Every parliamentary written question tabled by Andrew Snowden this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 41–60 of 174 · Treasury
What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the proposed Growth Allowance within the ring-fencing reforms on the availability of finance for small and medium-sized enterprises across the UK.
This Government published the outcome of its review of the ring-fencing regime on 18 May, fulfilling the Chancellor’s commitment to uphold the regime while taking forward meaningful reform. This included plans to introduce a New Growth Allowance to enable...
What discussions she has had with the Prime Minister on the remit of the Special Reviewer on Global Finance and Cooperation.
The Prime Minister’s Special Reviewer on Global Finance and Cooperation will advise on how global finance cooperation can build a stronger Britain, boosting the country’s security and resilience. The Chancellor has a range of positive discussions with the...
What discussions she has had with European counterparts on the development of international finance partnerships to support defence and security cooperation.
Challenging times for global and European security call for novel solutions, which is why the UK is working with Finland, the Netherlands and other likeminded NATO allies on collective defence financing and procurement, exploring a new mechanism to suppor...
What recent estimate she has made of the total annual VAT payments by further education colleges in England.
Education services supplied by an “eligible body” are exempt from VAT. For VAT purposes, an “eligible body” broadly refers to most regulated, publicly funded, or not-for-profit education providers. This means no VAT is charged on supplies of education mad...
If she will make an assessment of the impact of the war in Iran on household budgets in Fylde.
The Government keeps the impact of global developments on household budgets under close review. The economic impact of the situation in the Middle East will depend on its severity, duration and the extent of disruption to energy supplies. The Government does not produce constituency level assessments of the impact of specific geopolitical events on household budgets. Official forecasts are published by the independent Office for Budget Responsibility. Living standards have now risen 2.1% this Parliament, after falling over the last Parliament, and real household disposable income per capita is £700 higher in the last 12 months compared to the final year of the last Parliament. More of the decisions the Government has made to ease pressures on the cost of living have now come into effect this month. The energy price cap fell, taking £117 off the average household bill. The National Minimum and Living Wage both went up – worth up to £1,500 a year for full-time young workers. Millions of pensioners are now getting up to a £575 boost on their State Pension thanks to our Triple Lock commitment. The two-child limit has been scrapped, lifting half a million children out of poverty.
What assessment she has made of the potential merits of requiring banks to implement stronger safeguards or alerts for recurring payments initiated after free trials.
The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act (DMCCA) 2024 sets out new consumer protection rules for subscription contracts. Once the rules are in force, traders will have to provide clear information about subscription contracts before a consumer signs up, ensure that arrangements to exit the contract are straightforward, and provide a 14-day cooling-off period after a 12month+ contract or trial auto-renews. Secondary legislation is required to implement the regime. We consulted on proposals and the Government Response can be found here: Consultation on the implementation of the new subscription contracts regime - GOV.UK The new protections will save the average consumer £14 per month for every unwanted subscription they cancel. The Department for Business and Trade published an Impact Assessment alongside the DMCCA: Subscription traps: annex 2 impact assessment The DMCCA requirements will apply to traders offering subscriptions and the Government currently has no plans to introduce new requirements on banks to tackle subscription traps. The Government will keep the effectiveness of the new rules under review.
Whether he has assessed the adequacy of financial support for residents of park homes in relation to heating costs.
The government has acted quickly to provide £53m in timely, targeted support to low-income households struggling with the rising price of heating oil and at risk of losing access to heating and hot water.
What assessment he has made of the time taken to implement pension recalculations required following the judgment in McCloud v Lord Chancellor across public service pension schemes.
Scheme managers of the individual public service pension schemes are responsible for ensuring the effective delivery of the McCloud remedy to affected members. This is a complex and wide-ranging exercise and I acknowledge that some schemes have not made as much progress as we’d wish. I have written to scheme managers to remind them of their responsibilities to implement the remedy as quickly as possible and ensure that scheme members and the Pensions Regulator are kept informed of progress and plans. I can confirm that schemes pay interest to members on amounts owed as a result of the remedy.
Whether interest will be paid on delayed pension payments owed to retired members of public service pension schemes due to delays in implementing the McCloud remedy.
