Asked by: Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Conservative - North Cotswolds)
Question
To ask the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney, representing the House of Commons Commission, what the total cost was of the new security arrangements at carriage gates; how many tenders were received for those works; and what the sign-off procedure was.
Answered by Nick Smith
The total cost of the New Palace Yard works is expected to be £62million and includes security works, significant ground-work and heritage works. Of this, the main construction works contracts were worth £42.6million.
The main works contract was tendered as a two-stage tender, under the Southern Construction Framework. BAM were awarded the main construction works contract for each of the two stages.
Three competitive tenders were received for the first stage and the second stage of the tender was a direct award to the contractor successful at the first stage (BAM) as set out in the first stage tender documents. Evaluation was conducted in accordance with procurement regulations.
The tender award report for the second stage was prepared by the Commercial Lead and approved by the Director of Procurement, the Managing Director of Strategic Estates, HOC Finance Director and Clerk of the House, and the HOL Director of Finance, Director of Estates and Facilities and the Clerk of the Parliaments, in accordance with Parliament’s Finance Regulations, during the period June to July 2022.
The updated Business Case for the New Palace Yard works was also considered by the Commons Finance Committee in February 2023, prior to Accounting Officer approval to award BAM the contract for the second stage.
A briefing note on the New Palace Yard project was published by the Finance Committee in December 2025.
Asked by: Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Conservative - North Cotswolds)
Question
To ask the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney, representing the Restoration and Renewal Client Board, what the budget is for the restoration and renewal of the parliamentary estate in the next financial year.
Answered by Nick Smith
The funding for work related to Restoration and Renewal comes from several budgets.
The majority of R&R funding is provided through the R&R Delivery Authority’s Main Estimate which is subject to various stages of parliamentary scrutiny and approval. The funding approval process is partly set out in the Parliamentary Buildings (Restoration and Renewal) Act 2019. The House Commissions are required to set a limit on how much the Delivery Authority can spend in phase one of the programme (the phase before Parliament has approved the scheme and full funding for the works). The Parliamentary Works Estimates Commission is required under the Act to review the Estimate and consult HM Treasury and is responsible for laying the Estimate before the House of Commons. Prior to this, the Estimate is also scrutinised by the R&R Client Team and House finance teams, R&R Delivery Authority Board, R&R Programme Board and the R&R Client Board.
The budget for the R&R Delivery Authority for the next financial year (2026–27) is scheduled to be considered by the Client Board on 2 March 2026 as it progresses through the agreed governance approval stages.
The budgets for the R&R Client Team, Strategic Estates and the House of Lords R&R Team for the next financial year are contained within the wider House Administration Estimates and are formally scrutinised by the House Commissions, as advised by their respective finance committees. These budgets are also progressing through their approval stages.
In the current financial year (2025–26), the agreed budget for the R&R Delivery Authority is £53.2 million, £7.7m for the R&R Client Team, £0.4m for the House of Lords R&R Team, and £13m for Strategic Estates’ costs of developing the enhanced maintenance and improvement (EMI) option.
Asked by: Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Conservative - North Cotswolds)
Question
To ask the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney, representing the House of Commons Commission, what the budget is for Strategic Estates in the next financial year.
Answered by Nick Smith
The Commission expects to consider the Administration’s Estimate for 2026/27 in February 2026, which will include the final budget for Strategic Estates.
In 2025/26 the Strategic Estates budget is £104m resource and £201.2m capital. This is a bicameral budget and House of Commons share is £79.3m resource and £171.6 capital.
Asked by: Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Conservative - North Cotswolds)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Treasury has reviewed its 2020 forecast of the fiscal impact of extending the VAT RES to EU residents.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The OBR’s estimate is that the withdrawal of the VAT Retail Export Scheme will save the Exchequer around £540 million per year by 2025-26.
The Government has also noted recent external data, which shows that tourism numbers and spending for the UK has recovered at a similar rate following the pandemic to other European economies that offer tax-free shopping
The Government has carefully considered external analysis estimating that a new tax-free shopping scheme would generate more revenue than cost for the Exchequer, as well as supporting data from a wide range of business stakeholders across the UK. However, these do not provide sufficient evidence that a new tax-free shopping scheme would have greater benefits to the UK than costs.
The Government therefore has no plans to introduce a new tax-free shopping scheme in Great Britain.
Asked by: Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Conservative - North Cotswolds)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the OBR has reviewed the Treasury’s 2020 forecast of the fiscal impact of extending the VAT RES to EU residents.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The OBR’s estimate is that the withdrawal of the VAT Retail Export Scheme will save the Exchequer around £540 million per year by 2025-26.
