Asked by: Virendra Sharma (Labour - Ealing, Southall)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if his Department will take steps to ensure that all heated tobacco-based products are subject to the same excise rates.
Answered by Jane Ellison
As announced at Budget 2016, the government will consult on the duty treatment of heated tobacco products later this year.
Heated tobacco products are a recent innovation in the tobacco market and are not directly captured by current legislation, though the tobacco they contain is subject to excise duty under current legislation.
Asked by: Virendra Sharma (Labour - Ealing, Southall)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will review the rate of VAT levied on over-the-counter medicines; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by David Gauke
VAT is a broad based tax on consumption, with the twenty per cent standard rate applying to most goods and services.
A zero rate of VAT is applied to drugs provided on prescription and dispensed by a dispensing chemist.
The Chancellor keeps all tax policy under review but has no plans to change the VAT treatment of medicines.
Asked by: Virendra Sharma (Labour - Ealing, Southall)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress he has made on the formation of the cross-ministerial working group on illicit trade.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
I remain committed to sponsoring work across government to tackle illicit tobacco. This requires a full understanding of cross-government policy on tobacco, tobacco control and efforts to tackle illicit tobacco. This is a complex picture and I have asked officials in HMRC to work with other departments to ensure that we have this context to identify the challenges and opportunities in the UK and internationally and determine a clear agenda for ministerial action. This work is continuing.
Asked by: Virendra Sharma (Labour - Ealing, Southall)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the (a) policy and (b) other responsibilities are of each member of his Department's Council of Economic Advisers.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
The Code of Conduct for Special Advisers sets out the role of special advisers and describes the range of activities they may undertake. Copies of the Code of Conduct are available in the Libraries of the House and on-line at
Asked by: Virendra Sharma (Labour - Ealing, Southall)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the (a) policy and (b) other responsibilities are of each special adviser in his Department.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
The Code of Conduct for Special Advisers sets out the role of special advisers and describes the range of activities they may undertake. Copies of the Code of Conduct are available in the Libraries of the House and on-line at
Asked by: Virendra Sharma (Labour - Ealing, Southall)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his Department's wellness strategy is.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
HM Treasury takes the wellness of its staff seriously. Wellness is incorporated within the Treasury’s Health, Safety and Wellbeing policy.
In 2015/16 the following wellness initiatives were given priority:
reducing levels of sickness absence relating to Mental and Behavioural Disorders (including stress, depression, anxiety) and Musculoskeletal Disorders;
increasing the usage of the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP); and
In addition the Treasury has signed up to two key external initiatives:
the Public Health Responsibility Deal. Every April the Treasury reports to the Dept of Health on the activities carried out to meet the six pledges signed up to; and
the ‘Time to Change’ pledge. Following this a Mental Wellbeing Network was set up and a range of associated activities take place focusing on improving the mental wellbeing of Treasury employees.
In addition we support and provide reasonable adjustments for a variety of physical and mental conditions and requirements.
Asked by: Virendra Sharma (Labour - Ealing, Southall)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the measures in the Summer Budget 2015 on child poverty.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
This Government is committed to working to eliminate child poverty and improving life chances for children.
We know that work is the best route out of poverty, which is why we are focused on ensuring people have the skills and the opportunities to move into employment.
Asked by: Virendra Sharma (Labour - Ealing, Southall)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether consumer credit firms and peer-to-peer platforms located outside the UK but within the European Economic Area will (a) need to be authorised or supervised by the Financial Conduct Authority and (b) continue to be able to lend money online to UK consumers under the terms of the EU Electronic Commerce Directive.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
In general, firms which are established outside the UK and which carry on a regulated activity in the UK require permission from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and come under FCA supervision.
Consumer credit firms and peer-to-peer platforms which are established outside the UK but within the European Economic Area (EEA) may only provide services in the UK without permission from the FCA if they do so as an ‘information society services’ (ISS) under the Electronic Commerce Directive. This means that the firm must be operating exclusively online and have no physical presence in the UK.
The Government has announced that it intends to give the FCA new powers to take action against credit firms trying to abuse its rights under the E-Commerce Directive to avoid FCA regulation.
Asked by: Virendra Sharma (Labour - Ealing, Southall)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many consumer credit firms and peer-to-peer platforms located outside the UK, but within the European Economic Area and which lend money online to UK consumers have been granted interim permission to trade by the Financial Conduct Authority.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
This information is contained on the Financial Conduct Authority’s Interim Permission Consumer Credit Register which is available online.
http://fca-consumer-credit-interim.force.com/CS_RegisterSearchPageNew