theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-01)

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Zöe Franklin:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of Child Maintenance Service late payment fees being deducted from maintenance payments on receiving parents and children. \p Andrew Western: The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) does not charge late payment fees. It does charge fees to paying parents and receiving parents who are on the Collect and Pay service: twenty per cent on top of the maintenance liability for the paying parent and four per cent of the maintenance received for the receiving parent.

A case will only be moved to Collect and Pay if the paying parent agrees to Collect and Pay, or if they demonstrate an unwillingness to pay their maintenance liability. This is why paying parents are charged a higher fee (20 per cent) as they have more control on whether the case is put into Collect and Pay. The collection charge is only deducted when the maintenance is paid.

In July 2024 the government consulted on the proposal for wider reform to consolidate the CMS into a single service type where the CMS monitors and transfers payments. The consultation Improving the collection and transfer of payments, also proposed a new fee structure of just 2% for receiving parents, deducted from maintenance received; 2% for compliant paying parents, on top of maintenance owed; and 20% for non-compliant paying parents, on top of maintenance owed. The consultation received over 2,700 public responses, and engagement from stakeholder organisations across the UK in addition to commissioning research to help quantify the impact of the reforms.

The Government published its response to the consultation on the 23 June setting out its intention to proceed with reform of the system. More information can be found at Government response: Child Maintenance: Improving the collection and transfer of payments - GOV.UK
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Mr Gregory Campbell:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate her Department has made of the number of collective defined contribution schemes in operation as of 31 December 2024. \p Torsten Bell: As of the 31 December there was one collective defined contribution scheme in operation in the UK, the Royal Mail Collective Pension Plan.
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Liz Jarvis:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the Personal Independence Payment assessment process for people living with bipolar disorder. \p Sir Stephen Timms: Entitlement to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is based on the needs arising from a long-term health condition or disability and not on a particular disability or diagnosis such as bipolar disorder. Health conditions may be physical, sensory, mental, intellectual or cognitive, or any combination of these, and the assessment takes a comprehensive approach to disability, reflecting the needs arising from the full range of conditions.

Health Professionals conducting PIP assessments are trained specialists in disability analysis. All HPs receive specific training on assessing the effects of mental health conditions and are supported by Mental Health Function Champions (MHFCs). MHFCs are experienced professionals with relevant expertise in mental health, cognitive, developmental, and learning disabilities. They are available to provide advice and support throughout the assessment process. Additionally, HPs have access to Condition Insight Reports and Continuing Professional Development guides. These resources offer detailed clinical and functional information on a range of conditions, including Bipolar, to support HPs in delivering informed assessments.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Government plans to reform the complaints process to allow the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman to intervene earlier in cases of excessive delay by her Department. \p Andrew Western: DWP’s online complaints portal provides an automatic acknowledgement on receipt of all complaints, however, does not generate a complaint reference number at this stage. This is because the department handles all complaints initially through its early resolution process. All complaints go to the appropriate business area to attempt early resolution for the customer. The department only generates a complaints reference number, when we have been unable to resolve a complaint through our early resolution process and it is escalated to DWP’s Complaint teams. There should be no reason why the online complaint portal would not provide an acknowledgement on submission, as it is automatically set up to do so.

There are no plans to reform the department’s complaints processes to enable the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman to intervene earlier in cases that have experienced delays. The department informs the customer if there is likely to be a delay within the complaints process. If a customer is dissatisfied with DWP’s final complaints response they can escalate their complaint to the Independent Case Examiner (ICE) who is the first point in the department’s escalation process.
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Andrew Gwynne:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many times their Department has accepted in full the position of the Parliamentary Ombudsman’s (a) findings and (b) recommendations on (i) issuing an apology and (ii) other forms of redress in the last 10 years. \p Andrew Western: 2014 /15

2015 /16

2016 /17

2017 /18

2018 /19

2019 /20

2020 /21

2021 /22

2022 /23

2023 /24

Number of PHSO upheld or partially upheld complaints DWP have accepted in full

45

77

38

14

4

5

5

9

11

15

DWP has accepted in full the position of PHSO’s finding and recommendations on 223 cases in the last 10 years. These cases included the department issuing an apology and/or another form of redress to meet the PHSO recommendation.

Data is derived from the DWP Annual Report and Accounts combining partially and fully upheld complaints investigated by the PHSO. The 2024/25 Annual Report and Accounts is not yet published.
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Darren Paffey:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of using (a) no-deposit and (b) deposit alternative schemes in the private rented sector on tenants; and what plans she has to ensure tenants are protected from costs associated with those schemes. \p Matthew Pennycook: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps is she taking to encourage the development of affordable homes on brownfield sites. \p Matthew Pennycook: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, who will cover the duties of the Minister for Housing and Planning whilst he is on jury service. \p Alex Norris: Duties will be shared amongst the MHCLG Ministerial team when required. As with all departmental business, the Secretary of State maintains overall responsibility for the work of the department
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Helen Morgan:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assumptions her Department made of how councils would allocate additional funding raised through (a) council tax and (b) the social care precept when calculating the level of funding provided for adult social care in the Spending Review 2025. \p Jim McMahon: The Spending Review allows for an increase of over £4 billion available for adult social care in 2028–29 compared to 2025–26. This includes additional grant funding, growth in other sources of income available to support adult social care, and an increase to the NHS’s contribution to adult social care via the Better Care Fund, in line with DHSC’s Spending Review settlement.

Council tax levels and the resulting income for services are decided by local authorities each year. The government maintains a referendum threshold so that voters can have the final say over excessive increases. The Spending Review confirmed the government intends to maintain a 3% referendum threshold, with an additional 2% for the adult social care precept, continuing the policy of the previous government. This will be subject to the annual approval of the House of Commons.

Local Authorities with responsibility for Adult Social Care will also benefit from wider reforms to better align funding with need, multi-year settlements and simplification of the local government funding landscape. My department is currently consulting on these proposals as part of Fair Funding Review 2.0 consultation which runs from 20 June to 15 August.

We will work together with local government to ensure that the funding available for adult social care supports delivery of priority adult social care outcomes. Further details on funding allocations and assurance arrangements will be provided at the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement later this year. The provisional Settlement will be subject to consultation, as in previous years.
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Stuart Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the Department's long-term strategy is for enabling local communities to save valued community assets from deterioration. \p Alex Norris: Through the English Devolution Bill, we are committed to legislate for a ‘right to buy’, giving local people stronger powers to secure and preserve valued community assets if they come up for sale.

We are also committed to regenerating our country’s neighbourhoods. As the chancellor announced at the spending review the government will be supporting communities with funding for up to 350 places. More details will be announced in due course.
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Helen Morgan:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how her Department is coordinating with the Department for Health and Social Care and the Treasury to ensure councils affected by high needs and social care deficits can plan before March 2026, when the statutory deficit override ends. \p Jim McMahon: This government recognises the pressures local authorities are facing because of their Dedicated School Grant (DSG) deficits. As part of the Fair Funding Review 2.0 consultation published on 20 June, the government announced an extension to the DSG Statutory Override, currently due to end in March 2026, until the end of 2027-28. This extension is part of a phased transition to a reformed Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) system. The Department for Education Spending Review settlement confirmed funding for SEND reform, details of which will be set out in a White Paper in the autumn. As part of this transition, the government will provide more detail by the end of the year on the plan for supporting local authorities with both historic and accruing deficits. We will set out more detail at the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-01)

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Bob Blackman:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when he plans to publish the outcomes of the recent consultation on the implementation of measures in the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023, which closed on 15 May 2025. \p Rushanara Ali: The government has recently consulted on proposals for implementing the measures in the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023. We are carefully considering all the responses and recognise that it is crucial that we get the details right to protect residents and minimise unintended consequences.

My department will provide an update in relation to the implementation of the measures of the Act shortly.
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Jess Brown-Fuller:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the document entitled Remote attendance and proxy voting in local authorities: consultation results and government response, published on 5 June 2025, what her Department's planned timetable is for bringing forward legislative proposals to allow (a) remote attendance and (b) proxy voting in local councils. \p Jim McMahon: On 5 June, we published the gov.uk ‘Remote attendance and proxy voting in local authorities: consultation results and government response’ where we announced that we plan to legislate when parliamentary time allows.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many meetings Ministers in her Department have had with (a) Birmingham City Council and (b) Unite since the start of the waste collection industrial dispute in Birmingham. \p Jim McMahon: Since Birmingham City Council’s declaration of a ‘major incident’ on 31 March, Ministers have been in regular contact with the Council to tackle the backlog of waste on the city’s streets.

Ministers have not met with Unite.
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Gavin Robinson:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 7 January 2025 to Question 20971 on Aerospace Industry: Finance, what progress his Department has made on the allocation of the £975 million to boost the UK aerospace industry; and how much has been allocated to each devolved region. \p Sarah Jones: Of the £975 million allocated to the Aerospace Technology Institute Programme between 2025/26 and 2029/30, £285 million has been committed so far. This funding is distributed across the Devolved Administrations as follows:

Region

Committed Spend from 2025/26

England

255,504,078

Wales

10,061,956

Scotland

6,383,129

Northern Ireland

13,284,097

Total

285,233,260

The Industrial Strategy announced ATI Programme funding of up to £2.3 billion over the next 10 years. With industry co-investment, this will result in nearly £3.8 billion of UK research activity—placing UK industry in a strong position to capitalise on growing demand for new technologies as the next generation of aircraft is developed.
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Sir Andrew Mitchell:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of Foreign Direct Investment projects in the West Midlands. \p Sarah Jones: The Office for Investment (OfI) collaborates with stakeholders across the West Midlands to promote strategic foreign investment opportunities and to drive high-quality jobs growth in the region. Through a strategic initiative, the OfI provides funding to enable stakeholders to offer direct support to foreign investors looking to establish and expand their operations in the West Midlands.

The Regional Investment Summit 2025, will be held in the Autumn in the West Midlands, reinforcing the government’s priorities to drive sustainable economic growth, unlocking opportunity, creating high-quality jobs, and supporting innovation, across the West Midlands and all regions of the UK.
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Euan Stainbank:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, when he plans to bring forward the Industrial Strategy Bill. \p Sarah Jones: We will introduce an Industrial Strategy Bill to implement measures within the White Paper that require primary legislation when parliamentary time allows. This will include provisions to put the Industrial Strategy Council on a statutory footing, underlining our commitment to policy stability, continuity, and delivery of our 10-year plan. We will also use the Bill to legislate for wider measures, such as supporting businesses with their electricity costs.
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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the new Maritime and Coastguard Agency proposed safety code for small vessels on microbusinesses. \p Sarah Jones: My department works closely with the Maritime Coastguard Agency on regulations, including the new proposals for small commercial vessels, to ensure that they evolve alongside technology and alternative fuels while maintaining safety. The UK is committed to supporting a robust UK maritime sector — recognising that 99% of businesses in the industry are SMEs — and is dedicated to fostering their growth. Support is available through UK Export Finance, export campaigns and through Department for Transport initiatives including UK SHORE, which has funded decarbonisation projects involving over 150 SMEs, together with the new SME support hub launched by the Ministry of Defence.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-01)

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Monica Harding:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions he has had with menstrual product manufacturers on the adequacy of levels of glyphosate in menstrual products. \p Justin Madders: My officials engage regularly with a number of industry bodies, including the Absorbent Hygiene Products Manufacturers Association who represent the UK disposable nappy, adult continence care and period product industries.

Subject to Royal Assent of the Product Regulation and Metrology Bill, the Government will consult on a range of issues, including the safety of period products, to ensure that any changes to the regulatory framework are robust and consistent. As part of this, we are considering further research and testing in this area to complement the consultation, as well as engaging with other interested Government Departments in reviewing any evidence and agreeing a way forward following consultation.
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Helen Morgan:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 20 June 2025 to Question 59418 on Business: Imports, whether his Department has made (a) financial and (b) logistical support schemes available to high street businesses facing increased shipping costs due to extended import routes from Asia. \p Gareth Thomas: Globalised supply chains and the associated logistics costs remain a critical factor for the success of UK businesses and those on High Street.

The Supply Chain Centre will work in tandem with businesses to identify risks to critical supply chains and recommend actions to reduce their impact on business operations.

Businesses are also able to access a wide range of support offers by the Department, including the Business Growth Service which brings together a range of existing core services as well as new and improved elements of the business support offer. Further details will be released in the SME Strategy later this summer.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-01)

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Victoria Collins:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of e-invoicing on (a) payment times and (b) cash flow management for SMEs. \p Gareth Thomas: The Government is committed to tackling late payments, which can cause cash flow issues for SMEs. In September 2024 we announced measures including a new Fair Payment Code, legislation requiring large companies to report headline payment performance data in their annual reports, and a public consultation on further measures.

Adoption of e-invoicing can also help improve payment times and cash flow management by reducing administrative burdens and data errors and streamlining invoicing processes.

DBT and HMRC recently ran a joint 12-week consultation to gather views on promoting e-invoicing in the UK. The Government will publish a summary of responses and provide an update on next steps in due course.
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Max Wilkinson:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of regional investment groups introduced under the SME Finance Charter. \p Gareth Thomas: The SME Finance Charter was an awareness-raising initiative introduced in 2019 and updated in 2022 following the Covid-19 pandemic.

The British Business Bank's Nations and Regions Investment Funds provide debt and equity finance to businesses outside London. They are designed to support business growth in local communities by crowding in additional private investment for areas that have historically been underserved. The success of these funds to date was recognised at Spending Review with funding confirmed to allow for expansion.
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James Naish:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent assessment his Department has made of barriers to (a) flexible working and (b) statutory parental leave provision in SMEs; and whether his Department plans to bring forward (i) legislative proposals and (ii) guidance to help tackle these barriers. \p Justin Madders: Guidance for businesses on supporting employee work-life balance through measures such as flexible working and parental leave can be found on gov.uk and the Help to Grow website.

We are also publishing an SME Strategy Paper later this year, which will result in positive and practical support for SMEs across the UK.

Paternity Leave and Parental Leave will become ‘day one’ rights through the Employment Rights Bill. We will continue to engage with business, including small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), as these changes are implemented, and through the Government’s Review of the parental leave system.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the availability of banking hubs in Lincolnshire. \p Gareth Thomas: We understand the importance of face-to-face banking to communities and high streets and are committed to championing sufficient access for all as a priority.

Government is working closely with banks to roll out 350 banking hubs by the end of this Parliament. Over 170 hubs have already been opened and around 60 more have been recommended.

The location of these hubs is determined independently by LINK – the industry coordinating body responsible for making access to cash assessments. I will ask the Post Office to share the honourable member's interest. The honourable member may also wish to engage directly with LINK to discuss Lincolnshire’s access to cash needs.
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how much their Department has spent on (a) translation and (b) interpretation for languages other than (i) British Sign Language and (ii) languages native to the UK for people contacting (A) their Department and (B) its agencies in 2025. \p Justin Madders: The Department for Business and Trade does not record the costs for translation and interpretation at this level of detail.

We can confirm the Department for Business and Trade spent £58,149.01 on translation services from 1 January 2025 – 27 June 2025.

As the department for economic growth, we support businesses to invest, grow and export, creating jobs and opportunities across the country. This figure includes providing translation services and also where the Department required translations or interpreters. DBT employ teams based in priority markets around the world and those teams often use local language skills to help UK businesses access opportunities to export their goods and services globally. Likewise, they will use local language skills to promote the UK to a global audience, and in particular to attract high value investment to the UK.

Language service needs and spend are assessed to ensure these services offer good value for money for taxpayers while maintaining high standards of service delivery.
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Liam Byrne:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to recommendation 12 on page 63 of the Strategic Defence Review, published on 2 June 2025, whether the review of export licensing policy will examine export controls relating to (a) sensitive technologies, (b) intangible transfers, (c) technological advancements and (d) the targeting end-uses and end-users of concern. \p Mr Douglas Alexander: The implementation of the Strategic Defence Review’s recommendations will be led by the Ministry of Defence.

This will include the transfer of UK Defence and Security Exports from the Department for Business and Trade to the MOD.

This will also include consideration of how our export licensing processes can best support UK industry participation in international defence programmes.

It does not include plans to change the operation of the Export Control Joint Unit, which is led by the Department for Business and Trade, supported by MOD and FCDO.

It also does not include plans to change our Strategic Export Licensing Criteria, through which ECJU implements its responsibilities under the Export Control Act.

DBT and MOD will continue to engage with the relevant committees in Parliament on the detail of this work as it develops.
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Sarah Gibson:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he plans to conduct a cross-sector review of business practices in supporting recently bereaved customers. \p Justin Madders: Government has no plans to conduct a cross-sector review of business practice in supporting recently bereaved consumers. The Financial Conduct Authority have considered this issue across financial services and have published guidance on the fair treatment of vulnerable customers in line with the FCA’s Consumer Duty.

Outside of the financial sector, internal policies relating to bereavement are a matter for individual businesses, companies are expected to treat consumers with compassion and understanding in such circumstances.

Business dealing with vulnerable consumers can also refer to the British Standard on Inclusive Service which utilises best practices from BS ISO 22458 on Consumer Vulnerability.

Through the Employment Rights Bill, the Department is establishing a new statutory right to Bereavement Leave. As part of this, it is also considering how to better support individuals experiencing bereavement, including by providing clearer guidance for employers.
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Dan Aldridge:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department plans to introduce a statutory right to paid menstrual health leave for individuals suffering from (a) endometriosis and (b) adenomyosis. \p Justin Madders: The Government has set out its immediate priorities for reforming employment law in the Plan to Make Work Pay. The Plan includes a number of measures which may help people manage endometriosis and adenomyosis at work - including making sure people can benefit from flexible working. Our plan aims to deliver change so that people are more able to balance working life with their personal circumstances.
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Alex Mayer:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential merits for businesses of adopting Single/Double Summer Time. \p Justin Madders: The Government believes the current daylight-saving arrangements represent the optimal use of the available daylight across the UK. Therefore, we have no plans to introduce double summertime, permanent summertime, or other such changes which would require considerable planning and action by business. Since the Government does not intend to make changes to the existing system, we will not be conducting an assessment of the impact on businesses at this time.
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Victoria Collins:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the potential impact of the use of e-invoicing to support SME digital adoption. \p Gareth Thomas: E-invoicing can help SMEs to reduce administrative burdens and data processing errors. Increasing SME adoption of digital tools like e-invoicing can therefore lead to increased productivity, as well as improved payment times and streamlined tax administration.

The SME Digital Adoption Taskforce has been developing recommendations for Government and Industry on how best to encourage uptake of digital tools such as e-invoicing. The Taskforce produced an interim report in March 2025. Their final report will be published later this Summer.

DBT and HMRC recently ran a joint 12-week consultation to gather views on promoting e-invoicing in the UK. The Government will publish a summary of responses and provide an update on next steps in due course.
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Lee Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to ensure all wrongly (a) accused and (b) convicted sub-post masters are offered compensation. \p Gareth Thomas: As of 2 June 2025, £1.039 billion has been paid to over 7,300 claimants across the Horizon schemes. This represents a more than fourfold increase since July 2024, with more than 4,500 victims receiving compensation for the first time.

We continue to seek the views of the Horizon Compensation Advisory Board to ensure fairness and consider ways we can speed up redress.

We are taking a variety of measures to increase the pace of the delivery of redress across our schemes. For example, we recently announced that we are reintroducing facilitated discussions in the GLO scheme – as requested by claimants’ lawyers. This should provide significant help in increasing further the pace at which compensation can be paid.
wrans/answers2025-07-01 conversation_63
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Liz Jarvis:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to support hospitality businesses that made an economic and social contribution to towns and city centres. \p Gareth Thomas: We recognise the vital role hospitality businesses play in driving economic growth and strengthening community cohesion across the country.

We plan to introduce permanently lower business rates for retail, hospitality, and leisure properties with a rateable value under £500,000, we have reduced alcohol duty on qualifying draught beer products, saving the sector over £85 million annually. We’ve introduced a £1.5 million Hospitality Support Scheme to co-fund projects aligned with Department for Business & Trade and Hospitality Sector Council priorities, such as supporting initiatives like Pub is The Hub to encourage local investment. We have also launched a licensing taskforce to cut red tape and remove barriers to business growth.
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Mr Peter Bedford:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what plans her Department has to prioritise Canada in future bilateral trade negotiations; and whether this will be reflected in the scope of the UK–Canada trade taskforce. \p Mr Douglas Alexander: Canada is a close ally and valued partner of the UK, with trade underpinned by our existing trade agreement worth around £28 billion in 2024.

As agreed between our Prime Ministers at the G7, the UK and Canada will establish a new structured Working Group to deepen the bilateral trading relationship further. This includes seeking to address existing market access barriers affecting bilateral UK-Canada trade and expanding existing arrangements.

The working group will report back to both Prime Ministers within six months.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-01)

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Dr Roz Savage:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of aligning the tax rates for passive income with those for earned income; and what assessment she has made of the potential fiscal and social impact of such a reform. \p James Murray: Currently, different forms of income, such as employment income and non-employment income (including from property, dividends and capital gains), are subject to different tax rates reflecting their differing nature and to support the government’s broader policy objectives.

There have been recent changes to bring the tax treatment of passive income more closely aligned with salaried income. For example, the Dividend Allowance and the Annual Exempt Amount on Capital Gains Tax have been reformed and reduced to make the system fairer by bringing the treatment of investment income closely in line with employment income, whilst still ensuring that individuals are not taxed on low levels of dividend income or Capital Gains.

When considering changes to tax policy, the government considers the fiscal and distributional impacts of any potential reforms, drawing on analysis from HMRC and the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), who routinely publish costings and analysis of proposed tax changes at fiscal events. Any changes would need to also consider wider economic impacts resulting from behavioural responses.

The government keeps all areas of the tax system under review to ensure it is fair and supports strong public finances.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-01)

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Lee Anderson:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the (a) reasons for trends in and (b) potential impact of smoking rates on the level of duty paid on tobacco sales in the 2023-24 financial year. \p James Murray: The Office for Budget Responsibility discusses drivers of tobacco duty receipts in relation to the tobacco duty forecast on their webpage - Tobacco duties - Office for Budget Responsibility.

Receipts are driven by inflation (CPI and RPI), real household consumption and underlying trends in tobacco consumption.

The downward trend in tobacco consumption has accelerated in recent years, partly reflecting changing attitudes and the increasing popularity of e-cigarettes.

HMRC publishes commentary on tobacco duty receipts with the Tobacco Bulletin - Tobacco statistics commentary April 2025 - GOV.UK. The 12% decrease in tobacco duty receipts between 2022/23 and 2023/24 was primarily driven by falling cigarette receipts (£7,568 million to £6,535 million).

The Office for National Statistics publishes commentary on adult smoking habits in the UK where they have reported a reduction in the estimated proportion of current smokers in the UK from 12.9% in 2022 down to 11.9% in 2023.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-01)

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Charlie Dewhirst:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Spending Review 2025, published on 11 June 2025, whether she plans to raise taxes. \p James Murray: In the Spending Review, money was allocated to the priorities of the British people: our security, our health service and growing the economy to put more money in people's pockets.

Everything the Chancellor set out in the Spending Review is costed and has been budgeted for.

The OBR will produce a new forecast in the Autumn for the annual Budget, and the Chancellor will take decisions in the round based on that forecast.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-01)

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Frank McNally:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Spending Review 2025 on Scotland. \p Darren Jones: This Government has ensured the Spending Review delivers for Scotland. The Scottish Government is receiving an average of £50.9 billion per each year between 2026-27 and 2028-29, the largest real terms funding settlement since devolution. It also delivers on the Government’s Plan for Change in Scotland, with measures including providing development funding to advance the delivery of the Acorn carbon capture and storage project.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-01)

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Lee Anderson:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what information her Department holds on the reasons for the Office for Budget Responsibility's projected fall in tobacco revenue between (a) 2022-23 and (b) 2023-24; and if she will review the tobacco excise model. \p James Murray: HMRC publishes commentary on tobacco duty receipts with the Tobacco Bulletin - Tobacco statistics commentary April 2025 - GOV.UK. The 12% decrease in tobacco duty receipts between 2022/23 and 2023/24 was primarily driven by falling cigarette receipts (£7,568 million to £6,535 million).

The Office for Budget Responsibility discusses drivers of tobacco duty receipts in relation to the tobacco duty forecast on their webpage - Tobacco duties - Office for Budget Responsibility.

Receipts are driven by inflation (CPI and RPI), real household consumption and underlying trends in tobacco consumption.

The downward trend in tobacco consumption has accelerated in recent years, partly reflecting changing attitudes and the increasing popularity of e-cigarettes.

