Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Secretary of State for Work and Pensions during the Westminster Hall Debate of 15 June 2026 on State Pensioners Personal Allowance, Column 270WH, whether further measures to reduce administration for pensioners so that they do not have to pay small amounts of tax via simple assessment from 2027-28 will be announced in the forthcoming Finance Bill.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
In line with the commitment made at Budget 2025, pensioners whose incomes only just exceed the Personal Allowance will not have the administrative burden of paying small amounts of tax in this Parliament.
The Government will set out further detail at Budget 2026.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to Question 21878 answered on 22 September 2026 On the Productivity Gap in the East Midlands, what recent conversations he has had with [i] local political leaders [ii] local educational leaders and [iii] local business community about developing place-based growth in [a] Leicestershire and [b] Hinckley and Bosworth constituency.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with HM Treasury)
Growth in every postcode is one of the Government’s key priorities. The Government is committed to working with local leaders, educational institutions and businesses to unlock the potential of places across the UK, including through greater local decision-making and support for investment and innovation.
In his speech on 7 September, the Chancellor specifically highlighted Leicestershire as an example of where local leaders, universities, investors and businesses have helped create clusters of innovation. He made clear the Government’s ambition to support local leaders to boost private investment and deliver growth that reflects local needs.
The Government’s ambition is that every area in England has, or is in the process of establishing, a strategic authority by the end of 2027, with strategic authorities in place everywhere by the end of 2028.
The Government has written to all areas without Mayoral devolution, including Leicestershire, seeking confirmation of their devolution ambitions and preference for mayoral devolution.
As part of this wider engagement, on 21 August I met with the Mayor of the East Midlands, alongside the Financial Secretary to the Treasury and other regional mayors for a discussion on devolution and place-based growth .
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what fiscal steps he is taking to close the labour productivity gap in the East Midlands.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with HM Treasury)
The Government's ambition is to support good growth across all parts of the United Kingdom. As set out in the Prime Minister's recent Machinery of Government Statement, No10 North will be responsible for driving good growth through devolution and working in close partnership with local leaders, businesses, and communities to strengthen place-based growth.
We are also committed to fundamentally rewiring the way our country works, transferring greater powers, funding and accountability to the local leaders who know what it takes to drive growth and productivity in their areas.
The government has invested £10m into Team Derby – a city wide partnership between business and regional government designed to turn major national investments into local jobs, skills and regeneration opportunities. The wider East Midlands is receiving £2bn via the Transport for City Regions fund which will enable design of a new mass transit system to connect Derby and Nottingham and drive growth and productivity by better integrating transport networks.
The Chancellor has announced that the Green Book discount rate will be reduced from 3.5% to 3.0%, in line with recommendations from independent academics. This will place greater value on the long-term benefits of investment and strengthen the case for transformational projects that drive growth – wherever they take place.
At Budget, the government will publish a fiscal devolution roadmap which will set out a path to replacing grants from central government with a share of local income tax for every mayor beginning in 2028, such that where a region grows its tax base, it benefits from the increased receipts. This will sit alongside greater retention of the revenue from business rates for local councils and strategic authorities. The long-term certainty of funding via taxation will provide more flexibility and enable greater investment to fund interventions that will deliver a return.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the need for interim payments for those patients affected by the sodium valproate exposure in pregnancy.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The Chancellor and the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care are in regular contact on a range of issues, including health and social care policy.
As previously set out, the Government extends its sincere and heartfelt sympathies to all those affected by sodium valproate. We recognise the suffering that many individuals and families have experienced and the lasting impact these harms have had on their health, wellbeing and quality of life.
Policy on the issue of redress for families affected by sodium valproate during pregnancy is the responsibility of the Department of Health and Social Care. The Department has been in contact with the Patient Safety Commissioner (PSC), Professor Henrietta Hughes, with regard to the ongoing health initiatives it is taking forward in conjunction with NHS England, relating to sodium valproate. Details of the Government’s work to date are set out in recent letters to Professor Hughes, which are published on the PSC website.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent steps he is taking with the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation to ensure the efficiency of spending to support the delivery of large infrastructure projects.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority engages with projects and programmes throughout their project lifecycle, and throughout the delivery system in government, in order to enhance government’s capability and capacity to improve delivery of priority outcomes.
