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1487425

registered interest
date	07/07/2022
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Children: Day Care
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the (a) forecast and (b) actual expenditure was for the tax free childcare scheme in 2021-22.
tabling member constituency	Dulwich and West Norwood
tabling member printed	Helen Hayes
uin	32591
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/07/2022 answer text <p>The Government is committed to supporting families with their childcare costs through Tax-Free Childcare and we are continuing to encourage eligible families to sign up for it. Take-up of Tax-Free Childcare is on a steady upward trajectory and has continued to increase despite the covid-19 pandemic. At the end of March 2022 (the most recent data) an estimated 384,000 families used Tax-Free Childcare for 458,000 children, compared to 328,000 families for 384,000 children in December 2021. The Government spent £43 million on Tax-Free Childcare top-up for families in March 2022.</p><p> </p><p>Actual spend on Tax-Free Childcare in financial year 2021/22 was above forecast. At the Spring 2021 Budget, the forecast expenditure for Tax-Free Childcare in 2021/22 was £0.39bn. Tax-Free Childcare expenditure in 2021/22 was £0.41bn.</p><p> </p><p>Government spending on Tax-Free Childcare was below forecast for the financial years 2017/18 to 2020/21. When many childcare settings were closed in 2020 and 2021 due to the covid-19 pandemic, the Government brought easements into Tax-Free Childcare, 30 hours and Working Tax Credit childcare support offers, allowing parents to remain eligible for these offers despite potential changes to their circumstances due to covid-19.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is also driving a renewed campaign – via the Childcare Choices website - so parents can access the support they are entitled to. This will also encourage providers to take the necessary steps to offer the full range of childcare support to parents.</p> answering member constituency Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland answering member printed Mr Simon Clarke grouped question UIN 32592 question first answered 12/07/2022 16:44:48 answering member 4655 label Biography information for Sir Simon Clarke
tabling member	4510 label Biography information for Helen Hayes

1487426

registered interest
date	07/07/2022
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Children: Day Care
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of how underspend on tax free childcare has been used in each of the last five years.
tabling member constituency	Dulwich and West Norwood
tabling member printed	Helen Hayes
uin	32592
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/07/2022 answer text <p>The Government is committed to supporting families with their childcare costs through Tax-Free Childcare and we are continuing to encourage eligible families to sign up for it. Take-up of Tax-Free Childcare is on a steady upward trajectory and has continued to increase despite the covid-19 pandemic. At the end of March 2022 (the most recent data) an estimated 384,000 families used Tax-Free Childcare for 458,000 children, compared to 328,000 families for 384,000 children in December 2021. The Government spent £43 million on Tax-Free Childcare top-up for families in March 2022.</p><p> </p><p>Actual spend on Tax-Free Childcare in financial year 2021/22 was above forecast. At the Spring 2021 Budget, the forecast expenditure for Tax-Free Childcare in 2021/22 was £0.39bn. Tax-Free Childcare expenditure in 2021/22 was £0.41bn.</p><p> </p><p>Government spending on Tax-Free Childcare was below forecast for the financial years 2017/18 to 2020/21. When many childcare settings were closed in 2020 and 2021 due to the covid-19 pandemic, the Government brought easements into Tax-Free Childcare, 30 hours and Working Tax Credit childcare support offers, allowing parents to remain eligible for these offers despite potential changes to their circumstances due to covid-19.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is also driving a renewed campaign – via the Childcare Choices website - so parents can access the support they are entitled to. This will also encourage providers to take the necessary steps to offer the full range of childcare support to parents.</p> answering member constituency Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland answering member printed Mr Simon Clarke grouped question UIN 32591 question first answered 12/07/2022 16:44:48 answering member 4655 label Biography information for Sir Simon Clarke
tabling member	4510 label Biography information for Helen Hayes

