theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Munira Wilson:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will set out any outcomes from the most recent meeting of the UK-EU Specialised Committee on Aviation Safety, held on the 26th November 2025. \p Keir Mather: The outcomes of the meeting will be published online when the minutes are finalised and agreed between the UK and EU.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of whether it is possible to carbon offset all flights; and what are the commercial or other mechanisms for doing so. \p Keir Mather: The Government is supportive of the role of carbon markets in driving cost-effective decarbonisation of the aviation sector, including through the global carbon offsetting scheme, CORSIA, and aviation’s inclusion in the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (UK ETS). Such measures complement other Government action to achieve net zero aviation by 2050, including on Sustainable Aviation Fuel and airspace modernisation.

Airlines may also choose to offset their emissions voluntarily or offer this to customers. The Government supports businesses engaging with voluntary carbon markets in a way that complements deep emissions cuts, using high-integrity credits to finance additional climate action where immediate abatement is not possible.
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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions have taken place with EU counterparts to discuss exemptions or streamlined processes for UK HGV drivers under the Entry/Exit System. \p Keir Mather: EES is being implemented by the EU to improve border security. Ultimately, any exemptions or amendments to Schengen rules, which EES will reinforce, are a matter for Member States and the EU.

Whilst the UK Government is making every effort to engage with the EU as they roll out their implementation of EES, EES is not a UK Government initiative. The Government has been supporting ports and carriers to make sure they have the right technology and processes in place so EES registration can take place as smoothly as possible. The Government will continue to listen to concerns raised by sectors affected by these rules and will advocate for British citizens abroad.
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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to ensure that bus service planning by local authorities considers the needs of older people who can no longer drive. \p Simon Lightwood: This Government knows that bus services can be a lifeline for many in rural areas and can be the only means of accessing essential services. Action is being taken to help improve local bus services across the country through the Bus Services Act 2025 which has put the power over local bus services back into the hands of local leaders.

In addition, the Government has confirmed over £1 billion for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London. Essex County Council and Thurrock Council have been allocated £17.8 million and £2 million of this funding respectively, helping to improve bus services across these areas. We expect local authorities to work with bus operators to ensure local bus services deliver for all communities across their area, including those without access to cars, when considering how to improve bus services.

Government does not hold information on the specific number of older people in rural areas who rely solely on bus services for travel. However, the Department for Transport's National Travel Survey and Annual Bus Statistics contain information about the demographics of bus passengers. The latest data from the National Travel Survey can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/national-travel-survey-statistics, and the Annual Bus Statistics can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/annual-bus-statistics-year-ending-march-2025.
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Melanie Onn:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions she has had with National Rail and LNER on alternative platform solutions at Market Rasen on the Lincoln to Cleethorpes East Coast line. \p Keir Mather: With rail infrastructure and passenger services being brought together as we progress towards Great British Railways, we expect a fresh assessment of the business case to be made. The aspirations of local communities and stakeholders are noted and will be incorporated as appropriate in future planning assessments, subject to available funding.
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Grahame Morris:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what guidance has she given to the British Transport Police Authority on British Transport Police funding in the 2026-27 financial year. \p Keir Mather: The Department does not determine the budget for the British Transport Police. The British Transport Police’s (BTP) budget is set independently of the Department by the British Transport Police Authority (BTPA), following proposals from the Force and views from the industry.

Earlier this year, the Rail Minister convened two high-level roundtable meetings with senior rail industry stakeholders to ensure that funding decisions are informed by a broad range of perspectives. The BTPA has since formalised its industry engagement by creating a strategic forum bringing together representatives from BTP, BTPA, the Department for Transport and the key BTP funders. This provides a platform for constructive dialogue on balancing funding with service expectations, ensuring decisions reflect shared priorities and deliver value for passengers and taxpayers.
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Munira Wilson:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which organisations will be members of Transport Focus. \p Keir Mather: The Railways Bill will establish a powerful voice for passengers, the Passenger Watchdog, to be grown out of Transport Focus. It will be given significantly stronger powers to become a more effective passenger champion.

In addition to this, Transport Focus will take over the sponsorship of the Rail Ombudsman from the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) as well as the ORR's role in setting and monitoring minimum consumer standards which train operators must meet as part of their licence conditions.
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Grahame Morris:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the age is of Grand Central Rail's current rolling stock. \p Keir Mather: In March 2025, the Office for Rail and Road reported that average age of Grand Central rolling stock was 23.2 years. In a letter of 26 March 2025, the regulator also approved an extension to Grand Central’s track access contract that included proposals for the phased introduction of new trains by Grand Central throughout 2028.
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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment has been made of the potential economic impact on the UK logistics industry due to the recent changes to the EU's Entry/Exit System, and what actions are the Department taking to minimise disruption. \p Keir Mather: The Entry-Exit System (EES) is an EU border security system being implemented across the EU. The UK Government is making every effort to engage with the EU as they roll out EES, to ensure border fluidity for UK citizens and businesses. This includes supporting ports and carriers to make sure they have the right technology and processes in place so EES registration can take place as smoothly as possible.

All UK nationals including lorry and coach drivers are bound by the 90/180 limit on short stays in the Schengen area. This has been the case since the UK left the EU in 2021. We continue to encourage road haulage and coach operators to take the necessary steps to ensure their UK national drivers who work internationally remain within the 90/180 limit.
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Chris Hinchliff:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, regarding aviation decarbonisation, if she will set out the differences in targets, technological approach, and decarbonisation pathways between the JZS and the CBGDP. \p Keir Mather: This Government is progressing a range of measures to support the decarbonisation of the aviation sector, including supporting sustainable aviation fuels, airspace modernisation and the development of low and zero emission aerospace technologies.

The Carbon Budget and Growth Delivery Plan (CBGDP), published in October, sets out the Government’s plan for delivering Carbon Budgets 4 – 6 across the whole economy. The CBGDP complements the 2022 Jet Zero Strategy (JZS), the policy document which sets the approach for the aviation sector to achieve net zero by 2050.

We regularly update our aviation modelling and assumptions used in our analysis when new evidence becomes available, including the pathways to reach net zero emissions by 2050. The modelling used in the CBGDP is taken from the latest wider modelling of aviation, including emissions, out to 2050. Further versions of updated modelling will be used to inform future publications, including analysis for Carbon Budget 7.
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Matt Vickers:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to support local authorities with highway maintenance costs. \p Simon Lightwood: The Government is committed to tackling the poor state of our roads and has pledged to support local authorities.

By 2029/30, the Government will commit over £2 billion annually for local authorities to repair and renew their roads and fix potholes – doubling funding since coming into office. For the first time, we have confirmed allocations for four years of funding, enabling local authorities to plan ahead and move away from expensive, short-term repairs and instead invest in proactive and preventative maintenance. This is in addition to the Government’s investment of £1.6 billion in 2025/26, a £500 million increase compared to 2024/25.

Local authorities should prioritise preventative treatments, such as surface dressing and other measures, to stop potholes forming in the first place. This focus on best practice is why a portion of funding is designated as incentive funding. This incentive funding will be subject to local authorities demonstrating that they comply with best practice in highways maintenance, for example by spending all DfT’s capital grant on highways maintenance and adopting more preventative maintenance.
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Ruth Jones:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment has she made of the potential merits of proposals to re-open the Abertillery spur of the Ebbw Vale Line. \p Simon Lightwood: The Wales Rail Board works with both the UK and Welsh governments, as well as local transport authorities and community leaders, to identify and advance rail projects that best meet the specific needs of each region.

In relation to the Abertillery Spur, the Wales Rail Board is in receipt of the development work undertaken to date by Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council and Transport for Wales and is considering this in relation to its advice to both governments on service development and investment priorities for Wales.
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Ruth Jones:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment has she made of the potential impact of (a) opening new or (b) reopening former railway stations on economic regeneration of towns in the South Wales coalfield. \p Simon Lightwood: The Spending Review and Infrastructure Strategy committed to deliver at least £445 million of rail enhancements in Wales, including the provision of £48 million to the Welsh Government to upgrade the Core Valley Lines and increase connectivity.

The Wales Rail Board works with both the UK and Welsh governments, as well as local transport authorities and community leaders, to identify and advance rail projects that best meet the specific needs of each region, including new and reopened stations. The Board places particular emphasis on initiatives that promote economic development, job creation, and improved housing, ensuring that all projects are supported by a robust business case.
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Rebecca Smith:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when she plans to publish the draft statutory Code of Practice governing retail market conduct under Great British Railways; whether she plans to consult on that Code of Practice; and whether that Code will be in place ahead of the commencement of Great British Railways’ retail functions. \p Keir Mather: The future rail retail industry code of practice will set out clear requirements for how Great British Railways (GBR) interacts with all market participants. It will be owned and managed by the ORR, and GBR’s licence will require compliance with it. The Railways Bill enables the Secretary of State to introduce the licence condition that will underpin the code of practice and give it force.

