Asked by: Peter Bone (Independent - Wellingborough)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what recent discussions he has had with (a) Cabinet colleagues and (b) the Welsh Government on tackling human trafficking in Wales.
Answered by David T C Davies - Secretary of State for Wales
The Nationality and Borders Act provides clarity on human trafficking victims’ rights and entitlements, it goes further in supporting the victims of this horrendous crime and reduces the opportunity for the system to be abused. We will continue to engage with the Welsh Government on this, and the Modern Slavery Bill will be introduced in due course.
Asked by: Peter Bone (Independent - Wellingborough)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what progress her Department has been made on securing a free trade agreement with the United States.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
We have had five productive rounds of negotiations to date and agreed a significant proportion of legal text across multiple chapters.
My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade attended the first UK-US Future of Atlantic Trade Dialogue last month and hosted the second in Aberdeen this week to progress mutual priorities with USTR Katherine Tai.
Asked by: Peter Bone (Independent - Wellingborough)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the obligations of employment agencies and umbrella companies under Chapter 10, Part 2 of The Income Tax (Earnings and Pensions) Act 2003.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Chapter 10, Part 2 of The Income Tax (Earnings and Pensions) Act 2003 (ITEPA) relates to the off-payroll working rules, which apply to engagements where a worker provides their services through their own intermediary. It does not apply to engagements where workers provide their services as an employee of an agency or umbrella company.
Under the off-payroll rules, employment agencies are responsible for passing the Status Determination Statement to the party below them in the labour supply chain. If they are the deemed employer, they will be responsible for operating PAYE on the engagement.
Umbrella companies are responsible for operating PAYE on payments to workers employed by them; these engagements do not fall within the off-payroll working rules in Chapter 10 of ITEPA.
On 30 November 2021, the Government published a Call for Evidence on the umbrella company market, inviting views on the role that they play in the labour market and the ways in which they interact with the tax and employment rights systems: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/call-for-evidence-umbrella-company-market
Asked by: Peter Bone (Independent - Wellingborough)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether HMRC received legal advice supporting the pursuit of employees rather than employers for use of loan schemes.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The long-standing basis of the UK income tax system is that individuals are responsible for paying their tax liabilities. Individuals are therefore liable for tax on their income received through disguised remuneration avoidance schemes, whether as a loan or in some other form.
Where there is an employer, the employer may be obliged to operate PAYE on the payments to their employees. In these circumstances, HMRC in the first instance, and wherever possible, seeks to recover the tax due through PAYE from the employer. However, the employee remains the person liable to the income tax and in some circumstances the law allows HMRC to recover the tax due directly from the employee.
Asked by: Peter Bone (Independent - Wellingborough)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will carry out a further review of the loan charge.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
I refer the Hon Member to the answer that was given to PQ UIN 83372.
Asked by: Peter Bone (Independent - Wellingborough)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
If he will bring forward proposals to abolish the Electoral Commission.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government is committed to keeping our elections secure and fit for the modern age. We keep electoral law, and the role and powers of the Electoral Commission, under review to ensure the effective operation of, and public confidence in, an electoral system that is secure, fair, modern and transparent.
Asked by: Peter Bone (Independent - Wellingborough)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
What progress the Government has made in compensating people affected by failings associated with the Post Office Horizon IT system.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Government is providing sufficient financial support for the Historical Shortfall Scheme to proceed, and scheme payments have begun. We will also continue to work with Post Office Limited to ensure Postmasters whose convictions were overturned are fairly compensated.
Asked by: Peter Bone (Independent - Wellingborough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate he has made of the proportion of covid-19 tests that are false negative.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
In June 2020 the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies published a briefing paper on the impact of false positives and false negatives in the United Kingdom’s COVID-19 reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction testing programme, which is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/gos-impact-of-false-positives-and-negatives-3-june-2020
The briefing paper states that the UK operational false positive rate is unknown.
Asked by: Peter Bone (Independent - Wellingborough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate he has made of the proportion of covid-19 test results that are false positive.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
In June 2020 the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies published a briefing paper on the impact of false positives and false negatives in the United Kingdom’s COVID-19 reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction testing programme, which is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/gos-impact-of-false-positives-and-negatives-3-june-2020
The briefing paper states that the UK operational false positive rate is unknown.
Asked by: Peter Bone (Independent - Wellingborough)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent estimate he has made of the potential annual value to the public purse from imposing tariffs on trade from the EU in the event that a free trade agreement is not signed.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The UK wants a relationship with the EU which is based on friendly cooperation between sovereign equals, and centred on free trade. The Government believes that it is still possible to reach an agreement with a Free Trade Agreement at the core, like those the EU has agreed with other close partners around the world, and that this could be done quickly.
A negotiated outcome remains the Government’s clear preference. It has put forward proposals and is working hard to reach a deal with the EU. The Government’s aim is a zero tariff zero quota FTA, given that avoiding tariffs is beneficial to both sides.
From 1 January, the UK will keep all our tariff revenue, rather than remit 80% to the EU as we have done as a member of the customs union.
As is standard practice, the Office for Budget Responsibility will publish an updated estimate of tariff revenue at the next forecast based on their latest set of assumptions and tariff schedule.