Every parliamentary written question tabled by Rupert Lowe this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.
Showing 101–119 of 119 · Treasury
How many international (a) air miles and (b) flights have been completed by (i) her and (ii) staff in her office since 5 July 2024.
The Chancellor and her Private Office staff have completed three international trips since 5 July 2024. Further details for international flights will be published in the usual way in due course on gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel
How many farmers her Department consulted on changes to agricultural property relief before the Autumn Budget 2024.
The Government takes into account all representations made ahead of the Budget, and meets with stakeholders on a regular basis.
Pursuant to the Answer of 19 November 2024 to Question 13562 on National Income, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of immigration numbers on recent trends in the rate of (a) economy growth and (b) GDP per capita.
The impact of migration on GDP and GDP per capita will depend, among other factors, on the age, education, skill level, and participation rate of migrants, as well as the investment response of businesses. The latest data indicates that net migration has fallen from a peak of 764,000 in the year ending December 2022 to 685,000 in the year ending December 2023. The independent OBR make a net migration forecast to underpin their economic and fiscal forecasts.
With reference to item 29 of Table 5.1 of the Autumn Budget 2024, HC 295, what the evidential basis is for her Department's estimate that changes to inheritance tax will raise £520 million from 2028/29.
I refer the Honourable Member to the PQ referenced 13620 published on 11th November 2024 at https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2024-11-11/13620.
How much has been spent by HMRC on (a) translation and (b) interpretation in each of the last 10 years.
HMRC don’t hold all of the data required to provide a full response to the question. However, data is available on spend information from April 2020 up to November 2024: 2020/2021 – a) £0.32m b) £0.50m2021/2022 – a) £0.29m b) £0.53m2022/2023 – a) £0.45m b) £0.63m2023/2024 – a) £0.59m b) £0.59m2024/2025 – a) £0.41m b) £0.30m
If she will hold discussions with the Financial Conduct Authority on the potential merits of launching a money laundering investigation into high street barber shops.
Money laundering through cash-based high street businesses is a known issue that government continues to focus on. While businesses such as barber shops are not regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), they interact with regulated businesses, such as banks, who under the Money Laundering Regulations (MLRs) are required to undertake customer due diligence and to submit reports to the National Crime Agency if they suspect money laundering.The government works closely with law enforcement and the FCA to monitor trends in criminal behaviour – and how these may relate to changes in the make-up of our high streets – to ensure resources are deployed towards the most significant threats.
If she will make an assessment of the reasons for which GDP per capita has fallen since 2022.
The UK economy has flatlined in recent years and GDP per capita remains lower than pre-pandemic levels. Consistently low productivity (GDP per hour) growth since 2010 has been the key driver behind the UK’s weaker economic performance over that period. This has undermined living standards and contributed to the challenging fiscal position.At the recent Budget, the Chancellor set out plans to address this challenge, and deliver on the mission to grow the economy, by restoring economic stability and increasing investment. This is part of the government’s commitment to deliver a decade of national renewal by fixing the foundations of the economy and rebuilding Britain, making every part of the country better off.
What information her Department holds on the number and proportion of businesses that do not accept cash; and if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of taking steps to require all businesses to accept cash.
The Government recognises the vital role cash plays as means of payment for essential goods and services and to the wider economy, and welcomes the recent announcement of the Treasury Select Committee’s inquiry into cash acceptance.There is no legal requirement for businesses to accept specific forms of payment. It is for each business to decide on the forms of payment it chooses to accept, based on a variety of factors, including cost and customer preferences. Research published by the Financial Conduct Authority in 2020 found that 98 per cent of small businesses surveyed would never turn customers away if they needed to pay in cash.The Financial Conduct Authority also recently assumed regulatory responsibility for protecting access to cash. These rules will support business’ ability to continue to accept cash by ensuring they have reasonable access to cash deposit facilities.
What the office budget will be for the Covid Counter-Fraud Commissioner.
The Commissioner will be supported by a team of experts from HM Treasury, the Public Sector Fraud Authority, the Government Commercial Function, the Government Debt Management Function and the Department of Health and Social Care.
With reference to paragraph 5.54 of Autumn Budget 2024, HC 295, published on 30 October 2024, whether her Department has carried out an impact assessment on the proposed changes to agricultural property relief.
The Government has published information about the reforms to agricultural property relief at https://www.gov.uk/government/news/what-are-the-changes-to-agricultural-property-relief#:~:text=From%206%20April%202026%2C%20the,rather%20than%20the%20standard%2040%25. Almost three-quarters of estates claiming agricultural property relief in 2026-27 are expected to be unaffected by these reforms. In accordance with standard practice, a tax information and impact note will be published alongside the draft legislation before the relevant Finance Bill.
What the budget will be for the Office for Value for Money; and how many staff it will have.