The government has confirmed that there will be full consultation on the production of the code of practice. Further detail on that consultation will be set out in due course. The Code of Practice will come into force in alignment with GBR's beginning to retail and taking on responsibility for wider retail industry management functions.
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Joe Morris:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussion her Department is having with relevant stakeholders to help tackle harassment against women and girls on trains in the North East. \p Lilian Greenwood: Everyone should be able to use the rail network without fearing for their safety. As part of the Government’s Safer Streets mission, we have a commitment to reduce violence against women and girls (VAWG) by half over the next decade. The Department is committed to working with the rail industry and the British Transport Police (BTP) to ensure this is the case.

Last month, the Department and Greater Manchester Combined Authority jointly hosted a Safer Streets, Safer Transport Summit which brought together representatives from across the transport industry, Government, local authorities (including the North East Combined Authority), the third sector and policing to commit to taking action against anti-social behaviour (ASB) and Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG).

BTP officers in the North East attend the local Safer Transport Regional Group and the Violence Against Women and Girls on Transport Partnership Working Group, strengthening collaboration with partners and focusing joint efforts on preventing these offences.

BTP deliver numerous public campaigns to increase VAWG reporting across the network including in the North East. The Rail Delivery Group also delivers its ‘zero tolerance’ campaign, which is aimed at educating people about the different types of sexual harassment and encouraging reporting to the BTP or anonymously to crime stoppers.
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Jim McMahon:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the answer of 20 October 2025 to question 78371, whether he plans to increase court numbers in Greater Manchester to deal with the backlog of cases; and if he will prioritise co-location with a new police station and other services in Oldham. \p Sarah Sackman: The Government inherited a justice system in crisis, with a record and rising open caseload of nearly 80,000 criminal cases waiting to be heard in the Crown Court and too many victims waiting years for justice.

Upon entering office, the Deputy Prime Minister took immediate action to allocate an additional Crown Court sitting days this financial year, taking the total allocation to a record 112,500 sitting days, over 5,000 more days than those funded last year by the previous Government. We have also secured record investment of up to £450 million per year for the courts system over the Spending Review period, alongside investing almost £150 million to modernise the court estate, including improvements at Manchester Crown Court. While plans to expand criminal hearing capacity in Greater Manchester remain under review, it is important to recognise that court capacity is determined by more than the number of available courtrooms. Increasing physical space alone will not create additional hearings unless there are also sufficient judges, magistrates, legal advisors, advocates and wider system partners available to support them.

To deliver that, we are accelerating our programme to recruit more new and diverse magistrates over the coming years. We continue to recruit high levels of legal advisers to ensure courts remain resilient. We are also continuing to invest in the recruitment of c.1,000 judges and tribunal members annually across all jurisdictions.

However, demand is currently so high, it is indisputable that fundamental reform is needed. That is why, on 2 December, the Government announced a bold and ambitious criminal court reform package to ensure cases are dealt with proportionately and deliver swifter justice for victims.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of criminal trials involved a jury in each of the last ten years. \p Sarah Sackman: Only 3% of all cases were heard by a jury in the year to June 2025. This is based on the number of not guilty pleas as a proportion of all cases for trial, excluding Single Justice Procedure cases. Over 90% of criminal cases are heard in the magistrates’ courts without juries.

The Ministry of Justice routinely publishes information concerning the volume of trials at the criminal courts as part of Criminal Court Statistics Quarterly which can be found here: Criminal Court Statistics - GOV.UK.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much funding his Department provides for Legal Aid for women. \p Sarah Sackman: Legal aid is available, subject to the case being in scope and all relevant eligibility criteria being met, irrespective of the applicant’s gender.

The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) publishes client diversity statistics on an annual basis as part of its official statistics [tables 11.1-11.5]. Legal aid diversity information over time can be accessed via the Legal Aid Client Diversity Statistics Dashboard. The diversity statistics include information on the volume of legal aid clients broken down by gender across all legal aid schemes. It is not mandatory to complete the equality and diversity sections of the legal aid application form and so in some instances the gender of the applicant will be recorded as ‘unknown’. Since the introduction of Crime Apply in August 2024 it has not been possible to collect diversity data, including gender, in connection with Crime Higher applications.

As diversity data is only collected at application stage corresponding information about expenditure broken down by gender of the applicant would require an element of manual review and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
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Robert Jenrick:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of Crown court cases are for murder, manslaughter and rape. \p Sarah Sackman: In the 12 months to June, there were 114,325 cases disposed of at the Crown Court for all offences, 3,615 for rape, 483 for murder and 49 for manslaughter – rape accounts for 3.0%, and murder and manslaughter combined make up less than 0.1% of all disposals at the Crown Court in the period.

This is a further breakdown of Crown Court workload statistics, Table C1, published in Criminal Court Statistics Quarterly here.
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Lee Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners released through the Early Release Scheme have since reoffended. \p Jake Richards: This Government inherited prisons days from collapse. We have had no choice but to take decisive action to stop our prisons overflowing and keep the public safe.   Reoffending rates are published regularly on an annual and quarterly basis. The most recent rates are available at the link below: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/proven-reoffending-statistics

We have also published SDS40 release data alongside the quarterly Offender Management Statistics, in line with the Lord Chancellor’s commitment to transparency: Standard Determinate Sentence (SDS40) release data - GOV.UK
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Carla Lockhart:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many times drones have been recorded delivering (a) weapons and (b) drugs into prisons in each of the last three years. \p Jake Richards: We publish the number of drone incidents in England and Wales in the HMPPS Annual Digest, please see table 6_1 in the Finds tables. The latest issue covers the 12-month period to March 2025, with a time series of drone incidents starting from the 12-months to March 2021.

Any increase in reported drone incidents should not be interpreted as an increase in incursions; it may reflect more focused reporting. Drone incidents should not be interpreted as definitive evidence of the delivery of weapons and drugs into prisons, as they include all incidents where a drone is sighted. Data specific to deliveries of illicit items cannot be disclosed for security reasons.
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Jim McMahon:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 18 November 2025 to Question 90780 on Prisoners' Release: Housing, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the (a) saturation and (b) clustering of housing facilities for people supervised by the Probation Service on communities. \p Jake Richards: Statutory responsibility for housing and homelessness provision in both England and Wales lies with local authorities. To supplement this, His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) offers a three-tier structure of temporary accommodation, known as the Community Accommodation Service (CAS), for a small proportion of prison leavers and persons on bail. Many offenders leaving custody will have their own accommodation to return to.

CAS properties are sourced according to a demand analysis undertaken by HMPPS, with as wide a geographical spread as possible. They are normally in areas close to local amenities, to assist with effective rehabilitation and sentence management planning. Services have been expanded across the country in recent years to meet demand for places. This serves both to help prison leavers at risk of homelessness and to protect the public.

Other individuals under probation supervision who are in need of assistance on release from custody may be accommodated by the local authority or in accordance with private arrangements. When deciding whether to approve a proposed address, the probation practitioner will make a risk assessment and will also have regard to the offender’s sentence planning objectives
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on a Bill of Rights extending across the UK. \p Jake Richards: We have no plans to introduce a new Bill of Rights extending across the UK. The Human Rights Act 1998 provides human rights protections across the UK. It is an important part of our constitutional arrangements and will remain part of our law.
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Joe Robertson:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of spirits duty on the viability of pub in coastal communities. \p Dan Tomlinson: Alcohol duty is paid by producers, and is therefore not typically paid directly by pubs. Further, according to estimates derived from sales data collected on behalf of the Office for National Statistics, only around 15% of spirits are consumed on-trade.

At Autumn Budget 2025 the Chancellor confirmed that alcohol duty will be uprated on 1 February 2026 to main its current real-terms value. The government does not expect this to have any significant impact on competition between the on and off trades.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions she has had with representatives of the drinks industry about the potential impact of spirits taxation on pub profitability. \p Dan Tomlinson: Alcohol duty is charged at the point of production or importation of drinks, and is therefore not generally paid directly by pubs.

Further, the United Kingdon has an international obligation under WTO rules to treat imported and domestic products fairly. A duty-based tax incentive that applied only to domestic spirits producers is likely to be inconsistent with these legal obligations.

To support spirits producers, the Government has:

Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery.

