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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the answer of 24 November to question 92054 on Independent Football Regulator: Political Parties, if she will publish the data on the additional political donations made by David Kogan.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

All political donations required to be declared by the Governance Code on Public Appointments are publicly disclosed on the Electoral Commission donation register. The additional donations, beneath the thresholds required by the Governance Code, disclosed by Mr Kogan when he appeared before the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee on 07 May 2025, are recorded in the transcript of that hearing.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make it his policy to require local authorities to collect and publish baseline data on current (a) sports facilities and (b) heritage landscapes.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

My Department has not made an assessment of the adequacy of the (a) distribution and (b) availability of sports pitches by local authorities.

The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) makes clear that planning policies should be based on robust and up-to-date assessments of the need for open space, sport and recreation facilities (including quantitative or qualitative deficits or surpluses) and opportunities for new provision. Information gained from the assessments should be used to determine what open space, sport and recreational provision is needed, which plans should then seek to accommodate.

The NPPF also sets out policies to maintain pitches and to conserve protected landscapes and designated heritage assets, all of which are important material considerations to be taken into account when dealing with applications for development which may affect them.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the (a) distribution and (b) availability of sports pitches by local authorities.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

My Department has not made an assessment of the adequacy of the (a) distribution and (b) availability of sports pitches by local authorities.

The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) makes clear that planning policies should be based on robust and up-to-date assessments of the need for open space, sport and recreation facilities (including quantitative or qualitative deficits or surpluses) and opportunities for new provision. Information gained from the assessments should be used to determine what open space, sport and recreational provision is needed, which plans should then seek to accommodate.

The NPPF also sets out policies to maintain pitches and to conserve protected landscapes and designated heritage assets, all of which are important material considerations to be taken into account when dealing with applications for development which may affect them.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, (a) if there will be exemptions made to her ticket price cap policy and (b) what criteria is used to judge this.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

As set out in our response to the consultation on the resale of live events tickets, published last month, the Government believes that a good case can be made for narrow exemptions to the price cap in the case of resale for charitable purposes and the resale of debentures tickets. This issue was explored in the consultation, and a number of responses made the case for exemptions of this kind. We recognise that any exemptions must be tightly drawn to avoid potential abuse and we will continue to examine how these exemptions could be defined and administered in a way that does not risk undermining the overall effectiveness of the price cap, before legislation is brought forward.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what funding allocations have been made to local authorities for the protection and improvement of (a) sports pitches and (b) heritage landscapes since 4 July 2024; and if she will publish a breakdown by local authority.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Government is determined to ensure that everyone has access to quality sport and physical activity opportunities. The Government has invested £98 million through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme across the UK in 2025/26, funding projects such as new and upgraded grass pitches, pitch maintenance equipment and floodlights.

The Government published a list of funded Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities projects on 9 June 2025 on Gov.uk. The lists can be found here and include funded projects that are either due to start, in progress or complete. We are committed to publishing a regularly updated list of funded and completed projects, with the next to be published in 2026.

Our delivery partner for the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities programme in England, the Football Foundation, plans its investment pipeline using Local Football Facility Plans (LFFPs) for each local authority, which are developed in partnership with local authorities so as to understand the needs of each community. Local Football Facilities Plans are publicly available here.

Following the Spending Review we have committed another £400 million to transform facilities across the whole of the UK over the next four years. We are now working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need and will then set out further plans. In addition the Government provides the majority of funding for grassroots sport through our Arm’s Length Body, Sport England, which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding in areas of greatest need to tackle inactivity levels through community-led solutions.

According to Sport England’s Active Places database, as of December 2025 there are 59,794 grass football pitches and 6,634 artificial grass pitches in England. More details are available here.

This government also takes our responsibility to heritage seriously. For this year alone, we have committed nearly £60 million of funding for heritage, including £15m for Heritage at Risk. Local Authorities can also apply for funding from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s’ Arms-Length-Bodies, the National Lottery Heritage Fund, which provides around c.£300 million in grants per year, and Historic England, who provide grants and advice.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what data her Department holds on the (i) number, (ii) type, and (ii) condition of publicly accessible sports pitches in each local authority area in England; and if she will publish that data.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Government is determined to ensure that everyone has access to quality sport and physical activity opportunities. The Government has invested £98 million through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme across the UK in 2025/26, funding projects such as new and upgraded grass pitches, pitch maintenance equipment and floodlights.

The Government published a list of funded Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities projects on 9 June 2025 on Gov.uk. The lists can be found here and include funded projects that are either due to start, in progress or complete. We are committed to publishing a regularly updated list of funded and completed projects, with the next to be published in 2026.

Our delivery partner for the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities programme in England, the Football Foundation, plans its investment pipeline using Local Football Facility Plans (LFFPs) for each local authority, which are developed in partnership with local authorities so as to understand the needs of each community. Local Football Facilities Plans are publicly available here.

Following the Spending Review we have committed another £400 million to transform facilities across the whole of the UK over the next four years. We are now working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need and will then set out further plans. In addition the Government provides the majority of funding for grassroots sport through our Arm’s Length Body, Sport England, which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding in areas of greatest need to tackle inactivity levels through community-led solutions.

According to Sport England’s Active Places database, as of December 2025 there are 59,794 grass football pitches and 6,634 artificial grass pitches in England. More details are available here.

This government also takes our responsibility to heritage seriously. For this year alone, we have committed nearly £60 million of funding for heritage, including £15m for Heritage at Risk. Local Authorities can also apply for funding from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s’ Arms-Length-Bodies, the National Lottery Heritage Fund, which provides around c.£300 million in grants per year, and Historic England, who provide grants and advice.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the emigration of (a) 18-25, (b) 26-35, (c) 36-49, and (d) 50+ years old on (i) the levels of revenue raised through taxation and (ii) the sustainability of the public finances.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) is the government's official forecaster and is responsible for assessing the UK’s economic and fiscal outlook.

The OBR assesses the fiscal implications of migration as part of its Economic and Fiscal Outlook and long-term fiscal projections.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what data relating to local sports infrastructure her Department holds; and whether she holds datasets on local authority breakdowns.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Government is determined to ensure that everyone has access to quality sport and physical activity opportunities. The Government has invested £98 million through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme across the UK in 2025/26, funding projects such as new and upgraded grass pitches, pitch maintenance equipment and floodlights.

The Government published a list of funded Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities projects on 9 June 2025 on Gov.uk. The lists can be found here and include funded projects that are either due to start, in progress or complete. We are committed to publishing a regularly updated list of funded and completed projects, with the next to be published in 2026.

Our delivery partner for the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities programme in England, the Football Foundation, plans its investment pipeline using Local Football Facility Plans (LFFPs) for each local authority, which are developed in partnership with local authorities so as to understand the needs of each community. Local Football Facilities Plans are publicly available here.

Following the Spending Review we have committed another £400 million to transform facilities across the whole of the UK over the next four years. We are now working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need and will then set out further plans. In addition the Government provides the majority of funding for grassroots sport through our Arm’s Length Body, Sport England, which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding in areas of greatest need to tackle inactivity levels through community-led solutions.

According to Sport England’s Active Places database, as of December 2025 there are 59,794 grass football pitches and 6,634 artificial grass pitches in England. More details are available here.

This government also takes our responsibility to heritage seriously. For this year alone, we have committed nearly £60 million of funding for heritage, including £15m for Heritage at Risk. Local Authorities can also apply for funding from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s’ Arms-Length-Bodies, the National Lottery Heritage Fund, which provides around c.£300 million in grants per year, and Historic England, who provide grants and advice.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will provide a breakdown of the costs incurred by her Department, from 4 July 2024 to date, in the establishment of the Independent Football Regulator.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

Details on DCMS’s public spending can be found in DCMS’s Annual Report and Accounts, available on GOV.UK. Spending on the passage of the Football Governance Act and the establishment of the Independent Football Regulator is a subset of the reported spend of the Sport and Gambling Directorate. All relevant costs relating to the creation of the Independent Football Regulator will be recovered from clubs via a levy, ensuring that there is nil cost to the public purse.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions regarding the inclusion of physical activity and exercise-based solutions within programmes aimed at reducing ill health as a cause of worklessness.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone, regardless of background, should have access to and benefit from quality sport and physical activity opportunities. The improvements to individual wellbeing is valued at £96.7 billion a year, and the wider value to society through savings to the health and care system is £10.5 billion a year.

We are working closely with other Government Departments, including the Department for Work and Pensions and Health and Social Care to develop a cross government approach to tackling physical inactivity and improving health outcomes. As part of this, we are working on a national plan for physical activity as set out in the 10 Year Health Plan.

In June, following the Spending Review we committed another £400 million to transform facilities across the whole of the UK over the next four years. We will ensure that this funding promotes health and wellbeing, and helps to remove the barriers to physical activity for under-represented groups. We are working with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need, before setting out further plans on how future funding will be allocated across the UK.

The ongoing responsibility of providing access to public leisure facilities lies at local authority level with funding levels set as part of the Local Government Finance Settlement. The Government encourages local authorities to make investments which offer the right opportunities and facilities for the communities they serve, investing in sport and physical activity with a place-based approach, to meet the needs of individual communities.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the use of (a) gyms, (b) swimming pools, and (c) leisure centres alongside weight-loss drugs.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone, regardless of background, should have access to and benefit from quality sport and physical activity opportunities. The improvements to individual wellbeing is valued at £96.7 billion a year, and the wider value to society through savings to the health and care system is £10.5 billion a year.

We are working closely with other Government Departments, including the Department for Work and Pensions and Health and Social Care to develop a cross government approach to tackling physical inactivity and improving health outcomes. As part of this, we are working on a national plan for physical activity as set out in the 10 Year Health Plan.

In June, following the Spending Review we committed another £400 million to transform facilities across the whole of the UK over the next four years. We will ensure that this funding promotes health and wellbeing, and helps to remove the barriers to physical activity for under-represented groups. We are working with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need, before setting out further plans on how future funding will be allocated across the UK.

The ongoing responsibility of providing access to public leisure facilities lies at local authority level with funding levels set as part of the Local Government Finance Settlement. The Government encourages local authorities to make investments which offer the right opportunities and facilities for the communities they serve, investing in sport and physical activity with a place-based approach, to meet the needs of individual communities.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will publish a timeline for allocating expenditure of the £400 million capital funding for grassroots sporting facilities.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Government's announcement that at least £400 million will be invested into grassroots sport over the next four years will ensure that we promote health, wellbeing and community cohesion and deliver high-quality facilities in the areas that need them most. The investment will also remove barriers to physical activity for under-represented groups such as women and girls, people with disabilities, and ethnic minority communities.

To ensure we best serve communities across the UK, we are now working with the sports sector and local leaders to develop plans for delivering this funding and further details will be announced in due course.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with international counterparts on protecting the right of nations to self-determination.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Article 1 (2) of the United Nations Charter establishes that one of the organisation's founding purposes is to develop friendly international relations based on respect for the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples. We continue to work with our UN colleagues and international partners on the basis of that charter.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, of recent illegal working arrests, how many have been removed from the United Kingdom.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

Details of Immigration Enforcement activity to tackle illegal employment in the UK can be found in the Home Office’s published transparency data: Illegal working and enforcement activity to the end of September 2025 - GOV.UK

Returns data can also be found in the Home Office’s published transparency data. This is not broken down by arrest location: Returns from the UK and enforcement activity - GOV.UK

Official statistics published by the Home Office are kept under review in line with the code of practice for statistics, taking into account a number of factors including user needs, the resources required to compile the statistics, as well as quality and availability of data.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what impact miles driven abroad will have on the calculation of the amount of Electric Vehicle Excise Duty payable per vehicle.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

As announced at Budget 2025, the Government is introducing Electric Vehicle Excise Duty (eVED) from April 2028, a new mileage charge for electric and plug-in hybrid cars, recognising that EVs (electric vehicles) contribute to congestion and wear and tear on the roads but pay no equivalent to fuel duty.

The Government has ruled out charging tax based on when or where people drive to protect motorists’ privacy. This means non-UK mileage driven by UK registered cars will fall into scope of eVED, as with fuel duty, which does not vary by basis of where a car is driven.

The vast majority of eVED will be paid on travel in the UK; there were an estimated 225 billion car miles in Great Britain in 2024, and over nine billion miles travelled by car in Northern Ireland in 2023.

