House of Commons
Parliament

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SNP Treasury spokeswoman Alison Thewliss says her party's amendment requires a review of the effectiveness of measures to tackle tax avoidance.

She says it was "odd" that the government "was so hesitant to calls to review the Entrepreneurs Relief, when surely they have no reason to be hesitant if the policy is as effective as they say it is".

Ms Thewliss says "the government needs to get better at testing its policies and changing them as a result."

"95% of Scottish limited partnerships were set up by offshore tax havens, and the lack of transparency allows them to be used for activities like money laundering," she adds.

She says "an independent Scotland would simplify and improve the tax system".

House of Lords
Parliament

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Peers are now taking part in a debate responding to the Brexit statement made by the prime minister last week in the House of Commons.

Opening the debate, Brexit Minister Lord Callanan says the draft agreement the UK has concluded with the EU "delivers the Brexit that the British people voted for".

Conservative peer Lord Howard intervenes to say that the UK can only leave the backstop with the EU's consent, and asks: "how that can be described as taking back control?"

Lord Callanan says there are mechanisms to bring the backstop to an end, with a committee set up to oversee this, but he sees the point that Lord Howard is making.

A number of interventions follow on this issue, to which Lord Callanan repeatedly says the government hopes the backstop will not be required. He acknowledges that Northern Ireland will to an extent continue to tied with the single market.

Tory Lord Pickles asks why the draft political declaration on future UK-EU relations mentions the backstop as a "basis for the future economic relationship", if it is only intended to be temporary.

Lord Callanan repeats that the backstop is intended to be temporary, but the declaration does say the future partnership will build on that agreement and he'll let Lord Pickles draw his own interpretation.

House of Commons
Parliament

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Shadow Treasury minister Anneliese Dodds says "there are a whole host of areas where the government should be taking action, yet on which the Finance Bill is silent."

She says on shell companies, the government only had a consultation and failed to impose any fines "yet continues to talk up its tax records".

Ms Dodds says Labour have consistently advocated much stronger measures on tax avoidance, and quotes a Labour amendment in this group as an example of this.

The Labour amendment schedule 7 requires the beneficiary of a trust entering a capital gains tax exit charge payment plan to provide information about the source of its income on a public register.

"Some companies are not complying with this spirit of the law and that is leading to a situation where public services are starved of the money they need," she adds.

Ms Dodds says the tax avoidance clauses will only capture people avoiding paying tax "as defined under current legislation, leading to many more loopholes being discovered".

She adds that lone parents are "disproportionately affected by current tax levels" and calls for greater assessment in this area, and an impact assessment on child poverty more widely.

Select Committee
Parliament

Chair Sarah Wollaston closes the evidence session.

Further evidence sessions on this topics are expected to be held following publication of the NHS 10-year plan later this autumn.

Select Committee
Parliament

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SNP MP Dr Lisa Cameron asks about tackling mental health and loneliness, which she says are proven to be connected.

Glen Garrod describes this as "one of the greatest challenges for the NHS" and Jeanelle de Gruchy of the Association of Directors of Public Health suggests a digital mental health service for those with "low-grade anxieties" and depression "in their homes", could be launched.

This platform, developed alongside users, would "help people to help themselves", she says.

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The NHS is under severe pressure. Rising numbers of patients need hospital care - whether in an accident and emergency department, for cancer treatment or for planned operations and care, such as knee and hip replacements. Growing numbers of people are also reporting they are struggling with their mental health.

Find out more about whether the healthcare targets in your area are being met.

House of Commons
Parliament

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Financial Secretary to the Treasury Mel Stride stands to move the second group of amendments to the Finance Bill which are on tax avoidance and evasion.

Mr Stride says taxes are "conducive to the public good as well as raising revenues", and "it is the duty of this government to keep taxes as low as possible".

He says the government has ensured that 24,000 HMRC staff are looking into tax avoidance, "an investment which is paying off".

"It is important to bring the international tax regime in the 21st century," he says, referring to the amount of tax multi-national companies pay. "We recognise the issue of double taxation but it is only right that these large businesses bring a large and appropriate level of tax."

He says in 2017/2018 alone, HMRC raised an extra £30bn from "tax which may have been avoided".

"Some companies are transferring shares internally at an artificially low rate to avoid paying more stamp duty, and clauses in this bill will amend that," he adds.

"Our approach and the measures set out in this bill ensure that taxation in this country is competitive, fair and paid, and demonstrates our commitment to cut down on tax avoidance wherever we find it," he adds, "in comparison to the opposition who are killing the goose who lays the golden egg."