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/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel
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Victoria Collins:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps the Financial Conduct Authority is taking to (a) enhance its oversight of Self-Invested Personal Pension operators and (b) review the capital adequacy requirements for those holding portfolios containing high volumes of non-standard or illiquid assets. \p Torsten Bell: Self-Invested Personal Pensions (SIPPs) are a type of personal pension regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) that give savers more choice over how they invest their retirement savings.

In December 2024, the FCA published their discussion paper “Pensions: Adapting our requirements for a changing market”. This paper invited feedback about due diligence and client asset requirements in the SIPP market.

The discussion paper has now closed and the FCA expects to consult on new proposals in Q1 2026.
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James Cartlidge:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the effect of the increase in employers National Insurance Contributions on small pubs. \p Dan Tomlinson: The government published a Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) which set out the impact of the changes, including for businesses, to employer NICs alongside the introduction of the Bill.

The Government decided to protect the smallest businesses from these changes by increasing the Employment Allowance from £5,000 to £10,500. This means that this year, 865,000 employers are paying no NICs at all, and more than half of all employers are either gaining or seeing no change. Businesses are still be able to claim employer NICs reliefs including those for under-21s and under-25 apprentices.

At Budget 2025, the government asked licensing authorities in England and Wales to explicitly consider the need to promote growth and deliver economic benefits in their decisions and set this out in the first National Licensing Policy Framework.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Energy Profits Levy on investment in North Sea oil and gas projects; and whether her Department has estimated the capital investment generated by reforming that levy before 2026. \p Dan Tomlinson: The Government has carefully considered the potential impacts of the Energy Profits Levy (EPL), including on investment. The Treasury publishes impacts in summary form for tax measures in tax information and impact notes (TIINs) alongside the Finance Bill. The most recent summary of impacts from the EPL can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/energy-profits-levy-reforms-2024.

The Government is clear that the EPL will end in 2030, or earlier if the EPL’s price floor, the Energy Security Investment Mechanism (ESIM), is triggered. While it remains in place, the EPL is forecast to raise around £8.5 billion between 2025/26 and 2030/31, contributing towards funding vital public services. This is in addition to more than £11 billion in tax revenues already raised through the EPL since its introduction in May 2022.

The Government is committed to providing the oil and gas industry with the long-term certainty it needs on the future fiscal landscape and to support capital investment. At Budget 2025, the Government announced the details of the EPL successor regime, the Oil and Gas Price Mechanism. This new regime is designed to respond to future price shocks once the EPL ends, to create a stable, predictable fiscal environment that ensures companies continue to contribute fairly when oil and gas prices are unusually high while supporting investment in the UK’s oil and gas sector.
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Lee Anderson:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she plans to review the freeze on PAYE tax bands. \p Dan Tomlinson: The previous Government made the decision to maintain income tax thresholds at their current levels from April 2021 until April 2028.

This government is making fair and necessary choices on tax so it can deliver on the public's priorities, including by maintaining personal tax thresholds until April 2031. Everyone is being asked to contribute to support these goals, but the government is keeping the contribution as low as possible by pursuing a programme of reform to fix longstanding issues in the tax system - modernising it, and addressing unequal and unfair treatment, while ensuring the wealthiest contribute more.
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David Simmonds:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, through what mechanisms and systems will the Valuation Office Agency revalue dwellings for the new council tax surcharge. \p Dan Tomlinson: The Valuation Office Agency are developing their approach to the targeted valuation and will set out more details in due course, following the outcome of the Government's consultation.

In general, when valuing domestic properties, the VOA uses modern technology and industry standard techniques combined with freely available information including sales data, property attribute details and government records.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she intends to cap public service pension costs under section 12 of the Public Service Pensions Act 2013. \p Torsten Bell: Section 12 of the Public Service Pensions Act 2013 (the Act) requires an employer cost cap to be set in each of the public service pension schemes.

The Act requires that Treasury regulations must provide for the costs of a scheme to remain within specified margins either side of the employer cost cap of the scheme. The Regulations (SI 2014 No. 575) provide the margins are 3% of pay and that steps must be taken to return the cost of a scheme to the employer cost cap if the cost of the scheme would otherwise go beyond these margins.

