theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-10)

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Sir Ashley Fox:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of staff in her Department have flexible working arrangements; and how many of those work compressed hours. \p Andrew Western: All DWP staff have access to flexible working options where appropriate to their role. This may include flexibility around start and finish times, compressed hours, or remote working. We do not have data on the number of staff who are unable to or choose not to take advantage of any form of flexibility.

In June 2025, 2.8% of staff were working compressed hours.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-10)

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Tom Gordon:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the number of parents who are unable to take up or remain in employment because they have children with special educational needs and disabilities that do not have access adequate educational provision and require full-time care at home. \p Dame Diana Johnson: Good work is generally good for health and wellbeing and can significantly reduce the chances of people falling into poverty, so we want everyone to get work and get on in work, whoever they are and wherever they live. Our Get Britain Working White Paper, backed by an initial £240 million investment in 25/26, will deliver the biggest reforms to employment support in a generation to help more people into work and to progress.

Children living in households where no adults work are around 4 times more likely to be in relative poverty after housing costs than those where all adults work. We are therefore considering how we can improve our support to help parents into work as part of our upcoming Child Poverty Strategy. We are listening carefully to the voices of children with disabilities and special educational needs (SEND) and their families. We have also engaged with charities and organisations like Contact, ALLFIE, and the Challenging Behaviour Foundation to discuss the experience of disabled children living in poverty.

Carers on low incomes can claim Universal Credit at a higher rate through the carer element. An unpaid carer receiving UC who meets the eligibility threshold for receiving Carers Element is not required to undertake work-related activity but can access employment support on a voluntary basis. Support offered can include access to skills provision, referral to an employment support programme, for example the Restart programme, careers advice, job search support, volunteering opportunities and access to the Flexible Support Fund to aid job entry.

Support is also available through Carer’s Allowance (CA) which provides a measure of financial support and recognition for unpaid carers who are unable to work full time as a result of their caring responsibilities.
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Lee Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what information they hold on the number of workdays that were completed remotely in their Department in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025 to date. \p Andrew Western: The information requested is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
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Tracy Gilbert:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to (a) improve enforcement and (b) reduce the number of non-payments for child maintenance. \p Andrew Western: Most payments where a parent is unwilling to pay are collected regardless, via either a deduction from earning order (DEO) or a deduction from benefit. Only where these options are not available are other mechanisms needed.

Nevertheless, the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) is committed to ensuring all separated parents within the statutory scheme support their children financially, taking robust enforcement action against those who do not.

If someone chooses not to pay their maintenance themselves, the CMS has administrative powers which means CMS officials can deduct maintenance directly from a paying parent’s wages, from their bank account, or from their benefits.

The CMS has a range of strong enforcement powers that can be used against those who consistently refuse to meet their obligations to provide financial support to their children including deducting directly from earnings, bank accounts and forcing the sale of a property.

The Child Support (Enforcement) Act 2023 proposed regulations to support the introduction of administrative liability orders (ALOs), removing the requirement to obtain a court issued liability order. Introducing this process should enable the CMS to take faster action against those paying parents who actively avoid their responsibilities and get money to children more quickly. We are working with His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service and the Scottish Government to establish a process for implementing ALOs and plan to introduce regulations to Parliament as soon as possible.
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Sir Ashley Fox:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of staff in her Department did not meet the minimum office attendance target in the latest period for which data is available; and what sanctions her Department issues to staff who do not meet this target. \p Andrew Western: On 24 October 2024 the Cabinet Office announced that 60% minimum office attendance for most staff continues to be the best balance of working for the Civil Service. Senior managers will continue to be expected to be in the office more than 60% of the time.

If people do not meet that reasonable expectation, as with any management instruction it will be dealt with via existing performance management processes and ultimately with disciplinary action should there be sustained failure to comply.

Published data on office attendance is available on Civil Service Headquarters occupancy data.

Should disciplinary action be taken, the sanctions will be the standard disciplinary outcomes, which are a first written warning, final written warning and ultimately dismissal.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the current Child Maintenance Service income-based model on middle-income paying parents. \p Andrew Western: The Child Maintenance Service operates on the principle that both parents have financial responsibility for their child, including their food and clothing, as well as contributing towards the associated costs of running the home that the child lives in. For a paying parent working full time on the UK minimum wage, they will pay 12% of their gross weekly income for one child, 16% for two and 19% for three or more. Those proportions remain constant for all paying parents earning a gross weekly income of between £200 and £800.

Information about the paying parent's gross income is taken directly from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) for the latest tax year available. This allows calculations to be made quickly and accurately. Any income subject to income tax including bonuses and overtime received by an employed paying parent, is included within their gross weekly income when calculating a child maintenance liability.

The Government is conducting a review of the child maintenance calculation to make sure it is fit for purpose. This includes updating the underlying research and considering how to ensure the calculation reflects current and future societal trends.

Options for proposed reforms are currently being considered. Any changes made to the child maintenance calculation will be subject to extensive public consultation, which we plan to publish late this year, and if made, will require amendments to legislation so would be subject to Parliamentary scrutiny.
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Mr Gregory Campbell:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many employees of the National Employment Savings Trust will be paid more than £160,000 in the current financial year. \p Torsten Bell: Nest is a Public Corporation which operates independently of Government. However, they have provided the following narrative:

At the start of the 2025/26 financial year, there were 25 employees on roll with a full-time equivalent salary above £160,000 per annum at the National Employment Savings Trust Corporation.
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Fred Thomas:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps the Child Maintenance Service is taking to help tackle cases where undeclared income from the paying parent is found. \p Andrew Western: Information about the paying parent's gross income is taken directly from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) for the latest tax year available. This allows calculations to be made quickly and accurately. Any income subject to income tax including bonuses and overtime received by an employed paying parent, is included within their gross weekly income when calculating a child maintenance liability.

For self-employed paying parents, the gross income used in a maintenance calculation is provided by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) in the first instance. HMRC will provide details of the gross taxable profit of the paying parent's business, for the most recent complete tax year.

People who are self-employed are required to keep accurate records of their business income and expenses for tax purposes. HMRC can charge penalties for inaccurate reporting where it results in tax being unpaid.

Variations legislation allows the Child Maintenance Service to look at some circumstances which are not covered by the basic maintenance calculation. Either parent may apply for a variation at any time during the life of their case, provided enough information for an appropriate ground can be identified. If a variation application is successful, the maintenance calculation will be adjusted accordingly.

Cases involving complex income can be investigated by the Financial Investigation Unit. This is a specialist team which can request information from financial institutions (such as banks, investment companies and mortgage companies) to check the accuracy of information that the CMS is given. If any discrepancies are found, then they can implement a correct maintenance liability that is supported by CMS legislation

The Department has been conducting a review of the child maintenance calculation to make sure it is fit for purpose and reflects today’s social trends. The review will also consider the treatment of unearned income and assets within the automatic calculation.
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Sir Mel Stride:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what (a) proportion and (b) amount of Universal Credit expenditure was for adults with non-Common Travel Area immigration status in the latest period for which information is available. \p Andrew Western: Universal Credit awards are paid to households, which may include both British and foreign nationals who are eligible. Therefore, the information requested is not readily available at the required quality and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
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Catherine Fookes:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when she plans to introduce legislation to implement the commitments outlined in the Government’s response to the consultation entitled Child Maintenance: Improving the Collection and Transfer of Payments, updated 23 June 2025. \p Andrew Western: Primary legislation is required to make the change to remove Direct Pay and reform the collection fee structure. Subject to Parliamentary time, we hope to implement the changes so they can take effect within the current Parliament.
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Mr Angus MacDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to help support employees with invisible disabilities to access adjustments under the Equality Act 2010. \p Dame Diana Johnson: Employers are crucial in enhancing employment opportunities and supporting disabled people and those with health conditions to thrive in the workforce. All employers have a duty under the Equality Act 2010(opens in a new tab) to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ in the workplace where a disabled person would otherwise be put at a substantial disadvantage compared with their colleagues. The Equality and Human Rights Commission is responsible for enforcing the Equality Act and providing guidance on reasonable adjustments.

In our Get Britain Working White Paper, published November 2024, we committed support for employers to recruit, retain and develop staff. As part of that, the Secretaries of State for Work and Pensions and Business and Trade have asked Sir Charlie Mayfield to lead ‘Keep Britain Working’, an independent review to consider how best to support and enable employers to recruit and retain more people with health conditions and disabilities, promote healthy workplaces, and support more people to stay in or return to work from periods of sickness absence. Sir Charlie Mayfield will deliver a final report with recommendations in the autumn.

In January this year, we launched an expert academic panel to advise us on boosting neurodiversity awareness and inclusion at work. The panel will consider the reasons why neurodivergent people have poor experiences in the workplace, and a low overall employment rate, making their recommendations later this autumn.

There are a range of existing initiatives that already provide support. The Disability Confident Scheme encourages employers to create disability inclusive workplaces and to support disabled people to get work and get on in work. The scheme covers all disabilities, including hidden disabilities. It provides employers with the knowledge, skills, and confidence they need to attract, recruit, retain and develop disabled people in the workplace and to take positive action to address the issues disabled employees face.
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Dr Roz Savage:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of taking into account both parents’ income in Child Maintenance Service calculations. \p Andrew Western: The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) operates through broad rules set out in child support legislation which aim to provide the best overall outcome for all parents who use the CMS. However, we have to allow for sensible decision-making across a large range of cases and, therefore, the CMS cannot provide a bespoke service that is unique to a parent’s individual circumstances.

The calculation represents an amount of money that is broadly commensurate with the amount that a paying parent would spend on the child if they were still living with them, irrespective of the income or assets of the receiving parent.

The income of the receiving parent is not included as they are already discharging their parental responsibility through being the child’s primary care giver.

The Government is conducting a review of the child maintenance calculation to make sure it is fit for purpose. This includes updating the underlying research and considering how to ensure the calculation reflects current and future societal trends.

Options for proposed reforms are currently being considered. Any changes made to the child maintenance calculation will be subject to extensive public consultation, which we plan to publish late this year, and if made, will require amendments to legislation so would be subject to Parliamentary scrutiny.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much the Pensions Regulator has spent on equipment to enable staff to work from home in each of the last three years. \p Andrew Western: The Pensions Regulator spent £16,109 in 2022/23, £7,711 in 2023/24 and £6,056 in 2024/25 on equipment including desktop monitor, keyboard, laptop riser and mouse to enable those of its staff who required it to work from home.
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Tracy Gilbert:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department plans to take to reform the Child Maintenance Service. \p Andrew Western: The Government has set out plans to introduce a single service where all payments will be monitored, enabling the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) to identify missed, late, or partial payments in real time. This will enable swift enforcement action to restore compliance and increase the amount of money reaching children.

We expect the reforms will make hidden non-compliance within Direct Pay visible, enabling the CMS to intervene earlier to ensure children receive the financial support they are entitled to. Where cases are currently working well under Direct Pay, those families can move to a family-based arrangement or opt into Collect and Pay if they require the added security of enforcement.

Where compliance cannot be achieved, the CMS has a range of strong enforcement powers that are designed to get money flowing quickly, prevent the build-up of arrears and ensure children get the financial support they deserve.

The Government is also conducting a review of the child maintenance calculation to make sure it is fit for purpose and secures the best outcomes for children who are within scope of the scheme. This includes updating the underlying research and considering how to ensure the calculation reflects current and future societal trends.

Options for proposed reforms are currently being considered. Any changes made to the child maintenance calculation will be subject to extensive public consultation, which we plan to publish late this year, and if made, will require amendments to legislation so would be subject to Parliamentary scrutiny.
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Adam Jogee:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to help support young people into (a) employment, (b) education and (c) training in Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The Department is committed to ensuring young people have access to the support they need to move into sustainable employment. DWP currently provides young people aged 16-24 with labour market support through an extensive range of interventions at a national and local level. This includes flexible provision driven by local need, nationwide employment programmes and support delivered by work coaches based in our Jobcentres and in local communities, working alongside partners such as the Kings Trust, Local Authorities, National Careers Service/Career Wales, local colleges and Youth Trusts.

In Newcastle-under-Lyme we are working closely with stakeholders through the Newcastle Employment and Skills Group – including Aspire Housing and Keele University – to connect young people with job opportunities and tailored support. Programmes such as Positive Directions and We Mean Business are providing fully funded five-week courses for 16–24-year-olds not in education, employment or training covering areas such as fitness instruction, customer service, and entrepreneurship.

Also, Newcastle College is expanding its offer to include ESOL, functional skills, and employability courses, while Keele University is piloting new pathways to widen participation in higher education. Local initiatives are also delivering training in digital marketing, cyber security, and mental health first aid.

In addition, Sector-based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs) and collaboration with care leaver schemes are helping young people with complex barriers into sustained employment.
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Liz Jarvis:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Office for National Statistics' dataset entitled CC02 Regional labour market, published on 12 August 2025, what steps she is taking to support young people into work in Eastleigh constituency. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The Department is committed to ensuring young people have access to the support they need to move into sustainable employment. DWP currently provides young people aged 16-24 with labour market support through an extensive range of interventions at a national and local level. This includes flexible provision driven by local need, nationwide employment programmes and support delivered by work coaches based in our Jobcentres and in local communities, working alongside partners such as the Kings Trust, Local Authorities, National Careers Service/Career Wales, local colleges and Youth Trusts.

Local Youth Employment Coaches in Eastleigh are providing tailored, intensive support through extended appointments and a range of targeted opportunities including:

We have also set up job matching support to assist young people with their job applications and securing suitable roles. In addition, we are providing outreach services in Romsey, while not exclusively aimed at young people, these services help overcome transport barriers in a region with a predominantly younger demographic.
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Helen Morgan:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will take steps to reduce the time HMRC takes to process tax repayment claims. \p Dan Tomlinson: HMRC recognise that repayments are important for customers. They prioritise them to ensure they are processed as quickly and securely as possible.

HMRC balance the provision of prompt payments to eligible customers with effective revenue protection from fraudsters.

For Self Assessment repayments, once the repayment is created it goes through automated fraud and compliance checks. In 2024-25, after these checks, 93.1% of the repayments were paid automatically within a few days.

HMRC continues to invest in automation and to review their internal processes to ensure repayments are issued as quickly as possible.

HMRC recognise too the importance of keeping the customer, and where appropriate the customer’s representative informed of progress, and are exploring ways of doing that more effectively.

In the meantime, HMRC’s online ‘Where’s My Reply’ tool can help customers understand when they can expect to receive a response.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Business Engagement Lead is a (a) special adviser, (b) direct ministerial appointment, (c) civil servant appointed by open and fair competition and (d) civil servant appointed by recruitment principles exemption. \p Dan Tomlinson: There is a business engagement team in HMT made up of civil servants recruited via fair and open competition.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many days were lost to sickness absence by civil servants in their Department (a) in total and (b) on average per employee between 5 July 2024 and 4 July 2025. \p Dan Tomlinson: HM Treasury complies with the Cabinet Office’s sickness absence collection quarterly process. All submissions of details relating to his question can be found through this cross-government designed process.
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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 13 May 2025 to Question 49823 on Air Passenger Duty: Economic Growth, if she will estimate the potential impact of higher rates of Air Passenger Duty on the number of flights taken. \p Dan Tomlinson: As set out in the March 2025 OBR forecast, passenger numbers are expected to exceed pre-pandemic levels in the coming year, and are expected to be around 10% higher than 2024-25 once the new APD rates are implemented in 2026-27. The expected passenger growth will only be slightly lower (less than one percentage point) than if rates were to increase in line forecast RPI, per the standard annual uprating.

The government is committed to securing the long-term future of the aviation sector in the UK and recognises the benefits of the connectivity it creates between the UK and the rest of the world.
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Mr Gregory Campbell:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she expects to receive the report from the Payments Vision Delivery Committee before the Conference recess. \p Lucy Rigby: At the Mansion House event in July 2025, the Payments Vision Delivery Committee set out a new model for the design and delivery of the next generation of retail payments infrastructure in the UK. The Committee’s publication can be found here: Payments Vision Delivery Committee Update - GOV.UK

Under the new model, the Committee will set the strategy for retail payments infrastructure in line with the ambitions of the government’s National Payments Vision, and this strategy will be translated into design by the new Retail Payments Infrastructure Board. The Board will be chaired by the Bank of England and will have broad representation from across the ecosystem. A new industry-owned and industry-led Delivery Company will be responsible for procuring and funding the new infrastructure, overseen by the Board.

The Committee will publish its strategy this autumn and the Bank of England is working at pace to establish the new Board with a view to its first meeting taking place in October.

The Committee will also publish the Payments Forward Plan by end-2025, including a sequenced plan of future initiatives and a recommended monitoring approach.
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Mr Gregory Campbell:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department is taking fiscal steps to help support the growth of the mutual and co-operative sector. \p Lucy Rigby: The Government has announced multiple measures to unlock the full potential of the mutual sector, including in a package announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer at Mansion House 2024.

The package included funding for the Law Commission to complete independent reviews of the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014 and the Friendly Societies Acts 1974 and 1992. These reviews will put forward recommendations to develop a more modern and supportive legislative environment for the mutuals registered under the relevant Acts. The Government will carefully consider the findings of the Law Commission reviews to understand whether reform of the legislation is needed to ensure these businesses are supported to grow and succeed into the future.

The package also contained non-fiscal measures to support the growth of the sector. This included a call for evidence on potential reform to the credit union common bond in Great Britain, responses to which are now being considered. The government also asked the Prudential Regulatory Authority and Financial Conduct Authority to produce a report on the current mutuals landscape by the end of 2025 and welcomed the establishment of the Mutual and Co-operative Sector Business Council. Finally, the government committed to progressing further amendments to the Building Societies Act 1986 following two statutory instruments being laid in October 2024, creating a more supportive legislative environment for building societies.

HM Treasury is currently progressing these measures. Together, they reinforce the government’s commitment to support the mutual and co-operative sector.

Please note that co-operatives and credit unions policy are devolved to the Northern Ireland Executive.
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Tristan Osborne:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she plans to review the definition of recycled in Section 49 of the Finance Act 2021 to recognize organic recycling through food waste schemes. \p Dan Tomlinson: The Plastic Packaging Tax provides a clear economic incentive for businesses to use recycled plastic in the manufacture of plastic packaging, thereby stimulating the collection and recycling of plastic waste and diverting it away from landfill or incineration. The government has no plans to review the definition of recycled plastic that is used for the tax.
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Jayne Kirkham:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will consider increasing the £450,000 cap for buying a first property with a Lifetime ISA in line with property price inflation. \p Lucy Rigby: Data from the latest UK House Price Index shows that while the average price paid by first-time buyers has increased, it is still below the Lifetime ISA property price cap in all regions of the UK except for London, where the average price paid is affected by boroughs with very high property values.

Having a single property cap across the UK simplifies the Lifetime ISA for savers and account providers. However, as with all aspects of the tax system, the Government keeps ISA policy under review.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many times the Treasury Board has met since 4 July 2024; and on what dates she attended. \p Dan Tomlinson: There are no plans for the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury to meet.

As set out in the Annual Report and Accounts, the Treasury Board met once since July 2024 and the Chancellor of the Exchequer was in attendance.
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Dan Aldridge:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department plans to review proposals to tax pickup trucks as personal vehicles. \p Dan Tomlinson: Double Cab Pick Up vehicles (DCPUs) have in the past been treated as goods vehicles for tax purposes, rather than cars. Following a judgement by the Court of Appeal, DCPUs must be treated as cars, rather than goods vehicles, for certain tax purposes, based on their primary suitability.

At Autumn Budget 2024, the government had to make difficult decisions, and in the given fiscal situation was not willing to legislate to change this treatment and provide a significant tax break worth hundreds of millions per year for these vehicles.

The transitional arrangements put in place meant that this would not affect the capital allowances treatment of any business that already owned a DCPU, or that purchased one before April 2025; and businesses that purchase or have purchased a DCPU after this date will still be able to deduct the cost from their taxable profits at 18% or 6% per year. Under the transitional arrangements for Benefit-in-Kind treatment, anyone who accessed a DCPU before 6 April 2025 will not be impacted until the sooner of disposal of the vehicle, 5 April 2029 or when their lease expires.

In addition, there are alternatives to DCPUs (such as Single Cab Pick Ups, or 4x4 vans) that are still treated as goods vehicles.
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Daisy Cooper:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many Research and Development tax relief disclosures have been made in each month since 31 December 2024. \p Dan Tomlinson: HMRC aims to process 85% of Research and Development (R&D) tax relief claims within 40 working days. This target was met in both 2023–24 and 2024–25, with performance reaching 90% in 2024–25, as reported in HMRC’s Annual Report and Accounts.

HMRC published information on the average duration of a compliance check in the Approach to Research and Development tax reliefs 2023 to 2024 - GOV.UK

Since 31 December 2024, HMRC has received 20 voluntary disclosures about incorrect R&D tax relief claims with a total value of £5.5m via the R&D Disclosure Facility.
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Adam Dance:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the level of (a) Value Added Tax rates and (b) business rates on the recovery of hospitality businesses in rural areas in Yeovil constituency. \p Dan Tomlinson: The Government recognises the significant contribution made by hospitality and tourism businesses, including those in rural areas, to economic growth and social life in the UK.

To deliver our manifesto pledge, from 2026/27, we intend to introduce permanently lower tax rates for retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) properties, including hotels, with rateable values below £500,000. This permanent tax cut will ensure that they benefit from much-needed certainty and support.

Ahead of these new multipliers being introduced, the Government recognises that businesses will need support in 2025/26. As such, we prevented the current RHL relief from ending in April 2025, extending it for one year at 40 per cent up to a cash cap of £110,000 per business, and we froze the small business multiplier.

When the new, permanently lower tax rates are set at Budget 2025, the Treasury intends to publish analysis of the effects of the new multiplier arrangements.

VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption, and the 20 per cent standard rate applies to most goods and services. The UK’s VAT rate of 20 per cent is close to the OECD average of 19.3 per cent.

At £90,000, the UK has a higher VAT registration threshold than any EU country and the joint highest in the OECD. This keeps the majority of businesses out of the VAT regime altogether.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-10)

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Melanie Onn:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the Approved Mileage Allowance Payments rate; and whether she plans to update that rate. \p Dan Tomlinson: Approved Mileage Allowance Payments (AMAPs) are used by employers to reimburse an employee’s expenses for business mileage in their private vehicle. These rates are also used by self-employed drivers to claim tax relief on business mileage (simplified motoring expenses). In considering potential changes to the AMAP/simplified motoring expenses rates, the Government would need to balance support for individuals with the responsible management of public finances which fund our essential public services.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-10 conversation_84

Dan Aldridge:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department plans to reintroduce measures to increase tax on higher polluting vehicles. \p Dan Tomlinson: Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) is a tax on vehicles used or kept on public roads. As announced by the Government at Autumn Statement 2022, from April 2025, zero emission and hybrid cars, vans and motorcycles will begin to pay VED in a similar way to petrol and diesel vehicles.

While first year rates for zero emission cars have been frozen at £10 until 2029/30, rates for the most polluting vehicles that emit over 76mg/km have doubled.

In addition, at Autumn Budget 2024 the government announced Company Car Tax rates will continue to strongly incentivise the take-up of electric vehicles. Appropriate Percentages (APs) for all vehicle bands above 50 g/km will increase by 1 percentage point per year in 2028-29 and 2029-30. The maximum AP will also increase by 1 percentage point per year to 38% for 2028-2029 and 39% for 2029-2030.

Revenue from motoring taxes helps ensure we can continue to fund the vital public services and infrastructure that people and families across the UK expect.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-10 conversation_85

Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what guidance HMRC has issued on claiming private residence capital gains tax exemption. \p Dan Tomlinson: HMRC has published information on capital gains tax private residence relief in their self-assessment helpsheets HS283 “Private Residence Relief” and HS281 “Capital Gains Tax, civil partners and spouses”; and their capital gains manual at page CG64200 onwards. These are available on the GOV.UK website.

Relief is available in most cases without a claim needing to be made.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-10 conversation_86

Blake Stephenson:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the findings of the report entitled Impact of changes to the UK non-domiciled regime, published by the Centre for Economics and Business Research in April 2025. \p Dan Tomlinson: The Government’s priority is improving the UK’s competitiveness internationally and securing economic growth. The non-dom reforms have been specifically designed to make the UK competitive with a modern, simple tax regime that is also fair. The reforms establish a tax regime for new residents, which is more attractive to new arrivals than the current rules.

The Government published a Tax Information and Impact Note for this policy on 30 October. This can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tax-changes-for-non-uk-domiciled-individuals/reforming-the-taxation-of-non-uk-domiciled-individuals.

There have always been relatively large flows of non-doms in and out of the UK every year. For example. in the latest HMRC statistics for tax year 2023/24, 9,500 non-doms left and 9,100 arrived.

We anticipate that some non-doms ineligible for the new regime will exit the UK in response to the changes. Taking this migration response into account, the OBR expects the non-dom reforms to raise £33.8 billion over the next five years to help fund the public services and investment projects needed to drive growth.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-10 conversation_87

Blake Stephenson:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of business rates on pub closures. \p Dan Tomlinson: To deliver our manifesto pledge, we intend to introduce permanently lower tax rates for retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) properties with rateable values below £500,000, from 2026-27. This permanent tax cut will ensure that RHL businesses benefit from much-needed certainty and support.

Eligibility for the new RHL multipliers is intended to broadly reflect the scope of the existing RHL relief scheme, and will be set out in legislation later this year.

Ahead of these changes being made, the Government recognises that business will need support in 2025/26. As such, we have extended the RHL relief for one year at 40 per cent up to a cash cap of £110,000 per business. Under the previous Government, RHL relief was due to end entirely in April 2025. By extending the relief, the Government has saved the average pub, with a ratable value of £16,800, over £3,300.

Tax policy and legislation is not subject to the Better Regulation Framework Guidance, which requires an Impact Assessment to accompany policy decisions. Nevertheless, when the new multipliers are set at Budget 2025, HM Treasury intends to publish analysis of the effects of the new multiplier arrangements.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-10 conversation_88

Edward Morello:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to decrease (a) National Insurance and (b) business rates costs for pubs (i) since the Spending Review and (ii) ahead of the Autumn Budget in (A) rural constituencies and (B) West Dorset. \p Dan Tomlinson: The Government has taken difficult but necessary decisions to deliver long-term growth. Fixing the public finances is critical to creating 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 this year. Businesses will still be able to claim employer NICs reliefs including those for under-21s and under-25 apprentices.

From 2026-27, we intend to introduce permanently lower business rates multipliers for retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) properties in England with rateable values (RVs) below £500,000. This permanent tax cut will ensure that eligible RHL businesses benefit from much-needed certainty and support.

Ahead of these changes being made, the Government recognises that business will need support in 2025-26. As such, we have extended the RHL relief for one year at 40 per cent up to a cash cap of £110,000 per business. Under the previous Government, RHL relief was due to end entirely in April 2025. By extending the relief, the Government has saved the average pub, with a RV of £16,800, over £3,300.

To ensure that key amenities are available, and that community assets are protected in rural areas, Rural Rates Relief provides 100% business rates relief for certain properties in eligible rural areas with populations below 3,000, including those that are the only public house, with a RV of up to £12,500.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-10 conversation_89

Blake Stephenson:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of changes to Agricultural and Business Property Relief on the economy of the East of England. \p Dan Tomlinson: The Government believes its reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief from 6 April 2026 get the balance right between supporting farms and businesses, and fixing the public finances. The reforms reduce the inheritance tax advantages available to owners of agricultural and business assets, but still mean those assets will be taxed at a much lower effective rate than most other assets. Despite a tough fiscal context, the Government will maintain very significant levels of relief from inheritance tax beyond what is available to others and compared to the position before 1992. Where inheritance tax is due, those liable for a charge can pay any liability on the relevant assets over 10 annual instalments, interest-free.

Information from claims is not recorded to enable regional or national breakdowns of the number of estates expected to be affected. However, the Government has set out that the reforms are expected to result in up to 520 estates across the UK claiming agricultural property relief, including those also claiming business property relief, paying more inheritance tax in 2026-27. Almost three-quarters of estates claiming agricultural property relief, including those that also claim for business property relief, will not pay any more tax as a result of the changes in 2026-27, based on the latest available data.

The Government has also set out that around 1,500 estates across the UK only claiming business property relief are expected to pay more inheritance tax in 2026-27, with around 1,000 of these expected to only hold shares designated as “not listed” on the markets of recognised stock exchanges, such as the Alternative Investment Market. The remaining 500 estates will include business assets from sectors across the economy that are eligible for business property relief. These reforms mean that around three-quarters of estates claiming business property relief in 2026-27 (excluding those estates only holding shares designated as “not listed”) will not pay any more inheritance tax in 2026-27.

The reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief are forecast to raise a combined £520 million in 2029-30. The independent Office for Budget Responsibility certified this costing at Autumn Budget 2024 and it does not expect the reforms to have a significant macroeconomic impact.