1487077

registered interest
date	06/07/2022
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Credit
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 change in consumer credit borrowing for essential household purchases in each of the past twelve months.
tabling member constituency	Cynon Valley
tabling member printed	Beth Winter
uin	31937
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/07/2022 answer text <p>HM Treasury regularly monitors changes in the consumer credit market as part of its normal processes of policy development. We are not aware of regularly available data that links consumer credit use to categories of spending. However, our regular engagements with stakeholders, such as retail banks and trade bodies, allow us to keep track of emerging trends.</p><p> </p><p>Retrospective analysis of trends in consumer credit product usage is produced by other organisations, including the Bank of England’s monthly statistical releases on money and credit and the Financial Conduct Authority’s Financial Lives Surveys. Recent Bank of England data shows that net consumer credit lending has shown some increase in recent months but remains close to the levels seen in 2019.</p> answering member constituency North East Bedfordshire answering member printed Richard Fuller question first answered 12/07/2022 16:16:47 answering member 3912 label Biography information for Richard Fuller
tabling member	4809 label Biography information for Beth Winter

1487183

registered interest
date	06/07/2022
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Business Rates Review
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the business rates review.
tabling member constituency	Bosworth
tabling member printed	Dr Luke Evans
uin	901019
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/07/2022 answer text <p>With the conclusion of the Business Rates Review, the Government has delivered meaningful reform and cuts worth £7 billion to business over the next five years.</p><p> </p><p>The review has implemented significant new measures to reduce the burden of business rates on firms, including a freeze in the multiplier, new support for improvements and green technology, and further relief for high street businesses. The Government is committing to more frequent revaluations, which represents significant reform of the system and will ensure that liabilities are more responsive to changing market conditions. This addresses key asks of stakeholders for more frequent revaluations and for a reduction of the burden of business rates to make the system fairer.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 12/07/2022 07:52:53 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
tabling member	4781 label Biography information for Dr Luke Evans

1485962

registered interest
date	04/07/2022
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Cash Dispensing
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of enabling the UK’s existing ATM network to accept cash deposits as well as withdrawals.
tabling member constituency	Warrington North
tabling member printed	Charlotte Nichols
uin	30169
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/07/2022 answer text <p>In the Queen’s Speech in May 2022 the government announced that it will introduce legislation to protect access to cash as part of the Financial Services and Markets Bill. The government intends to establish the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) as the lead regulator for access to cash with responsibility to ensure that people can continue to access cash withdrawal and deposit facilities. Through this legislation the government intends to ensure that people can continue to use cash in their day-to-day lives. The Bill will be brought forward when Parliamentary time allows.</p><p> </p><p>Industry will continue to be best placed to develop the most efficient and sustainable solutions to provide access to cash, under the oversight of the FCA. The Government’s approach focuses on preserving the distribution of existing facilities rather than seeking a substantial redistribution or large-scale introduction of access points to additional areas.</p><p> </p><p>With regards to ATMs, LINK (the scheme that runs the UK's largest ATM network) has commitments to protect the broad geographic spread of free-to-use ATMs and is held to account against these commitments by the Payment Systems Regulator. LINK has committed to protect free-to-use ATMs more than one kilometre away from the next nearest free ATM or Post Office, and free access to cash on high streets (where there is a cluster of five or more retailers) that do not have a free-to-use ATM or a Post Office counter within one kilometre.</p><p> </p><p>Furthermore, following the Government’s commitment to legislate, firms are working together through the Cash Action Group to develop new initiatives to protect access to cash. As part of this work, any community facing the closure of a key cash service will have its needs independently assessed by LINK, who will consider whether additional cash services are required. Communities are now also able to request an assessment of their community’s access to cash by LINK.</p> answering member constituency North East Bedfordshire answering member printed Richard Fuller grouped question UIN 30170 30171 question first answered 12/07/2022 16:15:31 answering member 3912 label Biography information for Richard Fuller
tabling member	4799 label Biography information for Charlotte Nichols

