Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what timetable has been set for HMRC to publish updated guidance specifically addressing the treatment of CGT-by-instalments under section 280 of the Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992 in cases involving disposals to Employee Ownership Trusts.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The conditions for making an application to pay Capital Gains Tax by instalments are set out within HMRC’s Capital Gains Manual at CG14910, available at GOV.UK. HMRC has confirmed to the employee ownership sector that this guidance applies to disposals to Employee Ownership Trusts, in the same way as for any other disposal.

A Self-Assessment tax return helpsheet on Employee Ownership Trusts will also be made available on GOV.UK from April 2026. This helpsheet will set out the process for applying to pay tax by instalments following disposals to Employee Ownership Trusts.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether HMRC will publish guidance specifically addressing the application of CGT-by-instalments under section 280 of the Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992 in cases involving disposals to Employee Ownership Trusts.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The conditions for making an application to pay Capital Gains Tax by instalments are set out within HMRC’s Capital Gains Manual at CG14910, available at GOV.UK. HMRC has confirmed to the employee ownership sector that this guidance applies to disposals to Employee Ownership Trusts, in the same way as for any other disposal.

A Self-Assessment tax return helpsheet on Employee Ownership Trusts will also be made available on GOV.UK from April 2026. This helpsheet will set out the process for applying to pay tax by instalments following disposals to Employee Ownership Trusts.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much revenue was raised through business rates from charities operating commercial premises in the North East Combined Authority in 2024/25.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

As Local Authorities are not required to report the business rates revenue they raise from different types of properties, the Government does not hold this data.

More broadly, properties that are wholly or mainly used for a charitable purpose benefit from 80% business rates relief. Local Authorities can, at their discretion, top this up to 100% relief from business rates.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of changes to business rates for the Channel Tunnel from 2025-26 to 2026-27 as a consequence of the (i) business rate revaluation and (ii) surcharge on Rateable Values above £500,000; and whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of those changes on rail investment in Channel Tunnel services.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government cannot comment on the bills of individual ratepayers.

At the Budget, the VOA announced updated property values from the 2026 revaluation. This revaluation is the first since Covid, which has led to significant increases in rateable values for some properties as they recover from the pandemic.

While rateable values have increased, the multipliers rates have decreased, meaning, from April, all ratepayers will face a lower multiplier than they do now, including those paying the high-value multiplier. The Government recognises that this does not necessarily mean a lower bill for everyone which is why, at the Budget, the Government announced a support package worth £4.3 billion over the next three years, including protection for ratepayers seeing their bills increase because of the revaluation.

This support package includes a redesigned transitional relief scheme, which caps bill increases over the next 3 years. Compared to the 2023 transitional relief scheme, the redesigned scheme will provide more support for properties paying higher tax rates (such as the new high-value multiplier), including airports, hotels and key Industrial Strategy properties, who are facing large increases and are important for growth in the UK.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 20 November 2025 to Question 91460 on Airports: Business Rates, if she will publish the revised guidance alongside the draft rating list.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Valuation Office Agency's guidance will be published when the Rating List is compiled on 1 April 2026.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the assessment of the number of estates impacted by the changes to Inheritance Tax on unused pension funds and death benefits (published in the relevant Policy Paper on 21 July 2025) took into consideration the increase in asset values over the coming years.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Most unused pension funds and death benefits payable from a pension will form part of a person’s estate for inheritance tax purposes from 6 April 2027. This removes distortions resulting from changes that have been made to pensions tax policy over the last decade, which have led to some pensions being openly used and marketed as a tax planning vehicle to transfer wealth, rather than as a way to fund retirement. These reforms also remove inconsistencies in the inheritance tax treatment of different types of pensions

The Government will continue to incentivise pension savings for their intended purpose of funding retirement, with ongoing tax reliefs on both contributions into pensions and on the growth of funds held within a pension scheme. Pensions continue to benefit from very significant tax benefits, with gross income tax and National Insurance contributions relief costing £78.2 billion in 2023-24. It is therefore crucial to ensure that tax reliefs on pensions are being used for their intended purpose – to encourage saving for retirement and later life – rather than for passing on wealth free of inheritance tax

Estates will continue to benefit from the normal nil-rate bands, reliefs, and exemptions available. For example, the nil-rate bands mean an estate can pass on up to £1 million with no inheritance tax liability and the general rules mean any transfers, including the payment of death benefits, to a spouse or civil partner are fully exempt from inheritance tax. More than 90 per cent of UK estates will continue to have no inheritance tax liability in 2030-31 following these changes and the reforms will only affect a minority of those with inheritable pension wealth

As is standard practice, the costing and the assessment of the number of estates expected to be impacted by the reforms take account of the forecasts for changes in asset values. For example, pension wealth is grown over time using the equity prices determinant from the Office for Budget Responsibility’s (OBR) economic forecast. The OBR published detailed information on 30 January 2025 and this is available at https://obr.uk/docs/dlm_uploads/IHT-on-pensions-supplementary-release-Jan-2025.pdf.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential risk that changes to Inheritance Tax on unused pension funds and death benefits could discourage private savings for pensions.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Most unused pension funds and death benefits payable from a pension will form part of a person’s estate for inheritance tax purposes from 6 April 2027. This removes distortions resulting from changes that have been made to pensions tax policy over the last decade, which have led to some pensions being openly used and marketed as a tax planning vehicle to transfer wealth, rather than as a way to fund retirement. These reforms also remove inconsistencies in the inheritance tax treatment of different types of pensions

The Government will continue to incentivise pension savings for their intended purpose of funding retirement, with ongoing tax reliefs on both contributions into pensions and on the growth of funds held within a pension scheme. Pensions continue to benefit from very significant tax benefits, with gross income tax and National Insurance contributions relief costing £78.2 billion in 2023-24. It is therefore crucial to ensure that tax reliefs on pensions are being used for their intended purpose – to encourage saving for retirement and later life – rather than for passing on wealth free of inheritance tax

Estates will continue to benefit from the normal nil-rate bands, reliefs, and exemptions available. For example, the nil-rate bands mean an estate can pass on up to £1 million with no inheritance tax liability and the general rules mean any transfers, including the payment of death benefits, to a spouse or civil partner are fully exempt from inheritance tax. More than 90 per cent of UK estates will continue to have no inheritance tax liability in 2030-31 following these changes and the reforms will only affect a minority of those with inheritable pension wealth

As is standard practice, the costing and the assessment of the number of estates expected to be impacted by the reforms take account of the forecasts for changes in asset values. For example, pension wealth is grown over time using the equity prices determinant from the Office for Budget Responsibility’s (OBR) economic forecast. The OBR published detailed information on 30 January 2025 and this is available at https://obr.uk/docs/dlm_uploads/IHT-on-pensions-supplementary-release-Jan-2025.pdf.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has made an estimate of the potential impact on the revenue differential to the Treasury if Class 1 National Insurance Contributions calculations matched those of income tax.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

This would be a significant change, as National Insurance contributions (NICs) and Income Tax work quite differently at present.

NICs are charged on earnings on a per-employment, per-pay period basis, whereas Income Tax is an annual tax, and takes into account an individual’s total, cumulative earnings over the year. NICs also come with specific benefits e.g. State Pension, Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA), Maternity Allowance, and Bereavement benefits. This is in line with NICs’ role as a social security contribution, into which contributions are made from people’s earnings while in work to support them when they are out of work. NICs are currently not payable by those over State Pension age. As such, amalgamating NICs into, or even bringing them closer into line with, income tax would come with major transitional costs and considerations

The Office of Tax Simplification (OTS) considered this in 2016 in its report on 'Closer alignment of Income Tax and National Insurance', which sets out their analysis on the range of challenges that would need to be taken into consideration before proceeding with such a radical reform as well as indications of potential winners and losers from closer alignment.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of aligning National Insurance Contributions (NICs) earnings periods with those of income tax.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

This would be a significant change, as National Insurance contributions (NICs) and Income Tax work quite differently at present.

NICs are charged on earnings on a per-employment, per-pay period basis, whereas Income Tax is an annual tax, and takes into account an individual’s total, cumulative earnings over the year. NICs also come with specific benefits e.g. State Pension, Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA), Maternity Allowance, and Bereavement benefits. This is in line with NICs’ role as a social security contribution, into which contributions are made from people’s earnings while in work to support them when they are out of work. NICs are currently not payable by those over State Pension age. As such, amalgamating NICs into, or even bringing them closer into line with, income tax would come with major transitional costs and considerations

The Office of Tax Simplification (OTS) considered this in 2016 in its report on 'Closer alignment of Income Tax and National Insurance', which sets out their analysis on the range of challenges that would need to be taken into consideration before proceeding with such a radical reform as well as indications of potential winners and losers from closer alignment.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the Finance Bill's requirement for conveyancers submitting Stamp Duty Land Tax returns on behalf of clients to register as 'tax advisers' on costs for consumers.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The government has consulted extensively with stakeholders about plans to require the registration of tax advisers who interact with HMRC on behalf of their clients.

