theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Andrew George:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress she has made on implementing the provisions in Schedule 8 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023 on access to cash; and what discussions she has had with the Financial Conduct Authority on the effectiveness of its powers to enforce those provisions. \p Lucy Rigby: The Government recognises that cash continues to be used by millions of people across the UK, including those in vulnerable groups, and is committed to protecting access to cash for individuals and businesses.

The Financial Services and Markets Act 2023 granted the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) the responsibility and powers to seek to ensure the reasonable provision of cash withdrawal and deposit facilities. The FCA introduced regulatory rules to protect access to cash in September 2024. Its rules ensure cash continues to be a viable method of payment for the millions of people who depend on it by providing reasonable access to cash withdrawal and deposit facilities for individuals and businesses, including free services for personal accounts.

The FCA is required by law to keep its rules under review and has been closely monitoring the impact and effectiveness of their regime during its first year. It will commence a formal evaluation of its regime in due course.

The Government meets regularly with the FCA to discuss a range of topics.
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Sir Iain Duncan Smith:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the interest accruing on the frozen proceeds from the sale of Chelsea Football Club is subject to UK taxation. \p Lucy Rigby: HM Treasury and His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) are unable to comment on the tax affairs of specific taxpayers. UK source interest is chargeable to UK tax. The quantum and timing of that charge are dependent on the status of the recipient and the precise nature of the arrangements that lead to that interest.
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Sir Iain Duncan Smith:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the interest accrued on the frozen proceeds from the sale of Chelsea Football Club is intended to benefit any future foundation established to support victims of the war in Ukraine. \p Lucy Rigby: The Government is determined to see the full proceeds from the sale of Chelsea Football Club reach humanitarian causes in Ukraine, following Russia’s illegal full-scale invasion. We are deeply frustrated that it has not been possible to reach agreement on this with Mr Abramovich so far.

While the door for negotiations will remain open, we are fully prepared to pursue this through the courts if required, to ensure people suffering in Ukraine can benefit from these proceeds as soon as possible.
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Sam Rushworth:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the interest accruing on the frozen £2.5 billion proceeds from the sale of Chelsea Football Club is subject to UK taxation. \p Lucy Rigby: HM Treasury and His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) are unable to comment on the tax affairs of specific taxpayers. UK source interest is chargeable to UK tax. The quantum and timing of that charge are dependent on the status of the recipient and the precise nature of the arrangements that lead to that interest.
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David Reed:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of spirits duty increases on levels of pub closures in the last three years. \p Dan Tomlinson: The Chancellor makes decisions on tax policy at fiscal events, with Tax Information and Impact Notes (TIINs) published alongside these announcements.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the potential risks cryptocurrency market volatility poses to financial stability. \p Lucy Rigby: The Bank of England’s Financial Policy Committee (FPC) is responsible for identifying and monitoring risks to UK financial stability. The FPC’s latest Record (October 2025) sets out its views on the financial stability outlook, including its assessment of market related risks.

The government intends to bring forward legislation this year to create a comprehensive financial services regulatory regime for cryptoassets in the UK.

The UK also continues to play an active role internationally on work to respond to the global challenges and opportunities posed by digital asset innovation, including potential risks to financial stability, through fora such as the Financial Stability Board.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the her Department will review the tax treatment of capital gains on cryptocurrency transactions to ensure clarity and compliance. \p Lucy Rigby: The government recognises the significant potential for cryptoassets and blockchain technologies to drive economic growth in the UK and increase efficiencies across financial markets. We are committed to making the UK a world leading destination for cryptoassets.

Noting the novel and evolving nature of cryptoassets, it is right that the government keeps their tax treatment under review.
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Richard Tice:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the (a) transparency and (b) independence of the process used by the Office for National Statistics to revise historic employment data; and what discussions she has had with the Office for National Statistics on the revisions made since July 2024. \p Lucy Rigby: The ONS is an independent organisation and is accountable to the UK Statistics Authority (UKSA) board and the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) for the transparency and independence of its statistics. The Government trusts economic statistics produced by the ONS. The Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) is responsible for ensuring that official statistics meet the standards set out in the Code of Practice, including the requirements set out in the Code’s Standards for Official Statistics that:

- ‘Producers must lead responsibly and make impartial decisions about statistics, under the direction and authority of the Chief Statistician/Head of Profession for Statistics

- ‘Producers must release statistics in a transparent way.’

