Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the oral contribution of the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury in the debate on the Finance Bill on 3 March 2025, Official Report, column 92, whether her Department has calculated the number of people in receipt of the full rate of the new state pension that will pay income tax in (a) 2025-26, (b) 2026-27, (c) 2027-28, (d) 2028-29 and (e) 2029-30.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government is committed to ensuring that older people are able to live with the dignity and respect they deserve, and the State Pension is the foundation of state support for older people. The Government is committed to the Triple Lock for the duration of this parliament, and in April 2025, the basic and new State Pension will increase by 4.1%. This means that pensioners on a full new State Pension will get a boost of £470 to their incomes from April this year. Over the course of this Parliament, as per the forecast at Autumn Budget 2024, the yearly amount of the full new State Pension is currently forecast to go up by around £1,900, based on the Office for Budget Responsibility’s latest forecast.

The previous Government made the decision to freeze the income tax Personal Allowance at its current level of £12,570 until April 2028. At our first Budget, we decided not to extend the freeze on personal tax thresholds and, as a result, they will rise with inflation from April 2028, meaning people will keep more of their income.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the tobacco duty escalator on tobacco excise revenues.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Alongside any changes to Tobacco Duty at Budget, the Government publishes a Tax Information and Impact Note, including an impact assessment, to detail the expected impacts. The summary of impacts from the latest changes to tobacco duty at Autumn Budget 2024 can be found here: Changes to tobacco duty rates from 30 October 2024 - GOV.UK

As with all taxes, the Government keeps tobacco duty rates under review during its yearly Budget process.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 1 April 2025 to Question 40654 on Income Tax: Pensioners, what estimate she has made of the number of pensioners that will be affected in each year.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

HMRC publish the number of income tax payers by age. This information can be found in Table 2.1 of the collated income tax liabilities statistics tables for the years up to 2024-25, available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66798d4797ea0c79abfe4b83/Collated_Income_Tax_liabilities_statistics_tables_-_2.1_to_2.6.ods. Data on future years will be published in the usual way.

As I set out in my previous answer, the Personal Allowance - the amount an individual can earn before paying tax - will continue to exceed the basic and full new State Pension in the coming tax year. This means pensioners whose sole income is the full new State Pension or basic State Pension without any increments will not pay any income tax.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make a comparative estimate of the cost to pubs of (a) the Extended Producer Responsibility scheme, (b) VAT and (c) beer duty compared to other major European countries.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Policies related to packaging alcohol taxation vary between European countries.

In October 2024, the Government published an updated assessment of the impact of introducing the pEPR scheme on packaging producers. It has worked closely with industry, including the brewing sector, throughout the development of the scheme.

VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption, and the 20 per cent standard rate applies to most goods and services.

As with all taxes, the Government keeps alcohol duty rates under review during its Budget process.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when she plans to publish updated guidance for the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

Updated guidance was published on the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme website on 19 March 2025.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has commissioned any independent assessments of the compliance costs of financial regulations since 4 July 2024.

Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The government has committed to cutting the administrative costs of regulation for business by 25% by the end of the Parliament. This will take a whole-of-government approach to establish a baseline for the administrative costs of regulation and deliver an ambitious regulation reform programme, targeting reforms that remove or streamline administrative processes. No independent assessment has been commissioned for this work.

The financial services regulators are required by the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 to undertake and publish a Cost-Benefit Analysis when consulting on any proposal to make or amend rules, to analyse the likely expected costs and benefits arising from the changes.

The Treasury is working with the financial services regulators to reduce regulatory burdens on financial services firms while maintaining high regulatory standards.

As part of the Regulation Action Plan, the government announced that it will consolidate the Payments Systems Regulator into the Financial Conduct Authority, to provide a more streamlined approach to regulation for businesses.

The Regulation Action Plan also confirmed that the Financial Conduct Authority and Prudential Regulation Authority are taking steps to review and streamline reporting requirements for firms.

The government is committed to ensuring our regulation is fit for purpose, ensuring it meets our commitments to maintaining the UK’s high standards and protections whilst ensuring we do not hold back growth with unnecessary red tape.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to reduce the level of compliance costs for financial services.

Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The government has committed to cutting the administrative costs of regulation for business by 25% by the end of the Parliament. This will take a whole-of-government approach to establish a baseline for the administrative costs of regulation and deliver an ambitious regulation reform programme, targeting reforms that remove or streamline administrative processes. No independent assessment has been commissioned for this work.

The financial services regulators are required by the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 to undertake and publish a Cost-Benefit Analysis when consulting on any proposal to make or amend rules, to analyse the likely expected costs and benefits arising from the changes.

The Treasury is working with the financial services regulators to reduce regulatory burdens on financial services firms while maintaining high regulatory standards.

As part of the Regulation Action Plan, the government announced that it will consolidate the Payments Systems Regulator into the Financial Conduct Authority, to provide a more streamlined approach to regulation for businesses.

The Regulation Action Plan also confirmed that the Financial Conduct Authority and Prudential Regulation Authority are taking steps to review and streamline reporting requirements for firms.

The government is committed to ensuring our regulation is fit for purpose, ensuring it meets our commitments to maintaining the UK’s high standards and protections whilst ensuring we do not hold back growth with unnecessary red tape.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of Extended Producer Responsibility fees on trends in the levels of pub closures; and what steps his Department is taking to support pubs in adhering to Extended Producer Responsibility regulations.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

In October 2024, the Government published an updated assessment of the impact of introducing the pEPR scheme on packaging producers as a whole. This impact assessment did not split the assessment by sector.

