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1452681

registered interest
date	21/03/2022
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Russia: Overseas Investment
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to prohibit new investment in Russia's energy sector by companies based in the UK.
tabling member printed	Lord Taylor of Warwick
uin	HL7181
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/04/2022 answer text <p>The UK is delivering the largest package of sanctions in our history and have taken unprecedented measures which will isolate the Russian financial system for years to come.</p><p>Since Russia’s invasion, we have sanctioned more than 1000 individuals, entities, and subsidiaries. This includes some of Russia’s most significant and high-value individuals, including Putin’s political allies and propagandists. Over 3 million Russian companies, including Gazprom, have been barred from raising money on UK capital markets.</p><p>We are clear that there is no argument for new investment in the Russian economy.</p><p> </p><p>The UK will not hesitate in imposing further measures as appropriate; any further sanctions measures will be announced in the House in due course.</p><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member printed Baroness Penn question first answered 04/04/2022 14:17:32 answering member 4726 label Biography information for Baroness Penn
tabling member	1796 label Biography information for Lord Taylor of Warwick

1452932

registered interest
date	21/03/2022
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Shipping: Minimum Wage
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 ensure that companies employing seafarers in the UK’s territorial waters comply with minimum wage legislation.
tabling member constituency	Birkenhead
tabling member printed	Mick Whitley
uin	143797
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/03/2022 answer text <p>HMRC enforces the National Minimum Wage (NMW) and National Living Wage (NLW) in line with the law and policy set out by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).</p><p> </p><p>The government is determined that everyone who is entitled to the National Minimum Wage (NMW) receives it.</p><p> </p><p>All businesses, irrespective of size or business sector, are responsible for paying the correct minimum wage to their staff. HMRC won’t hesitate to take action to ensure that workers receive what they are legally entitled to.</p><p> </p><p>Consequences for not complying with paying NMW can include fines of 200% of the arrears, public naming and, for the most serious offences, criminal prosecution.</p><p> </p><p>HMRC takes seriously and considers all complaints from workers. If anyone thinks they are not receiving at least the minimum wage, they can contact Acas, in confidence, on 0300 123 1100 or report their employer online using the link <a href="https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fminimum-wage-complaint&amp;data=04%7C01%7Cnavjot.sidhu%40hmrc.gov.uk%7C50f16e8b81d444010c3108da081f3c94%7Cac52f73cfd1a4a9a8e7a4a248f3139e1%7C0%7C0%7C637831227486030406%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&amp;sdata=Wy71WpU1ErqePw15gqZUn5JeWY6uDenwReBZz%2Bh9XNE%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">www.gov.uk/minimum-wage-complaint</a></p><p> </p><p>On 1 October 2020, BEIS changed the law so that seafarers and other maritime persons who work or ordinarily work in the UK or in UK territorial waters (generally 12 miles from the seashore) are generally entitled to NMW. This is regardless of where the vessel is registered or whether the worker ordinarily resides in the UK.</p><p> </p><p>There are some circumstances where NMW legislation does not apply, such as work performed on ships exercising the &quot;right to innocent passage&quot; or &quot;the right of transit passage&quot; as defined by the 1982 United Nations Convention of the Law of the Seas (UNCLOS).</p><p> </p><p>HMRC has worked with maritime worker representatives and employers to raise awareness of the new NMW legislation that came into force on 1st October 2020, and wrote to employers in the maritime sector, asking them to check that they are paying all their workers the correct minimum wage and pointing them to available guidance.</p><p> </p><p>HMRC have also produced multi-lingual leaflets for seafarers, to raise awareness about their entitlement to NMW and routes of redress and distributed these via the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) and Nautilus International union.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 29/03/2022 15:47:39 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
tabling member	4755 label Biography information for Mick Whitley

1452407

registered interest
date	17/03/2022
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Public Sector: Workplace Pensions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether it remains his policy to allow the cost-sharing principle for the public service pension scheme to continue for at least the 25 years initially agreed with unions in 2015.
tabling member constituency	Coventry South
tabling member printed	Zarah Sultana
uin	142106
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/03/2022 answer text <p>The cost control mechanism is designed to ensure a fair balance of risk between public service pension scheme members and taxpayers with respect to the costs of those schemes.</p><p> </p><p>Following a review of the mechanism by the Government Actuary, and a full and open public consultation process, the Government confirmed that it will implement three reforms to the mechanism. These reforms will be implemented from the 2020 valuations onwards.</p><p> </p><p>The Government does not believe these reforms breach the 25-year guarantee. The elements protected by the 25-year guarantee are set out in legislation, (namely, section 22 of the Public Service Pensions Act 2013), and the cost control mechanism is not included. The reforms will make the mechanism more stable and allow it to operate more in line with its objectives. The reforms will make changes to member benefits less likely, in line with the spirit of the 25-year guarantee.</p> answering member constituency Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland answering member printed Mr Simon Clarke question first answered 22/03/2022 14:52:28 answering member 4655 label Biography information for Sir Simon Clarke
tabling member	4786 label Biography information for Zarah Sultana

