Show Search Form

Search Results

registered interest	true false
date	exactly: or between: and
answering body
answering dept id
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name
hansard heading
house id
legislature	pref label
question text
tabling member printed
uin
answer	is ministerial correction true false date of answer exactly: or between: and answer text answering member printed grouped question UIN question first answered answering member label
tabling member	label

Search

1138559

registered interest
date	11/07/2019
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Pensions: Tax 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 implications of recent changes to the Lifetime Allowance for pension benefits for those in (1) the legal profession, (2) the medical profession, and (3) other professions; and of the case for reviewing those changes.
tabling member printed	Baroness McIntosh of Pickering
uin	HL17117
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/07/2019 answer text <p>Pensions tax relief is one of the most expensive reliefs in the personal tax system. In 2017/18 income tax and employer National Insurance Contributions relief cost over £50 billion, with around two-thirds going to higher and additional rate taxpayers. As confirmed at Autumn Budget 2017, from April 2018 the lifetime allowance will increase in line with CPI, in order that the value of this benefit is able to keep pace with inflation. This means from April 2019 the lifetime allowance has risen to £1,055,000.</p><p> </p><p>The same tax rules must apply identically to everyone in the same situation, regardless of their employer.</p><p> </p><p>However, across all public service workforces the Government looks at remuneration in the round and takes action when required to ensure delivery of world class public services. Where there is evidence that the delivery of services is being impacted, the Government takes appropriate action to address this, in line with our principles for pay and pensions policy. This is why we have introduced a temporary, taxable, Recruitment and Retention allowance for a small section of the judiciary, and will shortly bring forward a consultation on a new 50:50 pensions flexibility for senior clinicians in the NHS pension scheme.</p><p> </p><p>All aspects of the tax system are kept under review and are subject to change through the annual Budget, in the context of the wider public finances. Any future changes to the tax system will be announced through this process.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Young of Cookham question first answered 18/07/2019 11:12:10 answering member 57 label Biography information for Lord Young of Cookham
tabling member	384 label Biography information for Baroness McIntosh of Pickering

1125502

registered interest
date	08/05/2019
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Tax Evasion
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the cost to HM Treasury of "cum-ex" tax fraud since 2012; and whether there have been any related prosecutions.
tabling member printed	Baroness McIntosh of Pickering
uin	HL15597
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/05/2019 answer text <p>“Cum-ex” tax fraud exploits rules which impose withholding tax (WHT) on dividend payments. The UK does not apply WHT to dividend payments; there is no direct UK tax impact on banks, other taxpayers or HM Treasury.</p> answering member printed Lord Young of Cookham grouped question UIN HL15598 question first answered 21/05/2019 14:12:33 answering member 57 label Biography information for Lord Young of Cookham
tabling member	384 label Biography information for Baroness McIntosh of Pickering

1125503

registered interest
date	08/05/2019
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Tax Evasion
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 "cum-ex" tax fraud on (1) banks, (2) taxpayers, and (3) HM Treasury.
tabling member printed	Baroness McIntosh of Pickering
uin	HL15598
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/05/2019 answer text <p>“Cum-ex” tax fraud exploits rules which impose withholding tax (WHT) on dividend payments. The UK does not apply WHT to dividend payments; there is no direct UK tax impact on banks, other taxpayers or HM Treasury.</p> answering member printed Lord Young of Cookham grouped question UIN HL15597 question first answered 21/05/2019 14:12:33 answering member 57 label Biography information for Lord Young of Cookham
tabling member	384 label Biography information for Baroness McIntosh of Pickering

1124875

registered interest
date	07/05/2019
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	Water Companies: Insolvency
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to prevent retailers in the water market who sell to SME customers from failing.
tabling member printed	Baroness McIntosh of Pickering
uin	HL15550
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/05/2019 answer text <p>When considering applications from potential retailers, Ofwat, the economic regulator for the water industry, considers whether it would have sufficient financial resources to finance its obligations under the law and to deliver its business plan. Once the retailer enters the market, it is for the retailer to ensure it operates efficiently and is able to continue to operate. In any functioning market some retailers will fail. If a retailer were to fail, as has been seen in other sectors, Ofwat would step in and ensure affected customers are allocated to a new supplier in a seamless way.</p> answering member printed Lord Gardiner of Kimble question first answered 20/05/2019 14:58:48 answering member 4161 label Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble
tabling member	384 label Biography information for Baroness McIntosh of Pickering

