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1277660

	registered interest
	date	18/01/2021
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Air Passenger Duty
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will hold discussions with the Secretary of State for Transport on the potential effect of the re-introduction of a return leg exemption from air passenger duty for domestic flights in the UK on (a) regional connectivity and (b) the viability of regional air routes.
	tabling member constituency	Crawley
	tabling member printed	Henry Smith
	uin	138921
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/01/2021 answer text <p>The Government has committed to consult on aviation tax reform, as part of which we will consider the case for changing the APD treatment of domestic flights, and the potential impact any measure may have on regional connectivity and domestic routes. We will provide an update on timing in due course.</p><p> </p><p>HM Treasury is engaging with relevant departments ahead of this consultation.</p> answering member constituency Saffron Walden answering member printed Kemi Badenoch question first answered 26/01/2021 14:55:25 answering member 4597 label Biography information for Kemi Badenoch
	tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

1198496

	registered interest
	date	01/06/2020
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Air Passenger Duty: Coronavirus
	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 temporarily suspending air passenger duty for (a) domestic routes, (b) short haul routes and (c) long haul routes to help support the aviation sector.
	tabling member constituency	Crawley
	tabling member printed	Henry Smith
	uin	51862
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/06/2020 answer text <p>The Government recognises the challenging times facing the aviation sector as a result of COVID-19 and the Chancellor wrote to the aviation sector on 24 March to set out the Government’s position and the support measures available. The Government has announced an unprecedented package of support for workers and businesses to protect against the current economic emergency.</p><p> </p><p>This includes the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, which has so far helped 1 million employers across the UK furlough nearly 8.5 million jobs, protecting people’s livelihoods. This scheme was recently extended until the end of October, meaning that it will now be in place for a full eight months, giving businesses the vital support that they need.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is also prepared to enter negotiations with individual companies seeking bespoke support as a last resort, having exhausted other options. However further taxpayer support would only be possible if all commercial avenues have been fully explored, including raising further capital from existing investors and discussing arrangements with financial stakeholders.</p><p> </p><p>More broadly, the government has committed to consult on aviation tax reform. We will provide more detail on next steps in due course.</p> answering member constituency Saffron Walden answering member printed Kemi Badenoch question first answered 09/06/2020 15:56:59 answering member 4597 label Biography information for Kemi Badenoch
	tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

1243345

	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	Air Passenger Duty: Coronavirus
	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 introducing a 12-month waiver on Air Passenger Duty to provide support to the aviation sector, trade and connectivity during the covid-19 outbreak.
	tabling member constituency	Crawley
	tabling member printed	Henry Smith
	uin	103484
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/10/2020 answer text <p>The Government recognises the challenging times facing the aviation industry as a result of COVID-19 and firms experiencing difficulties can draw upon the unprecedented package of measures announced by the Chancellor, including schemes to raise capital and support jobs and flexibilities with tax bills. The aerospace sector and its aviation customers are being supported with over £8.5 billion support through the Bank of England’s Covid Corporate Financing Facility, grants for research and development, loan guarantees and support for aerospace exports. The government has also launched a new Global Travel Taskforce to support the travel industry and the safe recovery of international travel.</p><p> </p><p>Airlines’ Air Passenger Duty liabilities will have considerably reduced following the decline in passenger demand caused by COVID-19.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has committed to consult on aviation tax reform and will provide more detail on next steps in due course.</p> answering member constituency Saffron Walden answering member printed Kemi Badenoch question first answered 22/10/2020 15:41:57 answering member 4597 label Biography information for Kemi Badenoch
	tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

1203007

	registered interest
	date	11/06/2020
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Aviation and Tourism: Coronavirus
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what meetings (a) he and (b) his ministers have had with representatives from (a) UK airports, (b) airlines and (c) tourism bodies since the start of the covid-19 outbreak.
	tabling member constituency	Crawley
	tabling member printed	Henry Smith
	uin	58688
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/06/2020 answer text <p>Treasury Ministers and officials meet with a wide range of stakeholders across sectors as part of ongoing policy development and implementation.</p><p> </p><p>Ministers and officials from the Department for Transport and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy are in regular contact with airlines, airports and unions, and similarly the Department for Digital, Media, Sport and Culture are working with employers, delivery partners and industry groups to understand the impact that COVID-19 is having on sectors like tourism and its workers.</p><p> </p><p>As we look forward, we welcome views from representatives and the Treasury will continue to monitor the impact of government support with regard to public services, businesses, individuals, and sectors, and to consider how best to support the economic recovery.</p> answering member constituency Saffron Walden answering member printed Kemi Badenoch question first answered 19/06/2020 09:36:14 answering member 4597 label Biography information for Kemi Badenoch
	tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

