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1243588

	registered interest
	date	14/10/2020
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Duty Free Allowances
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the benefit to the UK economy of tax-free shopping being available to non-EU visitors, and (2) the impact of ending participation in (a) the VAT Retail Export Scheme, and (b) air-side tax free concessions, on (i) the number of tourist visits to the UK, (ii) the total shopping spend of tourists visiting the UK, and (iii) the viability of the UK retail sector.
	tabling member printed	Lord Allen of Kensington
	uin	HL9167
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/10/2020 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- The VAT Retail Export Scheme (RES) in Great Britain will not be extended to EU residents and will be withdrawn for all passengers.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 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 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>HMRC estimate that VAT RES refunds cost around £0.5 billion in VAT in 2019 for around 1.2 million non-EU visitors. In 2019 the ONS estimate there were substantially more EU visitors (24.8 million) than non-EU passengers (16.0 million) to the UK. This implies an extension to EU residents would significantly increase the cost by up to an estimated £0.9 billion. This would result in a large amount of deadweight loss by subsidising spending from EU visitors which already happens without a refund mechanism in place, potentially taking the total cost up to around £1.4 billion per annum.</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>The final costings will be subject to scrutiny by the independent Office for Budget Responsibility and will be set out at the next forecast.</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> answering member printed Lord Agnew of Oulton grouped question UIN HL9165 HL9166 question first answered 28/10/2020 11:46:17 answering member 4689 label Biography information for Lord Agnew of Oulton
	tabling member	4304 label Biography information for Lord Allen of Kensington

1243587

	registered interest
	date	14/10/2020
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Duty Free Allowances
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the ending of air-side tax free concessions on (1) jobs, and (2) public finances; and what action they plan to take to offset any such impact.
	tabling member printed	Lord Allen of Kensington
	uin	HL9166
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/10/2020 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 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 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>HMRC estimate that VAT RES refunds cost around £0.5 billion in VAT in 2019 for around 1.2 million non-EU visitors. In 2019 the ONS estimate there were substantially more EU visitors (24.8 million) than non-EU passengers (16.0 million) to the UK. This implies an extension to EU residents would significantly increase the cost by up to an estimated £0.9 billion. This would result in a large amount of deadweight loss by subsidising spending from EU visitors which already happens without a refund mechanism in place, potentially taking the total cost up to around £1.4 billion per annum.</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>The final costings will be subject to scrutiny by the independent Office for Budget Responsibility and will be set out at the next forecast.</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> answering member printed Lord Agnew of Oulton grouped question UIN HL9165 HL9167 question first answered 28/10/2020 11:46:17 answering member 4689 label Biography information for Lord Agnew of Oulton
	tabling member	4304 label Biography information for Lord Allen of Kensington

1243586

	registered interest
	date	14/10/2020
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Exports: VAT
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on (1) jobs, and (2) public finances, of the ending of participation in the VAT Retail Export Scheme; and what action they plan to take to offset any such impact.
	tabling member printed	Lord Allen of Kensington
	uin	HL9165
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/10/2020 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 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 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>HMRC estimate that VAT RES refunds cost around £0.5 billion in VAT in 2019 for around 1.2 million non-EU visitors. In 2019 the ONS estimate there were substantially more EU visitors (24.8 million) than non-EU passengers (16.0 million) to the UK. This implies an extension to EU residents would significantly increase the cost by up to an estimated £0.9 billion. This would result in a large amount of deadweight loss by subsidising spending from EU visitors which already happens without a refund mechanism in place, potentially taking the total cost up to around £1.4 billion per annum.</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>The final costings will be subject to scrutiny by the independent Office for Budget Responsibility and will be set out at the next forecast.</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> answering member printed Lord Agnew of Oulton grouped question UIN HL9166 HL9167 question first answered 28/10/2020 11:46:17 answering member 4689 label Biography information for Lord Agnew of Oulton
	tabling member	4304 label Biography information for Lord Allen of Kensington

1646137

	registered interest
	date	20/06/2023
	answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	answering dept id	13
	answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	hansard heading	Consumer Goods and Food: Prices
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to introduce price controls for food and other consumer products.
	tabling member printed	Lord Allen of Kensington
	uin	HL8641
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/06/2023 answer text <p>The Government has no plans to introduce price controls for food.</p> answering member printed Lord Benyon question first answered 28/06/2023 14:11:14 answering member 1547 label Biography information for Lord Benyon
	tabling member	4304 label Biography information for Lord Allen of Kensington

