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1403284

registered interest
date	17/01/2022
answering body	Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept id	211
answering dept short name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept sort name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
hansard heading	Business Rates: Tax Allowances
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what the value is of business rates relief provided to (a) the retail sector, (b) the hospitality sector, (c) the leisure sector and (d) airports in England during the covid-19 outbreak.
tabling member constituency	Crawley
tabling member printed	Henry Smith
uin	105470
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/01/2022 answer text <p>The total value of business rates relief provided to the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors in England was £11.1 billion in 2020/21, and is forecasted to be £5.8 billion in 2021/22</p><p><br> The renewed Airport and Ground Operations Support Scheme (AGOSS) that the Chancellor announced at the Autumn Budget provides support for eligible businesses with their fixed costs for a further six months, up to the equivalent of their business rates liabilities for the second half of the 2021-22 financial year, subject to certain conditions and a cap per claimant of £4 million.</p> answering member constituency Saffron Walden answering member printed Kemi Badenoch question first answered 26/01/2022 15:22:30 answering member 4597 label Biography information for Kemi Badenoch
tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

1403285

registered interest
date	17/01/2022
answering body	Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept id	211
answering dept short name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept sort name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
hansard heading	Business Rates: Airports
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what the value is of (a) business rates paid by airports in England and (b) support distributed to airports through the Airport and Ground Operations Support Scheme in England during the covid-19 outbreak.
tabling member constituency	Crawley
tabling member printed	Henry Smith
uin	105471
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/01/2022 answer text <p>Data on the amount of business rates paid by type of business in England is not collected</p><p><br> The renewed Airport and Ground Operations Support Scheme (AGOSS) that the Chancellor announced at the Autumn Budget provides support for eligible businesses with their fixed costs for a further six months, up to the equivalent of their business rates liabilities for the second half of the 2021-22 financial year, subject to certain conditions and a cap per claimant of £4 million. The Scheme has been renewed twice and in total around £175 million has been made available.</p> answering member constituency Saffron Walden answering member printed Kemi Badenoch question first answered 26/01/2022 15:23:24 answering member 4597 label Biography information for Kemi Badenoch
tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

1403286

registered interest
date	17/01/2022
answering body	Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept id	211
answering dept short name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept sort name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
hansard heading	COVID-19 Additional Relief Fund: Airports
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the Business Rates Relief Fund, whether his Department made an assessment of how much support airports would potentially have been entitled to before being deemed ineligible for that fund.
tabling member constituency	Crawley
tabling member printed	Henry Smith
uin	105472
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/01/2022 answer text <p>The Covid-19 Additional Relief Fund was introduced to enable local authorities to provide targeted support to sectors who were affected by the pandemic but ineligible for previous support linked to business rates</p><p><br> For that reason, those airports in England which have received support for their fixed costs, based on the equivalent of their business rates liabilities, through the Airport and Ground Operations Support Scheme (AGOSS) are not eligible for this relief</p><p><br> The renewed Airport and Ground Operations Support Scheme (AGOSS) that the Chancellor announced at the Autumn Budget provides support for eligible businesses with their fixed costs for a further six months, up to the equivalent of their business rates liabilities for the second half of the 2021-22 financial year, subject to certain conditions and a cap per claimant of £4 million.</p> answering member constituency Saffron Walden answering member printed Kemi Badenoch question first answered 26/01/2022 15:46:22 answering member 4597 label Biography information for Kemi Badenoch
tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

1403287

registered interest
date	17/01/2022
answering body	Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept id	211
answering dept short name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept sort name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
hansard heading	Business Rates: Airports
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the Business Rates Relief Fund, whether his Department made an assessment of the potential value of discounts that would have been awarded to airports in England in the event that airports had been permitted to pursue covid-19-related Material Change of Circumstance appeals with the Valuation Office Agency.
tabling member constituency	Crawley
tabling member printed	Henry Smith
uin	105473
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/01/2022 answer text <p>Parliament recently passed legislation to rule out coronavirus as grounds for a ‘material change of circumstances’ appeal of rateable value. It is a core principle of the business rates system that market-wide economic changes affecting property values, such as the pandemic, should only be considered at general revaluations. <br> <br> Prior to this legislation being introduced, the Valuation Office Agency were at an early stage of considering their response to the material change of circumstances appeals. Although discussions had taken place no valuations had been agreed.</p> answering member constituency Saffron Walden answering member printed Kemi Badenoch question first answered 26/01/2022 15:47:01 answering member 4597 label Biography information for Kemi Badenoch
tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

1359755

registered interest
date	15/10/2021
answering body	Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept id	211
answering dept short name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept sort name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
hansard heading	Business Rates
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what plans his Department has to assist local authorities to ensure that the allocation of the forthcoming Business Rates relief fund is consistent across England.
tabling member constituency	Crawley
tabling member printed	Henry Smith
uin	56967
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/10/2021 answer text <p>The £1.5 billion fund will be allocated to local authorities based on the stock of properties in the area whose sectors have been affected by COVID-19 and are ineligible for existing support linked to business rates. Local authorities will use their knowledge of local businesses and the local economy to make awards. My Department will publish guidance in due course to help local authorities set up their local schemes, once the legislation relating to COVID-19 Material Change of Circumstances provisions has passed.</p> answering member constituency Saffron Walden answering member printed Kemi Badenoch question first answered 25/10/2021 16:49:49 answering member 4597 label Biography information for Kemi Badenoch
tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

