theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Dave Doogan:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 10 October to Question 80377 on Armed Forces: Health, and the Answer of 17 November to Question 89590 on Armed Forces: Health Services, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of collecting these metrics for Wales. \p Louise Sandher-Jones: Defence uses a Hospital Referral System (HRS) to make and track referrals to the NHS and private healthcare providers. The HRS was introduced in 2024 to centralise and manage all referrals generated by Defence Primary Healthcare (DPHC) Medical and Dental Centres.

Currently not all DPHC Medical Centres in Wales use the HRS in order to make a referral. The Department is working to incorporate this data into the system to ensure there is accurate and consistent reporting across all four nations.
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Mims Davies:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if Wealden District Council is responsible for leading local stakeholder engagement; and share the stakeholder engagement plan in relation to the proposed use of the Crowborough Training Camp for Asylum Seeker accommodation. \p Alex Norris: Discussions are underway to use the Crowborough site for asylum accommodation. Consideration of this site is ongoing and any final decision to utilise any site for the intended purposes will be made once the relevant factors have been properly considered.

We continue to engage with local authorities, property partners and cross-government to assess feasibility and accelerate delivery where possible, ensuring any development is safe, appropriate and compliant with planning regulations.

The Home Office continues to engage regularly with representatives from the local authority, the NHS, the Police, and local partners, including via Multi Agency Forums pre-delivery and post-Go Live of the proposed site to address the concerns of those most impacted and to identify ways to keep them informed.

We do not comment on legal matters. We will ensure that any development is safe, appropriate and compliant with the relevant planning regulations and processes where required.
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Jim McMahon:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much her Department's contractors have spent on repairs for dispersed accommodation in (a) England (b) Greater Manchester and (c) Oldham in each year since 2015. \p Alex Norris: The Home Office does not hold the information requested. The Home Office expects the highest standards from accommodation providers. A detailed breakdown of all of the services to be undertaken by accommodation providers and the standards we expect can be found in the Asylum Accommodation and Support Services Contracts (AASC) Statement of Requirements: AASC_-_Schedule_2_-_Statement_of_Requirements.pdf

All Accommodation must comply with the relevant standards for Accommodation defined in Annex B, and the rules relating to sharing and relocations defined in Annex C of this Schedule 2.

The AASC contracts include robust mechanisms for incentivising the provider to deliver on the contractual requirements set out therein. The Home Office also employs a dedicated contract assurance team whose conduct property inspections and assurance reviews.
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Bell Ribeiro-Addy:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department's policy paper entitled Restoring order and control: a statement on the Government’s asylum and returns policy, published on 17 November 2025, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that asylum seekers retain access to (a) employment opportunities, (b) language training and (c) community integration. \p Alex Norris: Core Protection will allow those who are at risk to remain in the UK as long it is necessary, whilst it is unsafe for them to return.

Pathways for unaccompanied children, families with children, and other vulnerable asylum seekers will be reviewed with full consideration of our EQIA and Section 55 duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of children in the UK.

Details around employment opportunities, language training and community integration are subject to further policy development which will be set out in due course.
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Robin Swann:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when her Department first briefed the Irish Government on her proposed changes on asylum. \p Alex Norris: The UK and Ireland have a close and collaborative working relationship on a range of issues, including migration and border security. That collaboration includes a joint commitment to protect the Common Travel Area from abuse while preserving the rights of British and Irish citizens.
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Jim McMahon:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many illegal working enforcement visits have been undertaken in (a) England, (b) Greater Manchester and (c) Oldham in each year since 2015. \p Alex Norris: To maintain the highest standards of accuracy, the Home Office prefers to refer to published data, as this has been subject to rigorous quality assurance under National Statistics protocols prior to publication.

Our published data on illegal working visits is available as follows: Statistics relating to Illegal Migration - GOV.UK (January 2019 – March 2024) and Illegal working and enforcement activity to the end of September 2025 - GOV.UK (October 2023 – September 2025).

Data prior to 2019 is not available.
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Dr Kieran Mullan:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether Wealden District Council has made representations to her Department on the applicability of the Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations 2017 to the Crowborough Training Camp proposal for Asylum Seeker accommodation. \p Alex Norris: Discussions are underway to use the Crowborough site for asylum accommodation. Consideration of this site is ongoing and any final decision to utilise any site for the intended purposes will be made once the relevant factors have been properly considered.