1485963

registered interest
date	04/07/2022
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Cash Dispensing
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he is taking steps to help ensure that the UK’s main banks maintain their membership of (a) LINK, (b) the Post Office and (c) other collective bodies for the purposes of ensuring the long-term sustainability of the UK’s ATM infrastructure.
tabling member constituency	Warrington North
tabling member printed	Charlotte Nichols
uin	30170
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/07/2022 answer text <p>In the Queen’s Speech in May 2022 the government announced that it will introduce legislation to protect access to cash as part of the Financial Services and Markets Bill. The government intends to establish the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) as the lead regulator for access to cash with responsibility to ensure that people can continue to access cash withdrawal and deposit facilities. Through this legislation the government intends to ensure that people can continue to use cash in their day-to-day lives. The Bill will be brought forward when Parliamentary time allows.</p><p> </p><p>Industry will continue to be best placed to develop the most efficient and sustainable solutions to provide access to cash, under the oversight of the FCA. The Government’s approach focuses on preserving the distribution of existing facilities rather than seeking a substantial redistribution or large-scale introduction of access points to additional areas.</p><p> </p><p>With regards to ATMs, LINK (the scheme that runs the UK's largest ATM network) has commitments to protect the broad geographic spread of free-to-use ATMs and is held to account against these commitments by the Payment Systems Regulator. LINK has committed to protect free-to-use ATMs more than one kilometre away from the next nearest free ATM or Post Office, and free access to cash on high streets (where there is a cluster of five or more retailers) that do not have a free-to-use ATM or a Post Office counter within one kilometre.</p><p> </p><p>Furthermore, following the Government’s commitment to legislate, firms are working together through the Cash Action Group to develop new initiatives to protect access to cash. As part of this work, any community facing the closure of a key cash service will have its needs independently assessed by LINK, who will consider whether additional cash services are required. Communities are now also able to request an assessment of their community’s access to cash by LINK.</p> answering member constituency North East Bedfordshire answering member printed Richard Fuller grouped question UIN 30169 30171 question first answered 12/07/2022 16:15:31 answering member 3912 label Biography information for Richard Fuller
tabling member	4799 label Biography information for Charlotte Nichols

1485964

registered interest
date	04/07/2022
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Cash Dispensing
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has plans to promote the redistribution of ATMs in urban locations to rural and suburban sites.
tabling member constituency	Warrington North
tabling member printed	Charlotte Nichols
uin	30171
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/07/2022 answer text <p>In the Queen’s Speech in May 2022 the government announced that it will introduce legislation to protect access to cash as part of the Financial Services and Markets Bill. The government intends to establish the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) as the lead regulator for access to cash with responsibility to ensure that people can continue to access cash withdrawal and deposit facilities. Through this legislation the government intends to ensure that people can continue to use cash in their day-to-day lives. The Bill will be brought forward when Parliamentary time allows.</p><p> </p><p>Industry will continue to be best placed to develop the most efficient and sustainable solutions to provide access to cash, under the oversight of the FCA. The Government’s approach focuses on preserving the distribution of existing facilities rather than seeking a substantial redistribution or large-scale introduction of access points to additional areas.</p><p> </p><p>With regards to ATMs, LINK (the scheme that runs the UK's largest ATM network) has commitments to protect the broad geographic spread of free-to-use ATMs and is held to account against these commitments by the Payment Systems Regulator. LINK has committed to protect free-to-use ATMs more than one kilometre away from the next nearest free ATM or Post Office, and free access to cash on high streets (where there is a cluster of five or more retailers) that do not have a free-to-use ATM or a Post Office counter within one kilometre.</p><p> </p><p>Furthermore, following the Government’s commitment to legislate, firms are working together through the Cash Action Group to develop new initiatives to protect access to cash. As part of this work, any community facing the closure of a key cash service will have its needs independently assessed by LINK, who will consider whether additional cash services are required. Communities are now also able to request an assessment of their community’s access to cash by LINK.</p> answering member constituency North East Bedfordshire answering member printed Richard Fuller grouped question UIN 30169 30170 question first answered 12/07/2022 16:15:31 answering member 3912 label Biography information for Richard Fuller
tabling member	4799 label Biography information for Charlotte Nichols