- Producers must be ‘open about quality’ and must ‘prominently explain the quality of the statistics’.

The OSR continues periodically to review labour market statistics from the Labour Force Survey against the Code of Practice for Statistics. Their most recent report, published in February 2025, highlighted ONS’s efforts to ensure transparency.

Revisions to the Labour Force Survey employment data since July 2024, such as those relating to the reweighting of the survey in December 2024, have been communicated by the ONS publicly. The ONS continues to advise caution when interpreting changes in the Labour Force Survey over the past two years due to the effects of methodological changes. The Treasury is engaged with the ONS’ processes on data quality monitoring, with engagement at every level.
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Daisy Cooper:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 19 November to Question 90360 on Business Rates, how many business premises (a) have been brought into paying business rates for the first time and (b) will pay more per year in business rates as a result of the revaluation, notwithstanding any reduction in the multiplier. \p Dan Tomlinson: The Valuation Office Agency is responsible for compiling the non-domestic rating lists and setting the rateable value for each non-domestic property. Local billing authorities then use this information to calculate rates payable by using the multiplier set by government and applying any appropriate relief or discounts. Next year’s liability has not yet been confirmed.

The Valuation Office Agency plans to publish draft valuations for the 2026 Rating List on 26 November 2025. Statistics will be published alongside this showing changes in rateable values between the 2023 and 2026 lists. The statistics will be updated to reflect any changes made when the compiled list is published on 1 April 2026.
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Jack Rankin:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimates her Department has made of the potential effect of increases in indirect taxation on the rate of inflation, with particular reference to the impact of increases in tobacco duty; and if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the Institute for Fiscal Studies' estimate that cumulative increases in indirect taxation since the last Budget have added 0.4 percentage points to the current inflation rate. \p Lucy Rigby: Forecasting the economy, including the effect of Government policy decisions on inflation, is the responsibility of the independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR). The OBR set out its assessment of policy measures in its Autumn Budget 2024 forecast and will update this analysis, drawing on the latest outturn data, at its next forecast next week on 26 November. The Chancellor has asked departments to prioritise reducing inflation when developing policies for the Autumn Budget, ensuring decisions support stability and long-term growth.
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Bambos Charalambous:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans she has to facilitate discussions between Post Office and the major banks on expanding in-person banking services at post offices. \p Lucy Rigby: The Government recognises the importance of access to cash and banking services for businesses and individuals, including those who may be in vulnerable groups or require assistance and is supportive of industry initiatives that improve access to these vital services.

The Post Office plays a key role in supporting access to banking services. Under the Banking Framework, a commercial agreement between the Post Office and 30 banking firms, personal and business customers can withdraw and deposit cash, check their balance, pay bills and cash cheques at 11,500 Post Office branches across the UK. The specific services provided under the Framework are subject to commercial negotiations between individual banks and the Post Office, and the Government has no role in deciding what these arrangements are.

The Government would welcome continued collaboration between Post Office and the banking sector, on a commercial basis and will look to host joint discussions with Post Office and the banking sector in the coming months.
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Mr Gregory Campbell:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the next review and report on the work of the OBR be commissioned before the end of this Parliament. \p Lucy Rigby: The Budget Responsibility and National Audit Act 2011 states that the Office for Budget Responsibility’s (OBR) Non-executive committee must appoint a person or body at least once in every 5-year period to review and report on the OBR.

The Chair of the OBR Oversight Board formally commissioned the third external review on 24 May 2024 which was published on 10 February 2025.

The OBR’s external reviews are published on the OBR’s website. https://obr.uk/about-the-obr/external-reviews/
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Gareth Thomas:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she plans to update (a) the Consumer Insurance (Disclosure and Representations) Act 2012 and (b) the Insurance Act 2015 to strengthen statutory consumer protections in the insurance market. \p Lucy Rigby: On 23 September 2025 Which? made a supercomplaint to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) that makes recommendations on relevant matters, including that the FCA and Government should review consumer protection legislation in insurance. The FCA and the Government are considering the issues raised. The FCA will respond to the supercomplaint in due course.
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will take steps to increase the accountability of the Financial Conduct Authority with the finance industry. \p Lucy Rigby: The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is fully accountable to Parliament and the Government for how it discharges its statutory functions. Legislation places a range of statutory requirements on the FCA designed to support accountability and enhance transparency.

