Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what proportion of (a) public and (b) private sector organisations offer childcare vouchers.
Answered by Elizabeth Truss
In response to the question on the proportion of self employed parents eligible for Tax-Free Childcare, I refer the Hon Member to the answer that I gave on 4 December to the Hon Member for Batley and Spen (PQ 116593).
Parents need to earn the equivalent of 16 hours per week at National Living Wage to be eligible for Tax-Free Childcare. The government also provides support with childcare costs for those on lower incomes through tax credits and Universal Credit.
Parents who meet the eligibility conditions for Tax-Free Childcare on the day they apply, or reconfirm, will qualify for support for a three month eligibility period. They remain eligible until the end of that period even if their circumstances change, for example if a parent becomes unemployed. Those starting work can apply for Tax-Free Childcare up to 31 days before taking up their new job. Parents may be eligible for Tax-Free Childcare if they are in receipt of Incapacity Benefit, Severe Disablement Allowance, Carer’s Allowance or Employment and Support Allowance and have a partner who is in work.
An updated impact assessment for Tax-Free Childcare was published in March 2017. This can be found here:
An updated expenditure forecast for Tax-Free Childcare was published as part of the Office for Budget Responsibility’s Economic and Fiscal Outlook in November 2017. An update on the Tax-Free Childcare forecast can be found on page 254 of the document here:
http://cdn.budgetresponsibility.org.uk/Nov2017EFOwebversion-2.pdf
We estimate that over 50,000 employers offer childcare voucher schemes. We do not hold specific information about which employers offer childcare vouchers.
Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assistance is available under the tax-free childcare scheme for families in which a parent (a) becomes unemployed and (b) stops working in order to care for a relative.
Answered by Elizabeth Truss
In response to the question on the proportion of self employed parents eligible for Tax-Free Childcare, I refer the Hon Member to the answer that I gave on 4 December to the Hon Member for Batley and Spen (PQ 116593).
Parents need to earn the equivalent of 16 hours per week at National Living Wage to be eligible for Tax-Free Childcare. The government also provides support with childcare costs for those on lower incomes through tax credits and Universal Credit.
Parents who meet the eligibility conditions for Tax-Free Childcare on the day they apply, or reconfirm, will qualify for support for a three month eligibility period. They remain eligible until the end of that period even if their circumstances change, for example if a parent becomes unemployed. Those starting work can apply for Tax-Free Childcare up to 31 days before taking up their new job. Parents may be eligible for Tax-Free Childcare if they are in receipt of Incapacity Benefit, Severe Disablement Allowance, Carer’s Allowance or Employment and Support Allowance and have a partner who is in work.
An updated impact assessment for Tax-Free Childcare was published in March 2017. This can be found here:
An updated expenditure forecast for Tax-Free Childcare was published as part of the Office for Budget Responsibility’s Economic and Fiscal Outlook in November 2017. An update on the Tax-Free Childcare forecast can be found on page 254 of the document here:
http://cdn.budgetresponsibility.org.uk/Nov2017EFOwebversion-2.pdf
We estimate that over 50,000 employers offer childcare voucher schemes. We do not hold specific information about which employers offer childcare vouchers.
Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the number of low-wage earners who will be financially disadvantaged as a result of the introduction of tax-free childcare.
Answered by Elizabeth Truss
In response to the question on the proportion of self employed parents eligible for Tax-Free Childcare, I refer the Hon Member to the answer that I gave on 4 December to the Hon Member for Batley and Spen (PQ 116593).
Parents need to earn the equivalent of 16 hours per week at National Living Wage to be eligible for Tax-Free Childcare. The government also provides support with childcare costs for those on lower incomes through tax credits and Universal Credit.
Parents who meet the eligibility conditions for Tax-Free Childcare on the day they apply, or reconfirm, will qualify for support for a three month eligibility period. They remain eligible until the end of that period even if their circumstances change, for example if a parent becomes unemployed. Those starting work can apply for Tax-Free Childcare up to 31 days before taking up their new job. Parents may be eligible for Tax-Free Childcare if they are in receipt of Incapacity Benefit, Severe Disablement Allowance, Carer’s Allowance or Employment and Support Allowance and have a partner who is in work.
An updated impact assessment for Tax-Free Childcare was published in March 2017. This can be found here:
An updated expenditure forecast for Tax-Free Childcare was published as part of the Office for Budget Responsibility’s Economic and Fiscal Outlook in November 2017. An update on the Tax-Free Childcare forecast can be found on page 254 of the document here:
http://cdn.budgetresponsibility.org.uk/Nov2017EFOwebversion-2.pdf
We estimate that over 50,000 employers offer childcare voucher schemes. We do not hold specific information about which employers offer childcare vouchers.
Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent estimate his Department has made of the number of self-employed households which will benefit from the introduction of tax-free childcare.
Answered by Elizabeth Truss
In response to the question on the proportion of self employed parents eligible for Tax-Free Childcare, I refer the Hon Member to the answer that I gave on 4 December to the Hon Member for Batley and Spen (PQ 116593).
Parents need to earn the equivalent of 16 hours per week at National Living Wage to be eligible for Tax-Free Childcare. The government also provides support with childcare costs for those on lower incomes through tax credits and Universal Credit.
Parents who meet the eligibility conditions for Tax-Free Childcare on the day they apply, or reconfirm, will qualify for support for a three month eligibility period. They remain eligible until the end of that period even if their circumstances change, for example if a parent becomes unemployed. Those starting work can apply for Tax-Free Childcare up to 31 days before taking up their new job. Parents may be eligible for Tax-Free Childcare if they are in receipt of Incapacity Benefit, Severe Disablement Allowance, Carer’s Allowance or Employment and Support Allowance and have a partner who is in work.
An updated impact assessment for Tax-Free Childcare was published in March 2017. This can be found here:
An updated expenditure forecast for Tax-Free Childcare was published as part of the Office for Budget Responsibility’s Economic and Fiscal Outlook in November 2017. An update on the Tax-Free Childcare forecast can be found on page 254 of the document here:
http://cdn.budgetresponsibility.org.uk/Nov2017EFOwebversion-2.pdf
We estimate that over 50,000 employers offer childcare voucher schemes. We do not hold specific information about which employers offer childcare vouchers.
Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many homebuyers have been exempt from stamp duty in the last five years.
Answered by Mel Stride - Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
Statistics on the number of residential property transactions for the last five years which were not liable for SDLT, because they were either below the £125,000 minimum threshold, or claimed a relief, are published in the Quarterly Stamp Duty Statistics, table 4.
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/quarterly-stamp-duty-statistics
Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the cost has been to the public purse of the Help to Buy policy since the introduction of that scheme.
Answered by Steve Barclay - Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The Treasury is responsible for the Help to Buy: ISA and mortgage guarantee schemes; the Department for Communities and Local Government have responsibility for the Help to Buy: Equity Loan scheme.
Both Department’s routinely publishes information on the take-up and the total value of support provided through the Help to Buy schemes.
From the introduction of the Help to Buy: ISA on 1 December 2015 to 31 March 2017, the total value of bonuses paid was £54m. Further information is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/official-statistics-on-the-help-to-buy-isa-scheme
Between the launch of the Help to Buy: Equity Loan scheme on 1 April 2013 to 31 March 2017, the total value of equity loans provided through scheme was £5.86bn. Further information is available at: https://help-to-buy-equity-loan-scheme-and-help-to-buy-newbuy-statistics-april-2013-to-march-2017
The Help to Buy: mortgage guarantee scheme was designed to be self-financing through the commercial fee that lenders paid for the provision of the Government guarantee. The fee was set to cover the administration cost, the cost of capital of providing the guarantee and expected losses from loans guaranteed under the scheme. Further information is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/621112/H2B_MGS_Official_Statistics_Publication_June_17.pdf
Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the cost has been to the public purse of the Help to Buy ISA policy since the introduction of that scheme.
Answered by Steve Barclay - Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The Treasury is responsible for the Help to Buy: ISA and mortgage guarantee schemes; the Department for Communities and Local Government have responsibility for the Help to Buy: Equity Loan scheme.
Both Department’s routinely publishes information on the take-up and the total value of support provided through the Help to Buy schemes.
From the introduction of the Help to Buy: ISA on 1 December 2015 to 31 March 2017, the total value of bonuses paid was £54m. Further information is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/official-statistics-on-the-help-to-buy-isa-scheme
Between the launch of the Help to Buy: Equity Loan scheme on 1 April 2013 to 31 March 2017, the total value of equity loans provided through scheme was £5.86bn. Further information is available at: https://help-to-buy-equity-loan-scheme-and-help-to-buy-newbuy-statistics-april-2013-to-march-2017
The Help to Buy: mortgage guarantee scheme was designed to be self-financing through the commercial fee that lenders paid for the provision of the Government guarantee. The fee was set to cover the administration cost, the cost of capital of providing the guarantee and expected losses from loans guaranteed under the scheme. Further information is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/621112/H2B_MGS_Official_Statistics_Publication_June_17.pdf