The Government has also noted recent external data, which shows that tourism numbers and spending for the UK has recovered at a similar rate following the pandemic to other European economies that offer tax-free shopping
The Government has carefully considered external analysis estimating that a new tax-free shopping scheme would generate more revenue than cost for the Exchequer, as well as supporting data from a wide range of business stakeholders across the UK. However, these do not provide sufficient evidence that a new tax-free shopping scheme would have greater benefits to the UK than costs.
The Government therefore has no plans to introduce a new tax-free shopping scheme in Great Britain.
Asked by: Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Conservative - North Cotswolds)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what information his Department holds on the number of brown hares shot in England between February and October each year.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra holds no official statistics on the number of brown hares shot in England between February and October each year. We are however aware of a number of estimates made by stakeholder groups which range markedly from the low tens of thousands to the low hundreds of thousands.
Asked by: Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Conservative - North Cotswolds)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what data on the performance of firearms licensing departments her Department has received in each of the last three years.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The issuing of firearms certificates and the efficiency of police forces is a matter for individual Chief Officers of Police and they are held to account by Police and Crime Commissioners.
However, the performance of forces is actively being monitored by the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for firearms licensing, Deputy Chief Constable David Gardner, and he is developing a new performance framework for firearms licensing teams, which it is intended will be published soon, to provide greater transparency on application turnaround times.
Asked by: Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Conservative - North Cotswolds)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many times the Home Office Firearms Fees Working Group met in 2022 and 2023; what conclusions it reached on firearms licensing fees; and if she will publish its report.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
On 5 February 2025, increased fees came into effect to provide full-cost recovery for firearms licensing applications processed by police forces. This gave effect to a commitment in the Government’s manifesto. The fees had not been increased since 2015 and they no longer met the cost of the service provided. It is essential for both public safety and police efficiency that the fees were increased to provide full-cost recovery so that service improvements can be made.
A review of firearms licensing fees was started in 2022 under the previous Government, and was informed by a Firearms Fees Working Group, chaired by the Home Office and including representation from the National Police Chiefs’ Council, the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, the Scottish Government, the Countryside Alliance and national representative shooting organisations.
The Working Group met in person on 7 April 2022 and again on 3 May 2023. There were also communications between Working Group members on the development of the fee proposals in this period in addition to the meetings. As part of the review, data was collected on firearms licensing costs in 31 police forces in January 2023, and this data was discussed by the Working Group. The previous Government reached no final conclusions before the General Election was called.
The new full-cost recovery fees introduced by this Government are based on the 2023 data, updated to reflect increases in costs since then. A full impact assessment, which shows how the data was used to calculate the fees, was published alongside the relevant statutory instrument.
Asked by: Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Conservative - North Cotswolds)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department holds information on the proportion of general practitioners who place medical markers on the medical notes of patients who are firearms certificate holders.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Statutory Guidance for Chief Officers of Police on firearms licensing sets out clearly the different factors that police forces must consider when deciding whether someone is suitable to have a firearms licence. The Statutory Guidance requires that medical information is supplied by the applicant before a firearms licence can be granted by a police force.
The firearms licensing system is supported by the placing of a firearms marker by the GP on the medical records of those who hold a firearms licence. As part of the medical arrangements for firearms licensing, GPs are asked to place a marker on the medical records of those who hold a firearms licence and guidance is issued by the British Medical Association to support doctors in using the marker. The marker prompts the GP to alert the police if the licence holder begins to suffer from a relevant medical condition.
Since 2023, a digital firearms marker has been available to all GP surgeries in England to use with a person’s medical record and replaces the previous marker. The Home Office is working with the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England to put measures in place to monitor the use of the digital marker to ensure that it is operating as intended.
Asked by: Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Conservative - North Cotswolds)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether it is her policy that firearms certificate holders should have a marker placed on their medical notes.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Statutory Guidance for Chief Officers of Police on firearms licensing sets out clearly the different factors that police forces must consider when deciding whether someone is suitable to have a firearms licence. The Statutory Guidance requires that medical information is supplied by the applicant before a firearms licence can be granted by a police force.
The firearms licensing system is supported by the placing of a firearms marker by the GP on the medical records of those who hold a firearms licence. As part of the medical arrangements for firearms licensing, GPs are asked to place a marker on the medical records of those who hold a firearms licence and guidance is issued by the British Medical Association to support doctors in using the marker. The marker prompts the GP to alert the police if the licence holder begins to suffer from a relevant medical condition.
Since 2023, a digital firearms marker has been available to all GP surgeries in England to use with a person’s medical record and replaces the previous marker. The Home Office is working with the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England to put measures in place to monitor the use of the digital marker to ensure that it is operating as intended.