Every parliamentary written question tabled by Rebecca Paul this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.
Showing 1–8 of 8 · Treasury
With reference to paragraph 15.27 of the Valuation Office Agency's technical manual, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of widening the provision to allow landlords to serve blight notices for their properties.
Section 168 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 legislates how Blight Notices can be used. This legislation and any revisions to it fall within the remit of MHCLG.
What estimate she has made of the time taken by UK firms to complete export documentation compared with firms in other OECD countries.
Estimates of the administrative burden of import and export declarations for trade between Great Britain and the European Union are published at the following link: Estimating the customs administrative burden of 2022 declarations - GOV.UK. No direct comparisons are available with other OECD countries due to the limited amount of information published. HMRC is committed to making customs processes as simple as possible while ensuring effective checks are in place at the border, and we continue to work closely with the border industry to streamline processes and support the flow of legitimate goods.
Whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a mechanism for creditors to seek redress where a Breathing Space certification has been incorrectly granted and financial loss has resulted.
The Breathing Space Scheme gives debtors the space to engage with professional debt advice, or to receive crisis treatment for a mental health condition. A standard breathing space provides people in problem debt with protections from creditor enforcement action for a period of 60 days. It can only be started if a regulated debt adviser assesses the individual to be eligible and that a breathing space would be appropriate for them. This includes ensuring the individual has not been in a standard breathing space in the last 12 months. In recognition of the link between mental health and problem debt, eligible individuals receiving mental health crisis treatment can access a mental health crisis breathing space (MHCBS) which provides the same protections from creditor enforcement for the duration of the individual’s crisis treatment. A MHCBS can only be started if an Approved Mental Health Professional confirms that the individual is receiving mental health crisis treatment. The debt adviser must also seek confirmation from a nominated point of contact every 30 days that the individual is still receiving eligible mental health crisis treatment in order for the individual to continue to receive the moratorium’s protections. HM Treasury does not issue guidance to police forces on the handling of alleged abuse or fraudulent use of the Breathing Space scheme. However, HM Treasury does provide guidance for creditors. This outlines that where a creditor considers that an individual or a specific debt does not qualify for a breathing space, or that the debtor has enough funds to repay their debts, they can ask the debt advice provider to conduct a review within 20 days of the breathing space starting. Creditors also have the right to apply to a court at any time for permission to take enforcement action in relation to a debt included in a breathing space. The Government keeps the scheme under review to ensure it is operating as intended.
What guidance her Department provides to police forces in England regarding the handling of cases where there has been an alleged abuse or fraudulent use of the Breathing Space scheme.
The Breathing Space Scheme gives debtors the space to engage with professional debt advice, or to receive crisis treatment for a mental health condition. A standard breathing space provides people in problem debt with protections from creditor enforcement action for a period of 60 days. It can only be started if a regulated debt adviser assesses the individual to be eligible and that a breathing space would be appropriate for them. This includes ensuring the individual has not been in a standard breathing space in the last 12 months. In recognition of the link between mental health and problem debt, eligible individuals receiving mental health crisis treatment can access a mental health crisis breathing space (MHCBS) which provides the same protections from creditor enforcement for the duration of the individual’s crisis treatment. A MHCBS can only be started if an Approved Mental Health Professional confirms that the individual is receiving mental health crisis treatment. The debt adviser must also seek confirmation from a nominated point of contact every 30 days that the individual is still receiving eligible mental health crisis treatment in order for the individual to continue to receive the moratorium’s protections. HM Treasury does not issue guidance to police forces on the handling of alleged abuse or fraudulent use of the Breathing Space scheme. However, HM Treasury does provide guidance for creditors. This outlines that where a creditor considers that an individual or a specific debt does not qualify for a breathing space, or that the debtor has enough funds to repay their debts, they can ask the debt advice provider to conduct a review within 20 days of the breathing space starting. Creditors also have the right to apply to a court at any time for permission to take enforcement action in relation to a debt included in a breathing space. The Government keeps the scheme under review to ensure it is operating as intended.
What assessment she has made of the effectiveness of safeguards in the online application process for the Breathing Space debt respite scheme in preventing fraudulent or duplicate applications by the same individuals.
The Breathing Space Scheme gives debtors the space to engage with professional debt advice, or to receive crisis treatment for a mental health condition. A standard breathing space provides people in problem debt with protections from creditor enforcement action for a period of 60 days. It can only be started if a regulated debt adviser assesses the individual to be eligible and that a breathing space would be appropriate for them. This includes ensuring the individual has not been in a standard breathing space in the last 12 months. In recognition of the link between mental health and problem debt, eligible individuals receiving mental health crisis treatment can access a mental health crisis breathing space (MHCBS) which provides the same protections from creditor enforcement for the duration of the individual’s crisis treatment. A MHCBS can only be started if an Approved Mental Health Professional confirms that the individual is receiving mental health crisis treatment. The debt adviser must also seek confirmation from a nominated point of contact every 30 days that the individual is still receiving eligible mental health crisis treatment in order for the individual to continue to receive the moratorium’s protections. HM Treasury does not issue guidance to police forces on the handling of alleged abuse or fraudulent use of the Breathing Space scheme. However, HM Treasury does provide guidance for creditors. This outlines that where a creditor considers that an individual or a specific debt does not qualify for a breathing space, or that the debtor has enough funds to repay their debts, they can ask the debt advice provider to conduct a review within 20 days of the breathing space starting. Creditors also have the right to apply to a court at any time for permission to take enforcement action in relation to a debt included in a breathing space. The Government keeps the scheme under review to ensure it is operating as intended.
What estimate she has made of the potential impact of independent schools recovering VAT through the Capital Goods Scheme on the benefit to the public purse of charging VAT on school fees.
Following scrutiny of the Government’s costing by the independent Office for Budget Responsibility, the Government will confirm its approach to these reforms at the Budget on 30 October, and set out its assessment of relevant expected impacts in a Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN).
What steps she is taking to ensure HMRC is adequately resourced for changes in the level of VAT registrations by schools from 1 January 2025.
HMRC is putting in place extra measures to support schools and ensure they can register for VAT on time. This includes new bespoke guidance, hosting webinars, updating VAT registration systems and training additional staff to manage increased demand for registrations. HMRC are confident these actions will enable them to deliver the measure for the 1 January 2025 start date set out in the draft legislation published on 29 July. The final version of the legislation will be confirmed at Budget.
Whether she plans to adjust the upper limit on house purchases using a Lifetime ISA in line with inflation.
Data from the latest UK House Price Index demonstrates that the average price paid by first-time buyers remains below the LISA property price cap in all regions of the UK.Any unauthorised withdrawals are subject to a 25% withdrawal charge. This recoups the Government bonus, any interest or growth arising from it, and a proportion of the individual’s initial savings. HMRC is currently undertaking social research on the LISA with existing account holders and those who are eligible but have not opened a LISA.HMRC commits to publishing all research in their Annual Report and Accounts. The findings from all strands of research on the LISA will be published in due course.The Government keeps all aspects of savings tax policy under review.