Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions she has had with the Financial Conduct Authority on modernising adviser charging rules.

HM Treasury engages regularly with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) on a range of regulatory issues, including the regulation of financial advice.

The FCA plans to consult on simplifying and consolidating its investment advice rules and guidance to reduce unnecessary complexity and to clarify its regulatory expectations under the Consumer Duty. This will also cover the rules relating to ongoing advice services to make sure they are appropriate and relevant in future. An FCA consultation paper is expected by the end of Q1 2026.

In addition, the Government is working closely with the FCA to roll out targeted support for consumers from April this year. This represents the biggest reform of the financial advice and guidance landscape in more than a decade, and will represent a step change in the support that consumers receive to invest. Targeted support can be provided free at the point of use with firms recovering costs through cross-subsidisation, which is how HM Treasury expects most firms to operationalise the service. Firms can choose to charge a fee, but will need to follow FCA rules around fair value.