Scheme managers of the individual public service pension schemes are responsible for ensuring the effective delivery of the McCloud remedy to affected members. This is a complex and wide-ranging exercise and I acknowledge that some schemes have not made as much progress as we’d wish. I have written to scheme managers to remind them of their responsibilities to implement the remedy as quickly as possible and ensure that scheme members and the Pensions Regulator are kept informed of progress and plans. I can confirm that schemes pay interest to members on amounts owed as a result of the remedy.
What estimate she has made of the average financial cost to businesses of complying with Making Tax Digital; and what support is available to offset those costs.
Making Tax Digital will help businesses and landlords keep on top of their tax affairs. It places small businesses on a more digital footing, with digital tools helping to reduce errors and make annual tax returns easier. The government is undertaking a range of activities to ensure those needing to use MTD for Income Tax from April 2026 are ready and able to do so successfully. This includes targeted media campaigns, awareness letters, developing guidance, and working with the software industry to ensure a broad range of MTD-compatible products is available, to suit different needs and budgets. Free options will support those with the simplest affairs. Supporting its introduction is a dedicated team of fully-trained MTD advisors. From April 2026, new options will be available on HMRC’s Self-Assessment and Agent helplines tailored to the needs of MTD users. Further support will continue to be offered through webinars, industry engagement and marketing activities targeted to reach those affected by the changes. HMRC’s latest published assessment of the potential impact of MTD for Income Tax across different taxpayer groups is available at: Extension of Making Tax Digital for Income Tax Self Assessment to sole traders and landlords - GOV.UK
Whether her Department has issued guidance to HM Revenue and Customs on implementing the recommendations of the independent review of the loan charge.
The Government commissioned an independent review of the loan charge to bring the matter to a close for those affected, ensure fairness for all taxpayers and ensure that appropriate support is in place for those subject to the loan charge. The Government accepted the review’s conclusion that the loan charge was an extraordinary piece of Government policy which necessitated an exceptional response, and is now legislating a new settlement opportunity that will assist those who have not yet settled to do so. As a result, most individuals could see reductions of at least 50% in their outstanding loan charge liabilities, and an estimated 30% of individuals could have these liabilities written off entirely. To encourage more people to settle, the Government will write off the first £5,000 of liabilities in addition to the proposals put forward by Ray McCann. The Government’s response to the review represents a fair and proportionate attempt to provide a route to resolution for those who have not yet been able to settle with HMRC. In turn, this requires those individuals to now come forward and engage with HMRC in good faith.
Whether HM Revenue and Customs has conducted a recent assessment of vulnerabilities in the Government Gateway system relating to unauthorised changes to personal account details.
HM Revenue and Customs keeps the security of the Government Gateway under continual review. As part of its standard cyber security and risk management processes, HMRC regularly undertakes security risk assessments, vulnerability management activity and testing to identify and mitigate potential threats, including risks associated with unauthorised changes to customer account details. These activities are complemented by fraud prevention controls, monitoring and investigation arrangements designed to detect and respond to suspicious or potentially fraudulent account activity. Where issues are identified, they are prioritised and addressed in line with HMRC’s security governance and incident management arrangements. For security reasons, HMRC does not comment publicly on the detail or outcomes of specific security assessments.
What steps her Department is taking to pursue enforcement action against promoters of tax avoidance schemes in connection with the loan charge.
This government recognised that concerns continued to be raised about the loan charge and that some felt strongly that it had not been handled appropriately. The Government therefore commissioned an independent review of the loan charge to bring the matter to a close for those affected, ensure fairness for all taxpayers and ensure that appropriate support is in place for those subject to the loan charge. The Government is introducing new powers in Finance Bill 2025/26 to close in on promoters of marketed tax avoidance and the other professionals who market or enable tax avoidance schemes. These new powers will go further and include more criminal sanctions. This shows the Government’s clear determination to close in on the few remaining promoters by strengthening deterrents and introducing significant additional consequences for promoters who continue promoting tax avoidance schemes. At the Budget, the Government announced action to tackle tax avoidance by umbrella companies, where most disguised remuneration now takes place. The Government will introduce legislation, effective from April 2026, to make recruitment agencies using umbrella companies legally responsible for accounting for PAYE on workers’ pay. Where there is no agency in the supply chain, this responsibility will fall to the end client. This along with the measures on promoters will help prevent disguised remuneration in the future.
What security checks are undertaken before an address change is accepted on a taxpayer’s Government Gateway account.
