Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will take steps to commission a survey into public trust in the Financial Conduct Authority.
Answered by Andrew Griffith - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Public trust in financial regulators is important. The Government has no current plans to commission a survey into public trust in the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) but will keep such option under review in the future.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer on 3 July 2023 to Question 191434, Prisons: Education, when he plans to provide an update on the implications for New Fair Deal of the ONS reclassification of Further Education to the public sector.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The policy review of New Fair Deal in relation to Further Education colleges will include engagement with unions. The Government will update the House in due course.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer on 3 July 2023 to Question 191434 on Prisons: Education, whether relevant stakeholders included staff unions; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The policy review of New Fair Deal in relation to Further Education colleges will include engagement with unions. The Government will update the House in due course.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 11 May 2023 to Question 183809, Prisons: Education, whether his Department is consulting (a) Cabinet colleagues, (b) officials and (c) departmental legal advisers as part of that review.
Answered by Andrew Griffith - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
My officials are discussing the implications for New Fair Deal of the ONS reclassification of Further Education to the public sector with relevant stakeholders. The Government will update the House in due course.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 11 May 2023 to Question 183809, Prisons: Education, when his Department plans to complete that policy review.
Answered by Andrew Griffith - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
My officials are discussing the implications for New Fair Deal of the ONS reclassification of Further Education to the public sector with relevant stakeholders. The Government will update the House in due course.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for Prisons of 28 March 2023, Official Report, column 811 on Prison Education, whether the Fair Deal pensions policy will apply to staff working for education providers that are classified as public sector bodies.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The New Fair Deal policy introduced in 2013 does not apply to Further Education providers. Following the recent ONS reclassification of FE colleges as public sector bodies, this policy is under review.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 7 December 2022 to Question 101719 on Safe Hands Plans: Insolvency, whether the Government plans to provide financial support to people who lost money as a result of the collapse of the Safe Hand Funeral plan group.
Answered by Andrew Griffith - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
In January 2021, the government legislated to bring all pre-paid funeral plan providers and intermediaries within the regulatory remit of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) from 29 July 2022. This has ensured that 1.6 million funeral plan customers are, for the first time, protected by compulsory and robust regulation as they seek to put their affairs in order.
Safe Hands Plans went into administration in March 2022. The government understands that this will be very concerning for customers of Safe Hands.
It would not be appropriate for the Government to set the precedent or expectation that it will use taxpayer money to compensate consumers for the misconduct of unregulated firms or products which were not sold as FCA regulated at the time. The Government’s role is instead to ensure that the appropriate regulation is in place to guard against such failures happening.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to provide further support towards energy costs for the hospice sector in addition to the Energy Bill Discount Scheme.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
On January 9, the Government has announced a new Energy Bills Discount Scheme to provide eligible business, charities and the public sector, including eligible hospices with a discount on high energy bills for a further 12 months from April 23 until March 24. This will help those locked into contracts signed before recent substantial falls in the wholesale price manage their costs and provide others with reassurance against the risk of prices rising again.
The Government has been clear that the current levels of support through Energy Bills Relief Scheme, unprecedented in its nature and huge scale, were time-limited and intended as a bridge to allow organisations to adapt. The new scheme therefore strikes a balance between supporting businesses for a further 12 months, from April 2023 to March 2024, and limiting taxpayer’s exposure to volatile energy markets.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the impact on consumers of the decision by UK banks and Building Societies to close the PayM mobile payments system.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
On 29 September Pay.UK and fifteen of the UK’s banks and building societies announced their decision that Paym, the mobile payments service, will close permanently on 7 March 2023.
Pay.UK have observed that payment volumes through Paym have diminished over the past three years as fewer people sign up to use the service. As an independent company limited by guarantee, Pay.UK has discretion over its decision-making, with oversight from the Bank of England and Payment Systems Regulator in relation to its recognised and designated payment systems.
Customers will continue to have access to a range of alternative payment methods. In addition, Pay.UK assures customers that the closure process will be carried out with the needs of Paym users front of mind and, to minimise any disruption, banks and building societies will engage with their customers ahead of their closure date to make them aware of the changes and what it means for them. Pay.UK advises that any Paym customers with concerns about the change should speak to their bank or building society.
For further information on the closure of Paym, please see the following webpage:
https://newseventsinsights.wearepay.uk/media-centre/press-releases/paym-mobile-payments-service-to-close-in-2023/#:~:text=London%2C%2029%20September%202022%3A%20Pay,customers%20on%207%20March%202023
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has had recent discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the potential impact of rising prices of gluten-free products on people with coeliac disease.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
Since being appointed on 14 October, the Chancellor has regularly discussed with Cabinet colleagues the cost of living challenge.
The UK Government continues to monitor prices closely using the Consumer Prices Index and to work with industry to promote transparency for consumers.
Staple gluten free items remain available on NHS prescription to people with coeliac disease.