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1437713

registered interest
date	03/03/2022
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	National Insurance Contributions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will delay the planned national insurance increase due to take place in April 2022 in response to the increase in fuel costs.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	134006
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/03/2022 answer text <p>The Health and Social Care Levy will establish a long-term, sustainable source of revenue to give healthcare the extra funding needed to recover from the pandemic and to implement reform to social care as soon as possible.</p><p> </p><p>The increased spending takes immediate effect this year to deliver our ambitions to tackle the NHS electives backlog, which is why we cannot delay the introduction of the Levy. The Government is committed to responsible management of the public finances and it is important that this spending is fully funded, particularly in the context of record borrowing and debt, as a result of the economic response to COVID-19.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has announced a package of support to help households with rising energy bills, worth £9.1 billion in 2022-23.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 14/03/2022 17:48:23 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1437714

registered interest
date	03/03/2022
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Business: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to ensure that organisations that received covid-19 loans repay a fair amount of the funding they received.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	134007
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/03/2022 answer text <p>We have been clear from the outset that these are loans which must be repaid.</p><p> </p><p>In order to give businesses who have borrowed under the Bounce Back Loan Scheme further support and flexibility in making their repayments, the Chancellor announced “Pay as You Grow” (PAYG) options in September 2020. These give businesses the option to take a a six month full repayment holiday, and to extend their Bounce Back Loan repayments over ten years, reducing their average monthly repayments on the loan by almost half. Businesses also have the option to move to interest-only payments for periods of up to six months (an option which they can use up to three times).</p><p> </p><p>For those who borrowed under the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS), the Government has taken action to allow lenders to provide borrowers with more time to make their repayments where they assess that borrowers are in difficulty and will benefit from the extension.</p><p> </p><p>While it is too early to give a definitive view on the final level of payments, current levels of failure to repay are lower than some of the worst-case scenarios cited by critics: early data shows that businesses have made a positive start to repayments, with the significant majority of businesses meeting monthly repayments. A proportion of businesses have chosen to repay their loan in full already and current levels of distress amongst borrowers are relatively low.</p><p> </p><p>The latest publicly available data can be found here: https://www.british-business-bank.co.uk/covid-19-emergency-loan-schemes-repayment-data/.</p> answering member constituency Salisbury answering member printed John Glen question first answered 14/03/2022 15:04:33 answering member 4051 label Biography information for John Glen
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1437715

registered interest
date	03/03/2022
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Prisons: Finance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will allocate additional funding in Barnett consequentials to help ensure that prisons throughout the UK meet their obligations under UN guidelines.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	134008
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/03/2022 answer text <p>Responsibility for prisons is reserved in England and Wales. The UK Government has provided a £3.2 billion cash increase for the justice system over the Parliament to £11.5 billion in 2024-25, which includes a £3.8 billion investment in our prison building programme over the next three years.</p><p> </p><p>Responsibility for prisons is devolved to the Scottish Government and the Northern Ireland Executive. It is for the devolved administrations to decide how to allocate their funding across their devolved responsibilities.</p><p> </p><p>The 2021 Spending Review settlements were the largest since devolution. The Scottish Government is receiving an average of £4.6 billion per year through the Barnett formula on top of its £36.7 billion annual baseline and the Northern Ireland Executive is receiving an average of £1.6 billion through the Barnett formula on top of its £13.4 billion annual baseline.</p> answering member constituency Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland answering member printed Mr Simon Clarke question first answered 14/03/2022 11:08:16 answering member 4655 label Biography information for Sir Simon Clarke
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1437732

registered interest
date	03/03/2022
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Empty Property: Business Rates
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of charging empty high street properties additional business rates in the event that they do not allow local start-up businesses from utilising their space at a reduced cost.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	134056
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/03/2022 answer text <p>The business rates system ensures that the owners of most empty buildings pay 100 per cent of the business rates bill once the property has been unoccupied for three months, or six months for industrial buildings. This current structure strikes the right balance between not penalising landlords who lose a tenant at short notice, whilst incentivising property owners and landlords to secure new tenants.</p><p> </p><p>In the Levelling Up White Paper, the Government committed to going further in supporting places to tackle blight and reviving our high streets by exploring new powers for local authorities to require landlords to rent out long-term vacant properties to prospective tenants, such as local businesses or community groups.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 14/03/2022 17:39:25 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1437734

registered interest
date	03/03/2022
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Holiday Accommodation: Taxation
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will enable local authorities to levy a tax on people staying on vacation in short term holiday lets, B&Bs, guest houses or hotels.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	134058
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/03/2022 answer text <p>The Government recognises that the hospitality industry makes a vital contribution to the UK economy. The Government does not currently have plans to enable local authorities to levy a tax on accommodation for vacations. Tax is collected at a national level from holidaymakers staying in accommodation through the VAT system. Normally, a standard VAT rate of 20 per cent applies, however, a temporary reduced rate of 5 per cent was introduced on 15 July 2020 to support businesses in the hospitality and tourism sectors through the pandemic. As of 1 October 2021, this rate was raised to 12.5 per cent to taper support for businesses before the rate returns to 20 per cent VAT from 1 April 2022.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 14/03/2022 17:42:57 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1437800

registered interest
date	03/03/2022
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Treasury: Social Media
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much his Department spent on social media advertising in (a) 2019, (b) 2020, (c) 2021 and (d) 2022 up to and including 28 February; and on which platforms that money was spent.
tabling member constituency	Swansea West
tabling member printed	Geraint Davies
uin	133926
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/03/2022 answer text <p>For details on HM Treasury social media spend please see the following transparency data.</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/25000-spend" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/25000-spend</a></p><p> </p> answering member constituency Faversham and Mid Kent answering member printed Helen Whately question first answered 14/03/2022 09:14:03 answering member 4527 label Biography information for Helen Whately
tabling member	155 label Biography information for Geraint Davies

