Asked by: Mike Reader (Labour - Northampton South)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has considered the potential merits of introducing support for food and drink manufacturers.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The Government recognises the important role that food and drink manufacturers play in growing our economy, accounting for £37 billion in Gross Value Added in 2023.
We understand, and are taking seriously, the possible impacts of the conflict in the Middle East on the food sector.
The Government has been meeting, and will continue to meet, with stakeholders to share intelligence, assess emerging pressures, and agree how we can keep our food sector resilient and stable.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Customs Declaration Service and its Bulk Import Reduced Data Set, how many entries were logged under Customs Procedure Code 0020 21V in each year since 2022.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
For the purposes of this answer, “entries” have been interpreted as customs declarations.
The table shows the number of customs declarations logged on the Customs Declaration Service (CDS) under Customs Procedure Code (CPC) 0020 21V, which is used for the Bulk Import Reduced Data Set (BIRDs).
Year | Number of declarations |
2022 | 60,000 |
2023 | 278,000 |
2024 | 368,000 |
2025 | 403,000 |
These figures represent the number of declarations submitted to CDS under CPC 0020 21V only.
It should be noted that the figures are not directly comparable across years. In 2022 and 2023 a substantial proportion of BIRDs declarations were submitted via the legacy CHIEF system, under CPCs 4900003 and 4000003, and are therefore not included in the CDS figures shown above. In 2022 around 21% of BIRDs declarations were submitted via CDS, rising to around 75% in 2023.
The figures also exclude BIRDs declarations submitted using multiple additional procedure codes and therefore do not represent total BIRDs volumes.
Number of customs declarations are rounded to the nearest thousand.
You should note that a BIRDs declaration can cover multiple consignments.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled Decisive action to break influence of gas on electricity prices, published on 21 April 2026, what assessment her has made of the potential impact of the (a) increase of the rate and (b) the duration of the Electricity Generator Levy on household bills.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The government does not expect the increase in the Electricity Generator Levy (EGL) rate from 1 July to increase bills for consumers. The EGL applies only to existing, older renewable generators when wholesale prices are above a benchmark price of £82.61 per MWh. These generators receive larger revenues when wholesale prices rise with gas prices, without commensurate increased costs.
Increasing the EGL will ensure a proportion of any exceptional revenue that generators receive because of the conflict in the Middle East is available to Government to support businesses and households with their cost of living.
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she made of the the potential impact of the economy of poor access to nutrient-dense food in low-income neighbourhoods.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The Government is committed to transforming the food system - making nutritious, locally grown British food more accessible and affordable for all, and supporting people to live healthier lives.Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 20 March 2026 to Question 119948 on Cryptocurrencies, whether her Department holds information on whether the Tether cryptocurrency is being used to make political donations into the UK from abroad.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
HMT Treasury does not collect or hold information on the use of specific cryptoassets in political donations. Oversight of political donations rests with the Electoral Commission.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether HMRC has issued guidance on whether a donation of cryptocurrency to a (a) political party and (b) regulated donee creates a capital gains tax liability for the donor.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
HMRC has not published specific guidance on the donation of cryptoassets to political parties or regulated donees.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will provide a list of training programmes used by civil servants in her department since 2020.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The diverse nature of roles in HM Treasury means training is often provided at team-level rather than being centrally managed. As such, a list of all training courses is not readily available centrally and the information requested cannot be obtained without disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2026 to Question 120381 on Lord Mandelson, whether the Chief Secretary to the Treasury discussed the exit payment with (a) the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and (b) 10 Downing Street.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
I did not have any discussions with the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office or 10 Downing Street on this issue.Asked by: Rebecca Long Bailey (Labour - Salford)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when HMRC last reviewed the overseas subsistence scale rates; what assessment she has made of the potential impact of those rates on employees working abroad, in the context of increases in the cost of food; and whether she plans to bring forward an updated schedule.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
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. Any decisions on future changes in this area will be taken in the context of the wider public finances.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the Valuation Office Agency’s performance in responding to Checks and Challenges to rateable values of non‑domestic properties; and what steps her Department is taking to help speed up that process.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
I refer the hon member to the answer to UIN 126458, tabled on 10 April 2026.