This includes the 2024 consultation ‘Raising standards in the tax advice market: strengthening the regulatory framework and improving registration’ and a technical consultation on draft legislation published in summer 2025.

HMRC will continue to work with the industry ahead of implementation and consider concerns raised by stakeholder groups, including conveyancers.

HMRC has released a tax information and impact note on GOV.UK. The note details how the measure is expected to affect businesses that provide professional tax services and interact with HMRC on behalf of their clients.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mandatory-tax-adviser-registration-with-hmrc/tax-advisers-to-register-with-hmrc-and-meet-minimum-standards

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what consideration has been given to the potential risk that the Finance Bill's requirement for conveyancers submitting Stamp Duty Land Tax returns on behalf of clients to register as 'tax advisers' may mislead consumers to assume their conveyancer or solicitor is providing full tax advice, which they are not authorised to give.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Guidance on whether you need to register as a tax adviser is available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/check-if-and-when-you-need-to-register-as-a-tax-adviser-with-hmrc

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she will take to address the tax disparity that sees employing hairdressing salons pay 123% more tax than self-employed hairdressing salons for the same turnover.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government recognises the vital role that hairdressing salons play in communities and the wider economy.

An individual's employment status is determined by the facts and circumstances of the engagement between the worker and engager. This is based on case law. The Government recognises that firms in the hair and beauty sector operate under different business models.

The Government has taken steps to support small businesses. To protect the smallest businesses from changes to employer National Insurance Contributions (NICs) made at Autumn Budget 2024, the Government increased the Employment Allowance from £5,000 to £10,500. This means that this year, 865,000 employers will pay no NICs at all, and more than half of all employers will either gain or will see no change.

The Government is also supporting small businesses to grow. At Budget, the Government announced the extension of Small Business Rates Relief (SBRR) so that businesses opening second premises can retain their SBRR for three years, tripling the current allowance.

The Government keeps all areas of the tax system under review. Any changes to the tax system are announced as part of the annual Budget process.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to ensure that national investment strategies in [i] skills [ii] transport and [iii] infrastructure are at comparable levels between mayoral combined authorities and non mayoral combined authorities.

Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

The government recognises the importance of ensuring that all areas have strategies in place, and can drive forward improvements in transport, skills and infrastructure. Areas not part of a combined authority still receive investment in skills, transport and infrastructure, and are required to produce the relevant strategies.

In addition, for those areas which want greater devolution without being part of a Combined Authority, the government has invited them to bring forward with their neighbours an expression of interest for a Foundation Strategic Authority.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will conduct an assessment of national investment strategies in [i] skills [ii] transport and [iii] infrastructure for Leicestershire, Leicester and Rutland to ensure comparability with mayoral combined authorities.

Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

The government recognises the importance of ensuring that all areas have strategies in place, and can drive forward improvements in transport, skills and infrastructure. Areas not part of a combined authority still receive investment in skills, transport and infrastructure, and are required to produce the relevant strategies.

In addition, for those areas which want greater devolution without being part of a Combined Authority, the government has invited them to bring forward with their neighbours an expression of interest for a Foundation Strategic Authority.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase capability, transparency and value for money in public sector expenditure.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

This Government is committed to ensuring that every penny of public money is spent wisely, driving out low value spending and ensuring the state becomes more productive.

At Spending Review 2025, the Government announced that it would deliver total annual efficiency gains of almost £14 billion by 2028-29. It published departments’ efficiency targets and plans, allowing external scrutiny and public accountability.

At the Budget in November 2025, the Government committed to going further on efficiency and savings by delivering an additional £2.8 billion savings in 2028-29 and £5 billion by 2030-31. Alongside this, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury is leading a suite of reviews to drive value for money across government spending.

The Government has recently published an updated Green Book, the UK government guidance on appraisal and value for money. It has also started to publish business cases for major projects, meaning the public can be confident that taxpayers’ money is being spent on projects that deliver best possible value.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Livermore on 26 February 2025 (HL5095), what arrangements they are making for the review of the Sovereign Grant this year; and when they plan to bring forward the legislation to implement the reduction of the Sovereign Grant from financial year 2027-28.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

As required by the Sovereign Grant Act 2011, the next review of the Sovereign Grant will take place this year. In addition, the Government has committed to bring forward legislation to reset the Grant to a lower level from 2027-28 once Buckingham Palace reservicing works are completed.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of consumer protections for motorists who are unknowingly diverted from their insurers to claims management companies following road traffic accidents; and whether she has had discussions with the Financial Conduct Authority on closing regulatory gaps that allow misleading advertising and lead-generation practices in the accident management sector.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government expects motorists to be treated fairly when making insurance claims. FCA rules require that insurer’s communications with consumers, including during the claims process, are clear, fair and not misleading. The process by which customers are referred outside their primary insurer—such as to accident management companies—is already subject to FCA regulation.

The FCA, working with other regulators, has taken coordinated action against misleading advertising and poor practices by some Claims Management Companies operating in this area. Treasury Ministers meet the FCA regularly to discuss issues across the full range of its responsibilities.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has had any discussions with the Financial Conduct Authority regarding the valuation transparency of BrewDog's Equity for Punks scheme.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The government does not comment on individual firms’ commercial activities.

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 to make it simpler and more effective. This new regime took effect on 19 January 2026, and will give 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.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the regulatory framework for UK-based online equity crowdfunding platforms.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The government does not comment on individual firms’ commercial activities.

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 to make it simpler and more effective. This new regime took effect on 19 January 2026, and will give 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.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what consideration her Department gave to transition arrangements for UK citizens living abroad who have been making voluntary Class 2 National Insurance contributions but have not yet qualified for a full State Pension.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

The changes to voluntary National Insurance contributions policy announced at Budget retain routes for individuals living outside of the UK to fill gaps in their NI records by paying Class 3 NICs, which allows individuals to continue to build entitlement to the UK State Pension.

This includes transitional arrangements for existing voluntary Class 2 and 3 customers to not be subject to the new 10-year qualifying conditions.

The removal of access to voluntary Class 2 NICs applies for the 2026/27 tax year onwards, and does not affect the ability of any customer to pay voluntary Class 2 NICs for periods abroad prior to 6 April 2026.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to extend recent business rates support for pubs to other types of hospitality venues.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government has announced a £4.3 billion business rates support package to protect ratepayers across all sectors seeing large bill increases. This includes an expanded supporting small business scheme to support ratepayers losing retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) relief in April 2026.

In addition, the Government is introducing permanently lower tax multipliers for eligible RHL properties. These are worth almost £1 billion per year, and will benefit over 750,000 properties.

On top of this, pubs and live music venues will also benefit from 15% off their new business rates bills, ahead of their bills being frozen in real terms for a further two years.

As a result, over half of ratepayers will see no bill increases next year, including 23% seeing their bills go down. Government support also means that most properties seeing increases will see them capped at 15% or less next year, or £800 for the smallest properties.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to help support greater transparency in the fees associated with accepting card payments.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government recognises the importance of ensuring that the cost of accepting payments, including cards, is fair to all parties, and that our payment systems work for all.

The Payment Systems Regulator (PSR), the UK’s economic regulator for payments, has recently concluded two market reviews into card fees to assess if increases in prices are fair and reflect a market that is operating well. The PSR is now considering its next steps, including remedies designed to increase the transparency of scheme and processing fees.

https://www.psr.org.uk/our-work/market-reviews/

There are a number of fees that can be placed on merchants, including interchange fees which are governed by the Interchange Fee Regulations 2015 (IFR). The IFR caps the fees that are paid by a merchant (or trader) to the card user’s bank. The caps are currently set at 0.2% for every transaction using a debit card, and 0.3% for credit card transactions.

The Government is also committed to ensuring that payment options remain affordable and accessible for small businesses, including through measures that promote competition and reduce unnecessary costs. The National Payments Vision, published in November 2024, sets out the Government’s ambitions for a trusted, world-leading payments ecosystem delivered on next generation technology, where consumers and businesses have a choice of payment methods to meet their needs.

