Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment has she made of the potential impact of the patent box tax relief on levels of private sector (a) investment and (b) innovation.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
HMRC published an evaluation of the Patent Box in 2020. The evaluation concludes that the Patent Box has had a positive impact on investment by companies, with an increase of around 10% in assets held by companies that use the Patent Box compared to similar companies that do not use the Patent Box since it was introduced.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to page 11 of the Bank of England's report entitled Financial Stability Report - December 2025, published on 2 December 2025, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the concentration of net borrowers in the gilt repurchase agreements market on the economy.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The UK gilt market is deep and liquid, with a well-diversified investor base. Gilt repo markets play an important role in supporting the functioning, liquidity and resilience of the wider gilt market.
We work closely with the Debt Management Office, the Bank of England and financial regulators, to monitor developments in the gilt and gilt repo markets.
Most recently, in September 2025 the Bank of England, with input from HM Treasury and the UK Debt Management Office, published an exploratory discussion paper evaluating the effectiveness and impact of a range of potential reforms to enhance the resilience of the gilt repo market.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with the supermarket industry on tackling food waste in supermarkets.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra funds the groundbreaking UK Food and Drink Pact, a voluntary agreement with industry to tackle food waste in supply chains. The Pact has developed the Food Waste Reduction Roadmap, which helps businesses to identify and measure their surplus and waste and take steps to reduce it. Through the Pact, we have regular engagement with food businesses, including supermarkets, to better understand and overcome the barriers to tackling food waste.
Defra also supports retailers and food businesses to play a key role in making sure their products help consumers to waste less food at home. This includes through appropriate storage advice, packaging design, and how food is labelled.