The government has published a consultation on GOV.UK, which provides further detail on how eVED is intended to work and seeks views on its implementation: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/69282ac1a245b0985f034197/eVED_Consultation.pdf

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 27 November to question 92601 on Tourism: Taxation, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of Visitor Levies in other jurisdictions on the hospitality sector.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Scottish and Welsh Governments have published their own impact assessments to accompany legislation for the introduction of their visitor levies.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will take steps to ensure that the State Pension Benefit will be available under the current conditions to those entering the workforce in the financial year 2025-2026.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government is committed to maintaining a fair and sustainable State Pension system that provides security in retirement. The new State Pension, introduced in April 2016, offers a clear and predictable foundation for individuals’ retirement planning.

Entitlement to the State Pension continues to be based on National Insurance contributions and credits, ensuring that those who contribute throughout their working lives are able to build qualifying years.

To ensure today’s workers and tomorrow’s pensioners have security in retirement, we have launched the Pensions Commission to consider what is needed for a stronger, fairer and more sustainable pensions framework. The Commission will examine how to improve outcomes, particularly for those on the lowest incomes and at greatest risk of poverty or under-saving.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of business or employment tax rises on (a) gyms, (b) swimming pools, and (c) leisure centres.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government recognises the important contribution that sport and physical activity make to health and wellbeing in the UK.

At the Budget, the VOA announced updated property values from the 2026 revaluation. This revaluation is the first since Covid, which has led to significant increases in rateable values for some properties, including those in the hospitality sector as they recover from the pandemic. To support with bill increases, at the Budget, the Government announced a support package worth £4.3 billion over the next three years, including protection for ratepayers seeing their bills increase because of the revaluation. As a result, over half of ratepayers will see no bill increases, including 23% seeing their bills go down. This means most properties seeing increases will see them capped at 15% or less next year, or £800 for the smallest.

More broadly, the Government is delivering a long overdue reform to rebalance the business rates system and support the high street, as promised in our manifesto.

The Government is doing this by introducing new permanently lower tax rates for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) properties, including gyms, swimming pools, and leisure centres. These new tax rates are worth nearly £900 million per year, and will benefit over 750,000 properties.

Additionally, businesses and other organisations providing these services can continue to benefit from measures including the increase in the Employment Allowance to £10,500 and the Government remains committed to the small profits rate, under which companies with profits of £50,000 or less are subject to a 19 per cent rate. Marginal relief for companies with profits of between £50,000 and £250,000 means only around 10 per cent of actively trading companies pay the full main rate of 25 per cent. This means gyms, swimming pools and leisure centres whose companies meet these conditions will continue to face lower effective corporation tax rates.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make it her policy to split revenue raised from a Visitor Levy in London between the Mayor of London and London boroughs.

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, if they so choose.

We have published a consultation running until 18 February 2026, so that the public, businesses, and local government can shape the design of the power to introduce a levy that will be devolved to local leaders.

The precise design and scope of the power for Mayors to introduce a visitor levy is still under development and the Government welcomes engagement from the hospitality sector in developing this power through the consultation process.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make it her policy to hypothecate revenue raised from a Visitor Levy in London to support the visitor economy in London.

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, if they so choose.

We have published a consultation running until 18 February 2026, so that the public, businesses, and local government can shape the design of the power to introduce a levy that will be devolved to local leaders.

The precise design and scope of the power for Mayors to introduce a visitor levy is still under development and the Government welcomes engagement from the hospitality sector in developing this power through the consultation process.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much revenue was generated in 2023/2024 from business rates on hereditaments that are being used for the provision of (a) sport, leisure and facilities to visiting members of the public and (b) casinos, gambling clubs and bingo halls; and how much the same venues are forecast to pay in 2025/26 and 2026/27.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government does not hold data on the amount of business rates revenue raised by different types of hereditaments.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the cumulative effect of (a) increasing betting duties on seaside arcades, (b) a nightly levy on hotel stays, (c) the abolition of Favoured Tax Regime for Furnished Holiday Lets, (d) changes to business rates relief, (e) the increase in Employer National Insurance Contributions and (f) the increase in the National Minium Wage for young people on businesses.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government has carefully assessed the cumulative impacts of measures announced over recent Budgets on businesses and households. Taken together, these measures raise revenue to support the public finances in a fair way, whilst providing targeted support. The Government recognises that recent policy changes will have combined effects on some businesses. Where changes are made, relevant assessments and impact notes are published to inform stakeholders. The Treasury continues to engage with affected sectors to understand the challenges they face and to ensure the UK remains a competitive place to do business. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and keep our policy approach under review, with future tax decisions taken at fiscal events under the normal process.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to help ensure that (a) gyms, (b) swimming pools, and (c) leisure centres are used to help reduce (i) health and (ii) socioeconomic inequalities.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone, regardless of background, should have access to and benefit from quality sport and physical activity opportunities. The benefits to individual wellbeing through sport and physical activity are valued at £96.7 billion a year, and the wider value to society through savings to the health and care system is £10.5 billion a year.

In June, following the Spending Review we committed another £400 million to transform facilities across the whole of the UK over the next four years. We will ensure that this funding promotes health and wellbeing, and helps to remove the barriers to physical activity for under-represented groups. We are working with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need, before setting out further plans on how future funding will be allocated across the UK.

The ongoing responsibility of providing access to public leisure facilities lies at local authority level with funding levels set as part of the Local Government Finance Settlement. The Government encourages local authorities to make investments which offer the right opportunities and facilities for the communities they serve, investing in sport and physical activity with a place-based approach, to meet the needs of individual communities.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to reduce the number of foreign nationals claiming welfare benefits.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

On 20 November the Home Secretary launched a consultation on proposals for a fairer pathway to settlement, the point at which foreign nationals generally gain access to public funds. These plans include doubling the standard qualifying period for settlement from 5 to 10 years, with the opportunity to reduce this period based on their contributions to the UK economy and society and longer periods for those who contribute less.

The consultation also covers proposals that benefits might not be available to those who have settled status, reserving them, instead, for those who have earned British citizenship.

You can find more details in here: “Restoring Order and Control: A statement on the government’s asylum and returns policy (accessible)”,(opens in a new tab) and in “Open consultation: Earned settlement(opens in a new tab)”.

In conjunction with these reforms, my Department will consult in due course on a change to taxpayer-funded benefits to prioritise access for those who are making an economic contribution to the UK.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of business tax rises on physical activity levels.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government recognises the important contribution that sport and physical activity make to health and wellbeing in the UK.

At the Budget, the VOA announced updated property values from the 2026 revaluation. This revaluation is the first since Covid, which has led to significant increases in rateable values for some properties, including those in the hospitality sector as they recover from the pandemic. To support with bill increases, at the Budget, the Government announced a support package worth £4.3 billion over the next three years, including protection for ratepayers seeing their bills increase because of the revaluation. As a result, over half of ratepayers will see no bill increases, including 23% seeing their bills go down. This means most properties seeing increases will see them capped at 15% or less next year, or £800 for the smallest.

More broadly, the Government is delivering a long overdue reform to rebalance the business rates system and support the high street, as promised in our manifesto.

The Government is doing this by introducing permanently lower tax rates for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure properties, worth nearly £900 million per year and benefiting over 750,000 properties, including sports and physical activity centres with rateable values under £500k.

Additionally, businesses within the physical activity sector can continue to benefit from measures including the increase in the Employment Allowance to £10,500 and the Government remains committed to the small profits rate, under which companies with profits of £50,000 or less are subject to a 19 per cent rate. Marginal relief for companies with profits of between £50,000 and £250,000 means only around 10 per cent of actively trading companies pay the full main rate of 25 per cent. This means firms within the physical activity sector that meet these conditions will continue to face lower effective corporation tax rates.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of business tax rises on the physical activity sector.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government recognises the important contribution that sport and physical activity make to health and wellbeing in the UK.

At the Budget, the VOA announced updated property values from the 2026 revaluation. This revaluation is the first since Covid, which has led to significant increases in rateable values for some properties, including those in the hospitality sector as they recover from the pandemic. To support with bill increases, at the Budget, the Government announced a support package worth £4.3 billion over the next three years, including protection for ratepayers seeing their bills increase because of the revaluation. As a result, over half of ratepayers will see no bill increases, including 23% seeing their bills go down. This means most properties seeing increases will see them capped at 15% or less next year, or £800 for the smallest.

More broadly, the Government is delivering a long overdue reform to rebalance the business rates system and support the high street, as promised in our manifesto.

The Government is doing this by introducing permanently lower tax rates for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure properties, worth nearly £900 million per year and benefiting over 750,000 properties, including sports and physical activity centres with rateable values under £500k.

Additionally, businesses within the physical activity sector can continue to benefit from measures including the increase in the Employment Allowance to £10,500 and the Government remains committed to the small profits rate, under which companies with profits of £50,000 or less are subject to a 19 per cent rate. Marginal relief for companies with profits of between £50,000 and £250,000 means only around 10 per cent of actively trading companies pay the full main rate of 25 per cent. This means firms within the physical activity sector that meet these conditions will continue to face lower effective corporation tax rates.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to combat antisemitism (a) in secondary schools, (b) in colleges, and (c) on university campuses.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

We must tackle antisemitism in every form to root this hatred out of our society. Education is critical to this.

The department has committed £7 million to fund projects and programmes to improve confidence and resilience in tackling antisemitism in schools, colleges and universities.

Universities should have robust processes in place to deal with acts of harassment and abuse on campus. We have called on universities to use every tool available to protect Jewish students from antisemitism.

The department is providing £2 million to the Holocaust Educational Trust to deliver the ‘Supporting Holocaust Survivor Testimony in Teaching’ programme. Teaching about antisemitism is integral to teaching this event.

The department supports teachers through our Educate Against Hate website, which provides teachers with a range of free, quality-assured resources, including on building resilience to antisemitism, teaching about tolerance and rejecting discrimination.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to cease the purchasing of non-essential items, including vapes, for illegal migrants.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office does not purchase vapes for people held in immigration detention, and no public money is spent on the purchase of these or any other goods sold at immigration removal centres.

Following a comprehensive review of asylum support, we have taken decisive action to block spending on non-essential goods and services on ASPEN cards and implement enhanced due diligence measures.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 30 October 2025 to Question 78837 on Rural Areas: Economic Situation, what assessment she has made of the difference between the increase in costs for horseracing due to (a) the change in business rates, (b) the increase in the national minimum wage, and (c) the increase in Employer's National Insurance Contributions and the expected levy yield.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

We continue to engage with racing and betting stakeholders to understand the impact of recent changes made by His Majesty’s Treasury.

The horserace betting levy is based on the profits of bookmakers, which fluctuate according to the results of races. The levy is designed in this way so that the risk is shared between betting and racing stakeholders.

The levy, which reached £108m in 2024/5 represents a small proportion of racing’s overall income when compared with contributions from betting operators for media rights, income from racegoers and contributions from owners and trainers. The levy yield for the year to 31 March 2025 is a new high since the Levy collection reforms of 2017/18, exceeding the 2023/24 figure of £105m.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 11 November, to Question 87899 on Delivery Services: Driving Licences, if she will (a) publish the letter referred to from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Local Transport, (b) make an assessment of the potential impact of people engaged in delivery work without valid documentation on road safety and (c) review the training, testing, and licensing requirements for motorcycles.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

a) I have placed copies of the letter referred to in my answer to Question 87899 in the Library of the House.

b) The Department has no plans to assess the potential impact of people engaged in delivery work without valid documentation on road safety. This is a matter of enforcement of the law and for the police to decide, on the evidence of each individual case, whether an offence has been committed and the appropriate action to take.

c) We are considering plans to review the existing requirements for motorcycle training, testing, and licensing that take account of both long-standing plans in the Department for Transport and the Driver Vehicle and Standards Agency, and proposals received from the motorcycle sector. The Road Safety Strategy is under development and will include a broad range of policies. We intend to publish the Strategy this year.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many (a) registered parks, (b) gardens and (c) designed landscapes are currently classed as at risk in each local authority.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Registered parks and gardens in England are designated by Historic England. Data on the number that exist within each local authority area can be found by consulting the online National Heritage List for England. Data on the number of designed landscapes in each local authority that are currently classed as being at risk can be found by consulting Historic England’s online Heritage at Risk Register. Both resources can be filtered by local authority.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will publish the most recent data held by her Department on the number of registered parks and gardens within each local authority area.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Registered parks and gardens in England are designated by Historic England. Data on the number that exist within each local authority area can be found by consulting the online National Heritage List for England. Data on the number of designed landscapes in each local authority that are currently classed as being at risk can be found by consulting Historic England’s online Heritage at Risk Register. Both resources can be filtered by local authority.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 13 October to Question 77717 on Betting: Excise Duties, if she will list relevant engagements with ministers.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Chancellor discusses a variety of issues with Ministers from other government departments throughout the year.