1124876

registered interest
date	07/05/2019
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	Water Companies: Competition
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment has been made by (1) the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and (2) Ofwat of the (a) Scottish SME non-household retail water market, and (b) the English SME non-household retail water market.
tabling member printed	Baroness McIntosh of Pickering
uin	HL15551
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/05/2019 answer text <p>The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (a) undertook some analysis of the Scottish SME non-household retail water market during the initial planning stages of opening up the English market; and (b) works closely with Ofwat as they review the English non-household retail market and its operation since opening, including with regard to SMEs.</p><p> </p><p>Ofwat monitors and assesses the non-household retail water market in England on an ongoing basis. It commissioned customer research to gauge directly customers’ experiences of the market, including views on the interactions between the markets in England, Scotland and Wales. This information was published in July 2018 as the Ofwat <a href="https://www.ofwat.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/ORS-final-report-Non-household-customer-insight-survey.pdf" target="_blank">customer insight survey</a>.</p><p> </p><p>Ofwat’s first annual assessment of the market, <a href="https://www.ofwat.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/State-of-the-market-report-2017-18-FINAL.pdf" target="_blank">Open for Business</a>, also published in July 2018, highlighted a number of areas in which to achieve better outcomes for business customers in England, including SMEs.</p> answering member printed Lord Gardiner of Kimble grouped question UIN HL15552 question first answered 20/05/2019 15:51:11 answering member 4161 label Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble
tabling member	384 label Biography information for Baroness McIntosh of Pickering

1124877

registered interest
date	07/05/2019
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	Water Companies: Competition
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what research they have undertaken to assess the effectiveness of the Scottish non-household retail water market in encouraging switching by SMEs when compared with the English non-household retail water market.
tabling member printed	Baroness McIntosh of Pickering
uin	HL15552
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/05/2019 answer text <p>The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (a) undertook some analysis of the Scottish SME non-household retail water market during the initial planning stages of opening up the English market; and (b) works closely with Ofwat as they review the English non-household retail market and its operation since opening, including with regard to SMEs.</p><p> </p><p>Ofwat monitors and assesses the non-household retail water market in England on an ongoing basis. It commissioned customer research to gauge directly customers’ experiences of the market, including views on the interactions between the markets in England, Scotland and Wales. This information was published in July 2018 as the Ofwat <a href="https://www.ofwat.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/ORS-final-report-Non-household-customer-insight-survey.pdf" target="_blank">customer insight survey</a>.</p><p> </p><p>Ofwat’s first annual assessment of the market, <a href="https://www.ofwat.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/State-of-the-market-report-2017-18-FINAL.pdf" target="_blank">Open for Business</a>, also published in July 2018, highlighted a number of areas in which to achieve better outcomes for business customers in England, including SMEs.</p> answering member printed Lord Gardiner of Kimble grouped question UIN HL15551 question first answered 20/05/2019 15:51:11 answering member 4161 label Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble
tabling member	384 label Biography information for Baroness McIntosh of Pickering

1124878

registered interest
date	07/05/2019
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	Water Companies: Competition
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions there have been between the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs about the need to ensure that small business customers benefit from the non-household retail water market in England.
tabling member printed	Baroness McIntosh of Pickering
uin	HL15553
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/05/2019 answer text <p>Ofwat are the economic regulator for the water industry, and it regulates and monitors the operation of the retail business market. Ofwat published their first annual report on the market, Open for Business<em>,</em> in July 2018. It identified that small and medium sized business customers are not yet experiencing the same benefits that larger customers receive from the retail market, and raised a number of issues that could be affecting this.</p><p> </p><p>Ofwat and Mosl, the market operator, have been taking a number of actions to investigate further and address these issues, including for SMEs.</p><p> </p><p>Ofwat is currently undertaking a further assessment of the market with a view to publishing their second annual report in July.</p><p> </p><p>My Department has ongoing discussions with Ofwat and Mosl about these issues and will discuss the outcomes of the second annual report with Ofwat in due course.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>Minister Coffey, the Minister responsible for this policy area, requested that the then Minister for Small Business, Consumers and Corporate Responsibility, Margot James MP, use her channels to advertise and promote to small business customers that they can benefit from the non-household retail water market in England.</p> answering member printed Lord Gardiner of Kimble question first answered 21/05/2019 13:37:33 answering member 4161 label Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble
tabling member	384 label Biography information for Baroness McIntosh of Pickering