The Government has worked closely with industry, including the brewing sector, throughout development of Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging (pEPR). Feedback from stakeholders was factored into finalising the regulations, including formally consulting stakeholders on a draft of the pEPR regulations in 2023.

pEPR obligates brands and packaging producers to pay the costs of managing household packaging waste. In most cases, this will not be individual pubs but the business supplying the pub with packaged goods.

My officials have recently attended a number of events organised by the brewing industry, to discuss pEPR and to listen and respond to concerns raised by their members. We have provided extensive guidance to all sectors on how to comply with their obligations under pEPR and continue to work with the brewing sector and others to further refine both the guidance and the wider scheme.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of extending the DWP appointee scheme to cover Child Trust Funds with a value up to £5,000.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The DWP will not be extending its appointeeship scheme to include Child Trust Funds. The scheme only applies to Government benefits which help with day-to-day living expenses, as opposed to a capital asset like a Child Trust Fund which matures overtime. Further, applying benefit rules to Child Trust Funds would not provide the protections currently delivered by the Mental Capacity Act and could expose vulnerable people to risk.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average cost of applying to the Court of Protection for a deputyship order was in cases relating to Child Trust Funds in the latest period for which data is available.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

It is not possible to provide information on the numbers of applications for a deputyship order in cases relating to Child Trust Funds as Court of Protection data is not broken down by the type of asset held.

Locally collected management information relating to Child Trust Funds does not include those cases where a Child Trust Fund may be one of several assets owned by the young person lacking capacity and therefore does not provide an accurate picture of the number of applications made.

With effect from 08 April 2025, applications to the Court of Protection will cost £421. Where an application to access a Child Trust Fund is made before the child reaches 18, no fee is payable if the child has savings of less than £4,250 and a monthly income less than £1,420. In addition, where the Child Trust Fund is the sole asset, an exceptional fee waiver can be applied for. When an application is made after a child turns 18, and they have savings or income above these levels, a parent or carer can apply for an exceptional fee waiver at the court’s discretion.

The Ministry of Justice has published a toolkit for parents and carers to help them navigate the court process.

The Department is exploring plans to facilitate the CoP process for parents and guardians applying for a deputyship, for example by alerting parents in advance of a child's 18th birthday of the need to make an application.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many applications to the Court of Protection for a deputyship order in cases relating to Child Trust Funds were made in each year since 2019.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

It is not possible to provide information on the numbers of applications for a deputyship order in cases relating to Child Trust Funds as Court of Protection data is not broken down by the type of asset held.

Locally collected management information relating to Child Trust Funds does not include those cases where a Child Trust Fund may be one of several assets owned by the young person lacking capacity and therefore does not provide an accurate picture of the number of applications made.

With effect from 08 April 2025, applications to the Court of Protection will cost £421. Where an application to access a Child Trust Fund is made before the child reaches 18, no fee is payable if the child has savings of less than £4,250 and a monthly income less than £1,420. In addition, where the Child Trust Fund is the sole asset, an exceptional fee waiver can be applied for. When an application is made after a child turns 18, and they have savings or income above these levels, a parent or carer can apply for an exceptional fee waiver at the court’s discretion.

The Ministry of Justice has published a toolkit for parents and carers to help them navigate the court process.

The Department is exploring plans to facilitate the CoP process for parents and guardians applying for a deputyship, for example by alerting parents in advance of a child's 18th birthday of the need to make an application.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what options she is considering for improving access to matured Child Trust Funds for people who lack capacity.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

Where a young adult lacks mental capacity, including due to a disability, the law requires parents or a guardian to have legal authority to make decisions on their behalf about financial assets or property. This requirement to have legal authority is vital in ensuring that vulnerable people are safeguarded and protected from all forms of abuse including financial abuse. This is not specific to accessing funds held in Child Trust Funds or Junior ISAs but applies more widely to all assets belonging to vulnerable people who lack capacity. This includes in relation to accessing funds held in a Child Trust Fund or a Junior ISA.

On 9 June 2023, the Ministry of Justice published the Making Financial Decisions for young people: parent and carer toolkit’ explaining the process by which parents and guardians of disabled children are able to obtain legal authority if no other arrangements are in place. This can be done by making an applying to the Court of Protection for an order authorising access to monies held in a Child Trust Fund or Junior ISA. The toolkit is available on Gov.UK.

We understand that concerns remain, and I am speaking with relevant stakeholders to explore what further can be done to help improve access to matured Child Trust Funds in a way that balances facilitating access with safeguards.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has received any representations on fire safety guidance and the time within which care homes should aim to evacuate residents from protected areas.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Fire Risk Assessment: Residential Care guide is being updated as part of a major work programme to update all fire safety guidance under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, and will address evacuation times in premises such as care homes. This work is currently expected to run over the next couple of years given the number of guides in development, the detailed policy work required and the differing expert views regarding care home evacuation times.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 12 February 2025 to Question 28652 on Ministers: Aviation, whether the details of the Air Passenger Duty paid for Ministerial travel on RAF flights are held by a public body.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The information is held by the Ministry of Defence.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 28 February 2025 to Question 31166 to the hon. Member for North West Norfolk (James Wild).

Found: insert “or Wales” _1 Andrew Griffith Rebecca Harris Joy Morrissey Mr Gagan Mohindra Mike Wood James Wild

Found: New Amendments: 1 to 2 and NC1 to NC3 _NC1 Mark Garnier Mel Stride James Wild Blake Stephenson ★