theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Wera Hobhouse:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the role marine energy will play in the UK's industrial strategy. \p Michael Shanks: The Industrial Strategy will channel support to eight growth-driving sectors, including the Clean Energy sector, and will be published in Spring 2025. These are sectors in which the UK excels today and will propel us tomorrow.

Regarding marine energy, existing policy levers such as the Contracts for Difference scheme and innovation funding delivered by UK Research & Innovation offer substantial levers to unlock marine energy deployment and support supply chain development.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what the process is for designating Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects. \p Michael Shanks: The thresholds that designate a project as a nationally significant infrastructure project are set out in Planning Act 2008 and spelled out in more detail at the start of the overarching Energy National Policy Statement (EN-1).

The thresholds for England are currently: if it does not generate electricity from wind and it is not an offshore generating station, its capacity must be more than 50 megawatts; and, if it is an offshore generating station, its capacity must be more than 100 megawatts.

The thresholds for Wales are: if it does not generate electricity from wind, its capacity must be more than 350 megawatts; and, if it is in waters adjacent to Wales up to the seaward limits of the territorial sea, or in the Welsh zone, its capacity must be more than 350 megawatts.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what the minimum threshold of power generation is for a solar park to meet the standard required for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project designation. \p Michael Shanks: For a solar park to be designated as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project, the minimum threshold of power generation is currently 50 megawatts. Consent for a solar project under 50 megawatts is applied for under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. In 2024, the Government consulted on whether to raise this threshold and has announced its intention to legislate to increase the threshold for solar projects determined under the NSIP planning regime from 50MW to 100MW.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what the remaining available capacity percentage is of the Eaton Socon sub-station in Cambridgeshire. \p Michael Shanks: The Department does not hold this data, this would be for the Distribution Network Operator (DNO), UK Power Networks. UK Power Networks’ data portal [1] which is publicly available, provides information on all grid supply points, including Eaton Socon substation.

[1] https://ukpowernetworks.opendatasoft.com/pages/nodd
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Munira Wilson:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will amend the Climate Change Act 2008 to include International Aviation and Shipping in UK carbon budgets. \p Kerry McCarthy: The sixth carbon budget will include the UK’s share of international aviation and shipping (IAS) emissions for the first time, in line with the previous administration’s announcement in April 2021. The sixth carbon budget has already been set at 965 MtCO2e in the Carbon Budget Order 2021, which reflects that this will include IAS.

Including IAS in the carbon budget from a legal perspective means making regulations under s.30 of the Climate Change Act 2008. This Government intends to legislate for IAS inclusion at the earliest possible opportunity, subject to Parliamentary scheduling.
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Nick Timothy:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department made of the potential impact of spatial limits in the North Sea on (a) interconnectors, (b) fisheries, (c) wind farms and (d) other offshore infrastructure. \p Michael Shanks: As set out in the Clean Power Action Plan, we need a long term, holistic approach to managing growing demand for use of the seabed. The Crown Estate’s Marine Delivery Routemap will provide an opportunity to positively plan for shared outcomes across different sectors with an agreed set of design parameters that incentivise best environmental practice across the project lifecycle.
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Nick Timothy:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to help protect the security of sensitive data on multi-purpose interconnectors. \p Michael Shanks: Maintaining a secure energy supply is a key priority for the UK Government. DESNZ works closely with subsea and offshore owners, operators, regulators, and other stakeholders to ensure interconnectors are proportionately protected against a range of threats – including cyber threats. This includes working with industry on data security, which is a critical part of a comprehensive approach to security of infrastructure.
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Nick Timothy:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the security of interconnector data. \p Michael Shanks: The Government takes the protection of subsea infrastructure, including interconnectors, seriously and Departments work closely together to ensure infrastructure is protected against hazards and malicious threats. The Secretary of State regularly has discussions with his Cabinet colleagues relating to a range of security matters.
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Nick Timothy:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will take steps to ensure that wind turbines manufactured in China are not vulnerable to foreign espionage. \p Michael Shanks: The Government takes the security and resilience of UK energy infrastructure extremely seriously with the UK being one of the most reliable and safest energy systems, and one of the most attractive investment destinations in the world. Maintaining a secure energy supply is a key priority for the UK Government. DESNZ works closely with subsea and offshore owners, operators, regulators, and other stakeholders to ensure subsea and offshore energy infrastructure is proportionately protected against a range of threats. The Government will take a consistent, long-term and strategic approach to managing the UK’s relations with China, rooted in UK and global interests. The Government will co-operate where it can, compete where it needs to, and challenge where it must.
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Nick Timothy:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of regulations from the Office for Nuclear Regulation on businesses. \p Michael Shanks: The Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) does not make regulations. Assessments of impacts on businesses of regulations relating to nuclear would be found in the original economic impact assessments for those regulations and, where they have been carried out, in the post implementation review of those regulations.

