theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Max Wilkinson:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her department is taking to change (i) the tax system and (ii) public sector funds to encourage further investment in start-ups and early stage companies. \p Dan Tomlinson: The Government is committed to making the UK the best place to start and grow a business, recognising the importance of a competitive investment environment for economic growth.

The UK is already the best place in Europe to start a business, and Autumn Budget 2025 sets out measures which will unlock even more investment in UK entrepreneurs and innovators, including start-ups and early stage companies.

On tax, we are doubling the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) and Venture Capital Trusts (VCT) investment limits, and expanding eligibility for the Enterprise Management Incentive (EMI) scheme. These changes will encourage further investment in our most successful companies, and attract top talent to help companies grow.

On public finance, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) will direct £7 billion to support innovative company growth, and, as a first step, Innovate UK will launch a £130 million Growth Catalyst programme to accelerate frontier firms. The British Business Bank (BBB) will increase annual deployment by two-thirds, aiming to unlock £26 billion of private capital alongside £13 billion in public funding, and enable up to £10 billion in small business lending through guarantees.

Together, these steps will strengthen the UK’s start-up and scale-up ecosystem, giving founders the confidence and capital to start here, scale here, and succeed here.
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Lee Anderson:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of penalties for people engaged in the illegal trade of tobacco products. \p Dan Tomlinson: HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has a robust strategy to tackle the illicit tobacco trade which can be found here https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/stubbing-out-the-problem-a-new-strategy-to-tackle-illicit-tobacco/stubbing-out-the-problem-a-new-strategy-to-tackle-illicit-tobacco

This strategy combines legislation, controls, operations and sanctions to penalise and deter those involved in the illegal trade of tobacco products.

HMRC works together with partner agencies such as Border Force and Trading Standards in tackling illicit tobacco. Penalties provide a strong deterrent effect and play a key role in enforcement activity. Published data on seizures, criminal investigations and civil penalties related to tobacco can be found here https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/annual-outputs-for-tacking-tobacco-smuggling

The scope, impact and effectiveness of penalties are continually reviewed as part of the wider tobacco strategy. Strong enforcement supported by robust penalties has contributed to a significant reduction in the estimated duty gap by around one third for cigarettes (from 16.9% in 2005 to 10.5% in 2023 to 2024) and by nearly two thirds for hand-rolling tobacco (from 65.2% to 22.9% over the same period).
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Lloyd Hatton:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department will take to ensure transparency in the operation of HMRC's proposed whistleblowing reward scheme; and whether she plans to publish (a) eligibility criteria and award thresholds for applicants, and (b) data on the number and value of awards granted. \p Dan Tomlinson: At Autumn Budget on 26 November 2025 the Government launched the Rewards for informants of high value tax fraud. This scheme is designed to target serious non-compliance involving large corporates, wealthy individuals, offshore and avoidance schemes. Informants can receive a reward of between 15 and 30% when they provide information which leads directly to HMRC collecting more than £1.5M tax. HMRC have published eligibility criteria for the scheme at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/reporting-serious-tax-avoidance-and-evasion.

HMRC has previously published data on the total amount of rewards paid annually through the standard informants reward scheme and will continue to do so. To protect the confidentiality of informants we do not publish the number of rewards or size of individual rewards.
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Lloyd Hatton:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Treasury plans to introduce additional protections for individuals who face retaliation as a result of engaging with the HMRC whistleblowing reward scheme; and whether HMRC will be required to provide support to whistleblowers involved in employment disputes or SLAPP-type legal proceedings arising from their disclosures. \p Dan Tomlinson: HMRC treats all informants with the highest levels of confidentiality and security in line with the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) 2000 and the Covert Human Intelligence Sources (CHIS) Codes of Practice.

There is no legal obligation on HMRC to participate in an employment tribunal of an informant. However, if requested, HMRC can provide a disclosure to the informant or their legal representative to support any employment tribunal under Sec 18 (2)(c) Commissioners for Revenue and Customs Act 2005.
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Mr Gregory Campbell:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to WPQ 91913, did the dedicated director of the National Wealth Fund based in Northern Ireland meet with the Northern Ireland Executive (a) once, or (b) more than once, since December 2024. \p James Murray: Pursuant to WPQ 91913, in 2025 the National Wealth Fund’s Regional Director for Northern Ireland has met with the Northern Ireland Executive more than once to discuss investment opportunities.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when she plans to provide an answer to Question 22764 on Government Securities: Public Sector Debt. \p James Murray: A response was provided for Question 22764 on 13 January 2025. The government does not comment on specific financial market movements.
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Steve Darling:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether officials in her Department have worked on proposals to provide Mayors with powers to introduce a visitor levy. \p Dan Tomlinson: The Government has announced powers for Mayors to introduce a visitor levy on short-term overnight accommodation in their region, to drive economic growth including through support for the local visitor economy, if they so choose.

We have published a consultation running until 18 February 2026, so that the public, businesses, and local government can shape the design of the power to introduce a levy that will be devolved to local leaders.

The precise design and scope of the power for Mayors to introduce a visitor levy is still under development and the Government welcomes engagement from the hospitality sector in developing this power through the consultation process.

The impacts of the levy will largely be determined by local decisions. Mayors will decide whether to introduce a levy and, if so, consult on specific proposals. We expect Mayors to engage constructively with businesses and their communities to hear these concerns. This will inform their decisions regarding whether and how a levy will be applied and how any revenue is invested.

Following consultation, we expect Mayors would publish a summary of the consultation results and their response, including a final prospectus, and an impact assessment, informed by the consultation.
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Sir Iain Duncan Smith:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many properties or other assets belonging to persons affiliated with ISIS have been seized or frozen under UK Government sanctions since March 2011. \p Lucy Rigby: The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI), part of HM Treasury published in its 2024-2025 Annual Review that £19.3 million in assets across multiple sanctions regimes have been reported as frozen as of September 2024. This is an aggregated total of all entities and individuals listed on the Consolidated List of Financial Sanctions Targets under non specified regimes including the ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida regime. OFSI does not hold a comparable figure for 2011.
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Sir Iain Duncan Smith:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many (a) properties and (b) other assets belonging to family members of Bashar al-Assad have been (i) seized and (ii) frozen under UK Government sanctions since March 2011. \p Lucy Rigby: The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI), part of HM Treasury published in its 2024-2025 Annual Review that £383 million in assets relating to the Syrian sanctions regime have been reported as frozen as of September 2024. This is an aggregated total of all entities and individuals listed on the Consolidated List of Financial Sanctions Targets. OFSI does not hold a comparable figure for 2011.
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Mr Gregory Campbell:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when she expects to receive the report on Mutuals from the Financial Conduct Authority and Prudential Regulation Authority. \p Lucy Rigby: In line with the government’s manifesto commitment to double the size of the co-operative and mutuals sector, the Chancellor announced measures to support the sector at Mansion House 2024. This included asking the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) and Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to prepare a report on the mutuals landscape, to ensure that regulation for all mutuals remains proportionate and enables growth.

The report is expected to be published by the regulators before the end of 2025.
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Mr Gregory Campbell:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps are being taken to inform young adults whose matured Child Trust Fund monies have not been claimed. \p Lucy Rigby: The Government is committed to reuniting all young adults with their Child Trust Funds (CTF). HMRC works with CTF providers, industry representatives and others to enable account owners to be aware of and trace their accounts.

For example, HMRC has partnered with the University and Colleges Admissions Service to encourage awareness among student peer groups. HMRC issues a range of communications such as the recent press release published on Gov.uk - www.gov.uk/government/news/savings-stash-worth-thousands-waiting-for-758000-young-people.

HMRC also provides a free tracing tool on Gov.uk to help people find their CTF provider (www.gov.uk/child-trust-funds/find-a-child-trust-fund) and has also provided a link to The Share Foundation’s CTF account tracing service on Gov.uk, providing an additional way for young people to trace their accounts.
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Gareth Thomas:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many complaints the a) Financial Ombudsman Service, b) Financial Conduct Authority and c) Prudential Regulation Authority received about i) the cost of loans to SMEs, ii) debt recovery behaviour by those offering to lend to SMEs and iii) fees charged by lenders when lending to SMEs in each of the last three years for which data is available. \p Lucy Rigby: I refer my honourable friend to the answers I provided on the topic of SME lending on 23 October.

