Asked by: Stuart C McDonald (Scottish National Party - Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to consult with (a) employees and (b) PCS representatives at HM Revenue and Customs Cumbernauld office on the proposed relocation of staff.
Answered by David Gauke
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) plans to create two new Regional Centres in Scotland, in Glasgow and Edinburgh in 2019-20, accommodating between 5,700 and 6,300 employees. HMRC’s new Regional Centres will give its staff all they need including a modern office environment, close to good travel and transport links. They will provide stable, high quality jobs and offer a wide range of opportunities for training and promotion and allow its staff to follow more varied career paths than have previously been possible.
HMRC will help all its staff work through their options. It will give everyone the opportunity to discuss their personal circumstances with their manager ahead of any office closures or moves, so they know about any issues that need to be taken into account when making decisions.
Asked by: Stuart C McDonald (Scottish National Party - Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to hold a public consultation on the proposed closures of HM Revenue and Customs offices in Scotland.
Answered by David Gauke
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) plans to create two new Regional Centres in Scotland, in Glasgow and Edinburgh in 2019-20, accommodating between 5,700 and 6,300 employees. HMRC’s new Regional Centres will give its staff all they need including a modern office environment, close to good travel and transport links. They will provide stable, high quality jobs and offer a wide range of opportunities for training and promotion and allow its staff to follow more varied career paths than have previously been possible.
HMRC will help all its staff work through their options. It will give everyone the opportunity to discuss their personal circumstances with their manager ahead of any office closures or moves, so they know about any issues that need to be taken into account when making decisions.
Asked by: Stuart C McDonald (Scottish National Party - Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to consult with people in Cumbernauld on the proposed closure of HM Revenue and Customs Cumbernauld office.
Answered by David Gauke
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) plans to create two new Regional Centres in Scotland, in Glasgow and Edinburgh in 2019-20, accommodating between 5,700 and 6,300 employees. HMRC’s new Regional Centres will give its staff all they need including a modern office environment, close to good travel and transport links. They will provide stable, high quality jobs and offer a wide range of opportunities for training and promotion and allow its staff to follow more varied career paths than have previously been possible.
HMRC will help all its staff work through their options. It will give everyone the opportunity to discuss their personal circumstances with their manager ahead of any office closures or moves, so they know about any issues that need to be taken into account when making decisions.
Asked by: Stuart C McDonald (Scottish National Party - Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress his Department has made on its studies of the steps taken by the utilities airlines and other industries in response to falling oil and gas prices; and whether the conclusions of those studies will be published.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The Treasury has engaged with industry to stress the importance of passing through wholesale cost reductions to consumers. The Treasury has produced internal studies to examine how far and how quickly the benefits of oil and price falls were fed through to consumers. We are pleased that recently the six major energy suppliers have announced cuts in their tariffs - it's a good start but there's more to do. The Government looks forward to the Provisional decision on remedies of the Competition and Markets Authority, due this month, and continues to monitor developments closely.
Asked by: Stuart C McDonald (Scottish National Party - Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether there will be compulsory redundancy notices issued to staff based at HM Revenue and Customs Cumbernauld office in the next 12 months.
Answered by David Gauke
HM Revenue and Customs currently has no plans to issue compulsory redundancy notices to staff based at its Cumbernauld office within the next 12 months.
Asked by: Stuart C McDonald (Scottish National Party - Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 25 June 2015 to Questions 3601 and 3602, if he will make an assessment of the potential economic effect on Cumbernauld of moving the HM Revenue and Customs office there elsewhere, as proposed in Building our Future - Continuing the Conversation, published in May 2015.
Answered by David Gauke
As part of the on-going thinking for the future and planning to move to regional centres, HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has been looking at each region across the country in turn, taking into account local economic issues, business requirements, impact on current workforce and location principles.
Asked by: Stuart C McDonald (Scottish National Party - Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what weight HM Revenue and Customs plans to give to the potential economic effect on towns where tax offices are sited of the establishment of regional centres under Building our Future - Continuing the Conversation - Phase 2 when making a decision on that programme.
Answered by David Gauke
No decisions have yet been made on the location or timing of HM Revenue and Customs’ (HMRC’s) new Regional Centres. HMRC will be developing its plans over the coming months and will undertake all necessary consultations and impact assessment work to inform those plans.
Asked by: Stuart C McDonald (Scottish National Party - Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment HM Revenue and Customs has made of the potential economic effect on Cumbernauld of moving its office there to a new regional West of Scotland campus in or around Glasgow, as proposed in Building our Future - Continuing the Conversation - Phase 2.
Answered by David Gauke
No decisions have yet been made on the location or timing of HM Revenue and Customs’ (HMRC’s) new Regional Centres. HMRC will be developing its plans over the coming months and will undertake all necessary consultations and impact assessment work to inform those plans.
Asked by: Stuart C McDonald (Scottish National Party - Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will ensure that any review of the Government's stake in the Royal Bank of Scotland (a) includes representation and consultation with all stakeholders and (b) assesses the costs and benefits of all available options, including alternatives to reprivatisation.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
The Chancellor has previously set out his objectives for the banks in state ownership, including Royal Bank of Scotland. We want to get the best value for money for the taxpayer; and we want to return them to private ownership. This policy is supported by recent advice from the Governor of the Bank of England that “it is in the public interest for the Government to begin now to return RBS to the private sector”, and that “there could be considerable net costs to taxpayers of further delaying the start of a sale”.
Asked by: Stuart C McDonald (Scottish National Party - Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will commission an independent review of the Government's stake in the Royal Bank of Scotland.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
Earlier this month, the Chancellor wrote to the Governor of the Bank of England seeking his advice on when and how the return of the Government’s stake in RBS to the private sector should be undertaken; in view of the wide range of implications for financial stability, growth, and achieving the best returns for the taxpayer.
In his reply, the Governor stated that “it is in the public interest for the Government to begin now to return RBS to private ownership”, and warned that there could be considerable net costs to taxpayers of further delays to the start of a sale. This is also the conclusion of an independent review the Chancellor has commissioned on the issue, undertaken by Rothschild investment bank. The advice and the independent report have both been published online at www.gov.uk.