the £150 Disability Cost of Living Payment. Carers of these veterans will also benefit from this payment if they live in the same household.
Carers may also be able to benefit from other elements of the £37 billion of support for the cost of living the government has announced this year, which include: a one-off Cost of Living Payment of £650, paid in two instalments, for over 8 million households across the UK in receipt of means-tested benefits; an extra one-off £300 this year for over 8 million pensioner households, to cover the rising cost of energy this winter; and £400 off the bills of all domestic electricity customers in Great Britain from October, through the expansion of the Energy Bills Support Scheme (EBSS).
Previously announced measures to help people tackle the cost of living will also benefit carers, including frozen alcohol duty and fuel duty, raising the NICs threshold, council tax rebates and the rise in the National Living Wage to £9.50 an hour. For people that are not eligible for Cost of Living Payments or for those that still need additional support, the government is providing an extra £500 million of local support, via the Household Support Fund. The Fund will be extended from this October to March 2023, bringing total funding for the scheme to £1.5 billion.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much of the additional cost of living support he announced on 26 May 2022 will apply to (a) second homes and (b) holiday lets.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is providing over £15bn of additional support, targeted particularly on those with the greatest need. This package builds on the over £22bn announced previously, with government support for the cost of living now totalling over £37bn this year.
The Government is helping all domestic electricity customers in Great Britain to cope with the impact of higher energy bills, with £400 off their bills from October through the expansion of the Energy Bills Support Scheme (EBSS). This is a doubling of the £200 of support announced in February, and there will no longer be any repayments.
The Government’s intention is for EBSS to reach as many households as possible, while minimising the administrative complexity of the scheme. BEIS has consulted on the basis of paying EBSS via all domestic electricity meter points. A small number of households have multiple meter points – for example, some households have a second home or second meter points in their garage. The Government does not expect this to be a widespread issue.