Complaints are the remit of the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS), which publishes regular data on complaint trends. In its latest quarterly report, it noted that complaints about unaffordable lending had halved, though this figure does not distinguish between household and business credit, and complaint patterns can fluctuate each quarter. Over the past five years, credit card complaints have consistently ranked among the top five issues, while business lending has generated relatively few FOS disputes compared to personal and household credit.

The Bank of England’s ‘Bankstats’ data tracks business and household credit, including average interest rates for SMEs. As of 31 August 2025, the average rate for new SME loans from UK banks is 6.35%, reflecting a decline in line with base rate reductions.
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Calum Miller:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation has investigated (a) Photovolt Development Partners and (b) Cranssetta Investments Ltd regarding sanctions against the (i) Russian Federation and (ii) named Russian individuals. \p Lucy Rigby: OFSI does not generally comment on specific cases or confirm if particular companies are or have been subject to investigation beyond the publishing of public enforcement actions such as a monetary penalty.

OFSI is committed to ensuring that sanctions are robustly enforced and potential breaches are investigated and appropriate action taken.

If somebody has evidence or information of activity that contravenes UK financial sanctions, this should be reported to OFSI immediately using the reporting form available on GOV.UK.
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Bell Ribeiro-Addy:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions her Department has had with international partners on the potential merits of linking debt cancellation to climate adaptation funding for countries facing both high debt burdens and climate-related disasters. \p Lucy Rigby: The UK government is focused on delivering an international financial system that better finances development needs, reduces debt vulnerabilities, and supports relevant countries to be more resilient to shocks, including those caused by climate change and nature loss.

We are working with all our partners to tackle unsustainable debt and ensure all countries can invest and grow. I am co-chairing the 'London Coalition on Sustainable Sovereign Debt', launched in June to work with private creditors on sovereign debt issues, and at the UN Fourth Conference on Financing for Development, the UK co-led the launch of the Debt Pause Clause Alliance. We continue to drive progress in the G20 on strengthening and accelerating debt restructurings via the G20 Common Framework.

The UK government is committed to playing our part alongside other developed countries and providers to deliver our international climate finance commitments, including through our shareholdings at the Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs), the largest providers of public climate finance. We are also pushing for new sources of funding such as agreement on the International Maritime Organisation's Net Zero Framework alongside efforts to mobilise more private capital.

In line with the UK's commitment to the OECD's sustainable lending practices, the UK government considers debt sustainability when providing financing, particularly in cases of lending to countries deemed at high risk of debt distress. In such cases, the UK only supports projects in line with limits set by the IMF and World Bank. We also follow best practice under the G20 Official Guidelines on Sustainable Finance, including strong commitments to debt transparency, and recently published our own self-assessment against these guidelines.
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Bell Ribeiro-Addy:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of a financial levy on UK industries historically linked to environmental degradation with revenue allocated to affected countries. \p Dan Tomlinson: The Government is committed to helping deliver global climate finance, including the New Collective Quantified Goal agreed at COP29 of at least $300bn per year to developing countries by 2035, and responding to the wider call on all actors to increase climate finance to developing countries to £1.3trn per year.

As part of that effort, we are pressing for faster and more ambitious reforms to the global financial system to deliver much more and higher quality climate and development finance. Alongside this, we are supportive of exploring revenue raising mechanisms for climate action.

The Government’s headline carbon pricing measure is the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), a ‘cap and trade’ system setting a declining cap on the amount of greenhouse gases that can be emitted by covered sectors, which include the power sector, energy intensive industries and aviation.

This approach is viewed by the IMF and World Bank as one of the most efficient tools for promoting decarbonisation.

The Government is committed to the ETS until at least 2050. In 2024-25 the UK ETS raised £3.5bn to support public services and other government objectives like net zero.
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Alicia Kearns:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact on employment and job creation in the hospitality sector of extending employer National Insurance contribution relief to (a) employees aged under 25 and (b) individuals returning to work from welfare. \p Dan Tomlinson: The government is committed to tackling the rise in youth unemployment and inactivity, which has been growing since the last Parliament. That is why we are delivering a Youth Guarantee to ensure that every young person can access the support they need to earn or learn. This includes a new Jobs Guarantee, which will provide a six-month paid work placement for every eligible 18- to 21-year-old who has been on Universal Credit and looking for work for 18 months – helping young people take that crucial first step into sustained employment. Details on the wider Youth Guarantee will be announced shortly.