1329394

registered interest
date	04/06/2021
answering body	Women and Equalities
answering dept id	31
answering dept short name	Women and Equalities
answering dept sort name	Women and Equalities
hansard heading	Males: Equality
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether the Government has made an assessment of the potential merits of appointing a Minister responsible for male-specific issues.
tabling member constituency	Crawley
tabling member printed	Henry Smith
uin	10324
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2021 answer text <p>The Equality Act requires the interests of both sexes to be considered when assessing equality impacts. The Government is focussed on delivering genuine equality of opportunity by addressing the real problems people, whatever their sex, face in their everyday lives using evidence and data.</p><p>That is why we recently announced the Equality Data Programme, a comprehensive project to improve equality data, enhance our understanding of equality, and get to the heart of the barriers all people face.</p><p>As ministerial appointments are made by the Prime Minister, any changes to ministerial titles would be a matter for him to consider. However, all Equalities Ministers have a responsibility to carefully consider issues affecting men and boys as part of their remit even where this is not necessarily indicated in their job title.</p> answering member constituency Saffron Walden answering member printed Kemi Badenoch question first answered 17/06/2021 13:16:59 answering member 4597 label Biography information for Kemi Badenoch
tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

1277660

registered interest
date	18/01/2021
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Air Passenger Duty
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will hold discussions with the Secretary of State for Transport on the potential effect of the re-introduction of a return leg exemption from air passenger duty for domestic flights in the UK on (a) regional connectivity and (b) the viability of regional air routes.
tabling member constituency	Crawley
tabling member printed	Henry Smith
uin	138921
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/01/2021 answer text <p>The Government has committed to consult on aviation tax reform, as part of which we will consider the case for changing the APD treatment of domestic flights, and the potential impact any measure may have on regional connectivity and domestic routes. We will provide an update on timing in due course.</p><p> </p><p>HM Treasury is engaging with relevant departments ahead of this consultation.</p> answering member constituency Saffron Walden answering member printed Kemi Badenoch question first answered 26/01/2021 14:55:25 answering member 4597 label Biography information for Kemi Badenoch
tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

1273131

registered interest
date	30/12/2020
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, if he will ensure that future covid-19 business support grant schemes distributed by local authorities are based on the number of businesses and employment in an area rather than a per capita population figure.
tabling member constituency	Crawley
tabling member printed	Henry Smith
uin	132860
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/01/2021 answer text <p>The Additional Restrictions Grant, which is allocated on a per capita basis, is only one part of the Government’s comprehensive support package for businesses and local authorities during this time. The Local Restrictions Support Grant (Closed) is allocated on a per-business basis and provides businesses in England which are legally required to close due to national or local restrictions with up to £3,000 per month of closures, depending on their rateable value. Businesses which are legally required to close are also eligible for one-off grants worth up to £9,000, depending on their rateable value.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, through the Local Restrictions Support Grant (Open), local authorities which were subject to restrictions on socialising (in particular a ban on indoor household mixing) before the latest lockdown was announced received additional funding so that they could make grants of up to £2,100 per month to hospitality, leisure and accommodation businesses which were able to remain open, but which were experiencing a severe reduction in demand due to restrictions on socialising. This funding is also calculated on a per-business basis.</p><p> </p><p>Given that both population and business densities create pressures on local authorities, by providing some funding per-head and some per-business we are achieving a fair balance.</p> answering member constituency Saffron Walden answering member printed Kemi Badenoch question first answered 12/01/2021 10:25:03 answering member 4597 label Biography information for Kemi Badenoch
tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

