Simon Kirby: The government response to the Independent Review of the Money Advice Service was published by the coalition government. This government shares the view that it is essential to ensure the right options and incentives are available to consumers to help them deal with their debts. The government is considering in detail the impacts of additional statutory consumer protections, ensuring that...
Simon Kirby: Treasury ministers and officials have discussions with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. Details of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at: ...
Simon Kirby: Treasury ministers and officials meet regularly with the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to discuss relevant regulatory issues. As was the case with previous administrations, it is not the Treasury's practice to provide details of all such discussions. The government is committed to increasing competition in banking and welcomes the CMA’s final report on its retail banking market...
Simon Kirby: A reply was sent on 10 February. This answer addresses all three Parliamentary questions relating to the letter sent by the right hon. Member for Hitchin and Harpenden on 23 January 2017.
Simon Kirby: HM Treasury is located in the Government Offices Great George Street (GOGGS) building with five other Government departments. While each department has its own pass, all the passes give access to all departmental areas within the building. The number of security passes issued is subject to frequent change due to staff turnover. The numbers mentioned below are correct for 13 February 2017. ...
Simon Kirby: All HM Treasury employees, contractors and agency staff are subject to National Security vetting and are asked to disclose any criminal convictions which they may have, including spent, in accordance with the Rehabilitation of offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975, and the Rehabilitation of offenders (Northern Ireland) Order 1978 (Exceptions) Order 1979, and spent convictions may be...
Simon Kirby: In accordance with the Treasury’s policy we do not provide personal data on individual employees. The Treasury promotes equality of opportunity in employment to ensure that its workforce is representative of the community it serves and that the Department attracts and retains talented employees. Information on the diversity of the Treasury’s employees is published in the Treasury’s...
Simon Kirby: High streets are a crucial part of our local and regional economies. The Government wants to see vibrant hubs where people live, shop, use services, and spend their leisure time. A new agreement between the Post Office and UK banks, announced on 24 January 2017, means that more individuals and businesses can use 11,600 local Post Office branches to access a wider range of banking services....
Simon Kirby: What a pleasure it is to serve under your chairmanship, Mrs Gillan. I thank the hon. Member for Leeds West (Rachel Reeves) for securing this important debate on an issue that we share a keen interest in. I am here to listen and, hopefully, to be helpful. It is clear that we all share a commitment to ensuring that people across our society can rely on the financial services that they need to...
Simon Kirby: I understand the point that the hon. Lady is making. What I think is appropriate is for the Government to listen carefully to what the FCA comes up with later in the year, and to act in consumers’ best interests. I am sure we both agree on that. There is clearly an inconsistency, otherwise we would not be having this debate. The Government welcome the fact that the FCA is looking closely at...
Simon Kirby: I am not quite ready to wrap up yet; I have a few things to say that I am sure the hon. Lady will be pleased to hear. I should be delighted to meet her and representatives of Which? at an appropriate point—the most constructive time, when we can make the most difference. Obviously, while the FCA is considering the matter and the consultation is still open, the appropriate time may not be...
Simon Kirby: Civil servants have to have the ability to work flexibly across government sites where there is a business need to do so. The issuing of all passes is controlled by the Departmental Security teams. Passes can also be issued to contractors or secondees based within government premises on a case by case basis in regards to specific business needs. Numbers of passes issued directly to non-civil...
Simon Kirby: The Government does not issue guidelines on the closure of bank account accounts. Banks’ and building societies’ treatment of their customers is governed by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in its Principles for Businesses and includes a general requirement for firms to provide a prompt, efficient and fair service to all of their customers. The Dormant Bank and Building Society...
Simon Kirby: Banks’ and building societies’ treatment of their customers is governed by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in its Principles for Businesses and includes a general requirement for firms to provide a prompt, efficient and fair service to all of their customers, including in relation to account closures. The FCA has a wide range of enforcement powers – criminal, civil and...
Simon Kirby: The Treasury does not hold the information in the format as requested however there are a number of published transparency reports that confirm the female and male proportions and respective median pay levels. These are outlined below. The total 2015-16 pay costs and average number of permanent persons employed by the Treasury can be found on the Annual report and accounts, page 72, at the...
Simon Kirby: The cleaning service at HM Treasury is provided through a service contract, let by the landlord for 1 Horse Guards Road (Exchequer Partnership). HM Treasury does not directly employ cleaners.
Simon Kirby: Following action at the United Nations, Council Regulation (EU) No 204/2011 of 2 March 2011 imposed an asset freeze against listed individuals and entities in view of the situation in Libya. Council Regulation (EU) No 204/2011 has since been repealed and replaced by Council Regulation (EU) 2016/44 with effect from 20 January 2016. The EU regulation, which has direct effect in the UK, requires...
Simon Kirby: The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) expect inflation to increase to 2.5 per cent by the end of 2017 and peak at 2.6 per cent in Q2 2018. Their forecast was reflected in the distributional analysis published alongside Autumn Statement 2016. The government is taking steps to support low-income households, including raising the National Living Wage, raising the personal allowance,...
Simon Kirby: The government committed to exploring whether some form of “breathing space” would be a useful and viable addition to the current range debt solutions available to consumers and creditors. Work is continuing on this review and government plans to report back shortly.
Simon Kirby: In 2014, HM Treasury asked the Law Commission to review the Victorian-era Bills of Sale Acts. This legislation enables consumers and small businesses to borrow money using their goods as security, whilst allowing borrowers to retain possession of the goods. In recent years, bills of sale have been most commonly used in relation to logbook loans, which are loans that are secured on a...