The government is increasing funding for employment support to more than £3.75 billion per year by 2028-29, helping people to access the skills they need to progress, tackling inactivity and ensuring more people are in better jobs.

There are a wide range of factors to take into consideration when introducing a tax relief. These include how effective the relief would be at achieving the policy intent, how targeted support would be, whether it adds complexity to the tax system, and the cost.

The Government keeps all taxes under review as part of the policy making process. The Chancellor will announce any changes to the tax system at fiscal events in the usual way.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Memorandum of Understanding: accessing HMRC information to assist honours committees in making ​recommendations​​​​​ about awarding honours to individuals, published on 19 October 2023, whether the HMRC Checking Panel’s deliberations are minuted and retained. \p Dan Tomlinson: Under the published Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), HMRC will commission reports on the tax behaviour of nominees. The reports and risk ratings are retained in line with HMRC’s data retention policy, as set out in the MOU. Deliberations are not minuted, but the framework for decision making is published with the MOU.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when the List of Ministerial Responsibilities will be updated. \p Nick Thomas-Symonds: A new List of Ministerial Responsibilities will be published in due course.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to page 30 of the Cabinet Office Annual report and accounts 2024-2025, HC1372, 23 October 2025, whether income received from the Government Property Agency, Government People Group, Government Commercial and Grants Function, Government Security Group, Central Finance, CO Digital and Government Communications is used to cross-subsidise departmental activity outside those business units. \p Chris Ward: No, the business units outlined in the question only recover incurred costs from providing services to other Government departments.

As such there is no surplus recovered to be used to subsidise department activity outside those business units. This is in alignment with ‘Managing Public Money’ guidance from HM Treasury.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the NISTA Annual Report 2024–25 dashboard, whether an evaluation has been completed for the project entitled Transforming Public Procurement in the Cabinet Office. \p Chris Ward: The Transforming Public Procurement programme is still in progress. An interim impact evaluation of the programme is planned for 2026.

A full impact evaluation will be published on the Government Evaluation Registry in line with NISTA requirements for programmes on the Government’s Major Projects Portfolio.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 13 October 2025 to Question 73729 on Ministers: Aviation, which journeys contributed to those emissions. \p Chris Ward: All travel using the GBNI aircraft is offset.

As was the case under the previous administration, data on ministers’ travel is published on a quarterly basis which includes defining the mode of transport used.

This can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ministers-transparency-publications#2024
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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to page 16 of the Cabinet Office Annual report and accounts 2024-2025, HC1372, 23 October 2025, what proportion of the underspend in Departmental Expenditure Limit spending has been (a) returned to the Consolidated Fund and (b) re-profiled for spending in 2025–26. \p Chris Ward: At the end of the financial year, all underspends are returned to the Consolidated Fund.

The Cabinet Office did not re-profile any spending into 2025-26 from 2024-25.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Cabinet Office Annual report and accounts 2024-2025, HC1372, 23 October 2025, whether any functional services operated by his Department generated (a) surpluses and (b) profit margins above full-cost recovery. \p Chris Ward: No functional services included within the Cabinet Office 2024-25 Annual Report and Accounts generated surpluses or profit margins above full-cost recovery during the 2024-2025 financial year.

The Department ensures that fees and charges for services are set in accordance with the principles set out in HM Treasury’s Managing Public Money, including for full cost recovery unless a specific policy reason exists for not doing so.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what progress he has made on achieving a 25 per cent reduction in the cost of regulation and a £550 million reduction in consultancy costs. \p Chris Ward: The Government is committed to cut the administrative burden of regulation on businesses by 25%, or £5.6bn by the end of this Parliament. So far, we have identified £1.5bn in gross administrative burden savings; cutting back on corporate reporting for tens of thousands of businesses and simplifying the regime for financial services senior managers.

This Government will relentlessly root out waste, drive efficiencies, and protect taxpayers’ money. This is why we reduced consultancy spending by £550m in 2024/25 compared to previous plans, as set out at the July Spending Audit 2024.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the NISTA Annual Report 2024–25 dashboard, whether an evaluation has been completed for the project entitled Falcon Programme in the Cabinet Office. \p Chris Ward: The Falcon Programme is facilitating the Cabinet Office's transition from Google Workspace to Microsoft 365. This is part of the drive to improve the productivity, security and efficiency of systems in the Cabinet Office and across Whitehall.

As required under the Government Major Project Portfolio (GMPP), the Falcon Programme must go through the standard independent review process. NISTA carried out an evaluation in March 2025 which formed the basis of the review in their 2024-25 Annual Report. A further review is due in March 2026.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 5 November 2025, to Question 85506, on Cabinet Office: Data Protection, how many people had their personal data compromised. \p Chris Ward: In relation to the eight incidents stated in Question 85506 a total of 148 individuals were affected. This is the total number as notified to the Information Commissioner’s Office.
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Dr Roz Savage:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to strengthen (a) national preparedness and (b) resilience for (i) public health and (ii) other national emergencies. \p Dan Jarvis: The Government published the Resilience Action Plan on 8 July 2025 to set out its resilience strategy. It set out three core objectives to improve the UK’s resilience to the full range of risks we face: (1) continually assess how resilient the UK is in order to target interventions and resources; (2) enable the whole of society to take action to improve their resilience; and (3) strengthen the core public resilience system. These goals inform a series of activities to deliver greater resilience across the whole of society, as set out in the Resilience Action Plan.

The plan includes a commitment to the delivery of the National Exercising Programme (NEP) to improve preparedness for national emergencies. This covers a range of whole-system risks, with the priority areas for testing informed by our assessment of cross-cutting and systemic vulnerabilities and capability gaps. The NEP sets out a timetable of annual Tier 1 exercises requiring a central response, cross-government coordination, and ministerial engagement.

We are delivering the UK Biological Security Strategy to strengthen preparedness for future pandemics, and to mitigate the risks of biological accidents and incidents. In Autumn 2025, ‘Exercise PEGASUS’ tested the United Kingdom’s pandemic preparedness, involving every Government Department, the devolved governments, and included arm’s length bodies, local resilience fora, and the engagement of businesses, academics, and external stakeholders.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the average processing time was for (a) Counter Terrorist Check, (b) Security Check, (c) Developed Vetting and (d) Developed Vetting renewal clearances in the most recent month for which data is available. \p Dan Jarvis: United Kingdom Security Vetting (UKSV) continues to meet its agreed Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) across each product type. UKSV KPIs are set and regularly reviewed in consultation with customer groups to ensure demand is balanced whilst maintaining assurance in national security safeguards. UKSV KPIs are also governed by ministerial oversight.

In line with the practice followed by successive administrations, the Government does not otherwise comment on security matters.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what discussions the Prime Minister’s National Security Adviser has had with representatives of the Russian Federation since his appointment. \p Dan Jarvis: The National Security Adviser meets with a range of individuals and organisations as part of his role providing advice to the Prime Minister and the Cabinet on national security matters. Such meetings are often sensitive in nature, and the Government does not routinely comment on them or their content.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Stabilisation Programme for UK Security Vetting has concluded; and what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of that programme on clearance times. \p Dan Jarvis: I am pleased to report that UKSV has delivered the objectives of delivering stability in its performance via the Delivery Stabilisation Programme (DSP) and continues to consistently meet its performance targets, as set out in the PAC report. It is now regarded as a stable service by customers.

Following a stabilisation programme initiated in 2023, there have been sustained and stable improvements in performance against Key Performance Indicators (KPI) across all service levels of National Security Vetting clearances which includes Counter Terrorist Check (CTC), Security Check (SC) and Developed Vetting (DV). UKSV successfully delivered the final milestone of DSP on 1st April 2024. Across core services United Kingdom Security Vetting (UKSV) is meeting all its targets against the full range of vetting products.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of Developed Vetting renewals have been completed within 95 days in each of the past six months, and what steps are being taken to improve performance. \p Dan Jarvis: United Kingdom Security Vetting (UKSV) continues to meet its agreed Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) across each product type, including Developed Vetting renewal clearances.

UKSV KPIs are set and regularly reviewed in consultation with customer groups, governed by ministerial oversight, to ensure demand is balanced whilst maintaining assurance in national security safeguards.

In line with the practice followed by successive administrations, the Government does not otherwise comment on security matters.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish the Risk Vulnerability Tool. \p Dan Jarvis: The Risk Vulnerability Tool (RVT) is currently accessible to Ministers and officials across the UK and devolved governments. Its function is to assist officials in identifying vulnerable and at-risk communities to better mitigate impacts during times of crisis.

The current developmental version of the tool will not be made public. However, in line with standard practice for government statistics, information detailing the RVT methodology will be published within a Quality and Methodology Information report once the methodology has been finalised.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-27)

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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to Figure 4 of the Integrated Security Fund Annual Report 2024–25, of 30 October 2025, for what reason £778.9 million of Integrated Security Fund expenditure was allocated to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office; and if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the proportion of funding allocated to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office on national security. \p Dan Jarvis: The allocation to the FCDO is for two purposes. The ISF currently fulfils UK mandatory commitments to UN peacekeeping missions around the world, which the FCDO administers on its behalf. As per the Annual Report page 15, that is £263.75m. UN peacekeeping is critical in supporting global peace and security, including by preventing conflicts from escalating and creating space for political solutions. The rest of the allocation funds ISF programmes which deliver national security interventions overseas via the FCDO’s global network. ISF programming and its funding to departments are regularly reviewed to ensure alignment with evolving national security priorities.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-27 conversation_259

Edward Morello:o ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to ensure that (a) rural communities and (b) West Dorset are not disadvantaged by the introduction of digital ID. \p Josh Simons: The Government is committed to ensuring that the introduction of the national digital identity credential is inclusive, secure, and useful for everyone, including those in rural communities.

We recognise that not everyone has the same level of digital access or confidence, and that’s why the scheme will be accompanied by a major government digital inclusion drive.

As part of the consultation, we will look at providing support such as face-to-face help, 24/7 helplines, and physical alternatives for those less confident with technology or without smartphones. This will help ensure that everyone eligible for the credential is fully supported and able to benefit from simpler, safer access to services.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-27 conversation_260

Alex Easton:o ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the potential cost to the public purse of the introduction of national identity cards. \p Josh Simons: The design and delivery of the national digital identity credential are subject to a public consultation, which will launch in the new year. The feedback received from members of the public and wider stakeholders will inform our final approach and enable a more accurate assessment of costs.

While an early multi-year estimate from the OBR has been reported, we do not recognise it as an accurate cost for the programme. The scope of the scheme, and therefore its cost, have yet to be decided.

Any costs in this Spending Review period will be met within existing settlements, and a full consultation will be launched in the new year.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-27 conversation_261

Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 10 November 2025, to Question 85830, on Digital Technology: Identity Cards, how will employers undertake digital right to work checks if individual employees have not enrolled in Digital ID. \p Josh Simons: The new digital ID will help drive forward the digitisation of Right to Work checks. We will launch a major digital inclusion drive to support this and help ensure nobody is left behind.

This move away from paper-based checks will help crack down on illegal working which drives the exploitative underground economy and support reducing illegal migration. A digital Right to Work check will be required by the end of this Parliament.

We will consult in the new year on how the scheme is designed and implemented.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-27 conversation_262

Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many vehicles were seized for fly-tipping offences in Lincolnshire in each of the last five years. \p Mary Creagh: Local authorities in England are required to report fly-tipping enforcement actions, including vehicles seized, to Defra, which are published annually here. This data is not available at a constituency level. Data for the 2024/25 reporting year is still being collected.

The Environment Agency works with local authorities and other partners through the Lincolnshire Environmental Crime Partnership (ECP). The ECP has targeted “days of action” to tackle fly-tipping, with various sanctions available – including vehicle seizure – to prevent, disrupt and tackle waste related offences.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-27 conversation_263

Tonia Antoniazzi:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has held discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the potential impact of the impairment fee on financial pressures on the British brewing sector. \p Mary Creagh: Incorporating impairment provisions for bad debt in a cost recovery scheme is an expected consideration of Government as detailed in Managing Public Money guidelines and is common practice when setting fees. Additionally, Managing Public Money guidelines advise that cross subsidies are not standard practice.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-27 conversation_264

Tonia Antoniazzi:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact that the impairment fee applied under the Extended Producer Responsibility scheme will have on business cashflow and financial stability. \p Mary Creagh: Incorporating impairment provisions for bad debt in a cost recovery scheme is an expected consideration of Government as detailed in Managing Public Money guidelines and is common practice when setting fees. Whilst Notice of Liabilities issued under the Extended Producer Responsibility scheme are due for payment after 50 calendar days, liable producers have the facility to pay in quarterly instalments. These impairment provisions can only be used for specific purposes and will be subject to regular scrutiny and review. Where the impairment provision isn’t fully utilised, liable producers will be given a refund.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-27 conversation_265

Jim McMahon:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment has been made of the effect of local authority fees and charges for pest control services on the reporting of infestations by members of the public since 2015. \p Mary Creagh: Defra has not made an assessment of local authority fees and charges for pest control services on the reporting of infestations by members of the public since 2015.

Where rats and mice are concerned, under the Prevention of Damage by Pests Act 1949, local authorities have a duty to deal with infestations regardless of any local fees and charges imposed. The Act makes local authorities responsible for ensuring that their districts are kept so far as practicable free from rats and mice.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-27 conversation_266

Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of prolonged dry weather on wildlife and natural habitats in (a) Fylde and (b) Lancashire. \p Mary Creagh: Following the prolonged dry weather incident of 2025 the Environment Agency (EA) responded to numerous dry weather-related environmental incidents. These included incidents in:

a) Fylde

The Fisheries Operations Team carried out a fish rescue at a pond near Larkholme in May, following reports of fish mortalities.

b) wider Lancashire

The EA attended multiple reports of fish in distress / mortalities, algal blooms and low water levels in the Leeds Liverpool canal. Fish rescues were carried out (where necessary) along with advice and guidance to fishery owners.

Following the driest February to April since 1929, most drought reported incidents were confined to April and May. Intermittent rainfall from May onwards helped reduce environmental impacts, with the EA responding to just one dry weather incident in July in Lancashire.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-27 conversation_267

Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many and what proportion of local authorities currently use digital waste tracking services. \p Mary Creagh: The Digital Waste Tracking Service goes live from April 2026 for waste receivers, with requirements to digitally track waste received becoming mandatory in October 2026.

Waste operators currently use multiple systems – some paper based and others digital - to collect certain elements of waste tracking data. By introducing digital waste tracking, data will be collected centrally in near real time, making it much more difficult for rogue operators to compete in the industry and commit waste crime.

As part of our user research, it has been shown that the large majority of local authority waste disposal and waste collection authorities use third party contractors to manage waste in their areas, even if they are the holder of the environmental permit. As such it is difficult to quantify the number of local authorities that currently run their services in-house.

From April 2027, subject to funding, Digital Waste Tracking will onboard other waste operators including carriers which will provide an end to end view of how waste moves through the system.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-27 conversation_268

Mr Gregory Campbell:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 20 November 2025 to WPQ 91307, whether she plans to reduce the number of grey squirrels and increase the number of red squirrels by the end of the current Parliament. \p Mary Creagh: To deliver against the statutory targets for biodiversity, in England, we are acting at scale to create, restore, manage, and protect wildlife-rich habitats, reduce pressures on biodiversity, and take targeted action for species including red squirrels.

Effective management to reduce grey squirrel populations supports the conservation of red squirrels. To help achieve this, the Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier scheme provides payments of £60 per hectare to manage and reduce the impact of grey squirrels. Additionally, Defra continues to explore non-lethal and passive control methods to reduce grey squirrel populations and has contributed funding to the fertility control research led by the Animal and Plant Health Agency and the UK Squirrel Accord.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-27 conversation_269

Neil O'Brien:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 8 May 2025 to Question 45822 on Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Equality, for what reason her Department no longer holds that information centrally. \p Dame Angela Eagle: The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs does not hold information centrally on job titles and has not done so in the past. Collating this information would come at a disproportionate cost.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-27 conversation_270

Seamus Logan:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure the accuracy of data used by her Department, in the context of the letter entitled Statements on Water Quality by Professor Dame Carol Propper, Chair of the UK Statistics Authority published on 28 October 2025. \p Emma Hardy: The accuracy of data and statistics are crucial for the development and monitoring of Defra policies, and crucial for ensuring public trust in those statistics. All Official Statistics in Defra are therefore produced in line with the UK Statistics Authority’s Code of Practice for Statistics.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-27 conversation_271

Pippa Heylings:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of reducing PM2.5 to 10 micrograms per cubic metre. \p Emma Hardy: We have made rapid progress in reducing PM2.5 concentrations and we will be setting new interim targets for 2030 in the forthcoming Environmental Improvement Plan.