For example, the FCA is held to account through regular appearances at Parliamentary committees, including the Treasury Select Committee and the Lords Financial Services Regulation Committee.

Ministers regularly engage with the FCA to ensure it continues to improve its operational efficiency.

In addition, the FCA regularly engages with industry, consumers and other stakeholders via consultations, publications and statutory panels.

The statutory framework also includes a requirement for the FCA to establish a Complaints Scheme, which allows anyone directly affected by the way in which the FCA has exercised, or failed to exercise, its functions (other than its legislative functions) under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 to make a complaint. The Complaints Scheme is overseen by the Financial Regulators Complaints Commissioner, who is an independent person appointed by HM Treasury and has powers to recommend the payment of compensation and to require the FCA to publish its response to any recommendations. The FCA’s decisions can also be challenged in the courts under judicial review procedures. There is an appeals process for supervisory and disciplinary decisions made by the FCA.

The Government will continue to hold the FCA to account for its performance against its statutory duties, its work to reduce administrative costs, and alignment with government priorities.

The government has recently consulted on proposals to require the FCA and the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) to publish long-term strategies setting out how they will advance their objectives, including their secondary objective to facilitate growth and international competitiveness. This would ensure that stakeholders, including regulated firms in the sector, are able to fully understand the FCA and PRA’s strategy towards the sector. The government is currently considering the responses to that consultation and will set out next steps in due course.
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what information her department holds on the number of complaints about the Financial Conduct Authority's regulations for commercial mortgages from a) Brokers and b) Commercial Mortgage holders. \p Lucy Rigby: Unlike residential mortgages, commercial mortgages are not typically regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of re-introducing a consumer credit license. \p Lucy Rigby: Businesses must be authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to provide credit to consumers unless an exemption applies. Lending without FCA authorisation is illegal and punishable by up to two years in prison and/or a fine.
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Sarah Bool:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent estimate her Department has made of the spirits duty revenue at risk from pub closures. \p Dan Tomlinson: HMRC does not hold data on alcohol duty paid on alcohol sold in pubs. Alcohol duty is paid at the point of production or import and would not generally be paid directly by pubs.

Statistics on alcohol duty are published in the Alcohol Bulletin - GOV.UK.

Estimates derived from sales data collected on behalf of the Office for National Statistics for the period 1 February 2024 to 31 January 2025 indicate around 15% of spirits are consumed on-trade and around 85% off-trade.
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Sarah Olney:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department holds data on the number of employers offering salary sacrifice schemes. \p Dan Tomlinson: HMRC does not hold administrative data on the number of employers offering and employees using salary sacrifice schemes. However, estimates based on other information are held.

HMRC analysis of the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings suggests that around 7.7 million employees made salary sacrifice pension contributions in 2024. That analysis is available here: https://www.ons.gov.uk/surveys/informationforbusinesses/businesssurveys/annualsurveyofhoursandearningsashe

HMRC’s non-structural tax relief statistics publication sets out the estimated number of participants in the cycle to work scheme and is accessible here:

Non-structural tax reliefs - GOV.UK
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Sarah Hall:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she will consider exempting larger hospitality venues from the business rates surcharge as part of her Department’s review of support for high street and community-based businesses. \p Dan Tomlinson: In April 2026, the Government will introduce permanently lower business rates multipliers for retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) properties with rateable values (RVs) below £500,000. This permanent tax cut will ensure eligible RHL businesses benefit from much-needed certainty and support. The Government is sustainably funding this by introducing a higher tax rate on properties with RVs of £500,000 and above.

The final design, including the rates, for the new business rates multipliers will be announced at Budget 2025, so that the Government can factor the revaluation outcomes, as well as the broader economic and fiscal context, into decision-making.
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Sarah Bool:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate her Department has made of the cost of spirits duty, business rates, VAT, and employer National Insurance contributions paid by pubs in the last 12 months. \p Dan Tomlinson: HMRC does not hold readily available data on revenue from spirits duty, VAT, and employer National Insurance contributions paid by pubs.