1451805

registered interest
date	16/03/2022
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Minimum Wage
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 (a) companies pay their employees the minimum wage and that (b) police forces are able to enforce related legal standards.
tabling member constituency	Huddersfield
tabling member printed	Mr Barry Sheerman
uin	141133
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/03/2022 answer text <p>The Government is determined that everyone who is entitled to the National Minimum Wage (NMW) receives it. HMRC enforce the NMW and the National Living Wage (NLW) on behalf of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.</p><p> </p><p>All businesses, irrespective of size or business sector, are responsible for paying the correct minimum wage to their staff, and HMRC won’t hesitate to take action to ensure that workers receive what they are legally entitled to and continue to crack down on employers who ignore the law. Since 2015 HMRC has secured over £115 million for more than 1.1 million workers.</p><p> </p><p>HMRC considers all complaints from workers. If anyone thinks they are not receiving at least the minimum wage, they can contact Acas, in confidence, on: 0300 123 1100, or report their employer online here: <a href="https://gbr01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fminimum-wage-complaint&amp;data=04%7C01%7CBethany.Douce%40hmtreasury.gov.uk%7C2fc992f936354c6b672008da0cc86edf%7Ced1644c505e049e6bc39fcf7ac51c18c%7C0%7C0%7C637836352229293439%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&amp;sdata=1uy7f%2F6tj8%2BmLWOtJMVjGeqy83QJZUVEmO%2F7fI6w2Zc%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">www.gov.uk/minimum-wage-complaint</a>.</p><p> </p><p>Consequences for not complying with paying NMW can include fines of 200 per cent of the arrears, public naming and, for the most serious offences, criminal prosecution.</p><p> </p><p>As well as investigating worker complaints HMRC also undertake proactive investigations (referred to as targeted enforcement) based on the identification of the risk of non-compliance with NMW legislation.</p><p> </p><p>In addition to enforcement, HMRC also deliver a programme of education and upstream ‘Promote’ work designed to help businesses understand their obligations and encourage them to comply. This involves a range of activities to increase both employers’ and workers’ understanding of NMW rules including one-to-many letters, webinars, podcasts, and media campaigns.</p><p> </p><p>Breaches of NMW legislation are normally a civil matter, but HMRC will refer the most serious cases to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) where HMRC identify an offence under Section 31 of the National Minimum Wage Act 1998 involving obstruction, falsifying of documents, or wilful failure to pay workers the minimum wage.</p><p> </p><p>HMRC may also refer NMW offences to the CPS for prosecution that form part of a pattern of suspected or potential criminality, for example, suspected tax fraud, or wider offences such as employing illegal workers.</p><p> </p><p>However, prosecutions can cause delays in recovering arrears for workers and do not necessarily guarantee payment, and consequently, prosecution is reserved for the most serious non-compliance and is not necessarily the right approach in most cases.</p><p> </p><p>HMRC continues to work with other agencies, including the police, on joint operations to tackle NMW underpayment, and other labour market risks, such as illegal working and modern slavery, for which those agencies are responsible.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 24/03/2022 08:32:39 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
tabling member	411 label Biography information for Mr Barry Sheerman

1439671

registered interest
date	10/03/2022
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Chelsea Football Club
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department has taken to help ensure that no financial benefits from licensed football activities at Chelsea Football Club go to (a) sanctioned individuals, (b) sanctioned entities, (c) entities where the beneficial owner is a sanctioned individual or (d) the Russian Government.
tabling member constituency	Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey
tabling member printed	Drew Hendry
uin	138074
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/03/2022 answer text <p>Roman Abramovich is a designated person, subject to financial sanctions. This means that all funds and economic resources belonging to him are subject to an asset freeze in the UK. As such, Chelsea Football Club and its subsidiaries are also subject to an asset freeze.</p><p> </p><p>General Licence INT/2022/1327076 permits the Club to undertake activities that are necessary to carry out its business as a football club, including playing and hosting fixtures. Although the licence allows payment to the club for certain activities those funds will be frozen; Roman Abramovich will not be able to access them. The licence only permits certain limited activities, it does not authorise anyone to deal with Roman Abramovich’s funds or economic resources, or make funds or economic resources available, to him or the Club outside the terms of the licence.</p> answering member constituency Salisbury answering member printed John Glen question first answered 15/03/2022 16:01:47 answering member 4051 label Biography information for John Glen
tabling member	4467 label Biography information for Drew Hendry