As potential sites are identified and progressed for alternative asylum accommodation, a Stage Gate process, which builds on the lessons learned from the delivery of previous sites, is followed to ensure that any decisions made are informed by a comprehensive range of information. This includes, but isn’t limited to, site surveys and environmental audits.

The Home Office continues to engage regularly with representatives from the local authority, the NHS, the Police, and local partners, including via Multi Agency Forums pre-delivery and post-Go Live of the proposed site to address the concerns of those most impacted and to identify ways to keep them informed.

We will ensure that any development is safe, appropriate and compliant with the relevant planning regulations and processes where required.
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Ms Stella Creasy:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) children, (b) adult family members and (c) single adults were in receipt of asylum support on 30 June 2025. \p Alex Norris: The Home Office publishes data on asylum in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on the family status of asylum seekers in receipt of support is published in table Asy_09b of the ‘Asylum summary tables’. The published table does not differentiate between child and adults family members.

The latest data relates to as at 30 June 2025. Data for as at 30 September 2025 will be published on 27 November 2025.
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Sir Julian Lewis:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the contribution of the Minister of State for Border Security and Asylum of 17 November, Official Report column 468, what percentage of migrants arriving in the UK by illegal means in each month since the general election did so without any reliable documentation of their (a) identity and (b) nationality. \p Alex Norris: This information is not available in an easily accessible format.

However, the Home Office does publish statistics on irregular migration, which include data on Inadequately Documented Arrivals (IDAs). IDAs refer to passengers arriving in the UK by air who are either undocumented, travelling with fraudulent documents, or without the correct documentation required for travel or entry.

For data that is available since the July 2024 General Election (Calendar Year Q3 2024 – Q2 2025), there have been 3,266 inadequately document irregular air arrivals.
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Sarah Pochin:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether applications for asylum have been approved for people on the security services' watch list in the past 12 months. \p Alex Norris: The first priority of government is protecting national security.

All applications for UK immigration status, including asylum claims, are subject to comprehensive security checks. Where an individual is assessed as presenting a risk to our country, we take swift and robust action.

The Home Office uses various tools to detect and disrupt travel by individuals of national security interest and by individuals excluded from the UK; previously deported from the UK; or using lost, stolen or revoked documents and visas. This includes the use of domestic and international watchlists.

It is longstanding policy not to discuss either the specific data held on the watchlist, the source of the data or how it is used, as to do so would be counterproductive and harmful to the national security of the UK.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure that victims of coerced internal concealment receive appropriate support and safeguarding. \p Jess Phillips: The Government is introducing a new criminal offence of coerced internal concealment in the Crime and Policing Bill, recognising the serious physical and psychological harm that this form of criminal exploitation can cause.

The new offence will be accompanied by statutory guidance for law enforcement and non-statutory guidance aimed at frontline practitioners to aid their understanding and improve the identification and safeguarding of victims of coerced internal concealment.

In addition, through the County Lines Programme, we are targeting exploitative drug dealing gangs behind the trade. Between July 2024 and June 2025, law enforcement activity through the County Lines Programme taskforces has resulted in more than 2,300 deal lines closed, 6,200 arrests (including the arrest and subsequent charge of over 1,100 deal line holders), and 600 knives seized.

County Lines Programme partners have also referred over 3,200 children and vulnerable people to safeguarding services and provided specialist one-to-one support through Catch22’s county lines service to more than 500 children and young people.
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Daisy Cooper:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on the (a) shortest, (b) average and (c) longest processing times for a decision on an in-country parent visa application. \p Mike Tapp: The Home Office does not publish this specific information, but the current expected processing times for in-country parent visa applications can be found at: Visa processing times: applications inside the UK - GOV.UK
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Bell Ribeiro-Addy:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps will be taken to involve individuals with lived experience and civil society groups in shaping the modern slavery legislation proposed in the Restoring Order and Control policy paper published on 17 November 2025. \p Jess Phillips: We are seeking to introduce new modern slavery legislation as part of our efforts to review and improve the modern slavery system. New legislation will enable us to clearly articulate the UK’s responsibilities under international law regarding modern slavery, allowing us to reduce opportunities for misuse, whilst also ensuring that we continue to provide the right protections for those who need it.

