Asked by: Mike Kane (Labour - Wythenshawe and Sale East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department plans to review the Help to Buy ISA maximum level which was set at £250,000 for properties outside London back in 2015, given the rise in the average costs of property.
Answered by Andrew Griffith - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
As first-time buyers tend to buy smaller (and therefore cheaper) properties, the Help to Buy: ISA’s property price cap of £250,000 for properties outside London (£450,000 within London) allows the Government to target support more precisely at the people the scheme is intended to help.
While the Government keeps all savings policy under review, individuals with a Help to Buy: ISA can transfer their savings to a Lifetime ISA without incurring any penalties. The Lifetime ISA allows first-time buyers to benefit from the Government bonus when purchasing properties up to £450,000 anywhere in the UK.
Further information on the Lifetime ISA together with a comprehensive list other forms of home purchase support schemes can be found on the Government’s website below:
https://www.ownyourhome.gov.uk/
Asked by: Mike Kane (Labour - Wythenshawe and Sale East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many complaints he has received in respect of non-compliance with the National Minimum Wage (Offshore Employment) (Amendment) Order 2020 since its introduction on 1 October 2020.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government is determined that everyone who is entitled to the National Minimum Wage (NMW) receives it.
Consequences for not complying with paying the NMW can include fines of 200% of the arrears, public naming and, for the worst offences, criminal prosecution.
HMRC have received no complaints in respect of non-compliance with the National Minimum Wage (Offshore Employment) (Amendment) Order 2020 since its introduction on 1 October 2020.
HMRC are undertaking a range of activities to highlight the change in the law to workers who are likely to be affected by it. HMRC have sent letters to employers across the UK to communicate the change in the law and are producing a series of multi-lingual leaflets to be distributed to workers to encourage them to come forward and make a complaint, if they think they have not been paid at least the National Minimum Wage.
Asked by: Mike Kane (Labour - Wythenshawe and Sale East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on tenant credit scores of rent arrears that have accumulated since covid- 19 lockdown measures started in March 2020.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
Rental payments are not typically recorded on an individual’s credit file.
However, the Government identified that rental data could be used to contribute to the overall picture of a tenant’s financial position if it were recorded and shared in the same way as other credit payments.
That is why in 2018 the Government launched the Rent Recognition Challenge. This £2 million prize fund challenged firms to develop applications that enable rental tenants to record and share their rental payment data with lenders and credit reference agencies (CRAs) with the aim to help them boost their credit scores, access credit and get on the housing ladder.
The three winners of the challenge, CreditLadder, Bud and RentalStep, are now all using technology to verify and record tenants’ rental payments, which includes apps for borrowers to download and use. Since launching their rent recognition service, CreditLadder has recorded more than £250 million in users’ rental payments and Bud continue to work with large lenders such as HSBC.
Where a tenant who has chosen to have their rental payment data shared with a credit reference agency is in arrears, it could have a negative impact on their credit history and may restrict them from gaining access to credit in the future.
To ensure renters can continue to afford their housing costs during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government has put in place an unprecedented package of support. These measures include increasing Universal Credit and Working Tax Credit and a significant investment in the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) of nearly £1 billion this financial year. For those who require additional support, Discretionary Housing Payments funding is available.
Asked by: Mike Kane (Labour - Wythenshawe and Sale East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether landlords securing a buy-to-let mortgage holiday in response to the covid-19 outbreak are required to pay back suspended payments on the remainder of the term of their mortgage.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
Mortgage holidays have provided support for borrowers to manage their finances during a period of uncertainty. Borrowers will still need to repay the full balance of their loan, and will continue to accrue interest during the payment holiday, unless the lender has indicated otherwise. There are various options for managing this, for example, by increasing their remaining monthly payments, or by adding an extension to the term. Borrowers should talk to their lender to understand the options they offer.
Asked by: Mike Kane (Labour - Wythenshawe and Sale East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to introduce a duty on aviation turbine fuel sold in the UK after the end of the transition period.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
The aviation sector currently contributes to the cost of public services through Air Passenger Duty (APD). The government has committed to consult on aviation tax reform and will provide an update on timing in due course.
Asked by: Mike Kane (Labour - Wythenshawe and Sale East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to his Department's call for evidence on proposals for breathing space for people experiencing debt problems, whether the statutory debt management plan will be available from (a) free to client and (b) commercial debt solutions providers.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Government wants to ensure that as many consumers who would benefit from a statutory debt management plan are able to do so.
The Government will present a proposal on the design of a breathing space and statutory debt management plan this summer, based on responses to the Call for Evidence which closed on 16th January.
Asked by: Mike Kane (Labour - Wythenshawe and Sale East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) on the adequacy of the information on FCA authorised and regulated commercial debt solutions providers in the information sheet sent by lenders to all customers in arrears under section 86 of the Consumer Credit Act and FCA Consumer Credit Sourcebook 7.3.7A.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Government is committed to ensuring that consumers who need to access free-to-user debt advice can do so quickly and easily.
That is why the Government commissioned the Money Advice Service (MAS), which spent just under £49m on over 440,000 free-to-user debt advice sessions last year, and why the FCA’s information sheet signposts to this support. The Government is also merging MAS, PensionWise and The Pensions Advisory Service to create a new single financial guidance body, to make it simpler for consumers to access this support.
Asked by: Mike Kane (Labour - Wythenshawe and Sale East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many joint and several liability notices HMRC has issued to online marketplaces due to overseas sellers failing to meet UK VAT requirements since September 2016.
Answered by Mel Stride - Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
Between September 2016 and 30 November 2017, HMRC has issued 862 notices to online marketplaces. In all cases the online marketplace has removed the non-compliant overseas seller from its platform.
Asked by: Mike Kane (Labour - Wythenshawe and Sale East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will set out every online marketplace that has been issued with a joint and several liability notice and the number of notices issued to each of those online marketplaces due to overseas sellers failing to meet UK VAT requirements since September 2016.
Answered by Mel Stride - Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
HMRC cannot comment on the affairs of individual taxpayers, as it has a duty to maintain taxpayer confidentiality.
However, between September 2016 and 30 November 2017, HMRC has issued 862 notices to online marketplaces. In all cases the online marketplace has removed the non-compliant overseas seller from its platform.
Asked by: Mike Kane (Labour - Wythenshawe and Sale East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will set out every enforcement action taken against online marketplaces that have been issued with a joint and several liability notice due to overseas sellers failing to meet UK VAT requirements since September 2016.
Answered by Mel Stride - Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
HMRC cannot comment on the affairs of individual taxpayers, as it has a duty to maintain taxpayer confidentiality.
However, between September 2016 and 30 November 2017, HMRC has issued 862 notices to online marketplaces making them jointly and severally liable for future VAT evasion by non-compliant overseas sellers. In all cases the online marketplace has removed the seller from its platform.