NISTA undertakes regular independent and rigorous assurance of large infrastructure projects on the Government Major Projects Portfolio, in line with the Teal Book and Treasury Approvals Process. This assurance provides confidence to senior leaders and stakeholders, including those involved in spending decisions, that work is well-governed and supports successful delivery of policy, strategy and objectives.
NISTA has also developed a comprehensive capability and capacity building offer for departments, ALBs and will be looking to expand this further to support regionally-led delivery.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the extent of progress by the Government Actuary's Department in conducting a factors review of Public Sector Pension Schemes.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government Actuary’s Department (GAD) regularly review and, if appropriate, revise the actuarial factors in use in the Public Service Pension Schemes. In May 2026, a new SCAPE discount rate was announced. Updated factors for all the public service pension schemes were provided by GAD to scheme administrators within 11 days of the announcement. The factors are available on the GAD guidance hub and further details are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/public-service-pension-schemes-new-cetv-factors
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority about their progress in supporting the delivery of large infrastructure projects.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The Chancellor of the Exchequer meets regularly with HM Treasury officials, to discuss a range of matters relating to the government's priorities, including infrastructure delivery.
NISTA is focused on the delivery of the 10 Year Infrastructure Strategy, strengthening project delivery capability, improving assurance and oversight of major projects, removing barriers to delivery and ensuring infrastructure investment delivers value for money and supports economic growth.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of VAT thresholds on the ability for hair and beauty establishments to expand their service provision and employ more staff.
Answered by James Murray - Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Paymaster General
At £90,000, the UK has a higher VAT registration threshold than any EU country and the joint highest in the OECD. This means the majority of UK businesses are not in the VAT system at all.
Any consideration of changes to the threshold would have to carefully balance potential impacts on small businesses, the economy as a whole, and tax revenues.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the levels of hidden economic activity and disguised employment practices within the hairdressing and beauty industry.
Answered by James Murray - Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Paymaster General
HMRC is committed to ensuring the tax system operates fairly and efficiently, creating a level playing field for compliant businesses. The majority of taxpayers (individuals/businesses) pay what they owe, but a small minority operate in the ‘hidden economy’.
HMRC does not separately estimate the levels of hidden economic activity and disguised employment practices within the hairdressing and beauty industry. These activities are included within the PAYE tax gap, for those that are registered for PAYE, and the hidden economy tax gap for those who are completely unknown to HMRC. The tax gaps are the difference between the amount of tax that should, in theory, be paid to HMRC and what is actually paid.
Overall, for the tax year 2024 to 2025 the tax gap for PAYE is estimated to be £4.4 billion, and the hidden economy tax gap is estimated to be £3.6 billion.
The tax gap statistics are published annually and are available at: Measuring tax gaps 2026 edition: tax gap estimates for 2024 to 2025 - GOV.UK
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the potential impact of VAT policy on compassionate medicines access.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with HM Treasury)
Under UK VAT law, some transactions where no money changes hands are treated as if a supply has been made – these are called deemed supplies. This is to keep the system fair if a business has reclaimed VAT on costs. Whether VAT applies to medicines or treatments provided for free depends on the precise facts of each case.
The Government is aware of the issue you raise in the context of free-of-charge medicines and, recognising the importance of patients across the UK having access to innovative medicines, I want to see this issue resolved quickly. The Government is in discussions with relevant stakeholders including the life sciences sector on this matter.
Given these ongoing discussions, I understand that HMRC will use its discretion to extend certain deadlines and suspend collection of tax if a taxpayer has requested a statutory review. This does not mean that HMRC has changed its view of past tax liabilities. Individual taxpayers should speak directly to HMRC on their specific circumstances.
HMT does not hold information on VAT revenue from free-of-charge medicines. Businesses are not required to provide a breakdown by product or service on their VAT returns as this would impose an excessive administrative burden.