1646136

	registered interest
	date	20/06/2023
	answering body	Department for Business and Trade
	answering dept id	214
	answering dept short name	Business and Trade
	answering dept sort name	Business and Trade
	hansard heading	Small Businesses: Expenditure
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what is their current target for expenditure with small and medium-sized enterprises, directly and indirectly through procurement; and whether they expect to meet it.
	tabling member printed	Lord Allen of Kensington
	uin	HL8640
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/07/2023 answer text <p>The Department will be updating our SME Action Plan later this year and it will set an ambition for future spending aligned with our procurement strategy.</p> answering member printed The Earl of Minto question first answered 04/07/2023 17:00:20 answering member 4952 label Biography information for The Earl of Minto
	tabling member	4304 label Biography information for Lord Allen of Kensington

1645481

	registered interest
	date	19/06/2023
	answering body	Cabinet Office
	answering dept id	53
	answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
	answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
	hansard heading	Senior Civil Servants: Recruitment
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government how many senior civil servants are based for work outside London and the South East and, of those, how many (1) transferred from London and the South East and (2) were recruited locally.
	tabling member printed	Lord Allen of Kensington
	uin	HL8578
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/07/2023 answer text <p>As at December 2022, the number of Senior Civil Servants (SCS) based outside London and the South East is 2,130 (33.7%) on a full-time equivalent basis (FTE), including around 50 SCS who work overseas in a variety of roles. This data is provisional and subject to routine revisions over time.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>Through the Places for Growth Programme, we aim to have 50% of UK-based SCS roles based outside of London by 2030. There have been 316 SCS roles relocated since March 2020, bringing more opportunities for civil servants to progress their careers in the regions and nations of the UK.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>We do not hold a breakdown of SCS that have relocated from London and the South East or those that have been recruited into SCS roles locally.</p><p><strong></strong><br><br></p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Neville-Rolfe question first answered 03/07/2023 11:50:43 answering member 4284 label Biography information for Baroness Neville-Rolfe
	tabling member	4304 label Biography information for Lord Allen of Kensington

1645480

	registered interest
	date	19/06/2023
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Mortgages: Government Assistance
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of The Mortgage Crunch report, published by the Resolution Foundation on 17 June; and what plans they have, if any, to assist mortgage holders affected by rising mortgage costs.
	tabling member printed	Lord Allen of Kensington
	uin	HL8577
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/07/2023 answer text <p>The Government does not set mortgage or interest rates. The Bank Rate - which is one factor that lenders use to set mortgage and retail interest rates - is set by the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Bank of England, which is independent of Government. Commercial Banks and Building Societies also make other commercial judgements that influence the degree of pass‐through from changes in Bank Rate into mortgage and retail interest rates. The Government does not seek to intervene in these commercial decisions.</p><p> </p><p>However, we recognise this will be a concerning time for mortgage holders, particularly those who are due to come to the end of their existing deal in the immediate future. The Prime Minister has been clear, the best and most important way that we can keep costs and interest rates down for people is to halve inflation, and then return it to the 2% target.</p><p> </p><p>On Friday 23 June the Chancellor met with mortgage lenders, UK Finance and the FCA to discuss a new package of support for those who encounter problems keeping up with their mortgage payments. These commitments include an agreement permitting customers to switch to an interest only mortgage, or extend their mortgage term, for 6 months, after which they can switch back without a new affordability check or it affecting their credit score. Lenders also agreed borrowers won’t have their home repossessed within 12 months from a first missed payment without their consent or unless in exceptional circumstances.</p><p> </p><p>If mortgage holders are concerned about making their mortgage repayment, they must speak to their lender as soon as possible. Contacting them will not affect their credit score.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has also already taken a number of measures aimed at helping people to avoid repossession, including Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) loans for those in receipt of an income-related benefit, and protection in the courts through the Pre-Action Protocol, which makes it clear that repossession must always be the last resort for lenders.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Penn question first answered 03/07/2023 11:55:24 answering member 4726 label Biography information for Baroness Penn
	tabling member	4304 label Biography information for Lord Allen of Kensington

