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  • Stephen Doughty – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Stephen Doughty – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2015-10-09.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many investigations HM Revenue and Customs has carried out for (a) non-payment of child maintenance and (b) allegations of fraudulent tax claims submitted to the Child Support Agency in each of the last five years.

    Mr David Gauke

    (a) HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) does not enforce non-payment of child maintenance. This is the responsibility for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Child Maintenance Group.

    (b) HMRC does not hold the numbers of fraudulent tax claims submitted to the Child Support Agency. The responsibility for providing HMRC with this information would be for DWP.

  • Chris Stephens – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Chris Stephens – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Stephens on 2015-10-09.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people under 25 years old in (a) Glasgow South West constituency, (b) Scotland and (c) the UK receive tax credits.

    Damian Hinds

    The latest information on the number of tax credit recipients under 25 in the UK can be found in table 3.1 of the April 2015 Personal Tax Credits published statistics, found here:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/personal-tax-credits-provisional-statistics-2013-to-2009

    These statistics are published in April and December each year.

  • Guto Bebb – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Guto Bebb – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Guto Bebb on 2015-10-09.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he plans to respond to the recommendations of the Treasury Committee’s report, Conduct and competition in SME lending, published on 16 March 2015.

    Harriett Baldwin

    The Parliament, and its then Treasury Select Committee, dissolved shortly after this report was published and HM Treasury was not able to prepare a response before dissolution.

    HM Treasury is considering the Committee’s recommendations and will be responding to the new Committee in due course.

  • Frank Field – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Frank Field – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2015-10-09.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many reports he has received in each of the last two financial years of HM Revenue and Customs’ electronic application portal failing to record and register data and supporting documentation submitted by applicants for child and working tax credits.

    Damian Hinds

    HM Revenue and Customs do not have an electronic application portal for applicants for child and working tax credits. New claims for tax credits can be submitted by post or over the telephone.

  • Jeremy Lefroy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Jeremy Lefroy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jeremy Lefroy on 2015-10-09.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps the Government is taking to establish a grant scheme to support charities providing rapid response vehicles for medical purposes.

    Greg Hands

    The government is currently finalising the administration arrangements for the rapid response grant scheme which will open for applications this financial year. The scheme will cover the VAT costs incurred in the purchasing and fitting out of medical emergency rapid response vehicles by charities which are not already in scope of existing VAT refund schemes or are not already funded for VAT. The total grant available across the UK will be £100,000 in 2015-16.

  • Christian Matheson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Christian Matheson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christian Matheson on 2015-10-09.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions his Department has had with the Serious Fraud Office on allegations relating to (a) systematic undervaluing of properties owned by small businesses and (b) misselling of interest rate swaps.

    Harriett Baldwin

    Treasury Ministers and officials meet with a wide range of organisations as part of the usual policy making process.

    It might be useful to know that the Treasury publishes a list of ministerial meetings with external organisations. This is available online at: www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/minister_hospitality.htm.

    As you are aware, the FCA is an independent non-governmental body responsible for regulating and supervising the financial services industry. Although the Treasury sets the legal framework for the regulation of financial services, it has strictly limited powers in relation to the FCA. In particular, the Treasury has no general power of direction over the FCA and cannot intervene in individual cases.

    The independence of the FCA is vital to the role it provides as a safety net for consumers with complaints against financial services firms. Their credibility, authority and value to consumers would be undermined if it were possible for the Government to intervene in their decision-making.

    The FCA regularly publishes information on the progress of the redress scheme. This can be found here: www.fca.org.uk/consumers/financial-services-products/banking/interest-rate-hedging-products.

    You may be aware that the Treasury Select Committee’s report into SME lending, published on 10 March, recommended that the FCA collect the information necessary to establish whether there are systemic failures in the redress scheme. The FCA has responded and the Committee, which published this response on 12 October 2015. It can be found here: www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-committees/treasury/Responses/Financial-Conduct-Authority-response-to-Conduct-and-Competition-in-SME.pdf

  • Paul Blomfield – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Paul Blomfield – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2015-10-09.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will collect data on the number of enforcement actions undertaken by HM Revenue and Customs involving victims of modern slavery.

    Mr David Gauke

    HM Revenue and Customs has collated data on its enforcement actions involving modern slavery since February 2015.

  • Tulip Siddiq – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Tulip Siddiq – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2015-10-09.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people have booked free guidance sessions with Pension Wise on defined contribution pensions schemes since April 2015; and how many such sessions Pension Wise is forecast to run by the end of the current financial year.

    Harriett Baldwin

    As announced on 16 September, more than 20,000 Pension Wise appointments have taken place, and the website has received over 1.5 million visits.

  • Louise Haigh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Louise Haigh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2015-10-09.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of the reduction in the rate of corporation tax on public sector net borrowing and debt.

    Mr David Gauke

    The direct fiscal impact of the policy was set out in Table 2.1 of the Budget document, accessible via the following link:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/443232/50325_Summer_Budget_15_Web_Accessible.pdf

    This figure does not take into account the dynamic economic impacts of the policy. In 2013, the Government published a report modelling the economic impact of the corporation tax cuts announced in the previous parliament. This showed that, through increases to investment and demand for labour, which in turn raise wages and consumption, the cost of corporation tax cuts falls by between 45 per cent and 60 per cent in the long term.

  • Louise Haigh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Louise Haigh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2015-10-09.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the terms of reference are for his Department’s feasibility study into future connections between UK and Chinese stock markets.

    Harriett Baldwin

    The London Stock Exchange Group and the Shanghai Stock Exchange will carry out a feasibility study on a stock market connection, and will determine the terms of reference in due course.