Treasury Directions made under the Act specify when the employer cost cap is to be assessed (The_Public_Service_Pensions__Valuations_and_Employer_Cost_Cap__Directions_2023_-_Final.pdf ). Valuations of the employer cost cap as at 31 March 2016 and at 31 March 2020 have been undertaken by each of the schemes, for example see page 9 of the Civil Service Pension Scheme Actuarial Valuation as at 31 March 2020 - Valuation Results. Valuations of the employer cost cap as at 31 March 2024 are currently underway and are expected to be published next year.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-03)

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Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of business rates on the financial viability of pubs in Surrey Heath constituency. \p Dan Tomlinson: The amount of business rates paid on each property is based on the rateable value of the property, assessed by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA), and the multiplier values, which are set by the Government. Rateable values are re-assessed every three years. Revaluations ensure that the rateable values (i.e. the tax base) of properties remain in line with market changes, and that the tax rates adjust to reflect changes in the tax base.

At the Budget, the VOA announced updated property values from the 2026 revaluation. This revaluation is the first since Covid, which has led to significant increases in rateable values for some properties, including those in the hospitality sector as they recover from the pandemic. To support with bill increases, at the Budget, the Government announced a support package worth £4.3 billion over the next three years, including protection for ratepayers seeing their bills increase because of the revaluation. As a result, over half of ratepayers will see no bill increases, including 23% seeing their bills go down. This means most properties seeing increases will see them capped at 15% or less next year, or £800 for the smallest.

For the pubs sector, the increase in rateable values will be 30%, which combined with the loss of the temporary RHL relief would lead to an increase in total bills paid by the sector of 45%. However, due to government intervention, the sector’s total bill will only increase by 4% next year.

More broadly, the Government is delivering a long overdue reform to rebalance the business rates system and support the high street, as promised in our manifesto.

The Government is doing this by introducing new permanently lower tax rates for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) properties, including pubs. These new tax rates are worth nearly £900 million per year, and will benefit over 750,000 properties.

The new RHL tax rates replace the temporary RHL relief that has been winding down since Covid. Unlike RHL relief, the new rates are permanent, giving businesses certainty and stability, and there will be no cap, meaning all qualifying properties on high streets across England will benefit.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-03 conversation_141

Mims Davies:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of taxing pension contributions above £2,000 on disabled people in part-time work. \p Torsten Bell: The existing income tax relief regime for pensions is unaffected by this change, whilst employer contributions can continue to be made free of National Insurance Contributions (NICs).

Salary and bonus sacrifice is an additional NICs relief that is only available to some employees. Those whose employer does not offer it, the self-employed and those with earnings near the National Living Wage cannot benefit.

Individuals earning below £30,000 making pension contributions through salary sacrifice are overwhelmingly protected by a £2,000 cap, with few (c. 5%) making salary sacrifice contributions above this threshold.

A Tax Information and Impact Note will be published in due course alongside the legislation when it is introduced to Parliament.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-03 conversation_142

Jim Shannon:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when she expects HMRC to bring processing times for A1 forms back within service standards. \p Dan Tomlinson: Due to increased demand for National Insurance services ahead of the 5 April 2025 deadline for making voluntary contributions, there have been delays in processing A1 applications.

As of 2 December 2025:

HMRC is aware of the impact of these delays on customers and is taking steps to improve processing times. HMRC is training 700 more National Insurance advisers and expect to meet their SLAs on this work by the end of December 2025.

HMRC encourages customers to apply online for A1 certificates as these are quicker to deal with.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-03 conversation_143

Mims Davies:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of freezing personal tax thresholds on disabled people in full-time work. \p Dan Tomlinson: The government has published a Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) setting out the impact of maintaining income Tax and equivalent National Insurance contributions thresholds.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-03 conversation_144

Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the 2025 Budget’s changes to personal taxation on average earners in the Fylde constituency. \p Dan Tomlinson: The government has published a Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) setting out the impact of maintaining income Tax and equivalent National Insurance contributions thresholds.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-03 conversation_145

Mims Davies:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the proposed cap on cash ISA contributions for under-65s on disabled people. \p Lucy Rigby: This policy will affect those aged under 65 from April 2027, but the overall ISA limit will remain at £20,000 for all savers when the annual Cash ISA limit is set at £12,000. It will not affect existing cash ISA savings.

A policy costing note for the package of measures introduced to support savers has been published alongside the Budget, including the changes to the ISA regime.

Following a technical consultation, new ISA regulations will be laid, and a Tax Impact and Information Note will be published.