This included the ambition for seamless account-to-account payments to be developed as a ubiquitous payment method – enabling consumers to pay digitally for goods and services in shops and online, without using a card. This would provide greater choice to consumers and merchants in how they make and receive payments, which in turn is likely to spur innovation and downward competitive pressure on the cost of payments.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to support competition in the payments market to reduce fees for small businesses.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government recognises the importance of ensuring that the cost of accepting payments, including cards, is fair to all parties, and that our payment systems work for all.

The Payment Systems Regulator (PSR), the UK’s economic regulator for payments, has recently concluded two market reviews into card fees to assess if increases in prices are fair and reflect a market that is operating well. The PSR is now considering its next steps, including remedies designed to increase the transparency of scheme and processing fees.

https://www.psr.org.uk/our-work/market-reviews/

There are a number of fees that can be placed on merchants, including interchange fees which are governed by the Interchange Fee Regulations 2015 (IFR). The IFR caps the fees that are paid by a merchant (or trader) to the card user’s bank. The caps are currently set at 0.2% for every transaction using a debit card, and 0.3% for credit card transactions.

The Government is also committed to ensuring that payment options remain affordable and accessible for small businesses, including through measures that promote competition and reduce unnecessary costs. The National Payments Vision, published in November 2024, sets out the Government’s ambitions for a trusted, world-leading payments ecosystem delivered on next generation technology, where consumers and businesses have a choice of payment methods to meet their needs.

This included the ambition for seamless account-to-account payments to be developed as a ubiquitous payment method – enabling consumers to pay digitally for goods and services in shops and online, without using a card. This would provide greater choice to consumers and merchants in how they make and receive payments, which in turn is likely to spur innovation and downward competitive pressure on the cost of payments.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what she is doing to reduce the cost of accepting payments for small businesses.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government recognises the importance of ensuring that the cost of accepting payments, including cards, is fair to all parties, and that our payment systems work for all.

The Payment Systems Regulator (PSR), the UK’s economic regulator for payments, has recently concluded two market reviews into card fees to assess if increases in prices are fair and reflect a market that is operating well. The PSR is now considering its next steps, including remedies designed to increase the transparency of scheme and processing fees.

https://www.psr.org.uk/our-work/market-reviews/

There are a number of fees that can be placed on merchants, including interchange fees which are governed by the Interchange Fee Regulations 2015 (IFR). The IFR caps the fees that are paid by a merchant (or trader) to the card user’s bank. The caps are currently set at 0.2% for every transaction using a debit card, and 0.3% for credit card transactions.

The Government is also committed to ensuring that payment options remain affordable and accessible for small businesses, including through measures that promote competition and reduce unnecessary costs. The National Payments Vision, published in November 2024, sets out the Government’s ambitions for a trusted, world-leading payments ecosystem delivered on next generation technology, where consumers and businesses have a choice of payment methods to meet their needs.

This included the ambition for seamless account-to-account payments to be developed as a ubiquitous payment method – enabling consumers to pay digitally for goods and services in shops and online, without using a card. This would provide greater choice to consumers and merchants in how they make and receive payments, which in turn is likely to spur innovation and downward competitive pressure on the cost of payments.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the administrative costs to charities caused by the current manual Gift Aid process, including the time and resources spent correcting errors and navigating rules.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

HMRC has worked collaboratively with a broad range of charity sector stakeholders to explore the potential of Future of Gift Aid (FOGA). This work included extensive research and analysis of the implications of FOGA and the effectiveness of the existing Gift Aid system.

HMRC has not made a formal quantitative assessment of the administrative costs to charities arising from the current Gift Aid process. HMRC will continue to engage with the charities sector to improve the way that Gift Aid works through the use of digital technology.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions she has had with HMRC regarding the Future of Gift Aid pilot, and what assessment has been made of its potential impact on the charity sector.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

HMRC has worked collaboratively with a broad range of charity sector stakeholders to explore the potential of Future of Gift Aid (FOGA). This work included extensive research and analysis of the implications of FOGA and the effectiveness of the existing Gift Aid system.

HMRC has not made a formal quantitative assessment of the administrative costs to charities arising from the current Gift Aid process. HMRC will continue to engage with the charities sector to improve the way that Gift Aid works through the use of digital technology.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the annual cost to (1) the hospitality sector, and (2) the retail sector, of the changes to employers' national insurance contributions made at the 2024 Budget.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

A Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) was published alongside the introduction of the Bill containing the changes to employer National Insurance contributions (NICs). The TIIN sets out the impact of the policy on the exchequer, the economic impacts of the policy, and the impacts on individuals, businesses, and civil society organisations, as well as an overview of the equality impacts. The TIIN is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/changes-to-the-class-1-national-insurance-contributions-secondary-threshold-the-secondary-class-1-national-insurance-contributions-rate-and-the-empl

The Government decided to protect the smallest businesses from the changes to employer NICs by increasing the Employment Allowance from £5,000 to £10,500. This means that this tax year, 865,000 employers will pay no NICs at all, and more than half of all employers will either gain or will see no change.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the merits of proposals to cut VAT for hospitality businesses to 10 per cent.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government recognises the significant contribution made by hospitality businesses to economic growth and social life in the UK.

VAT is the UK’s third largest tax, forecast to raise £180 billion in 2025/26. Tax breaks reduce the revenue available for vital public services and must represent value for money for the taxpayer.

HMRC estimates that the cost of reducing the 20 per cent Standard Rate of VAT on all accommodation and food and beverage services to 10 per cent would be in 2026-27 £10.5 billion.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government when they plan to open the public consultation on the proposed High Value Council Tax Surcharge.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government will consult on the High Value Council Tax Surcharge in due course.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether funding allocated to the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme in England is treated as comparable expenditure for the purposes of calculating Barnett consequentials for Scotland.

Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

Yes - funding allocated to the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme in England is treated as comparable expenditure for the purposes of calculating Barnett consequentials for Scotland.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if will list the Barnett consequentials received by the Northern Ireland Executive as a result of UK Government policy decisions on (a) energy, (b) fuel poverty, and (c) household energy support by (i) policy decision, (ii) funding stream, (iii) amount, (iv) date received and (iv) conditions in each of the last five years.

Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

The Block Grant Transparency publication breaks down all changes in the Northern Ireland Executives block grant funding from the 2015 Spending Review up to and including Spending Review 2025.

The most recent report was published in October 2025:

Block Grant Transparency: October 2025 - GOV.UK

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Budget Information Security Review, published on 9 February 2026, whether monitoring and recording of access to documents classified as Budget - Market Sensitive will include Ministers.

Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

Yes.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to support the hospitality sector in Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government recognises the important role the hospitality sector plays both in terms of its economic contribution but also to our culture.

That is why we are delivering a long overdue reform to rebalance the business rates system and support the high street businesses, as promised in our manifesto. We are introducing new permanently lower tax rates for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) properties which are worth nearly £900 million per year and will benefit over 750,000 properties.

This Government has worked closely with the hospitality sector. We announced the first National Licensing Policy Framework and are working to ensure local authorities apply it consistently to ease licensing decisions ‘on the ground’. We have extended opening hours for Home Nations games in the later stages of the Men’s Football World Cup. We will also legislate to increase the number of Temporary Events Notices venues can hold, helping them screen further national moments and host community and cultural events.

In addition, we are more than doubling the Hospitality Support Fund to £10 over three years, ending upward-only rent review clauses and introducing a strong Community Right to Buy.

We will continue to work with the hospitality sector to develop a new cross-government High Streets Strategy to help businesses in Harpenden and Berkhamsted, and across the country, to remain the centre of local communities.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she plans to include refineries in the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism from January 2028.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

As announced at Budget 2025, the government is considering the feasibility and impacts of including refined products in the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) in future.

The government recognises the role that refineries play in energy security and the UK’s industrial base. The Government published a call for evidence (https://www.gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/future-of-the-uk-downstream-oil-sector/future-of-the-uk-downstream-oil-sector-call-for-evidence) on the future of the fuel sector on 23^rd February 2026 in order to help understand the current state of the refining sector.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussion she has had with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport about the financial burden on charities arising from VAT on social media advertising.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption and the 20 per cent standard rate applies to most goods and services. VAT is the UK’s third largest tax, forecast to raise £180 billion in 2025/26. Taxation is a vital source of revenue that helps to fund vital public services including schools and hospitals.

Charities already benefit from a reduced (5%) or zero rate of tax when purchasing some goods and services. More information about VAT relief for charities can be found here: VAT for charities: What qualifies for VAT relief - GOV.UK. The Government has no plans to broaden this list of goods and services to include social media advertising, but takes steps elsewhere in the tax system to ensure that charities receive treatment that takes account of their unique status and invaluable contribution.

