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Written Question
Taxis: VAT
Monday 29th January 2024

Asked by: Siobhain McDonagh (Labour - Mitcham and Morden)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of changes in VAT rates on private hire vehicles and minicab journeys on (a) driver earnings and (b) jobs in the industry.

Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

The VAT treatment of private hire vehicle services has not changed. The Government will consult on the potential impacts of the Uber Britannia Ltd v Sefton MBC High Court ruling, and will publish a consultation in due course.


Written Question
Research: Tax Allowances
Tuesday 14th November 2023

Asked by: Siobhain McDonagh (Labour - Mitcham and Morden)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an estimate of the levels of (a) fraud and (b) error in the amount of tax relief provided as part of the Government’s R&D tax relief schemes between 2022 and 2023.

Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

The latest error and fraud estimates for the Corporation Tax Research and Development relief schemes were published in HMRC’s Annual Report and Accounts 2022 to 2023.


Written Question
Government Departments: Cost Effectiveness
Monday 13th November 2023

Asked by: Siobhain McDonagh (Labour - Mitcham and Morden)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress his Department has made on the implementation of the Government's Efficiency and Savings Review.

Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

The Government’s Efficiency and Savings Review concluded at the Spring Budget. Through it, departments reprioritised to ensure the government can continue to protect the vital frontline services that matter most to the public despite the impacts of higher inflation.

In line with wider financial delegations set by HM Treasury, it is the responsibility of departments and their functions to implement any agreed efficiencies and savings, including those that were agreed at the Efficiency and Savings Review.


Written Question
Revenue and Customs: ICT and Security
Tuesday 19th September 2023

Asked by: Siobhain McDonagh (Labour - Mitcham and Morden)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many (a) major IT failures and (b) security breaches there have been at HMRC in each quarter since Q1 of 2022.

Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care

(a) HMRC do not publish major IT failures in the public domain. Previously, HMRC have made announcements using online platforms such as GOV.UK and Twitter to update customers on services that have been impacted by an outage or an IT failure. Customers can also find out about downtime and technical issues with HMRC services via the GOV.UK platform - HMRC Service and Availability and Issues. Please see link here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hm-revenue-and-customs-service-availability-and-issues

(b) Information related to security breaches are published and can be found in the HMRC Annual Report and Accounts 2021/2022 and 2022/2023. Links to both reports can be found below:


Written Question
Pensions: British National (Overseas)
Friday 30th June 2023

Asked by: Siobhain McDonagh (Labour - Mitcham and Morden)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of sending personal details and tax information of holders of British National (Overseas) passports to Hong Kong authorities on those passport holders' ability to access their pensions.

Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care

The information shared with the Hong Kong tax authority is financial account information of Hong Kong tax residents – which does not include holders of British National (Overseas) passports who are tax resident in the UK – and can only be used for taxation purposes. The information is shared as part of our international treaty obligations under the OECD’s Common Reporting Standard to help tackle tax evasion and non-compliance. The information exchanged is subject to stringent data security and confidentiality standards, which are rigorously assessed by independent experts appointed by the Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes. In addition, where individuals have concerns, they or their financial institutions can ask HMRC to redact their information from being exchanged on human rights grounds. Guidance on how to do this has recently been updated on GOV.UK website here: Automatic Exchange of Information if you have an account - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).


Written Question
Pensions: British National (Overseas)
Monday 26th June 2023

Asked by: Siobhain McDonagh (Labour - Mitcham and Morden)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has had recent discussions with HSBC on access to pension savings for people on British National (Overseas) visas.

Answered by Andrew Griffith - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

We are aware of the difficulties British National (Overseas) (BN(O))s are experiencing in seeking early withdrawal of their pension held by the Mandatory Provident Fund in Hong Kong. The root of the problem is the Chinese Government's decision not to recognise the BN(O) passport as a valid identity document in Hong Kong. The UK firmly opposes the discrimination of BN(O)s in this way. We have urged the Hong Kong authorities to facilitate the early drawdown of funds as is the case for other Hong Kong residents who move overseas permanently.


Written Question
Taxation: British National (Overseas)
Wednesday 21st June 2023

Asked by: Siobhain McDonagh (Labour - Mitcham and Morden)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he is taking steps to help ensure that the British National (Overseas) holders residing in the UK are aware of their right to have their tax information data withheld from being sent to Hong Kong authorities.

Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care

Where individuals are only tax resident in the UK, their financial account information is not shared with any foreign authority. Under the Common Reporting Standard (CRS) information on UK financial accounts held by tax residents of Hong Kong is shared with the tax authority of Hong Kong for taxation purposes. Any financial institution or account holder can apply to HMRC to have CRS information redacted if they consider that their human rights are at risk. The Government has reminded financial institutions about the process and information for individual account holders available on GOV.UK has recently been updated and made more prominent.
Written Question
Development Aid
Tuesday 13th June 2023

Asked by: Siobhain McDonagh (Labour - Mitcham and Morden)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to take steps to increase the Official Development Assistance budget.

Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

The Government remains committed to returning to a target of spending 0.7% of GNI on ODA when, on a sustainable basis, the government is not borrowing for day-to-day spending and underlying debt is falling.

The government will continue to review and confirm each year whether a return to spending 0.7% of GNI on ODA is possible against the latest fiscal forecast.


Written Question
Belarus: Sanctions
Tuesday 7th February 2023

Asked by: Siobhain McDonagh (Labour - Mitcham and Morden)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to tackle instances where businesses circumvent sanctions on Belarus; and if he will meet with the hon. Member for Mitcham and Morden to discuss this matter.

Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care

HMRC is responsible for enforcing trade sanctions and investigating potential breaches of those controls.

We use a range of enforcement options such as education, warning letters, issuing compound settlements, seizures, disruptions and in the most serious of cases, referral to the Crown Prosecution Service for consideration for prosecution.

We undertake a preliminary assessment into all credible intelligence/allegations of trade sanctions offences and work with other government departments and international partners to identify high-risk movements.

Any UK person or company that is in breach of trade sanctions potentially faces a heavy fine or imprisonment.


Written Question
Belarus: Sanctions
Tuesday 7th February 2023

Asked by: Siobhain McDonagh (Labour - Mitcham and Morden)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to tackle instances where businesses circumvent sanctions on Belarus; and if he will meet with the hon. Member for Mitcham and Morden to discuss this matter.

Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care

HMRC is responsible for enforcing trade sanctions and investigating potential breaches of those controls.

We use a range of enforcement options such as education, warning letters, issuing compound settlements, seizures, disruptions and in the most serious of cases, referral to the Crown Prosecution Service for consideration for prosecution.

We undertake a preliminary assessment into all credible intelligence/allegations of trade sanctions offences and work with other government departments and international partners to identify high-risk movements.

Any UK person or company that is in breach of trade sanctions potentially faces a heavy fine or imprisonment.