Select Committee
Parliament

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Labour MP Ben Bradshaw asks about the challenges facing directors of social care services at a local level.

Glen Garrod says delayed transfers of care have had a direct effect on "unnecessary admissions" via Accident & Emergency in local hospitals.

"The front door of A&E is facing a crisis" because there isn't social care in communities, he says.

House of Commons
Parliament

All government amendments concerning FOBTs are added to the bill without division.

The SNP's new clause 12, which requires a review of the impact of FOBT stake changes, is also added, after the government do not oppose it.

Select Committee
Parliament

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A new set of witnesses from health and social care bodies take their place in front of the committee.

They are:

• Glen Garrod, President, Association of Directors of Adult Social Services
• Jeanelle de Gruchy, President, Association of Directors of Public Health
• Ian Dalton, Chief Executive, NHS Improvement

House of Commons
Parliament

SNP MP Ronnie Cowan says he wants a review on the effects of FOBT provision in reducing negative public health effects of gambling. The implications of this for public finances should also be considered.

"Gambling related harm caused by an addiction to gambling is as much a public health issue as addiction to drugs and alcohol. It is not always seen that way."

The gambling industry has to ask itself "some very serious questions" about marketing strategy, he says.

Select Committee
Parliament

Richard Murray of the King's Fund tells the committee the "international lever" needs to be used in order to take the pressure off existing NHS and healthcare staff in the UK.

Committee chair Sarah Wollaston observes that there would be "huge bureaucratic costs" in recruiting internationally after Brexit.

Mr Murray responds by saying the "worst possible outcome" could be that large supplies of potential overseas staff are "choked off" after Brexit and urges the government to help NHS employers in recruiting after March 2019.

House of Commons
Parliament

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The SNP's consumer affairs spokesperson Patricia Gibson says there are 137 machines in 37 betting shops in her constituency and she is "extremely glad that the government has seen sense in reforming these machines which are the crack cocaine of gambling".

Ms Gibson says "public health and gambling are issues which cannot be separated which is why clause 12 is so important."

"It's essential that a public health approach also targets children, and focuses on the families of gamblers too," she says.

"It must understand the wider context in which gambling occurs."

She says 1.7 million in England and 180,000 people in Scotland are categorised as "at risk of problem gambling", and therefore "a public health approach is integral".

Exchequer Secretary Robert Jenrick says the government are in communications with Public Health England "to continue the public debate on this matter".

House of Commons
Parliament

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Conservative MP Tracey Crouch, who resigned as sports and civil society minister over the delay implementing FOBTs changes, is next to speak.

She says she is "relieved" that the chancellor was able to change his mind, as it was right that "decisive action" was taken.

"I'm sorry that it needed the much louder collective voice for the message to be heard," she says.

She thanks the "over 3,000 people" who have contacted her after her resignation.

"I'm in no doubt that what the government has done today will save lives through devastation, and that is surely what we go into government for."

Brexit involves a key political declaration on future ties - so what will it cover? Adam Fleming explains.

House of Commons
Parliament

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It's regretful that it took "strong arm process" to change the opinion of government, rather than moral decency, Labour MP Carolyn Harris says.

"The power of the backbenches can never be ignored," she warns, and tells the government to learn lessons from this.

"Never underestimate the power of principle."

House of Commons
Parliament

Conservative MP Iain Duncan Smith, who withdraws his amendments as a result of the government's concession on FOBTs, says the work to both reduce stakes and to change the implementation date was "very much a cross party process".

He says he is "very, very sorry" that Tracey Crouch felt forced to resign over the issue, only for the government to do exactly what she wanted days later, but "that's politics, I know".

"All was not lost," he adds, however, suggesting "good people" do not stay out of government for long.

He says he will continue to campaign on the advertising and promotion of gambling, as the industry may damage huge numbers of lives in the future.

Select Committee
Parliament

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Anita Charlesworth, Director of Research and Economics at the Health Foundation, tells the committee "there is no logical basis" for the scale of cuts that have been made to public health.

The Health Foundation is an independent charity with the aim to bring about better health care for people in the UK.

Ms Charlesworth adds that the cuts are "completely contrary" to all the policy narrative that we have had for the last decade.

Select Committee
Parliament

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Labour MP Ben Bradshaw asks about the funding of social care and the impact on the NHS.

Witness Richard Murray, from the King's Fund, says the health service may not notice immediately but carers will end up "taking on the burden", and any further cuts will result in extra admissions to hospital.

Mr Murray says the funding of care "has been elusive to more than one government".

The government is shortly due to publish its 10-year NHS plan, setting out how the extra funding for the health service will be spent in the coming years.