We are continuing to monitor companies and sectors that may be exposed to short-term difficulties as a result of EU exit. This monitoring is market sensitive and confidential.

The reforms to how the off-payroll working rules are administered have already been in place in the public sector, including local authorities, since 2017. In the first 12 months, these reforms brought in an additional £550 million in Income Tax and NICs, which otherwise would have gone unpaid. Independent research into the public sector reforms found that most public bodies did not experience any change in their ability to fill vacancies, or the rates they pay following the reforms.

Following consultation, the Government announced at Budget 2018 that it will extend this reform to all medium and large organisations. On 11 July 2019 HMRC published a Tax Information and Impact Note setting out the impact on individuals, households and families of the reform in the private sector.

Official statistics published by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) on 22 August show that the system is operating as intended with issues being resolved at the appropriate stage. At 30 June 2019, 100,740 Checks and 17,010 Challenges had been registered, of which 89,440 Checks and 6,300 Challenges had been resolved. Most Checks are currently being resolved in 3 months and most Challenges within 12 months.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government intends to carry out a review of the effectiveness of the Check, Challenge, Appeal system. The VOA is also conducting a customer evaluation of the delivery of the new system.

The UK Government has been resolute in its commitments to Northern Ireland. This includes protecting the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement in all its parts and ensuring there will be no hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland. The Government will not introduce new physical infrastructure, which would include electronic detection border equipment, on the land border between Northern Ireland and Ireland.

The Treasury allocated £100m to Cabinet Office to deliver the No-Deal Brexit Public Information Campaign in August 2019. The costs of the campaign will be published monthly on gov.uk, as part of routine government transparency. This will be broken down by supplier. The Treasury does not hold a detailed breakdown of how departments have allocated funding for no-deal preparations, therefore it is difficult to determine the exact amount spent on any other advertising delivered by individual departments.

At Budget 2018, the government announced its plans to prohibit the practice of post duty point dilution (PDPD) from April 2020. From that date, wine and made-wine producers will not be able to use PDPD to reduce the excise duty they must pay. Legislation to be included within Finance Bill 2019-20 will give HM Revenue & Customs new sanctions that may be applied to any producer that continues to use PDPD after that date.

There are no plans to revise the existing arrangements for duty collection.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) do not disclose details of their work on the tax affairs of particular taxpayers.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given on 30^th September (written question number 290638).

The UK is a member of the Paris Club of official creditors, and any bilateral restructuring of UK loans to other sovereigns is conducted through this group. The UK forgave most of our loans to the least developed countries through the Paris Club framework under the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank Group (WBG) Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative in the 1990s and 2000s.

The UK continues to play a leading role in discussions on debt sustainability and transparency in international fora, including on climate-resilient instruments. The UK has supported work through the Paris Club and G7 to develop “Hurricane Clauses” which can provide Caribbean sovereigns with cash-flow relief following natural disasters.

The UK also provides broader policy support to assist the least developed countries affected by climate change. The Prime Minister announced at the UN Climate Action Summit on 23rd September 2019 that the UK would be doubling its international climate finance commitment to £11.6bn over the next five years. This will include work to help vulnerable countries and communities become resilient to the damaging effects of climate change.

The Chancellor has commissioned Sir Amyas Morse, former CEO of the National Audit Office, to lead an independent Review to consider the impact of the Loan Charge, focusing on individuals who entered directly into disguised remuneration schemes.

Sir Amyas is widely respected, as was emphasised by colleagues across the House in a debate of 6 March 2019.

Sir Amyas has full control over how the Review is run and the outcome. For more information, the Review’s terms of reference can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/disguised-remuneration-independent-loan-charge-review

While the UK is an EU member state the UK continues to be bound by State aid rules.

The Government has taken repeated action to reduce the burden of business rates for all ratepayers, including those in the hospitality sector.

The government has no current plans to introduce a small spirits relief. However, all taxes are kept under review and the impact of such a change is considered at each fiscal event; including its effect on the industry and wider economy.

The changes to the VAT rules for energy-saving materials are expected to affect a relatively small number of installations. It is therefore anticipated that there will be a negligible impact on the environment.

Around 1,500 future installations of solar panels, energy-saving boilers and wind turbines are expected to be affected annually, plus some other smaller scale items. This represents less than 5% of the value of all installations currently eligible for the reduced rate. The changes are expected to have a negligible impact on the Exchequer.

A Tax Information and Impact Note was published by HMRC on GOV.UK on 10 July 2019.

It is a matter for the US government to determine how US tax obligations are calculated. This includes how these obligations apply to people born in the US. The US has a long-standing policy of taxing on the basis of citizenship rather than residence. The Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act is a reporting mechanism that obliges financial institutions to report the details of US citizens to the US. UK Government officials continue to actively and regularly engage with their US counterparts regarding US citizens who are resident in the UK.

The Government carefully considered the case for reform prior to announcing this change last year, and it is the Government’s view that taxpayers can reasonably expect that when they have successfully paid their taxes, these go to fund public services as intended.

This measure represents a proportionate approach that balances the interests of taxpayers, the Exchequer, and other creditors.

The Government expects the impact on the sustainability of Pension Protection Fund (PPF) to be marginal. This reform will not lead to a significant change in recoveries to the PPF compared to current returns.

The Government does not expect this reform to affect significantly SMEs’ access to finance or corporate insolvencies, and in line with the Government’s commitment to open and consultative policymaking is engaging with a wide variety of stakeholders to ensure policy changes are well informed and based upon the best available evidence.

The Government carefully considered the case for reform prior to announcing this change last year, and it is the Government’s view that taxpayers can reasonably expect that when they have successfully paid their taxes, these go to fund public services as intended.

This measure represents a proportionate approach that balances the interests of taxpayers, the Exchequer, and other creditors.

The Government expects the impact on the sustainability of Pension Protection Fund (PPF) to be marginal. This reform will not lead to a significant change in recoveries to the PPF compared to current returns.

The Government does not expect this reform to affect significantly SMEs’ access to finance or corporate insolvencies, and in line with the Government’s commitment to open and consultative policymaking is engaging with a wide variety of stakeholders to ensure policy changes are well informed and based upon the best available evidence.

The Government carefully considered the case for reform prior to announcing this change last year, and it is the Government’s view that taxpayers can reasonably expect that when they have successfully paid their taxes, these go to fund public services as intended.

This measure represents a proportionate approach that balances the interests of taxpayers, the Exchequer, and other creditors.

The Government expects the impact on the sustainability of Pension Protection Fund (PPF) to be marginal. This reform will not lead to a significant change in recoveries to the PPF compared to current returns.

The Government does not expect this reform to affect significantly SMEs’ access to finance or corporate insolvencies, and in line with the Government’s commitment to open and consultative policymaking is engaging with a wide variety of stakeholders to ensure policy changes are well informed and based upon the best available evidence.