Treasury<p>I have responded to the letter dated 11 April 2019 as the Minister responsible for the scheme. Discussions with the Trustees of the Scheme are ongoing about possible changes that would benefit all parties.</p>South West NorfolkElizabeth Truss2019-05-15false2019-05-15T16:09:31.577Z14TreasuryTreasury2019-05-13Mineworkers' Pension Scheme1House of CommonsTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he plans to respond to the open letter of 11 April 2019 on the Mineworkers' Pension Scheme ;and if he will meet with the signatories of that letter.falseBlaenau GwentNick Smith253552Treasury The Government is committed to public service pensions which are fair to workers and fair to other taxpayers. The tapered annual allowance is focussed on the highest earning pension savers, to ensure that the benefit they receive is not disproportionate. The Government is aware of specific concerns raised by some high-earners impacted by annual allowance tax charges. All public sector pay and pensions policies are kept under constant review and discussed with relevant departments.South West NorfolkElizabeth Truss2019-05-16false2019-05-16T13:19:35.603Z14TreasuryTreasury2019-05-13Doctors: Pensions1House of CommonsTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and the Secretary of State for Defence on the annual tapered allowance and its effect on the recruitment and retention of doctors in the NHS and armed forces.falseBirkenheadFrank Field253507Treasury<p>As the Chancellor announced at Spring Statement, if a deal with the EU is agreed in the coming weeks, the 2019 Spending Review will be launched before summer recess and conclude alongside an Autumn Budget. When the Spending Review is launched, we will provide guidance to departments on the key dates for submitting their requirements.</p>South West NorfolkElizabeth Truss2019-05-15false2019-05-15T15:55:36.62Z14TreasuryTreasury2019-05-09Public Expenditure1House of CommonsTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish the key dates by which government departments need to submit future funding requirements as part of the Comprehensive Spending Review process.falseWithamPriti Patel252542Treasury<p>The settlement agreed with the EU represents a comprehensive settlement covering all of the mutual commitments between the EU and the UK. The OBR’s latest estimate is laid as part of the wider OBR Economic and Fiscal Outlook publication. The most recent estimate, £37.8bn, was published in the March 2019 Economic and Fiscal Outlook. This analysis assumes an exit date of 29 March 2019</p><p> </p><p>The European Council has agreed an extension to Article 50 to the end of October. During the extension, the UK will continue to be a member of the European Union. While we remain in the EU we will uphold our commitments on the EU Budget, adjusted for the rebate. Similarly, the EU continues to have legal obligations to us as a member state, including in respect of receipts from the EU budget. We will provide an updated estimate of the value of the financial settlement once the UK has left the EU.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The UK makes two contributions per month to the EU Budget which will vary from month to month. These payments are made on the first working day and the first working day after the 19th of each month. As such, it would not be possible to calculate a daily cost of an extension to Article 50 to the end of October.</p>South West NorfolkElizabeth Truss2019-05-14false2019-05-14T13:24:45.44Z14TreasuryTreasury2019-05-09UK Membership of EU1House of CommonsTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the cost to the to the public purse in (a) gross and (b) net terms of the UK's extended membership of the EU to 31 October 2019; and what estimate he has made of the per diem cost of membership of the EU post 31 October 2019.falseWithamPriti Patel252543Treasury<p>The Government directly finances strategic transport infrastructure through various funds. This includes Control Period 6 (which will invest almost £48bn in the railway network over the period 2019-2024) and the second Road Investment Strategy (which will invest £25.3bn in the strategic road network over the period 2020 - 2025).</p><p>The Chancellor announced at Budget 2018 that PFI and PF2 would no longer be used for new government projects, and the Treasury will not be seeking a like-for-like replacement for these models. The Treasury remains open to private finance for government-funded projects, and is consulting on this as part of the Infrastructure Finance Review, as announced in the Spring Statement.