HMRC does not hold information on business rates which are administered by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
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Mr Louie French:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has had recent discussions with the Rt hon. Gordon Brown on gambling duties. \p Dan Tomlinson: The Chancellor discusses a variety of issues with stakeholders throughout the year, including the run up to Budget.
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Mr Louie French:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has had recent discussions with RyanAir on potential changes to air passenger duty. \p Dan Tomlinson: The government is committed to engaging with interested groups when developing and legislating tax policy and regularly engages with airlines and the wider aviation industry.

The Chancellor makes decisions on tax policy at fiscal events.
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Claire Hanna:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to to clause 32 in the Windsor Framework relating to VAT and excise, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of reducing the VAT rate in Northern Ireland. \p Dan Tomlinson: VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption, and the 20 per cent standard rate applies consistently across the UK to most goods and services. VAT is the UK’s second largest tax, forecast to raise £180 billion in 2025/26. Exceptions to the standard rate have always been limited and balanced against affordability considerations.
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Mr Angus MacDonald:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 23 June 2025 to Question 60696, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies on the independence of the Independent Review of the Loan Charge of comments made by Ray McCann in August 2019 on his level of independence. \p Dan Tomlinson: At Autumn Budget 2024, the Government committed to holding an independent review of the Loan Charge to bring this matter to a close for those affected. The review has now concluded and the Government will respond at Budget.

Ray McCann was suggested as a potential reviewer by one of the Loan Charge campaigners. During the review, Mr McCann was supported by a team of officials who had not previously worked for the Treasury or HMRC. The reviewer decided how to conduct the review and had the final say on what was included in his report.
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Mr Peter Bedford:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has considered the potential merits of cutting duty on draught beer and cider served in pubs. \p Dan Tomlinson: At Autumn Budget 2024, the government cut alcohol duty rates on draught products by 1.7%, which applies to approximately 60% of the alcoholic drinks sold in pubs. This took a penny of duty off a typical strength pint at a cost to the Exchequer of over £85m a year.  Draught beer and cider now pay 13.9% less in duty than their packaged equivalents – an increase of over 50% on the previous draught discount of 9.2%.

The Chancellor makes decisions on tax policy at fiscal events.
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Jack Rankin:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has considered the potential merits of moving the uprating of excise duty from RPI to CPI to help reduce inflation. \p Dan Tomlinson: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given on 13 November 2025 to PQ UIN 88538.
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Mr Louie French:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 28 October to question 83432 on Betting: Excise Duties, if she will publish a list of the stakeholders who (a) have responded to the consultation, and (b) have met with Ministers as part of the consultation. \p Dan Tomlinson: The Government launched a consultation on the tax treatment of remote gambling, which closed on 21 July 2025. Responses are now being analysed and a response to the consultation will be published at Autumn Budget 2025.

As is standard practice the consultation response will include a list of stakeholders who responded to the consultation. As part of HM Treasury’s commitment to transparency details of ministerial meetings with external stakeholders are published and the latest version can be found at the following link:

HM Treasury: ministerial overseas travel and meetings, April to June 2025 - GOV.UK
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Sir Desmond Swayne:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of the level of fuel duty that is now outstanding following the closure of the the Lindsey oil refinery. \p Dan Tomlinson: HMRC cannot comment on specific businesses due to taxpayer confidentiality.
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Sarah Hall:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she will consider reducing VAT on hospitality services to 12.5% to encourage investment and support the sector. \p Dan Tomlinson: The Government recognises the significant contribution made by hospitality businesses to economic growth and social life in the UK.

VAT is a reserved tax, applying UK wide. VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption, and the 20 per cent standard rate applies to most goods and services, including alcohol, whether served in hospitality establishments or sold in supermarkets. HMRC estimate that the cost of a 5 per cent reduced rate for accommodation, hospitality and tourist attractions would be around £10 billion this financial year. If the scope were also to include alcoholic beverages, the cost would be approximately £3 billion greater.

The Government is supporting the hospitality sector through the business rates system. To deliver our manifesto pledge, we intend to introduce permanently lower tax rates for retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) properties, including those on the high street, from 2026/27. Ahead of these changes being made, we have prevented RHL relief from ending in April 2025 by extending it for one year at 40 per cent up to a cash cap of £110,000 per business and frozen the small business multiplier.
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Jim McMahon:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of import duties on goods entering the UK from the EU on inflation. \p Dan Tomlinson: Latest data from the Department for Business and Trade shows that 94.9% of goods entering Great Britain from the EU did so tariff-free in 2023, broadly unchanged from 94.7% in 2022. This data is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/preference-utilisation-of-uk-trade-in-goods-2023/preference-utilisation-of-uk-goods-in-2023.

The Government wants to find ways to make it easier for businesses to trade with our partners and so is seeking views on potential UK accession to the Pan-Euro Mediterranean Convention on Rules of Origin through a call for evidence led by the Department for Business and Trade. You can find this information here: https://www.gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/pan-euro-mediterranean-convention-on-rules-of-origin-pem

Forecasting the economy, including the impact of Government policy decisions, is the responsibility of the independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), which published its latest forecast on 26 March 2025. HM Treasury does not produce forecasts for the UK economy and has not made an assessment of the impact of import duties on inflation.
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Sarah Hall:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she will consider extending Employer NICs exemptions to young people and those returning to work from welfare to support employment growth in sectors such as hospitality. \p Dan Tomlinson: Businesses can claim a number of employer NICs reliefs including those for under-21s and under-25 apprentices. This means employers will pay no employer NICs for apprentices under 25 or employees under 21 on earnings up to £50,270.

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

The Government keeps all taxes under review as part of the policy making process. The Chancellor will announce any changes to the tax system at fiscal events in the usual way.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much HM Revenue and Customs has spent on translation and interpretation services in each of the last five years. \p Dan Tomlinson: HMRC spend on a) Translation and b) Interpretation for the last 5 years is set out below:

2020/2021 – a) £0.32m b) £0.50m

2021/2022 – a) £0.29m b) £0.53m

2022/2023 – a) £0.45m b) £0.63m

2023/2024 – a) £0.59m b) £0.59m

2024/2025 – a) £0.83m b) £0.30m
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Ben Lake:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions she has had with the Welsh Government on the current real terms value of their capital borrowing powers as compared with their real terms value when they were introduced. \p James Murray: HM Treasury ministers regularly engage with their Welsh Government counterparts, including through forums such as the Finance: Interministerial Standing Committee (F:ISC), to discuss a range of issues affecting Wales.

We remain committed to working in partnership with the Welsh Government to ensure the smooth delivery of their funding settlement.
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Llinos Medi:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 28 March 2025 to question 41189, how many private businesses based in Wales paid (a) lease and (b) royalties fees to the Crown Estate in 2024-25. \p James Murray: This information is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. The Crown Estate will provide separate reporting for Wales in its 2025-26 annual report and accounts.
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Llinos Medi:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent estimate she has made of the number of jobs to be created through the first phase of the Floating Offshore Wind Programme in the Celtic Sea; and how many of these will be in Wales. \p James Murray: As part of the tender process for Offshore Wind Leasing Round 5, bidders were required to set out plans for creating onshore benefits from the development of the new wind farms. This included committing to creating new apprenticeships, and supporting those currently not in education, employment or training.

Research commissioned by The Crown Estate found that across the UK up to 5,300 new jobs and up to £1.4 billion could be generated for the economy by galvanising the supply chain and infrastructure opportunities arising from the development of these new floating wind farms off the coast of South Wales and Southwest England.
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Mr Gregory Campbell:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, on how many occasions has a Director for Northern Ireland of the National Wealth Fund met with the NI Executive in the past twelve months to discuss how the fund can help promote economic growth in Northern Ireland. \p James Murray: The National Wealth Fund works collaboratively with the Northern Ireland Executive to identify investment opportunities in Northern Ireland. It has a dedicated director based in Northern Ireland and opened a Belfast office in December 2024.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-24)

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Samantha Niblett:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Treasury has estimated the economic cost of outages on hyperscale cloud providers, and whether such risks are factored into national digital resilience planning. \p James Murray: The Government monitors systemic risks to UK critical national infrastructure, including resilience measures and contingency planning, including cloud providers.

The Government recognises the importance of robust protections for the services essential to our society and economy. That is why we introduced the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill on 12 November. The Bill will make sure more types of essential and digital services adhere to robust cyber security practices.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-24 conversation_250

Afzal Khan:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of the (a) volume and (b) value of goods imported to the UK from Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories in the last 12 months. \p Dan Tomlinson: The Government’s position is that Israeli settlements in Palestine (formerly referred to as the Occupied Palestinian Territories) are illegal under international law. For trade statistics purposes Palestine consists of the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and the Gaza Strip.

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is responsible for the collection and publication of data on imports and exports of goods to and from the UK. HMRC releases this information monthly, as an accredited official statistic called the Overseas Trade in Goods Statistics (OTS), which is available via their dedicated website (https://www.uktradeinfo.com/).
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-24 conversation_251

Preet Kaur Gill:To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, how the recommendation from the Sullivan Review that 'sex' rather than 'gender' should be the default question when collecting data will be implemented across government and the ONS. \p Olivia Bailey: The Government recognises the importance of collecting accurate and relevant data on sex. The Sullivan Review, commissioned by the previous administration and published in March, made a number of recommendations to improve sex and gender identity data collection. Individual departments are considering these recommendations as part of their ongoing policy work.

Currently, there is no harmonised standard for sex data. The Government Statistical Service (GSS) harmonisation team in the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has a work programme to develop harmonised data standards on sex and gender identity. This includes extensive engagement with users to understand needs. This work will help improve, and standardise, how to collect sex and gender identity data across government and the ONS in future.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-24 conversation_252

Marie Goldman:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to ensure that dentists have adequate knowledge and training to treat people born with cleft (a) lips and (b) palates. \p Stephen Kinnock: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to the Hon. Member for Yeovil on 20 November 2025 to Question 90537.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-24 conversation_253

Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people have received cornea transplants aged under 18 in each of the last 3 years. \p Stephen Kinnock: In the last three years, there has been a total of 469 finished consultant episodes recorded where there was any procedure of ‘other corneal graft procedure’ for patients aged zero to 17 years old, when accounting for activity in English National Health Service hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the private sector. By year there were:

This information has been gathered from the Hospital Episode Statistics dataset, which is published by NHS England.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-24 conversation_254

Iqbal Mohamed:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department will respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Dewsbury and Batley dated 17 September 2025. \p Stephen Kinnock: I replied to the Hon. Member’s correspondence on 19 November.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-24 conversation_255

Dan Norris:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress is being made to improve North East Somerset & Hanham patient access to GPs. \p Stephen Kinnock: We are expanding capacity in general practice and delivering more appointments to patients. North East Somerset and Hanham sit within the NHS Somerset Integrated Care Board area, which has seen a 9.4% rise in the number of general practice appointments delivered over the past year, with 304,000 appointments delivered in September 2025 compared to 278,000 appointments delivered in September 2024. This is above the national average increase of 6.6%.

In October 2024, we have invested £160 million into the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme and given additional flexibilities to recruit 2,500 new general practitioners into primary care networks across England. We have invested an additional £1.1 billion in general practice to reinforce the front door of the NHS. This is the biggest increase in over a decade. Additionally, the new £102 million Primary Care Utilisation and Modernisation Fund will create additional clinical space within over 1,000 general practices across England to deliver 8.3 million more appointments each year.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-24 conversation_256

Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many GP appointments are offered in England each week. \p Stephen Kinnock: General practice appointment data is collected and published monthly by NHS England. This data records appointments that have actually taken place, rather than those offered. As a result, we are unable to ascertain precisely how many appointments are offered to patients, we can, however, report on the number delivered.

In September 2025, 32 million appointments were delivered, which is, on average, approximately eight million appointments delivered in general practice per week.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-24 conversation_257

Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will roll out a national education programme to inform women about menopause. \p Karin Smyth: The Government recognises that women suffering from symptoms of menopause have been failed for far too long, and we acknowledge the impact it has on women’s lives, relationships and participation in the workplace.

