theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Joe Morris:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to improve the safety of cycle routes in (a) Hexham, (b) Northumberland, (c) Newcastle, (d) North East and (e) England. \p Simon Lightwood: Pursuant to my response to UIN 35411, the Department for Transport and Active Travel England (ATE) are working with local authorities to boost walking, wheeling and cycling across England.

It is for local authorities to decide on where to invest in their local transport networks. Funding awarded by ATE can be used by local authorities to improve the safety of existing infrastructure, deliver new active travel projects and for the development of walking and cycling networks. As part of the National Parks project, ATE is working with Northumberland National Park Authority to develop an active travel network plan.

In addition to funding, ATE provides training for local authority staff to enable the delivery of high-quality walking and cycling schemes, as well as design workshops and design assurance reviews of schemes under development. ATE is working closely with the North East Combined Authority to operate a Design Review Panel to improve the quality and safety of schemes within the region.
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Calum Miller:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which regions have the longest driving test waiting times; and what steps her Department is taking to reduce delays in these regions. \p Lilian Greenwood: The regions currently experiencing the longest driving test waiting times are London and the South East of England.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) continues to work to attract and recruit more driving examiners (DE) in the London and South East areas.

For recruitment campaigns, DVSA continues to use additional measures when advertising in these areas, such as local managers attending and running recruitment events, and working in local communities, building and fostering relationships to showcase the DE roles.

DVSA has seen success in its recent campaigns for these regions. From these campaigns, 36 candidates have completed DE training successfully and have been placed to their test centre, and a further 19 candidates are currently undertaking training.

From the most recent campaigns, DVSA has a further 26 potential candidates booked for upcoming training courses, with a further 48 currently undergoing pre-employment checks.
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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the level of funding allocated to the A35 Sea Road South scheme on (a) road safety and (b) local transport infrastructure in West Dorset constituency. \p Lilian Greenwood: The safety of our roads is an absolute priority for this Government, and we are committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. The A35 Sea Road South improvement scheme is assessed, like any other Customer and Communities designated funds scheme. National Highways have developed a safety study running throughout Dorset. Working with partners such as the police they have assessed the safety need along the route and allocated funding in 2025/26 to a scheme to make the route safer and more intuitive for road users.
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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions her Department has had with (a) train companies and (b) public transport campaigners on the impact of increased rail fares. \p Simon Lightwood: The Department regularly meets with the rail industry and stakeholders, on a variety of issues including rail affordability. Our aim is to keep the price of rail travel at a point that works for both passengers and taxpayers, where possible.

This year’s increase was the lowest absolute increase in three years and will help ensure that funding for the railway is fairly balanced between the passengers who use it and the taxpayers who do not.
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Mr Andrew Mitchell:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she is taking steps to implement a (a) long term and (b) devolved approach to funding for (i) local and (ii) regional transport services in the West Midlands. \p Simon Lightwood: The department is working with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to implement an “Integrated Settlement” for the West Midlands Combined Authority from April 2025. This will give the Mayor and Combined Authority a consolidated budget across local transport, housing, regeneration, local growth, skills, buildings retrofit, and employment support, with much greater freedom and funding flexibility to drive forward the local economy and deliver growth.

The department is also looking to simplify the current funding arrangements for all other Local Transport Authorities so that they can spend funding according to their local priorities and avoiding unnecessary bureaucracy. Multi-year funding will be confirmed at the upcoming spending review.
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Joe Morris:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to increase active travel in (a) Hexham constituency, (b) Northumberland, (c) the North East, (d) Newcastle, and (e) England. \p Simon Lightwood: On 12 February, the Department for Transport and Active Travel England (ATE) announced almost £300 million of funding to boost walking, wheeling and cycling with £222.5 million awarded to local authorities across England. This includes over £9.3 million of funding in 2024/25 to 2025/26 for the North- East Combined Authority (NECA). It will be for NECA to decide on priorities for investment across its local transport network.