1437811

registered interest
date	03/03/2022
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Mortgages
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 28 February 2022 to Question 125543, on Mortgages, what estimate he has made of the total number of lifetime mortgage customers who could benefit from switching to plans on lower interest rates but have not yet done so.
tabling member constituency	Twickenham
tabling member printed	Munira Wilson
uin	134093
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/03/2022 answer text <p>Lifetime mortgages are a form of equity release scheme which may be an appropriate option for some homeowners wishing to withdraw equity while remaining in their home. The interest rates charged on lifetime mortgage products are typically fixed for the duration of the loan term which provides certainty for borrowers.</p><p> </p><p>Whether it is in a consumer’s best interest to switch their lifetime mortgage plan will depend on their individual circumstances. As with any long-term financial product, we encourage borrowers to regularly consider their options, and they may wish to seek advice to ensure that any changes to their loan are appropriate for their individual circumstances. Borrowers should also be mindful of any factors, such as early repayment charges, that may affect their decision to switch.</p> answering member constituency Salisbury answering member printed John Glen question first answered 14/03/2022 15:08:11 answering member 4051 label Biography information for John Glen
tabling member	4776 label Biography information for Munira Wilson

1437828

registered interest
date	03/03/2022
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	National Lottery
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the difference has been in the amount of expected income to the Exchequer from the National Lottery and actual income so received in the most recent two rounds of the National Lottery for which such information is available.
tabling member constituency	Pontypridd
tabling member printed	Alex Davies-Jones
uin	134113
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/03/2022 answer text <p>The information requested is not available.</p><p> </p><p>HMRC report monthly receipts from specific betting and gaming duties, including Lottery Duty. HMRC do not hold information on tax receipts in respect of specific lottery products, events, or “rounds”.</p><p> </p><p>HMRC publish information on Lottery Duty receipts within the ‘UK Betting and Gaming Statistics’ publication: <a href="https://gbr01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fgovernment%2Fstatistics%2Fuk-betting-and-gaming-statistics&amp;data=04%7C01%7CBethany.Douce%40hmtreasury.gov.uk%7Ccccc7a3f1f6145742ab508da05bbff40%7Ced1644c505e049e6bc39fcf7ac51c18c%7C0%7C0%7C637828602234842080%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&amp;sdata=Q0wCuoshqTxbYsqyW97ijgw7wuqF%2Fmj05njT1C7mE4I%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/uk-betting-and-gaming-statistics</a>.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 14/03/2022 17:38:54 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
tabling member	4849 label Biography information for Alex Davies-Jones

1437897

registered interest
date	03/03/2022
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Electricity: VAT
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make it his policy to review the VAT regime for electricity, in order to support electric vehicle uptake.
tabling member constituency	Edmonton
tabling member printed	Kate Osamor
uin	134063
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/03/2022 answer text <p>The Government is committed to supporting electric vehicle uptake. Since the Spending Review 2020, we have committed £2.5 billion to vehicle grants and charging infrastructure to accelerate the country's transition to electric vehicles. However, we have no plans to review the VAT regime for electricity.</p><p> </p><p>Although the supply of electricity is normally subject to the standard rate of VAT (20 per cent), in order to keep costs down for families, the supply of electricity for domestic use, including charging electric vehicles at home, attracts the reduced rate of VAT (5 per cent).</p><p>Expanding the existing relief would come at a cost. VAT makes a significant contribution towards the public finances, raising around £130 billion in 2019-20, and helps fund the Government's priorities including the NHS, schools, and defence. Any loss in tax revenue would have to be balanced by a reduction in public spending, increased borrowing, or increased taxation elsewhere.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 14/03/2022 17:41:09 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
tabling member	4515 label Biography information for Kate Osamor

1437377

registered interest
date	02/03/2022
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Credit: Regulation
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of regulatory checks on buy now pay later apps including Clearpay and Klarna.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	133183
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/03/2022 answer text <p>Interest-free Buy-Now Pay-Later (BNPL) agreements repayable in under twelve months and in twelve or fewer instalments are currently unregulated. Firms offering these agreements do not currently need to comply with the Consumer Credit Act 1974. Firms which solely offer these agreements do not currently need to be authorised by the FCA.</p><p> </p><p>BNPL is currently subject to some regulation, outlined below, however the Government’s assessment is that this regulation is insufficient to wholly address the potential risks of consumer detriment arising from BNPL products. Therefore, on 2 February 2021 the Government announced its intention to regulate BNPL products in a proportionate manner. The Government published a consultation on policy proposals for the regulation of BNPL on 21 October 2021, which closed on 6 January 2022.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is now reviewing responses to this consultation and considering next steps and intends to publish a consultation response in the spring.</p><p> </p><p>Despite not currently being regulated by the FCA, firms offering BNPL must comply with the rules set out in the UK Advertising Codes, and are also subject to the Consumer Rights Act 2015, concerning the fairness of their contract terms, and the Consumer Protections from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 in relation to unfair commercial practices. Offending firms can be referred to Trading Standards and OFCOM for further action where necessary. The Advertising Standards Authority also published formal guidance about BNPL on 1 December 2020 setting out its expectations on both providers and retailers when offering these services.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, on 14 February 2022 the FCA announced it had secured changes to potentially unfair and unclear terms in the contracts of BNPL firms using its powers under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. Some of these firms also agreed voluntarily to refund some customers who were charged late payment fees.</p> answering member constituency Salisbury answering member printed John Glen question first answered 14/03/2022 14:58:09 answering member 4051 label Biography information for John Glen
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon