theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Andrew Griffith:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what HM Land Registry's average response time is on requests to merge title deeds. \p Matthew Pennycook: The government does not hold the information in the format requested.

HM Land Registry processing times for a range of broad application categories can be found on gov.uk here.
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Tony Vaughan:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to reduce the number of families placed in inadequate shared temporary accommodation. \p Rushanara Ali: Homelessness levels are far too high. This can have a devastating impact on those affected. The Deputy Prime Minister is leading cross-government work to deliver the long-term solutions we need to get us back on track to ending all forms of homelessness. This includes chairing a dedicated Inter-Ministerial Group, bringing together ministers from across government to develop a long-term strategy.

As announced at the Budget, funding for homelessness services has been increased by £233 million compared to last year (2024/25). This increased spending will help to prevent rises in the number of families in temporary accommodation and help to prevent rough sleeping. This brings total Homelessness spend to nearly £1 billion in 25/26, a record level of funding.

Homelessness legislation is clear that all temporary accommodation must be suitable, and local authorities should keep the suitability of accommodation under review. Where an individual feels that the council has applied their statutory duties incorrectly, they can take action in the courts or bring their concerns to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman.

Guidance sets out that local authorities should avoid placing households out of their borough. However, in some areas where there is a limited supply of suitable accommodation it is sometimes necessary to place households in temporary accommodation outside of the local area. This should be as a last resort. If a local authority places a household into temporary accommodation in another local area, they are required by law to notify the local authority of any placement. We must build more homes in the areas where they are needed so we can reduce the need for out of area placements, which is why we will deliver the biggest increase to social and affordable housing in a generation.

The Government is clear that, in the short-term, we must prioritise eliminating the worst forms of temporary accommodation such as families in Bed and Breakfast (B&B), other than in genuine emergencies. We have also launched Emergency Accommodation Reduction Pilots, backed by £5 million, to work with 20 local councils with the highest use of B&B accommodation for homeless families. This will support LAs to move families into more suitable accommodation.

In addition, the £1.2 billion Local Authority Housing Fund will provide capital funding directly to English councils and is expected to provide up to 7,000 homes by 2026. It will create a lasting asset for UK nationals by building a sustainable stock of affordable housing and better-quality temporary accommodation for local communities.
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Alicia Kearns:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of reclassifying Almhouses as social housing and allowing them to apply for S106 funding. \p Matthew Pennycook: As part of the recent consultation on proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework, the government sought views on whether changes were needed to the definition of ‘affordable housing for rent’ to make it easier for organisations that are not Registered Providers, including almshouses, to develop new affordable homes.

While the government are committed to making it easier for almshouses to develop new affordable homes, we ultimately decided against extending the definition to capture almshouses for the reasons set out in our response to the consultation which can be found on gov.uk here.

Informed by the points raised in the consultation, the government will actively explore options in future changes to national policy related to decision making.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will take steps to (a) ensure the standardisation of the administration of and (b) review her Department's (i) guidance and (ii) backdating policy in relation to Council Tax (A) discounts, (B) exemptions and (C) disregards for people (1) with severe mental impairments and (2) living with people with severe mental impairments. \p Jim McMahon: Local councils are responsible for the administration of council tax discounts, disregards and exemptions, including those relating to people with a severe mental impairment. The government understands the importance of these provisions and keeps all council tax policies and relevant guidance under review.
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Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that people affected by the proposed changes in the English Devolution White Paper, published on 16 December 2024, are consulted on the proposed implementation of unitary authorities. \p Jim McMahon: We expect local leaders to engage their Members of Parliament, and to ensure there is wide engagement with local partners and stakeholders, residents, workforce and their representatives, and businesses in working up their proposals. The engagement that is undertaken should both inform the development of robust proposals and should also build a shared understanding of the improvements you expect to deliver through reorganisation. The views of other public sector providers will be crucial to understanding the best way to structure local government in an area. This will include the relevant Mayor, Integrated Care Board, Police (Fire) and Crime Commissioner, Fire and Rescue Authority, local Higher Education and Further Education providers, National Park Authorities, and the voluntary and third sector.

Once a proposal has been submitted it will be for the Government to decide on taking a proposal forward and to consult as required by statute.
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Joe Morris:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many people are homeless in (a) Hexham constituency, (b) Northumberland, (c) Newcastle, (d) the North East and (e) England. \p Rushanara Ali: Published data on homelessness including number of people in temporary accommodation can be found here:

Tables on homelessness - GOV.UK
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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what her planned timetable is for the publication of the Government Strategy for Elections. \p Rushanara Ali: We will be setting out the Government’s approach to elections and electoral reform for this Parliament in a published document before summer recess. This will include our approach to the delivery of our manifesto commitments and the outcomes of our review of electoral registration and conduct, in which we are consulting with various sector stakeholders.
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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many Voter Authority Certificates have been issued since January 2023. \p Rushanara Ali: 224,106 applications for Voter Authority Certificates have been received between January 2023 and 13 February 2025. The decision to issue or reject an application is a matter for the relevant Electoral Registration Officer.
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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to review voter identification rules. \p Rushanara Ali: This government is committed to reviewing and, where necessary, making changes to the voter identification policy to address any aspects that prevent or discourage legitimate electors from voting.

This review includes assessing data from research and consulting with stakeholders such as the Electoral Commission.

On the 14th of October the government laid the statutory instrument required to add the Veteran Card to the list of identification documents accepted in polling stations. Any further proposals for changes to the policy wil lbe brought forwards in due course.
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Alicia Kearns:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the ​​English Devolution White Paper​, published on 16 December 2024, whether local authorities may submit more than one proposed model of suggested re-organisation in their area when responding to the Government's correspondence on this matter. \p Jim McMahon: As set out in the invitation letters sent to all two-tier areas and neighbouring small unitary councils, it is the Government’s expectation that local leaders work collaboratively and proactively, including by sharing information, to develop robust and sustainable unitary proposals that are in the best interests of the whole area to which this invitation is issued, rather than developing competing proposals. This will mean making every effort to work together to develop and jointly submit one proposal for unitary local government across the whole of their area.

I also set out that there will be some cases when it is not possible for all councils in an area to jointly develop and submit a proposal, despite their best efforts. This will not be a barrier to progress, and the government will consider any suitable proposals submitted by the relevant local authorities.
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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions she has had with local authority (a) officers and (b) elected representatives on the cancellation of the local elections in Thurrock, and if she will publish the record of those discussions. \p Rushanara Ali: The Secretary of State has not had discussions with this local authority on the cancellation of the local elections.
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Rachel Gilmour:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if her Department will make an assessment of the financial impact of transitioning from ESA to Universal Credit on adults with preventing disabilities. \p Sir Stephen Timms: We have interpreted your question to mean ‘To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if her Department will make an assessment of the financial impact of transitioning from ESA to Universal Credit on adults with preventable disabilities’.

The Government has given a commitment that those sent a managed migration notice requiring them to claim Universal Credit, where eligible, will not have a lower entitlement to Universal Credit than they had total existing benefit entitlement at the point they claim. Transitional Protection is available to ensure this commitment is met, including for those with preventable disabilities.
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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the age people can receive full Carers allowance above retirement age. \p Sir Stephen Timms: I refer the honourable member to the answer I gave on 14 October 2024 to question UIN 6904.
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Chris Law:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an estimate of the number of people with Multiple Sclerosis who are in the Employment and Support Allowance Support Group due to scoring 15 points on the Support Group Mobilising activity. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The group of Universal Credit and Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) customers affected by the most severe health conditions or disabilities are considered to have limited capability for work-related activity (LCWRA). The Work Capability Assessment (WCA) criteria for assessing whether someone has LCWRA is not determined by a point score. To be found to have LCWRA, someone must be assessed as meeting one or more of the LCWRA criteria, which are set out in legislation.

Scoring 15 points against the WCA Limited Capability for Work (LCW) criteria, be that any single WCA activity or in total across the activities, would result in somebody being found to have LCW/being placed in the ESA Work-Related Activity Group.
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Alex McIntyre:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to help with the work of the Inter-Ministerial Group on Tackling Homelessness and Rough Sleeping. \p Sir Stephen Timms: DWP continues to work closely with MHCLG as part of the Inter Ministerial Group on Homelessness and Rough Sleeping, supporting the development of a strategy to get back on track to ending homelessness. I represent the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to ensure accountability for our part in the strategy.

DWP provides over £30bn of housing support each year, as well as £100m of Discretionary Housing Payments for those entitled to housing support who may face a shortfall in meeting their rental costs. In addition, work coaches provide personalised employment support for those with additional vulnerabilities such as homelessness.
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Charlie Maynard:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she plans to take to help support health and disability benefit recipients to respond to her Department's forthcoming consultation on proposed changes to these benefits. \p Sir Stephen Timms: To ensure that our consultation is accessible, we intend to produce a range of accessible formats of the Green Paper. Additionally, throughout the consultation period, we will continue to listen to and work with disabled people and their representatives through a number of accessible public and virtual events where individuals will be encouraged to give their views on the consultation in person or virtually. Full details on how to sign up and attend these events will be shared in due course, and we will work with partners to publicise them.
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Chris Law:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an estimate of the number of people with Multiple Sclerosis who are in the Universal Credit (a) Limited Capacity for Work-Related Activity group and (b) Limited Capability for Work group. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The specific information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
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Alison Bennett:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she plans to review the indexation of pensions paid by the Pension Protection Fund. \p Torsten Bell: The Pension Protection Fund rules on indexation have been the subject of much discussion. I will continue to consider this issue, and the valuable report of the Work and Pensions Select Committee report from March 2024. The Government will respond fully to its recommendations in the coming months.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what purposes the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council has used artificial intelligence in the last 12 months. \p Andrew Western: The Industrial Injuries Advisory Council has not used artificial intelligence in the last 12 months.
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Steve Darling:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which local authorities have engaged with the Government on increasing applications for pension credit since November 2024. \p Torsten Bell: As part of our nationwide Pension Credit campaign, the Department has engaged with all councils in Great Britain, via the regular LA Welfare Direct bulletins. In response to our call to action in 2024, 200 councils across Great Britain have engaged and supported our Pension Credit campaign either on social media, or by distributing the promotional material we have provided
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Helen Whately:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what her Department's policy is on the use of articificial intelligence. \p Andrew Western: DWP is collaborating with other Government Departments to maximise AI’s potential to drive growth and deliver real benefits to people across the UK, as set out in the recent AI Opportunities Action Plan.

DWP has a clear vision to safely leverage AI to support its staff and improve service delivery to customers. The Department is working with a range of artificial intelligence technologies, such as machine learning, generative AI, and Large Language Models, which will help DWP improve its ability to respond to customers’ needs in a more personalised and seamless way.

Some of the details of these are already in the public domain, as set out in DWP annual report and accounts 2023 to 2024 - GOV.UK. DWP is also committed to publishing more details about work in this area as part of the Algorithmic Transparency Recording Standards (ATRS) requirements from the Government Digital Service and has published its first summary through the DWP: Employment and Support Allowance Online Medical Matching ATRS record

The Personal information charter - Department for Work and Pensions - GOV.UK sets out individuals’ rights when we process their data. It is important to note that DWP does not utilise AI to replace human judgement in determining or denying payments to claimants.
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Tom Morrison:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of uprating the 25 pence age addition for those over 80 years old and in receipt of the Basic State Pension. \p Torsten Bell: No assessment has been made of the potential merits of uprating the 25 pence Age Addition by this Government.

The 25 pence a week Age Addition is part of the old State Pension, for those who reached State Pension age before 6 April 2016. It is paid with the basic State Pension, when somebody reaches the age of 80.

The 25 pence Age Addition is not part of the new State Pension, but for those people who reached State Pension age before 6 April 2016, the 25 pence Age Addition under the existing rules will continue
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Joe Robertson:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to support pensioners on low incomes in Isle of Wight East constituency. \p Torsten Bell: The last Labour Government lifted over one million pensioners out of poverty, and this Government, despite having to make the tough decisions to deal with our fiscal inheritance, remains committed to giving pensioners the security they deserve in retirement.

We are honouring our commitment to the Triple Lock with a 4.1% increase to the basic State Pension and the new State Pension, and we are also increasing the standard minimum guarantee in Pension Credit by 4.1%. The full yearly rate of the new State Pension is forecast to increase by around £1,900 over the course of this parliament whilst the full yearly amount of the basic State Pension is forecast to increase by around £1,500.