In addition, HMRC regularly publishes statistics on ISA use online. The average Cash ISA subscription in 2022/23 was £5,296.

Based on available data on current ISA subscriptions from ISA managers, we expect that women make up around 52% of those likely affected by changes to the Cash ISA limit. Women account for 56% of all cash ISA subscribers as of 2022-23. Information on disability is not collected as part of savings statistics.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-03 conversation_146

Mims Davies:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the proposed cap on cash ISA contributions for under-65s on in Sussex. \p Lucy Rigby: This policy will affect those aged under 65 from April 2027, when the annual Cash ISA limit will be set at £12,000. It will not affect existing cash ISA savings.

A policy costing note for the package of measures introduced to support savers has been published alongside the Budget, including the changes to the ISA regime.

Following a technical consultation, new ISA regulations will be laid, and a Tax Impact and Information Note will be published.

The analysis used to produce the policy costing note is performed in aggregate and a breakdown by county or constituency is not available. However, HMRC regularly publish statistics on ISA subscriptions by region. Table 9.9 of HMRC’s annual savings statistics 2025 includes data for the South East.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-03 conversation_147

Sir Andrew Mitchell:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many additional people will be eligible for the Help to Save scheme in the West Midlands from 2028. \p Lucy Rigby: The government is expanding the Help to Save scheme to Universal Credit claimants who receive either the carer’s element or the child element. This will enable more low-income households to build savings, supported by a government bonus, to improve their financial security.

Whilst no estimate has been made of potential take-up of the scheme on a regional basis, up to an additional 1.5 million households could benefit from the scheme from April 2028.

This is an estimate of the number of non-working households who are estimated to be in receipt of the child element and/ or carer element on Universal Credit in April 2028. It is derived from the DWP’s Policy Simulation Model which is a microsimulation model that is based on data from the Family Resources Survey and DWP benefit forecasts. Eligibility estimates are therefore subject to some uncertainty.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-03 conversation_148

Kirsty Blackman:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she received representations from Anas Sarwar MSP between 1 July 2025 and 27 November 2025 on the windfall tax on oil and gas companies. \p Dan Tomlinson: The government receives representations from a wide range of stakeholders on the budget, including those from Scottish Labour.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-03 conversation_149

Mr Gregory Campbell:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how will the recently announced pay per mile charge for EV drivers affect those Northern Ireland based drivers whose work and residence near the border means much of their annual travel is done in the Irish Republic. \p Dan Tomlinson: As announced at Budget 2025, the Government is introducing Electric Vehicle Excise Duty (eVED) from April 2028, a new mileage charge for electric and plug-in hybrid cars, recognising that EVs (electric vehicles) contribute to congestion and wear and tear on the roads but pay no equivalent to fuel duty. As with VED, eVED will apply to UK-registered vehicles; non-UK registered vehicles will be required to register for eVED after a period of six months in the UK.

The Government has ruled out charging tax based on when or where people drive to protect motorists’ privacy. This means non-UK mileage driven by UK registered cars will fall into scope of eVED, as with fuel duty, which does not vary by basis of where a car is driven.

The vast majority of eVED will be paid on travel in the UK; there were an estimated 225 billion car miles in Great Britain in 2024, and over 9 billion miles travelled by car in Northern Ireland in 2023.

The government has published a consultation on GOV.UK, which provides further detail on how eVED is intended to work and seeks views on its implementation, and can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/69282ac1a245b0985f034197/eVED_Consultation.pdf
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-03 conversation_150

Rupert Lowe:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many staff in their Department have been on mental health leave for six months or more; and for what reason. \p Lucy Rigby: We currently have fewer than 5 staff on leave for six months or more for mental health related sickness absence. We do not reveal the medical details for individual ill health.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-03)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-03 conversation_151

Jim McMahon:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress she has made on reforming Common Bond provisions for Credit Unions. \p Lucy Rigby: The government recognises the role that credit unions play in providing savings and affordable loans to their members, serving local communities throughout the country. This is why the government is taking steps to ensure credit unions are fully supported to grow and scale into the future. This includes running a call for evidence on reforms to the credit union common bond, which closed in March.

After reviewing responses to this call for evidence, the government has committed to a package of growth-focused reforms to the credit union common bond. This was announced in the Financial Inclusion Strategy published on 5 November. The government will provide a further update on this work in due course.