The government recently concluded a public Call for Evidence to understand how it could improve the process of identifying victims of modern slavery, human trafficking and exploitation. It was open for twelve weeks and closed on 8 October 2025.

This gave us an opportunity to hear the views of survivors, first responders, law enforcement and prosecution services, devolved administrations, NGOs and any groups or people with an interest in the modern slavery victim identification system. This work has fed into our understanding and will inform future policy and legislative development.

We also plan to arrange workshops with survivors relating to the Call for Evidence themes. More information on these workshops will be shared in due course.

I can confirm that we will be inviting key stakeholders to a Modern Slavery Forum meeting in January to consult on our plans. We will be able to confirm our legislative plans in due course.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the government uses its Initial Status Analysis system to monitor the departure of British citizens from the UK, as well as non-citizens. \p Mike Tapp: The passenger entry and exit data referred to in the Data Usage Agreement (DUA) between the Home Office and HMRC is Advance Passenger Information. This is essentially the passenger manifest for each flight or voyage, setting out the names and travel document details of individuals onboard aircraft or ships which depart from or to the UK. The Data Usage Agreement is covered by the Digital Economy Act 2017 to prevent fraud in the Child Benefit system.

No Passenger Name Record (PNR) data has been re-personalised or shared with HMRC under the DUA. The Home Office Initial Status Analysis is not used to monitor departures of British Citizens from the UK.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the question of 10 September 2025 to Question 74120 on Armed Forces: Commonwealth, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of the requirement for her Department to record the number of foreign and commonwealth service personnel who have paid for visas upon discharge on the number of foreign and commonwealth personnel staying in the UK after leaving the armed forces. \p Mike Tapp: Non-UK service personnel who have completed four years’ service in the Armed Forces are eligible to apply for settlement in the UK under Appendix HM Armed Forces of the Immigration Rules. This route provides a pathway to settlement for non-UK service members and their dependants.
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Joe Robertson:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the strategy Replacing animals in science: A strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods, published on 11 November 2025 and the target to replace animals used for eye irritation testing, how many procedures were carried out for this purpose in 2024. \p Dan Jarvis: The Home Office is committed to supporting the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods to animal testing, as outlined in the published strategy: Replacing animals in science’, published on 11 November 2025.

The last licence authorising the use of the rabbit pyrogen test was granted in 2017. The most recent reported use of the test was in 2018. No pyrogen testing has been reported since this date.

The latest published statistics show that no procedures were reported under the category of ‘skin irritation/corrosion’ tests.

In 2024, three procedures were reported under the category of ‘eye irritation/corrosion’ tests.

The Home Office publishes annual statistics on the use of animals in scientific procedures. The statistics can be found at: www.gov.uk/government/collections/animals-in-science-statistics
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Jo Platt:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of amending the Computer Misuse Act 1990 on (a) coordination between law enforcement agencies and (b) effectiveness of the cybersecurity industry in disrupting cybercrime. \p Dan Jarvis: The Government is conducting an ongoing review of the Computer Misuse Act. As part of the review, we are scoping several proposals to update the Act, including how we can better support legitimate cybersecurity researchers so they can operate within a clear and supportive legal framework, while maintaining robust safeguards.

Engagement, including with the cyber security industry, is underway to refine the approach and an update will be provided in due course.

We will continue to work closely with law enforcement agencies to ensure any changes to the Act protect their ability to successfully investigate cybercrime.
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Mr Gregory Campbell:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether changes have taken place within the last twelve months that place additional restrictions on registered sex offender's ability to change their names. \p Jess Phillips: The Government has introduced a series of measures to strengthen the management of registered sex offenders (RSOs) and prevent them from evading monitoring by changing their identities in the Crime and Policing Bill, which is currently at Committee stage in the House of Lords.

The new legislation will enable police to serve a notice on RSOs requiring them to seek the police’s authorisation before applying to change their name on a specified identity document (namely, a UK passport, driving licence or immigration document). It also requires RSOs to notify the police of an intended change of name at least seven days in advance of using it, or, if that is not reasonably practicable, as far in advance of their using it as it reasonably practicable.

