Asked by: Wes Streeting (Labour - Ilford North)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to (a) reopen and (b) allocate additional funding to the Equitable Life payment scheme.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
Since 2010, we have taken more action than any previous government to resolve this issue by allocating up to £1.5bn, tax free, for payment to affected policyholders. There are no plans to allocate any further funds to the Equitable Life Payment Scheme, or reopen it.
Asked by: Wes Streeting (Labour - Ilford North)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the amount by which the deficit will increase in 2018 as a result of the ONS decision on the treatment of student loans in Government accounts.
Answered by Elizabeth Truss
The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) published estimates of potential impacts of the new treatment on the deficit in their October 2018 Economic and fiscal outlook, which is available here: https://obr.uk/box/accounting-for-student-loans/
However, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has made it clear that there is a lot to decide before their methodology is finalised. The ONS currently aim to fully implement the new treatment for student loans in the public sector finances in September 2019.
Asked by: Wes Streeting (Labour - Ilford North)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with the Governor of the Bank of England on the person who will be represented on the new £50 note.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Bank of England is responsible for the design, production, issue and distribution of bank notes. On 2 November 2018, the Governor of the Bank of England announced that the design of the new £50 note will celebrate the UK’s contribution to science. Members of the public have until 14 December to nominate a historical character who has contributed to science and influenced UK society to feature on the note.
Asked by: Wes Streeting (Labour - Ilford North)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many days his Department's Second Permanent Secretary spent working in HM Treasury at 1 Horse Guards Road in each month since 1 January 2018.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The information requested constitutes personal data and is exempt from disclosure under section 40(2) of the Freedom of Information Act. It is not the practice of HM Treasury to disclose such information.
Asked by: Wes Streeting (Labour - Ilford North)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many days his Department's Permanent Secretary spent working in HM Treasury at 1 Horse Guards Road in each month since 1 January 2018.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The information requested constitutes personal data and is exempt from disclosure under section 40(2) of the Freedom of Information Act. It is not the practice of HM Treasury to disclose such information.
Asked by: Wes Streeting (Labour - Ilford North)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the total tax revenue collected from students at colleges and universities in the UK who are working full or part-time during their studies during the (a) 2016-17 and (b) 2015-16 tax year.
Answered by Mel Stride - Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
HM Revenue and Customs does not collect information on whether an individual is attending a college or university as it does not affect the amount of tax due. It is therefore not possible to provide the estimates requested.
Asked by: Wes Streeting (Labour - Ilford North)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the number and proportion of students at college and university who are liable for income taxation in the UK.
Answered by Mel Stride - Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
HM Revenue and Customs does not collect information on whether an individual is attending a college or university as it does not affect the amount of tax due. It is therefore not possible to provide the estimates requested.
Asked by: Wes Streeting (Labour - Ilford North)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the likely effect of changes in vehicle excise duty in April 2017 on (a) zero emission capable taxis and (b) costs for individual buyers of such taxis.
Answered by Jane Ellison
Taxis are considered cars for the purposes of VED. As such, new taxis purchased after 1 April 2017 will be treated under the new VED system. We expect zero emission capable taxis to be available on the market in the second half of 2017. If these are priced at above £40,000 they will be liable for an additional rate in the first five years of the Standard Rate, as with any other car.
The Government is investing to help make taxis greener and cleaner, reaffirming our commitment to improving the UK’s air quality. The Department for Transport announced last month £64 million to promote the take up of zero emission capable taxis in cities across the country.
Asked by: Wes Streeting (Labour - Ilford North)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when the Commercial Secretary to the Treasury was given responsibility for the financial services industry in relation to exiting the EU.
Answered by David Gauke
The Chancellor is responsible for all HM Treasury business relating to EU exit, including financial services. When the Commercial Secretary was appointed he asked her to play a supporting role on that. The Chancellor retains overall responsibility for the issue but all ministers in the Department work closely together where relevant.
Asked by: Wes Streeting (Labour - Ilford North)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the net contribution made by international students to the UK economy in each of the last five years.
Answered by Simon Kirby
International students make an important contribution, economic and otherwise, to the world-leading Higher Education system in the UK. The latest available figures show that in 2011, EU and non-EU students in Higher Education were estimated to have contributed £9.7 billion to the UK economy through tuition fees and living expenditure.