Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what consideration he has given to the potential impact of the planned visitor levy on (a) job opportunities and vacancies, (b) job losses and (c) high street footfall in (i) city centres, (ii) rural communities and (iii) coastal towns as part of her High Street Strategy.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government’s consultation on the proposed visitor levy closed on 18 February. The government is currently analysing responses and will publish an official response in due course.

The decision on whether to introduce a visitor levy would rest with individual Mayors, who would need to determine whether a levy is right for their area. Any impacts, including on employment and high street footfall, would therefore depend on local decisions, following local consideration and consultation on specific proposals.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when she plans to respond to Question 126382 from the Hon. Member for Windsor.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The answers to PQs UIN126382, UIN 126383 & UIN 126384 have been answered on 16 April 2026. This was within the Parliamentary deadline.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when she plans to respond to Question 126383 from the Hon. Member for Windsor.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The answers to PQs UIN126382, UIN 126383 & UIN 126384 have been answered on 16 April 2026. This was within the Parliamentary deadline.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when she plans to respond to Question 126384 from the Hon. Member for Windsor.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The answers to PQs UIN126382, UIN 126383 & UIN 126384 have been answered on 16 April 2026. This was within the Parliamentary deadline.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the introduction of a visitor levy on the number of young people employed in hospitality.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The impacts of introducing a visitor levy will depend on decisions taken locally. It would be for Mayors and local leaders to decide whether a levy is appropriate for their area, following local consultation on specific proposals.

The detailed design and scope of any visitor levy remain under development. The Government’s response to the consultation, which closed on 18 February, will be published in due course.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has undertaken modelling of the potential impact of introducing an overnight visitor levy on tourism demand in terms of a) number of nights stayed by domestic and international visitors, b) number of visits by domestic and international visitors, c) accommodation spend linked to number of nights spent in accommodation and d) tourism spend.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government has announced powers for Mayors to introduce a visitor levy on short-term overnight accommodation in their region, to drive economic growth, including through support for the local visitor economy.

At Budget, the Government published a consultation so that the public, businesses, and local government could shape the design of these powers, including options to minimise the burden on businesses and communities. This consultation closed on the 18th of February and the Government will publish a response in due course.

The precise design and scope of the power for Mayors to introduce a visitor levy is still under development, and the impacts of the levy will largely be determined by local decisions. Evidence from international and domestic schemes suggested modest rates have minimal impact on visitor numbers. Mayors will decide whether to introduce a levy and, if so, consult on specific proposals. We expect Mayors to engage constructively with businesses and their communities to hear any concerns. Following consultation, we expect Mayors to publish a summary of the consultation results and their response, including a final prospectus, and an impact assessment.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has undertaken modelling on the potential impact of introducing an overnight visitor levy on a) high street footfall, b) numbers of empty shops and c) social mobility.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government has announced powers for Mayors to introduce a visitor levy on short-term overnight accommodation in their region, to drive economic growth, including through support for the local visitor economy.

At Budget, the Government published a consultation so that the public, businesses, and local government could shape the design of these powers, including options to minimise the burden on businesses and communities. This consultation closed on the 18th of February and the Government will publish a response in due course.

The precise design and scope of the power for Mayors to introduce a visitor levy is still under development, and the impacts of the levy will largely be determined by local decisions. Evidence from international and domestic schemes suggested modest rates have minimal impact on visitor numbers. Mayors will decide whether to introduce a levy and, if so, consult on specific proposals. We expect Mayors to engage constructively with businesses and their communities to hear any concerns. Following consultation, we expect Mayors to publish a summary of the consultation results and their response, including a final prospectus, and an impact assessment.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has undertaken an assessment of the potential impact of an overnight visitor levy on (a) employment in the hospitality and tourism sector, (b) regional growth and (c) tax receipts, including (i) VAT, (ii) income tax and (iii) National Insurance contributions associated with overnight stays and related visitor spending.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government has announced powers for Mayors to introduce a visitor levy on short-term overnight accommodation in their region, to drive economic growth, including through support for the local visitor economy.

At Budget, the Government published a consultation so that the public, businesses, and local government could shape the design of these powers, including options to minimise the burden on businesses and communities. This consultation closed on the 18th of February and the Government will publish a response in due course.

The precise design and scope of the power for Mayors to introduce a visitor levy is still under development, and the impacts of the levy will largely be determined by local decisions. Evidence from international and domestic schemes suggested modest rates have minimal impact on visitor numbers. Mayors will decide whether to introduce a levy and, if so, consult on specific proposals. We expect Mayors to engage constructively with businesses and their communities to hear any concerns. Following consultation, we expect Mayors to publish a summary of the consultation results and their response, including a final prospectus, and an impact assessment.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has undertaken modelling of the potential impact of introducing an overnight visitor levy on the economy in terms of a) jobs, b) GDP, c) sectoral investment and d) net tax benefit.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government has announced powers for Mayors to introduce a visitor levy on short-term overnight accommodation in their region, to drive economic growth, including through support for the local visitor economy.

At Budget, the Government published a consultation so that the public, businesses, and local government could shape the design of these powers, including options to minimise the burden on businesses and communities. This consultation closed on the 18th of February and the Government will publish a response in due course.

The precise design and scope of the power for Mayors to introduce a visitor levy is still under development, and the impacts of the levy will largely be determined by local decisions. Evidence from international and domestic schemes suggested modest rates have minimal impact on visitor numbers. Mayors will decide whether to introduce a levy and, if so, consult on specific proposals. We expect Mayors to engage constructively with businesses and their communities to hear any concerns. Following consultation, we expect Mayors to publish a summary of the consultation results and their response, including a final prospectus, and an impact assessment.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the evidence they commissioned prior to launching a consultation on introducing an overnight levy included an international comparison of VAT levels on hospitality.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Ahead of launching the consultation, the Government considered a broad range of evidence on the case for a discretionary overnight visitor levy, including international comparisons of VAT rates on hospitality. The consultation closed on 18 February, and the Government will publish its formal response in due course.

Any decision to introduce a levy would be taken locally, with Mayors required to consult widely before determining whether it is appropriate for their area.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to respond to Question 126358 from the Hon. Member for Windsor.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

A response to this question was issued on April 20th, 2026.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to respond to Question 121021 from the Hon. Member for Windsor.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Hon Member received an answer on April 29, 2026.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many apprentices her Department recruited in (a) 2025, (b) 2022, (c) 2023 and (d) 2024.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

The number of apprentices that enrolled onto apprenticeship programmes within the department in each calendar year is as follows:

Year Apprentice Enrolments

2022 475

2023 890

2024 944

2025 233

Apprenticeship enrolments have reduced due to workforce controls, a prolonged pause of the Public Sector Operational Delivery Officer apprenticeship (which previously accounted for 70–80% of starts), and reform changes to available standards. Data includes all 39 apprenticeship standards used across the Home Office.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children have been the victim of a stabbing incident in educational settings in each of the last two academic years for which data is available by type of setting.

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

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to respond to Question 120248 from the Hon. Member for Windsor.

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

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to pause recovery action being undertaken by the Student Loans Company against students whose universities misclassified weekend courses as in-attendance courses whilst any (a) review and (b) regulatory action takes place.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of introducing transitional protection for students who enrolled on university courses since found to have been wrongly classified for student finance purposes.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of Student Loan Company recovery action following the misclassification of weekend courses as in-attendance courses for the purposes of student finance on students.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support universities in correctly classify courses (a) in-attendance and (b) weekend only.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.