1438971

registered interest
date	08/03/2022
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Exports: North West Norfolk
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent estimate he has made of the number of companies in North West Norfolk that are exporting to other countries.
tabling member constituency	North West Norfolk
tabling member printed	James Wild
uin	136687
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/03/2022 answer text <p>HMRC is responsible for the collection and publication of data on imports and exports of goods to and from the UK. HMRC releases this information monthly as National Statistics called the Overseas Trade in Goods Statistics and quarterly as the Regional Trade in Goods Statistics (RTS). Both are available via their dedicated website: <a href="https://gbr01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.uktradeinfo.com%2F&amp;data=04%7C01%7CBethany.Douce%40hmtreasury.gov.uk%7Cb39b3dd5f2ca498327d808da0824e0ae%7Ced1644c505e049e6bc39fcf7ac51c18c%7C0%7C0%7C637831251713712653%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&amp;sdata=IWzekFszBB23bMmfoX7Bgfmi8PkhasMdPX3vTFPlvzM%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">https://www.uktradeinfo.com/</a>.</p><p> </p><p>HMRC also publishes an annual disaggregation of the RTS by smaller geographical areas. An estimate of exporter business counts for North and West Norfolk (as determined by the UK’s International Territorial Level ITL3) for trade in 2020, which is the latest available year, can be found here: <a href="https://gbr01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fgovernment%2Fstatistics%2Fregional-trade-in-goods-statistics-disaggregated-by-smaller-geographical-areas-2020&amp;data=04%7C01%7CBethany.Douce%40hmtreasury.gov.uk%7Cb39b3dd5f2ca498327d808da0824e0ae%7Ced1644c505e049e6bc39fcf7ac51c18c%7C0%7C0%7C637831251713712653%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&amp;sdata=8t7VXfZ8bphwrWZMfcrtfXIPH%2Bo7fmo0wi1qO25XauQ%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/regional-trade-in-goods-statistics-disaggregated-by-smaller-geographical-areas-2020</a>.</p><p> </p><p>The ‘Notes’ section at the beginning of this statistical publication should be read in full to understand the methodology, scope, and limitations of any statistics used.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 17/03/2022 15:50:47 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
tabling member	4787 label Biography information for James Wild

1438689

registered interest
date	07/03/2022
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Ukraine: Humanitarian Aid
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 accelerate humanitarian aid to Ukraine in line with the World Customs Organisation recommendations on forwarding of relief consignments in the event of disasters.
tabling member constituency	Edinburgh North and Leith
tabling member printed	Deidre Brock
uin	135540
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/03/2022 answer text <p>The Government strongly recommends that, wherever possible, organisations and people who would like to help should donate cash rather than donating goods. This can be done through the Disasters Emergency Committee campaign and other trusted charities and humanitarian aid organisations. Cash can be transferred quickly to areas where it is needed, and individuals and aid organisations can use it to buy what is most needed.</p><p> </p><p>However, the Government recognises that many individuals and organisations have already worked hard within their communities to collect aid and wish to see those donations reach those in need as quickly as possible. That is why we have introduced a customs easement to help ensure humanitarian aid goods sent to support those affected by the Ukraine crisis are fast-tracked. More information can be found here: <a href="https://gbr01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fguidance%2Ftaking-humanitarian-aid-out-of-great-britain-to-support-ukraine&amp;data=04%7C01%7CBethany.Douce%40hmtreasury.gov.uk%7C64896b986b6840d4c29b08da075f63e0%7Ced1644c505e049e6bc39fcf7ac51c18c%7C0%7C0%7C637830403512711723%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&amp;sdata=6JIUT37OB1ocl%2Bo6FynYGMXrNzXB770ta2Qrdp6EtRo%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/guidance/taking-humanitarian-aid-out-of-great-britain-to-support-ukraine</a>.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer grouped question UIN 135541 135542 question first answered 16/03/2022 15:20:33 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
tabling member	4417 label Biography information for Deidre Brock

1438173

registered interest
date	04/03/2022
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Large Goods Vehicles: EU Countries
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ask the EU to ease the administrative and paperwork requirements for lorries carrying medicines and humanitarian supplies to Ukraine.
tabling member printed	Lord Lamont of Lerwick
uin	HL6653
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/03/2022 answer text <p>The UK is committed to working with partners, including the EU, as well as humanitarian agencies, to ensure a well-coordinated and well-funded response to the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine and the region.</p><p> </p><p>We have initiated a number of conversations with the EU and its Member States to understand their plans to ease the movement of humanitarian supplies. The EU has been working with Member States on this issue and several are now easing their entry and exit regime to support the humanitarian effort for Ukraine.</p><p> </p><p>The UK Government has also introduced a simplified customs process to support the export of aid goods destined for victims of the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine. More information can be found on the gov.uk website.</p><p> </p><p>Unless an organisation or person has a licence, medicines cannot be exported using this simplified process.</p><p> </p><p>The UK has committed a £220 million humanitarian aid package for Ukraine to help aid agencies respond to the deteriorating situation, creating a lifeline for Ukrainians to access basic necessities and medical supplies.</p> answering member printed Baroness Penn question first answered 17/03/2022 13:27:09 answering member 4726 label Biography information for Baroness Penn
tabling member	895 label Biography information for Lord Lamont of Lerwick

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