Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Cabinet Office’s policy of the Government paying the council tax bill of a Minister in an official residence applies to Ministers whose primary residence is neither their constituency address nor their official residence address.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds

The Government's policy on official residences and council tax is unchanged.

Ministers are responsible for paying council tax where an official residence is their primary residence.

For government owned properties which are official residences, the Government is responsible for the payment of the council tax where a Minister resides there on a second homes basis.

Question

To ask the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney, representing the House of Commons Commission, whether funding has been provided by the House of Commons since July 2024 in relation to the security of Hon Members from the Reform UK party.

Answered by Nick Smith

All MPs are offered security measures at their homes and offices, and security operatives for constituency surgeries.

To ensure the continued security of Members, the Commission does not comment on the take-up of security provisions by individual MPs.

Question

To ask the hon. Member for Warrington North, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, whether funding has been provided by IPSA since July 2024 in relation to the security of Hon Members from the Reform UK party.

Answered by Charlotte Nichols

On 1 April 2023, lead responsibility for funding the security of Hon. Members of all parties was transferred from the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority to the Parliamentary Security Department (PSD).

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress her Department has made on the proposed geographical indication for English Whisky; and what her Department's planned timetable is for completing its work on this.

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

Ministers are considering all the evidence gathered during the statutory assessment process before making a decision. We aim to announce our decision on the application shortly.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 2 June 2026, to Question 3824, and of 10 February 2026, to Question 108240, on Government Departments: Aviation, what was the cost of the Prime Minister’s use of the helicopter commissioned through the Cabinet Office central travel contract; and who were the individuals who used the helicopter for the other tasks.

Answered by Chris Ward

Ministerial travel is carefully considered to ensure both efficiency and the interests of the taxpayers are prioritised.

It is the established practice of successive administrations not to publish granular domestic travel data for protected individuals.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the answer of 2 March 2026, to Question 113803, whether there are specific sectors in which the Government plans to introduce income-based pricing of utilities or merit goods.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) has no plans to introduce income-based pricing for utilities or merit goods for specific sectors.

Merit goods like essential healthcare, state schooling, and primary education remain free at the point of use for everyone, independent of income. For supplementary merit goods that require flat fees—such as NHS prescriptions and dental checkups—the government maintains fixed prices rather than income-scaled pricing.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether the Certification Officer has made an assessment of when Unite will submit full accounts for publication on gov.uk, including backdated accounts.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)

The Certification Office has received Unite the Union’s annual return for 2021. Publication of that return is currently being held pending the conclusion of related statutory processes, which are nearing their conclusion. Once those processes have concluded, the Certification Officer will arrange publication in the usual way.

In respect of Unite’s other outstanding annual returns, the Certification Officer remains in regular dialogue with the union regarding their submission. The Certification Officer expects the receipt and publication of those returns to follow the publication of the 2021 return.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the Answer of 24 October 2025 to Question 82331 on Unite: Conference Centres and Hotels, what is the timetable for the completion of the Certification Officer’s investigation into Unite.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)

The Certification Officer operates independently of Government and is responsible for the conduct of investigations within his statutory remit. It is therefore for the Certification Officer to determine the timetable for the investigation. The Certification Officer has appointed an inspector to investigate the financial affairs of Unite the Union, including in respect of certain matters raised in the report referred to. Upon conclusion of the inspection, the Certification Officer will publish the inspector's report on the Certification Officer’s website as soon as reasonably practicable.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department has taken to draw awareness to the ability of retailers to sell (a) sparking and (b) still wine in the imperial pint-sized bottles.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)

Legislation introducing new specified quantities for the sale of prepacked wine came into effect in September 2024. The change was industry-led and allowed both still and sparkling wine to be sold in 200ml, 500ml and 568ml ‘pint’ sizes.

Producers and retailers were made aware via a Departmental press release in December 2023 which was widely reported in the media. Guidance about the changes was emailed to relevant organisations in Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

The changes introduced are optional. Business and retailers can produce and sell in the new sizes if they choose to, following their own commercial decisions.

Question

To ask the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney, representing the House of Commons Commission, pursuant to the answer of 21 May 2026 to Question 2110 on All-Party Parliamentary Groups: Finance, whether there is a requirement for the income and expenditure statement of a dissolved APPG to be audited; and whether the chair of a dissolved APPG is obliged to make the Income and Expenditure Statement available on request to (a) Hon Members or (b) members of the public, after the APPG has been wound up.