The Office for Value for Money is a time-limited, multidisciplinary team of up to 20 civil servants based in HM Treasury and led by David Goldstone, the independent Chair. Its costs in 2024-25 and 2025-26 will be funded from HM Treasury's RDEL settlements, which were announced as part of the first phase of the Spending Review in Budget 2024.
With reference to paragraph 2.40 of the Autumn Budget 2024, HC 295, published on 30 October 2024, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the planned rise in employer's national insurance contributions on businesses.
Raising the revenue required to fix the public finances and restore economic stability requires difficult decisions on tax, which is why we are asking employers to contribute more. The government will protect the smallest businesses by increasing the Employment Allowance to £10,500 and removing the £100,000 eligibility threshold. This means that next year, 865,000 employers will pay no National Insurance contributions at all and more than half of employers will see no change or will gain overall from this package.
How many staff in their Departmental work outside of the UK; where these staff work; and what the cost is of salaries for these staff.
a) Total number of HM Treasury employees working overseas as at 30th October 2024. 51 b) Where these staff work. Australian TreasuryBritish Embassy, U.A.E.Canadian Finance MinistryFCDOGerman Finance MinistryInternational Monetary Fund, U.S.International Trade, IndiaMONEYVAL, Council of Europe, FranceNational Institute of Public Service, FranceNew Zealand TreasuryOrganisation of Economic Co-operation and Development, FranceMinistry of Economy, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty, FranceU.S. TreasuryUK Mission to the EU, BelgiumWorld Bank, U.S. c) Annual salary cost to HM Treasury for these staff £506,989
How much was paid to the EU in each year since 2021.
The UK continues to make payments to the EU in relation to the liabilities arising from the period of the UK’s membership under the legally binding Withdrawal Agreement. Between the UK’s departure from the EU on 30th January 2020 and the end of 2023, such payments amounted to £23.8bn (net of assets returned to the UK and estimated receipts to UK beneficiaries from the EU Budget).Further details of payments are set out are set out in the European Union Finances Statement (EUFS) 2023, available on Gov.uk and in the library of the House. These figures do not include payments to the EU for other purposes such as those in relation to continued UK association to certain EU programmes under the Trade and Cooperation Agreement; such payments are reported in the relevant departments’ annual accounts and as part of normal budgetary disclosures.
Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of quantitative easing on inflation.
The Bank of England has operational independence from the government to carry out its statutory responsibilities for monetary policy and financial stability. Monetary policy, including quantitative easing, is the responsibility of the independent Monetary Policy Committee at the Bank of England. The government remains committed to monetary policy independence, and rightly does not comment on the conduct or effectiveness of monetary policy. The Bank of England regularly conducts and publishes analysis on the inflationary impact of its monetary policy, including quantitative easing and quantitative tightening.
What the (a) average waiting time for people calling and (b) time people spent on hold for HMRC was in each of the last five years.
HMRC telephony performance data, including the average speed of answering a customer’s call, is published on a quarterly basis and can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmrc-quarterly-performance-updates The definition of ‘average speed of answering a customer’s call’ is the average time spent waiting in the queue for an adviser. This is time that the customer finished listening to HMRC’s automated messages and completed their selection from HMRC’s automated menu to the time when they get to speak to an adviser. The below table shows the amount of time people spent on hold with HMRC – this is when a call has been answered by an adviser and the individual has subsequently been put on hold. The data covers the last five years, broken down by quarter: 2019 Q12019 Q22019 Q32019 Q41min 21s1min 6s1min 14s1min 6s2020 Q12020 Q22020 Q32020 Q41min 2s1min 9s1min 19s1min 28s2021 Q12021 Q22021 Q32021 Q41min 22s1min 25s1min 43s1min 33s2022 Q12022 Q22022 Q32022 Q41min 17s1min 8s1min 11s1min 10s2023 Q12023 Q22023 Q32023 Q41min 6s1min 6s1min 20s1min 12s
What steps she plans to take to support military families who rely on fee-paying boarding schools for their children.
The Government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity, ensuring every child has access to high-quality education. We have made the decision to end tax breaks for private schools, to raise revenue for essential public services, including investing in the education system.Recognising the enormous sacrifices our military families make, the Ministry of Defence provide the Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA) to eligible Service Personnel. The government will monitor closely the impact of these policy changes on affected military families and the Spending Review is the right time to consider any changes to this scheme.
If she will make an estimate of the cost to the public purse of legal fees relating to the introduction of VAT on independent 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 of this policy change in a Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN).
Whether her Department has carried out a cost-benefit analysis of removing non-domiciled tax status.
The Government is committed to addressing unfairness in the tax system, so that everyone who makes their home in the UK pays their taxes here. The Government will therefore remove the outdated concept of domicile status from the tax system and implement a new residence-based regime, which is internationally competitive and focused on attracting the best talent and investment to the UK. Further details of this policy will be announced at the Budget, including a Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN), as is routine for tax policy.