Our tax regime for charities, including gift aid and an exemption from paying business rates, is among the most generous of anywhere in the world, with tax reliefs for charities and their donors worth just over £6 billion for the tax year to April 2024.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on updating VAT guidance to recognise social media advertising as qualifying zero rated charity advertising.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption and the 20 per cent standard rate applies to most goods and services. VAT is the UK’s third largest tax, forecast to raise £180 billion in 2025/26. Taxation is a vital source of revenue that helps to fund vital public services including schools and hospitals.

Charities already benefit from a reduced (5%) or zero rate of tax when purchasing some goods and services. More information about VAT relief for charities can be found here: VAT for charities: What qualifies for VAT relief - GOV.UK. The Government has no plans to broaden this list of goods and services to include social media advertising, but takes steps elsewhere in the tax system to ensure that charities receive treatment that takes account of their unique status and invaluable contribution.

Our tax regime for charities, including gift aid and an exemption from paying business rates, is among the most generous of anywhere in the world, with tax reliefs for charities and their donors worth just over £6 billion for the tax year to April 2024.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 5 February 2026 to Question 109630 on Council tax: Valuation, what the completion date is for the Council tax valuation operating system; and whether it will be used to assist the (a) council tax revaluation in Wales and (b) council tax surcharge in England.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Valuation Operating System for Council Tax was launched in 2025 and supports all Council Tax work in England and Wales, including the High Value Council Tax Surcharge

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 88 of the UK Government Resilience Action Plan, how many meetings Ministers in their Department have attended related to the Home Defence Programme.

Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

The Chancellor of the Exchequer has regular discussions with officials, external experts and ministerial colleagues on a range of issues, including national security, defence and resilience. This includes attending and speaking at public and sector events.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many businesses were referred to HMRC because they had outstanding supplementary declarations and or post-movement Internal Market Movement Information (IMMI) or their account, during: i) June 2025, ii) July 2025, iii) August 2025, iv) September 2025, v) October 2025, vi) November 2025, vii) December 2025, viii) January 2026 and ix) February 2026.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

HMRC does not routinely share compliance data where its disclosure may undermine current or future enforcement action.

HMRC takes a risk and intelligence-based approach to enforcement of trade obligations relating to the movement of goods.

Since the introduction of the arrangements concerning goods movements into and out of Northern Ireland, HMRC has worked closely with the Trader Support Service (TSS) to ensure that traders understand their obligations, are offered support to meet them, and that proportionate steps are taken to enforce their compliance.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of the cost of extending business rates relief beyond 31 March 2026 for premises used for community sport; and whether she has considered a sector-specific relief for grassroots sports clubs.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Currently, properties which are wholly or mainly used for charitable purposes, including community amateur sports clubs, are eligible for charitable relief, which provides businesses with up to 80% off their business rates bills. Provision of further relief to charitable properties is at the discretion of local authorities.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many UK citizens living abroad were making voluntary Class 2 National Insurance contributions in each of the last five years.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

A population estimate for the number of individuals who pay voluntary class 2 National Insurance contributions abroad is being published on the 12 March 2026, in the Tax Information and Impact note for the Voluntary National Insurance contributions abroad changes announced at Budget 2025.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if her Department will take steps to ensure that independent gyms and leisure businesses are provided with comparable business rates relief to pubs and other hospitality sectors.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government has defined in guidance which properties will be eligible for the relief announced on 27^th January 2026 based on definitions used previously in the business rates system. Individual Local Authorities will need to determine which properties meet these definitions. Some comedy clubs may be eligible for the relief, depending on their specific circumstances.

Properties that are not eligible for this support will still benefit from the wider business rate support package announced at the Budget, worth £4.3 billion over the next three years. The Government is also introducing new permanently lower multipliers for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure properties, which includes comedy venues, gyms and leisure businesses open to the public and with rateable values below £500,000. As a result, over half of ratepayers will see no bill increases, including 23% seeing their bills go down next year. This also means most properties seeing increases will see them capped at 15% or less next year, or £800 for the smallest.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she plans to make comedy venues eligible for the 15% business rates relief.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government has defined in guidance which properties will be eligible for the relief announced on 27^th January 2026 based on definitions used previously in the business rates system. Individual Local Authorities will need to determine which properties meet these definitions. Some comedy clubs may be eligible for the relief, depending on their specific circumstances.

Properties that are not eligible for this support will still benefit from the wider business rate support package announced at the Budget, worth £4.3 billion over the next three years. The Government is also introducing new permanently lower multipliers for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure properties, which includes comedy venues, gyms and leisure businesses open to the public and with rateable values below £500,000. As a result, over half of ratepayers will see no bill increases, including 23% seeing their bills go down next year. This also means most properties seeing increases will see them capped at 15% or less next year, or £800 for the smallest.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, (a) what the current average processing time is for HMRC overpayment relief claims; and (b) what steps her Department are taking to reduce times in processing those claims.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

HMRC recognises that payments to customers are important, therefore claims are processed as priority post. HMRC aims to process 80% of priority post received within 15 working days.

Customer correspondence performance is reported monthly and quarterly through HMRC’s published performance updates at: www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmrc-quarterly-performance-updates.

HMRC continues to invest in automation and to review their internal processes to ensure overpayments relief claims are issued in a timely manner.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of Making Tax Digital for Income Tax on self-employed childminders.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Childminders make a significant contribution to children’s development, learning, and wellbeing. The Government has eased rules on working from schools and community centres and increased early years funding rates above 2023 average fees. These increases reflect increased costs, and from April 2026, local authorities must pass at least 97 per cent of funding to providers.

Only a small proportion of childminders with qualifying income over £50,000 will be mandated into Making Tax Digital (MTD) for income tax from April 2026. Childminders moving to MTD for income tax can continue to claim tax relief for household costs, wear and tear of household items and furniture, and food and drink, by deducting actual business costs. This ensures childminders receive tax relief for all of the costs that they incur in relation to their childminding business.

The Government will monitor the impact of MTD for income tax on childminders and other home-based childcare providers in the same way as it will for all sole traders moving to MTD for income tax.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to Question 115946 on Students: Loans, whether her Department holds the data requested on the number and proportion of people with Plan 2 student loans who had an effective marginal deduction rate of at least (a) 51 per cent and (b) 71 per cent in the 2024–25 tax year as a result of the combined effects of Income Tax, employee National Insurance contributions and Plan 2 student loan repayments.

Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

Producing an answer to this question would be a significant analytical task at disproportionate cost.

We will continue to keep the terms of the system under review to ensure the system protects taxpayers and students now and in the future.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 17 July 2025 to 67306, what proportion of NWF's portfolio outside of London and the South-East is located in (a) the rest of England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland.

Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

The National Wealth Fund (NWF) identifies investment opportunities across the UK and has dedicated directors in each of the four nations to support its view of markets across the country.

Information on the geographic spread of NWF investments can be found in their 2025 Impact Report available on their website.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 12 February 2026 to Question 111451, whether her Department has undertaken a comparative assessment of changes to aviation passenger taxes in other European countries, including recent reductions in such taxes in Sweden and Germany; and what assessment she has made of the impact on the competitiveness of UK airports of (a) recent increases in Air Passenger Duty and (b) increases in business rates affecting the aviation sector.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The government is committed to the long-term future of the aviation sector in the UK and recognises the benefits of the connectivity it creates between the UK and the rest of the world.

The Government is clear that APD is an appropriate tax that ensures airlines make a fair contribution to the public finances, particularly given that tickets are VAT free and aviation fuel incurs no duty. The Chancellor makes decisions on tax policy at fiscal events, including with regards to the international context

The government introduced a transitional relief scheme to support all businesses, which airports will benefit from. We have also published a Call for Evidence exploring concerns airports have raised around the 'Receipts and Expenditure' valuation methodology and its impact on long-term investment.

To provide long term predictability and stability for the sector, the Government has published a Call for Evidence exploring concerns airports and a small number of other ratepayers have raised around the ‘Receipts & Expenditure’ valuation methodology and its impacts on long-term, high value investments. Through this call for evidence, the government will seek to address issues raised ahead of the 2029 revaluation.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many outstanding cases of people facing the Loan Charge she expects will be settled as a result of the McCann review.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

At Budget 2024 the Government announced a new independent review of the loan charge. The purpose of the review was to 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 gone further in supporting people on the lowest incomes by providing an additional £5,000 deduction for those in scope of the review. This entirely removes approximately 10,000 individuals from the charge and reduces liabilities for the vast majority. Most others will see their liabilities reduced by at least half.

