Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many residents in Newport West have waited longer than 15 days to receive a refund from HMRC in each of the last five years.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Information in the form requested is not readily available and could only be obtained, compiled, and collated at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he will take to help ensure the reduction to fuel duty will be passed down in full to customers in (a) Newport West constituency and (b) Wales.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is clear that it expects those in the supply chain to pass the fuel duty cut through to consumers as soon as possible, and has written to key industry stakeholders to set out this expectation.
The Government will continue to monitor fuel prices closely.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much tax he projects HM Treasury will collect on the interest accrued on Russian assets frozen in UK banks.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
This information is not held centrally within government and would involve disproportionate costs to gather.
Please note that HM Treasury is not responsible for freezing assets, or for holding frozen assets. On the enactment of an asset freeze, the funds and economic resources are to be frozen immediately by the person in possession or control of them. An asset freeze does not involve a change in ownership of the frozen funds or economic resources, nor are they confiscated or transferred to Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation for safekeeping. Any release of frozen assets can only be accomplished legally with a licence from Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the impact on access to cash and banking services of the Lloyds Banking Group announcement that it will shut 60 bank branches.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Government recognises the importance of appropriate access to banking. However, decisions on opening and closing branches are a commercial issue for banks and building societies. The Government does not intervene in these decisions or make direct assessments of these branch networks.
Guidance from the Financial Conduct Authority sets out its expectation of firms when they are deciding to reduce their physical branches or the number of free-to-use ATMs. Firms are expected to carefully consider the impact of planned branch closures on their customers’ everyday banking and cash access needs and consider possible alternative access arrangements. This ensures that the implementation of closure decisions is undertaken in a way that treats customers fairly.
Alternative options for access can be via telephone banking, through digital means such as mobile or online banking, and the Post Office. The Post Office Banking Framework allows 99% of personal banking and 95% of business banking customers to deposit cheques, check their balance and withdraw and deposit cash at 11,500 Post Office branches in the UK.
The Government also recognises that cash remains an important part of daily life for millions of people across the UK, particularly those in vulnerable groups, and has committed to legislate to protect access to cash.
Following the Government’s commitment to legislate, firms are working together through the Cash Action Group to develop new initiatives to provide shared services. New shared services will complement other industry initiatives to support access to cash, such as mobile branches and pop-up services, as well as services for people who need to make payments in their own homes. The Government welcomes the direction set by industry’s commitments at the end of last year and looks forward to seeing what results they deliver in protecting cash facilities for local communities across the UK.