1121600

registered interest
date	11/04/2019
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	Food: Rural Areas
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 importance of the food and drink industry to the rural economy; and what steps they intend to take to ensure that food safety standards are maintained.
tabling member printed	Baroness McIntosh of Pickering
uin	HL15251
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/04/2019 answer text <p>The food and drink industry, and the wider agri-food sector, forms an integral part of the rural economy whether in primary production, manufacturing, retail, or hospitality. The Government recognises its importance and provides a range of support for the industry and the rural economy as a whole.</p><p> </p><p>The UK has world leading standards of food safety and quality, backed by a rigorous legislative framework. We will maintain these high standards once the UK leaves the EU.</p><p> </p><p><em>Rural Economy and Food and Drink </em></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>Various figures demonstrate the importance of the food and drink industry to the rural economy. The industry employed 3 million people in 2017 in England, over 475,000 (16%) of whom lived in rural areas. 31% of all business units that produce food products or beverages are in rural areas. Food and drink manufacturing in rural areas in England (excluding animal feed and pet food) had a turnover of £11 billion in 2017. In 2016 an estimated 2% of the gross value added of predominantly rural areas came from farming, forestry and fishing.</p><p> </p><p>The Government provides a range of support for the rural economy. We are investing over £500 million in rural businesses and communities through the socioeconomic schemes within the Rural Development Programme for England. This includes over £250 million for rural business growth and broadband infrastructure through the Growth Programme; £150 million for locally identified business and community priorities through LEADER; and £140 million for improving farm performance through Countryside Productivity. Rural communities can also receive support through Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs).</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The Government also provides support for the agri-food sector. Defra’s work on the Industrial Strategy includes the Food and Drink Sector Council, the Food and Drink Sector Deal (currently in negotiations) and the Food and Drink LEP Network. The Government promotes increasing agricultural productivity through a range of programmes including the Transforming Food Production Fund and the Agri-Tech Strategy. The Government will publish a National Food Strategy once we leave the EU.</p><p> </p><p><em>Food Standards</em></p><p> </p><p>When we leave the EU, we will maintain our current high standards. We will keep our existing UK legislation, and the EU Withdrawal Act will convert EU law into UK law as it applies at the moment of departure.</p><p> </p><p>As noted above, the UK has world leading standards of food safety and quality, backed by a rigorous legislative framework. We will maintain these high standards once the UK leaves the EU.</p><p> </p><p>We are working closely with the Department of Health and Social Care, the Food Standards Agency, the Department for Exiting the European Union and the devolved administrations to ensure that the UK’s world leading reputation for food safety and standards continues after we leave the EU.</p><p> </p><p>Maintaining safety and public confidence in the food we all eat is a high priority for the Government. We are committed to upholding and strengthening our high standards. Future trade agreements must support the UK’s food safety, animal welfare, and environmental standards.</p><p> </p><p>The Secretary of State has been clear on numerous occasions that we intend to maintain our standards when pursuing any trade deals.</p> answering member printed Lord Gardiner of Kimble question first answered 29/04/2019 13:06:07 answering member 4161 label Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble
tabling member	384 label Biography information for Baroness McIntosh of Pickering

1091613

registered interest
date	19/03/2019
answering body	Department for Exiting the European Union
answering dept id	203
answering dept short name	Exiting the European Union
answering dept sort name	Exiting the European Union
hansard heading	European Parliament Members
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will ask the EU Council of Ministers to consider (1) extending the mandate of current UK MEPs beyond the end of June for the length of the implementation period, and (2) the possibility of UK MEPs having Observer Status for that period; and whether they have given any consideration to appointing MEPs for a mandate of two years from 30 June.
tabling member printed	Baroness McIntosh of Pickering
uin	HL14659
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/03/2019 answer text <p>Once the UK leaves the EU we will no longer have elected representatives in the European Parliament. Any extension of MEP’s mandate would not be in line with the EU Treaties.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Callanan question first answered 27/03/2019 12:27:46 answering member 4336 label Biography information for Lord Callanan
tabling member	384 label Biography information for Baroness McIntosh of Pickering

1086368

registered interest
date	11/03/2019
answering body	Department for International Trade
answering dept id	202
answering dept short name	International Trade
answering dept sort name	International Trade
hansard heading	Food: Import Duties
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect to publish the tariffs they intend to impose on food imports after Brexit.
tabling member printed	Baroness McIntosh of Pickering
uin	HL14401
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/03/2019 answer text <p>The Government published details of tariffs the UK intends to apply to food imports in the event of a ‘no-deal’ EU Exit on Wednesday 13 March. These details can be found at www.gov.uk/government/publications/temporary-rates-of-customs-duty-on-imports-after-eu-exit.</p><p> </p><p>If the UK leaves the EU without a deal, the UK will implement this temporary tariff regime for up to 12 months whilst a full consultation and review on a permanent approach is undertaken. This regime will apply a tariff rate of zero to most imports into the UK whilst retaining the UK’s ability to raise these rates to a higher ‘bound’ rate if necessary.</p><p> </p><p>If the UK had chosen to apply its current external tariff regime to the EU this would impose new tariffs on EU imports, driving up prices for consumers and disrupting business supply chains.</p><p> </p><p>If the UK chose to apply zero tariffs on <strong>all</strong> goods traded with the EU, then the UK would have to extend this to the rest of the world due to WTO rules. This would minimise disruption to EU trade but would open the UK to competition from other countries outside of the EU, including those with unfair trading practices.</p><p> </p><p>The temporary tariff regime adopts a balanced position between these two options. It will minimise costs to UK businesses whilst mitigating the impact of price increases on UK consumers.</p><p> </p><p>This temporary tariff regime will come into effect at the timethe UK leaves the EU without a deal.</p><p> </p><p>In the event of a deal being secured the UK will continue to apply the EU’s Common External Tariff during any implementation period. No decision on post-implementation period tariff rates has been made at this time.</p> answering member printed Baroness Fairhead question first answered 25/03/2019 17:08:07 answering member 4690 label Biography information for Baroness Fairhead
tabling member	384 label Biography information for Baroness McIntosh of Pickering