1486045

registered interest
date	04/07/2022
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Cost of Living: Visual Impairment
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department is taking fiscal steps to reduce the impact of the rising cost of living on people who are blind or partially sighted.
tabling member constituency	Huddersfield
tabling member printed	Mr Barry Sheerman
uin	29896
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/07/2022 answer text <p>The government recognises that the rising cost of living has presented additional financial challenges to many people, and especially to the most vulnerable members of society, such as blind or partially sighted people. That is why this government announced on 26<sup>th</sup> May a Cost of Living package, providing over £15bn of support targeted particularly at those with the greatest need. This package builds on the over £22bn already announced, bringing total government support for the Cost of Living to over £37bn this year. The latest package includes additional UK-wide support to help disabled people with the particular extra costs they are facing, with 6 million people who receive non-means-tested extra-costs disability benefits due to receive a one-off Disability Cost of Living Payment of £150. People who are blind or partially sighted and were eligible for payment of disability benefits such as Personal Independence Payment on the 25<sup>th</sup> May will be eligible for this Disability Cost of Living Payment. This payment can be received in addition to the other Cost of Living Payments for households on means-tested benefits or in receipt of Winter Fuel Payments that were announced as part of the same package. People who are blind or partially sighted will also benefit from the £400 of support for energy bills that the government is providing through an expansion of the Energy Bills Support Scheme, doubling the £200 of support announced earlier this year and making the whole £400 a non-repayable grant.</p><p>This Cost of Living package is in addition to the existing specific financial support to help blind or partially sighted people. The government provides the Blind Person's Allowance (BPA), an extra amount of tax-free allowance that can be added to an individual’s Personal Allowance, to those who are blind or severely sight impaired. In 2022-23, the allowance is £2,600 and therefore worth £520 given the basic rate of 20%. If the recipient does not pay tax or earn enough to use their full BPA, the remainder of the allowance can be transferred to a spouse or civil partner.</p> answering member constituency Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland answering member printed Mr Simon Clarke question first answered 12/07/2022 16:47:07 answering member 4655 label Biography information for Sir Simon Clarke
tabling member	411 label Biography information for Mr Barry Sheerman

1486072

registered interest
date	04/07/2022
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Revenue and Customs: Correspondence
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the speech by the Brexit Opportunities Minister to the Policy That Works Conference on 1 March 2022, if he will publish examples of late payment letters issued by HM Revenue and Customs where Romanised words were replaced with Anglo-Saxon words to improve comprehension by taxpayers.
tabling member constituency	Islington South and Finsbury
tabling member printed	Emily Thornberry
uin	29974
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/07/2022 answer text <p>HMRC is doing a great deal of work to make letters easier for customers to read and understand. This is part of the commitment in the HMRC Charter to make its services accessible, easy, and quick to use.</p><p> </p><p>HMRC has produced guidelines for its staff for writing to customers. The guidelines focus on avoiding unnecessarily formal or complex language. This includes using shorter, simpler Anglo-Saxon words rather than their more formal Romanised equivalents. For example, ‘need’, rather than ‘require’; ‘give’ rather than ‘provide’; and ‘help’ rather than ‘assist’.</p><p> </p><p>HMRC is also investing in writing skills training for staff to continue to improve the quality of customer letters across the department.</p><p> </p><p>HMRC has no plans to publish its standard letters as there are several thousands of them, the majority of which are tailored to specific circumstances.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 12/07/2022 14:44:43 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
tabling member	1536 label Biography information for Emily Thornberry

1486090

registered interest
date	04/07/2022
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Treasury: Contracts
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many contracts that are worth (a) between £1 million and £3 million and (b) over £3 million their (i) Department and (ii) Department’s agencies and non-departmental public bodies (A) have agreed since 2010 and (B) are due to agree within the next 12 months; how much their Department has spent on monitoring each contract in each year since 2010; and how many officials have been working on that monitoring in each year since 2010.
tabling member constituency	Hemsworth
tabling member printed	Jon Trickett
uin	29888
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/07/2022 answer text <p>The Government is committed to maintaining transparency about its procurement activity and publishes information about its contracts with a value of over £10,000 on the “<a href="https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search" target="_blank">Contracts Finder</a>” website.</p><p> </p><p>Contracts that are due to be agreed can be found on the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hm-treasury-commercial-pipeline" target="_blank">HMT Commercial Pipeline</a>. The next version of this is due be published at the end of July 2022.</p><p> </p><p>The amount spent on monitoring each contract and the number of officials working on that monitoring each year since 2010 is information that is not held centrally and can only be provided at a disproportionate cost.</p> answering member constituency Havant answering member printed Alan Mak question first answered 12/07/2022 12:59:09 answering member 4484 label Biography information for Alan Mak
tabling member	410 label Biography information for Jon Trickett