These measures close previous loopholes to enable the police to monitor registered sex offenders more closely and better protect the public.
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Claire Coutinho:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has entered into any contracts with external organisations to review the use of risk assessment tools to prevent violence against women and girls, including the Domestic Abuse, Stalking, Harassment and Honour Based Violence risk checklist, known as DASH. \p Jess Phillips: I am aware of challenges in the existing system for identifying, assessing and responding to domestic abuse risk, and we are committed to ensuring it is as effective as possible.

It is vital that the police are supported with the right training and tools to identify offences and protect victims. That is why, as part of our £13 million investment into the new National Centre for Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) and Public Protection, the Centre will conduct a robust review of the range of risk assessment tools available to policing to drive improved practice nationwide, pinpointing areas for improvement.

We have separately funded the charity SafeLives to conduct engagement with the VAWG sector and other experts on the existing risk system. This will inform new non-statutory guidance on best practice for effective multi-agency working on domestic abuse and risk.
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Peter Lamb:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to tackle violence against women and girls. \p Jess Phillips: Tackling violence against women and girls is a top priority for this Government with a manifesto mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade.

We will deliver a cross-government transformative approach, underpinned by a new strategy which we will publish as soon as possible.

In advance of the strategy, we have already introduced measures designed to strengthen the police response to VAWG, protect victims and hold perpetrators to account.

These include: funding to rollout Drive Project, a proven intervention for high-risk and high-harm domestic abuse perpetrators across England and Wales; embedding the first domestic abuse specialists in 999 control rooms in five police forces; measures to tackle spiking to strengthen the law and improve the response victims receive, including committing to introducing a new criminal offence for spiking and piloting new spiking training for bar staff; measures focusing on preventing and tackling ‘honour’-based abuse (HBA), developing a statutory definition for HBA, community engagement campaigns, enhanced training and funding for support services; six measures to tackle stalking including statutory guidance to empower the police to release the identities of online stalkers to protect victims, and a review of the stalking legislation to ensure it is fit for purpose; and launching the new Domestic Abuse Protection Orders in selected police forces and courts which go further than any existing orders.
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Anneliese Dodds:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to ensure that the BBC collaborates with independent local journalists to tackle misinformation and serve communities through the Charter review process. \p Ian Murray: The government is currently developing a Local Media Strategy, in recognition of the vital importance of local journalism and its role in countering misinformation at local level. As part of this we are exploring the role of the BBC in the local news market. During her oral statement to the House of Commons on BBC Leadership, the Secretary of State confirmed that the government is looking at how we can help to support and defend local news through the BBC’s work as a part of the Charter renewal process. More will be announced on the Local Media Strategy in due course.
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Mr Angus MacDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of media ownership rules in relation to companies with headquarters outside the UK. \p Ian Murray: The UK is open for investment from people around the world, provided that, in the case of investment in media sectors, their investment complies with the foreign state influence and public interest media merger regimes.

The Culture Secretary considers all mergers involving any newspaper, broadcaster or news media enterprise that reach certain thresholds as set out in the Enterprise Act 2002. This legislation applies to all relevant investors, wherever they are based, or - in the case of companies - wherever their headquarters are located. We consider these regimes to be sufficient, but continue to keep them under review to ensure their effectiveness.
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Mr Louie French:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what meetings she has held with David Kogan since 4 July 2024. \p Stephanie Peacock: All the Secretary of State’s meetings are published Quarterly as part of the transparency data available on Gov.uk
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Mr Louie French:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what information her Department holds on political donations made by the Independent Football Regulator Chair since 2019. \p Stephanie Peacock: Mr Kogan’s donations are publicly disclosed on the Electoral Commission donation register. On 7 May 2025 Mr Kogan declared additional political donations, beneath the thresholds required by the Governance Code, when he appeared before the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee.
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Mike Martin:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what her planned timetable is for primary schools to apply for funding under the £10 million Libraries for Primaries scheme; and how will primary schools be able to apply for that funding. \p Stephanie Peacock: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has responsibility for the Dormant Assets Scheme, which is providing funding to support the primary school library commitment, previously announced by the Chancellor.

