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1205149

registered interest
date	18/06/2020
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Administration of Estates: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will issue guidance to (a) banks and (b) other financial institutions on the timely provision of information to Executors seeking to wind-up estates for probate during the covid-19 outbreak; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Broxbourne
tabling member printed	Sir Charles Walker
uin	61439
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/06/2020 answer text <p>Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government, alongside the financial regulators, has been working closely with the financial services industry to ensure that individuals and businesses have the support they need. If anyone has concerns or questions about their banking, including the administration around bereavement, we urge them to speak to their provider. Frontline staff in banks, building societies and credit unions are working tirelessly to deal with a significant volume of customer enquiries.</p><p> </p><p>The treatment of customers by UK firms which are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is governed by its Principles of Business. This includes a general requirement for firms to provide a prompt, efficient and fair service to all of their customers, including those who have recently suffered a bereavement. The Government is also supportive of previous industry efforts to improve handling of these sensitive cases, including the implementation of the British Bankers’ Association’s (now known as UK Finance) Bereavement Principles. These Principles include a commitment from firms to provide support to meet individuals’ needs throughout the bereavement process and to work to resolve everything as quickly and simply as possible.</p><p> </p><p>The Government will continue to work with the FCA and industry to understand how they are handling bereavement processes and policies around probate in the current context.</p> answering member constituency Salisbury answering member printed John Glen question first answered 23/06/2020 13:23:17 answering member 4051 label Biography information for John Glen
tabling member	1493 label Biography information for Sir Charles Walker

1204846

registered interest
date	17/06/2020
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Insurance Companies: Compensation
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with representatives of the insurance sector on extending compensation for people that are affected by business closures as a result of covid-19 that are not covered by their insurance policy; and what additional support the Government plans to provide to businesses that have not had their business interruption cover triggered as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.
tabling member constituency	Ellesmere Port and Neston
tabling member printed	Justin Madders
uin	60778
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/06/2020 answer text <p>The Government is in continual dialogue with the insurance sector and is encouraging insurers to do all they can to support customers during this difficult period. Furthermore, the Government is working closely with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to ensure that the rules are being upheld during this crisis and fully supports the regulator in its role.</p><p>In addition, on the 1st of May the FCA outlined its intention to seek a court declaration, to resolve uncertainty for many customers making business interruption claims. This court case refers to a sample of policy wordings designed to be representative of the majority of disputed cases. On the 1st of June, the FCA announced the policy wordings that would be tested in the court action and insurers it had invited to participate directly, along with an initial list of policy wordings and insurers that will potentially be impacted by the Court’s decision on the representative sample. The FCA expects to publish a final list of all the relevant insurers and policies that may have impacted wordings in early July, and expects a court hearing to take place in late July.</p><p>However, the Government recognises that businesses who do not have appropriate insurance cover will require support from elsewhere, and encourages businesses to seek assistance through the wider support package if they are in financial difficulty, which includes measures such as business rates holidays, the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, and wage support.</p> answering member constituency Salisbury answering member printed John Glen question first answered 22/06/2020 11:39:37 answering member 4051 label Biography information for John Glen
tabling member	4418 label Biography information for Justin Madders

1204308

registered interest
date	16/06/2020
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Debts: Mental Illness
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to mitigate the effect of debt on people's mental health during the covid-19 outbreak.
tabling member constituency	Brighton, Pavilion
tabling member printed	Caroline Lucas
uin	59729
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/06/2020 answer text <p>The government has taken significant steps to support individuals and businesses through this difficult time, including through the Coronavirus Jobs Retention Scheme and the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme.</p><p> </p><p>The government has worked closely with the Financial Conduct Authority to deliver payment holidays to provide temporary support to consumers. To ensure that people have access to the help they need to make effective financial decisions and manage their debt, the government is providing an additional £37.8m for debt advice providers, bringing the Money and Pensions Services’ debt advice budget to over £100m this financial year.</p><p> </p><p>The government recognises that the mental health impacts of Covid-19 are significant. The Prime Minister has announced £4.2m for mental health charities to ensure they can meet increased demand as a result of Covid-19. This builds on the £5m grant announced in March to be allocated to national and local mental health organisations.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is also working to implement Breathing Space, which will give people in problem debt access to a 60-day moratorium on creditor action. People receiving treatment for mental health crisis will be able to access the protections of Breathing Space via a different entry route that mitigates the specific barriers that this group might face in engaging with professional debt advice.</p><p> </p><p>It is important that lenders communicate with their customers about debt, so they can be supported to manage their finances. The government recognises that some of the wording in these letters can cause concern and we are monitoring the issue.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Salisbury answering member printed John Glen grouped question UIN 59730 question first answered 24/06/2020 11:03:46 answering member 4051 label Biography information for John Glen
tabling member	3930 label Biography information for Caroline Lucas

