The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lucas on 2016-05-18.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the reported decision by the BBC to discontinue the BBC Food website, and other services that digitally repurpose content that the BBC has already paid for, is in accordance with its vision of the future of the BBC.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe
Decisions in relation to the BBC’s online content are a matter for the BBC which is editorially independent of the Government.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lucas on 2015-11-03.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of recent reports about VAT fraud by online traders operating from abroad, what action they are taking to reduce the extent of such tax evasion, and whether that action will be completed before Christmas in order to protect UK businesses.
Lord O’Neill of Gatley
HM Revenue and Customs is actively targeting operational and intelligence activity, as well as a range of other options, to tackle this issue.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lucas on 2016-06-06.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they intend to take about the reported proposal by Dean Trust to educate children with special educational needs and disability who have been admitted to one of its schools at another of its schools six miles away.
Lord Nash
Local authorities are responsible for drawing up Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) and are responsible for making sure the special educational provision set out in them is delivered, including admission to the named school. Once named in a final EHCP, a school is obliged to admit the child or young person. Should a school fail to meet this duty the Department can direct them to do so.
We are aware of concerns raised by parents and others about The Dean Trust’s proposal that pupils due for admission in September 2016 who have an EHCP which names Ashton on Mersey School should be educated at Broadoak School. We are determined to support the parties to satisfactorily resolve the situation regarding the currently affected pupils as well as in the longer term, and ensuring that the legal rights of families are enforced. For that reason officials will be meeting with the authority and trust on 20 June. Our priority is ensuring that the transition from primary to secondary school for pupils is as smooth as possible.
We are also determined to ensure that all schools are mindful of their responsibilities towards their pupils and act in accordance with the Children and Families Act 2014 and the statutory Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Code of Practice in ensuring the best possible outcomes for children and young people with special educational needs. All schools should also act in line with their responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010, which in part 6 states that the responsible body of a school must not discriminate against a child or young person: in the arrangements it makes for deciding who is offered admission; the terms on which admission is offered; nor, by not admitting.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lucas on 2015-11-03.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of recent reports about VAT fraud by online traders operating from abroad, what is their estimate of the impact of such tax evasion on (1) the public purse, and (2) UK businesses.
Lord O’Neill of Gatley
Any UK VAT losses arising from online traders operating from abroad are already included within the published UK Tax Gap.
The estimate of the VAT Gap published in “Measuring Tax Gaps 2015 edition” on 22 October 2015 is £13.1 billion. Overall, the UK Tax Gap was 6.4 per cent in 2013-14,down from 6.6 per cent in 2012-13. As part of that, the VAT Gap is calculated as 11.1 per cent in 2013-14, a reduction from 11.9 per cent in 2012-13.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lucas on 2015-11-03.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of recent reports about VAT fraud by online traders operating from abroad, what discussions they have had in the last three months with (1) Amazon, and (2) eBay, about the extent of such tax evasion on their online marketplaces.
Lord O’Neill of Gatley
HM Revenue and Customs is in regular contact with the largest businesses through its dedicated “Customer Relationship Manager” model.Details of discussions with individual taxpayers cannot be disclosed due to taxpayer confidentiality.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lucas on 2015-11-03.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of recent reports about VAT fraud by online traders operating from abroad, whether they plan to require HM Revenue and Customs to work closely with the Chartered Trading Standards Institute in tackling such tax evasion, in particular through Amazon’s and eBay’s online marketplaces.
Lord O’Neill of Gatley
HM Revenue and Customs is actively targeting operational and intelligence activity to tackle this problem. This involves working closely with a number of external bodies, including Trading Standards.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lucas on 2015-11-03.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of recent reports about VAT fraud by online traders operating from abroad, whether they plan to pursue (1) Amazon, and (2) eBay, for any UK VAT that has been evaded by traders using those online marketplaces; and if not, why not.
Lord O’Neill of Gatley
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is actively targeting operational and intelligence activity to tackle this issue. However, HMRC is unable to give details of its plans in respect of any individual taxpayer because of taxpayer confidentiality.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lucas on 2015-11-24.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord O’Neill of Gatley on 17 November (HL3227), what discussion HMRC has had with Trading Standards about VAT fraud among online traders operating from abroad; on what dates they held those discussions; by what medium; and with what outcome.
Lord O’Neill of Gatley
HM Revenue and Customs is engaging with Trading Standards, both bi-laterally and through cross-government groups, to establish a coordinated response to VAT fraud by online traders operating from abroad. Additionally, HMRC has on-going policy and operational exchanges with Trading Standards via various media including face-to-face meeting, e-mail and telephone, sharing information and intelligence in line with established information gateways.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lucas on 2015-12-09.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord O’Neill of Gatley on 8 December (HL3854), what were the dates of the last three written communications from HMRC to Trading Standards about VAT fraud among online traders operating from abroad, including email, and to what persons at what offices they were addressed.
Lord O’Neill of Gatley
HM Revenue & Customs does not disclose communications it has with its enforcement partners, or the content of those communications, to avoid compromising sensitive policy and operational activities.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lucas on 2015-12-22.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of their obligation under EU law to prevent VAT evasion.
Lord O’Neill of Gatley
In considering fraud against European own resources, including VAT collection, the European Court recently clarified in the Taricco judgment that Member States are obliged under EU law (Article 325 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union) to have in place effective and dissuasive criminal penalties against VAT fraud. The UK applies a full range of penalties to address various behaviours from dishonesty and deliberate inaccuracies through to criminal prosecutions for VAT offences.