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1403029

	registered interest
	date	14/01/2022
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	National Insurance Credits
	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 merits of including information directed at people eligible to receive Specified adult Childcare Credits on the Child Benefit (CH2) form; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow West
	tabling member printed	Gareth Thomas
	uin	104296
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/01/2022 answer text <p>Guidance on Specified Adult Childcare (SAC) credits is already provided on gov.uk. We think that including SAC credits information on the Child Benefit form could distract from the key message on the importance of claiming Child Benefit as SAC credits gives access to benefits such as National Insurance credits.</p> answering member constituency Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland answering member printed Mr Simon Clarke question first answered 24/01/2022 12:32:09 answering member 4655 label Biography information for Sir Simon Clarke
	tabling member	177 label Biography information for Gareth Thomas

1401776

	registered interest
	date	11/01/2022
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Bounty Joy: Contracts
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when Bounty Joy Ltd secured the contract to give out child benefit forms to women in maternity wards; how long that contract lasts for; and how much Bounty Joy Ltd receives from (a) his Department, (b) any other Government department and (c) NHS Trusts; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow West
	tabling member printed	Gareth Thomas
	uin	101605
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/01/2022 answer text <p>HMRC does not have a direct contract with Bounty Joy Limited, however they are a sub-contractor of HMRC’s print provider Communisis. As such, Bounty Joy Limited do not receive any direct payment from HMRC.</p> answering member constituency Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland answering member printed Mr Simon Clarke question first answered 19/01/2022 16:30:58 answering member 4655 label Biography information for Sir Simon Clarke
	tabling member	177 label Biography information for Gareth Thomas

1401779

	registered interest
	date	11/01/2022
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Bounty Joy
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when his Department first became aware that Bounty Joy Ltd were not providing information to women they were contacting who had recently given birth on the possible loss of some pension rights in the event that those women did not apply for child benefit; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow West
	tabling member printed	Gareth Thomas
	uin	101608
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/01/2022 answer text <p>HMRC do not have a direct contract with Bounty Joy Ltd.</p><p>HMRC’s Customer Communication Services Contract is with Communisis UK Ltd. Communisis have a sub-contractor relationship with Bounty Joy Ltd.</p><p> </p><p>Child Benefit claim forms are included in birth packs handed out to new parents by Bounty representatives on maternity wards. Bounty representatives do not have an official role in explaining Child Benefit eligibility criteria, nor the possible implications of not submitting a claim. This information is, however, included on the front page of the Child Benefit claim form.</p><p> </p><p>Although access to maternity wards for Bounty representatives has been limited throughout the pandemic, Bounty have continued to supply the packs to maternity wards as usual, to be handed to new mothers by hospital staff.</p><p> </p><p>Qualifying Years for State Pension can be accrued in different ways: National Insurance (NI) contributions whilst individuals are working or self-employed; by being credited with NI credits whilst being in receipt of certain benefits (including for Child Benefit); and through making voluntary NI contributions. As an individual’s NI record can be filled in a number of ways not all individuals will require the National Insurance credits that come with Child Benefit.</p> answering member constituency Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland answering member printed Mr Simon Clarke grouped question UIN 101609 question first answered 19/01/2022 16:29:11 answering member 4655 label Biography information for Sir Simon Clarke
	tabling member	177 label Biography information for Gareth Thomas

1401780

	registered interest
	date	11/01/2022
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Child Benefit
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when his Department first became aware that Bounty Joy Ltd were not providing information to women they were contacting who had recently given birth on the possible loss of some pension rights in the event that those women did not apply for child benefit; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow West
	tabling member printed	Gareth Thomas
	uin	101609
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/01/2022 answer text <p>HMRC do not have a direct contract with Bounty Joy Ltd.</p><p>HMRC’s Customer Communication Services Contract is with Communisis UK Ltd. Communisis have a sub-contractor relationship with Bounty Joy Ltd.</p><p> </p><p>Child Benefit claim forms are included in birth packs handed out to new parents by Bounty representatives on maternity wards. Bounty representatives do not have an official role in explaining Child Benefit eligibility criteria, nor the possible implications of not submitting a claim. This information is, however, included on the front page of the Child Benefit claim form.</p><p> </p><p>Although access to maternity wards for Bounty representatives has been limited throughout the pandemic, Bounty have continued to supply the packs to maternity wards as usual, to be handed to new mothers by hospital staff.</p><p> </p><p>Qualifying Years for State Pension can be accrued in different ways: National Insurance (NI) contributions whilst individuals are working or self-employed; by being credited with NI credits whilst being in receipt of certain benefits (including for Child Benefit); and through making voluntary NI contributions. As an individual’s NI record can be filled in a number of ways not all individuals will require the National Insurance credits that come with Child Benefit.</p> answering member constituency Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland answering member printed Mr Simon Clarke grouped question UIN 101608 question first answered 19/01/2022 16:29:11 answering member 4655 label Biography information for Sir Simon Clarke
	tabling member	177 label Biography information for Gareth Thomas

