Asked by: Andy McDonald (Labour - Middlesbrough and Thornaby East)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has undertaken an assessment of the estimated lifetime cost to the public sector of financing infrastructure supporting new towns through private investment arrangements.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Between 23 March and 19 May 2026, we consulted on the Draft New Towns Programme. That consultation, which can be found on gov.uk here, sought views on a range of issues, including in respect of financing the programme.
We are currently analysing the feedback received and will publish our response in due course.
The precise funding offer for each new town location will be confirmed once final decisions have been made on the programme.
Asked by: Andy McDonald (Labour - Middlesbrough and Thornaby East)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has undertaken comparative modelling of the costs of financing infrastructure supporting new towns through (a) private investment arrangements and (b) direct government borrowing.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Between 23 March and 19 May 2026, we consulted on the Draft New Towns Programme. That consultation, which can be found on gov.uk here, sought views on a range of issues, including in respect of financing the programme.
We are currently analysing the feedback received and will publish our response in due course.
The precise funding offer for each new town location will be confirmed once final decisions have been made on the programme.
Asked by: Andy McDonald (Labour - Middlesbrough and Thornaby East)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department intends to publish any assessment comparing the costs of alternative financing models for infrastructure supporting new towns.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Between 23 March and 19 May 2026, we consulted on the Draft New Towns Programme. That consultation, which can be found on gov.uk here, sought views on a range of issues, including in respect of financing the programme.
We are currently analysing the feedback received and will publish our response in due course.
The precise funding offer for each new town location will be confirmed once final decisions have been made on the programme.
Asked by: Andy McDonald (Labour - Middlesbrough and Thornaby East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has undertaken an assessment of the expected impact on consumer food prices of the temporary suspension of tariffs on agricultural and food products announced on 30 April 2026.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Chancellor appreciates that the weekly shop is one of the biggest worries for families and is taking action on the cost of living, by suspending tariffs on a range of agri-food products.
The Government announced a package of temporary tariff suspensions on 30 April with a detailed list published on 20 May. These suspensions will reduce import costs for these items. The benefit to consumers is estimated to be around £100m to £400m annually.
The Chancellor also announced a consultation on a further list of products on 21 May. Taking account of all the items on the second list of products, published on 27 May, and currently subject to the call for input, would increase the estimated consumer benefit to a total of around £330m to £770m.
Asked by: Andy McDonald (Labour - Middlesbrough and Thornaby East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate her Department has made of the average annual saving to households arising from the temporary suspension of tariffs on agricultural and food products announced on 30 April 2026.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Chancellor appreciates that the weekly shop is one of the biggest worries for families and is taking action on the cost of living, by suspending tariffs on a range of agri-food products.
The Government announced a package of temporary tariff suspensions on 30 April with a detailed list published on 20 May. These suspensions will reduce import costs for these items. The benefit to consumers is estimated to be around £100m to £400m annually.
The Chancellor also announced a consultation on a further list of products on 21 May. Taking account of all the items on the second list of products, published on 27 May, and currently subject to the call for input, would increase the estimated consumer benefit to a total of around £330m to £770m.
Asked by: Andy McDonald (Labour - Middlesbrough and Thornaby East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department intends to publish an assessment of the expected consumer benefits of any tariff suspensions implemented following the Call for Input on goods for cost of living tariff suspensions.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government will be setting out next steps after the Call for Input closes on 24 June.
Asked by: Andy McDonald (Labour - Middlesbrough and Thornaby East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate her Department has made of the proportion of tariff savings that will be passed through to consumers in retail food prices.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Chancellor appreciates that the weekly shop is one of the biggest worries for families. She is taking action on the cost of living, including by suspending tariffs on a range of agri-food products. The UK grocery market is highly competitive, and we fully expect that retailers will pass on the entirety of cost savings to consumers.
Asked by: Andy McDonald (Labour - Middlesbrough and Thornaby East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many Full‑Time Equivalent staff are engaged via the Managed Service Provider, broken down by business area.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
HMRC is currently using Managed Service Providers (MSPs) to provide additional customer service capacity, equivalent to around 500 FTE, focused on routine work. This includes support for the Online Services Helpdesk and handling simple PAYE enquiries.
HMRC are currently in an initial approximately 18 month ‘proof of value’ phase using existing Government contracts. This will allow them to test, learn and ensure quality and value for money before wider implementation.
HMRC has been clear that no HMRC colleague will be made redundant as a result of this initiative.
HMRC will continue to use a range of resourcing models, alongside the use of MSPs, to meet variable customer demand.
Asked by: Andy McDonald (Labour - Middlesbrough and Thornaby East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what modelling HMRC has undertaken on the displacement risk from the Managed Service provider model to existing HMRC roles, including surge staff and fixed‑term employees.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
HMRC is currently using Managed Service Providers (MSPs) to provide additional customer service capacity, equivalent to around 500 FTE, focused on routine work. This includes support for the Online Services Helpdesk and handling simple PAYE enquiries.
HMRC are currently in an initial approximately 18 month ‘proof of value’ phase using existing Government contracts. This will allow them to test, learn and ensure quality and value for money before wider implementation.
HMRC has been clear that no HMRC colleague will be made redundant as a result of this initiative.
HMRC will continue to use a range of resourcing models, alongside the use of MSPs, to meet variable customer demand.
Asked by: Andy McDonald (Labour - Middlesbrough and Thornaby East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether Managed Service Provider staffing levels are expected to increase beyond peak‑demand coverage for each function.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
HMRC is currently using Managed Service Providers (MSPs) to provide additional customer service capacity, equivalent to around 500 FTE, focused on routine work. This includes support for the Online Services Helpdesk and handling simple PAYE enquiries.
HMRC are currently in an initial approximately 18 month ‘proof of value’ phase using existing Government contracts. This will allow them to test, learn and ensure quality and value for money before wider implementation.
HMRC has been clear that no HMRC colleague will be made redundant as a result of this initiative.
HMRC will continue to use a range of resourcing models, alongside the use of MSPs, to meet variable customer demand.