ATE also funds a range of wider projects to enable more active travel, including Bikeability cycle training, Walk to School Outreach and Bike Bike Revival activities. ATE also provides funding to Sustrans to maintain and upgrade the National Cycle Network, which includes routes in the North-East.
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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of enabling people over 60 to travel for free on public transport in England. \p Simon Lightwood: The English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS) provides free off-peak bus travel to those with eligible disabilities and those of state pension age, currently sixty-six. The ENCTS costs around £700 million annually and any changes to the statutory obligations, such as lowering the age of eligibility, would therefore need to be carefully considered for its impact on the scheme’s financial sustainability.

Local authorities in England have the power to offer concessions in addition to their statutory obligations such as lowering the age of eligibility. Additional local concessions are provided and funded by local authorities from local resources.

The government has confirmed £955 million for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London. This includes £243 million for bus operators and £712 million allocated to local authorities across the country. Surrey County Council has been allocated £12 million of this funding. Funding allocated to local authorities to improve services for passengers can be used in whichever way they wish. This could include extending the discretionary concessions available in the local area.
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Richard Fuller:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Government has plans to introduce a Minister for Government Efficiency in the Cabinet Office to oversee cross-departmental efficiency initiatives. \p Georgia Gould: The Cabinet Office is driving reform to deliver cross-departmental efficiencies, including through better use of data and technology.

I have ministerial responsibility for public sector reform, which includes driving cross-departmental work to improve efficiency in government.
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Ellie Chowns:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Intelligence and Security Committee report entitled: Russa HC 632 published 21 July 2020, if he will open an investigation into alleged Kremlin-linked interference in UK elections. \p Ms Abena Oppong-Asare: We are committed to ensuring we have robust systems in place to defend the UK from all forms of malign state interference in UK democratic processes.

The Defending Democracy Taskforce brings together Ministers from across Government, along with representatives from law enforcement and the intelligence community, to coordinate a programme of work that aims to protect UK political parties, elected officials and core electoral infrastructure.

As part of this, the Cabinet Office, together with MHCLG, runs the Joint Election Security and Preparedness Unit, which leads on coordinating cross-government preparedness on election security, including running an extensive exercising programme.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether Fujitsu has been awarded any Government contracts since 5 July 2024. \p Georgia Gould: Details of all contracts valued above £12,000 and awarded by central government under the Public Contracts Regulation 2015 are published on Contracts Finder. The Procurement Act 2023 requires contracting authorities to publish more information on tenders and contracts let, and this will be stored on the central digital platform, Find a Tender, enabling greater transparency going forward.

In addition to extensions available under Fujitsu’s existing contracts, Contracts Finder provides details of seven new Fujitsu contracts since July 2024. All of these contracts were with existing customers and in line with Fujitsu’s bid approach. Three of these contracts were direct awards of services that Fujitsu was already providing and were done to ensure continuity of public services, whilst competitive procurements are being set up, as appropriate.

In January 2024, Fujitsu said it would withdraw from bidding for contracts for work with new Government customers until the Post Office Horizon Inquiry concludes or with prior consultation and support from such new customers. Fujitsu also said it would only bid for work with existing Government customers where it already has an existing relationship with them, or where there is an agreed need for Fujitsu’s skills and capabilities.

Fujitsu's bid approach is detailed in this letter, deposited in Parliament. For more details, please see here.
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Joe Robertson:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he has taken to minimise disruption to government business during the security staff strike. \p Georgia Gould: The hard work of security guards and other staff keeps the government running. The Government Property Agency has been working to ensure impacted buildings continue to operate safely and securely during the industrial action.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many children from (a) Guinea-Bissau and (b) Portugal have left the UK permanently since 2010. \p Georgia Gould: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 7th March is attached.

Letter from the National Statistician (pdf, 181.7KB)
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Clive Jones:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate the UK Statistics Authority has made of the number of pubs in Wokingham constituency in January (a) 2019, (b) 2020, (c) 2021, (d) 2022, (e) 2023, (f) 2024 and (g) 2025; and which constituency in (a) England, (b) the South East and (c) Berkshire has the most pubs. \p Georgia Gould: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 7th March is attached.

Letter from the National Statistician (pdf, 165.7KB)
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Jon Trickett:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many staff his Department has seconded from Palantir since July 2024. \p Georgia Gould: Secondments are organised - and data is held - at Business Unit Level. Under the Plan for Change, the Cabinet Office is drawing together multi-disciplinary teams across the country including front line public service workers, policy officials and those with digital and data skills to pioneer public service reform. This does not currently include employees from Palantir.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of funding for the British Council for supporting his Department’s objectives for UK soft power. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: The British Council's Board of Trustees is ultimately responsible for the British Council's financial sustainability.

The Government is committed to working with the British Council to ensure its financial sustainability. These issues are being considered in the round as part of the Spending Review process, which will allocate departmental budgets between 2026-27 and 2028-29.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 7 February 2025 to Question 27532 on the Soft Power Council, what allocation from existing budgets has (a) been allocated to and (b) been spent on the Soft Power Council to date; and what estimate he has made of the resources needed to support the Council in the financial year 2025-26. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: £20,000 was allocated from existing budgets to support the Soft Power Council in the current financial year. £7,257.73 was spent on the first meeting, covering AV, pull-up banners, tea, coffee, water and biscuits as well as Government Hospitality staffing costs. £8,094 was spent on a one-off reception for 175 people to mark the launch of the Council and the Government's new approach to soft power. We are in the process of establishing a Secretariat to support the Council and its Working Groups as part of broader soft power structures.
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Tom Morrison:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has reviewed the effectiveness of warnings on methanol poisoning on its website; and what steps he is taking to ensure those warnings reach young travellers. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: Since November 2024 the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has proactively communicated the risks of methanol poisoning to British travellers through Travel Aware, the FCDO's public-facing campaign that aims to prevent consular assistance cases. This includes:

We regularly review our social media engagement. Travel Aware methanol-related posts received 41,103 views in the period 28 November 2024 - 6 March 2025.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department plans to make additional funding commitments under the Nutrition for Growth initiative to support malnutrition interventions in Nigeria. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: The UK Government welcomes the upcoming Nutrition for Growth summit in Paris, and continues to champion improved nutrition in the long-term, integrating its approach alongside successes in other sectors such as health, agriculture, humanitarian, and climate. Specific funding commitments are being worked through following the decision to reduce UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) from 0.5 per cent of Gross National Income today to 0.3 per cent in 2027. The Government will set out its spending plans following the completion of the Spending Review and departmental resource allocation processes.
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Preet Kaur Gill:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations he has made to his Pakistani counterpart on (a) the treatment of religious minorities and (b) restrictions on religious expression for Hindu students in educational institutions in that country. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: Promoting freedom of religion or belief is a key part of the UK's diplomatic engagement overseas. I underlined the importance of religious tolerance and harmony when I met Pakistan's Human Rights Minister on 19 November 2024, although I did not raise religious expression within educational institutions specifically. The British High Commission in Islamabad continues to promote the rights of marginalised groups, including Hindus and other religious minorities, at the highest levels. For example, on 3 March 2025, the British High Commissioner raised the rights of the Ahmadi community in a meeting with Prime Minister Sharif. UK programming also facilitates interfaith dialogue by convening influential community and faith leaders and minority representatives to resolve local issues.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what (a) plans and (b) discussions with the US Administration he has had on developing a strategy for managing Iran's influence in the Middle East region. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: The Foreign Secretary has discussed the situation in the Middle East, including Iran, with Secretary Rubio. We are in close contact with the US Administration on all our Middle East priorities and will continue to work with the US to counter Iran's destabilising activity in the region. This includes by holding Iran to account in multilateral fora, using sanctions regimes to target Iranian support to its proxies, and by maintaining our permanent defence presence in the region.
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Sarah Champion:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 26 February 2025 to Question 30101 on Israel: Hamas, which partners are reporting and monitoring aid losses; and whether their assessments will be published. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) maintains regular communication with the UN, like-minded donors, and our other partners to understand the risk of aid losses and share approaches to mitigation. We consistently communicate our expectation that losses are reported to us proactively, in line with our signed agreements - with which they comply fully. The FCDO's Fraud Investigations Team ensures robust investigations take place where loss is identified, and works with our partners to understand ongoing risks and learn lessons from all cases. Individual investigation reports and outcomes are confidential, but details of total losses, along with details of any loss over £300,000, are published in the FCDO's Annual Report and Accounts.
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Neil Duncan-Jordan:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when he next plans to discuss the case of Alaa Abd el-Fattah with his Egyptian counterpart. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: The UK Government continues to raise Mr Alaa Abd El-Fattah's case at the highest levels with the Egyptian government. We have been consistently clear in calling for his release and continue to press for urgent consular access. The Prime Minister raised the case in a phone call with President Sisi on 28 February 2025 and previously wrote to President Sisi on 26 December 2024 and 8 January 2025. The Foreign Secretary raised this case with Egyptian Foreign Minister on 23 January 2025. I raised the case with the Egyptian Ambassador to London on 18 February 2025.
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Stephen Gethins:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 17 December to Question 18869 on Palestinians: Fire and Rescue Services, what progress he has made on discussions with Israeli counterparts to ensure the successful delivery of this donation. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: Foreign, Commonwealth and Development (FCDO) Officials have raised the matter of this donation directly with the Israeli authorities and are working with colleagues in the Scottish Government to resolve the matter.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 12 February 2025 to Question 28557 on International Day of Education, what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of aid delivered to Afghanistan reaching women and girls. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: The UK is committed to prioritising gender equality and rights. The needs and priorities of women and girls are at the core of the government's humanitarian response. In financial year 2023-24 (the most recent period for which we have verified data) we can confirm that at least 50 percent of our aid reached women and girls, supporting at least 1.3 million women with humanitarian assistance alone. We have met this target since financial year 2021-22 and expect to continue to meet this target in 2024-25. Our aid is subject to strict monitoring and we have robust third-party monitoring for all our official development assistance funded programmes.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that Official Development Assistance allocated to Afghanistan reaches people who are most in need. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: The UK has a committed and responsible approach to supporting humanitarian aid and essential services for vulnerable Afghans. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is delivering £171 million in aid this financial year (2024-25) and remains committed that at least 50 percent of people reached are women and girls. UK aid is subject to strict monitoring and verification to ensure it is only used to help those in need. All funding is provided directly to implementing partners who are highly experienced at delivering in difficult circumstances. We do not give aid to the Taliban. We engage pragmatically with the Taliban to ensure continued access for humanitarian assistance.
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Sir Iain Duncan Smith:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his polices of Taliban (a) restrictions on the practice of religion and (b) the targeting of (i) Shia Muslims, (ii) Sikhs, (ii) Hindus and (iv) other religious minorities in Afghanistan; and if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of his support for international efforts to help ensure that the right to freedom of religion or belief is upheld in that country. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office officials regularly press the Taliban to respect the human rights of all Afghans. In October 2024, we co-sponsored a Human Rights Council resolution which extended the mandate of UN Special Rapporteur Richard Bennett to monitor and report on the human rights situation for another year, including on minority groups. Ministers and officials engage regularly with a range of Afghans, including religious and ethnic minorities, to ensure our policy and programming reflect the needs of the entire population. Without truly inclusive governance that reflects the religious, ethnic, gender and cultural diversity of Afghanistan, we will never see an Afghanistan at peace with itself and its neighbours.
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Tom Morrison:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that British nationals visiting countries with a high risk of methanol poisoning are adequately (a) informed and (b) protected. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) travel advice remains under regular review to ensure it reflects our latest assessment of risks to British nationals. The risks of methanol poisoning are included in our travel advice pages where we see evidence of a trend that is likely to affect British nationals in that country or territory.

We include information about the risks from methanol poisoning or counterfeit alcohol in our Travel Advice pages for Cambodia, Costa Rica, Fiji, Indonesia, Laos, Thailand, Turkey and Vietnam. In determining what we include in our Travel Advice, we assess a range of factors, including drawing on local knowledge and monitoring trends in consular cases.
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Nadia Whittome:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with the (a) Iraqi Government and (b) Kurdish Regional Government on (i) resolving the teachers’ dispute and (ii) protecting workers' rights in Iraqi Kurdistan. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: Through the UK's diplomatic engagements with the Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), we continue to encourage greater cooperation to resolve outstanding issues. This includes disputes between Baghdad and Erbil around federal budget allocations and salary payments.

The UK is aware that payments of KRG civil servants' salaries have been missed, and that this has led to continued teachers' protests. This is despite a ruling by Iraq's Federal Supreme Court last year, which mandated that the salaries of KRG civil servants, including teachers, must be paid by Baghdad.

Our Ambassador in Baghdad, and our Consul General in Erbil continue to advocate for greater workers' rights and employment protections across Iraq, and a resolution to this dispute.
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Anna Dixon:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help protect the rights of Palestinian minors currently detained by Israel. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: The plight of children affected by the war in Gaza is deeply distressing. We are deeply concerned by reports of the mistreatment of detainees. The UK continues to reiterate calls for Israel to allow the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) unfettered and immediate access to detention facilities. We continue to raise this with the Israeli government as a priority. The UK reaffirms our support for the ICRC as the only humanitarian actor with the experience, capability, independence and mandate to carry out their important responsibilities. We believe it is critical that the ICRC is given regular access to detainees to deliver on their independent visiting role, as enshrined within the 1949 Geneva Conventions.
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Kanishka Narayan:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of Israel’s decision to restrict access into Gaza on humanitarian outcomes in that area. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: We are deeply concerned at the announcement that Israel has halted all humanitarian aid from entering Gaza. As per the UK Government's statement on 5 March, with France and Germany, the entry of lifesaving aid should never be contingent on a ceasefire or used as a political tool. A halt on goods and supplies entering Gaza, such as that announced by the Government of Israel would risk violating International Humanitarian Law. It is vital that the ceasefire is sustained, all the hostages are released, and continued flows of humanitarian aid to Gaza are ensured.
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Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterpart in Pakistan on freedom of expression in Pakistan. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: The UK is clear that the freedom to express views without censorship, intimidation or unnecessary restriction is a cornerstone of democracy. I raised the importance of upholding freedom of information when I met Pakistan's Human Rights Minister on 19 November 2024 and discussed the safety of Pakistani journalists in Parliament on 28 November 2024. The UK also runs the Chevening South Asia Journalism Fellowship to support South Asian journalists. The UK is committed to promoting human rights and democratic norms in Pakistan - a commitment I discussed with representatives from the UK-Pakistan diaspora on 18 February 2025. We will continue to urge the Government of Pakistan to uphold the right to freedom of expression in accordance with international standards.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support the safe and voluntary return to Syria of Syrian refugees. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: As I made clear in my Statement to the House on 10 March, Syria faces an ongoing humanitarian crisis, with the UN reporting 16.5 million people in need of humanitarian assistance. We agree with the UN's assessment that the conditions in Syria are not currently suitable for large-scale refugee returns. With the international community, we are providing vital humanitarian and development support to Syrians in Syria and those displaced across the region. The UK has provided over £4.3 billion in aid to date, our largest ever response to a single humanitarian crisis.
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Charlie Maynard:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to her speech at Siemens Healthineers in Oxfordshire on 29 January 2025, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of allocating additional funding to improve connectivity in Oxfordshire. \p James Murray: We are already making considerable investment in transport infrastructure in Oxfordshire, including support for East West Rail and the acceleration of works on the Marston Vale Line to deliver services between Oxford and Bedford, as well as £10m in 25/26 to provide improvements to local bus services. In addition, Oxfordshire County Council received £33.5m of total highway maintenance allocations for the County for 2025/26.

Future transport spending is subject to Phase 2 of the SR and will be considered in the round through that process.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to Agricultural Property Relief (APR) on the ability of farming families to pass on agricultural (a) businesses and (b) property to future generations. \p James Murray: The Government believes its reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief from 6 April 2026 get the balance right between supporting farms and businesses, and fixing the public finances. The reforms reduce the inheritance tax advantages available to owners of agricultural and business assets, but still mean those assets will be taxed at a much lower effective rate than most other assets. Despite a tough fiscal context, the Government will maintain very significant levels of relief from inheritance tax beyond what is available to others and compared to the position before 1992. Where inheritance tax is due, those liable for a charge can pay any liability on the relevant assets over 10 annual instalments, interest-free.

The reforms are expected to result in up to 520 estates claiming agricultural property relief, including those also claiming business property relief, paying more inheritance tax in 2026-27. Almost three-quarters of estates claiming agricultural property relief, including those that also claim for business property relief, will not pay any more tax as a result of the changes in 2026-27, based on the latest available data.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-12 conversation_236

Joe Robertson:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Answer of 27 September 2024 to Question HL1114 on Treasury: Equality, how many staff in her Department have been permitted to undertake diversity-related network time during core working hours since 1 January 2025; and what proportion of working time they are permitted to spend on that activity. \p James Murray: Participation in staff networks is voluntary and carried out in addition to an employee’s job role.
wrans/answers2025-03-12 conversation_237
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-12 conversation_237

Bradley Thomas:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 6 February of Question 29769 on Museums, what the cost of the VAT Refund Scheme was in 2024; and whether she plans to change the funding for the VAT Refund Scheme. \p James Murray: Under section 33A of the VAT Act 1994, certain museums and galleries are eligible to reclaim VAT incurred on the non-business costs associated with providing free admission to the public. Further information about the scheme and its eligibility conditions can be found in VAT Notice 998: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/vat-refund-scheme-for-museums-and-galleries-notice-998.

Museums and galleries provide estimates of their likely VAT reclaims when applying to join the scheme, to ensure costs are managed. But they are not required to provide figures on particular costs within their VAT returns on an ongoing basis, as this would impose an excessive administrative burden. The information requested is therefore not available.

Whilst the Government keeps all taxes under review, the Government is not planning any changes to the scheme.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-12 conversation_238

Harriet Cross:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 5 February 2025 to Question 27456 on Holiday Accommodation: Tax Allowances, if she will hold discussions with the Scottish Government on sharing data from the Short-term Let Licensing Scheme to (a) identify the number of Furnished Holiday Let properties in Scotland and (b) inform the implementation of changes to the Furnished Holiday Lettings tax regime in Scotland. \p James Murray: The UK Government regularly engages with the Scottish Government, including on the implementation of policies. The Scottish Government regularly publishes statistics from its Short-term Licensing Scheme, which is publicly available. HMRC currently has no plans investigate Furnished Holiday Lettings in Scotland separately to those in the rest of the UK and the EEA.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-12 conversation_239

Sir John Hayes:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what proportion of food procured by her Department is sourced in the UK. \p James Murray: To date the Government has not held information on where publicly procured food is sourced from.

For the first time ever, this government will review the food currently bought in the public sector to determine the standards that it is meeting, where it is bought from, and look to introduce monitoring for transparency and accountability within those supply chains to ultimately get the best food for the consumer.