1401781

	registered interest
	date	11/01/2022
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Child Benefit
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how his Department informs new mothers of their rights to claim child benefit; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow West
	tabling member printed	Gareth Thomas
	uin	101610
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/01/2022 answer text <p>Information about Child Benefit and the Child Benefit claims process is available for all new parents on GOV.UK.</p><p> </p><p>Regular communications activity to encourage take-up is issued throughout the year in a variety of formats including via press release and social media posts, and by working with pregnancy and parenting organisations such as Bounty and Emma’s Diary.</p><p> </p><p>In addition to monthly Child Benefit payments, these communications also reference the non-monetary benefits such as National Insurance credits – and provide information about the High Income Child Benefit Charge.</p><p> </p><p>The Child Benefit claim form is included in Bounty Packs which are distributed to all new mothers on maternity wards. Although access to maternity wards for Bounty representatives has been limited throughout the pandemic, Bounty have continued to supply the packs to maternity wards as usual, to be handed to new mothers by hospital staff.</p><p> </p><p>During the pandemic, communications also promoted an easement that temporarily relaxed the policy requirement for Child Benefit claimants to provide a birth registration certificate as part of their claim – as part of additional efforts to ensure new parents were able to overcome pandemic-related disruption and access the support to which they were entitled. This easement ended on 31 October 2021.</p><p> </p><p>We continue to look for effective channels to reach new mothers with information about Child Benefit and the Child Benefit claims process – including via the General Register Office and the Department for Work and Pensions.</p> answering member constituency Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland answering member printed Mr Simon Clarke question first answered 19/01/2022 16:27:02 answering member 4655 label Biography information for Sir Simon Clarke
	tabling member	177 label Biography information for Gareth Thomas

1401782

	registered interest
	date	11/01/2022
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Child Benefit
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what changes were made to the Child Benefit Claim Form (CH2) in April 2021; and for what reason those changes were made.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow West
	tabling member printed	Gareth Thomas
	uin	101611
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/01/2022 answer text <p>Changes were made to the Child Benefit Claim Form (CH2) in April 2021 to align wording across different versions of the form in response to user feedback from GOV.UK and to ensure consistency of language throughout the CH2. These changes included minor adjustments to drafting to aid clarity and formatting changes to align with other versions of the form.</p> answering member constituency Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland answering member printed Mr Simon Clarke question first answered 19/01/2022 16:32:30 answering member 4655 label Biography information for Sir Simon Clarke
	tabling member	177 label Biography information for Gareth Thomas

1381492

	registered interest
	date	23/11/2021
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	EU Grants and Loans
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Answer of 2 March 2021 to Question 157278, on EU Grants and Loans, what progress has been made on ensuring that UK entities are able to (a) participate in and (b) bid for EU funds for EU programmes between 2021-2027, including (i) the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), (ii) Horizon Europe, (iii) Euratom Research and Training and (iv) Copernicus; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow West
	tabling member printed	Gareth Thomas
	uin	80200
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/12/2021 answer text <p>As part of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA), the UK and the EU agreed the terms for our association to Horizon Europe, Euratom Research &amp; Training (R&amp;T), Fusion for Energy and Copernicus for the 2021-2027 Multiannual Financial Framework. As the underpinning EU legislation was not yet adopted, a Joint Declaration set out the parties’ intention to formalise UK participation at the earliest opportunity.</p><p> </p><p>Now that the EU legislation is in force, the UK has communicated to the EU that it stands ready to adopt the Protocols at the earliest opportunity. We want to strengthen the valuable and long-standing partnerships in place between British and European researchers. Frustratingly, there have been persistent delays from the EU, which we have sought to address through both formal and informal discussions, so far without result. As Lord Frost set out to the European Scrutiny Committee on 25 October, the Government sees no legal or practical reason why the UK should not be able to associate, and we cannot wait indefinitely.</p><p> </p><p>Pending association being finalised, UK researchers, businesses and innovators have been able to apply to Horizon Europe and Euratom R&amp;T calls as ‘associated candidates’ since early 2021.</p><p> </p><p>To provide reassurance to UK-based applicants, my Right Honourable Friend, the Minister for Science, Research and Innovation set out, in a Written Ministerial Statement (HCWS431), the Government’s intention to guarantee funding for those eligible who have successfully bid for Horizon Europe funded activities in the first wave of calls but are unable to sign grant agreements.</p> answering member constituency Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland answering member printed Mr Simon Clarke question first answered 01/12/2021 12:48:00 answering member 4655 label Biography information for Sir Simon Clarke
	tabling member	177 label Biography information for Gareth Thomas