1204309

registered interest
date	16/06/2020
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Debt Collection: Mental Illness
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of debt collection letters on people's mental health during the covid-19 outbreak.
tabling member constituency	Brighton, Pavilion
tabling member printed	Caroline Lucas
uin	59730
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/06/2020 answer text <p>The government has taken significant steps to support individuals and businesses through this difficult time, including through the Coronavirus Jobs Retention Scheme and the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme.</p><p> </p><p>The government has worked closely with the Financial Conduct Authority to deliver payment holidays to provide temporary support to consumers. To ensure that people have access to the help they need to make effective financial decisions and manage their debt, the government is providing an additional £37.8m for debt advice providers, bringing the Money and Pensions Services’ debt advice budget to over £100m this financial year.</p><p> </p><p>The government recognises that the mental health impacts of Covid-19 are significant. The Prime Minister has announced £4.2m for mental health charities to ensure they can meet increased demand as a result of Covid-19. This builds on the £5m grant announced in March to be allocated to national and local mental health organisations.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is also working to implement Breathing Space, which will give people in problem debt access to a 60-day moratorium on creditor action. People receiving treatment for mental health crisis will be able to access the protections of Breathing Space via a different entry route that mitigates the specific barriers that this group might face in engaging with professional debt advice.</p><p> </p><p>It is important that lenders communicate with their customers about debt, so they can be supported to manage their finances. The government recognises that some of the wording in these letters can cause concern and we are monitoring the issue.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Salisbury answering member printed John Glen grouped question UIN 59729 question first answered 24/06/2020 11:03:46 answering member 4051 label Biography information for John Glen
tabling member	3930 label Biography information for Caroline Lucas

1204310

registered interest
date	16/06/2020
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Consumer Credit Act 1974
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of amending the Consumer Credit Act (1974) as part of the Government's covid-19 response; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Brighton, Pavilion
tabling member printed	Caroline Lucas
uin	59731
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/06/2020 answer text <p>In March 2019, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) submitted its final report to HM Treasury on the review of the retained provisions of the Consumer Credit Act 1974. The Government is considering whether further reform of the market is necessary and desirable, taking into account the COVID-19 crisis.</p> answering member constituency Salisbury answering member printed John Glen question first answered 24/06/2020 12:17:14 answering member 4051 label Biography information for John Glen
tabling member	3930 label Biography information for Caroline Lucas

1204350

registered interest
date	16/06/2020
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Pensions: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has plans to enable people facing financial difficulties during the covid-19 outbreak to draw down more than one quarter of their pension early without incurring 40 per cent tax.
tabling member constituency	North Ayrshire and Arran
tabling member printed	Patricia Gibson
uin	59820
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/06/2020 answer text <p>The Government wishes to encourage pension saving, to help ensure that people have an income, or funds on which they can draw, throughout retirement. This makes pensions tax relief one of the most expensive reliefs in the personal tax system. In 2017/18 income tax and employer National Insurance Contributions relief cost £54 billion.</p><p>The Government therefore imposes a charge on early withdrawals, which can be from 40% to 55% depending on the circumstances, both to recoup its investment through tax relief and to provide individuals with a strong incentive to save through their pension for the long-term.</p><p>It is for these reasons that the Government does not have any plans to remove tax on pension payments in response to this outbreak. As with all tax policy, this will be kept under review.</p> answering member constituency Salisbury answering member printed John Glen question first answered 22/06/2020 11:11:44 answering member 4051 label Biography information for John Glen
tabling member	4435 label Biography information for Patricia Gibson