As the Prime Minister announced, the Nuclear Taskforce will be undertaking a review of nuclear regulation, and it would be unfair to comment further until that review has concluded.
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Nick Timothy:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many pages of paperwork businesses must complete on average to receive planning approval from the Office for Nuclear Regulation. \p Michael Shanks: The Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) does not undertake planning approvals. Planning approvals must be sought from the Planning Inspectorate, to whom ONR provides regulatory advice where nuclear sites are involved.
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Nick Timothy:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what the average waiting time is for businesses to receive planning approval from the Office for Nuclear Regulation by nuclear reactor types since 1997. \p Michael Shanks: The Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) does not undertake planning approvals. Planning approvals must be sought from the Planning Inspectorate, to whom ONR provides regulatory advice where nuclear sites are involved.
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Dr Simon Opher:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what her planned timeline is for the proposed extension of the maximum period that an eligible prisoner may spend on Home Detention Curfew. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: The maximum period that an eligible prisoner may spend on Home Detention Curfew will be extended from 180 days to 365 days from 03 June 2025.
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to her Department's press release entitled Foreign criminals to be deported quicker, published on 3 March 2025, how frequently her Department will report to Parliament on the (a) progress and (b) outcomes of this deportation initiative. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: The period 05 July 2024 to 31 January 2025 saw the removal of 2,925 foreign national prisoners serving sentences in prison or in the community. That is 21% more than during the equivalent period 12 months previously, under the previous Government. 1,557 of these offenders were removed from prisons under the Early Removal Scheme – a 26% increase compared with the equivalent period 12 months previously.

The measures we announced on 03 March, which are part of the wider work we are undertaking to manage prison capacity pressures, will support the deportation process overseen by the Home Office. The Home Office reports to Parliament on immigration matters and regularly publishes statistics on the number of foreign national offenders who have been deported. The Ministry of Justice regularly reports on prison capacity and the decisive action we are taking to manage this.

The removal of foreign national offenders who have no right to remain in the United Kingdom reduces costs to the taxpayer and helps to protect the public. It is not possible to identify separately the saving that will be generated from this initiative, as it forms one part of the wider range of measures we are taking.

Our initial estimate is that £4.5 million will be spent on personnel and £500,000 on training and operational costs. The investment will create 82 specialist roles to oversee removals from jails. Staff will be in post and fully operational by 01 April.
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Sammy Wilson:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of current provisions to support people serving a custodial sentences who are experiencing gambling harms. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: HM Prison and Probation Service delivers a broad range of interventions to address individuals’ criminogenic risks and needs, including accredited offending behaviour programmes.

Support for prisoners who are experiencing gambling harms is provided by the NHS. We are working with the NHS to ensure that any gambling intervention provision it commissions is evaluated, and that people in the criminal justice system with associated harms are taken into account and have parity of access to support.
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Luke Murphy:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to help support victims of domestic abuse. \p Alex Davies-Jones: This Government has committed to halving violence against women and girls in a decade.

We have launched new Domestic Abuse Protection Orders in selected areas, combining the strongest elements of other orders to protect victims from all forms of domestic abuse.

From February, offenders sentenced for 12 months plus for coercive and controlling behaviour are now automatically eligible for management under Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements.
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of foreign national offenders released under the Early Removal Scheme have reoffended in each of the last five years. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: The Early Removal Scheme (ERS) removes foreign national offenders (FNOs) from England and Wales. We do not monitor their behaviour overseas.

Between 05 July 2024 and 31 January 2025, 2,925 FNOs have been removed from England and Wales – 21% more than the 2,422 in the same period 12 months prior under the previous Government.

There have been 1,557 ERS removals from prison – a 26% increase compared to the same period 12 months prior (1,231) under the previous Government.
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many illegal migrants from Albania have been imprisoned in the last 12 months. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: Prison population data showing the number of Albanian nationals in custody in England and Wales (based on the prison population as of 31 December 2024; latest available published data) can be found at Table 1_Q_12 in the attached link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6799631cd4f0d327e77071ae/prison-population-31-Dec-2024.ods

The Ministry of Justice does not hold data on the immigration status of prisoners. We refer all Albanian nationals sentenced to prison to the Home Office to consider deportation.

Foreign nationals who commit crime should be in no doubt that the law will be enforced, and the Ministry of Justice will work with the Home Office to pursue their deportation. Under this Government, 21% more foreign national offenders were removed during the period July 2024 to January 2025 compared with the equivalent period, under the previous administration in 2023-24.
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Warinder Juss:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to support probation officers. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: One of the first actions of the Government was to bring forward planned increases to pay, enabling staff to access higher pay earlier than planned.

On 12 February 2025, the Lord Chancellor announced measures to support probation officers by investing in new technology to lessen the administrative burden; focusing their work on high-risk offenders; and recruiting 1,300 more officers.
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Lorraine Beavers:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of extending the deadline for applications to the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: I understand the Honourable Member’s interest here and I thank her for her letter to the Attorney General’s Office on this issue.

Parliament intended the Unduly Lenient Sentence Scheme to be an exceptional power but it is important for victims and offenders that there is finality in sentencing.

The Law Commission has helpfully launched a consultation on reforms to the Scheme which runs until 30 May.
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Robert Jenrick:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether she has visited HMP Long Lartin since 4 July 2024. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: The Lord Chancellor has been closely involved in the response to the urgent notifications we have received. Each is a reminder of the state of crisis that the last Government left behind in our prisons.

The Prisons Minister will be visiting HMP Long Lartin in the coming days and we are working closely with the prison leadership to turn these prisons around.
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Henry Tufnell:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many civil legal aid offices with a civil legal aid contract started less than five cases by each (a) local authority and (b) area of law in the (i) 2022-23, (ii) 2023-24 and (iii) 2024-25 financial year. \p Sarah Sackman: The requested information can be found in the attached table.

Data for 2024-2025 is a year-to-date figure reflective of the work reported between 1 April 2024 to 31 January, inclusive. As such it is not directly comparable with 2022-23 and 2023-24. Please note that the Legal Aid Agency (LAA) commissions and monitors the provision of legal aid services by ‘Procurement Area’ rather than by local authority. Procurement areas differ for different categories of law.

The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) publishes information about the number of providers and offices which hold a legal aid contract and number of legal aid offices completing work in each period as part of its official statistics [see tables 9.1-9.8].

PQ_Table (xlsx, 1538.0KB)
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Ben Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to support the (a) growth and (b) innovation of the lawtech industry. \p Sarah Sackman: The Ministry of Justice has supported the growth and innovation of the lawtech industry through the LawtechUK Programme providing £6 million in grant funding since 2019. Since 2023, LawtechUK has directly supported over 176 lawtech startups grow through their education programmes and attracted 1,274 attendees to 19 events, building a strong legal community focused on innovation.

In the last year, LawtechUK have specifically focused on encouraging regional growth and maximising investment of lawtechs based outside of London and the South-East, with 53% of lawtechs on LawtechUK education programmes being based outside of these areas. This ensures that the social and economic benefits of lawtech are felt across the UK, not just in London which is already a global hub for lawtech.

I will be speaking at the first UK Government-led lawtech conference on 12 March at Mansion House. The conference aims to highlight the success of the UK lawtech sector, the UK as a hub for innovation and the Government support on offer to lawtech companies.
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Henry Tufnell:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to reduce civil court backlogs. \p Sarah Sackman: The courts, as the cornerstone of the civil justice system, play a crucial role in supporting economic growth, enabling businesses and citizens to resolve disputes in a timely fashion and uphold their rights.

Though most civil claims made in the county courts result in a default judgment or out-of-court settlement, there have been long standing challenges with delays in the 3% of claims that require a full trial. HM Courts & Tribunals Service is working in partnership with the judiciary to address this.

