theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-21)

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Harriet Cross:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of freezing EU fishing quotas at current levels beyond 2026 on the (a) the economy, (b) UK seafood exports and (c) seafood processing facilities in North East Scotland; whether he has made a comparative assessment of the potential impact of (i) annual and (ii) multi-year fishing agreements with the EU on Scottish coastal communities; and what steps he is taking to maintain market access for Scottish seafood products. \p Daniel Zeichner: UK fishing quotas for shared stocks with the EU are set in the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA). UK shares will gradually increase until 2026, after which further changes are a matter for the TCA Partnership Council. Fishing opportunities available to the UK fleet are agreed in annual negotiations based on advice from the International Council for Exploration of the Seas (ICES). Defra publish a report each year which assesses the year-on-year change in UK fishing opportunities.

The UK has agreed new multiannual fisheries access arrangements with the EU providing certainty for the UK fishing fleet (including those linked to Scottish coastal communities) and unlocking wider benefits to grow the economy. This includes a new SPS agreement that will make it easier to sell British fish to our largest trading partner.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-21)

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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he has taken to support the resilience of family farms in (a) Fylde and (b) Lancashire. \p Daniel Zeichner: At February’s NFU Conference, the Secretary of State announced a raft of new policies to put money in farmers pockets and make them more resilient. We are making £110 million available for new grant competitions to support research and innovation, technology and equipment for farmers. We are investing £208 million in biosecurity protections and extending the Seasonal Worker visa route for five more years. We are backing British produce in government catering contracts and ensuring fair competition across the supply chain through contractual reform.

We are making good progress in appointing a Commissioner for the Tenant Farming Sector to help embed fair practice across the sector and expect to be able to make an announcement on this shortly. And Baroness Minette Batters has been appointed as a reviewer for the Farming Profitability Review, to understand the barriers farmers face to increasing profitability.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-21)

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Harriet Cross:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what consultation his Department has undertaken with (a) the Scottish Fishermen's Federation, (b) the National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations and (c) other fishing industry representatives on the UK's negotiating position on fishing rights ahead of the EU summit on 19 May 2025. \p Daniel Zeichner: The Fisheries Minister meets regularly with representatives from across the UK fishing industry. This includes meeting with both the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation and National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations on 26 February 2025 as part of the Seafood Scotland 25th anniversary and the NFFO parliamentary reception. During meetings with these and other fishing industry representatives the implementation of the UK-EU TCA is often discussed, including (but not limited to) the setting of annual fishing opportunities, the work of the Specialised Committee on Fisheries, and the end of the fisheries access adjustment period in 2026.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-21)

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Alison Bennett:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to support small abbatoirs. \p Daniel Zeichner: Defra recognises the vital role smaller abattoirs play in supporting local livestock producers and maintaining a resilient and competitive food supply chain.

Defra works closely with the industry including through the Small Abattoirs Working Group and the Small Abattoirs Task and Finish Group. These groups bring together Government and industry representatives on a regular basis and provide a forum for identifying the challenges and opportunities that the sector faces, and for collaborating on practical solutions to support the sustainability of small and medium sized abattoirs. This includes issues such as regulation, efficiency and labour, to help ensure the sector remains viable and resilient.

The Government will continue to engage with stakeholders to help address the pressures facing small abattoirs and ensure they remain a vital part of a competitive, sustainable and locally rooted food supply chain.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-21)

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Helen Whately:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to (a) consult and (b) inform businesses importing fruit from non-EU countries of changes to (i) inspection regimes and (ii) risk categorisation; and what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, on ensuring that policy changes do not result in (A) unanticipated costs and (B) supply disruptions for importers. \p Daniel Zeichner: Changes to plant health import controls are communicated in-line with relevant international obligations, including those under the WTO-SPS agreement and International Plant Protection Convention. This includes submitting a notification to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and the UK Chief Plant Health Officer writing to their counterparts in other countries. Details are also published on the UK Plant Health Portal.

Consultation with stakeholders on proposed, and up-coming changes to import controls is primarily through the UK plant health advisory forum.

In line with the WTO-SPS agreement DEFRA ensures that any changes to import controls have a proportionate lead in time to allow trade and trading partners sufficient time to prepare.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-21)

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Kirsty Blackman:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many posts there are for (a) press, (b) media and (c) other communications staff in his Department; and what the salary band is for each post. \p Daniel Zeichner: Defra Group Communications is the first shared service communications team in Whitehall, merging 6 geographically dispersed communications teams from the core department and Arm’s Length Bodies (ALBs). Alongside the department, the team works to the Environment Agency, Natural England, the Animal and Plant Health Agency, Forestry Commission and Rural Payments Agency.

The teams work across all communications disciplines in support of the policy and operational priorities including a frontline team across the country providing a 24-hour communications response to incidents, working with local media and partners to give communities timely information they need to take action and prepare. This includes local and national media, planning, stakeholder engagement, digital communications and internal.

Defra Group Communications staff work in an agile way to 6 organisations, it is not possible to provide granular full-time equivalent figures for each part of the group.

The communications team employs professionals across all Civil Service grades, you can find more details on the salaries across Civil Service grades here - Civil Service Grades Explained - Defra Jobs - UK Government.
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Dan Norris:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his planned timeline is for launching a consultation on the phasing out of the use of cages for farm animals. \p Daniel Zeichner: I refer the Hon. Member to the reply previously given to the hon. Member for Mid Dorset and North Poole, Vikki Slade, on 29 April 2025, PQ 47556.
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James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 28 March 2025 to Question 39920 on Sustainable Farming Incentive: South Suffolk, if his Department can provide the latest figures available. \p Daniel Zeichner: The answer to Question 39920 provides the data as of 21 March 2025.There has been no change in the number of farm businesses with a Sustainable Farming Incentive agreement in South Suffolk constituency since 21 March 2025.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with the big four supermarkets on animal welfare standards on pig farms. \p Daniel Zeichner: Defra regularly engages with supermarkets about a range of issues, but has not had any recent discussions on pig welfare standards.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-21)

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Tim Farron:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much funding his Department has allocated to the Fruit and Vegetable Aid Scheme in each year since its inception; and how much and what proportion of that funding was spent. \p Daniel Zeichner: Prior to 2021 the scheme was EU funded. The Secretary of State did not allocate any direct funding to The Fruit & Vegetable Aid Scheme started in 2021 governed by EU rules before this time. Since then, £117,794,154.23 has been spent

The breakdown of actual UK funding spent on the scheme post EU exit is as follows:

2021 - £39,056,567.83 (£35,999,480.17 England only)

2022 - £40,110,883.98 (£34,460,975.86 England only)

2023 - £38,626,702.42 (£35,393,728.71 England only)

2024 - claims still being assessed.
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John Lamont:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with the bioethanol industry on the UK-US trade deal. \p Daniel Zeichner: Whenever a trade agreement of any sort is agreed, there will be domestic impacts if our trading partners have requested further access to the UK market. That is the case for the agreement on bioethanol. Senior officials from the Department for Business and Trade have been meeting representatives of the domestic bioethanol industry, and the Secretary of State for Business and Trade met with bioethanol businesses on 14 May. We are actively listening to the concerns of the sector, and we are committed to working with the domestic bioethanol industry.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-21)

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Dan Norris:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he plans to take with the farming sector to ensure high standards of welfare for farmed animals kept in cages and other close confinement systems. \p Daniel Zeichner: This Government was elected on a mandate to introduce the most ambitious plans to improve animal welfare in a generation. The Department is engaging with key stakeholders as part of the development of our overarching approach to animal welfare. We will be outlining more details on this in due course.

The Laying Hen Housing for Health and Welfare Grant was recently offered to commercial laying hen and pullet keepers in England. It supports these farmers to improve the health, welfare, and productivity of their flocks through access to £22.6 million in grants towards the cost of upgrading their housing. Applications closed on 18 September 2024, and all applicants have been contacted to notify them of next steps.

The use of cages and other close confinement systems for farmed animals is an issue which we are currently considering very carefully.
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Carla Lockhart:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to ensure that farmers have low cost access for disposing of tractor tyres. \p Mary Creagh: Every business that produces or deals with waste tyres has a legal duty of care to make sure that their waste is managed appropriately by an authorised person to ensure that risks to the environment are minimised. Any holder of end-of-life tractor tyres is able to check that someone is appropriately authorised to handle that waste through the Environment Agency's or their national equivalent environmental regulator's public register.

This is a devolved matter, and the information provided therefore relates to England only.
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Carla Lockhart:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of declining (a) bee and (b) pollinator populations on UK food production and what steps he is taking to promote pollinator-friendly farming practices. \p Daniel Zeichner: This Government is committed to halting the decline in species abundance by 2030 and reversing species decline, reducing the risk of species extinction and restoring and creating more than 500,000 hectares of wildlife-rich habitat outside protected sites by 2042.

For pollinator species, we are considering lessons learned from a recently completed review of our 2021-24 Pollinator Action Plan, which set out actions to address key risks to insect pollinator populations, including monitoring potential or emerging risks.

Although honeybees face many of the same environmental pressures as wild pollinators, their population is driven largely by the number of beekeepers willing and able to keep bees. Figures from the annual UK Hive Count suggest that honey bee numbers are quite stable.

Healthy soils that are rich in nutrients and organic matter, abundant pollinators, and clean water are essential for sustainable food production. We will support farmers and land managers to help restore nature, which is vital to safeguard our long-term food security, support productivity, and build resilience to climate change.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-21)

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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the potential impact of beekeeping practices on global food security. \p Daniel Zeichner: Beekeepers are encouraged to adopt good beekeeping practices and there are also worldwide policies on controlling pests and diseases in honeybees. These actions will help to ensure healthy sustainable populations of honeybees which will support food production by contributing to insect pollination of crops.
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Sarah Gibson:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many tribunal appeals were lodged against decisions made by Wiltshire Council relating to Education, Health and Care Plans in each of the last five years; and in how many cases the appeal was upheld. \p Sarah Sackman: Information about appeal outcomes to SEND is published at Tribunals statistics quarterly: October to December 2024 - GOV.UK, but is not broken down to the detail requested.

The data requested, academic years September to August, are set out in the table below:

Wiltshire Council

2019-20

2020-21

2021-22

2022-23

2023-24

Number of appeals lodged relating to EHCP

20

40

66

69

46

Number of appeals upheld1

19

39

64

67

45

(1) Is the total of cases where the appellant wins the majority of the appeal (i.e. the appellant may be successful in 2 out of the 3 sections they appeal against). It does not include those cases which were withdrawn or conceded before the hearing as the request was for the numbers upheld.

The information provided has been extracted from local management information.
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Mr Paul Foster:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what guidance her Department has issued on whether Magistrates Courts in England and Wales can revert back to a conditional offer of £100 Fine and 3 Penalty Points rather than using the Sentencing Guidelines (Speeding Offences) when (a) mitigation is taken into account and (b) such a reversion is justified. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: In the case of a driver who breaks the speed limit, they may be given a fixed penalty notice with a £100 fine and three penalty points on their licence, or they may be summoned to Court.

If the person wants to plead not guilty, they will have to go to court to contest the charge, at which point the sentencing guidelines will apply. If the driver is then found guilty in court, they may have to pay a higher fine (depending on what the speed limit was and how much over the limit they were driving). They can also be disqualified from driving or have their licence suspended.

Sentencing guidelines provide courts with guidance on factors that should be considered, which may affect the sentence given. The Council is independent of Parliament and Government. As an independent body, the Council decides on its own priorities and work plan for producing guidelines.

All sentencing courts in England and Wales must follow any sentencing guidelines which are relevant to the offender’s case unless it is in the interest of justice not to do so. Courts must give reason when departing from the guidelines.
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Maya Ellis:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that male members of staff are available if requested by callers to the Rape and Sexual Abuse Support line. \p Alex Davies-Jones: Supporting victims and survivors of sexual violence and abuse is a priority for this Government.

The MOJ-commissioned 24/7 Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Line grant, delivered by Rape Crisis England and Wales, provides free and confidential emotional and listening support to all victims and survivors of rape and sexual abuse aged 16 and over, regardless of gender. Where appropriate, the service will signpost victims to longer-term support services, including therapeutic support.

Whilst it is not possible for callers to request the gender of their call handler, the service receives a high level of positive feedback from survivors of all genders, and call handlers receive extensive training to equip them to support all victims and survivors of sexual violence, regardless of any protected characteristics. The Department works closely with the provider to ensure the service remains responsive, inclusive and trauma-informed so that it can continue to provide high quality support.
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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she plans to take to help prevent Hashem Abedi from endangering other people in prison. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: HM Prison & Probation Service (HMPPS) has a variety of methods to keep those who live and work in our prisons safe.

We are reviewing how the attack happened, and the guidance shows we have suspended use of kitchens in separation centres and close supervision centres.

It is not appropriate to comment on the management of a specific individual within the prison system. The safe and secure management of every prisoner within the prison system is a top priority for HMPPS.
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Dr Caroline Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners have a gender recognition certificate. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: The number of prisoners known to have a Gender Recognition Certificate is published in the annual HM Prison & Probation Service Offender Equalities Report.

In 2023/24, there were 10 prisoners known to have a Gender Recognition Certificate. The full report can be viewed here: HMPPS Offender Equalities Report 2023/24 - GOV.UK.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she plans to take to tackle violence against prison staff. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: We will not tolerate violence against our hardworking prison staff and will do whatever it takes to keep them safe. Prisoners who are violent towards staff will face the full consequences of their actions.

To protect staff from serious assaults, Body Worn Video Cameras, and rigid-bar handcuffs are currently available for use by staff. Batons and PAVA (a synthetic pepper spray) are also available for use by prison officers in the adult male estate. Protective Body Armour (PBA) is worn by specialist prison staff, and by officers in cases where there is planned use of force, or where safe systems of work for the management of high-risk prisoners dictates.

We have expanded security measures such as X-ray body scanners and airport-style Enhanced Gate Security to tackle the smuggling of drugs, mobile phones and other contraband which can drive violence in prisons.

We are committed to removing wet shave razors, which can be used as weapons, from adult male closed prisons. Electric shavers have been rolled out in 31 priority sites and this rollout will continue in 2025/26.

Those who are assessed as posing a raised risk of being violent are supported through a case management approach that is centred around the individual and addressing the underlying causes of their violence, including specific risk factors and needs, to help them manage and move away from violent behaviours.

A review into whether protective body armour should be made available to frontline staff, is underway and an operational trial into Conductive Energy Devices (CEDs, commonly known as “tasers”) for specialised officers will be launched to help staff respond to high-risk incidents more effectively. The findings from this trial will inform any future decisions around the use of tasers in the prison estate.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what statistics (a) her Department and (b) His Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service collates on court waiting times for private rented sector repossession claims. \p Sarah Sackman: The Ministry of Justice publishes data on timeliness for private landlord claims. The latest data for the quarter January to March 2025 was published on 15 May 2025. This data is available in table 6 which can be found:

Mortgage_and_Landlord_Possession_Tables_Q1_Jan_to_Mar_2025.ods.

The possession type can be filtered to private landlord in the dropdown above the table.
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Tom Rutland:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what legislative plans her Department has for requiring coroners to determine secondary causes of death following suicide. \p Alex Davies-Jones: The Government has no plans to change the information which coroners are required to determine, with regard to cause of death in cases of suicide.

The information recorded by the coroner in the Record of Inquest is dependent on the circumstances of the individual case and is at the coroner’s discretion as an independent judicial office holder. Any medical conditions mentioned in part 2 of the Record of Inquest must be known or suspected to have contributed to the death, and not simply be other conditions which were present at the time of death.

With regard to the possible motivation for, or contributory factors in, a suicide, it cannot be guaranteed that consistent and comprehensive information on a deceased person’s background will be made available to the coroner in every case. In addition, expecting coroners to routinely assess the motivation for individual suicides would take the coronial role fundamentally beyond its legal parameters, which are to determine who has died, and how, when and where they died.
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Zarah Sultana:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's letter dated 13 May 2025, reference MC2025/08064, how he decides whether intelligence collected by Royal Air Force surveillance missions over Gaza and shared with Israeli authorities will be used in accordance with international humanitarian law. \p Luke Pollard: Defence activity with Israel, as with any other State, is subject to rigorous processes to ensure that it is compliant with domestic and international law.
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Brian Leishman:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reason the Royal Air Force stopped airdropping aid to Gaza; whether he has had recent discussions with his Israeli counterpart on this issue; if he will make it his policy to restart airdropping aid to Gaza. \p Luke Pollard: Humanitarian aid should never be contingent on a ceasefire or used as a political tool. On 13 May 2025, along with European partners, the UK convened a UN Security Council meeting to call for Israel to lift its block on aid into Gaza. We will continue to make our views clear, both in public and in private to the Israeli government and work with our partners to achieve an enduring and sustainable end to the hostilities.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office leads on coordinating the Government’s humanitarian response to deliver lifesaving assistance to the civilian population in Gaza. The Ministry of Defence has provided military support when requested to facilitate the delivery of this assistance, including participating in airdropping aid as part of the Jordanian international coalition in 2024. Currently land routes are the only viable option for delivering aid at scale into Gaza. We remain ready to support as required.
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Carla Lockhart:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to tackle (a) harassment, (b) sexual assault and (c) misconduct against women in the armed forces; and if he will introduce an independent body to handle serious complaints of (i) harassment and (ii) misconduct. \p Luke Pollard: There is no place for harassment or any form of abuse within the Armed Forces – or anywhere within Defence.

Last month the Minister for Veterans and People announced the formation of a new tri-Service complaints unit for the Armed Forces. The new team will be independent of the single Service chain of command to provide individuals with greater confidence and help ensure that the most serious complaints, including bullying, harassment and misconduct, are dealt with quickly.

The Ministry of Defence is also setting up a Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Taskforce which will be supported by a network of regional VAWG Advisors, trained to offer support on topics including domestic violence and sexual offending. These roles will connect with existing networks of multidisciplinary experts to support Armed Forces personnel, including healthcare providers, social workers, and HR advisors, in particular working hand in glove with the Victim and Witness Care Unit. The VAWG Taskforce will provide an escalation route independent from the military chain of command, directly up to ministerial level if required.

The upcoming Armed Forces Bill will also introduce new measures to ensure the Service Justice System protects victims of the most serious offences, including sexual assault. The Government is also establishing an Armed Forces Commissioner as a new independent champion with the power to investigate issues raised by Service personnel and their families.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 12 May 2025 to Question 50261 on Armed Forces: Housing, whether any of the remaining void properties not suitable for habitation are in Huntingdon constituency. \p Luke Pollard: As at 12 May 2025, there are 497 Service Family Accommodation properties in the Huntingdon constituency, of which 19 are void and not suitable for occupation.
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Grahame Morris:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the total operating cost was of the British overseas military base in Qatar in the 2024-25 financial year. \p Luke Pollard: The Ministry of Defence does not have a British Overseas Base in Qatar but we do have forces hosted on the Qatari owned, US-operated Al Udeid Air Base outside Doha.

Indicative operating costs for being based at Al Udeid airbase in financial year 2024-25 are in the region of £3.7 million. The exact cost will be finalised after the publication of the Ministry of Defence Annual Report and Accounts 2024-25.
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James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many space liaison officers are stationed in the military. \p Luke Pollard: There are two international space liaison officers stationed in UK Space Command.
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Sarah Gibson:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of placing a legal duty on all Government departments to give due regard to the Armed Forces Covenant in decision-making affecting military families in Wiltshire. \p Luke Pollard: Following guidance from Ministers to “put the Armed Forces Covenant fully into law”, officials are currently developing plans to extend the scope of the Covenant Legal Duty, in line with our manifesto commitment, across a broad range of policy areas.

This broad, and maximalist approach will demonstrate and reinforce the Government’s steadfast commitment to improving the lives of the Armed Forces community and renewing the nation’s contract with those who serve.

Ministry of Defence officials anticipate that plans for the Duty extension will raise awareness of the Covenant, drive better outcomes for the Armed Forces community, including those in Wiltshire, and help mitigate and tackle disadvantage.

Further details will be brought forward in due course.
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James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Wolfhound vehicles have been donated to Ukraine (a) before 5 July 2024 and (b) since 5 July 2024. \p Luke Pollard: Over 240 protected mobility vehicles have been donated to Ukraine since February 2022.
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James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether Mastiff vehicles have been donated to Ukraine (a) before and (b) since 5 July 2024. \p Luke Pollard: Over 240 protected mobility vehicles have been donated to Ukraine since February 2022.
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Sarah Gibson:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department plans to increase the number of British Army personnel. \p Luke Pollard: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for North Down (Alex Easton) on 13 May 2025 to Question 50001.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-21)

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Mark Pritchard:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will have discussions with his US counterpart on the (a) strategic contribution of Red Sea region and (b) the potential merits of retaining the United States Africa Command. \p Luke Pollard: The Secretary of State for Defence has regular engagements with the US Secretary of Defense where they discuss a range of topics including Red Sea security. The UK Ministry of Defence also undertakes frequent engagement with US AFRICOM on a range of issues.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-21)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-21 conversation_156

James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to expand signal jamming practice for armed forces personnel. \p Luke Pollard: The Ministry of Defence is not taking any additional steps to ‘expand’ its ability to enable Armed Forces personnel to practice jamming signals, It is not appropriate to go into details for operational security reasons. I can confirm beyond the that there are extant procedures that exist to enable jamming for testing, training and exercising in the UK.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-21)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-21 conversation_157

Anna Gelderd:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to simplify the tax-free childcare eligibility process for self-employed parents in line with the system in place for employed claimants. \p Darren Jones: The Government is committed to ensuring eligible parents, whether they are employed or self-employed, can access Tax-Free Childcare as efficiently as possible.

