HM Treasury

HM Treasury is the government’s economic and finance ministry, maintaining control over public spending, setting the direction of the UK’s economic policy and working to achieve strong and sustainable economic growth.



Secretary of State

 Portrait

Rachel Reeves
Chancellor of the Exchequer

Shadow Ministers / Spokeperson
Liberal Democrat
Baroness Kramer (LD - Life peer)
Liberal Democrat Lords Spokesperson (Treasury and Economy)
Daisy Cooper (LD - St Albans)
Liberal Democrat Spokesperson (Treasury)

Conservative
Mel Stride (Con - Central Devon)
Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer

Green Party
Adrian Ramsay (Green - Waveney Valley)
Green Spokesperson (Treasury)

Liberal Democrat
Charlie Maynard (LD - Witney)
Liberal Democrat Spokesperson (Chief Secretary to the Treasury)
Junior Shadow Ministers / Deputy Spokesperson
Conservative
Lord Altrincham (Con - Excepted Hereditary)
Shadow Minister (Treasury)
Richard Fuller (Con - North Bedfordshire)
Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Baroness Neville-Rolfe (Con - Life peer)
Shadow Minister (Treasury)
Junior Shadow Ministers / Deputy Spokesperson
Conservative
James Wild (Con - North West Norfolk)
Shadow Exchequer Secretary (Treasury)
Mark Garnier (Con - Wyre Forest)
Shadow Economic Secretary (Treasury)
Ministers of State
Lord Livermore (Lab - Life peer)
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
James Murray (LAB - Ealing North)
Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Lord Stockwood (Lab - Life peer)
Minister of State (HM Treasury)
Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State
Torsten Bell (Lab - Swansea West)
Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Dan Tomlinson (Lab - Chipping Barnet)
Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Lucy Rigby (Lab - Northampton North)
Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
There are no upcoming events identified
Debates
Tuesday 10th March 2026
Oral Answers to Questions
Oral Questions
Select Committee Docs
Wednesday 11th March 2026
09:45
Select Committee Inquiry
Tuesday 31st January 2023
Quantitative tightening

This inquiry will examine quantitative tightening, including its impact on the economy and its fiscal costs. It will also investigate …

Written Answers
Wednesday 11th March 2026
Gift Aid
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress her Department has made in amending the rules on Gift Aid.
Secondary Legislation
Tuesday 10th March 2026
Non-Domestic Rating (Definition of Qualifying Retail, Hospitality or Leisure Hereditament) (Amendment) Regulations 2026
These Regulations amend the list of excluded purposes contained in Schedule 1 to the Non-Domestic Rating (Definition of Qualifying Retail, …
Bills
Wednesday 4th March 2026
Supply and Appropriation (Anticipation and Adjustments) (No. 2) Bill 2024-26
A Bill to Authorise the use of resources for the years ending with 31 March 2025, 31 March 2026 and …
Dept. Publications
Monday 9th March 2026
09:00

Policy paper

HM Treasury Commons Appearances

Oral Answers to Questions is a regularly scheduled appearance where the Secretary of State and junior minister will answer at the Dispatch Box questions from backbench MPs

Other Commons Chamber appearances can be:
  • Urgent Questions where the Speaker has selected a question to which a Minister must reply that day
  • Adjornment Debates a 30 minute debate attended by a Minister that concludes the day in Parliament.
  • Oral Statements informing the Commons of a significant development, where backbench MP's can then question the Minister making the statement.

Westminster Hall debates are performed in response to backbench MPs or e-petitions asking for a Minister to address a detailed issue

Written Statements are made when a current event is not sufficiently significant to require an Oral Statement, but the House is required to be informed.

Most Recent Commons Appearances by Category
View All HM Treasury Commons Contibutions

Bills currently before Parliament

HM Treasury does not have Bills currently before Parliament


Acts of Parliament created in the 2024 Parliament

Introduced: 25th June 2025

A Bill to Authorise the use of resources for the year ending with 31 March 2026; to authorise both the issue of sums out of the Consolidated Fund and the application of income for that year; and to appropriate the supply authorised for that year by this Act and by the Supply and Appropriation (Anticipation and Adjustments) Act 2025.

This Bill received Royal Assent on 21st July 2025 and was enacted into law.

Introduced: 13th November 2024

A Bill to make provision about secondary Class 1 contributions.

This Bill received Royal Assent on 3rd April 2025 and was enacted into law.

Introduced: 6th November 2024

A Bill to make provision about finance.

This Bill received Royal Assent on 20th March 2025 and was enacted into law.

Introduced: 25th July 2024

A Bill to amend the Crown Estate Act 1961.

This Bill received Royal Assent on 11th March 2025 and was enacted into law.

Introduced: 5th March 2025

A Bill to Authorise the use of resources for the years ending with 31 March 2024, 31 March 2025 and 31 March 2026; to authorise the issue of sums out of the Consolidated Fund for those years; and to appropriate the supply authorised by this Act for the years ending with 31 March 2024 and 31 March 2025.

This Bill received Royal Assent on 11th March 2025 and was enacted into law.

Introduced: 6th November 2024

A Bill to make provision for loans or other financial assistance to be provided to, or for the benefit of, the government of Ukraine.

This Bill received Royal Assent on 16th January 2025 and was enacted into law.

Introduced: 18th July 2024

A Bill to impose duties on the Treasury and the Office for Budget Responsibility in respect of the announcement of fiscally significant measures.

This Bill received Royal Assent on 10th September 2024 and was enacted into law.

Introduced: 24th July 2024

A Bill to authorise the use of resources for the year ending with 31 March 2025; to authorise both the issue of sums out of the Consolidated Fund and the application of income for that year; and to appropriate the supply authorised for that year by this Act and by the Supply and Appropriation (Anticipation and Adjustments) Act 2024.

This Bill received Royal Assent on 30th July 2024 and was enacted into law.

HM Treasury - Secondary Legislation

These Regulations amend the list of excluded purposes contained in Schedule 1 to the Non-Domestic Rating (Definition of Qualifying Retail, Hospitality or Leisure Hereditament) Regulations 2025 (S.I. 2025/1093) (“the 2025 Regulations”). The 2025 Regulations provide a definition for the term “qualifying retail, hospitality or leisure hereditament” for the purposes of determining whether a lower multiplier may be applied to calculate the business rates due in relation to the hereditament in question. Schedule 1 of the 2025 Regulations contains a list of excluded purposes and where a hereditament is wholly or mainly used for one or more of those purposes the hereditament is not a “qualifying retail, hospitality or leisure hereditament”. These Regulations remove a hereditament that is wholly or mainly used as a marina, wharf, pier or jetty from Schedule 1. This means that a hereditament wholly or mainly used as a marina, wharf, pier of jetty may be a qualifying retail, hospitality or leisure hereditament where the other requirements of the 2025 Regulations are met.
These Regulations amend the Individual Savings Account Regulations 1998 by:
View All HM Treasury Secondary Legislation

Petitions

e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.

If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.

If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).

Trending Petitions
Petition Open
7,564 Signatures
(1,377 in the last 7 days)
Petition Open
1,061 Signatures
(297 in the last 7 days)
Petition Open
3,935 Signatures
(128 in the last 7 days)
Petitions with most signatures
Petition Debates Contributed

Raise the income tax personal allowance from £12570 to £20000. We think this would help low earners to get off benefits and allow pensioners a decent income.

154,007
Petition Closed
13 May 2025
closed 9 months, 3 weeks ago

We think that changing inheritance tax relief for agricultural land will devastate farms nationwide, forcing families to sell land and assets just to stay on their property. We urge the government to keep the current exemptions for working farms.

Prevent independent schools from having to pay VAT on fees and incurring business rates as a result of new legislation.

View All HM Treasury Petitions

Departmental Select Committee

Treasury Committee

Commons Select Committees are a formally established cross-party group of backbench MPs tasked with holding a Government department to account.

At any time there will be number of ongoing investigations into the work of the Department, or issues which fall within the oversight of the Department. Witnesses can be summoned from within the Government and outside to assist in these inquiries.

Select Committee findings are reported to the Commons, printed, and published on the Parliament website. The government then usually has 60 days to reply to the committee's recommendations.


11 Members of the Treasury Committee
Meg Hillier Portrait
Meg Hillier (Labour (Co-op) - Hackney South and Shoreditch)
Treasury Committee Member since 9th September 2024
Yuan Yang Portrait
Yuan Yang (Labour - Earley and Woodley)
Treasury Committee Member since 21st October 2024
Siobhain McDonagh Portrait
Siobhain McDonagh (Labour - Mitcham and Morden)
Treasury Committee Member since 21st October 2024
John Glen Portrait
John Glen (Conservative - Salisbury)
Treasury Committee Member since 21st October 2024
Harriett Baldwin Portrait
Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Treasury Committee Member since 21st October 2024
Bobby Dean Portrait
Bobby Dean (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Treasury Committee Member since 28th October 2024
Chris Coghlan Portrait
Chris Coghlan (Liberal Democrat - Dorking and Horley)
Treasury Committee Member since 28th October 2024
John Grady Portrait
John Grady (Labour - Glasgow East)
Treasury Committee Member since 9th December 2024
Catherine West Portrait
Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
Treasury Committee Member since 27th October 2025
Luke Murphy Portrait
Luke Murphy (Labour - Basingstoke)
Treasury Committee Member since 27th October 2025
Jim Dickson Portrait
Jim Dickson (Labour - Dartford)
Treasury Committee Member since 27th October 2025
Treasury Committee: Upcoming Events
Treasury Committee - Oral evidence
Spring Statement 2026
11 Mar 2026, 9:30 a.m.
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Treasury Committee - Private Meeting
16 Mar 2026, 1:30 p.m.
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Treasury Committee - Oral evidence
The OBR: 15 years on
17 Mar 2026, 9:30 a.m.
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Treasury Committee - Oral evidence
Work of Financial Ombudsman Service
18 Mar 2026, 2 p.m.
View calendar - Save to Calendar
Treasury Committee: Previous Inquiries
The Financial Conduct Authority’s Regulation of London Capital & Finance plc Budget 2021 Work of National Savings and Investments Lessons from Greensill Capital Appointment of Carolyn Wilkins to the Financial Policy Committee Appointment of Tanya Castell to the Prudential Regulatory Committee The work of the Prudential Regulation Authority Reappointment of Jill May and Julia Black to the Prudential Regulation Committee Committee on COP26: climate change and finance Spring Budget 2020 Appointment of Sarah Breeden to the Financial Policy Committee Appointment of Catherine Mann to the Monetary Policy Committee Reappointment of Jonathan Haskel to the Monetary Policy Committee Bank of England July Financial Stability Report and August Monetary Policy Report Economic Crime Regional Imbalances in the UK economy The Work of the Debt Management Office Appointment of Richard Hughes as Chair of the Office for Budget Responsibility Reappointment of Professor Silvana Tenreyro to the Monetary Policy Committee Reappointment of Andy Haldane to the Monetary Policy Committee Appointment of Jonathan Hall to the Financial Policy Committee Appointment of Nikhil Rathi as Chief Executive of the Financial Conduct Authority Maxwellisation inquiry The work of National Savings and Investments inquiry Retail Banking Market Review inquiry HMRC Executive Chair and Chief Executive Financial stability one-off hearing Appointment of the CEO of Financial Conduct Authority Bank of England Financial Stability Report Hearings 2016-17 UK's future economic relationship with the EU inquiry Appointment of Deputy Governor for Prudential Regulation EU Insurance Regulation inquiry HM Treasury: Report and Accounts 2015 – 2016 Appointment of Michael Saunders to the Monetary Policy Committee Appointment of Anil Kashyap to the Financial Policy Committee Tax credits, fraud and error inquiry The work of the Chancellor of the Exchequer inquiry Bank of England Inflation Report Hearing August 2016 Prudential Regulation Authority inquiry Sir Charles Bean appointment to Budget Responsibility Committee UK tax policy and the tax base inquiry Government Internal Audit Agency inquiry HM Treasury Annual Report and Accounts 2014-15 inquiry Valuation Office Agency inquiry Independent review of report into failure of HBOS inquiry Review of the Office for National Statistics inquiry Appointment of Angela Knight as Chair of the Office for Tax Simplification Appointment of Tim Parkes as Chair of Regulatory Decisions Committee Budget 2016 inquiry Financial Policy Committee re-appointment hearings Bank of England Inflation Report Hearing May 2016 Work of the Court of the Bank of England inquiry Bank of England Inflation Report Hearing February 2017 Appointment of the Deputy Governor for Markets and Banking Budget 2017 inquiry Restoration and Renewal of the Palace of Westminster inquiry Capital inquiry Work of the Payment Systems Regulator inquiry Effectiveness and impact of post-2008 UK monetary policy Access to basic retail financial services inquiry Financial Conduct Authority inquiry Bank of England Inflation Report Hearing November 2016 UK Financial Investments annual reports and accounts 2015-16 Housing Policy inquiry Autumn Statement 2016 Household finances: income, saving and debt inquiry Bank of England Inflation Reports inquiry Budget Autumn 2017 inquiry Student Loans inquiry The UK's economic relationship with the European Union inquiry The work of the Bank of England inquiry The work of the Financial Conduct Authority The work of the National Infrastructure Commission inquiry Women in finance inquiry Appointment of Professor Silvana Tenreyro to the Monetary Policy Committee Appointment of Sir Dave Ramsden as Deputy Governor for Markets and Banking, Bank of England The work of the Chancellor of the Exchequer EU Insurance Regulation inquiry HMRC Annual Report and Accounts inquiry Re-appointment of Professor Anil Kashyap to the Financial Policy Committee inquiry Re-appointment of Ben Broadbent as Deputy Governor for Monetary Policy, Bank of England inquiry The effectiveness of gender pay gap reporting inquiry Decarbonisation of the UK Economy and Green Finance inquiry Regional Imbalances in the UK Economy inquiry Work of the Financial Services Compensation Scheme inquiry Spending Round 2019 inquiry Access to Cash Review inquiry Appointment of Kathryn Cearns as Chair of the Office of Tax Simplification inquiry The future of the UK’s financial services inquiry The impact of Business Rates on business inquiry Spring Statement 2019 inquiry The work of the Adjudicator’s Office inquiry The work of the Debt Management Office inquiry Independent Review of the Co-Operative Bank inquiry Work of the Court of the Bank of England inquiry Tax enquiries and resolution of tax disputes inquiry IT failures in the financial services sector inquiry Work of the Banking Standards Board inquiry Independent Review of the Financial Ombudsman Service Appointment of Bradley Fried as Chair of Court, Bank of England Appointment of Professor Jonathan Haskel to the Monetary Policy Committee Andy King, Nominated Member of the Budget Responsibility Committee Re-appointment of Dr Gertjan Vlieghe to the Monetary Policy Committee Maxwellisation inquiry Work of the Valuation Office Agency inquiry Appointment of Julia Black as external member of the Prudential Regulation Committee Appointment of Jill May as an external member of the Prudential Regulation Committee Consumers’ Access to Financial Services inquiry The re-appointment of Sir Jon Cunliffe as Deputy Governor for Financial Stability at the Bank of England inquiry Budget 2018 inquiry The Work of the Treasury inquiry Service Disruption at TSB inquiry Economic Crime inquiry Re-appointment of Alex Brazier to the Financial Policy Committee Re-appointment of Donald Kohn to the Financial Policy Committee Re-appointment of Martin Taylor to the Financial Policy Committee VAT inquiry Spring Statement 2018 Digital Currencies inquiry Appointment of Charles Randell as Chair of the Financial Conduct Authority SME Finance inquiry Appointment of Elisabeth Stheeman to the Bank of England Financial Policy Committee The work of the Prudential Regulation Authority inquiry Bank of England Financial Stability Reports RBS's Global Restructuring Group and its treatment of SMEs inquiry Childcare inquiry The work of the Payment Systems Regulator inquiry HM Treasury Annual Report and Accounts inquiry Women in the City Crown Estate Cheques, the end of? Mortgage Arrears and Access to Mortgage Finance: Follow up Financial Institutions - Too Important To Fail? Budget 2010 Credit Searches European Macro and Micro Prudential Financial Regulation Presbyterian Mutual Society Pre-Budget Report 2009 Budget 2009 Pre-Budget Report 2008 Budget 2008 Pre-Budget Report 2007 Mortgage Arrears and Access to Mortgage Finance Evaluating the Efficiency Programme Administration and expenditure of the Chancellor’s Departments, 2008-09 Banking Crisis Banking Crisis: International Dimensions Banking Reform Run on the Rock Budget June 2010 Competition and choice in the banking sector Office for Budget Responsibility Financial Regulation Spending Review 2010 Administration and effectiveness of HMRC The principles of tax policy Retail Distribution Review European financial regulation Autumn forecast 2010 Accountability of the Bank of England Private Finance Initiative Budget 2011 Future of Cheques Independent Commission on Banking: Interim Report Closing the tax gap: HMRC's record at ensuring tax compliance Budget Measures and Low-income Households Financial Conduct Authority Inherited Estates Counting the population Administration and expenditure of the Chancellor's Departments, 2006-07 Comprehensive Spending Review 2007 Administration and expenditure of the Chancellor's Departments, 2007-08 Independent Commission on Banking: Final Report Global Imbalances Autumn Statement 2011 Budget 2012 Corporate governance and remuneration Money Advice Service LIBOR FSA's report into HBOS Spending Round 2013 Project Verde Macroprudential tools Disposal of Government Stakes in RBS and Lloyds Credit Rating Agencies Autumn Statement 2012 Appointment of Dr Mark Carney as Governor of the Bank of England Budget 2013 Quantitative easing Private Finance 2 Autumn Statement 2013 Bank of England Financial Stability Report hearings: Session 2014-15 Appointment hearings, Session 2013-14 Bank of England Inflation Report Hearings: Session 2013-14 EU Financial Regulation Monetary Policy: Forward Guidance UK Financial Investments Ltd 2013 The economics of HS2 SME Lending Financial Conduct Authority hearings The costing of pre-election policy proposals Performance of the Royal Mint Budget 2014 The economics of currency unions OBR: July 2013 Fiscal Sustainability Report Banks' Lending Practices: Treatment of Businesses in Distress RBS Independent Lending Review Prudential Regulation Authority Hearings: Session 2014-15 HM Treasury Annual Report and Accounts 2013-14 Treatment of Financial Services Consumers Bank of England Inflation Report Hearings: Session 2014-15 HMRC Business Plan 2014-16 Manipulation of Benchmarks Appointment hearings, Session 2014-15 Co-op Governance Review Cost effectiveness of economic and financial sanctions Bank of England Financial Stability Report Hearings 2015-16 Bank of England Inflation Report Hearings 2015-16 Summer Budget 2015 inquiry UK Financial Investments Ltd Annual Report and Accounts 14-15 Review of scope and performance of Office for Budget Responsibility Bank of England Bill inquiry Chair of Office for Budget Responsibility reappointment hearing HMRC Annual Report and Accounts 2014-15 inquiry Prudential Regulation Authority inquiry Comprehensive Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015 inquiry Review of CMA work on Retail Banking Market one-off session Financial Conduct Authority Practitioner Panels one-off session Appointment of Gertjan Vlieghe to the Monetary Policy Committee hearing Reappointment of Ian McCafferty to the Monetary Policy Committee hearing Financial Conduct Authority Economic and financial costs and benefits of UK's EU membership Crown Estate Annual Report and Accounts 2013/14 Bank of England Foreign Exchange Market Investigation HM Revenue and Customs and HSBC Budget 2015 The UK's EU Budget Contributions Press briefing of information in the Financial Conduct Authority’s 2014/15 Business Plan Fair and Effective Markets Review The Payment Systems Regulator Implementing the recommendations on the Parliamentary Commission on Banking Standards Autumn Statement 2014 Work of the Tax Assurance Commissioner UK Financial Investments Ltd Proposals for further Fiscal and Economic Devolution to Scotland Debt Management Office Annual Report and Accounts 2013-14 UK Customs Policy Infrastructure The cost of living The venture capital market The crypto-asset industry Tax Reliefs September 2022 Fiscal Event The Financial Services and Markets Bill The mortgage market The Edinburgh Reforms Quantitative tightening Retail Banks Appointment of Andrew Bailey as Governor of the Bank of England Work of Government Actuary’s Department Work of the Financial Ombudsman Service Work of HM Treasury Future of Financial Services Spending Review 2020 HMRC Annual Report and Accounts Bank of England Financial Stability Reports The appointment of John Taylor to the Prudential Regulation Committee UK’s economic and trading relationship with the EU The appointment of Antony Jenkins to the Prudential Regulation Committee Access to Cash Review Bank of England Financial Stability Reports Bank of England Inflation Reports Consumers’ Access to Financial Services Decarbonisation of the UK Economy and Green Finance Economic Crime The effectiveness of gender pay gap reporting HMRC Annual Report and Accounts inquiry Tax enquiries and resolution of tax disputes IT failures in the financial services sector Appointment of Dame Colette Bowe to the Financial Policy Committee Re-appointment of Professor Anil Kashyap to the Financial Policy Committee Work of the Financial Services Compensation Scheme Spending Round 2019 The impact of Business Rates on business Work of the Court of the Bank of England Independent Review of the Co-Operative Bank Regional Imbalances in the UK Economy Re-appointment of Michael Saunders to the Monetary Policy Committee Re-appointment of Ben Broadbent as Deputy Governor for Monetary Policy, Bank of England Maxwellisation RBS's Global Restructuring Group and its treatment of SMEs SME Finance Spring Statement 2019 The future of the UK’s financial services HM Treasury Annual Report and Accounts Service Disruption at TSB The UK's economic relationship with the European Union VAT The work of the Bank of England The work of the Chancellor of the Exchequer The work of the Financial Conduct Authority The Work of the Treasury The work of the Prudential Regulation Authority

50 most recent Written Questions

(View all written questions)
Written Questions can be tabled by MPs and Lords to request specific information information on the work, policy and activities of a Government Department

4th Mar 2026
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what advice or guidance her Department provides on compliance with sanctions imposed by the United States against judges, lawyers, and officials of the International Criminal Court to banks and firms providing financial services.

The Government has not issued specific advice or guidance to banks or financial services firms on complying with United States sanctions imposed on individuals associated with the International Criminal Court.

The action taken by the United States under Executive Order 14203 is limited to the jurisdiction of the United States and does not reflect any legal action or domestic sanction taken by the UK.

The UK respects the independence of the International Criminal Court and does not support sanctioning individuals or organisations associated with the Court.

Lucy Rigby
Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
3rd Mar 2026
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to ensure individuals with large liabilities under the Loan Charge are given adequate support, particularly in cases involving financial and personal distress.

The Government recognised that concerns continued to be raised about the loan charge and that some felt strongly that it had not been handled appropriately. The Government therefore commissioned an independent review of the loan charge to bring the matter to a close for those who had not settled and paid their loan charge liabilities.

The Government accepted all but one of the independent review’s recommendations and in some cases is going further. The Government’s decision to write off £5,000 from everyone’s liability will mean that around a third will have their liabilities written off entirely. Most people will see reductions in their liabilities of at least 50%.

HMRC will continue to work with taxpayers to resolve their cases in line with existing legislation and case law. HMRC is committed to working sensitively and pragmatically with taxpayers to reach settlement. This includes offering flexible payment terms where people need more time to pay their liabilities.

The Government takes the wellbeing of all taxpayers very seriously. Vulnerable customers can make use of HMRC’s well-established Extra Support Service.

Dan Tomlinson
Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
25th Feb 2026
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the European Union regarding financial services as part of the UK-EU reset.

Strengthening our relationships with all international partners, including the EU, is a key focus of the Government’s Financial Services Growth and Competitiveness Strategy.

The UK and EU both face the same challenges – delivering growth, renewal of our infrastructure and the green transition. Financial services are a key part of the solution. We want to work with the EU to ensure that firms and individuals across Europe are able to access much needed capital and investment as efficiently as possible.

This is the message the Chancellor has set out to EU Leaders, including at Eurogroup in December 2024, and reiterated in her Mansion House speech last July. This was also the message that the Economic Secretary to the Treasury shared when she met with European Commissioner Maria Luís Albuquerque in Brussels in January.

Lord Livermore
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
25th Feb 2026
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the work to fit tokenised collateral into existing financial market regulation frameworks; and what discussions they are having with the Financial Conduct Authority and the Bank of England about ensuring those frameworks support innovation and financial stability.

Last July, the Government published the Wholesale Financial Markets Digital Strategy, which sets out its commitment to establishing a regulatory and legislative framework that enables new digital solutions, such as tokenisation, to be taken forward.

The Strategy notes that current use cases demonstrate that English and Welsh law, alongside UK financial services legislation is, in many cases, sufficiently flexible to accommodate digital assets. However, the Strategy commits the Government to providing legal clarity where it is needed to accommodate distributed ledger technology and we are working closely with the financial services regulators to identify where such clarifications may be necessary.

As part of this, the Government has established the Digital Securities Sandbox (DSS). This addresses priority areas where existing requirements can create barriers to adopting new technology. The DSS allows participating entities to be subject to modified legislative requirements, to facilitate new digital infrastructures in the UK market.

Lord Livermore
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
3rd Mar 2026
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Government plans to apply the same inheritance tax treatment used for the infected blood compensation scheme to future comparable schemes.

Some payments made under Government established compensation schemes will not give rise to an income tax liability. This is because payments intended to compensate individuals for personal injury would generally fall within established tax principles that treat compensation for personal injury as non-taxable. If payments are made which specifically represent loss of earnings, they will be subject to income tax under miscellaneous income rules.

Beyond this, tax exemptions for individual schemes will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Given the historic nature of the Infected Blood Scandal and the reduced life expectancy of Infected Blood recipients, many individuals will have passed away before they could receive their compensation. This means that concerns around the impacts of secondary transfers are particularly acute in the case of Infected Blood compensation. For this reason, we have taken steps to extend the inheritance tax relief for this scheme.

Dan Tomlinson
Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
25th Feb 2026
To ask His Majesty's Government what information they have on the quantity and value of UK industrial hemp exported to France for house construction.

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is responsible for the collection and publication of data on imports and exports of goods to and from the UK. HMRC releases this information monthly, as an Accredited National Statistic called the Overseas Trade in Goods Statistics (OTS), which is available via their dedicated website at the following link: http://www.uktradeinfo.com/.

Commodity Codes are used to identify the goods being imported and exported and these can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/trade-tariff. However, there is not a commodity code specifically covering industrial hemp used in the construction industry.

Hemp is classified to several commodity codes within headings 1404 (vegetable products note elsewhere specified or included), 5302 (true hemp) and 6808 (panels, board, tiles, blocks of vegetable fibre) of the Tariff. Whilst none of these are specific to hemp used in construction, 6808 includes hempcrete used as an insulation material with hemp fibres mixed with lime and water and made into, for example, insulating panels and boards. This may be the most appropriate heading containing the information requested.

The value and net mass in kilograms for the headings that may contain hemp for the years 2023 to 2025 are as follows:

Exports of specified headings to France

2023 to 2025

Year

HS4 Product code

Statistical Value (£)

Net mass (Kg)

2023

1404

1,180,714

31,147

2023

6808

4,115

328

2024

1404

28,221

26,816

2024

6808

4,939

6,501

2025

1404

12,720

2,120

2025

5302

128,392

1,102

2025

6808

49,784

8,436

Source: Overseas Trade in Goods Statistics, HMRC

Note: 1) 2025 data is provisional 2) Non-Response Estimates and BTTA are published at HS2 level so not included in these figures HS4 Descriptions 1404: Vegetable products nes 5302: True hemp "Cannabis sativa L.", raw or processed, but not spun; tow and waste of true hemp, incl. yarn waste and garnetted stock 6808: Panels, boards, tiles, blocks and similar articles of vegetable fibre, of straw or of shavings, chips, particles, sawdust or other waste of wood, agglomerated with cement, plaster or other mineral binders (excl. articles of asbestos-cement, cellulose fibre-cement or the like)

Lord Livermore
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
26th Feb 2026
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on household budgets of the Bank of England's decision in January to reduce the base rate to 3.75 per cent.

In December 2025, the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) at the Bank of England announced its decision to reduce the Bank Rate to 3.75%. The MPC has the government's full support as it acts to return inflation to the 2% target sustainably. This was the sixth interest rate cut since the election. Those interest rate cuts will save households over £1,300 a year on a typical new 2-year fix for a £215,000 mortgage over a 29-year term.

Lord Livermore
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
26th Feb 2026
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on household budgets of the reduction of the rate of inflation from 3.4 per cent in December to the current rate of 3 per cent.

Inflation fell to 3 per cent in January 2026. Wages rose faster than inflation in Q4 2025, indicating that real wages are growing, which will support household purchasing power and ease pressure on household budgets.

The Government welcomes the fall in inflation and is committed to improving living standards for everyone, in every part of the UK. We recognise that the cost of living remains too high, which is why, at the last Budget, we took action to bear down on prices and help ease the cost of living pressures for people by targeting everyday expenses. This includes taking on average £150 of costs off household energy bills from April 2026, expanding the £150 Warm Home Discount to 6 million lower income households, freezing rail fares and NHS prescription fees, and extending the 5p fuel duty cut until the end of August 2026.

Lord Livermore
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
4th Mar 2026
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to remove abandoned vehicles from Crown Estate land; and whether Crown Estate land is designated as off road for the purposes of vehicles in receipt of a Statutory Off Road Notification.

The Crown Estate is an independent commercial organisation, and the Government is not involved in its operations and day-to-day decision making.

Removal of abandoned vehicles is primarily the responsibility of the relevant local authority; therefore, where vehicles are abandoned on land under the Crown Estate’s control and management, they will engage with the relevant authorities to address the issue.

Crown Estate land is not automatically considered “off road” for Statutory Off Road Notification purposes.

Lord Livermore
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
4th Mar 2026
To ask His Majesty's Government what forecast they have made of the UK tax-to-gross domestic product (GDP) ratio in (1) 2025–26, (2) 2026–27, (3) 2027–28, (4) 2028–29, and (5) 2029–30; and what comparative assessment they have made of the tax-to-GDP ratio of each of the G7 countries in each of those years.

The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) published the latest Economic and Fiscal Outlook (EFO) in March 2026[1]. This forecasts the tax-to-GDP ratio to change as follows: 2025-26 – 36.3%; 2026-27 – 37.0%; 2027-28 – 37.7%; 2028-29 – 37.8%; 2029-30 – 38.3%[2].

The UK’s current tax-to-GDP ratio is in the middle of the pack within the G7; lower than Italy (42.8%), France (43.5%) and Germany (38.0%), but above Japan (33.7%), Canada (34.9%) and the US (25.6%) based on the latest available OECD data. [3]


[1] https://obr.uk/efo/economic-and-fiscal-outlook-march-2026/#

[2] https://obr.uk/efo/economic-and-fiscal-outlook-march-2026/#, page 42

[3] Latest OECD data 2024, except Japan, which is from 2023.

Lord Livermore
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
3rd Mar 2026
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 26 February 2026 to Question 114105 on Tyres: Imports, what consideration her Department has given to using different codes; and whether her Department plans to implement different codes for single-use and other kinds of tyres.

The UK commodity codes are formed from the World Custom’s Organization’s (WCO) Harmonized System and, as a WCO contracting party, the UK has recently participated in WCO discussions about tyres. These are resulting in a change to code 4004, which will be introduced to cover “pneumatic tyres that have retained their original shape and are unsuitable for use as a tyre or for retreading because of wear, defects, or other reasons”, to be implemented in 2028.
Dan Tomlinson
Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
3rd Mar 2026
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 21 January 2026, to Question 105915, on Katie Martin, for what reason her adviser is unpaid.

I refer the hon member to my answer of 3 March 2026, to PQ UIN 114888.

Dan Tomlinson
Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
5th Mar 2026
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what security checks are undertaken before an address change is accepted on a taxpayer’s Government Gateway account.

When a taxpayer requests an address change on their Government Gateway account, a range of security checks are applied to help protect the account and prevent unauthorised access.

These checks include confirming the user’s identity through their Government Gateway credentials, monitoring for unusual or suspicious activity, and applying additional verification measures where appropriate. HMRC also uses automated controls and risk‑based assessments to help detect and prevent potential fraud.

The precise nature of these checks is kept under review and is not disclosed in detail, as doing so could undermine their effectiveness.

Dan Tomlinson
Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
6th Mar 2026
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the overseas scale rates.

Where employers reimburse allowable travel expenses, tax relief is available provided the expenses are wholly, exclusively and necessarily incurred for work purposes.

Ordinarily, employers must hold evidence of the employee’s actual expenditure. However, to reduce administrative burdens on employers, HMRC allows expenses for travel outside the UK to be reimbursed without evidence up to the levels contained within the Overseas Scale Rates. Where the Overseas Scale Rates do not cover the expense incurred by employees, employers can still reimburse and provide tax relief provided they have appropriate evidence.

The government keeps all taxes under review as part of the policy making process.

Dan Tomlinson
Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
3rd Mar 2026
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact on global reinsurance markets of war risk insurance coverage for the Strait of Hormuz being cancelled by marine insurers.

The Treasury is in regular contact with the Bank of England, international counterparts, and affected industries, including our maritime sector.

I recently met with Lloyd’s of London as part of the government’s ongoing work to monitor impacts from the unfolding conflict in Iran and the Middle East. The Treasury will continue to monitor global insurance markets, including war risk insurance coverage.

Lucy Rigby
Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
3rd Mar 2026
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to support the growth of (a) small and (b) micro companies.

We are taking measures to ensure the wider economic environment is conducive to growth. We are cutting borrowing and debt, and supporting the Bank of England by taking action to bring inflation down – which otherwise dampens investment in the UK and slows economic growth. Government took measures at Budget to reduce consumer price inflation by 0.4pp in 2026/27, which the office for budget responsibility forecast will reduce CPI.

The Government set out its overall approach for supporting SMEs in the Small Business Strategy published in July 2025 and built on this with targeted reforms to support small businesses at Autumn Budget 2025. The Government is committed to a fair tax system that supports small firms, while ensuring the ongoing funding of essential public services and economic stability. Through our changes to Employer National Insurance Contributions, the threshold at which business start paying Employer NICs has doubled to £10,500.

We are supporting employment and skills by changing the rules to fully fund SME apprenticeships training costs for eligible people under the age of 25.

At the Budget we announced an Entrepreneurship package to support starts ups and scale ups. As part of this, Government is undertaking its largest ever injection of capital into the British Business Bank. Over the next five years, the British Business Bank will increase annual deployment by two-thirds, aiming to unlock around £26 billion of private capital alongside £13 billion in public funding, and enable up to an additional £10 billion in small business lending through guarantees. We are also doubling the eligibility of our enterprise tax incentives to boost scale-ups, consulting on plans to reducing business energy prices, and reforming and simplifying regulation.

We have also launched the Business Growth Service, making it easier for all firms, including micro companies, to get the advice and support they need to grow and thrive.

Lucy Rigby
Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
3rd Mar 2026
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 17 November 2025, to Question 88685, on Coinage: Design, on what dates the Committee and Sub-Committee have met since July 2024; and what changes have been made to coinage theme and design policy since July 2024.

Following the conclusion of each financial year, the Royal Mint Advisory Committee publishes its annual report on the Royal Mint Museum website. These reports contain detail on when the Committee and the Sub-Committee on the selection of themes met over the financial year and themes that were recommended to the Chancellor of the Exchequer in her capacity as Master of the Mint and HM The King. The annual report for 2024-25 can be found here: www.royalmintmuseum.org.uk/siteassets/about-us/rmac-annual-report-2024-25.pdf

The annual report for 2025-26 will be published later this year.

All designs for the themes recommended by the Committee can be found on The Royal Mint website, here: Coin Designs and Specifications | The Royal Mint

Lucy Rigby
Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
4th Mar 2026
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to ensure that reforms to Stocks and Shares ISAs do not disadvantage investors who make regular cash contributions and invest those funds gradually over time, including through pound‑cost averaging strategies.

ISA reform forms part of our strategy to support people into the higher returns that investing can provide.

Rules will be introduced to avoid circumvention of the lower limit for cash ISAs where an individual is under the age of 65. The industry is being consulted on the draft rules, which will be made by amendments to the ISA Regulations and laid in Parliament ahead of April 2027.

We will consult on the final rules as soon as these are ready, so that firms have enough notice before the new limit applies in April 2027.

Lucy Rigby
Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
4th Mar 2026
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of accessibility across all aspects of banking and financial services for blind and partially sighted customers, including (a) payment terminals, (b) online banking, (c) card design, (d) verification processes, and (e) compatibility with assistive technology.

The government is committed to ensuring high standards of financial inclusion across the financial services sector, including accessibility for blind and partially sighted customers.

The Equality Act 2010 provides legal protection from discrimination for disabled people in a range of circumstances, including in the provision of goods, facilities and services and requires retailers to make reasonable adjustments. The Financial Conduct Authority also requires authorised financial services firms to comply with their ‘Consumer Duty’, which requires them to deliver good outcomes for retail customers, including those with disabilities.

Ensuring individuals have access to the financial products and services they need is a key priority for the government. This is why I published the Financial Inclusion Strategy last year which sets out a range of ambitious measures for government and industry to improve financial inclusion for underserved groups across the UK. This includes the launch of an industry-led inclusive design working group to consider how to make products more accessible.

As part of the focus on inclusive design, the strategy specifically acknowledges that the phasing out of tactile features from payment processes has made it more difficult for people who are blind or partially sighted to make payments independently.

The Royal National Institute of Blind People is working with providers and UK Finance, the leading trade association for the banking sector, to introduce accessible features for cards. UK Finance is developing a Code of Practice for Accessible Cards, providing a set of guidelines for accessibility features on card products for participating firms. The government welcomes this positive example of industry and consumer representatives working together on tangible solutions.

UK Finance also maintains voluntary standards to help ensure point-of-sale technology remains accessible for those who are visually impaired. It will be working with the British Retail Consortium to identify opportunities to go further in embedding accessibility features where they can make the most difference in practice.

The government continues to closely monitor progress in this important area.

Lucy Rigby
Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
4th Mar 2026
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) guidance on the treatment of vulnerable customers leads to changes in how payment terminals are (a) designed and (b) deployed; and whether she will take steps with the FCA to introduce binding requirements in this area.

The government is committed to ensuring high standards of financial inclusion across the financial services sector, including accessibility for blind and partially sighted customers.

The Equality Act 2010 provides legal protection from discrimination for disabled people in a range of circumstances, including in the provision of goods, facilities and services and requires retailers to make reasonable adjustments. The Financial Conduct Authority also requires authorised financial services firms to comply with their ‘Consumer Duty’, which requires them to deliver good outcomes for retail customers, including those with disabilities.

Ensuring individuals have access to the financial products and services they need is a key priority for the government. This is why I published the Financial Inclusion Strategy last year which sets out a range of ambitious measures for government and industry to improve financial inclusion for underserved groups across the UK. This includes the launch of an industry-led inclusive design working group to consider how to make products more accessible.

As part of the focus on inclusive design, the strategy specifically acknowledges that the phasing out of tactile features from payment processes has made it more difficult for people who are blind or partially sighted to make payments independently.

The Royal National Institute of Blind People is working with providers and UK Finance, the leading trade association for the banking sector, to introduce accessible features for cards. UK Finance is developing a Code of Practice for Accessible Cards, providing a set of guidelines for accessibility features on card products for participating firms. The government welcomes this positive example of industry and consumer representatives working together on tangible solutions.

UK Finance also maintains voluntary standards to help ensure point-of-sale technology remains accessible for those who are visually impaired. It will be working with the British Retail Consortium to identify opportunities to go further in embedding accessibility features where they can make the most difference in practice.

The government continues to closely monitor progress in this important area.

Lucy Rigby
Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
4th Mar 2026
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has considered asking the Financial Conduct Authority to issue specific standards on payment terminal accessibility for blind and partially sighted people.

The government is committed to ensuring high standards of financial inclusion across the financial services sector, including accessibility for blind and partially sighted customers.

The Equality Act 2010 provides legal protection from discrimination for disabled people in a range of circumstances, including in the provision of goods, facilities and services and requires retailers to make reasonable adjustments. The Financial Conduct Authority also requires authorised financial services firms to comply with their ‘Consumer Duty’, which requires them to deliver good outcomes for retail customers, including those with disabilities.

Ensuring individuals have access to the financial products and services they need is a key priority for the government. This is why I published the Financial Inclusion Strategy last year which sets out a range of ambitious measures for government and industry to improve financial inclusion for underserved groups across the UK. This includes the launch of an industry-led inclusive design working group to consider how to make products more accessible.

As part of the focus on inclusive design, the strategy specifically acknowledges that the phasing out of tactile features from payment processes has made it more difficult for people who are blind or partially sighted to make payments independently.

The Royal National Institute of Blind People is working with providers and UK Finance, the leading trade association for the banking sector, to introduce accessible features for cards. UK Finance is developing a Code of Practice for Accessible Cards, providing a set of guidelines for accessibility features on card products for participating firms. The government welcomes this positive example of industry and consumer representatives working together on tangible solutions.

UK Finance also maintains voluntary standards to help ensure point-of-sale technology remains accessible for those who are visually impaired. It will be working with the British Retail Consortium to identify opportunities to go further in embedding accessibility features where they can make the most difference in practice.

The government continues to closely monitor progress in this important area.

Lucy Rigby
Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
5th Mar 2026
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 21 January 2026, to Question 105914, on Cryptocurencies, what information her Department holds on the Financial Conduct Authority and the Financial Stability Board conducting a review into Tether.

HMT does not hold any information on this matter.

Lucy Rigby
Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
5th Mar 2026
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has made an of the potential impact of banks not accepting cheques on groups with protected characteristics; and whether she has discussions about this with (a) the Financial Conduct Authority, (b) the Payment Systems Regulator and (c) UK Finance.

The Government recognises that cheques remain an important payment method for some people, including those with protected characteristics. UK’s largest retail banks continue to accept cheques through a range of channels, including at bank branches, in banking hubs and the Post Office, by post, and digitally through cheque imaging.

The Treasury has not made a formal assessment of the impact of individual banks’ decisions on specific groups. Where banks have taken commercial decisions to change how they accept cheque deposits, they are expected to consider the needs of customers in vulnerable circumstances and to ensure alternative routes remain available.

The treatment of customers by UK banks is governed by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), which requires firms to provide a prompt, efficient, and fair service to all of their customers. This includes special considerations for vulnerable customers. In addition, like all service providers, banks and building societies are bound under the Equality Act 2010 to make reasonable adjustments, where necessary, in the way they deliver their services. Treasury Ministers and officials engage regularly with the FCA, the Payment Systems Regulator and UK Finance on matters relating to retail banking and payments.

Ensuring everyone has access to the appropriate financial products and services they need is a priority for the Government. That is why we have published the Government’s Financial Inclusion Strategy which sets out a package of ambitious measures to improve financial inclusion and resilience across the UK. Access to banking is a key area of focus in the Strategy, alongside digital inclusion, including an intervention to make financial products more accessible through an industry-led inclusive design working group. Action to improve financial inclusion requires a joined-up approach, and the Government is committed to continuing to work collaboratively across the UK on this important agenda going forward.

Lucy Rigby
Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
5th Mar 2026
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to answer of 4 February 2026, to Question 108748, on Growth Mission Board: Membership, if she will list each of the internal and external members who attended the most recent meeting of the Growth Mission Board.

The Chancellor chaired the Growth Mission Board. The membership was flexible, at the Chancellor's discretion, with internal and external attendees determined based on their relevance to the agenda. The Growth Mission Board was a Cabinet Committee. It is a long-established precedent that information about the discussions that have taken place in Cabinet and its committees, including attendance, is not normally shared publicly.

Lucy Rigby
Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
4th Mar 2026
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 24 February 2026 to Question 113596 on Mission Boards: Cabinet Committees, if she will publish the terms of reference of the Kickstarting Economic Growth Mission Board.

As previously published on GOV.UK, the Growth Mission Board was established 'to oversee and drive progress on the growth mission’.

Lucy Rigby
Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
5th Mar 2026
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing statutory protections that would allow surviving policyholders, where the death of a partner has led to terminations of reissuing of joint insurance policies, to continue existing insurance policies until the end of their contract.

The government is determined that insurers should treat customers fairly, including where they have suffered a bereavement, and firms are required to do so under Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) rules. The FCA requires firms to ensure their products offer fair value (i.e. if the price a consumer pays for a product or service is reasonable compared to the overall benefits they can expect to receive). FCA rules also require insurers to ensure their communications are clear, fair and not misleading. The FCA have published guidance for firms on the fair treatment of vulnerable customers, including those who may recently have experienced bereavement.

The FCA monitors firms to make sure they comply with these rules, and, where necessary, it has robust powers to take action.

More broadly, insurers make commercial decisions about the terms of cover they offer based on their assessment of the relevant risks. The government does not generally intervene in these decisions by insurance companies.

Lucy Rigby
Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
5th Mar 2026
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the potential benefits of introducing a mandatory bereavement grace period for insurers.

The government is determined that insurers should treat customers fairly, including where they have suffered a bereavement, and firms are required to do so under Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) rules. The FCA requires firms to ensure their products offer fair value (i.e. if the price a consumer pays for a product or service is reasonable compared to the overall benefits they can expect to receive). FCA rules also require insurers to ensure their communications are clear, fair and not misleading. The FCA have published guidance for firms on the fair treatment of vulnerable customers, including those who may recently have experienced bereavement.

The FCA monitors firms to make sure they comply with these rules, and, where necessary, it has robust powers to take action.

More broadly, insurers make commercial decisions about the terms of cover they offer based on their assessment of the relevant risks. The government does not generally intervene in these decisions by insurance companies.

Lucy Rigby
Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
5th Mar 2026
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure customers purchasing joint insurance policies are made aware of changes to cover and pricing when one policyholder dies by insurance companies.

The government is determined that insurers should treat customers fairly, including where they have suffered a bereavement, and firms are required to do so under Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) rules. The FCA requires firms to ensure their products offer fair value (i.e. if the price a consumer pays for a product or service is reasonable compared to the overall benefits they can expect to receive). FCA rules also require insurers to ensure their communications are clear, fair and not misleading. The FCA have published guidance for firms on the fair treatment of vulnerable customers, including those who may recently have experienced bereavement.

The FCA monitors firms to make sure they comply with these rules, and, where necessary, it has robust powers to take action.

More broadly, insurers make commercial decisions about the terms of cover they offer based on their assessment of the relevant risks. The government does not generally intervene in these decisions by insurance companies.

Lucy Rigby
Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
5th Mar 2026
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure transparency in the insurance industry's use of algorithmic and AI pricing models.

The government is determined that insurers should treat customers fairly and firms are required to do so under Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) rules. The FCA requires firms to ensure their products offer fair value (i.e. if the price a consumer pays for a product or service is reasonable compared to the overall benefits they can expect to receive). The FCA has been clear that it will be monitoring firms to make sure they provide products that are fair value, and, where necessary, it has robust powers to take action.

The government believes that the safe and effective adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in financial services is a major strategic opportunity, with the potential to power growth across the UK.

As set out in the government’s Financial Services Growth and Competitiveness Strategy, it is our ambition to make the UK the world's most technologically advanced global financial sector, leveraging our dual strengths in financial services and AI.

To support the effective and safe use of AI by industry, while protecting consumers and financial stability, the government has appointed Financial Services AI champions, Harriet Rees and Rohit Dhawan. They will focus on helping firms seize the opportunities for AI in a way that supports innovation, maintains trust in UK financial services, and ensures that consumers are appropriately protected.

Lucy Rigby
Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
5th Mar 2026
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions her Department has had with the Financial Conduct Authority regarding the regulation of equity crowdfunding schemes such as the Equity for Punks programme operated by BrewDog.

The Government has regular conversations with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) on a range of topics, including the regulation of equity crowdfunding.

In 2024, the government delivered the Public Offers and Admissions to Trading Regulations which enabled the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to reform the UK Prospectus Regime.This new regime took effect on 19 January 2026, and gives investors access to better quality information to support their investment decisions.

The regulations also created a new regulated activity of operating a Public Offer Platform (POP). Companies seeking to make public offers of securities outside a public market to a broad investor base, where the value exceeds £5 million, will now need to do so via a POP, ensuring investors receive better information about their investments.

Lucy Rigby
Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
3rd Mar 2026
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress her Department has made in amending the rules on Gift Aid.

The government is pleased to confirm that charities will continue to be eligible for Gift Aid following implementation of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024.

HMRC has published guidance setting out that where subscriptions are currently eligible under existing Gift Aid rules, they will remain so. The guidance can be found on gov.uk via: Chapter 3 - 3.13.4: Gift Aid - GOV.UK

Dan Tomlinson
Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
3rd Mar 2026
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many staff in her Department are reliant on a visa for employment.

We do not disclose the exact number of staff with visas for data privacy reasons, but can confirm that fewer than five staff members at HM Treasury are reliant on a visa for their right to work in the UK.

Lucy Rigby
Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
4th Mar 2026
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she has taken with Cabinet colleagues to increase local roads maintenance funding.

The Government has committed a record level of funding for local authorities to repair, renew and fix potholes; totalling over £2 billion annually by 2029-30. This is double the amount provided by the previous government – and it ensures that we will exceed our manifesto commitment to fix an additional 1 million potholes in each year of this Parliament.

James Murray
Chief Secretary to the Treasury
4th Mar 2026
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she has taken with Cabinet colleagues to increase local roads maintenance funding.

The Government has committed a record level of funding for local authorities to repair, renew and fix potholes; totalling over £2 billion annually by 2029-30. This is double the amount provided by the previous government – and it ensures that we will exceed our manifesto commitment to fix an additional 1 million potholes in each year of this Parliament.

James Murray
Chief Secretary to the Treasury
4th Mar 2026
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, her Department was invited by the Office for National Statistics to provide evidence or input into its review of the ethnicity harmonised standard.

A review of the harmonised standard for ethnicity data collection is underway by the Government Statistical Service Harmonisation team.

A public consultation between October 2025 and February 2026 sought views from a wide range of users, including Government Departments and public bodies, to understand user needs for ethnic group data. This was supplemented by a programme of engagement activity, including with representatives of all government departments.

ONS have committed to providing an initial response to the public consultation in April, and a full report on the consultation in late summer 2026 will include more detailed information on the departments that responded to the consultation.

Torsten Bell
Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
4th Mar 2026
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to help increase economic growth in Norfolk.

The government is restoring stability, increasing investment, and reforming the economy to drive growth across every region of the UK.

Norfolk will receive £32.5 million in Local Transport Grant funding enabling local authorities to deliver transport improvements including more zero emission buses, cycleways, accessibility and congestion improvement measures.

The record breaking results of our most recent offshore wind auction will support projects in the region, delivering further local jobs and growth.

Torsten Bell
Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
24th Feb 2026
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of Making Tax Digital, if any, on the tax gap attributable to intentional tax evasion; and what plans they have to implement such a scheme directly to address that issue.

Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax helps taxpayers pay the right amount of tax. It is expected to generate almost £1 billion in additional tax revenue in 2030–31 by encouraging timely and accurate record keeping and reducing that part of the tax gap caused by taxpayer errors and failure to take reasonable care.

HMRC is committed to closing the tax gap further and tackling other types of non-compliance such as tax evasion, tax avoidance, criminal attacks, hidden economy activity, legal interpretation issues, and non-payment.

Lord Livermore
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
24th Feb 2026
To ask His Majesty's Government how much of the £28.7 billion of frozen Russian assets in the UK has been released to support victims of the conflict in Ukraine; and what progress they have made in the transfer by Roman Abramovich of £2.5 billion from the sale of Chelsea Football Club to a humanitarian cause in Ukraine.

The OFSI Annual Review 2024-2025 in year reporting sets out that OFSI have been notified of approximately £28.7bn in assets frozen in connection with the Russia sanctions regime since February 2022. Although these assets are frozen and cannot be accessed, they remain the property of the individuals and entities designated under the sanctions.

Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine the Government has provided £21.8 billion in support to Ukraine and has committed to providing a further £3bn a year for as long as it takes.

The Government has taken significant action to enable the donation of the proceeds from the sale of Chelsea Football Club to humanitarian causes in Ukraine. On 17 December 2025, HM Treasury issued a licence permitting the transfer of the over £2.5 billion sale proceeds into a new charitable foundation for exclusively humanitarian purposes in Ukraine. The licence provides a clear legal route for the funds to be used as intended, consistent with Abramovich’s commitment that they should benefit victims of the war.

The Government is urging him to act without delay and will consider any proposal he makes to use this route to establish the foundation and transfer the funds.

Should Abramovich fail to free the funds quickly, the UK Government is fully prepared to take him to court if necessary to enforce the agreement reached with him in 2022.

Lord Livermore
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
23rd Feb 2026
To ask His Majesty's Government what distributional analysis they have done on the (1) eligibility, and (2) take up, of the marriage allowance since its introduction, by age and income decile.

Marriage Allowance allows a spouse or civil partner to transfer ten per cent of their income tax personal allowance, as long as the partner is not paying tax at higher rates.

The most recent estimates for the cost and uptake of Marriage Allowance can be found in HMRC’s published tax relief statistics, last updated in January 2026. This is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/tax-reliefs/tax-relief-statistics-january-2026.

The number of Marriage Allowance claimants was estimated at 2,440,000 for the 2023-2024 tax year and the estimated cost is projected to be £590 million for the 2025-2026 tax year. Estimates of the number of claimants are the latest available and reflect only successful claimants up to that point in time and not the anticipated full take up when all backdated claims have been made in future tax years (up to 4 years later).

Data for previous tax years (up to 6 years) on the cost and uptake of Marriage Allowance can be found in the non-structural tax relief statistics, which is available at the following link https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/main-tax-expenditures-and-structural-reliefs/non-structural-tax-relief-statistics-december-2024. This is summarised below.

Tax Year

Cost (£ million)

Number of Claimants

2019–2020

520

2,020,000

2020–2021

560

2,170,000

2021–2022

560

2,280,000

2022–2023

580

2,350,000

2023–2024 (estimated)

580

2,440,000

2024–2025 (estimated)

580

Not stated

HMRC does not produce household-level analysis for Marriage Allowance eligibility.

HMRC’s ongoing communications campaign for Marriage Allowance seeks to raise awareness of the eligibility criteria for the allowance, encourage take-up and educate customers on how to claim. It consists of regular promotional activity throughout the year bolstered by paid-for activity at key times of increased interest or engagement in the allowance for customers.

Lord Livermore
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
23rd Feb 2026
To ask His Majesty's Government how much has been underspent, year on year, from projected budgets of foregone revenue due to couples claiming the marriage allowance.

Marriage Allowance allows a spouse or civil partner to transfer ten per cent of their income tax personal allowance, as long as the partner is not paying tax at higher rates.

The most recent estimates for the cost and uptake of Marriage Allowance can be found in HMRC’s published tax relief statistics, last updated in January 2026. This is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/tax-reliefs/tax-relief-statistics-january-2026.

The number of Marriage Allowance claimants was estimated at 2,440,000 for the 2023-2024 tax year and the estimated cost is projected to be £590 million for the 2025-2026 tax year. Estimates of the number of claimants are the latest available and reflect only successful claimants up to that point in time and not the anticipated full take up when all backdated claims have been made in future tax years (up to 4 years later).

Data for previous tax years (up to 6 years) on the cost and uptake of Marriage Allowance can be found in the non-structural tax relief statistics, which is available at the following link https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/main-tax-expenditures-and-structural-reliefs/non-structural-tax-relief-statistics-december-2024. This is summarised below.

Tax Year

Cost (£ million)

Number of Claimants

2019–2020

520

2,020,000

2020–2021

560

2,170,000

2021–2022

560

2,280,000

2022–2023

580

2,350,000

2023–2024 (estimated)

580

2,440,000

2024–2025 (estimated)

580

Not stated

HMRC does not produce household-level analysis for Marriage Allowance eligibility.

HMRC’s ongoing communications campaign for Marriage Allowance seeks to raise awareness of the eligibility criteria for the allowance, encourage take-up and educate customers on how to claim. It consists of regular promotional activity throughout the year bolstered by paid-for activity at key times of increased interest or engagement in the allowance for customers.

Lord Livermore
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
23rd Feb 2026
To ask His Majesty's Government how many couples have (1) been eligible to claim the marriage allowance, and (2) claimed the marriage allowance, year on year, since its introduction.

Marriage Allowance allows a spouse or civil partner to transfer ten per cent of their income tax personal allowance, as long as the partner is not paying tax at higher rates.

The most recent estimates for the cost and uptake of Marriage Allowance can be found in HMRC’s published tax relief statistics, last updated in January 2026. This is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/tax-reliefs/tax-relief-statistics-january-2026.

The number of Marriage Allowance claimants was estimated at 2,440,000 for the 2023-2024 tax year and the estimated cost is projected to be £590 million for the 2025-2026 tax year. Estimates of the number of claimants are the latest available and reflect only successful claimants up to that point in time and not the anticipated full take up when all backdated claims have been made in future tax years (up to 4 years later).

Data for previous tax years (up to 6 years) on the cost and uptake of Marriage Allowance can be found in the non-structural tax relief statistics, which is available at the following link https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/main-tax-expenditures-and-structural-reliefs/non-structural-tax-relief-statistics-december-2024. This is summarised below.

Tax Year

Cost (£ million)

Number of Claimants

2019–2020

520

2,020,000

2020–2021

560

2,170,000

2021–2022

560

2,280,000

2022–2023

580

2,350,000

2023–2024 (estimated)

580

2,440,000

2024–2025 (estimated)

580

Not stated

HMRC does not produce household-level analysis for Marriage Allowance eligibility.

HMRC’s ongoing communications campaign for Marriage Allowance seeks to raise awareness of the eligibility criteria for the allowance, encourage take-up and educate customers on how to claim. It consists of regular promotional activity throughout the year bolstered by paid-for activity at key times of increased interest or engagement in the allowance for customers.

Lord Livermore
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
23rd Feb 2026
To ask His Majesty's Government what research, if any, they have carried out or commissioned on the reasons for the level of take up of the marriage allowance.

Marriage Allowance allows a spouse or civil partner to transfer ten per cent of their income tax personal allowance, as long as the partner is not paying tax at higher rates.

The most recent estimates for the cost and uptake of Marriage Allowance can be found in HMRC’s published tax relief statistics, last updated in January 2026. This is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/tax-reliefs/tax-relief-statistics-january-2026.

The number of Marriage Allowance claimants was estimated at 2,440,000 for the 2023-2024 tax year and the estimated cost is projected to be £590 million for the 2025-2026 tax year. Estimates of the number of claimants are the latest available and reflect only successful claimants up to that point in time and not the anticipated full take up when all backdated claims have been made in future tax years (up to 4 years later).

Data for previous tax years (up to 6 years) on the cost and uptake of Marriage Allowance can be found in the non-structural tax relief statistics, which is available at the following link https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/main-tax-expenditures-and-structural-reliefs/non-structural-tax-relief-statistics-december-2024. This is summarised below.

Tax Year

Cost (£ million)

Number of Claimants

2019–2020

520

2,020,000

2020–2021

560

2,170,000

2021–2022

560

2,280,000

2022–2023

580

2,350,000

2023–2024 (estimated)

580

2,440,000

2024–2025 (estimated)

580

Not stated

HMRC does not produce household-level analysis for Marriage Allowance eligibility.

HMRC’s ongoing communications campaign for Marriage Allowance seeks to raise awareness of the eligibility criteria for the allowance, encourage take-up and educate customers on how to claim. It consists of regular promotional activity throughout the year bolstered by paid-for activity at key times of increased interest or engagement in the allowance for customers.

Lord Livermore
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
3rd Mar 2026
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of the process of providing reimbursements to people who have over paid their tax in the context of the Loan Charge review conducted HMRC.

The Government commissioned an independent review of the loan charge to help bring the matter to a close for people who have not settled and paid their loan charge liabilities. The review identified affordability as a key barrier preventing those individuals from settling and made recommendations to remove this barrier.

In recognition of the unique circumstances, the Government is taking the extraordinary step of relieving people of some of these liabilities.

The Government has no plans to apply the review’s recommendations beyond those individuals and employers with outstanding liabilities that were the focus of the review.

Dan Tomlinson
Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
3rd Mar 2026
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department will offer the same settlement terms from the implementation of the McCann Review to people that have settled with HMRC.

The Government commissioned an independent review of the loan charge to help bring the matter to a close for people who have not settled and paid their loan charge liabilities. The review identified affordability as a key barrier preventing those individuals from settling and made recommendations to remove this barrier.

In recognition of the unique circumstances, the Government is taking the extraordinary step of relieving people of some of these liabilities.

The Government has no plans to apply the review’s recommendations beyond those individuals and employers with outstanding liabilities that were the focus of the review.

Dan Tomlinson
Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
3rd Mar 2026
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department will extend the discount under Loan Charge settlement plan to schemes used before December 2010.

The Government commissioned an independent review of the loan charge to help bring the matter to a close for people who have not settled and paid their loan charge liabilities. The review identified affordability as a key barrier preventing those individuals from settling and made recommendations to remove this barrier.

The Government has no plans to apply the review’s recommendations beyond those individuals and employers with outstanding liabilities that were the focus of the review.

Dan Tomlinson
Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
2nd Mar 2026
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of business support for financial mutuals.

The government is committed to supporting the growth of financial mutuals in line with the manifesto commitment to double the size of the mutuals sector. To deliver this, the Chancellor announced a multi-year programme of measures at Mansion House 2024 which HM Treasury is now delivering.

This included asking the Prudential Regulation Authority and Financial Conduct Authority to produce a report on the current landscape of the sector. This was published in December 2025 and included measures to support the development of financial mutuals, including the FCA’s establishment of their Mutual Societies Development Unit. The government also welcomed the Mutual and Co-operative Sector Business Council and published the Financial Services Growth and Competitiveness Strategy, which will support all organisations in the financial services sector.

For credit unions specifically, the government announced it is pursuing growth-focused reforms to the common bond in Great Britain. This was announced in the Financial Inclusion Strategy in November 2025 and followed a call for evidence on reforms. The government will provide a further update on this work in due course.

Lucy Rigby
Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
2nd Mar 2026
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to reform credit union common bond rules.

The government is committed to supporting the growth of financial mutuals in line with the manifesto commitment to double the size of the mutuals sector. To deliver this, the Chancellor announced a multi-year programme of measures at Mansion House 2024 which HM Treasury is now delivering.

This included asking the Prudential Regulation Authority and Financial Conduct Authority to produce a report on the current landscape of the sector. This was published in December 2025 and included measures to support the development of financial mutuals, including the FCA’s establishment of their Mutual Societies Development Unit. The government also welcomed the Mutual and Co-operative Sector Business Council and published the Financial Services Growth and Competitiveness Strategy, which will support all organisations in the financial services sector.

For credit unions specifically, the government announced it is pursuing growth-focused reforms to the common bond in Great Britain. This was announced in the Financial Inclusion Strategy in November 2025 and followed a call for evidence on reforms. The government will provide a further update on this work in due course.

Lucy Rigby
Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
2nd Mar 2026
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to support the growth of co-operatives in North East Somerset and Hanham constituency.

The government recognises the contribution co-operatives make to local communities, to a diverse business sector and a resilient UK economy. In line with the manifesto commitment to double the size of the co-operatives and mutuals sector, HM Treasury is taking steps to support the growth nationwide, including in North East Somerset and Hanham.

This includes funding the Law Commission’s independent review of the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014, which is exploring options to modernise and update the legislative framework. The review is expected to report in 2026 and the government will carefully consider its findings before responding.

At Mansion House 2024 the Chancellor set out a package of measures to support the growth of the co-operative and mutuals sector. This included welcoming the establishment of the industry-led Mutuals and Co-operative Business Council and asking the PRA and FCA to produce a report on the mutuals landscape. These reports were published in December 2025, and covered co-operatives through the FCA’s role as registering authority.

HM Treasury works with other Government departments on support for co-operatives. This includes on the Department for Business and Trade’s call for evidence on business support for co-operatives, which was launched at Budget 2025 and closed in February 2026. In addition, the Ministry for Housing, Communities, and Local Government has announced the launch of a co-operative development unit as part of its Pride in Place Strategy.

Together, these actions will help support the growth of the co-operative sector in across the UK.

Lucy Rigby
Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
2nd Mar 2026
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to support the growth of co-operatives in the Buckingham and Bletchley constituency.

The government recognises the contribution co-operatives make to local communities, to a diverse business sector and a resilient UK economy. In line with the manifesto commitment to double the size of the co-operatives and mutuals sector, HM Treasury is taking steps to support the growth nationwide, including in Buckingham and Bletchley.

This includes funding the Law Commission’s independent review of the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014, which is exploring options to modernise and update the legislative framework. The review is expected to report in 2026 and the government will carefully consider its findings before responding.

At Mansion House 2024 the Chancellor set out a package of measures to support the growth of the co-operative and mutuals sector. This included welcoming the establishment of the industry-led Mutuals and Co-operative Business Council and asking the PRA and FCA to produce a report on the mutuals landscape. These reports were published in December 2025, and covered co-operatives through the FCA’s role as registering authority.

HM Treasury works with other Government departments on support for co-operatives. This includes on the Department for Business and Trade’s call for evidence on business support for co-operatives, which was launched at Budget 2025 and closed in February 2026. In addition, the Ministry for Housing, Communities, and Local Government has announced the launch of a co-operative development unit as part of its Pride in Place Strategy.

Together, these actions will help support the growth of the co-operative sector in across the UK.

Lucy Rigby
Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)