We have increased the use of mediation, making mediation a requirement in all defended claims for under £10,000. This enables more claims to reach a consensual resolution at an earlier stage and frees up resource to deal with those claims that require judicial determination. In addition, increased digital working through our reformed systems allow money claims, including those involving businesses with legal representation, to reach trial readiness over three times quicker than paper claims.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have been (a) charged and (b) prosecuted with communications offences under the Online Safety Act 2023 by offence. \p Sarah Sackman: The Online Safety Act introduced a number of communication offences, which were commenced in January 2024. These offences were introduced to criminalise cyberflashing, fake news intended to cause non-trivial harm and other online abuse.

The Ministry of Justice publishes data on offenders prosecuted with communications offences under the Online Safety Act 2023. This is available in the Outcomes by Offences data tool, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal Justice Statistics.

The number of prosecutions for communications offences can be accessed by navigating to the ‘Overall Volumes’ tab, and filtering the “HO offence code” drop down for:
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Alex Burghart:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of trade tariffs imposed on the EU by the United States on businesses in Northern Ireland. \p Nick Thomas-Symonds: We have a strong and proud tradition over centuries of free trade here in the United Kingdom, and we will continue to make the case for that. With regard to our specific trading relationship with the United States, after conversations between the Prime Minister and the President in the Oval Office in February, we wish to deepen our trading relationship with the United States. We will continue to monitor the impact of any such policy on Northern Ireland and I continue to regularly discuss issues with my European counterpart Maroš Šefčovič.
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Laurence Turner:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to develop weightings for trade union (a) access and (b) recognition when (i) awarding public contracts and (ii) determining strategic suppliers. \p Georgia Gould: The Social Value Model has been updated to ensure that in-scope organisations can implement the government’s new National Procurement Policy Statement (NPPS). Procurement Policy Note 002: The Social Value Model sets out the government’s approach to social value.

Strategic suppliers are selected based on the scale, scope and criticality of the services they provide.
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Josh Fenton-Glynn:To ask the Leader of the House, how many social media accounts her Department operates; and how much her Department spent on social media (a) subscriptions and (b) advertisements on each social media platform in each of the last three years. \p Lucy Powell: The Office of the Leader of the House of Commons is part of the Cabinet Office. I refer the hon. Member to the response provided by the Cabinet Office (35133).

The Office of the Leader of the House of Commons currently operates three social media accounts, with no subscription or advertisement cost.
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what proportion of estates paid inheritance tax in 2024. \p James Murray: The Government publishes the latest Inheritance Tax liabilities statistics at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/inheritance-tax-liabilities-statistics. Table 12.1 of the Inheritance Tax liabilities statistics has the proportions of UK deaths liable and not liable to tax charge. In the latest available tax year, which is currently 2021-22, 4.39% (27,800) of UK deaths (634,000) resulted in an IHT charge.

The data for 2024 is currently not available, since IHT payment does not have to be settled until six months after the end of the month in which the person died. Executors are also given 12 months to file tax returns. Along with other considerations, the latest year of death for which detailed analyses are normally given is two full years before the start of the current tax year.

In OBR’s latest economic and fiscal outlook, OBR has forecasted the proportion of deaths subject to inheritance tax to be 5.8% in 2024-25. The table containing the forecast can be found at https://obr.uk/download/october-2024-economic-and-fiscal-outlook-detailed-forecast-tables-receipts/?tmstv=xx-xxxx-xxxx.
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an estimate of the number of high net worth individuals that have left the UK in each of the last ten years. \p James Murray: The Government does not routinely collect or publish data on the total number of taxpayers becoming non-resident during each tax year. Taxpayers are not obliged to tell HMRC that they have left the UK, and may drop out of HMRC’s data for another reason.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 4 March 2025 to Question 32918 on Agriculture and Business: Inheritance Tax, how much revenue the Treasury has modelled a clawback mechanism for agricultural property relief and business property relief would raise if it was implemented (a) seven, (b) 10 and (c) 15 years after death. \p James Murray: The Office for Budget Responsibility has not certified costings for the revenue that would be raised by a clawback mechanism since it is not Government policy. However, a clawback mechanism would raise significantly less than the reforms announced by the Government at Autumn Budget 2024 for the reasons outlined in the previous answer.
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Connor Naismith:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential contribution of cash ISAs to the economy. \p Emma Reynolds: The Government is committed to incentivising greater saving and investment. Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) help 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 also wants to see more consumers participate in capital markets and benefit from the long-term financial security and returns that investing can provide.