1273131

	registered interest
	date	30/12/2020
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Business: Coronavirus
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will ensure that future covid-19 business support grant schemes distributed by local authorities are based on the number of businesses and employment in an area rather than a per capita population figure.
	tabling member constituency	Crawley
	tabling member printed	Henry Smith
	uin	132860
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/01/2021 answer text <p>The Additional Restrictions Grant, which is allocated on a per capita basis, is only one part of the Government’s comprehensive support package for businesses and local authorities during this time. The Local Restrictions Support Grant (Closed) is allocated on a per-business basis and provides businesses in England which are legally required to close due to national or local restrictions with up to £3,000 per month of closures, depending on their rateable value. Businesses which are legally required to close are also eligible for one-off grants worth up to £9,000, depending on their rateable value.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, through the Local Restrictions Support Grant (Open), local authorities which were subject to restrictions on socialising (in particular a ban on indoor household mixing) before the latest lockdown was announced received additional funding so that they could make grants of up to £2,100 per month to hospitality, leisure and accommodation businesses which were able to remain open, but which were experiencing a severe reduction in demand due to restrictions on socialising. This funding is also calculated on a per-business basis.</p><p> </p><p>Given that both population and business densities create pressures on local authorities, by providing some funding per-head and some per-business we are achieving a fair balance.</p> answering member constituency Saffron Walden answering member printed Kemi Badenoch question first answered 12/01/2021 10:25:03 answering member 4597 label Biography information for Kemi Badenoch
	tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

1203010

	registered interest
	date	11/06/2020
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme: Tourism and Transport
	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 protect jobs in the (a) aviation, (b) travel and (c) tourism sectors after the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme is closed in October 2020.
	tabling member constituency	Crawley
	tabling member printed	Henry Smith
	uin	58689
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/06/2020 answer text <p>The Government recognises the extreme disruption the necessary actions to combat Covid-19 are having on businesses and sectors like aviation, travel and tourism.</p><p> </p><p>The Treasury’s priority is to support the economy through the immediate crisis. That is why the Chancellor has already announced unprecedented support for individuals and businesses, to keep as many people as possible in their existing jobs, support viable businesses to stay afloat and protect the incomes of the most vulnerable in this current economic emergency. This includes changes to our welfare system with Universal Credit and Statutory Sick Pay; grant schemes such as the Discretionary Grant Fund; a range of government-backed and guaranteed loan schemes; the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, and the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme.</p><p> </p><p>These measures aim to protect the productive capacity of our economy and to enable a strong and sustainable recovery from this crisis. The government has since set out a cautious roadmap for how it intends to gradually reopen our economy, whilst continuing to suppress the outbreak.</p><p> </p><p>As we look forward, we will continue to monitor the impact of government support with regard to supporting public services, businesses, individuals, and sectors, and consider how best to support the economic recovery.</p> answering member constituency Saffron Walden answering member printed Kemi Badenoch question first answered 19/06/2020 09:34:20 answering member 4597 label Biography information for Kemi Badenoch
	tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

1235667

	registered interest
	date	17/09/2020
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Duty Free Allowances
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department conducted an impact assessment of the potential effect of changes to tax-free sales in airports of goods for passengers travelling to non-EU countries announced on 11 September 2020 on the aviation sector.
	tabling member constituency	Crawley
	tabling member printed	Henry Smith
	uin	91609
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/09/2020 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 to or from Great Britain. The following rules will apply from 1 January 2021:</p><p>- Passengers travelling from Great Britain to any destination outside the United Kingdom 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 United Kingdom, with alcohol allowances significantly increased.</p><p>- The concessionary treatment on tax-free sales of non-excise goods and the VAT Retail Export Scheme will not be extended to passengers travelling to the EU, and will be withdrawn for all passengers.</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 Gatwick and smaller regional airports which have not been able to offer duty-free before.</p><p><strong> </strong></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><p> </p> answering member constituency Saffron Walden answering member printed Kemi Badenoch question first answered 25/09/2020 09:53:15 answering member 4597 label Biography information for Kemi Badenoch
	tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