Pension Credit provides extra money to help with living costs for people over State Pension age and on a low income. We know there are low-income pensioners who aren’t claiming Pension Credit. We want to ensure as many people as possible have access to this support and urge pensioners to check their eligibility. Pension Credit will passport them to receive other benefits – including Winter Fuel Payments, help with rent, council tax, fuel bills and a free TV licence for those over 75. That’s why Government is taking significant steps to raise awareness and maximise take-up.

Low-income pensioners and others struggling with the cost of living should contact their local council to see what further support may be available to them. They may be able to receive support from energy support programmes or through the Household Support Fund, a scheme providing discretionary support to those most in need towards the cost of essentials, such as food, energy and water.

The Government has extended the Household Support Fund in England by a further year, (until 31 March 2026) – with funding of £742 million provided to enable this extension in England, plus additional funding for the devolved Governments to be spent at their discretion, as usual.
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Chris Law:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an estimate of the number of people with Multiple Sclerosis who are in the Employment and Support Allowance (a) Support Group and (b) Work-Related Activity Group. \p Sir Stephen Timms: In May 2024 there were around 19,500 people on ESA whose main condition was multiple sclerosis. Of these, around 300 were in the Work-Related Activity Group and around 18,000 were in the Support Group, with the remainder being in the Assessment Phase or receiving National Insurance credits only, and not assigned to a particular group.
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James Wild:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people waiting for elective treatment are claiming sickness benefits. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The information requested is not held by the Department.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) plans to link NHS waiting times data to Census, DWP Benefits and HMRC PAYE records to analyse the relationship between waiting time duration (for various health conditions and procedures) and labour market outcomes (such as employment status, gross pay and benefit receipt) in England. This may shed light on the role of extended waiting times witnessed during and after the COVID-19 pandemic on benefit receipt, including sickness related benefit receipt. ONS currently has access to linked Census, DWP Benefits and HMRC PAYE data and is working with NHS England to acquire the waiting times dataset. Due to many dependencies and unknowns, ONS is not able to confirm when the analysis will be available.
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Steve Darling:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of Personal Independence Payment requests that were initially refused were subsequently accepted after appeal in the latest period for which data is available. \p Sir Stephen Timms: Of the 721,100 claimants who had their claim for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) cleared in the Financial Year 2023-2024, 332,800 (46%) were disallowed at assessment.

Of these, 13,500 were subsequently awarded PIP following an appeal, which is 4% of all who were initially disallowed while 18,900 appeals have not been cleared yet.

Notes:
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Alison Bennett:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she plans to reform the benefit system for young people living in supported accommodation to ensure that the taper rate for Housing Benefit does not disincentivise them from working. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The income taper in Housing Benefit ensures people in work are better off than someone wholly reliant on benefits. The Department acknowledges, however, there is a challenge presented by the interaction between Universal Credit and Housing Benefit for those living in Supported Housing or Temporary Accommodation and receiving their housing support through Housing Benefit. The department will consider the issue carefully in partnership with stakeholders.

Notwithstanding these positive outcomes from work, the Department acknowledges there is a challenge presented by the interaction between Universal Credit and Housing Benefit for those residing in Supported Housing or Temporary Accommodation and receiving their housing support through Housing Benefit. The department will consider the issue carefully in partnership with stakeholders.
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Steff Aquarone:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of the total cost of running Personal Independence Payment is spent on the provision of face-to-face and over the phone assessments. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The information requested is not held by the Department.

For both the legacy Personal Independence Payment contracts (that completed on 6 September 2024) and the new Functional Assessment Service contracts, providers do not/did not split their costs by service channel.

Under the new Functional Assessment Service contracts, the costs provided by the Suppliers are not split between the individual service elements (ie Personal Independence payments, Work Capability Assessments and Specialist Benefits).
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Will Stone:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing an exemption from the increase in employer's National Insurance contributions for care homes where more than half of residents are funded by the local authority. \p James Murray: The Government will provide support for departments and other public sector employers for additional employer National Insurance costs only. This does not include support for the private sector, including private sector firms contracted by central or local government.