When a taxpayer requests an address change on their Government Gateway account, a range of security checks are applied to help protect the account and prevent unauthorised access.These checks include confirming the user’s identity through their Government Gateway credentials, monitoring for unusual or suspicious activity, and applying additional verification measures where appropriate. HMRC also uses automated controls and risk‑based assessments to help detect and prevent potential fraud.The precise nature of these checks is kept under review and is not disclosed in detail, as doing so could undermine their effectiveness.
What discussions her Department has had with the Financial Conduct Authority regarding the regulation of equity crowdfunding schemes such as the Equity for Punks programme operated by BrewDog.
The Government has regular conversations with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) on a range of topics, including the regulation of equity crowdfunding.In 2024, the government delivered the Public Offers and Admissions to Trading Regulations which enabled the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to reform the UK Prospectus Regime.This new regime took effect on 19 January 2026, and gives investors access to better quality information to support their investment decisions.The regulations also created a new regulated activity of operating a Public Offer Platform (POP). Companies seeking to make public offers of securities outside a public market to a broad investor base, where the value exceeds £5 million, will now need to do so via a POP, ensuring investors receive better information about their investments.
What support is available for small businesses and self-employed individuals to assist them in meeting the requirements of Making Tax Digital; and what measures are in place to monitor the effectiveness of this support.
Making Tax Digital will help businesses and landlords keep on top of their tax affairs. It places small businesses on a more digital footing, with digital tools helping to reduce errors and make annual tax returns easier. The government is undertaking a range of activities to ensure those needing to use MTD for Income Tax from April 2026 are ready and able to do so successfully. This includes targeted media campaigns, awareness letters, developing guidance, and working with the software industry to ensure a broad range of MTD-compatible products is available, to suit different needs and budgets. Free options will support those with the simplest affairs. Supporting its introduction is a dedicated team of fully-trained MTD advisors. From April 2026, new options will be available on HMRC’s Self-Assessment and Agent helplines tailored to the needs of MTD users. Further support will continue to be offered through webinars, industry engagement and marketing activities targeted to reach those affected by the changes. HMRC’s latest published assessment of the potential impact of MTD for Income Tax across different taxpayer groups is available at: Extension of Making Tax Digital for Income Tax Self Assessment to sole traders and landlords - GOV.UK
How many child benefit enquiries were opened as a result of data-sharing between HMRC and Student Finance England to detect changes in the young person’s further education status; over what timeframe they were opened; and what the outcomes were.
For 16–19-year-olds included on Child Benefit claims, eligibility is reliant on them being in full-time non-advanced education or approved training. Data from Student Finance England helps HMRC identify when a young person included in a Child Benefit award may have moved into advanced education (degree level), where the claimant has not notified HMRC. In these circumstances, HMRC will conduct an enquiry with the customer to clarify their young person’s education status. Based on operational management information, which is subject to change, HMRC conducted enquiries with around 3,000 Child Benefit claimants since late 2023/24, to clarify their child’s education status. Around 2,800 of the enquires resulted in decisions to end the Child Benefit award.
How many enquiries were opened as a result of data-sharing between HMRC and the DWP to identify when older children claim benefits in their own right; over what timeframe they were opened; and what the outcomes were.
DWP has long provided HMRC with information where older children receive benefits in their own right. Since 2024, this has been done through notifications of Universal Credit claims, replacing the previous approach which relied on Jobseeker’s Allowance and Income Support data. HMRC uses these notifications to stop Child Benefit awards in cases where a young person is receiving benefit in their own right. This prevents dual provision of government support for the same individual. Because the DWP data is notifying HMRC of clear evidence of a benefit award, rather than indicating a risk of this potential, it is approaching 100% effective for addressing this type of error and fraud. Based on operational management information, which is subject to change, over the last two years HMRC has closed around 3,000 Child Benefit awards following notifications from DWP that the young person was in receipt of Universal Credit.
Pursuant to answer 107494 of 26 January on Child Benefit, how many of the compliance enquiries issued to Northern Ireland claimants (i) were confirmed to be eligible, (ii) were found to have been incorrectly receiving the benefit and (iii) are yet to receive an outcome.
I refer the Hon Member to the response provided to 110941 on 10 February 2026.
Pursuant to answer 104272 of 14 January on Child Benefit, how many of the 5,637 enquiries which remained open have since been addressed; and what the outcomes were.
The latest data relating to Child Benefit compliance activity is being quality assured to ensure accuracy. HMRC will write to the Treasury Committee with an update when the work is completed.