To be eligible for Tax-Free Childcare, a parent and their partner (if they have one) must expect to earn at least the National Minimum or National Living wage for 16 hours a week on average and earn no more than £100,000 per year. The process to access Tax-Free Childcare for self-employed and employed parents is the same. Both are required to apply and reconfirm each quarter that they meet the same eligibility criteria.

In instances where stated expectations differ from the information HMRC holds through PAYE or Self-Assessment Records, at times HMRC may need information from customers to confirm their eligibility.

The Government recognises that evidencing income can be more complex for self-employed individuals, particularly for those with variable or seasonal earnings. That is why self-employed parents are only expected to meet the minimum income requirement over the entire tax-year (and not quarterly as is the case for employees). In addition, parents who have started new self-employment are also exempted from meeting the minimum income requirement in their first 12 months in Tax-Free Childcare.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-21)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-21 conversation_158

Blake Stephenson:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the press release entitled PM: North will no longer be held to ransom by broken transport system, published on 28 March 2025, how these projects will be funded. \p Darren Jones: Where these projects required funding in 25/26, this funding has already been allocated to the Department for Transport. Funding allocations for future years will be set out at the upcoming spending review on June 11th.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-21)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-21 conversation_159

Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of imposing a levy on tourists visiting the UK. \p James Murray: Tourism is a significant economic, cultural and social asset to the UK. The sector is a powerful engine for economic growth and job creation across all regions. Tourism contributes not only economically, but also in creating pride in local communities and contributing to the UK's soft power.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-21)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-21 conversation_160

Blake Stephenson:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has made a comparative assessment of the Standard Rate of Air Passenger Duty in (a) the UK, (b) Germany, (c) France, (d) Italy and (e) Spain. \p James Murray: Air Passenger Duty (APD) applies to airlines and is the principal tax on the aviation sector. For a given distance-based band, the standard rate applies to travel in any non-economy class of travel or where the seat pitch is more than 1.016 metres (40 inches). This includes premium economy, as well as first class and business class.

The Government is clear that APD is an appropriate tax that ensures airlines make a fair contribution to the public finances, particularly given that tickets are VAT free and aviation fuel incurs no duty. Other countries also have different forms of aviation taxes.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-21)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-21 conversation_161

Blake Stephenson:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Education on the potential disruption to the education sector of introducing the VAT levy on independent school fees in the middle of the academic year. \p James Murray: The Government carefully considered the timing of implementation of VAT on private school fees and decided to apply VATfrom January 2025, in order to raise the funding needed to help deliver its education priorities. As a result of the January start date, the VAT policy is forecast to raise £460 million in 2024/25.

Schools and parents had five months to prepare for these changes, and HMRC put in place measures to support schools, including bespoke guidance, updated registration systems, and additional resources to process applications.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-21)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-21 conversation_162

Tom Rutland:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade of the potential merits of applying the same level of (a) import duties, (b) VAT on (i) import and (ii) end sales, (c) corporation tax and (d) other taxes to (A) domestic manufacturers and (B) international manufacturers who export goods into UK markets. \p James Murray: The Government is clear that all businesses, whether based in the UK or overseas, should pay their fair share of taxes where they operate in the UK

We will continue to keep the UK’s Most Favoured Nation tariff schedule, known as the UK Global Tariff, under review to reduce unnecessary costs and promote a stable operating environment for businesses.

UK VAT is charged at the same rate regardless of whether goods are produced domestically or imported.

The Government has also taken significant steps to ensure that the amount of Corporation Tax companies pay in the UK on their profits reflects the economic activities they undertake here. For instance, the Corporate Interest Restriction rules prevent multinationals from avoiding tax by using contrived financing arrangements to make excessive interest deductions.