The Government continues to keep all aspects of savings policy under review.
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Emma Foody:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether (a) she, (b) Ministers and (c) officials from her Department have met with representatives from the co-operative and mutual sector since 4 July 2024. \p Emma Reynolds: The Government recognises the important contribution co-operatives make to the UK economy, serving local communities around the country and providing diversity to the UK business sector with their model of shared ownership. According to the latest Co-operative and Mutual Economy Report by Co-operatives UK, there are currently 7,370 co-operatives operating across the UK, with an annual income of £42.7 billion, a 2.2% increase from 2023 levels.

The Government is committed to unlocking the full potential of the mutual and co-operative sector to support inclusive growth. My officials and I continue to engage regularly with the sector to understand their current barriers to growth and how these can be overcome.

In her Mansion House speech, the Chancellor set out a package of measures aimed at supporting the growth of the mutuals and co-operative sector. This included welcoming the establishment of an industry-led Mutual and Co-operative Business Council, which will support the Government’s engagement with the sector. I had the pleasure of attending the first meeting of this Council with my officials on 6 March, where I met with representatives and experts from across the mutuals and co-operative sector to discuss areas for mutual growth.
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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 28 January 2025 to Written Question 25790 on London Stock Exchange, how many firms were listed on the London Stock Exchange (a) in July 2024 and (b) as of 4 March 2025. \p Emma Reynolds: The London Stock Exchange (LSE) releases monthly data on the number of companies listed on its markets and maintains historical data on these listings.

This information is not published by the government and can be accessed at the following address: https://www.londonstockexchange.com/reports?tab=issuers
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has had recent discussions with her international partners on the potential impact of real world asset tokenisation on economic growth. \p Emma Reynolds: The UK has ongoing dialogues with other jurisdictions, particularly those that are pioneering the use of distributed ledger technology, such as Singapore and Hong Kong, to share knowledge about tokenisation, including its potential benefits.

UK regulators also participate in a range of international initiatives relating to tokenisation, such as Project Guardian, ran by the Monetary Authority of Singapore and Project Agora, coordinated by the Bank of International Settlements.
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department is taking steps to support the tokenisation of real world assets. \p Emma Reynolds: The government’s ambition is to be at the forefront of tokenisation adoption, given its potential to transform the UK’s financial services sector by enhancing efficiency, increasing liquidity, and strengthening risk management.

We are pressing ahead with the Digital Securities Sandbox (DSS), which provides a live regulated environment for firms to utilise tokenisation in the trading and settlement of regulated securities. This opened in September, and six firms have so far been admitted.

In November, the Chancellor announced that the Government would proceed with a pilot digital gilt issuance or ‘DIGIT’ through the DSS. DIGIT will exist solely on a digital platform, as opposed to being a tokenized real-world asset. This issuance will allow the Government to explore the potential benefits that Distributed Ledger Technology could bring to the debt issuance process and stimulate wider development of DLT platforms and infrastructures across UK capital markets.
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UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-11 conversation_416

Katie White:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will take steps to regulate the level of interest rates offered by loan companies on daytime television; and what steps she is taking to protect vulnerable consumers from high-cost credit. \p Emma Reynolds: Lenders offering high-cost credit are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). This oversight ensures that lending practices are fair and that consumers are protected.

In 2013 the Government placed a duty on the FCA to implement a price cap for high-cost short-term credit products. The price cap came into force in 2015 and ensures that consumers using these products will never repay more than 100% of the principal in interest, fees, and other charges.

Lenders are also required to follow the FCA’s rules on promotions and adverts, where non-compliance could lead to fines. The FCA requires that all adverts and other promotions must be clear, fair, and not misleading.
wrans/answers2025-03-11 conversation_417
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-11 conversation_417

Blake Stephenson:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 4 February 2025 to Written Question 26880 on Mortgages, whether her Department makes an assessment of the potential impact of fiscal policies on mortgage rates as part of their decision making. \p Emma Reynolds: The government considers the potential impact of fiscal policy on a range of factors, including the potential impact on interest rates.

The pricing and availability of mortgages is ultimately a commercial decision for lenders, in which the government does not intervene. Changes in offered mortgage rates are broadly driven by changes in financial market expectations for Bank Rate.

Monetary policy, including decisions on Bank Rate, is the responsibility of the independent Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) at the Bank of England. The government remains committed to supporting the MPC to return inflation to target sustainably and does not comment on the conduct or effectiveness of monetary policy.
wrans/answers2025-03-11 conversation_418
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-11 conversation_418

Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has had recent discussions with her international partners on the potential merits of establishing a central bank digital currency. \p Emma Reynolds: At Mansion House, the government committed that HM Treasury and the Bank of England will continue to explore a potential retail central bank digital currency, the digital pound. No decision has been taken on whether to launch a digital pound. This work will provide the evidence base to make such a decision, providing a rigorous view of the costs and benefits and take account of wider trends in money and payments, both domestically and internationally.

HM Treasury and Bank of England continue to engage internationally on a variety of payments topics, including through G7 engagement. This includes the digital pound.

Irrespective of whether the government decides to issue the digital pound, work undertaken during the design phase of the project will support private innovation in digital currency technologies through partnership with the private sector on proofs of concept and experiments. It will also deepen the retail payments expertise of the UK public authorities and support the UK in its ambition to further build its global leadership on payments and fintech innovation.
wrans/answers2025-03-11 conversation_419
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-11 conversation_419

Gideon Amos:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much revenue has been generated from the removal of tax exemptions for private schools; and what proportion of that revenue has been allocated to state education. \p James Murray: As set out at the Budget, the removal of the VAT tax break from private schools is expected to raise £460 million in 2024/25 and £1.7 billion a year by 2029/30.

At the Budget the Government also announced a £2.3 billion increase to the core schools budget in 2025/26 in England, increasing per pupil funding in real terms.
wrans/answers2025-03-11 conversation_420
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-11 conversation_420

Wendy Morton:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she plans to take to (a) support small businesses and (b) ensure that they are not disproportionately impacted, in the context of the anticipated increase in Employers National Insurance Contributions from April 2025. \p James Murray: The Government has taken difficult but necessary decisions to deliver long-term growth. Fixing the public finances is the only way to create long-term stability in which businesses can invest and thrive.

The Government recognises the need to protect the smallest employers, which is why we have more than doubled the Employment Allowance to £10,500. This means more than half of businesses with NICs liabilities either gain or see no change next year. Businesses will still be able to claim employer NICs reliefs including those for under-21s and under-25 apprentices.

The Government is committed to making the UK one of the best places to start and grow a business. The Budget announced tax reforms to provide businesses with long term confidence, to make the tax system fairer, and to support the British high street, including:

Introducing permanently lower tax rates for high-street retail, hospitality, and leisure properties (RHL) from 2026-27;

Preventing RHL relief from ending in April by extending it at 40% for 2025-26, whilst also freezing the small businesses multiplier; and

Publishing our Corporate Tax Roadmap to provide stability, certainty, and predictability within the tax system for businesses across the economy. With a capped headline rate of 25%, the UK has the lowest Corporate Tax rate in the G7. The retention of the Small Profits Rate means 9 in 10 actively trading companies, including many SMEs, will have a Corporation Tax rate lower than 25%, with almost 70% of actively trading companies at 19%.
wrans/answers2025-03-11 conversation_421
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-11 conversation_421

Aphra Brandreth:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, which Finance Bill will contain the proposed changes to (a) Agricultural Property Relief and (b) Business Property Relief. \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 businesses, and fixing the public finances.

Legislation implementing this policy will be brought forward in the Finance Bill ahead of the measure taking effect.
wrans/answers2025-03-11 conversation_422
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-11 conversation_422

Martin Wrigley:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an estimate of the value of goods traded from the UK to third countries with a final destination in Russia. \p James Murray: HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is responsible for the collection and publication of data on imports and exports of goods to and from the UK.

HMRC only holds information on the initial country of destination for exports, that is the country which the goods first move to. Information on whether goods then move on to a further country, such as Russia, is not collected and no estimate can be produced.

The information we have on UK trade is released monthly, as an accredited Official Statistic called the Overseas Trade in Goods Statistics (OTS), which is available via their dedicated website (www.uktradeinfo.com). From this website, it is possible to build your own data tables based upon bespoke search criteria.