1258203

registered interest
date	03/12/2020
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Duty Free Allowances
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment has he made of the merits of introducing a new airside tax-free shopping regime for international visitors at the end of the Brexit transition period.
tabling member constituency	Crawley
tabling member printed	Henry Smith
uin	124718
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/12/2020 answer text <p>Ahead of the end of the transition period, the Government has announced the VAT and excise duty treatment of goods purchased by individuals for personal use and carried in their luggage arriving from or going overseas (passengers). The following rules will apply from 1 January 2021:</p><p>- Passengers travelling from Great Britain to any destination outside the United Kingdom (UK) will be able to purchase duty-free excise goods once they have passed security controls at ports, airports, and international rail stations.</p><p>- Personal allowances will apply to passengers entering Great Britain from a destination outside of the UK, with alcohol allowances significantly increased.</p><p>- The VAT Retail Export Scheme (RES) in Great Britain will not be extended to EU residents and will be withdrawn for all passengers.</p><p>- The concessionary treatment on tax-free sales for non-excise goods will be removed across the UK.</p><p> </p><p>The Government published a consultation which ran from 11 March to 20 May. During this time the Government held a number of virtual meetings with stakeholders to hear their views and received 73 responses to the consultation. The Government is also continuing to meet and discuss the changes with stakeholders following the announcement of these policies.</p><p> </p><p>The detailed rationale for these changes are included in the written ministerial statement and summary of responses to the recent consultation: <a href="https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2020-09-11/hcws448" target="_blank">https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2020-09-11/hcws448</a> and <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/a-consultation-on-duty-free-and-tax-free-goods-carried-by-passengers" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/a-consultation-on-duty-free-and-tax-free-goods-carried-by-passengers</a>. A technical note has also been issued to stakeholders to expand on this document and to respond to issues raised by stakeholders.</p><p> </p><p>The concessionary treatment on tax-free sales currently affects airports that fly to non-EU destinations. The extension of duty-free sales to EU bound passengers will be a significant boost to all airports in England, Scotland and Wales, including smaller regional airports which have not been able to offer duty-free to the EU before.</p><p> </p><p>HMRC estimate that around £150 million of VAT is not charged as a result of tax-free airside sales. As with the VAT RES, extending the relief to the EU would significantly increase the cost of the scheme and result in a large amount of deadweight loss by subsidising spending from EU-bound passengers which already happens.</p><p> </p><p>On 25 November the independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) set out their assessment of the fiscal impact of the withdrawal of the tax-free airside sales. The OBR estimate that the withdrawal will raise approximately £170 million per year for the Exchequer, after behavioural responses are taken into account and passenger numbers recover from the impacts of Covid-19.</p><p> </p><p>The Government also recognises the challenges the aviation sector is facing as it recovers from the impacts of Covid-19 and has supported the sector throughout the pandemic, and continues to do so, including schemes to raise capital, flexibilities with tax bills, and financial support for employees.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Saffron Walden answering member printed Kemi Badenoch grouped question UIN 124719 question first answered 10/12/2020 10:37:08 answering member 4597 label Biography information for Kemi Badenoch
tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

1258204

registered interest
date	03/12/2020
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Duty Free Allowances
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessments his Department has made of the potential merits of providing alternative airside tax-free shopping regimes for international visitors at the end of the transition period.
tabling member constituency	Crawley
tabling member printed	Henry Smith
uin	124719
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/12/2020 answer text <p>Ahead of the end of the transition period, the Government has announced the VAT and excise duty treatment of goods purchased by individuals for personal use and carried in their luggage arriving from or going overseas (passengers). The following rules will apply from 1 January 2021:</p><p>- Passengers travelling from Great Britain to any destination outside the United Kingdom (UK) will be able to purchase duty-free excise goods once they have passed security controls at ports, airports, and international rail stations.</p><p>- Personal allowances will apply to passengers entering Great Britain from a destination outside of the UK, with alcohol allowances significantly increased.</p><p>- The VAT Retail Export Scheme (RES) in Great Britain will not be extended to EU residents and will be withdrawn for all passengers.</p><p>- The concessionary treatment on tax-free sales for non-excise goods will be removed across the UK.</p><p> </p><p>The Government published a consultation which ran from 11 March to 20 May. During this time the Government held a number of virtual meetings with stakeholders to hear their views and received 73 responses to the consultation. The Government is also continuing to meet and discuss the changes with stakeholders following the announcement of these policies.</p><p> </p><p>The detailed rationale for these changes are included in the written ministerial statement and summary of responses to the recent consultation: <a href="https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2020-09-11/hcws448" target="_blank">https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2020-09-11/hcws448</a> and <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/a-consultation-on-duty-free-and-tax-free-goods-carried-by-passengers" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/a-consultation-on-duty-free-and-tax-free-goods-carried-by-passengers</a>. A technical note has also been issued to stakeholders to expand on this document and to respond to issues raised by stakeholders.</p><p> </p><p>The concessionary treatment on tax-free sales currently affects airports that fly to non-EU destinations. The extension of duty-free sales to EU bound passengers will be a significant boost to all airports in England, Scotland and Wales, including smaller regional airports which have not been able to offer duty-free to the EU before.</p><p> </p><p>HMRC estimate that around £150 million of VAT is not charged as a result of tax-free airside sales. As with the VAT RES, extending the relief to the EU would significantly increase the cost of the scheme and result in a large amount of deadweight loss by subsidising spending from EU-bound passengers which already happens.</p><p> </p><p>On 25 November the independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) set out their assessment of the fiscal impact of the withdrawal of the tax-free airside sales. The OBR estimate that the withdrawal will raise approximately £170 million per year for the Exchequer, after behavioural responses are taken into account and passenger numbers recover from the impacts of Covid-19.</p><p> </p><p>The Government also recognises the challenges the aviation sector is facing as it recovers from the impacts of Covid-19 and has supported the sector throughout the pandemic, and continues to do so, including schemes to raise capital, flexibilities with tax bills, and financial support for employees.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Saffron Walden answering member printed Kemi Badenoch grouped question UIN 124718 question first answered 10/12/2020 10:37:08 answering member 4597 label Biography information for Kemi Badenoch
tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith