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1256228

registered interest
date	27/11/2020
answering body	Leader of the House
answering dept id	34
answering dept short name	Leader of the House
answering dept sort name	Leader of the House
hansard heading	House of Commons: Credit Unions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Leader of the House, whether he plans to require his Department to provide a payroll deduction service to allow staff to save more easily with a credit union; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Harrow West
tabling member printed	Gareth Thomas
uin	121792
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/12/2020 answer text <p>The Office of the Leader of the House of Commons is part of the Cabinet Office. I refer the hon. member to the response to his question to the Cabinet Office (121122).</p> answering member constituency North East Somerset answering member printed Mr Jacob Rees-Mogg question first answered 07/12/2020 15:08:23 answering member 4099 label Biography information for Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg
tabling member	177 label Biography information for Gareth Thomas

1256229

registered interest
date	27/11/2020
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit: Overpayments
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many (a) Working Tax Credit and (b) Child Tax Credit claims in (i) total and (ii) as a percentage of total claims in each of have incurred an overpayment in each of the last five years.
tabling member constituency	Harrow West
tabling member printed	Gareth Thomas
uin	121793
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/12/2020 answer text <p>The table below summarises the number of personal tax credits overpayments as a percentage of all personal tax credit claims for the most recent 5 years for which data is available. HMRC are unable to break down the figures to Working Tax Credit or Child Tax Credit because a case may involve both.</p><p> </p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td colspan="6"><p><strong>Estimated number of Working Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit claims and overpaid claims between 2013/14 to 2017/18</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p><strong>2013/14</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2014/15</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2015/16</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2016/17</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2017/18</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p><strong> </strong></p></td><td><p><strong> </strong></p></td><td><p><strong> </strong></p></td><td><p><strong> </strong></p></td><td><p><strong> </strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Estimated number of Working Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit claims (000s)</strong></p></td><td><p>5,564</p></td><td><p>5,406</p></td><td><p>5,271</p></td><td><p>4,988</p></td><td><p>4,600</p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Total number of overpaid Working Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit claims (000s)</strong></p></td><td><p>1,685</p></td><td><p>1,535</p></td><td><p>1,396</p></td><td><p>1,572</p></td><td><p>1,445</p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p><em>Overpaid Working Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit awards as a % of all Working Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit awards</em></p></td><td><p>30%</p></td><td><p>28%</p></td><td><p>26%</p></td><td><p>32%</p></td><td><p>31%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Source: These figures have been taken from HMRC’s annually published Child and Working Tax Credits statistics: finalised annual awards, supplement on payments for 2013/14 – 2017/18, which can be found here:</p><p>https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/personal-tax-credits-statistics</p> answering member constituency Hereford and South Herefordshire answering member printed Jesse Norman question first answered 07/12/2020 15:29:18 answering member 3991 label Biography information for Jesse Norman
tabling member	177 label Biography information for Gareth Thomas

1256230

registered interest
date	27/11/2020
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit: Overpayments
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many claims of (a) Working Tax Credit and (b) Child Tax Credit have received a sanction or other financial penalty after incurring an overpayment in (i) total and (ii) as a percentage of total claims in each of the last five years.
tabling member constituency	Harrow West
tabling member printed	Gareth Thomas
uin	121794
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/12/2020 answer text <p><strong>HMRC do not impose sanctions but do charge penalties. HMRC are unable to break down the figures to Working Tax Credit or Child Tax Credit, as a case may involve both.</strong></p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Year</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Number of Penalties</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Live C</strong><strong>laims</strong></p><p><strong>(millions)</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Percentage</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2014/15</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>14,335</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>4.7</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>0.30%</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2015/16</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>16,266</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>4.4</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>0.37%</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2016/17</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>13,135</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>3.7</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>0.36%</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2017/18</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>11,524</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>3.8</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>0.30%</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2018/19</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>11,793</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>3.1</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>0.38%</strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table> answering member constituency Hereford and South Herefordshire answering member printed Jesse Norman question first answered 07/12/2020 15:06:43 answering member 3991 label Biography information for Jesse Norman
tabling member	177 label Biography information for Gareth Thomas

1256231

registered interest
date	27/11/2020
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Welfare Tax Credits: Overpayments
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 prevent tax credit claimants incurring overpayments in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Harrow West
tabling member printed	Gareth Thomas
uin	121795
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/12/2020 answer text <p>HMRC have built on existing measures to address the risk of tax credits claimants incurring overpayments. This activity incorporates improvements to education and guidance, including to identify and address error and fraud at an earlier stage.</p><p>HMRC have delivered an ambitious training programme in 2019-20 to equip frontline staff with a wider range of tools and skills to help claimants maintain their correct entitlements. This includes continuing development of prompts to support conversations with claimants to keep their awards on the right footing.</p><p>HMRC have extended the range of their education and reminder campaigns to promote the correct reporting of the various factors that affect a claimant’s entitlement: for example, targeted letters to increase understanding of the criteria for single or joint claims or how to declare self-assessed income.</p><p>HMRC have also put measures in place to respond to the impacts of COVID-19 on claimants’ lives. In recognition that many claimants are not able to work their normal hours (including because they have been furloughed) the Government has legislated to suspend the eligibility criteria on “hours worked” in Working Tax Credit for claimants temporarily affected by the pandemic. This eliminates a potential source of overpayments.</p><p>For overpayments resulting from error and fraud, in five of the last six years for which results are available, HMRC have met the target set by ministers to restrict outturn levels to below five per cent of total expenditure. This includes 4.9% in 2018-19, the latest year for which HMRC have published Official Statistics; details of these can be found at: <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/920091/child_and_working_tax_credits_EF_2018-19_first_release.pdf" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/920091/child_and_working_tax_credits_EF_2018-19_first_release.pdf</a></p><p>HMRC continue to develop options to challenge losses from error and fraud, including working with their counterparts across Government and the wider public sector.</p> answering member constituency Hereford and South Herefordshire answering member printed Jesse Norman question first answered 07/12/2020 15:14:58 answering member 3991 label Biography information for Jesse Norman
tabling member	177 label Biography information for Gareth Thomas

1256272

registered interest
date	27/11/2020
answering body	Department for International Trade
answering dept id	202
answering dept short name	International Trade
answering dept sort name	International Trade
hansard heading	Trade Agreements
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if she will publish the terms of reference of the review of trade impacts modelling with an external panel chaired by Professor Tony Venables announced on 1 July 2020; and if she will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Harrow West
tabling member printed	Gareth Thomas
uin	121796
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/12/2020 answer text <p>The Modelling Review Expert Panel (MREP) will support the development of the Department for International Trade’s (DIT) modelling capability by making sure that decisions related to the modelling of trade policies meet our mandate and objectives – and are informed by the best possible academic perspective.</p><p> </p><p>The terms of reference specify the following objectives:</p><ol><li>To determine what modelling capability will best support DIT’s trade policy objectives;</li><li>To explore what economic impacts from trade should and can be feasibly captured in a trade modelling framework; and</li><li>To evaluate whether DIT’s current modelling capability sufficiently meets DIT’s needs and to identify where alternative or complimentary approaches may be required.</li></ol><p>The MREP will serve solely as an external advisory panel and will not have authority or oversight on DIT research or policy. The MREP will not be asked to actively model a live agreement.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency North East Hampshire answering member printed Mr Ranil Jayawardena question first answered 22/12/2020 12:24:29 answering member 4498 label Biography information for Mr Ranil Jayawardena
tabling member	177 label Biography information for Gareth Thomas