The Office for Budget Responsibility regularly reviews its forecasting methodology.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-01)

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Callum Anderson:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has established any formal mechanisms with her US counterpart on regulatory coordination for digital asset supervision following the meeting of the UK–US Financial Regulatory Working Group meeting in June 2025. \p Emma Reynolds: The Chancellor and US Treasury Secretary Bessent have now engaged on multiple occasions, and have stressed the importance of international collaboration in financial services. This includes continued UK-US engagement to support the use and responsible growth of digital assets.

On 3 June, HM Treasury hosted the US Treasury and regulators for the UK-US Financial Regulatory Working Group. The Joint Statement outlines the discussions, including on digital assets, and can be found here.

UK and US officials and regulators continue to engage via a range of mechanisms to support collaboration and coordination.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-01)

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Anna Gelderd:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of funding pilot schemes in banking hubs to provide targeted financial education sessions for (a) women and (b) women at risk of economic abuse. \p Emma Reynolds: Banking hubs are a voluntary service which were developed by the financial services sector in the context of legislation to protect access to cash under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023.

These hubs offer everyday counter services, allowing people and businesses to withdraw and deposit cash, pay bills and make balance enquiries. They also contain dedicated rooms where customers can see community bankers from their own bank to carry out wider banking services.

While banking hubs do not focus on providing financial education sessions, they do offer the opportunity for customers to disclose additional needs and discuss support in a private space with the community banker. This may include signposting to relevant money guidance or advice services.

The Government is committed to ensuring that people build financial capability and recognises that certain groups – including women and those at risk of economic abuse – may face specific barriers.

To support those facing such challenges, the Government is developing a Financial Inclusion Strategy, which will have a key focus on financial education and capability. Economic abuse is a cross-cutting theme of this strategy to ensure the needs of victim-survivors are considered across wider relevant interventions to support financially excluded people.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-01)

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Anna Gelderd:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of banking hubs on women at risk of domestic abuse. \p Emma Reynolds: The Government recognises that the ability to access cash and in-person banking support remains essential for many, which is why we have secured the industry’s commitment to roll out 350 banking hubs by the end of this Parliament, ensuring that access to face-to-face banking is protected. Over 230 hubs have been announced so far, and over 170 are already open.

Banking hubs offer everyday counter services, allowing people and businesses to withdraw and deposit cash, pay bills and make balance enquiries. They also contain dedicated rooms where customers can see community bankers from their own bank to carry out wider banking services.

The Government is committed to tackling domestic abuse through our mission to halve Violence Against Women and Girls within a decade. Addressing economic abuse is an integral part of this and is also being considered within the Government’s Financial Inclusion Strategy, which will examine where industry and Government can go further to support financially excluded people, including victim-survivors of economic abuse.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-01)

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Mark Garnier:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the (a) development and (b) delivery of the Digital Gilt Instrument programme supports UK-based firms; and if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of that programme on (i) domestic innovation and (ii) sovereign capability in digital financial infrastructure. \p Emma Reynolds: The Government is taking forward its digital gilt instrument (DIGIT) pilot which will be issued onto a platform within the Digital Securities Sandbox (DSS). Eligibility for the DSS requires that firms must be legally established in the UK, and therefore DIGIT will be issued onto a UK based DLT platform.

With this pilot, the Government has two key aims: to explore how distributed ledger technology (DLT) can be applied across the lifecycle of the debt issuance process; and catalyse the development of DLT in UK financial markets. The department is making ongoing assessments to design and deliver DIGIT in support of these aims.

In April the government issued a market engagement notice for the pilot digital gilt instrument (DIGIT) to understand both the current landscape of services available or in development in the UK and what potential investors want to see from a DIGIT issuance. This included questions for industry as to how DIGIT could be developed and delivered in such a way as to meet these objectives, which the department is currently analysing and incorporating into its ongoing assessments.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-01)

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Mark Garnier:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of adopting the common domain model standard in the Digital Gilt Instrument programme; and if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of doing so on the (a) interoperability, (b) automation and (c) transparency of that programme. \p Emma Reynolds: In April the government issued a market engagement notice for the pilot digital gilt instrument (DIGIT) to understand both the current landscape of services available or in development in the UK and what potential investors want to see from a DIGIT issuance. This included questions aimed at understanding how important interoperability and other design features would be for meeting the project’s objective to catalyse the growth and adoption of DLT in UK financial markets.

The department is in the process of analysing responses to inform the design of DIGIT ahead of issuing an invitation to tender in the coming months.