1203645

registered interest
date	15/06/2020
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Small Business Grants Fund
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps small business owners should take whose insurers are deducting the £10,000 Coronavirus Small Business Grant from insurance payouts indicating that businesses have already been compensated by the Government.
tabling member constituency	North Ayrshire and Arran
tabling member printed	Patricia Gibson
uin	59511
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2020 answer text <p>The Government is in continual dialogue with the insurance sector regarding their contribution to the handling of this unprecedented situation. The Government is also working closely with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to ensure that the rules are being upheld during this crisis.</p><p> </p><p>The FCA rules require insurers to handle claims fairly and promptly; provide reasonable guidance to help a policyholder make a claim; not reject a claim unreasonably; and settle claims promptly once settlement terms are agreed. In addition, the FCA has said that, in light of COVID-19, insurers must consider very carefully the needs of their customers and show flexibility in their treatment of them.</p><p> </p><p>Customers who feel that they have not been treated fairly should first make a formal complaint to their insurer. If they then feel that their complaint has not been dealt with satisfactorily, they are able to refer the matter to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS), an independent body set up to provide arbitration in such cases. The FOS can help micro-enterprises with annual turnover sheets that do not exceed €2 million, and small businesses with turnover that does not exceed £6.5 million. The decision of the FOS is binding on insurers up to £350,000.</p><p> </p><p>If customers would like to make a general complaint about the practice of deducting small business grants from the value of insurance settlements, the FCA would be happy to hear from them through their consumer support service.</p><p> </p><p>While the FCA can’t resolve individual disputes and will not normally be able to discuss their investigations or findings with the person making the complaint, they can take any information provided into account as a part of their wider monitoring of practices in the sector.</p> answering member constituency Salisbury answering member printed John Glen question first answered 18/06/2020 11:35:28 answering member 4051 label Biography information for John Glen
tabling member	4435 label Biography information for Patricia Gibson

1203278

registered interest
date	12/06/2020
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Travel Agents: Repayments
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will take steps to ensure that travel agents are eligible for full refunds for transaction fees in the event that holidays are cancelled as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.
tabling member constituency	North Ayrshire and Arran
tabling member printed	Patricia Gibson
uin	59234
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2020 answer text <p>The Government remains committed to helping businesses and workers through the present very difficult time, and has announced unprecedented support, including a range of grant and tax deferral schemes, and £300 billion of guarantees, equivalent to 15 per cent of UK GDP.</p><p> </p><p>The terms on which transaction fees for card purchases may be refunded are a commercial arrangement between businesses and their acquirers (the financial services firms which process card payments on behalf of businesses). Some acquirers are taking voluntary measures to support their business customers, for example through waiving fees, and the Government welcomes such action.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Salisbury answering member printed John Glen question first answered 17/06/2020 11:30:30 answering member 4051 label Biography information for John Glen
tabling member	4435 label Biography information for Patricia Gibson

1203311

registered interest
date	12/06/2020
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	World Economy: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with his (a) G8, (b) G20 and (c) other international counterparts on (i) the global recession as a result of covid-19, ii) potential cancellation of world debt and (c) plans to support recovery of the global economy.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	59236
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2020 answer text <p>The UK Government continues to engage very closely and regularly with the international community, including the G7, G20, and various international organisations, to respond to the economic impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. G7 Finance Ministers continue to convene regularly to work together on critical economic issues. G20 Finance Ministers last met on April 15 and will next meet on July 18 to continue to coordinate the international response to the pandemic and support the global recovery.</p><p> </p><p>The UK recently led the development of the G20 Action Plan, which brings together ambitious and wide-ranging commitments to address the economic impact of the virus, including to work with international counterparts to secue a strong global economic recovery. Additionally, as part of this, the Chancellor and his G20 counterparts agreed to a temporary suspension on debt service repayments from the poorest countries. We are working closely with G20 partner countries and international organisations to monitor the implementation of the Action Plan and ensure it maintains efficacy. The UK Government will also work through the G20 and Paris Club of official creditors to closely monitor sovereign debt vulnerabilities in developing countries.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Salisbury answering member printed John Glen question first answered 17/06/2020 11:32:14 answering member 4051 label Biography information for John Glen
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1202300

registered interest
date	10/06/2020
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Bounce Back Loan Scheme
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps is he taking to ensure that customers of all banks are able to access loans from the Coronavirus Bounce Back Loan scheme.
tabling member constituency	Huddersfield
tabling member printed	Mr Barry Sheerman
uin	57901
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/06/2020 answer text <p>The Government’s Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS), launched 4 May, was designed to help the smallest businesses access loans up to £50,000.</p><p> </p><p>As of June 7, over 782,000 loan facilities have been approved with a value of over £23.7bn. There are so far 21 accredited lenders offering finance under the scheme, and this number continues to grow. The British Business Bank who are responsible for administrating the scheme, have put substantial resources into onboarding new lenders as quickly as possible.</p><p> </p><p>If an SME’s main lender does not offer Bounce Back Loans, businesses can go to another accredited lender. Several accredited lenders are accepting applications from new customers.</p> answering member constituency Salisbury answering member printed John Glen question first answered 15/06/2020 08:56:24 answering member 4051 label Biography information for John Glen
tabling member	411 label Biography information for Mr Barry Sheerman