The introduction of a global minimum corporate tax will protect against aggressive tax planning and profit shifting, helping ensure profits made in the UK are taxed in the UK.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-21)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-21 conversation_163

Daisy Cooper:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has produced impact assessments on the potential impact of the (a) increase to employer National Insurance contributions and (b) changes to Business Property Relief on the horticulture sector. \p James Murray: A Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) was published alongside the introduction of the Bill containing the changes to employer NICs. The TIIN sets out the impact of the policy on the exchequer, the economic impacts of the policy, and the impacts on individuals, businesses, and civil society organisations, as well as an overview of the equality impacts.

In accordance with standard practice, a TIIN for the reforms to business property relief will be published alongside the draft legislation before the relevant Finance Bill.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-21)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-21 conversation_164

Euan Stainbank:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what engagement she has had with the Federation of Small Businesses on small businesses awareness of the change in eligibility for employment allowance announced in the Autumn Budget 2024. \p James Murray: Since announcement at Autumn Budget 2024, HMRC have undertaken a wide range of stakeholder engagement and employer communications through a variety of channels in advance of the significant increase to the Employment Allowance to £10,500 and removal of the threshold which prevented some larger employers from claiming. This includes webinars highlighting important changes for the new tax year for employers, and written articles in numerous editions of HMRC’s Employer Bulletin, Agent Update and Stakeholder Digest.

In addition, HMRC has a range of channels to raise awareness of changes in tax policy. These include communications issued directly to stakeholders or published on gov.uk, and engagement with stakeholders through established forums such as the Employment and Payroll Group, which the Federation of Small Businesses attend.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-21)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-21 conversation_165

Blake Stephenson:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending the Air Passenger Duty exemption for children under 16 years old to include those travelling in (a) Premium Economy and (b) any other cabin class. \p James Murray: Children under 16 years old on the date of the flight, and in the lowest class of travel, are exempt from Air Passenger Duty (APD). If children under 16 years old are travelling in any other class (such as premium economy) or in business jets, they are not exempt. Children under 2 years old without a seat are exempt from Air Passenger Duty for all classes of travel.

Airline operators declare the number of chargeable passengers by destination band and by rate. They do not break down chargeable passengers by age, and therefore this is not information that HMRC collects. The government has published annual statistics and analysis on airline passenger numbers and Air Passenger Duty (APD) receipts in the UK which are administered by HM Revenue and Customs. It is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/air-passenger-duty-bulletin.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-21)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-21 conversation_166

Claire Hanna:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the service standard level time is for businesses to receive a UK Internal Market Scheme number. \p James Murray: The UK Internal Market Scheme (UKIMS) was launched in June 2023, allowing businesses across the United Kingdom to apply, and HMRC has successfully encouraged over 10,000 traders to get authorised.

HMRC is required to take a decision regarding the outcome of a UKIMS application within 120 days days. Applications are typically processed much faster with an average turnaround time of 12 to 15 working days. HMRC must undertake a range of checks to verify eligibility for the scheme and, in certain cases, seek further information from businesses. We do not collect data on the time taken for traders to complete UKIMS applications.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-21)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-21 conversation_167

Ellie Chowns:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an estimate of the potential revenue that could be raised through (a) equalising capital gains tax with income tax rates and (b) applying a 2 per cent tax for people with assets over £10 million, to be paid on the excess amount over £10 million. \p James Murray: The Government continually keeps the tax system under review.

Published estimates for illustrative tax changes can be found in HMRC’s Direct effects of illustrative tax changes bulletin including changes to Capital Gains Tax [1]

[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/direct-effects-of-illustrative-tax-changes/direct-effects-of-illustrative-tax-changes-bulletin-january-2025
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-21)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-21 conversation_168

Blake Stephenson:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of future rates of Air Passenger Duty on the government’s ambition for the United Kingdom to welcome 50 million international visitors per year by 2030. \p James Murray: Air Passenger Duty (APD) only applies to UK-departing flights. The Government has published Tax Impact and Information Notes (TIINs) assessing the impacts of the 2025/26 and 2026/27 Air Passenger Duty (APD) rates, which can be found at GOV.UK:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/changes-to-air-passenger-duty-rates-from-1-april-2025/air-passenger-duty-rates-from-1-april-2025-to-31-march-2026

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/changes-to-air-passenger-duty-rates-from-1-april-2026/air-passenger-duty-rates-from-1-april-2026-to-31-march-2027