If you need help or support in constructing a table from the data on uktradeinfo, please contact xxx@xxx.xx.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-11 conversation_423

Anna Sabine:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has had discussions with the home insurance industry on recent trends in the cost of home insurance for homeowners with a mortgage. \p Emma Reynolds: Treasury Ministers and officials have regular meetings with a wide variety of organisations, including insurers and financial regulators, on an ongoing basis.

The Government has not made an assessment. Insurers make commercial decisions about the terms on which they will offer cover following an assessment of the relevant risks. This is usually informed by the insurer’s claims experience and other industry-wide statistics.

However, the Government is committed to ensuring that insurers treat all customers fairly and insurance companies are required to do so under the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) rules.

The FCA is the independent body responsible for regulating and supervising the financial services industry. The FCA requires firms to ensure their products offer fair value. The FCA monitors firms to make sure they provide products that are fair value, and, where necessary, it will take action.
wrans/answers2025-03-11 conversation_424
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-11 conversation_424

Mel Stride:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Prime Minister’s oral statement on Defence and Security of 25 February 2025, Official Report, column 631, what the level of defence spending was due to be in the 2027-28 financial year prior to that announcement. \p Darren Jones: Departmental budgets from 2026-27 to 2028-29 will be determined as part of the ongoing Spending Review, details of which will be announced on 11 June 2025.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-11 conversation_425

Mel Stride:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Prime Minister’s oral statement on Defence and Security of 25 February 2025, Official Report, column 631, how much and what proportion of the £13.4 billion increase in defence spending is new money. \p Darren Jones: £13.4bn represents the forecast increase in total NATO qualifying defence spending between 2024-25 to 2027-28. This increase comprises the reallocated ODA funding, as well as forecast increases to existing NATO qualifying spend based on OBR forecasts, over that timeframe.
wrans/answers2025-03-11 conversation_426
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-11 conversation_426

Mel Stride:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Overseas Development Assistance budget will remain the only funding source for the increase in defence spending throughout this Parliament. \p Darren Jones: On 25 February 2025 the Prime Minister announced that NATO qualifying defence spending will increase to 2.5% GDP by 2027-28, with Official Development Assistance reducing from 0.5% GNI to 0.3% GNI by the same time point, meaning the uplift is fully funded and that additional funding will be sourced by a reduction in ODA. The final budgets for departments will be announced when the Spending Review concludes on 11 June 2025
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-11 conversation_427

Mel Stride:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of whether real-terms or nominal figures provide the most accurate metric for evaluating an increase in defence spending. \p Darren Jones: £13.4bn represents the increase in total NATO qualifying defence spending from 2024-25 to 2027-28 based on OBR forecasts. As the Prime Minister has announced, defence spending will reach 2.5% GDP in 2027-28. Our GDP percentage spent on defence is the key metric used in reference to defence spending, in line with our NATO commitments.
wrans/answers2025-03-11 conversation_428
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-11 conversation_428

Kanishka Narayan:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has conducted an impact assessment of recent Barnett consequentials for health spending in Wales. \p Darren Jones: The Welsh Government’s Phase 1 Spending Review 2025 settlement for 2025-26 is the largest in real terms of any Welsh Government settlement since devolution.  The Welsh Government is receiving at least 20% more funding per person than equivalent UK Government spending in England. That translates into over £4 billion more in 2025-26.

Barnett consequentials provided to the Welsh Government are not ringfenced for a specific policy area. It is for the Welsh Government to allocate their funding in devolved areas, including health, as they see fit. They can therefore take their own decisions on managing and investing available resources, reflecting their own priorities and local circumstances, and it is accountable to the Senedd for these decisions.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-11 conversation_429

Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in Northern Ireland on tackling violence against women and girls. \p Fleur Anderson: The UK Government has welcomed the Northern Ireland Executive’s Strategic Framework on Ending Violence Against Women and Girls. At the end of January, I welcomed the Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls, Jess Phillips, to Northern Ireland for a two day visit including meetings with Executive Ministers, the PSNI, academics and frontline service providers. The Minister and I used this opportunity to reaffirm this Government’s support as we work towards our shared objective of tackling violence against women and girls.