1186657

	registered interest
	date	19/03/2020
	answering body	Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Small Businesses: Coronavirus
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, n what his timescale is for issuing guidance to local authorities on their role in (a) allocating and (B) disbursing the grants to small business during the covid-19 outbreak.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow West
	tabling member printed	Gareth Thomas
	uin	32043
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/03/2020 answer text <p>On 20 March 2020 the Chancellor built on his 11 March Budget statement by announcing a comprehensive series of measures supporting wages, cash-flow for businesses and the welfare system. In England, this support includes small business grant funding of £10,000 for all business in receipt of Small Business Rate Relief or Rural Rate Relief.</p><p>In addition, grant funding of up to £25,000 will be available for retail, hospitality and leisure businesses in receipt of the Expanded Retail Discount. Eligible businesses in these sectors with a property that has a rateable value of up to and including £15,000 will receive a grant of £10,000, while businesses in these sectors with a property that has a rateable value of over £15,000 and less than £51,000 will receive a grant of £25,000.</p><p>Funding will be administered by local authorities. The Business Secretary has sent a letter outlining these schemes to local authorities and guidance informing local authorities about the operation and delivery of the funding schemes is now available on the GOV.UK website at <a href="https://gbr01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fgovernment%2Fpublications%2Fcoronavirus-covid-19-guidance-on-business-support-grant-funding&amp;data=02%7C01%7CJonathan.Kirman%40communities.gov.uk%7C686e2c52635b437e6c1b08d7cff39ab5%7Cbf3468109c7d43dea87224a2ef3995a8%7C0%7C0%7C637206517484246847&amp;sdata=qBKpnq9fFkjSw%2BDSozN39Vce8%2BqDv4znpDYeBsnZ4Zo%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-on-business-support-grant-funding</a>.</p> answering member constituency Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland answering member printed Mr Simon Clarke question first answered 27/03/2020 13:17:44 answering member 4655 label Biography information for Sir Simon Clarke
	tabling member	177 label Biography information for Gareth Thomas

1186136

	registered interest
	date	18/03/2020
	answering body	Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Local Government Finance: Coronavirus
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will increase funding to all local authorities to provide financial support for people who struggle to meet increased food costs as a result of the effect of Covid-19; and if he will make statement.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow West
	tabling member printed	Gareth Thomas
	uin	31424
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/03/2020 answer text <p>The Government has announced £1.6 billion of additional funding to support local authorities in responding to the Covid-19 pandemic. This funding is un-ringfenced and is intended to help local authorities address any pressures they are facing in response the Covid-19 pandemic, across all service areas. We will continue to monitor the impact of Covid-19 on local government and are taking steps to address and support individuals and local authorities.</p><p>We have also confirmed £500 million of funding to provide additional council tax relief, and other support, for vulnerable households.</p><p>Additionally, the Government is working with the food industry and local authorities to deliver free basic food parcels to those defined on medical grounds as extremely vulnerable from Covid-19 and who do not have a network of friends and family to support them, while they self-isolate in their homes over the next 12 weeks.</p><p>Further details on people covered by this definition can be found here:</p><p><a href="https://gbr01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fgovernment%2Fpublications%2Fguidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19%2Fguidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19&amp;data=02%7C01%7CGrace.Death%40communities.gov.uk%7Ca3ef991561654d93bb7608d7cf3b0b09%7Cbf3468109c7d43dea87224a2ef3995a8%7C0%7C0%7C637205724797212760&amp;sdata=lXqaZto1xlftaiHW%2BPl2zIaWhKbdlqXaFA0fob6scio%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19</a></p> answering member constituency Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland answering member printed Mr Simon Clarke question first answered 27/03/2020 13:16:45 answering member 4655 label Biography information for Sir Simon Clarke
	tabling member	177 label Biography information for Gareth Thomas

1151050

	registered interest
	date	21/10/2019
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Treasury: Jainism and Zoroastrianism
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when representatives of the (a) Jain and (b) Zoroastrian community were invited to national events organised by his Department in each of the last two years.
	tabling member constituency	Harrow West
	tabling member printed	Gareth Thomas
	uin	2650
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/10/2019 answer text <p>HMG Ministers have attended a number of key events coordinated by Jain and Zoroastrian organisations, and officials have invited representatives from both communities to participate in roundtable discussions where relevant issues are discussed.</p><p> </p><p>The Jain and Zoroastrian communities of this country have made, and continue to make a positive contribution to life in the United Kingdom. The Government values this contribution enormously.</p> answering member constituency Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland answering member printed Mr Simon Clarke question first answered 29/10/2019 15:44:10 answering member 4655 label Biography information for Sir Simon Clarke
	tabling member	177 label Biography information for Gareth Thomas