Our renewed strategy will set out how the Government will take the next steps to improve women's healthcare as part of the 10-Year Health Plan and create a system that listens to women. Steps to improve awareness of menopause symptoms are being fully considered as part of the renewal.

We recently announced that menopause will be included in the NHS Health Check. This will mean eligible women can access high-quality information on menopause more easily, including information on managing symptoms, where to seek support, and treatment options.

Mariella Frostrup has been appointed the Menopause Employment Ambassador. The Menopause Employment Ambassador works closely with employers across the country to improve workplace support for women experiencing the menopause, raise awareness of menopause symptoms and champion the economic contributions of women. With decades of experience championing women’s rights and gender equality across the world, Mariella Frostrup brings a powerful and unique voice to this agenda.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-24 conversation_258

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that the number of children who have been seen by an NHS dentist in Slough is in line with the national average. \p Stephen Kinnock: The responsibility for commissioning primary care services, including National Health Service dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to the integrated care boards (ICBs) across England. For the Slough constituency, this is the Frimley ICB.

We have asked ICBs to commission extra urgent dental appointments to make sure that patients with urgent dental needs can get the treatment they require. ICBs have been making extra appointments available from 1 April 2025.

ICBs are recruiting posts through the Golden Hello scheme. This recruitment incentive will see dentists receiving payments of £20,000 to work in those areas that need them most for three years.

We recently held a full public consultation on a package of changes to improve access to, and the quality of NHS dentistry, which will deliver better care for the diverse oral health needs of people across England. The consultation closed on 19 August. The Government is considering the outcomes of the consultation and will publish a response shortly.

We are committed to reforming the dental contract, with a focus on matching resources to need, improving access, promoting prevention, and rewarding dentists fairly, while enabling the whole dental team to work to the top of their capability. The Government is committed to achieving fundamental contract reform before the end of this Parliament.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-24 conversation_259

Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce cases of mouth cancer. \p Ashley Dalton: To help increase the early detection of cancer, the Government has recently launched Jess’s Rule, an initiative that asks general practitioners (GPs) to think again if, after three appointments, they have been unable to diagnose a patient, or if their symptoms have escalated.

The Department is also investing an additional £889 million in GPs, bringing total spend on the GP Contract to £13.2 billion in 2025/26. This will help to ensure the National Health Service has a well-trained and well-equipped primary care service that can take the time to provide quality care to patients around the country.

Dentists and other dental professionals, including hygienists, routinely check the soft tissues of a patient’s mouth for signs of cancer during dental visits and as part of the check-up will make an assessment and record an individual’s oral cancer risk. Dentists will prioritise patients at a higher risk of oral cancer for more frequent recall and review in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance.

Additionally, NHS England is working in partnership with major supermarket chains to include messages about common cancer symptoms onto the packaging of relevant products. This has included specific messaging on mouth cancer symptoms on toothpaste and mouthwash packaging.

To support earlier and faster cancer diagnosis, the NHS is now delivering additional checks, tests, and scans at 170 community diagnostic centres.

Cancer incidence, including mouth cancer, is increasing. The Government is taking action, including raising awareness of signs and symptoms and focusing on prevention, such as the introduction of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-24 conversation_260

Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made a recent assessment of the adequacy of the level of pay of NHS staff in Newton Abbot constituency. \p Karin Smyth: Pay for most staff employed by National Health Service organisations is set at a national level. The Government has remitted the independent NHS Pay Review Body and the Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration to make recommendations on headline pay for NHS staff. Within their reports they make an assessment of the level of pay to recommend, with regard to various factors such as recruitment and retention. The process for the 2026/27 pay round is already underway, with the Department publishing its evidence to the Pay Review Bodies on 30 October.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-24 conversation_261

Joe Robertson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his policy is on the banning of cigarette filters, in the context of the upcoming eleventh Conference of the Parties to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. \p Ashley Dalton: We are confident that the best way to tackle tobacco litter and to protect people’s health is to reduce the prevalence of smoking. That is why we are taking decisive action through the Tobacco and Vapes Bill to create a smoke-free generation alongside continuing with evidence-based approaches to supporting smokers to quit. We therefore have no current plans to ban cigarette filters.