Under the review recommendations, an individual earning £30,000 who used a disguised remuneration scheme for three years would have their liability reduced by 66 percent. Under the Government’s plans, they will instead see 89 percent written off. It represents the Government’s attempt to provide a fair route to resolution for those who have not settled with HMRC. In turn, those people need to come forward and engage with HMRC in good faith.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the value for money to the taxpayer of the Loan Charge.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

At Budget 2024 the Government announced a new independent review of the loan charge. The purpose of the review was to 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 gone further in supporting people on the lowest incomes by providing an additional £5,000 deduction for those in scope of the review. This entirely removes approximately 10,000 individuals from the charge and reduces liabilities for the vast majority. Most others will see their liabilities reduced by at least half.

Under the review recommendations, an individual earning £30,000 who used a disguised remuneration scheme for three years would have their liability reduced by 66 percent. Under the Government’s plans, they will instead see 89 percent written off. It represents the Government’s attempt to provide a fair route to resolution for those who have not settled with HMRC. In turn, those people need to come forward and engage with HMRC in good faith.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will provide an itemised list of import and exports of (a) Crayfish and Lobster and (b) Fish products from Tristan Da Cunha.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

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 imports and exports information monthly, as an Accredited Official Statistic called the Overseas Trade in Goods Statistics (OTS), which is available via their dedicated website (www.uktradeinfo.com).

From this website, it is possible to build your own data tables based upon bespoke search criteria. To use the tables, you will need the commodity codes for crayfish, lobster and fish products. These codes are publicly available from the UK Trade Tariff at https://www.gov.uk/trade-tariff. Lobster and crayfish are classified to Chapter 03 of the Tariff and fish products are classified within Chapter 16.

The data on the website will, within limitations, tell you the total value of imports of these products into the UK. It includes value and weight (kg) of imports and exports. However, it will not identify individual items as this could identify individual importers or exporters. This would be in conflict with Section 18 of the Commissioners for Revenue and Customs Act 2005 (CRCA). CRCA restricts the information that HMRC may disclose publicly on persons making imports and exports.

It will not be possible to distinguish imports and exports specifically from or to Tristan Da Cunha because for trade statistics purposes the territory of “Tristan Da Cunha” is included and grouped together with imports from and exports to Saint Helena, Tristan Da Cunha and other islands in this area.

If you need help or support in constructing a table from the data on uktradeinfo, please contact uktradeinfo@hmrc.gov.uk.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will provide an itemised list of imports and exports of (a) coffee and (b) fish and fish products from Saint Helena.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

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 imports and exports information monthly, as an Accredited Official Statistic called the Overseas Trade in Goods Statistics (OTS), which is available via their dedicated website (www.uktradeinfo.com).

From this website, it is possible to build your own data tables based upon bespoke search criteria. To use the tables, you will need the commodity codes for coffee, fish and fish products. These codes are publicly available from the UK Trade Tariff at https://www.gov.uk/trade-tariff. Coffee is classified to Chapter 09 of the Tariff, fish are classified to Chapter 03 and fish products are classified within Chapter 16.

The data on the website will, within limitations, tell you the total value of imports and exports of these products into and out of the UK. It includes the value and weight (kg) of imports and exports. However, it will not identify individual items as this could identify individual importers or exporters. This would be in conflict with Section 18 of the Commissioners for Revenue and Customs Act 2005 (CRCA). CRCA restricts the information that HMRC may disclose publicly on persons making imports and exports.

It will not be possible to distinguish imports and exports specifically from or to Saint Helena because for trade statistics purposes the territory of “St Helena” includes imports from and exports to Saint Helena, Tristan da Cunha and other islands in this area.

If you need help or support in constructing a table from the data on uktradeinfo, please contact uktradeinfo@hmrc.gov.uk.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will provide an itemised list of exports of (a) fish and fisheries, (b) wool and (c) meat products from the Falkland Islands.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is responsible for the collection and publication of data on imports and exports of goods to and from the UK which includes data on imports of fish and fisheries products, wool and meat products from the Falkland Islands. 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 (www.uktradeinfo.com).

From this website, it is possible to build your own data tables based upon bespoke search criteria. To use the tables, you will need the commodity codes for fish, fisheries products, wool and meat products. These codes are publicly available from the UK Trade Tariff at https://www.gov.uk/trade-tariff . Fish are classified within Chapter 03 of the Tariff, wool is found within Chapter 51 and fisheries and meat products within Chapter 16.

The data on the website will, within limitations, tell you the total value of imports of these products into the UK from the Falklands Islands. It includes value and weight (kg) of imports. However, it will not identify individual items as this could identify individual importers. This would be in conflict with Section 18 of the Commissioners for Revenue and Customs Act 2005 (CRCA). CRCA restricts the information that HMRC may disclose publicly on persons making imports and exports.

If you need help or support in constructing a table from the data on uktradeinfo, please contact uktradeinfo@hmrc.gov.uk.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of the change in business rates liability for the further education college sector in 2026/7 relative to 2024/5.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

At the Budget, the VOA announced updated property values from the 2026 revaluation. This revaluation is the first since the pandemic, which has led to significant increases in rateable values for some properties as they recover from the pandemic.

In recognition of the impact of the revaluation on bills, the Government introduced a support package worth £4.3 billion, to protect against ratepayers seeing large overnight increases in bills. As a result, over half of ratepayers will see no bill increases, including 23% seeing their bills go down next year. This also means most properties seeing increases will see them capped at 15% or less next year, or £800 for the smallest.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the business rates model on rural pubs that have been rescued and are operated by volunteers in local communities; and what steps she is taking to ensure that non‑viable pubs, kept open because of the efforts of volunteers to preserve them, are not taxed for volunteering.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government has announced a £4.3 billion business rates support package to protect ratepayers from large overnight increases in bills.

In addition, the Government is introducing permanently lower multipliers for eligible RHL properties. These are worth almost £1 billion per year, and will benefit over 750,000 properties.

On top of this, pubs and live music venues will also benefit from 15% off their new business rates bills, ahead of their bills being frozen in real terms for a further two years. Three-quarters of pubs will see bills flat or falling in April. The new relief is worth £1,650 for the average pub next year. As a sector pubs will pay 8% less in business rates in 2029 than they do right now.

Pubs in rural areas may also benefit from either Rural Rate Relief or Small Business Rate Relief (SBRR). Rural Rate Relief aims to ensure that key amenities are available and community assets are protected in rural areas. It provides 100% rate relief for properties that are based in eligible rural areas with populations below 3,000. Around a third of properties in England pay no business rates because of SBRR.

The Government will also launch a review which will explore how pubs are valued for business rates.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 5 February 2026 to Question 109632 on Council tax: Valuation, what (a) geographical tools and (b) datasets are accessible within the new Valuation Office Agency Valuation Operating System.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the VAT treatment of heat batteries.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Installations of qualifying energy-saving materials or ‘ESMs’ in residential accommodation and buildings used solely for a charitable purpose benefit from a VAT zero-rate until March 2027.

We constantly evaluate whether to add ESMs, including heat batteries, to this relief. Any decisions would be announced by the Chancellor at a fiscal event, having assessed any change against the context of the overall public finances.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of tax changes on high street businesses in Newbury.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government has announced a support package worth £4.3bn to support high street businesses with their business bills, including new, permanently lower multipliers for eligible retail, hospitality, and leisure businesses.

Every pub and live music venue will also get 15% off its new bill.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of supporting the UN Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The UK is committed to ensuring inclusive and effective international tax cooperation, and has been actively engaging in negotiations at the UN over a future Framework Convention.

The UK believes a UN Tax Framework Convention has the potential to further advance international tax cooperation, but to be successful, it needs to be clear in its aims, avoid duplicating initiatives, and seek to secure the broad support and participation of members.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of the number of people subject to the loan charge who will have their cases settled following the independent review of the loan charge.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government accepted all but one of the independent review’s recommendations and in some cases we are going further. We are legislating a generous new settlement opportunity that will help those who have not yet settled to do so.

Most individuals could see reductions of at least 50% in their outstanding loan charge liabilities, and an estimated 30% of individuals could have these liabilities written off entirely.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of the number of people subject to the loan charge who will have their cases settled following the independent review of the loan charge.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government accepted all but one of the independent review’s recommendations and in some cases we are going further. We are legislating a generous new settlement opportunity that will help those who have not yet settled to do so.