This is the usual approach Government takes to supporting the public sector with additional employer NICs costs, as was the case with the previous government’s Health and Social Care Levy.

The Government considered the cost pressures facing adult social care and wider local government spending as part of the Spending Review process.

The Government is providing a 6.8% cash terms increase in council’s Core Spending Power in 2025-26. To support social care authorities to deliver key services in light of pressures, we announced at the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement a further £200 million for adult and children’s social care. This will be allocated via the Social Care Grant, bringing the total increase of this grant in 2025-26 to £880 million, meaning that up to £3.7 billion of additional funding will be provided to social care authorities in 2025-26.
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Richard Fuller:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the report by the NAO entitled The Administrative Cost of the Tax system, published on 10 February 2025, what steps she plans to take to reduce the annual cost to VAT registered traders. \p James Murray: HMRC have acknowledged the findings of the NAO report and emphasised the ongoing efforts to modernise and streamline tax administration. An HMRC Transformation Roadmap will be published in 2025. This will set out HMRC’s vision to be a digital first organisation and outline our plans to extend digital services and tools to provide better customer service for customers, including small businesses, and agents.
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Alison Bennett:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she plans to review the commodity code classification for mobility scooters. \p James Murray: There are no plans to review the classification of mobility scooters. HMRC classify mobility scooters under the description of ‘Vehicles specially designed for travelling on snow, golf cars and similar vehicles’ under tariff heading 8703, which is in line with classification decisions issued in 2001 by the World Customs Organization.
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Llinos Medi:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 5 September 2024 to Question 3769 on Crown Estate: Wales, what assessment she has made of the ability of the commissioners with special responsibilities for Wales as provided for within the Crown Estate Bill to perform their functions without disaggregated net revenue profit data for Wales. \p Darren Jones: The Crown Estate Bill, as amended in the House of Lords, requires the appointment of a Commissioner responsible for giving advice about Wales (alongside separate equivalent appointments for England and Northern Ireland). The Bill confirms that ‘giving advice about’ means the relevant Commissioner would give advice to the Commissioners about conditions in Wales, in so far as it relates to their functions in relation to Wales. It is the Treasury’s view that the ability to give that advice does not depend on having disaggregated net revenue profit data. The Crown Estate operates across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, but its operations are not divided into business units by nation. It is not possible to disaggregate by nation without applying a high degree of subjective judgment in relation to costs. As was noted in the Answer of 5 September 2024 to Question 3769, The Crown Estate does already publish a Wales Review to supplement the annual report, which highlights The Crown Estate’s work in Wales.
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Ben Lake:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has had recent discussions with her counterpart in the Welsh Government on the application of the Barnett formula to agriculture funding in Wales from the 2025-26 financial year. \p Darren Jones: I regularly engage with Welsh Government ministerial colleagues. Engagement takes place at the Finance: Interministerial Standing Committee (which is next due to meet on the 27th of February) and bilaterally, as well as through regular correspondence, on issues relating to devolved government funding including the application of the Barnett formula.

Agriculture and fisheries funding from 2024-25 has been added to the devolved governments’ baseline funding from 2025-26 which means the funding amount will be maintained in cash terms. Funding is no longer ringfenced and the devolved governments can choose how to spend this in devolved areas. In future, the Barnett formula will apply in the normal way to agriculture and fisheries funding provided to the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in England.
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the merits of lowering Air Passenger Duty rates. \p James Murray: Air Passenger Duty (APD) applies to airlines and is the principal tax on the aviation sector. It is expected to raise £4.2 billion in 2024-25 and it aims to ensure that airlines make a fair contribution to the public finances, particularly given that tickets are VAT free and aviation fuel incurs no duty.

At Autumn Budget 2024, the Government announced APD rates for 2026-27, including a partial adjustment to help compensate for two recent years of inflation that was higher than expected.

As with all taxes, APD is kept under review and the Chancellor makes decisions on rates at fiscal events in the context of public finances.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

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Chris Evans:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to reduce the administrative cost of the tax system. \p James Murray: At Autumn Budget 2024 the government committed to simplifying the tax system as part of its three strategic priorities for HMRC: closing the tax gap, modernisation and reform, and improving customer service.

A key aim for the Government is to reduce the administrative burdens for businesses when dealing with the tax system. To this end the Government announced, for example, on 28 January that it has listened to businesses and stakeholders and decided that employers will no longer have to provide more detailed employee hours data to HMRC from April 2026.

The Government is meeting with stakeholders, including the Administrative Burdens Advisory Board, to understand their priorities for administration and simplification, ensuring that this work is driven by the views of taxpayers.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-24 conversation_165

Jenny Riddell-Carpenter:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether business rates apply to onshore converter stations that connect offshore energy to the National Grid. \p James Murray: The Valuation Office Agency assesses onshore converter stations and the cables which transmit the power for non-domestic rating purposes. The cables are rateable between low water mark and the point the cable connects with the National Grid transmission system.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-24 conversation_166

Lee Anderson:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to agricultural property relief on (a) the UK’s food security and (b) trends in the numbers of farms in the next five years. \p James Murray: The Government believes its reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief from 6 April 2026 get the balance right between supporting farms and fixing the public finances in a fair way. The reforms reduce the inheritance tax advantages available to owners of agricultural and business assets, but still mean those assets will be taxed at a much lower effective rate than most other assets. Despite a tough fiscal context, the Government will maintain very significant levels of relief from inheritance tax beyond what is available to others and compared to the position before 1992.

The reforms are expected to result in up to 520 estates claiming agricultural property relief, including those also claiming business property relief, in 2026-27 paying more inheritance tax. Almost three-quarters of estates claiming agricultural property relief, including those that also claim for business property relief, will not pay any more tax as a result of the changes in 2026-27, based on the latest available data. Where inheritance tax is due, those liable for a charge can in most circumstances pay any liability on the relevant assets over 10 annual instalments, interest-free.

The Government’s commitment to farmers and the vital role they play in feeding our nation remains steadfast. Food security is national security. That is why, despite the fiscal constraints, we have prioritised £5 billion for the farming budget over the next two years. This includes the largest ever amount of funding directed at sustainable food production and nature’s recovery in our country’s history, and £60m to support farmers with the impacts of extreme wet weather.

At the Oxford Farming Conference in January 2025, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs set out the Government’s long-term vision to make farming more profitable and put more money in the pockets of British farmers. This includes a set of reforms such as using the Government’s purchasing power to buy British Food, planning reforms to speed up the delivery of farm buildings and other infrastructure which supports food production, and work to ensure supply chain fairness.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-24 conversation_167

Richard Fuller:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to page 4 of the report by the NAO entitled The Administrative Cost of the Tax System, published on 10 February 2025, if she will instruct HMRC to update its £15.4bn estimate of the cost to businesses of complying with the tax system. \p James Murray: The £15.4bn estimate of the cost to businesses of complying with the tax system contains in the NAO report comes from HMRC’s Standard Cost Model (SCM). This uses an internationally recognised approach to estimating these costs.

The SCM contains data on approximately 2,500 obligations across 27 policy areas, and is largely based on data collected from businesses and agents on the time and costs of complying with regulations.

HMRC is looking to reduce the complexity of the model so it is easier to update which may enable it to produce a more timely estimate of the cost to business.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-24 conversation_168

Mr Peter Bedford:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of the proposed increase in employer National Insurance contributions on recent trends in employment numbers on the high street. \p James Murray: An assessment of the changes to Employers’ National Insurance has been published by HMRC in their Tax Information and Impact Note, including impacts on the exchequer, the economy, individuals, households and families, equalities, and businesses including civil society organisations, alongside details on monitoring and evaluation.

After accounting for the Autumn Budget 2024, the independent Office for Budget Responsibility expect the employment level will increase from 33.1 million in 2024 to 34.3 million in 2029.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-24 conversation_169

Mr Peter Bedford:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has had recent discussions with stakeholders in the (a) construction and (b) plant-hire sector on the potential impact of changes to business property relief on those sectors. \p James Murray: The Government has received representations, including from the construction and plant hire sector, about the reforms to both agricultural property relief and business property relief.

The Government believes its reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief from 6 April 2026 get the balance right between supporting farms and businesses and fixing the public finances. The reforms reduce the inheritance tax advantages available to owners of agricultural and business assets, but still mean those assets will be taxed at a much lower effective rate than most other assets. Despite a tough fiscal context, the Government will maintain very significant levels of relief from inheritance tax beyond what is available to others and compared to the position before 1992.

Information from claims is not recorded to enable regional breakdowns of the number of estates expected to be affected. However, the Government has set out that around 1,500 estates across the UK only claiming business property relief are expected to be affected in 2026-27, with around 1,000 of these expected to only hold shares designated as “not listed” on the markets of recognised stock exchanges, such as the Alternative Investment Market. The remaining 500 estates will include business assets from sectors across the economy that are eligible for business property relief. These reforms mean that around three-quarters of estates claiming business property relief in 2026-27 (excluding those only relating to holding shares designated as “not listed”) will not pay any more inheritance tax in 2026-27.
wrans/answers2025-02-24 conversation_170
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-24 conversation_170

Lee Anderson:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of reducing (a) beer duty and (b) other alcohol duties for pubs. \p James Murray: Pubs make an enormous contribution to our economy and society, and this is recognised in the tax system.

Draught Relief provides a duty discount for all draught products below 8.5 per cent alcohol by volume (ABV). Around 60% of alcoholic drinks served in pubs are covered by this relief.

At the Autumn Budget, the Chancellor increased this relief from 9.2% to 13.9%. This represents an overall reduction in duty bills of over £85m a year and is equivalent to a 1p duty reduction on a typical pint.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-24 conversation_171

Mr Gregory Campbell:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of changing cash ISA's to UK-based stocks and shares ISA's on the economy. \p Emma Reynolds: Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) incentivise greater saving and investment by helping people save for their future goals and build greater financial resilience. The Government recognises the important role that cash savings play in helping households build a financial buffer for a rainy day.

The Government wants to see more consumers participate in capital markets and benefit from the long-term financial security and returns that investing can provide. The Financial Services Growth & Competitiveness Strategy call for evidence, which closed on 12 December, identified that increasing retail participation in capital markets could support long-term sustainable growth within the sector and the wider economy. The Government is considering the feedback provided.

The Government continues to keep all aspects of savings policy under review.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-24 conversation_172

Ian Sollom:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 30 January 2025 to Question 26623 on Schools: Uniforms, what is the evidential basis to support that (a) expanding the existing relief may not reduce the price of school uniforms and (b) VAT relief would not remain tightly targeted at those whom it would be intended to benefit. \p James Murray: There is a wide range of academic research into how VAT changes affect prices, which supports the conclusion that pass-through is typically only partial. This includes, for example, an International Monetary Fund study which examined the pass through of VAT changes for 17 countries over 1999-2013 and ‘What Goes Up May Not Come Down:

Asymmetric Incidence of Value-Added Taxes’ by Benzarti et al. which shows that prices respond more to VAT increases than decreases.

To ensure that the current scope of the relief is carefully targeted at those it is intended to benefit and is not used to circumvent paying VAT on clothing for adults, this relief is limited to clothing designed and labelled for children under the age of 14. The limit is set in relation to when the clothing measurements begin to merge with the general adult population, who could wear clothing such as plain white shirts or black shoes, with uniforms in a great number of secondary schools now including such non-branded items.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-24 conversation_173

Tom Tugendhat:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions her Department has had with (a) Aviva, (b) Legal & General, (c) Pension Insurance Corporation and (d) Scottish Widows on public sector involvement in the consolidation of corporate sponsored defined benefit pension schemes in the last 12 months. \p Torsten Bell: The Treasury engages regularly with the UK insurance sector on a range of issues, including on the consolidation of corporate sponsored defined benefit pension schemes which are also discussed with a wide range of other stakeholders.

More broadly, the Government has consulted on options for private sector defined benefit schemes, including proposals on a public sector consolidator. The Government is currently considering consultation responses and will set out its response in due course.
wrans/answers2025-02-24 conversation_174
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-24 conversation_174

Luke Taylor:SUGGESTED REDRAFT: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she plans to review the Overseas Scale Rates to better reflect current economic conditions. \p James Murray: As with all taxes and allowances, the Government keeps flat rates expenses, including Overseas Scale Rates, under review.

Any decisions on future changes in this area will be taken in the context of the wider public finances.