1639888

	registered interest
	date	23/05/2023
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Food Poverty
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the data published by the Trussell Trust on 26 April which showed an increase in its emergency food parcel distribution over the period April 2022 to March 2023; and what steps they will take in response.
	tabling member printed	Lord Allen of Kensington
	uin	HL8036
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/06/2023 answer text <p>We take the issue of food security seriously, which is why we added internationally used food security questions to the Family Resources Survey in 19/20. These questions remain in the survey and will allow us to track food security over time.</p><p> </p><p>Building on the food insecurity data which this Government first published in 2019/20, we have published official estimates of foodbank use for the first time this year covering the period 2021/22. These will, alongside the broad suite of poverty data, help shape future policy considerations. The new statistics on foodbank usage will help Government to understand more about the characteristics of people most in need and we will continue to work across Government to support the most vulnerable.</p><p> </p><p>The Government recognises the pressures people are facing and has acted, providing total support of over £94bn over 2022/23 and 2023/24 to help households and individuals with the rising cost of living. In April 2023 we uprated benefit rates and State Pensions by 10.1 per cent, as well as increasing benefit cap levels by the same amount.</p> answering member printed Viscount Younger of Leckie question first answered 07/06/2023 12:47:52 answering member 4169 label Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie
	tabling member	4304 label Biography information for Lord Allen of Kensington

1639887

	registered interest
	date	23/05/2023
	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	Housing: Construction
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government how many new homes they expect to build in the current year.
	tabling member printed	Lord Allen of Kensington
	uin	HL8035
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/06/2023 answer text <p>The department does not publish forecasts of new builds.</p><p>The most recent data for new dwellings shows an increase of 232,820 dwellings in the year to 31 March 2022. This represents over 75% of the Government’s ambition to see 300,000 new homes a year.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Scott of Bybrook question first answered 06/06/2023 14:54:41 answering member 4553 label Biography information for Baroness Scott of Bybrook
	tabling member	4304 label Biography information for Lord Allen of Kensington

1639886

	registered interest
	date	23/05/2023
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Apprentices: Taxation
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government how they will use the underspend of the apprenticeship levy.
	tabling member printed	Lord Allen of Kensington
	uin	HL8034
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/06/2023 answer text <p>The apprenticeship levy is an important part of the government’s reforms to create a high-quality, employer-led apprenticeships system, and it supports employers of all sizes to invest in high-quality apprenticeship training.</p><p>The government, via HM Revenue and Customs, collects the apprenticeship levy of 0.5% on total payroll from businesses across the UK with a payroll of more than £3 million. From this, HM Treasury (HMT) sets an English apprenticeships budget for the department, and the devolved governments receive a share of the funding calculated using the Barnett formula.</p><p>The department’s apprenticeships budget is used to fund training and assessment for new apprenticeship starts in all employers, levy and non-levy paying employers alike, across England, and to cover the ongoing costs of apprentices already in training and any additional payments made to employers and providers. This means that levy payers’ unspent funds are used to support additional costs and apprenticeships in smaller employers.</p><p>In the 2021/22 financial year, the total spend on apprenticeships in England was £2,455 million, against the budget of £2,466 million, meaning that 99.6% of the apprenticeships budget was spent. Previous years’ spending on apprenticeships is set out in the Department’s Annual Report and Accounts, which can be accessed at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/department-for-education-consolidated-annual-report-and-accounts-2021-to-2022" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/department-for-education-consolidated-annual-report-and-accounts-2021-to-2022</a>.</p><p>Any underspends in overall departmental budgets by the end of the financial year are first returned to HMT, as per the Consolidated Budgeting Guidance. As employers choose which apprenticeships they offer and when, annual spend of the apprenticeship budget is subject to employer demand.</p><p>The government is increasing apprenticeship funding to £2.7 billion by the 2024/25 financial year and has removed the limit on the number of apprentices that small and medium-sized enterprises can recruit to support more employers to benefit from the high-quality training that apprenticeships offer.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Barran question first answered 07/06/2023 12:23:26 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
	tabling member	4304 label Biography information for Lord Allen of Kensington