Most individuals could see reductions of at least 50% in their outstanding loan charge liabilities, and an estimated 30% of individuals could have these liabilities written off entirely.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what fiscal steps her Department is taking to help increase productivity.

Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

Since the General Election, productivity has risen by more than twice as much as it did in the whole of the last Parliament. The Government has increased capital spending by an additional £120 billion - the highest level in four decades – delivering major new investment in transport, housing, energy and R&D. Departments are set to deliver nearly £14 billion of efficiency savings by 2028-29.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of taxation levels in each of the next five years.

Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

The Office for Budget Responsibility produce forecasts of future tax receipts as part of its Economic and Fiscal Outlook. The latest Economic and Fiscal outlook was published at the Spring Forecast and it included forecast tax receipts for the next five years.

Question to the HM Treasury:

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.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

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.

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.

Question to the HM Treasury:

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.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

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.

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.

Question to the HM Treasury:

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.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

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.

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.

Question to the HM Treasury:

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.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

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.

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.

Question to the HM Treasury:

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.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

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.

Question to the HM Treasury:

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.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

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.

Question to the HM Treasury:

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.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

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.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to help increase economic growth in Norfolk.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

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.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she has taken with Cabinet colleagues to increase local roads maintenance funding.

Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

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.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she has taken with Cabinet colleagues to increase local roads maintenance funding.

Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

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.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to help improve the global competitiveness of the City of London.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The government’s Financial Services Growth and Competitiveness Strategy , co-designed with industry, sets out the government’s ten-year plan to make the UK the world’s centre of choice for financial services investment now and in 2035.

Since July, the Government has been squarely focused on delivery the Strategy, including launching the Office for Investment: Financial Services to attract and support global firms to establish and grow in the UK and UK listings relief – exempting shares from Stamp Duty Reserve Tax for the first three years that a company is listed.

The government will continue working at pace to deliver the reforms it has committed to.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of trends in the level of personal debt among financially vulnerable households in South Basildon and East Thurrock constituency.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government regularly engages with the Bank of England, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), and the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) to monitor personal finances and debt levels.

Household debt levels have been falling since the beginning of 2022, with the household debt-to-income ratio in 2025 at its lowest level since 2002. The Financial Policy Committee at the Bank of England expects households to remain resilient in aggregate. However, the Government also recognises that some households face difficulties managing debt.

The Government is committed to ensuring that those in problem debt can access the specialist support they need to get their finances back on track. That is why we fund free, impartial debt advice services through MaPS to meet the needs and concerns of individuals in debt, including national and community-based services offering free-to-client debt advice. MaPS regularly measures the need for debt advice in the UK. Its 2025 MoneyView Report notes that c.12% of adults in South Basildon and East Thurrock constituency need debt advice (compared to 14% of all UK adults).

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to help ensure the accuracy of information provided by tax advisers.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

HMRC’s standard for agents sets the minimum expectations for all tax advisers and is regularly reviewed by HMRC. While the vast majority of tax advisers support taxpayers to pay the right amount of tax, the government is legislating in this year’s Finance Bill to give HMRC the powers to better tackle tax advisers who facilitate non-compliance.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 16 February 2026 to Question 112094, to state the date by which the Government will initiate court proceedings if Roman Abramovich does not transfer the outstanding funds by 17 March.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government is determined to see the proceeds from the sale of Chelsea Football Club transferred to support the people of Ukraine, as Mr. Abramovich committed to at the time of the sale in 2022.

Should Mr. Abramovich fail to transfer the proceeds in accordance with the terms of the licence issued by the UK government on 17 December 2025 we are fully prepared to go to court if necessary to enforce these previous commitments and ensure the proceeds are transferred into a new foundation for humanitarian purposes in Ukraine as soon as possible.

It would not be appropriate to comment further on matters relating to potential litigation. The Government does not provide information that could prejudice potential legal proceedings or reveal legally privileged material.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, on how many days in 2025 did the Pride Flag fly on the main Whitehall building operated by her Department.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

During 2025 the Pride Flag was not flown on 1 Horse Guards Road on behalf of HM Treasury

HM Treasury is only one department in GOGGS (Government Offices Great George Street, encompassing 1 Horse Guards Road and 100 Parliament Street). Flag flying is administered by DCMS and Government Property Agency.

Question to the HM Treasury:

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.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

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.

Question to the HM Treasury:

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.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

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.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to reform credit union common bond rules.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

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.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of business support for financial mutuals.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

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.

Question to the HM Treasury:

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.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

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.

Question to the HM Treasury:

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.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

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.

Question to the HM Treasury:

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.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

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.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many (a) basic rate and (b) higher rate tax payers there were in December (i) 2021 and (ii) 2025.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

This information is not available on a monthly basis and figures for December cannot be provided.

The number of individuals in the Income Tax rate bands, Basic and Higher rate, for tax years 2021 to 2022 and 2025 to 2026 is published in HMRC’s accredited official statistics. Updated forecasts are published in the OBR’s March 2026 Economic and fiscal outlook.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/685a6bb541d77db4f68eb0c4/Collated_Income_Tax_liabilities_statistics_tables_-_2.1_to_2.6.ods

https://obr.uk/download/march-2026-economic-and-fiscal-outlook-detailed-forecast-tables-receipts/?tmstv=1772796009

Projected estimates for the 2025 to 2026 tax year in HMRC's statistics are based upon the 2022 to 2023 Survey of Personal Incomes using economic assumptions consistent with the OBR’s March 2025 Economic and Fiscal Outlook.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress her Department has made in amending the rules on Gift Aid.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

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

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to support the growth of (a) small and (b) micro companies.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

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.

Question to the HM Treasury:

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.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

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

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the overseas scale rates.

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.

Question to the HM Treasury:

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.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

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.

Question to the HM Treasury:

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.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

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.

Question to the HM Treasury:

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.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

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.

Question to the HM Treasury:

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.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

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.

Question to the HM Treasury:

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.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

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.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many staff in her Department are reliant on a visa for employment.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

Question to the HM Treasury:

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.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

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.

Question to the HM Treasury:

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.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

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.

Question to the HM Treasury:

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.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

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.

Question to the HM Treasury:

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.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

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.

Question to the HM Treasury:

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.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

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.

Found: ) 147 Department for Business and Trade, Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and HM Treasury

Found: There is also some limited crossover with His Majesty’s Treasury (HMT) and the Department for Energy

Found: What discussions are taking place between DSIT, HM Treasury and UKRI in relation to the STFC funding

Found: Check: flow diagram and consistent time series. [1][3] ● DWP and HMT: before implementing material reforms

Found: This has been agreed with HMT colleagues.

Found: Letter from the Director General Public Spending at HM Treasury relating to the Committee’s evidence

Found: Crypto.com stands ready to work constructively with Parliament, the Bank of England, the FCA and HM Treasury

Found: HM Treasury FSMA perimeter expansion Under the HM Treasury framework linked to the Financial Services

Found: Under the polluter pays principle and HMT guidelines, the EA must seek to fully recover costs of regulatory

Found: We are continuing to work with MHCLG and HM Treasury to monitor progress of the facility and consider

Found: We remain in ongoing dialogue with MHCLG, HM Treasury and major mortgage lenders.

Found: Brackwell, Director, National Audit Office, and Marnya Jain, Alternate Treasury Officer of Accounts, HM Treasury

Found: from across central government, reflecting the Office for Investment’s role as a joint unit of HM Treasury

Found: Correspondence to and from HM Treasury, relating to Farming in Wales in 2025, dated 3 and 25 February

Found: .  Ensure coordination across HMT, OBR, DWP, HMRC, the DMO and the Bank to align fiscal rules with

Found: • Ensure coordination across HMT, OBR, DWP, HMRC, the DMO and the Bank to align fiscal rules with

Found: direct, strategic economic advice into No.10 while complementing and not duplicating the roles of HMT

Found: Do the relationships between the main bodies that exist within the fiscal framework – primarily HMT,

Found: Do the relationships between the main bodies that exist within the fiscal framework – primarily HMT,

Found: position internationally in having fully outsourced fiscal forecasting from its finance ministry (HM Treasury

Found: Do the relationships between the main bodies that exist within the fiscal framework – primarily HMT,

Found: Do the relationships between HMT, OBR, DWP, the Bank of England, and the DMO allow each to carry out

Found: For instance, soon after HM Treasury introduced Resource Accounting and Budgeting for government departments

Found: FOI data showed that there has been an 82% rise in meetings between HMT and the banking sector since

Found: A 2025 MoU governs shared macroeconomic models with HMT.

Found: deliver the Neighbourhood Health Service it is essential that the 250 NHCs announced in the 2025 HM Treasury

Found: real estate is clear, as outlined in industry-level guidance (RICS, 2014) and via the Green Book (HM Treasury

Found: @parliament.uk www.parliament.uk/lords Lord Livermore Financial Secretary to the Treasury HM Treasury

Found: The CRaG process started on 23 February 2026, and HMT will lay the necessary Statutory Instrument shortly

Found: legalservicesboard.org.uk/wp- content/uploads/2025/12/LSB-Response-AML-CTF-Supervision-Reform-Consultation-1.pdf 24 HM Treasury

Found: from Lucy Rigby KC MP Student Loans (Q162) You asked about student loans and the assessment HM Treasury

Found: DfT officials have worked with clerks from the Transport Select Committee, HM Treasury colleagues, and

Found: 2022–23 (the latest data available), central government spend on consultants was estimated by HM Treasury

Found: Minister for Investment Department for Business and Trade & HM Treasury

Found: undertaking a national review; To establish a cross-department taskforce including DfE, DWP, and HMT

Found: To assist with access to childcare, and to ease the cost for parents, it is important HM Treasury raises

Found: , we will need to consider either raising our PVM score to level 4 or starting a dialogue with HM Treasury

Found: guidance-for-organisations-using-the-algorithmic-transparency-recording-standard/algorithmic- transparency-recording-standard-guidance-for-public-sector-bodies [7] HM Treasury

Found: With that in mind, does that make ALBs pointless, or does it make Ministers outside of HMT pointless

Found: Further clarification would be welcomed.31 23 Q 42 24 Q 48; C&AG’s Report, para 3.18 25 HMT, Spending

Found: The Government remains committed to reviewing this settlement regularly with HM Treasury and Ofcom

Found: The Government remains committed to reviewing this settlement regularly with HM Treasury and Ofcom

Found: Reddaway, Director, National Audit Office, and Marnya Jain, Alternate Treasury Officer of Accounts, HM Treasury

Found: Protected and Policy Ring-fenced budgets These budgets are ring-fenced by HMT, meaning that funding

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what response was provided by DHSC to the consultation by HM Treasury around changes to the VAT treatment of public bodies under Section 41 of the VAT Act.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department of Health and Social Care did not submit a formal response to HM Treasury’s consultation on proposed changes to the VAT treatment of public bodies under section 41 of the Value Added Tax Act 1994.

The consultation, VAT and the Public Sector: Reform to VAT Refund Rules, was published by HM Treasury on 27 August 2020 and closed on 19 November 2020.

As a central Government department, the Department of Health and Social Care engaged with HM Treasury and HM Revenue and Customs through cross-Government discussions to consider the potential implications of the proposals for the health and care system, including National Health Service bodies, rather than responding as a stakeholder in its own right.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment had been made by DHSC or provided to DHSC by NHS England about the potential impact on the NHS of proposed changes to introduce the full refund model for VAT in the NHS.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department has not made a formal published assessment of the potential impact on the National Health Service of the proposed changes to introduce a full refund model for VAT under section 41 of the Value Added Tax Act 1994.

The Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England have engaged with HM Treasury and HM Revenue and Customs through cross-Government discussions to understand the potential implications of the proposals for the NHS, including the interaction with NHS funding flows and the principle that any reform would need to be fiscally neutral.

NHS England has provided input to the Department to support this engagement, including analysis of existing VAT recovery arrangements and high-level consideration of the potential impacts of moving from the current Contracted Out Services regime to a full refund model. This work has been undertaken to inform cross-Government discussions and data-gathering exercises led by HM Treasury, rather than as a standalone assessment of the impact on NHS services.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if his department will make a formal recommendation to HM Treasury on extending VAT relief to heat batteries for domestic heating.

Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Tax treatment is the responsibility of HM Treasury and they keep all taxes under review.

This government has invested £15 billion in the Warm Homes Plan to help upgrade British homes and cut bills. Whilst we expect heat pumps to be suitable for the vast majority of properties, some may be less suitable and so we are supporting alternative low carbon technologies like heat batteries, air-to-air heat pumps, and biomass boilers. We are also expanding the Boiler Upgrade Scheme to provide more options, including heat batteries.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment HM Treasury has made of the potential economic impact of the expiry of the Plug-in Motorcycle Grant on SMEs and self-employed delivery riders.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

As announced in February 2025, the Plug-in Motorcycle Grant will close at the end of financial year 2025/26 or when current funds are exhausted, whichever comes first.

In 2024, mopeds and motorcycles accounted for 0.4% of domestic transport greenhouse gas emissions in the UK. Available funding is being targeted at higher emission segments such as cars, vans, and heavy duty vehicles.

Ending the £500 Plug-in Motorcycle Grant is not expected to have a significant impact on uptake of zero emission motorcycles or on riders. The Government, working with industry, will monitor the development of the zero emission motorcycle market and the need for any further interventions on an ongoing basis.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of making a formal recommendation to HM Treasury on extending VAT relief to Microgeneration Certification Scheme-certified heat batteries.

Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Tax treatment is the responsibility of HM Treasury and they keep all taxes under review.

This Government has invested £15 billion in the Warm Homes Plan to help upgrade British homes and cut bills. Whilst we expect heat pumps to be suitable for the vast majority of properties, some may be less suitable and so we are supporting alternative low carbon technologies like heat batteries, air-to-air heat pumps, and biomass boilers.

We are also expanding the Boiler Upgrade Scheme to provide more options, including heat batteries. To simplify the system for consumers and installers, Government has recently mandated Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) as the sole certification scheme for clean heat installations under DESNZ schemes.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department will achieve an average 5% annual real-terms reduction in resource spending between 2025-26 and 2028-29.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Spending plans for the period from 2025-26 to 2028-29 were agreed with HM Treasury as part of the Spending Review 2025 settlement and can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/spending-review-2025-document.

They were amended as part of the Autumn Budget 2025 and can be found at [page 146] https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/Budget_2025.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether additional funding has been provided to the Scottish Government to support religious organisations following the end of the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

At the Spending Review 2025, HM Treasury agreed budgets for Departments for a three-year period for Resource DEL, and a four-year period for Capital DEL. The Department then completed a Business Planning process to allocate this funding to programmes. This included £92 million (£23 million per year) for the Places of Worship Renewal Fund.

At Spending Reviews, the Devolved Governments generally receive Barnett consequentials as a proportion of overall departmental settlements, not specific funding lines or programmes. Barnett consequentials were confirmed taking into account the overall DCMS allocation, which includes funding for the Places of Worship Renewal fund. Decisions on the allocation of this funding are then for the Devolved Governments to take.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to paragraph 1.3 of the Budget Information Security Review, published on 9 February 2026, if he will publish the recommendations from his Department's leak inquiry.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

The recommendations from the Cabinet Office leak inquiry have been published and are included in the HM Treasury Budget Information Security Review.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent assessment his Department has made of the long‑term financial sustainability of the Civil Service Pension Scheme; and whether further reforms are being considered to ensure value for money for both members and taxpayers.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Public Service Pension policy is the responsibility of HM Treasury, including the Civil Service Pension Scheme (CSPS). Any reform of the scheme must align with or ensure legal compliance with HM Treasury policy, and no further reforms are being considered at this time.

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Solicitor General, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the arrangements for managing unclaimed estates and properties under Bona Vacantia.

Answered by Ellie Reeves - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)

The collection and disposal of bona vacantia monies arising from the estates of deceased people & dissolved companies is managed by the Treasury Solicitor as the Crown’s Nominee, with the proceeds passing each year to HM Treasury. Such arrangements are set out in the Crown’s Nominee Account which is laid annually before Parliament.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer about the potential impact of budget changes to betting and gaming levies on the viability of British sports.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Government recognises the significant contribution that racing and other sports make to the nation’s economy and sporting landscape. DCMS and HMT Ministers have regular engagement on betting and gaming levies.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to WPQ109604 answered on 24 February 2026 about Private Education: VAT, whether she has received representations from the independent school sector on introducing a targeted subsidy for small charitable independent schools with fewer than 500 pupils.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

HM Treasury published a Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) on applying VAT to private school fees. This is accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/vat-on-private-school-fees/applying-vat-to-private-school-fees.

The department continues to engage with private school providers, including smaller schools, and representative organisations to ensure they are aware of the requirements outlined in the TIIN.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to business rates liability from 1 April 2026 on participation in grassroots sport in England; and whether she has made representations to the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on that issue.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

DCMS engaged extensively with HM Treasury in the run up to the Autumn Budget 2025 and provided evidence to HM Treasury on the anticipated impact to the sport and leisure sector.

The Government has announced a support package worth £4.3 billion to protect against ratepayers seeing large overnight increases in their business rates bills because of the revaluation.

In addition, the Government is introducing new permanently lower multipliers for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure properties, which are worth nearly £1 billion per year and will benefit over 750,000 properties.

As a result, over half of ratepayers will see no bill increases, including 23% seeing their bills go down, next year. This also means most properties seeing increases will see them capped at 15% or less next year, or £800 for the smallest.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to WPQ109601 answered on 23 February 2026, when she last met with the independent school sector to discuss the financial sustainability of small independent schools.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

HM Treasury published a Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) on applying VAT to private school fees. This is accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/vat-on-private-school-fees/applying-vat-to-private-school-fees.

The department continues to engage with private school providers, including smaller schools, and representative organisations to ensure they are aware of the requirements outlined in the TIIN.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether (a) his Department and (b) the Government Property Agency (i) has made since July 2024 and (ii) plans to make changes to government property spending controls.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

The Office of Government Property, within the Cabinet Office, administers the property spend control on behalf of HM Treasury. The last changes to the property spend control were made in May 2024.

At Budget 2025 the government announced reforms to the public spending control and accountability framework. Controls currently delegated to the central government functions, will be replaced by a multi-disciplinary single approval point in HM Treasury for above delegated authority limit spend (DAL).

For below DAL spend, departments will be responsible for ensuring they draw on appropriate functional expertise in their decision-making processes.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland about ending the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme; and whether the new Places of Worship Renewal Fund will be subject to the Barnett formula.

Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

I wrote to Angus Robertson MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Constitution, External Affairs and Culture, regarding the closure of the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme. DCMS officials have also met with counterparts in the devolved administrations of Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland to discuss the closure and confirm Barnett consequentials were applied as a proportion of overall departmental settlements.

At the Spending Review 2025, HM Treasury agreed budgets for Departments for a three-year period for Resource DEL, and a four-year period for Capital DEL. The Department then completed a Business Planning process to allocate this funding to programmes. This included £92 million (£23 million per year) for the Places of Worship Renewal Fund.

At Spending Reviews, the Devolved Governments generally receive Barnett consequentials as a proportion of overall departmental settlements, not specific funding lines or programmes. Barnett consequentials were confirmed taking into account the overall DCMS allocation, which includes funding for the Places of Worship Renewal fund. Decisions on the allocation of this funding are then for the Devolved Governments to take.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has had discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the potential implications for her policies of the report by the IFS entitled Annual report on education spending in England: 2025–26, published in January 2026.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The department and HM Treasury discuss matters relating to school funding on an ongoing basis. These conversations are supported by government analysis relating to school funding, some of which is in the public domain.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of the Government estate is managed by the Government Property Agency; which departments, arm’s-length bodies or property portfolios lie within its direct management responsibilities; and what the Government Property Agency’s total expenditure was in 2024–25 on measuring, collecting, reporting or validating greenhouse gas emissions in respect of the parts of the estate for which it is responsible.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

Fifty-three per cent (2023/24 53 per cent) of the central government office portfolio, covering c.1,100,000 sqm has been transferred to the Government Property Agency. The Agency provides portfolio services to the following Government departments:

• Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service

• Attorney General’s Office

• Cabinet Office

• Care Quality Commission

• Companies House

• Crown Commercial Service

• Crown Prosecution Service

• Department for Business & Trade

• Department for Education

• Department for Energy, Security and Net Zero

• Department for Culture Media and Sport

• Department of Health & Social Care

• Government Actuary’s Department

• Ministry of Housing Communities & Local Government

• Disclosure & Barring Services

• Northern Ireland Office

• The Insolvency Service

• Foreign & Commonwealth Office

• HM Land Registry

• HM Treasury

• Food Standards Agency

• Great British Nuclear

• Ministry of Justice

• National Savings & Investments

• Office of the Public Guardian

• OfQual

The GPA calculates greenhouse gas emissions for office space occupied by GPA staff and provides utility consumption data for departments occupying other buildings within its managed estate. As this activity is performed by staff as part of their wider duties, the exact amount of time allocated to this specific activity is not centrally recorded.

Found: See also: HM Treasury, ‘Budget 2025 in full’, 26 November 2025. 33 Because the government extended

Found: This already applies to those who joined MTD voluntarily. 16 HM Treasury, Spring Statement 2025

Found: mentions: 7 Department for Education, Every child achieving and thriving, 23 February 2026 8 HM Treasury

Found: needs in England: something has to change Source: DfE, Dedicated schools grant, various years; HM Treasury

Found: done by Supply and Appropriation Acts, which are themselves part of the Estimates process.10 HM Treasury

Found: fi ve years £287 million 10-year budget for the National Quantum Computing Centre approved by HM Treasury

Found: fi ve years £287 million 10-year budget for the National Quantum Computing Centre approved by HM Treasury

Found: The recently announced Northern Growth Strategy, led jointly by DfT , HM Treasury and MHCLG, is intended

Found: The recently announced Northern Growth Strategy, led jointly by DfT , HM Treasury and MHCLG, is intended

Found: they have been ‘Freedom Bodies’ , having certain operational and financial freedoms granted by HM Treasury

Found: However, HM Treasury and the Department for Education (DfE), who currently have modern ERPs and are

Found: Cross-government REPORT4 Key facts Update on government shared services Key facts £1.15bn £459mn 470,000 total HM Treasury

Found: For media enquiries, contact HMT press office.

Found: notification requirement for relevant persons using the humanitarian exception, requiring them to notify HM Treasury

Found: methodologies in HMG appraisal, monitoring, and evaluation principles, such as those set out in the HMT

Found: methodologies in HMG appraisal, monitoring, and evaluation principles, such as those set out in the HMT

Found: Ecological Economics, (149), pp. 21-39 19 However, it should be noted that HM Treasury guidance for

Found: cell">Financial Reporting Transactions & Gov

Found: contribution yield required under the Police Pension Scheme Reform Design Framework as instructed by HM Treasury

Found: remains subject to due diligence, value-for-money assessments, and all necessary approvals and the HMT

Found: at FCDO to Chief Secretary to the Treasury on Special Severance Payment 106 - 107 24 30-09-2025 - HMT

Found: To enable this, HM Treasury will repeal the existing Strong Customer Authentication technical standards

Found: To enable this, HM Treasury will repeal the existing Strong Customer Authentication technical standards

Found: for the sale of knives and other bladed articles ● DSIT has worked with HM Treasury

Found: reports as well as separate reports to the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation within HM Treasury

Found: reports as well as separate reports to the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation within HM Treasury

Found: The Rt Hon Rachel Reeves MP Chancellor of the Exchequer HM Treasury From: Sarah Cardell Chief

Found: has been flat since the 2008 GFC, and the forecasts from institutions such as the BoE, ONS, and HM Treasury

Found: notification requirement for relevant persons using the humanitarian exception, requiring them to notify HM Treasury

Found: Following HM Treasury Green Book guidance, direct staffing costs from internal OPSS teams have been

Found: The Assessment states that following discussion with HM Treasury, it was agreed that the off-setting

Found: Our gender pay gap data is published as part of His Majesty’s Treasury’s (HMT) Gender Pay Gap report

Found: PPM, Procurement, Property and Construction, Strategy, Technical.Payroll staff CostsPlease refer to HMT

Found: reports as well as separate reports to the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation within HM Treasury

Found: NMRN is required to provide outturn data to HMT via Strategic Finance. 24.4.

Found: Minister for Investment Department for Business and Trade & HM Treasury

Found: of Great Grimsby & Cleethorpes Minister for Investment Department for Business and Trade & HM Treasury

Found: Minister for Investment Department for Business and Trade & HM Treasury

Found: W/C 12 September Media HMT and UKG Fiscal Event [REDACTED] – NOT IN SCOPE 12 September –

Found: HM Treasury and the Government Actuary’s Department have produced climate scenario analysis guidance

Found: • Scottish Public Finance Manual • UK Government Management of risk in government: framework • HM Treasury

Found: In line with the HM Treasury Magenta Book a process evaluation would seek to answer questions such as

Found: The Managing Public Money1 document by HM Treasury sets out the principles of financial probity, transparency

Found: performance, and understand whether policies or actions are having their intended effect (Adapted from HM treasury