1258203

	registered interest
	date	03/12/2020
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Duty Free Allowances
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment has he made of the merits of introducing a new airside tax-free shopping regime for international visitors at the end of the Brexit transition period.
	tabling member constituency	Crawley
	tabling member printed	Henry Smith
	uin	124718
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/12/2020 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 the changes 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 href="https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2020-09-11/hcws448" target="_blank">https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2020-09-11/hcws448</a> and <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/a-consultation-on-duty-free-and-tax-free-goods-carried-by-passengers" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/a-consultation-on-duty-free-and-tax-free-goods-carried-by-passengers</a>. 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>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>On 25 November the independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) set out their assessment of the fiscal impact of the withdrawal of the tax-free airside sales. The OBR estimate that the withdrawal will raise approximately £170 million per year for the Exchequer, after behavioural responses are taken into account and passenger numbers recover from the impacts of Covid-19.</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><p> </p> answering member constituency Saffron Walden answering member printed Kemi Badenoch grouped question UIN 124719 question first answered 10/12/2020 10:37:08 answering member 4597 label Biography information for Kemi Badenoch
	tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

1258204

	registered interest
	date	03/12/2020
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Duty Free Allowances
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessments his Department has made of the potential merits of providing alternative airside tax-free shopping regimes for international visitors at the end of the transition period.
	tabling member constituency	Crawley
	tabling member printed	Henry Smith
	uin	124719
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/12/2020 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 the changes 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 href="https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2020-09-11/hcws448" target="_blank">https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2020-09-11/hcws448</a> and <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/a-consultation-on-duty-free-and-tax-free-goods-carried-by-passengers" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/a-consultation-on-duty-free-and-tax-free-goods-carried-by-passengers</a>. 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>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>On 25 November the independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) set out their assessment of the fiscal impact of the withdrawal of the tax-free airside sales. The OBR estimate that the withdrawal will raise approximately £170 million per year for the Exchequer, after behavioural responses are taken into account and passenger numbers recover from the impacts of Covid-19.</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><p> </p> answering member constituency Saffron Walden answering member printed Kemi Badenoch grouped question UIN 124718 question first answered 10/12/2020 10:37:08 answering member 4597 label Biography information for Kemi Badenoch
	tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

1250009

	registered interest
	date	06/11/2020
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Wholesale Trade: Coronavirus
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to financially support wholesale distributors in localities where local authorities do not include them in eligibility for five per cent discretionary grant funding announced as part of the Plan for Jobs.
	tabling member constituency	Crawley
	tabling member printed	Henry Smith
	uin	91869
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/11/2020 answer text <p>During this difficult time for the country, I absolutely recognise the extreme disruption to people’s lives, jobs, and businesses due to the necessary actions to tackle COVID-19. This includes those in the wholesale sector who play a critical role in supporting our food supply chain.</p><p>The Government recognises that businesses which are legally required to close due to national or local restrictions will need additional support. This is why we have announced the Local Restrictions Support Grant (Closed) scheme, which will provide businesses in England which are legally required to close with grants of up to £3,000 per four-week closure period, depending on their rateable value.</p><p>For businesses which are not legally closed, but which are nonetheless severely impacted by local or national restrictions, we have provided Local Authorities with a further £1.1billion across England via the Additional Restrictions Grant.</p><p>Local Authorities have discretion on how to use this funding to support businesses in their areas, but we encourage them to set up discretionary grant schemes to support businesses such as wholesalers which can remain open, but which are nonetheless severely affected by the enhanced COVID-19 restrictions.</p><p>Businesses across the country, including wholesale distributors, should also be able to benefit from others measures in the Government’s unprecedented package of support for businesses, including:</p><p>• The extension to 31 March of the CJRS, through which employees will receive up to 80% of their usual salary for hours not worked up to a maximum of £2,500 per month; <br>• Support for the self-employed via the SEISS, which will provide the self-employed with grants worth up to 80% of trading profits, covering November to January; <br>• The extension of the application deadline for loan guarantee schemes to the end of January 2021; <br>• An adjustment to the Bounce Back Loan Scheme rules to allow those businesses who have borrowed less than their maximum (i.e. less than 25% of their turnover) to top-up their existing loan; and <br>• Help for businesses in repaying loans from Government-backed schemes through the Pay as you Grow scheme and allowing lenders to extend the terms of CBILS loans to up to 10 years.</p> answering member constituency Saffron Walden answering member printed Kemi Badenoch question first answered 16/11/2020 14:38:45 answering member 4597 label Biography information for Kemi Badenoch
	tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith