theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Mike Wood:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has issued guidance to universities on admissions based on the socio-economic background of the applicant. \p Josh MacAlister: The government encourages higher education (HE) providers to consider all applications on a case-by-case basis and offer equity of opportunity to all students, regardless of background or circumstance. However, it does not issue direct guidance. Universities are autonomous bodies independent from government and are responsible for their own admissions decisions.

The department works with key sector stakeholders, such as Universities UK, The Sutton Trust, UCAS and The Russell Group, who are co-leading work to consider how to improve access and participation.

The department will also develop options to address regional disparities in access and tackle the most systemic barriers across the journey into HE. To deliver this we will bring together a task and finish group of sector experts, charities, the Office for Students and UCAS to focus on how the system can best widen access for those from disadvantaged backgrounds. The task and finish group will be chaired by Professor Kathryn Mitchell, vice chancellor of the University of Derby.
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Catherine McKinnell:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to reduce the risk of schools in disadvantaged areas excluding pupils from Turing Scheme-funded excursions due to the cap on funding. \p Josh MacAlister: In the current academic year of the Turing Scheme, we applied a cap to the funding that schools could apply for. Schools could receive funding of up to £50,000 for a single application or, applying as a consortium, up to £50,000 per school to a maximum of £300,000. This will limit how many schools are required to replan their intended placements. Setting a limit means that we can offer schools more certainty that they can be awarded the funding they request, without concentrating the funding in the hands of too few schools.

An estimated 82% of school placements this year will be for students from a disadvantaged background. The proportion of students from a disadvantaged background in a school’s application is a key factor in deciding which applications are funded. More schools than ever before have applied for funding, with 485 applying compared to 333 last year.
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Chris Coghlan:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent steps she has taken to ensure the delivery of Betchwood Vale Academy. \p Georgia Gould: The department is engaging with local authorities and trusts to advance the development of special and alternative provision free schools, aligned with our vision for the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system.

We are working through these decisions to provide all local authorities with timely updates as quickly as possible.

We continue to be committed to ensuring that all children with SEND receive the support they need to achieve and thrive.
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Abtisam Mohamed:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to (a) the international student fee levy proposed in the Restoring Control over the Immigration System and (b) paragraph 32 of the Restoring Control over the Immigration System Technical Annex, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on price elasticities in relation to non-EU students; what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the proposed international student fee levy on (a) international student numbers in UK universities and (b) financial sustainability in the sector. \p Josh MacAlister: The department has engaged with the Home Office regarding the international student levy, including on its design and impacts. We will set out further details on the levy at the Autumn Budget.

The Immigration White Paper included an illustrative example that a 6% levy could reduce student inflows by up to 7,000 per year. We expect the UK to remain a highly attractive study destination. Our world-class higher education (HE) sector can offer a fulfilling and enjoyable experience to international students from around the world.

In recognition of the sector’s challenging financial environment, we have increased tuition fee limits in this academic year and refocused the Office for Students to monitor the sector’s financial health.

We have published our new plan for HE reform through the Post-16 education and skills white paper, which sets out our ambition for a world leading and financially sustainable HE sector.
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Catherine McKinnell:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that Turing grants to schools take into consideration the additional costs of (a) travel, (b) appropriate (i) clothing and (ii) equipment and (c) other items for children and young people. \p Josh MacAlister: Turing Scheme funding is a contribution towards the costs of international educational placements. The scheme provides a contribution to the travel and living costs of students and accompanying staff. Additionally, the Turing Scheme provides readiness to travel funding to help students from disadvantaged backgrounds to prepare to travel, which covers items such as passports, visa applications, vaccines, travel insurance and medical certificates.

The Turing Scheme also covers the additional costs faced by those students with special educational needs or a disability. In line with government spending rules, it does not cover costs relating to acquisitions of any form of asset, such as clothing or luggage.
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Robbie Moore:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the National Audit on Group-Based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, published in June 2025, what progress she has made on implementing recommendation 5. \p Josh MacAlister: The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill introduces a new duty for statutory safeguarding partners and other bodies to share information for the purposes of safeguarding and protecting the welfare of children, including from child sexual abuse and exploitation. This new duty is designed to complement the mandatory reporting duty set out in the Crime and Policing Bill. Together, these measures ensure that once a disclosure is made, the relevant information is not only received but is shared swiftly and appropriately with the bodies best placed to protect the child. In the ‘Tackling child sexual abuse: progress update’, published in April, the department set out that we would consult on a roadmap to a Child Protection Authority by the end of this year.
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Melanie Onn:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions he has had with the Sentencing Council on introducing tougher sentences for repeat (a) motorbike and (b) car theft offenders. \p Jake Richards: The maximum sentences available for criminal offences are set by Parliament. Theft of a motor vehicle may be prosecuted under different provisions of the Theft Act 1968 (“the Act”). For example, theft of a motor vehicle under section 1 of the Act is a triable either way offence, with a maximum sentence of seven years’ imprisonment.

The independent judiciary will determine the appropriate sentence in individual cases within the maximums set by Parliament, and in line with any relevant sentencing guidelines issued by the Sentencing Council for England and Wales.

The Sentencing Council has issued guidelines on theft of a motor vehicle, which provide the Court with guidance on factors that should be considered, which may affect the sentence given. They set out different levels of sentence based on the harm caused and how culpable the offender is. The guidelines also include non-exhaustive lists of aggravating and mitigating factors which can result in an upward or downward adjustment in the sentence. Previous convictions can be taken into account by the Court as aggravating factor, increasing the seriousness of an offence; the guidelines are clear that sentencers must consider their nature and relevance, as well as the time elapsed since the previous conviction(s). The guidelines can be found online at the Council’s website: https://sentencingcouncil.org.uk/.

Whilst the Government has no current plans to ask the Council to consider reviewing the guidelines on motor theft, it is open to individuals to approach the Council to ask that it does so.
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Dr Kieran Mullan:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will provide the prison population figures by (a) offence type and (b) sentence length in the most recent period for which data is available. \p Jake Richards: Detailed statistics on offenders in custody (including offence groups and sentence lengths) are published quarterly at Offender management statistics quarterly - GOV.UK.

Answers to the specific questions asked here can be found on Table 1.A.17 of the “Annual Prison Population: 2025” table on the most recent release.
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Dr Caroline Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people released from custody in error remain at large since 4 July 2024. \p Jake Richards: Releases in error have been increasing for several years and are another symptom of the prison system crisis inherited by this Government.

While the overwhelming majority of offenders are released correctly, we are clamping down on those releases in error that do occur – including through improved staff training and establishing a new specialist unit. A joint protocol between HMPPS and NPCC is in place, to ensure effective and timely communication between partner agencies when an individual is released in error to rearrest them as quickly as possible.

We have gripped this chaos – by building more prison places, ending the last Government’s early release scheme, being transparent with the public, immediately making changes to sentences to ease pressure on the system and now, taking landmark reforms through our Sentencing Bill to make sure that prisons never run out of places again.

Annual totals for releases in error are published each July in the HMPPS Annual Digest, available via Prison and Probation Performance Statistics - GOV.UK and provide data up to March 2025.
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Liz Saville Roberts:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of adherence to the Welsh Language Act 1993 in prisons in Wales. \p Jake Richards: The new HMPPS Welsh Language Scheme (24-27), approved by the Welsh Language Commissioner, and published this month, sets out how the English and Welsh languages will be treated equally when delivering services to the public in line with requirements under the Welsh Language Act 1993. The Scheme commits to publishing an Annual Monitoring Report on progress, the first of which will be published in October 2026.
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Robert Jenrick:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that foreign-born prison officers undergo appropriate (a) vetting and (b) background checks before appointment. \p Jake Richards: Eligibility for employment in the Civil Service, including with regard to nationality, is set out in the Civil Service Nationality Rules (CSNRs). All applicants applying to work in the Ministry of Justice or its agencies must meet the CSNRs and must have a valid right to work in the United Kingdom and have successfully completed pre-employment checks.

All candidates, regardless of nationality, are subject to a series of background checks, which assess them against a range of legislative requirements and security-related factors that are pertinent to anyone working within H M Prison Service. These include confirmation of identity, right to work in the UK, a criminal records check, declaration of any offender connections, employment reference enquiries and a financial vulnerability assessment.

All directly employed prison staff, including prison officers, must have a minimum security clearance of Enhanced Level 2. A range of additional digital vetting and social media checks are also conducted in relation to prison officer recruits.

For all prison officers working in prisons in the Long-Term and High Security Estate, an additional National Security Vetting Check at Counter Terrorist Check level is required, as a minimum.
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Robert Jenrick:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the total cost to the public purse of the operation to (a) locate and (b) re-apprehend Hadush Kebatu following his release from custody. \p Jake Richards: Releases in error have been increasing for several years and are another symptom of the prison system crisis inherited by this Government.

While the overwhelming majority of offenders are released correctly, we are clamping down on those releases in error that do occur – including through improved staff training and establishing a new specialist unit. A joint protocol between HMPPS and NPCC is in place, to ensure effective and timely communication between partner agencies when an individual is released in error to rearrest them as quickly as possible.

We have gripped this chaos – by building more prison places, ending the last Government’s early release scheme, being transparent with the public, immediately making changes to sentences to ease pressure on the system and now, taking landmark reforms through our Sentencing Bill to make sure that prisons never run out of places again.

Locating and re-apprehending a suspect relate to policing and are a matter for the Home Office.
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Robert Jenrick:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prison officers have been subject to (a) disciplinary action and (b) dismissal for misconduct in the last year by the nationality of those officers. \p Jake Richards: The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
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Robert Jenrick:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prison officers employed by His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service are of (a) UK and (b) non-UK nationality by country of nationality. \p Jake Richards: The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
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Robert Jenrick:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prison officers have been (a) investigated, (b) disciplined and (c) dismissed for engaging in inappropriate or sexual relationships with prisoners in the last 12 months. \p Jake Richards: Data relating to investigations and conduct and discipline cases within HM Prison & Probation Service cannot be provided for the last 12 months because it forms a subset of the data planned for future release as part of the next annual HM Prison & Probation Service Staff Equalities Report. The data for the period ending 31 March 2025 will be published on 27 November 2025.
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Sir Christopher Chope:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many appeals to the First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum) were outstanding on 30 September (a) 2025, (b) 2024 and (c) 2023. \p Sarah Sackman: The number of open cases in the First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) is published in table FIA4 of the Tribunals Statistics quarterly tables and more recently monthly data in table 3 of the HMCTS management information.

Figures covering up to September 2025 are scheduled for publication on 11 December 2025.
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Sir Christopher Chope:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, for what reason is the First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum) at Taylor House Tribunal Hearing Centre on Rosebery Avenue, London, is restricted from using more than 20 of its 27 courts on average during the year; and what would be the additional cost of allowing all of its 27 courts to be used. \p Sarah Sackman: The First-tier Tribunal Immigration and Asylum Chamber (FtTIAC) is currently sitting to maximum levels possible based on available judicial capacity.

The FtTIAC has 27 hearing rooms available to list into at the Taylor House Tribunal Hearing Centre. Utilisation of this space is dependent on a number of factors including the volume of ‘in person’ versus ‘remote’ hearings scheduled, budgetary allocations, the requirement for judges to sit at satellite venues and available staffing and judicial resource.

Work is ongoing to increase capacity through recruitment of Judges and support staff. Judicial recruitment exercises which commenced in 2024 for the First-tier Tribunal, including the IAC, are ongoing with appointments due later this year and we are working to grow capacity further across future years. As additional Judges begin to sit we expect to see higher levels of listing across the FtTIAC estate.
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Sir Christopher Chope:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make his policy that witnesses giving evidence at hearings of the First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum) should do so under oath. \p Sarah Sackman: As an issue of tribunal procedure, giving evidence under oath would be a matter for judicial consideration. Rule 14(3) of the Tribunal Procedure (First-tier Tribunal) (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) already provides that the tribunal may require evidence to be given under oath.

Additionally, a witness statement, the equivalent of the oral evidence which the witness would, if called, give in evidence must always include a statement by the intended witness in their own language that they believe the facts in it are true.
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Lizzi Collinge:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department plans to review regulations on time limits for executors of wills to apply for probate. \p Alex Davies-Jones: There are no plans to review the law on time limits for executors to apply for probate. The existing legal framework offers flexibility, accepting the probate process is a complex one undertaken at an emotional time for many personal representatives.

There is currently no maximum time limit within which a personal representative must obtain a grant of probate, but there are penalties laid down for administering an estate without a grant of representation, and there are time limits for paying tax for which an estate is liable prior to applying for a grant.

There are also mechanisms for beneficiaries and other interested parties to hold personal representatives to account for failure to act in applying for probate, and if necessary to seek their removal.
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Robbie Moore:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the National Audit on Group-Based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, published in June 2025, what progress his Department has made on implementing recommendation 1. \p Alex Davies-Jones: The Government accepted recommendation 1 of the National Audit on Group-Based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse. We are committed to changing the law and we are aware of the need for urgency. This is a complex area of law and we are carefully considering how we change it to best meet the commitment. We will update Parliament soon about our proposed approach, including when we intend to legislate.
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Wendy Chamberlain:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Afghans were evacuated from Pakistan under the (a) Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme and (b) Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy each month from January 2025 to the latest month for which data is available. \p Mike Tapp: The UK made an ambitious and generous commitment to help at-risk people in Afghanistan and, so far, we have brought around 38,700. people to safety, including thousands of people eligible for our Afghan schemes.

Afghanistan Resettlement Schemes operational data is published quarterly with the last publication on the 21 August 2025.

Data on recent and planned resettlement is not available due to the operational nature of the schemes. For operational security reasons, we are unable to provide additional information on plans for future resettlement flights.

The data published within: immigration system statistics release  (year ending June 2025, published 21 August 2025) provides a breakdown of arrivals by quarter. The number of individuals resettled under the schemes is as follows: 19,048 under ARAP. 10,160 individuals under ACRS Pathway 1, 1,406 individuals under ACRS Pathway 2 and 1,679 individuals under ACRS Pathway 3.

Afghan Operational data is viewable at: Afghan Resettlement Programme: operational data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)(opens in a new tab)
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Mr Gregory Campbell:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 27 October 2025 to Question 84157 on Immigration Controls: Northern Ireland, what information her Department holds on the outcomes of Operation Gull; and what criteria she uses to evaluate the success of that operation. \p Alex Norris: To maintain the highest standards of accuracy, the Home Office prefers to refer to published data, as this has been subject to rigorous quality assurance under National Statistics protocols prior to publication. Information about outcomes and criteria to evaluate the success of Operation Gull is not available in our published data.

Our published national data on enforcement activity is available at the following link and includes data on detected irregular arrivals to the UK: Immigration system statistics, year ending June 2025 - GOV.UK
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Mr Gregory Campbell:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department's publication entitled Illegal working and enforcement activity to the end of September 2025, published on 28 October 2025, how many of people arrested under suspicion of working illegally in Northern Ireland within the past twelve months arrived illegally into the UK. \p Alex Norris: We do not routinely publish the information you have requested. We are unable to provide this information, as it could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
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Chris Philp:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to stop foreign offenders wanted for crimes abroad from (a) crossing the Channel and (b) claiming asylum in the UK. \p Alex Norris: We have launched the Border Security Command (BSC) whose work is imperative not only to stop criminals from entering the UK via small boats in the first place but to stop anyone from making these dangerous journeys. This is why the BSC is working with partners internationally to tackle and disrupt organised immigration crime gangs.

All individuals arriving in the UK via small boats undergo a comprehensive screening process. This is designed to gather key information about each person, including any indicators of criminality.

As part of this process, the Home Office collects biometric data—such as facial images and fingerprints—to verify identity. These biometrics are checked against Home Office systems and other law enforcement databases, including Interpol’s wanted list. This enables us to identify individuals, assess whether they pose a risk to public safety, and determine any breaches of immigration law. These checks are essential to maintaining a secure, fair, and effective immigration system.

In line with the Refugee Convention, refugee status will be denied to those who have committed serious crimes, pose a danger to the community, or present a threat to national security.

For further details on security checks during the asylum screening process, please refer to: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66a0e95e49b9c0597fdb03dd/Screening+and+routing.pdf

This process also ensures that individuals who should not be granted bail are identified promptly.
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Sir Christopher Chope:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many decisions of the Home Office with a right of appeal to the First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum) have been made in each of the last 12 months; and how many of these have been or are now the subject of such an appeal. \p Alex Norris: The Home Office publishes data on asylum in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’.

Data on initial decisions and outcomes on asylum claims, is published in table Asy_D02 of the ‘Asylum claim and initial decisions detailed datasets’. The latest data relates to as at 30 June 2025.

Data for as at 30 September 2025 will be published on 27 November 2025.

Data on asylum appeals is published in table Asy_D06 and Asy_D07 of the ‘Asylum appeals lodged and determined detailed datasets’. The latest data relates to the year ending March 2023.

Information on how to use the datasets can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbooks.

Appeals data from April 2023 onwards is currently unavailable for publication due to ongoing work as immigration data transitions to a new caseworking system. Work is ongoing to make this information available, and it will be included in a future edition of the Immigration System Statistics release.

Please note that figures for immigration and asylum appeals at First-Tier Tribunal and subsequent stages are published by the Ministry of Justice as part of their Tribunal Statistics release. The latest data relates to January to March 2025.
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Vikki Slade:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate her Department has made of the cost of moving asylum seekers housed in hotels into disused military bases. \p Alex Norris: As part of our commitment to close all asylum hotels, we are looking at a range of more appropriate sites including disused accommodation, industrial and ex-military sites so we can reduce the impact on communities. Alternative accommodation sites will be considered on a site-by-site basis, we will continue to work closely with key stakeholders and in compliance with published policy.
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Dame Chi Onwurah:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the eVisa system since its rollout; and whether any complaints have been received on (a) accessibility issues and (b) inaccuracies in eVisa records. \p Mike Tapp: We are committed to ensuring that the transition to eVisas is as smooth as possible for all status holders. The Home Office has a robust support model in place to facilitate this transition that strives to ensure that all people, including the most vulnerable, are properly supported as we transform our immigration system. All our digital status online services are designed to be compliant with relevant accessibility legislation.

People who need support can contact the UKVI Resolution Centre to request that an account is created for them so they can access their eVisa. They can also get help to access their eVisa from Grant Funded Organisations or Local Authorities, or through the Assisted Digital Service if they are digitally excluded.

We have increased the number of support services available to vulnerable people and have delivered £4m of grant funding to 72 voluntary and community sector organisations across the UK.

In response to feedback from users, we have also provided information and guidance videos on GOV.UK which show all users how to access and use their UKVI account.

If a person notices any inaccurate details in their eVisa, for example, their eVisa is showing a wrong date of birth or immigration status, or they cannot see their eVisa after creating their UKVI account, they should report the error as soon as possible via: eVisas: access and use your online immigration status: Report an error with your eVisa - GOV.UK

Once the eVisa error form has been submitted, we prioritise the resolution of their issue and people will receive an email notification when the error or issue has been resolved.
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Alex Brewer:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to reduce the time taken in Certificate of Sponsorship allocations for Skilled Worker visa holders in cases where (a) a compliant sponsor with an A-rated licence has submitted a valid request with supporting evidence and (b) delay risks causing a lawful worker to fall out of immigration status. \p Mike Tapp: It is the responsibility of individual businesses to monitor the visa expiry dates of their overseas employees and to take appropriate action to ensure continuity of employment.

The published service standard for non-complex Undefined Certificate of Sponsorship (UCoS) allocations and renewals is 18 weeks, as outlined on GOV.UK. Businesses may also opt to use the priority service, which aims to process requests within 5 working days.

Responsibility for submitting timely applications or updates lies with the sponsoring business.

Where necessary, the Home Office conducts additional checks to maintain the integrity of the immigration system, which may delay the processing of applications to assure ourselves that requests are genuine and full time work and employment will be given to a prospective employee, for their own protection.

UK visa sponsorship for employers: Your responsibilities - GOV.UK

The Home Office is currently operating within the published service standards for all Sponsorship applications.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have had their UK citizenship reinstated following a successful appeal since 26 February 2025. \p Mike Tapp: Since 26 February 2025, there have been no cases of reinstated citizenship following a successful appeal.
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Colum Eastwood:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that HMRC’s fraud detection systems do not incorrectly suspend child benefit payments for claimants that travel through the Republic of Ireland. \p Dan Tomlinson: Child Benefit is paid to over 6.9 million families, supporting 11.9 million children. It is one of the most widely accessed benefits in the UK.

As part of its ongoing efforts to reduce error and fraud in the Child Benefit system, HMRC undertook a pilot last year using international travel data. This pilot saw thousands of people who had left the UK but carried on claiming Child Benefit removed from the system - preventing around £17m in wrongful payments. This led to a wider rollout and investment in an additional 180 counter-fraud staff, announced at the Autumn Budget 2024 and is expected to save £350 million over the next five years.

In expanding the process last month, a check of HMRC systems to first look for continuing UK employment was inadvertently omitted on around 23,500 enquiries. While evidence from the pilot suggests that most of these cases will have been correctly suspended, the omission of the check has meant that HMRC will have incorrectly suspended payments in some instances.

HMRC has taken immediate corrective action to resolve this issue. The employment check has been reinstated for all future cases meaning fewer people will be sent letters in the first instance. In addition, HMRC has retrospectively applied this check to the 346 Northern Ireland customers, resulting in reinstated payments for 134 cases. HMRC have also reinstated payments for a further 46 Northern Ireland customers while we clarify their residency status.

HMRC has taken steps to improve the process. HMRC will no longer suspend payments at the outset and will give customers time to evidence their entitlement first. Together these changes will reduce error and ensure fair treatment of claimants.

Customers affected by the issue who believe they are still eligible should call the number on the letter they received. HMRC have set up a dedicated team to handle their cases swiftly.

Where eligibility is confirmed, payments will resume and HMRC will make backdated payments, so no-one is left out of pocket.
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Dr Luke Evans:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of introducing employers’ National Insurance contributions for General Practice partners on retention. \p Dan Tomlinson: Partners are treated as self-employed for tax purposes and therefore no Employer National Insurance Contributions (NICs) are due on their income.
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Ben Lake:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions she has had with the Welsh Government on the Autumn Budget 2025. \p James Murray: There have been regular discussions with the Welsh Government on the Budget. This ensures that we are taking account of their views to ensure that we are delivering for the people of Wales.

The Chancellor met with the First Minister for Wales on the 7th of August in Wales.

I also met with the Welsh Government’s Finance Minister on the 17th of October at the Finance: Interministerial Standing Committee (F:ISC), to discuss a range of issues affecting Wales, including funding arrangements and his priorities for the Autumn Budget .
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Ben Lake:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions she has had with the Welsh Government on a formal review of Wales’s fiscal framework. \p James Murray: We have ongoing discussions with the Welsh Government about funding flexibilities and updating their Fiscal Framework and remain committed to working in partnership to ensure the smooth delivery of their funding settlement.

HM Treasury ministers regularly engage with Welsh Government counterparts, including through forums such as the Finance: Interministerial Standing Committee (F:ISC), to discuss a range of issues affecting Wales, including funding arrangements. The most recent F:ISC was on 17 October.
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Ben Lake:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions her Department has had with the Welsh Government on (a) Wales’s comparability factor for transport and (b) the impact of that factor on funding for the Welsh Government. \p James Murray: HM Treasury ministers and officials regularly engage with Welsh Government counterparts, including through forums such as the Finance: Interministerial Standing Committee (F:ISC), to discuss a range of issues affecting Wales. The most recent F:ISC was on 17 October.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to her comments at at the JP Morgan Tech Stars conference on 7 October 2025, with whom at the developer she had a good relationship. \p James Murray: The government has been clear in its commitment to get Britain building.

Details of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hm-treasury-ministerial-overseas-travel-and-meetings
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Ben Lake:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of levels of UK Research and Innovation funding allocated to Wales. \p James Murray: This Government is investing in Wales to help create jobs and drive economic growth. UKRI has recently launched the Local Innovation Partnerships Fund (LIPF) - a new programme that will empower innovation leadership through local ‘triple helix’ partnerships between civic institutions, business and universities, delivering impact, at scale. This Fund has earmarked £30 million for the Cardiff Capital Region [1].

[1] Cardiff Capital Region backed by £30m to unlock innovation and growth - GOV.UK
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Manuela Perteghella:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the increase in employer National Insurance contributions on SMEs in Stratford-on-Avon constituency. \p Dan Tomlinson: 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, including on businesses. The Government decided to protect the smallest businesses from the changes to employer NICs by increasing the Employment Allowance from £5,000 to £10,500. This means that this year, 865,000 employers will pay no NICs at all, and more than half of all employers will either gain or will see no change.
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Navendu Mishra:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department plans to review the flat rate of simplified expenses for people who (a) are self-employed and (b) work from home. \p Dan Tomlinson: Self-employed people who work from home can deduct the actual cost of working from home when working out their profits, or use simplified expenses. There are three different rates of simplified expenses depending on the number of hours worked from home. As with all taxes and allowances, the Government keeps the rates of simplified expenses under review.
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Office for National Statistics has provided (a) data, (b) technical support and (c) modelling assistance her Department in connection with analyses of (i) tax contributions and (ii) benefit claims by (A) ethnicity, (B) nationality, and (C) country of birth. \p Dan Tomlinson: The Office for National Statistics (ONS) produces the Living Costs and Food survey which is one of the household microdata sets used regularly for analysis of tax and welfare measures by protected characteristics to fulfil the requirements under the Public Sector Equality Duty in the Equality Act 2010. The ONS has not provided any technical support or modelling assistance.
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Neil Duncan-Jordan:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an estimate of the value of uncollected tax in each of the last five financial years. \p Dan Tomlinson: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) estimates the size of the tax gap, which is the difference between the amount of tax that should, in theory, be paid to HMRC, and what is actually paid. The tax gap statistics and details of the estimate methodologies are published annually and are available at: Measuring tax gaps 2025 edition: tax gap estimates for 2023 to 2024 - GOV.UK.

Table 1.3 of the online tables shows the tax gap time series between tax years 2005 to 2006 and 2023 to 2024 in percentage and absolute value terms. In the tax year 2023 to 2024, the tax gap was 5.3% of total theoretical tax liabilities, or £46.8 billion in absolute terms. The tax gap was 5.6% (£46.4 billion) in 2022 to 2023, 5.6% (£41.8 billion) in 2021 to 2022, 5.3% (£34.2 billion) in 2020 to 2021, and 5.8% (£38.5 billion) in 2019 to 2020. The online tables are available at: Measuring tax gaps tables - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
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Mr Will Forster:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has had recent discussions with the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation on granting a licence to allow (a) renovations and (b) other maintenance works to proceed at Sutton Place in Woking. \p Lucy Rigby: I refer the hon member to the answers that I gave to Parliamentary Question UIN 80792 and Parliamentary Question UIN 84508 on 20 October and 28 October respectively.
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Mr Gregory Campbell:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 16 September 2025 to Question 77468 on Contactless Payments, if she will have discussions with the FCA on extending the closing deadline for responses to the consultation on unlimited contactless card payments. \p Lucy Rigby: On September 10, the FCA launched a consultation on its proposals to introduce a new risk-based approach to contactless payments, allowing payment service providers greater flexibility to determine their approach to contactless payments where they identify there is a low risk of fraud. This consultation closed on 15 October. Decisions on the consultation process on changes to the contactless limits are a matter for the FCA, which is independent of the Government.
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Neil O'Brien:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions she had with the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) on the risk that OBR productivity growth forecasts would be revised down before the (a) Autumn Budget 2024 and (b) Spring Statement 2025. \p Lucy Rigby: The Chancellor engages regularly with the OBR including in preparation for fiscal events. As the Government’s independent official forecaster, the OBR has full discretion over the judgements underpinning its forecasts.

In the OBR's March Economic and Fiscal Outlook, the OBR included two scenarios for trend productivity, reflecting both upside and downside risks.