Through the Scheme, £132.5 million has been allocated to increasing disadvantaged young people’s access to enrichment opportunities in the arts, culture, sports and wider youth services, aimed at improving wellbeing and employability over the long term. This includes a commitment to ensuring that every primary school in England has a library space by the end of this Parliament.

The Government is working with The National Lottery Community Fund to co-design the programme and develop more of the specifics around its delivery. Further details will be announced in due course, including expected timelines and funding criteria.
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Gareth Thomas:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had discussions with the International Olympic Committee on the inclusion of netball in the Olympic Games. \p Stephanie Peacock: I have not had discussions with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) about the inclusion of netball, or any other sport, in the Olympic Games.

The Olympic sports programme is determined by the IOC. The British Olympic Association, as the National Organising Committee for Great Britain and Northern Ireland, is the domestic representative to the IOC and does so operating independently of the Government.
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Jim McMahon:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of rising energy costs on the viability of grassroots sporting clubs in England. \p Stephanie Peacock: The Government is committed to supporting grassroots sport and ensuring everyone has access to high quality facilities.

The Government provides the majority of support for grassroots sport in England through its Arm’s Length Body Sport England, which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery Funding. They offer support to clubs impacted by increased energy costs.

Sport England’s Movement Fund allocates 10% of the funding to clubs implementing measures to improve environmental sustainability and reduce energy costs. They also provide detailed guidance to sporting clubs on managing energy costs and making their facilities energy efficient.
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Jim McMahon:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of Ofcom's enforcement of news channel impartiality. \p Stephanie Peacock: Ofcom, by law, carries out its duties independently of the Government. Ofcom is required by legislation to enforce a Broadcasting Code for television and radio, to ensure that news, in whatever form, is reported with due accuracy and presented with due impartiality. The Government believes broadcasters should uphold the highest standards and ensure polemic is not presented as fact.
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Luke Myer:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of recognising Deaflympic athletes as elite athletes eligible for (a) UK Sport and (b) National Lottery funding. \p Stephanie Peacock: The Government is dedicated to making sport in this country accessible and inclusive for everyone, including deaf people.

Through our arm's length body, Sport England, we have provided £1.2 million to support the work of UK Deaf Sport.
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Helen Morgan:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 3 November 2025 to Question 87461 on Arts: West Midlands, what steps she is taking to include policies relating to local authorities outside of mayoral strategic authorities within the Creative Industries Sector Plan. \p Ian Murray: There are creative industries clusters and micro clusters in every part of the UK and they are equally crucial to growth. We are keen to ensure that there are no cultural not-spots in the country and that everyone has an equal chance to pursue a career in the creative industries whether they live in a major metropolitan area or not.

The CI Sector Plan includes a universal offer to drive growth in the creative industries in any place in the UK, outlining new measures to break down barriers such as access to finance, supply of skills, and new support to kickstart innovation.
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Pippa Heylings:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of artificial intelligence on the publishing industry; and what steps his Department is taking to help safeguard the sector from potential risks associated with its use. \p Ian Murray: This Government recognises the importance of safeguarding the UK’s publishing sector - one of our most successful and long-standing creative industries, contributing over £11 billion to the economy.

The Government is preparing to publish the Report and Impact Assessment required by Sections 135 and 136 of the D(UA) Act.

This Impact Assessment will include an assessment of each of the options put forward in the government’s consultation on copyright and AI, including the economic impact of each option on copyright owners and AI developers. This will include the publishing sector.

In the meantime, the Secretaries of State for the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport have jointly chaired three meetings with representatives of the creative and AI sectors.

We’re also convening expert working groups and parliamentary working groups as we consider all options.

We are dedicated to protecting our world-leading creative industries and ensuring they continue to thrive in the age of AI.
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Jen Craft:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps (a) her Department and (b) its public bodies are taking to (i) develop and (ii) use artificial intelligence approaches to British Sign Language. \p Ian Murray: Providing BSL translations of pre-recorded audio and video content on public services is a legislative Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 AAA criterion. As outlined in the Government Service Standard, all digital government services must as a minimum meet Level AA. AAA is best practice.

Through the Service Standard and Service Assessments, the Government Digital Service encourages departments to incorporate BSL into service design. In May this year DVSA (Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency) launched the UK Government’s first British Sign Language (BSL) online translation service for candidates booking their theory test online. DVSA held a series of user research session with BSL users, with one participant calling the service ‘life-changing’.

