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 publish an annual brownfield site audit for England.

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

Local planning authorities are required to maintain a register of brownfield sites that they have assessed as appropriate for residential development.

My Department has no current plans to undertake an annual audit of such registers.

Question

To ask the hon. Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioners, what support the Church of England is providing to military chaplaincy training in Ukraine.

Answered by Marsha De Cordova

Anglican chaplains, as part of the Royal Army Chaplaincy Department, have been involved with training and providing ongoing to support to approximately 200 Ukrainian chaplains over the last 3 years.

The Bishop to the Armed Forces and the former Archbishop of Canterbury have met with Ukrainian chaplains and prayed with them. The former Archbishop also visited Ukraine on several occasions to see the work of the local church and to offer his personal support to humanitarian aid efforts, families displaced by the ongoing conflict, and to meet with civilians who have been directly impacted by the violence in Ukraine.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will commit not to introduce any new taxes which increase the cost of doing business.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

At the Budget on 26 November, the government will continue to deliver on the priorities of the British people: cutting NHS waiting lists, cutting the national debt and cutting the cost of living. There will be no return to austerity and we will end the unfairness and low growth that squeezes living standards for working people: that is the path to national renewal.

The Chancellor’s decisions on tax will be announced in the usual way at the Budget.

I do note that the 2023 budget under the Conservative government increased corporation tax on businesses from 19% to 25%.

We do not comment on tax speculation ahead of fiscal events.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will lower business rates for (a) high street businesses, (b) businesses without a physical storefront on a street and (c) other small and medium sized businesses.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government is creating a fairer business rates system that protects the high street, supports investment, and is fit for the 21st century.

As set out at Autumn Budget 2024, the Government will introduce permanently lower tax rates for retail, hospitality, and leisure properties with ratable values (RVs) below £500,000 from 2026/27. This permanent tax cut will ensure they benefit from much-needed certainty and support. The Government is sustainably funding this by introducing a higher tax rate on properties with RVs of £500,000 and above.

The final design, including the rates, for the new business rates multipliers will be announced at Budget 2025, so that the Government can factor the revaluation outcomes and broader economic and fiscal context into decision-making. When the new multipliers are set, HM Treasury intends to publish analysis of the effects of the new multiplier arrangements.

The Transforming Business Rates: Interim Report, published on 11 September, sets out the Government’s next steps to deliver a fairer business rates system. The Government is exploring enhancing Small Business Rates Relief to more effectively support investment and expansion among small businesses.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will withdraw the planned changes to (a) Agricultural Property Relief and (b) Business Property Relief.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government believes its reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief from 6 April 2026 get the balance right between supporting farms and businesses, fixing the public finances, and funding public services. The reforms reduce the inheritance tax advantages available to owners of agricultural and business assets, but still mean those assets will be taxed at a much lower effective rate than most other assets. Despite a tough fiscal context, the Government will maintain very significant levels of relief from inheritance tax beyond what is available to others and compared to the position before 1992. Where inheritance tax is due, those liable for a charge can pay any liability on the relevant assets over 10 annual instalments, interest-free.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to support military chaplains in Ukraine to receive training and development from UK armed forces chaplains.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

The Armed Forces Chaplaincy Centre (AFCC) at Shrivenham has been providing training for Ukrainian chaplains since May 2023, with planned programmes scheduled until at least November 2026.

The centre offers two distinct two-week courses: a foundational programme and an advanced course designed for chaplaincy leaders. The curriculum focuses on spiritual leadership, ethical leadership, and pastoral care, and is delivered by UK Defence personnel in collaboration with academic partners. Enduring links have been established between UK Chaplaincy and Ukrainian colleagues and the relationships established at AFCC have enabled alumni to develop stronger mutual support networks.

Found: Than N, Mark Pritchard D, Hughes DM, Shing Yu K, Minnaar HS, Dhadda A, Mills J, Folkesson J, Radu C,

Found: Than N, Mark Pritchard D, Hughes DM, Shing Yu K, Minnaar HS, Dhadda A, Mills J, Folkesson J, Radu C,