Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether their Department has a Chief Risk Officer for national security risks relating to the work of their Department.
Answered by Gareth Davies - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
HM Treasury has a board member with specific responsibility for oversight of security who is responsible for national security risks relating to the work of the department in line with the department's risk management framework.Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps they are taking to help ensure that their Department (a) gives sufficient attention to long term strategic challenges, (b) does not allow current events to slow down work on long term strategic issues and (c) consistently undertakes horizon scanning.
Answered by Gareth Davies - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Treasury is leading on three of the Prime Minister's five priorities: reducing inflation, growing the economy and reducing debt. Delivering on these priorities is vital during a period of short-term economic challenge for both the UK and the global economy, and also essential to improve the UK’s long term economic outlook and to deliver for the people of the UK.
The department has a portfolio of policies to invest in strong public services, drive sustainable economic growth, build a culture of enterprise, enable the transition to net zero, and support people and businesses to thrive, while ensuring fiscal sustainability and value for money for the taxpayer. At the heart of these plans is the Government’s ambition for the UK to be one of the most prosperous countries in Europe.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what fiscal steps he is taking to improve productivity.
Answered by Gareth Davies - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Chancellor has outlined his plans to boost private sector productivity and long-term economic growth with a package of measures under the ‘four Es’ of economic growth: Employment, Enterprise, Education, and Everywhere.
The Government has introduced several fiscal measures to increase productivity. For example, we have introduced full expensing – giving the UK the most generous capital allowances regime in the OECD on a Net Present Value basis to increase business investment and boost labour productivity. We increased the R&D Expenditure Credit relief rate to 20% – the joint highest uncapped headline rate of R&D tax relief in the G7 for large companies.
We are supporting our world leading green industries. For example, up to £20bn of funding has been provided for Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage, and we are working with investors through our Automotive Transformation Fund to build a globally competitive electric vehicle supply chain in the UK. Furthermore, the Investment Zones programme will catalyse 12 high potential knowledge-intensive growth clusters across the UK.
We are also ensuring our labour market is more productive through our investment in skills and the Chief Secretary is currently leading a programme across government to identify the most ambitious ways to improve productivity in the public sector.
.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answers of 13 and 25 July 2023 to Questions 193196 and 194519 on Income tax, for what reasons summing boxes 2 and 4 on HMRC CT61 forms across all corporate taxpayers does not provide the information requested.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The table below provides aggregate figures for the income tax deducted at source by companies at (a) the basic rate and (b) a reduced rate in each of the last six financial years. Please note data is only available for returns above £50k in value so this information will not capture amounts below this threshold.
£m | Total tax deducted at the basic rate of income tax (Box 2) | Total tax deducted at reduced rates (Box 4) |
2016-17 | 335 | 25 |
2017-18 | 720 | 80 |
2018-19 | * | 90 |
2019-20 | 300 | 50 |
2020-21 | 145 | 30 |
2021-22 | 195 | 30 |
The figure for the total tax deducted at the basic rate of income tax in 2018-19 has been redacted to maintain taxpayer confidentiality, which can be at risk when there are a small number of contributors or a small number of contributors which are very dominant.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps HM Revenue and Customs takes to project the volume of calls to its call centres; what the average wait time was for callers to HM Revenue and Customs in June 2023; how any staff are scheduled to answer calls to the call centre during peak periods; and what the average number of calls in peak periods was in June 2023.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
HMRC performance data is published on a monthly and quarterly basis and can be found here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmrc-monthly-performance-reports
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmrc-quarterly-performance-updates
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the comments by the Governor of the Bank of England on pay restraint made in February 2023.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Government is committed to the Prime Minister’s pledge to grow the economy and halve inflation. We remain steadfast in our support for the Bank of England’s independent Monetary Policy Committee.
Pay for most frontline workforces is set by the independent Pay Review Body (PRB) process. On 13 July, the Government confirmed that it would be accepting the headline pay recommendations of the PRBs in full.
Government borrowing to pay for things, such as public sector pay, boosts demand and in turn can increase inflationary pressure. That is why these pay uplifts will not be funded through any new borrowing.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the total cost was to the public purse of dismissing Sir Tom Scholar as permanent secretary at the Treasury; and if he will provide a breakdown of those costs.
Answered by Gareth Davies - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The information on HM Treasury Senior management remuneration is published in HM Treasury Annual Report and Accounts 2022-23. This can be found using the below link:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1170987/HMT_ARA_2022-23.pdf
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of whether the economy will experience deflation in the next five years.
Answered by Andrew Griffith - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) are the government’s official forecaster.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 13 July 2023 to Question 193196 on Income Tax, what is the aggregate income tax deducted at source by companies from annual payments, interest and alternative finance arrangements combined at either (a) the basic rate and (b) a reduced rate in each of the last six financial years.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
I refer the Honourable Member to the answer that I gave to PQ UIN 193196.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether their Department has purchased products manufactured by (a) Hikvision and (b) Dahua in the last three years.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
As has been the case under successive administrations, it is not government policy to comment on the government’s security arrangements. This includes any specific details regarding the make and model of security systems, which are withheld on national security grounds.
Each Department is responsible for their own procurement decisions. However, I would refer the Hon. member to the Written Ministerial Statement made by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on 24 November 2022, which set out that Departments had been instructed to disconnect surveillance equipment from core departmental networks where it is subject to the National Intelligence Law of China.