There are opportunities to use AI to accelerate the creation of accessible content across public services. If public bodies trial the use of AI in approaches to BSL, they would be required to conform with both WCAG and the Service Standard, and must conduct research with disabled people, including Deaf users and where appropriate to the service provision, those who use sign language or a sign language interpreter to interact with the service.

Regardless of if AI generated, services must also make sure any BSL video is culturally appropriate by working with the BSL community, testing it, or getting feedback.
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Ruth Cadbury:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of a cap on the Cycle to Work scheme on a) employees’ ability to access e-bikes and e-cargo bikes and b) disabled employees’ ability to access specially-adapted cycles. \p Dan Tomlinson: The Government keeps all taxes under review as part of the policy making process. The Chancellor will announce any changes to the tax system at fiscal events in the usual way.
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Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to ensure the mandatory reimbursement scheme for Authorised Push Payment (APP) fraud adequately protects consumers at risk of being scammed. \p Lucy Rigby: The Government takes the issue of fraud very seriously and is dedicated to protecting the public from this appalling crime. To protect consumers, under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023, the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) has introduced a mandatory reimbursement regime for Authorised Push Payment (APP) scams taking place over the Faster Payment system. This came into force on 7 October 2024.

The details of the APP reimbursement regime are a matter for the independent PSR. The PSR monitors compliance with the reimbursement regime closely and has powers to take action where firms fall short of their obligations.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-24)

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Jerome Mayhew:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with (a) the Post Office and (b) banks on expanding the range of banking services available at post offices. \p Lucy Rigby: The Government recognises the importance of access to cash and banking services for individuals and businesses, including those who may be in vulnerable groups or require assistance and is supportive of industry initiatives that improve access to these vital services.

The Post Office plays a key role in supporting access to banking services. Under the Banking Framework, a commercial agreement between the Post Office and 30 banking firms, personal and business customers can withdraw and deposit cash, check their balance, pay bills and cash cheques at 11,500 Post Office branches across the UK. The specific services provided under the Framework are subject to commercial negotiations between individual banks and the Post Office, and the Government has no role in deciding what these arrangements are.

The Government would welcome continued collaboration between Post Office and the banking sector, on a commercial basis and will look to host joint discussions with Post Office and the banking sector in the coming months.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-24)

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Gareth Thomas:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what information her Department holds on the highest rate of short-term lending to small and medium sized businesses in the UK. \p Lucy Rigby: Interest rates are a commercial matter decided by lenders, reflecting the base rate, the risk of the applicant, and a margin to make the loan commercially viable given the cost of underwriting and broader funding costs. Rates vary across the market and even significantly within the SME sector – dependent on the trading history, credit position, security, and other factors of the individual business applicant.

The UK also benefits from a broad lending market, enabling a diverse range of finance providers to facilitate access to finance for a wide range of SMEs. SMEs should shop around to find the product that best suits their needs when choosing finance.

The Bank of England’s ‘bankstats’ data provides insights into business and household credit, including the effective interest rates for SMEs on new and outstanding loans. The monthly average of UK resident banks’ sterling weighted loans for new advances to SMEs now stands at 6.35%, as of 31st August 2025, a figure that has tracked down as the base rate has fallen.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-24)

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Neil Duncan-Jordan:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of (a) reducing or (b) removing the interest paid to commercial banks on the reserves those banks hold with the Bank of England. \p Lucy Rigby: Monetary policy, including quantitative easing, is the responsibility of the independent Monetary Policy Committee at the Bank of England. The separation of fiscal and monetary policy is a key feature of the UK’s economic framework, and essential for the effective delivery of monetary policy, so the government does not comment on the conduct or effectiveness of monetary policy.

