Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to her comments at at the JP Morgan Tech Stars conference on 7 October 2025, which development she was referring to in the context of the developer with which she had a good relationship.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The government has been clear in its commitment to get Britain building.
Details of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hm-treasury-ministerial-overseas-travel-and-meetings
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to her comments at at the JP Morgan Tech Stars conference on 7 October 2025, with whom at the developer she had a good relationship.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The government has been clear in its commitment to get Britain building.
Details of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hm-treasury-ministerial-overseas-travel-and-meetings
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 24 October 2025 to Question 82402 on Airports: Business Rates, what the rateable value is of each airport that may be uprated; what the proposed revaluation from the Valuation Office Agency is for each airport; and which airports the Valuation Office Agency is receiving ongoing representations relating to.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Due to legislation protecting taxpayer confidentiality, the VOA is unable to disclose information about individual ratepayers or properties; this also includes proposed rateable values.
The VOA are currently working on a revaluation of all non-domestic properties. This will come into effect on 1 April 2026, with draft valuations published by the end of this year.
The VOA have been engaging with representatives from the airports industry, including all civil airports in England and Wales, and held discussions with Airports UK.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 14 July 2025 to Question 65386 on VAT Treatment of Private Hire Vehicles, if she will publish the Government’s response to the consultation referred to in that Answer.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government continues to take the issue of VAT treatment of private hire vehicle services seriously and recognises the importance of clarity to the sector. The Government will therefore publish a response to the consultation on the VAT treatment of private hire vehicles soon.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of nationalising the rail network on the Government's (a) balance sheet, (b) debt and (c) future liabilities in each of the next ten years.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) are responsible for classification decisions and measurement of public debt. Both publicly and privately owned DfT-contracted train operating companies are already included in the public sector, classified currently by the ONS as public non-financial corporations. Network Rail is also already classified to central government. HM Treasury and Department for Transport officials will assist the ONS in this work as required.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 8 September 2025 to Question 71255 on the Restoring Your Railway Fund, if she will publish all the assessments undertaken by her Department relating to the decision to cancel the Restoring Your Railway fund.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
In her first week on the 8th of July 2024, the Chancellor of the Exchequer instructed HM Treasury officials to undertake an audit of public spending and public finances left by the last government. The audit’s findings showed a devastating forecast overspend on departmental spending of £21.9 billion above the resource departmental expenditure limit (RDEL) totals that had been set at Spring Budget 2024.
Taking immediate action to respond to the spending pressure on the UK’s public finances left by the last government, the government cancelled the Restoring Your Railway programme as a vital cost-saving measure of £85 million.
HM Treasury always carefully considers the impact of its decisions, but had to make difficult decisions in light of the black hole left by the last government.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of a national road-user charging system on (a) data-protection and (b) costs in administration.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Fuel duty is projected to raise £24.4bn in 2025/26 and will remain in place. At Autumn Budget 2024, the Government announced continued support for people and businesses by extending the temporary 5p fuel duty cut and cancelling the planned increase in line with inflation for 2025/26.
The Chancellor meets with her Ministerial colleagues on a regular basis to discuss a wide range of issues. The Government keeps the tax system under review, with changes announced at fiscal events.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact pay-per-mile road pricing on (a) rural motorists, (b) low-income drivers and (c) small businesses.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Fuel duty is projected to raise £24.4bn in 2025/26 and will remain in place. At Autumn Budget 2024, the Government announced continued support for people and businesses by extending the temporary 5p fuel duty cut and cancelling the planned increase in line with inflation for 2025/26.
The Chancellor meets with her Ministerial colleagues on a regular basis to discuss a wide range of issues. The Government keeps the tax system under review, with changes announced at fiscal events.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has (a) undertaken work, (b) commissioned research and (c) had discussions with the Secretary of State for Transport on (i) revenue modelling and (ii) impact assessments on potential options for replacing Fuel Duty with (A) distance-based and (B) pay-per-mile road pricing since July 2024.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Fuel duty is projected to raise £24.4bn in 2025/26 and will remain in place. At Autumn Budget 2024, the Government announced continued support for people and businesses by extending the temporary 5p fuel duty cut and cancelling the planned increase in line with inflation for 2025/26.
The Chancellor meets with her Ministerial colleagues on a regular basis to discuss a wide range of issues. The Government keeps the tax system under review, with changes announced at fiscal events.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether HMRC plans to issue guidance for charitable trustees on the treatment of legacies under section 523A of the draft Finance Bill 2025–26.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Charities rightly enjoy generous tax reliefs, worth over £6bn in 2024. However, a small number of charities are receiving tax relief in ways that were not intended by Parliament. Charity tax rules are being strengthened to improve HMRC’s ability to challenge abusive arrangements in an appropriate and proportionate way.
The new charity rules to be included in the forthcoming Finance Bill for legacy giving and attributable income will help ensure a charity uses its tax relieved income for its charitable purposes. The rules are well targeted and so should not deter legitimate donors from leaving a legacy to charity or prevent charities from building a long-term endowment.
The updated rule for tainted donations will replace the current purpose test with an outcome test in order to better prevent the abuse of tax reliefs through arrangements designed to give financial advantages to donors in return for their donation. They are not intended to affect genuine charitable giving or penalise honest donors.
Updated guidance will be tested with the sector and published prior to the changes taking effect. This will support charities and donors, giving clarity and reassurance around the rules and making it clear that the honest majority of donors and charities will remain unaffected by these reforms.