1256273

registered interest
date	27/11/2020
answering body	Department for International Trade
answering dept id	202
answering dept short name	International Trade
answering dept sort name	International Trade
hansard heading	Agricultural Products: Japan
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, with reference to the UK–Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, what steps agricultural producers will be required to take to apply for a Geographical Indicator for products entering the Japanese market; whether there will be an additional process for Japanese approval of geographical indicated status of those products; and will if she will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Harrow West
tabling member printed	Gareth Thomas
uin	121797
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/12/2020 answer text <p>The UK-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) includes a new provision allowing more world-famous British products to receive protected recognition in Japan.</p><p>Under CEPA, it has been agreed that all eligible British products will be put through Japan’s Geographical Indicator (GI) approval process automatically.</p><p>UK businesses will not need to navigate the Japanese administrative system on their own to get their iconic UK goods protected under the CEPA. The UK government will put forward new GIs for protection in Japan on behalf of UK producers, saving time and money for UK businesses.</p><p>The UK will provide Japan with our list of around 70 UK GIs in January. All of these GIs will go through examination and opposition procedures as set out in the domestic law of Japan. Unless there are exceptional circumstances this should only take about 5 months.</p> answering member constituency Chelsea and Fulham answering member printed Greg Hands question first answered 02/12/2020 17:16:50 answering member 1526 label Biography information for Greg Hands
tabling member	177 label Biography information for Gareth Thomas

1255977

registered interest
date	26/11/2020
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Financial Conduct Authority and Prudential Regulation Authority: Credit Unions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to require the (a) Prudential Regulation Authority and (b) Financial conduct Authority to provide a payroll deduction service to allow staff to save more easily with a credit union; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Harrow West
tabling member printed	Gareth Thomas
uin	121120
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/12/2020 answer text <p>The Government recognises the vital role credit unions play in the financial wellbeing of their communities, providing an ethical home for their members’ savings, and affordable loans to those who may otherwise have to resort to high-cost lenders.</p><p> </p><p>The legislative framework provides for the regulators to be operationally independent from Government, and HMT has no role in setting employee policies.</p> answering member constituency Salisbury answering member printed John Glen question first answered 04/12/2020 10:51:18 answering member 4051 label Biography information for John Glen
tabling member	177 label Biography information for Gareth Thomas

1255980

registered interest
date	26/11/2020
answering body	Attorney General
answering dept id	88
answering dept short name	Attorney General
answering dept sort name	Attorney General
hansard heading	Attorney General: Credit Unions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Attorney General, whether she plans to require her Department and its agencies to provide a payroll deduction service to allow staff to save more easily with a credit union; and if she will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Harrow West
tabling member printed	Gareth Thomas
uin	121121
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/12/2020 answer text <p>The Attorney Generals’ Office (AGO), the Government Legal Department (GLD), Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), Serious Fraud Office (SFO) and HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI) have taken no steps to promote the use of credit unions within their organisations and have no immediate plans to do so.</p> answering member constituency Northampton North answering member printed Michael Ellis question first answered 03/12/2020 18:01:29 answering member 4116 label Biography information for Sir Michael Ellis
tabling member	177 label Biography information for Gareth Thomas

1255983

registered interest
date	26/11/2020
answering body	Cabinet Office
answering dept id	53
answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
hansard heading	Cabinet Office: Credit Unions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he plans to require his Department and its agencies to provide a payroll deduction service to allow staff to save more easily with a credit union; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Harrow West
tabling member printed	Gareth Thomas
uin	121122
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/12/2020 answer text <p>The Cabinet Office is continuing to investigate various financial wellbeing options. Announcements will be made in due course.</p> answering member constituency Hornchurch and Upminster answering member printed Julia Lopez question first answered 03/12/2020 17:01:01 answering member 4647 label Biography information for Julia Lopez
tabling member	177 label Biography information for Gareth Thomas

1255984

registered interest
date	26/11/2020
answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept id	201
answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
hansard heading	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Credit Unions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he plans to require his Department and its agencies to provide a payroll deduction service to allow staff to save more easily with a credit union; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Harrow West
tabling member printed	Gareth Thomas
uin	121123
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/12/2020 answer text <p>The Department is committed to providing a strong employee benefit offer to staff. At present, there are no plans to introduce access to a credit union via a payroll deduction service.</p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi question first answered 04/12/2020 13:39:14 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
tabling member	177 label Biography information for Gareth Thomas