Paying interest on reserves is an important part of the transmission of monetary policy to the real economy. There are no plans to change the way reserves are remunerated at the Bank of England. The government is providing the stability required for the independent Monetary Policy Committee to bring inflation to target, by managing the public finances responsibly.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-24)

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Mr Louie French:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 17 November to Question 87901 on Individual Savings Accounts, what assessment she has made of (a) the impact of the property price cap on the number of first-time buyers purchasing homes, (b) the number of first-time buyers by London borough, and (c) if she will make it her policy to provide a separate cap for properties in (i) inner London boroughs and (ii) outer London boroughs. \p Lucy Rigby: Data from the latest UK House Price Index demonstrates that the average price paid by first-time buyers is below the LISA property price cap in all regions of the UK. This includes London, where the average price paid by first-time buyers in November 2023 was under £437,000. A single UK-wide cap keeps the Lifetime ISA simple for savers and providers. In 2024/25, 87,250 individuals withdrew Lifetime ISA funds for a house purchase, an increase of around 30,500 on the previous tax year.

While HMRC does collect data on regional breakdown of Lifetime ISA account holders, the data quality is not sufficient to provide accurate regional breakdowns or produce statistics on individual London boroughs.

In HMRC’s response to the recent Treasury Select Committee’s LISA enquiry (link), a regional breakdown was provided where homes were bought using LISAs: HMRC LISA enquiry response - Tables 1, 2 and 3.

The Government keeps all aspects of tax and savings policy under review.
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James McMurdock:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of the average property value under the Mortgage Guarantee Scheme compared to the UK average house price. \p Lucy Rigby: The Mortgage Guarantee Scheme is designed to support and sustain the availability of low deposit mortgage products for first-time buyers and home movers with a deposit as small as 5%.

All property types of any value are eligible, and the Scheme will now remain permanently available to lenders in all regions of the UK.
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Joe Morris:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps the Department is taking to improve access to financial services for vulnerable customers in the Hexham constituency. \p Lucy Rigby: The Government works closely with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the independent regulator of the UK’s financial services sector, to ensure that all customers get the right support with their financial products and services.

FCA guidance highlights the actions firms should take to understand the needs of customers who may be vulnerable and to consider these needs appropriately. This includes offering multiple channels of communication to their customers where possible, and ensuring their services meet the needs of all their customers, including individuals with characteristics of vulnerability.

The FCA’s Consumer Duty also seeks to raise the standard of care expected from firms for all customers. It aims to deliver products and services that offer fair value and are designed to meet customers’ needs and seeks to increase firms’ focus on delivering good outcomes and preventing harm.

The Government is committed to continuing to engage with the FCA and the financial services sector to ensure consumers can access appropriate financial services products. As part of this, I have recently published the Government’s Financial Inclusion Strategy which sets out an ambitious programme of measures to improve financial inclusion and resilience for underserved groups across the UK.
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Joe Morris:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions the Department has had with relevant stakeholders in Hexham constituency to identify areas of financial exclusion in the region. \p Lucy Rigby: Earlier this month, I published the Government’s Financial Inclusion Strategy which sets out an ambitious programme of measures to improve financial inclusion and resilience for underserved groups across the UK. The strategy was developed alongside a committee of industry and consumer representatives, and the Government has engaged extensively on this agenda to ensure the strategy is informed by a wide range of perspectives, including lived experience.

Action to improve financial inclusion requires a joined up approach. The Government is committed to continuing to work collaboratively with a range of organisations to deliver on the strategy and improve financial inclusion across the UK.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-24)

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Graham Leadbitter:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 17 November 2025 to Question 90569 on Banks: Closures, of the 190 already open banking hubs, how many are based in (i) Scotland, (ii) England, (iii) Wales and (iv) Northern Ireland. \p Lucy Rigby: The Government is committed to supporting the financial services industry’s roll-out of 350 banking hubs by the end of this Parliament.

The locations of banking hubs are independently determined by LINK, the industry coordinating body responsible for making access to cash assessments. LINK will carry out an assessment wherever a planned branch closure is announced or if they receive a community request.

Of the 246 banking hubs announced so far, 32 will be based in Scotland, 192 in England, 15 in Wales and seven in Northern Ireland.

Of the 191 banking hubs that are already open, 26 are in Scotland, 147 in England, 12 in Wales and six in Northern Ireland.
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Jim McMahon:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many complaints of mis-selling of prepayment funeral plans have been made for each year from 2015 to date. \p Lucy Rigby: The regulation of pre-paid funeral plans is a matter for the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Pre-paid funeral plans came under FCA regulation in July 2022, and so the FCA will not hold complaint data from before that date. The FCA will respond to the Honourable Member by letter with further detail, and a copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House of Commons.