</p>South West NorfolkElizabeth Truss2019-05-14false2019-05-14T13:27:14.523Z14TreasuryTreasury2019-05-09Transport: Capital Investment1House of CommonsTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what options are available to finance strategic transport infrastructure schemes.falseWithamPriti Patel252544Treasury<p>The Government is committed to public service pensions which are fair to workers and fair to other taxpayers. Public service workers are entitled to defined benefit pension schemes, which are among the best schemes available. Since 2010, the Government has made reforms to limit pensions tax relief for those on the highest incomes that save over £6 billion per year, and are necessary to deliver a fair system and protect the public finances.</p><p> </p><p>The pension tax rules apply equally across all registered public and private sector defined benefit schemes. In April 2016, the lifetime allowance (LTA) was reduced to £1,000,000. However, from April 2018 it has increased in line with CPI. This means for 2019-20 the LTA increased to £1,055,000. This allows savers to continue to make significant amounts of pension savings tax-free, while ensuring incentives to save are targeted across society.</p><p> </p><p>The LTA affects only the wealthiest pension savers. Around 95 per cent of individuals currently approaching retirement have a pension pot worth less than the LTA, while the median pension pot for individuals approaching retirement is around £170,000.</p><p> </p><p>The Government does keep all aspects of the tax system under review through the annual Budget process, in the context of the wider public finances.</p>South West NorfolkElizabeth Truss2019-05-15false2019-05-15T15:57:50.547Z14TreasuryTreasury2019-05-09Public Sector: Workplace Pensions1House of CommonsTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of (a) removing and (b) raising the lifetime pension cap for public sector employees.falseSouth AntrimPaul Girvan252614Treasury<p>The Government is committed to public service pensions which are fair to workers and fair to other taxpayers. The Government is aware of specific concerns raised by NHS doctors who are impacted by annual allowance tax charges, and we are currently discussing the issue with the Department of Health and Social Care. All public sector pay and pensions policies are kept under constant review.</p><p> </p>South West NorfolkElizabeth Truss2019-05-14false2019-05-14T12:57:38.633Z14TreasuryTreasury2019-05-09Pensions: Doctors1House of CommonsTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he had had with the Secretary of State for Health on the flexibility of pensions available to NHS (a) doctors and (b) consultants.falseAberdeen NorthKirsty Blackman252656Treasury<p>The Government is committed to public service pensions which are fair to workers and fair to other taxpayers. The Government is aware of specific concerns raised by NHS doctors who are impacted by annual allowance tax charges, and we are currently discussing the issue with the Department of Health and Social Care. All public sector pay and pensions policies are kept under constant review.</p>South West NorfolkElizabeth Truss2019-05-14false2019-05-14T13:30:18.65Z14TreasuryTreasury2019-05-09Pensions: Doctors1House of CommonsTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he had had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on reviewing the annual allowance taper in relation to NHS doctor and consultant pensions.falseAberdeen NorthKirsty Blackman252657Treasury<p>The Government is committed to supporting parents looking after children and does so in a number of ways throughout their formative years.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>For instance, every year the Government spends more than £11bn on Child Benefit to support those families raising children. There is also a comprehensive crediting system in place to support those who cannot work due to illness or if they are caring for someone, including parents looking after a child under 12. These help maintain an individual's National Insurance record and so protect their entitlement to the basic State Pension and certain other state benefits.</p>South West NorfolkElizabeth Truss2019-05-14false2019-05-14T11:28:21.487Z14TreasuryTreasury2019-05-09Child Rearing1House of CommonsTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the merits of rewarding parents for looking after their own children in their formative years.falseNewcastle-under-LymePaul Farrelly252520Treasury<p>The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) are responsible for the assessment of Child Maintenance payments, including the verification of the absent parent’s income. Upon request from DWP, HMRC provide information held on their National Insurance and PAYE Service, or their Self-Assessment Service. The information is made available under a Memorandum of Understanding, and is for the latest completed tax year.</p>South West NorfolkElizabeth Truss2019-05-14false2019-05-14T12:40:56.407Z14TreasuryTreasury2019-05-08Children: Maintenance1House of CommonsTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps HMRC takes to verify the income of people liable for child maintenance payments.falseOchil and South PerthshireLuke Graham25201110011398