Answered by Nick Smith

The House of Commons Commission does not have responsibility for the APPG Rules.

Paragraph 8 of Appendix 4 of the Guide to the APPG Rules sets out the records that a Chair of an APPG must keep after a group has been disbanded. The Guide to the APPG Rules is silent on whether the Chair of a disbanded group is required to share those records.

Question

To ask the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney, representing the House of Commons Commission, pursuant to the answer of 21 May 2026 to Question 2110, on All-Party Parliamentary Groups: Finance, whether there is any guidance on how the residual assets of a dissolved APPG may be used.

Answered by Nick Smith

Paragraph 8 of Appendix 4 of the Guide to the APPG rules sets out the requirements for APPGs when they are dissolved at a General Election. The Guide to the APPG Rules does not specify how residual assets of a dissolved APPG may be used.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 21 May 2026, to Question 2120, on Cryptocurrencies, and further to the HMT press release, "UK cracks down on backdoor Russian sanctions evasion with tough new measures", of 26 May 2026, what assessment has (a) HMT and (b) the Financial Conduct Authority, made of whether the Tether cryptocurrency is connected with (i) money-laundering and (ii) sanctions evasion.

Answered by Rachel Blake

HMT has assessed that cryptocurrencies, including USD Tether, are increasingly involved in sanctions evasion activity.

OFSI’s Cryptoasset Threat Assessment was published in July 2025 and highlighted the use of USD Tether by designated Russian cryptoasset exchanges, including Garantex and Grinex, and Russian money laundering groups. The assessment highlighted the exploitation of stablecoins, including USD Tether, by DPRK (North Korean) IT workers. The assessment also highlighted that, since 2022, Iran has increased its usage of cryptoassets as payment in foreign trade, including through the prevalent use of USD Tether.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the answer of 2 March 2026 to Question 113785 on Self-employed: Statistics, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of the Government collecting statistics on self-employment income.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with HM Treasury)

HMRC collects information on self-employment income through tax returns submitted by self-employed individuals. Statistics relating to self-employment income are published and can be found as part of HMRC’s Survey of Personal Incomes (SPI), which is one of the Government’s principal sources of information on personal incomes and Income Tax liabilities. Statistics on self-employment income are presented in Tables 3.9 and 3.10 of the latest SPI publication. The latest published SPI statistics are linked below:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/personal-incomes-statistics-for-the-tax-year-2023-to-2024

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the answer of 27 May 2026, to Question 2117, on Public Houses: Rural Areas, and with reference to the Regulation Action Plan - Progress Update and Next Steps, of 22 October 2025, whether the changes to drink driving thresholds will be scored in relation to the administrative burden of regulation on businesses and the target to reduce the burden by £5.6 billion.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Department for Transport published the consultation Proposed changes to penalties for motoring offences on 7 January 2026 alongside the Government's Road Safety Strategy.

The consultation sought views on a range of measures relating to road safety, including the general principle of lowering the drink-drive limit in England and Wales. Responses are currently being analysed and the Government will consider its next steps in due course.

Any administrative burdens on business stemming from any future regulatory action taken in response to the consultation would be considered as part of the Government's wider approach to assessing regulatory impacts.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the proposed ban on vaping inside pubs would be scored as a regulatory burden on pubs.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson

Between 13 February and 8 May, the Department consulted on proposals to extend vape-free requirements to all indoor settings in England that are already smoke-free, including pubs. The aim of these proposals is to help protect children and medically vulnerable people who may otherwise be exposed to prolonged contact, through no choice of their own, with second-hand aerosols from vaping.

In designing the proposals, we have carefully considered the potential burden that they may introduce on businesses and have sought to mitigate these where possible, including for example through avoiding administrative burdens such as compliance reporting. In the consultation stage impact assessment published alongside the consultation we did, however, assess that our proposals would introduce some regulatory burden on pubs and other relevant indoor settings, primarily in relation to one-off familiarisation and signage costs. We also expect the proposals would deliver a range of benefits, particularly wider public health benefits. We sought feedback on the analysis included within the impact assessment during the consultation and are currently considering the responses we received.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Department for Business and Trade has made any assessment of the potential effect of the measures in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill on (a) restaurants, (b) pubs, (c) small and independent retailers.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson

The Department published an impact assessment for the Tobacco and Vapes Bill during its parliamentary passage. This included analysis of the expected impact on businesses from the bill measures, including small and micro businesses, retailers, and the hospitality sector.

Broadly, the analysis concluded that the measures in the bill will introduce some cost to business, including familiarisation costs and potential impacts from reduced tobacco, vape, and nicotine product sales and lost profits. We also expect that the bill’s measures will deliver a range of benefits, particularly wider public health benefits. For example, the smoke-free generation policy is expected to deliver significant health benefits to individuals and reductions to the National Health Service, social care, and productivity costs by reducing the number of people taking up smoking. Overall, the estimated net benefit of the smoke-free generation policy is over £30 billion, in 2024 prices, over 30 years.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the answer of 5 November 2025, to Question 86059, on Deputy Prime Minister: Admiralty House, and further to the corrected answer of 21 October 2025, to Question 73315, if he will provide the data on the costs on (a) refurbishment and (b) fixtures and fittings for the other two flats since 4 July 2024.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister of State (Home Office)

Admiralty House comprises three flats which can be allocated to ministers as official residences, and reception and function rooms utilised by the Cabinet Office. Note only two of these are used for residential purposes.

Admiralty House Flats:

1. Toilet Macerator Replacement (10/2024)
   Total Charge = £828.05 ex VAT

2. Replacement of bed (01/2025) = £2566.22 ex VAT
   Disposal of the Old Bed (01/2025) = £249.07 ex VAT
   Total Charge = £2815.29 ex VAT

3. Replacement of bed (01/2025) = £2566.22 ex VAT

Disposal of the old bed (01/2025) = £249.07 ex VAT
Total Charge = £2815.29 ex VAT

Both beds were purchased under routine lifecycle replacement by the Government Property Agency.

4. Kitchen and Bathroom Refurbishment (03-06/2024)
   Refurbishment = £ 88,867.56 ex VAT
   Materials = £ 21,671.16 ex VAT
   Total Charge = £110,538.72 ex VAT

5. Entrance/Lift Lobby Refurbishment (03/2025)
   Total Charge = £112,168.41 ex VAT

6. Reception Room Refurbishment (07/2025)
   Total Charge = £ 32,003.89 ex VAT

7. South Back Room, Repairs and Restoration (07/2025)
   Total Charge = £75,744.46 ex VAT

8. South Main Reception Room, Internal Lobbies x2 Repairs (08/2025)
   Total Charge = £25,248.29 ex VAT

9. Internal Door Repairs, Disability Discrimination Act Compliant Handles Fitted to Bathroom and Cloakroom (08-10/2025)
   Total Charge = £73,374.62 ex VAT

10. Painting and recarpeting of Green Room Works completed 20/05/2026 - £51,353.84

11. Curtain Fire Protection Spray Coating and recarpeting Works completed 31/03/26 - £9,243.68

12. Recarpeting Works completed 31/03/26 - £12,361.59

13. Recarpeting Works completed 31/03/26 - £17,486.90

All costs include delivery, installation and supplier fees.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on the potential merits of introducing a bespoke tenure model for Integrated Retirement Communities, including ARCO's proposals for a New Zealand-style Retirement Occupancy Lease.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Secretary of State for Wales

We recognise the important role integrated retirement communities play in providing high quality, safe, and suitable homes. This provision can help people stay independent and healthy for longer and can reduce the need to draw on health and social care provision.

The Government is committed to enhancing the provision and choice for older people in the housing market. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is currently considering the responses to its recent consultation on the Government’s proposed reforms to the commonhold tenure model. This includes consideration of relevant international evidence. The Department of Health and Social Care will continue to work closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government as it considers its response.

Memorial plaque for Ann Widdecombe

Found: The Minister, Kevin Hollinrake, said: …it remains the case that the Government have seen no evidence

Found: Baroness Poppy Gustafsson CBE6 (until 6 September 2025) Lord Dominic Johnson of Lainston CBE7 Kevin Hollinrake

Found: salary if different (£) Pension Benefits 2 (£ to nearest £1,000) Total (£ to nearest £1,000) Kevin Hollinrake