This work will be a significant first step to inform any future changes to public sector food procurement policies as we want to help make it an equal playing field for British producers to bid into the £5 billion spent each year on public sector catering contracts.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-12 conversation_240

Ellie Chowns:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to the level and threshold of (a) employer National Insurance contributions and (b) business rates relief on the hospitality sector in Herefordshire. \p James Murray: 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 on the exchequer; the economic impacts of the policy; and the impacts on individuals, businesses, and civil society organisations, as well as an overview of the equality impacts.

The Office for Budget Responsibility also published the Economic and Fiscal Outlook (EFO), which sets out a detailed forecast of the economy and public finances.

On business rates, without any government intervention, Retail, Hospitality and Leisure (RHL) relief would have ended entirely in April 2025, creating a cliff-edge for businesses. Instead, the Government has decided to offer a 40 per cent discount to RHL properties up to a cash cap of £110,0000 per business in 2025-26 and frozen the small business multiplier.

From 2026-27 we intend to introduce permanently lower tax rates for retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) properties with rateable values below £500,000. This tax cut must be sustainably funded, and so we intend to introduce a higher rate on the most valuable properties on 2026-27 - those with rateable values of £500,000 and above. These represent less than one per cent of all properties, but cover the majority of large distribution warehouses, including those used by online giants.

The Government will confirm the rates for the new multipliers at Budget 2025.

Tax policy and legislation is not subject to the Better Regulation Framework Guidance which requires an Impact Assessment to accompany policy decisions. Nevertheless, when the new multipliers are set at Budget 2025, HM Treasury intends to publish analysis of the effects of the new multiplier arrangements.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-12 conversation_241

Calum Miller:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to her speech entitled Chancellor vows to go further and faster to kickstart economic growth on 29 January 2025, which Minister is responsible for the Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor. \p Darren Jones: The Chancellor of the Exchequer has announced Lord Patrick Vallance as a Ministerial champion for the Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor.

Lord Vallance brings extensive experience across life sciences, business, academia and government. Whilst responsibility for specific levers will remain within respective departments, Lord Vallance will work closely with local experts and across government to unblock and identify growth-focused interventions across the Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor, so world-class talent can live and work in a local area that is closely connected to world-class companies delivering innovative growth.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-12 conversation_242

Calum Miller:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the level of (a) physical and (b) social infrastructure needed for the Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor to achieve its aims. \p Darren Jones: The Oxford-Cambridge region is home to world leading universities and globally renowned science and technology firms. But the region's true potential is being held back by constraints, including unaffordable housing and transport constraints. The Government is taking action to drive sustainable growth across this key region which, according to experts, could boost the UK economy by £78 billion by 2035.

The Government believes additional action can maximise the economic performance of the wider Oxford-Cambridge region. This is why Lord Vallance has been appointed as Oxford-Cambridge Growth Champion, to identify, coordinate and promote further interventions linked to the EWR route and drive growth across the region.

The Government is already investing in East West Rail (EWR), which will deliver much needed transport connections between Oxford and Cambridge, and other communities along the route. In the Autumn Budget, the Chancellor also committed £10m of funding to enable the Cambridge Growth Company to develop an ambitious plan for the housing, transport, water, and wider infrastructure Cambridge needs to realise its full potential. In her speech of 29 January, the Chancellor confirmed that a new Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital is being prioritised for investment as part of wave 1 of the New Hospital Programme. In the wider corridor, we will target investment in R&D clusters, including the AI Growth Zone in Culham.

The Government will deliver Phase 2 of the Spending Review and the 10 Year Infrastructure Strategy later this year, to support delivery of the Government’s plans for a decade of national renewal. Any further Government support for infrastructure in the region will be assessed and agreed through the formal Spending Review process.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-12 conversation_243

Dr Luke Evans:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has had discussions with Cabinet colleagues on using funding reallocated from the Overseas Development Assistance budget to fund the Chagos settlement. \p Darren Jones: FCDO and the MOD are the lead departments for the Chagos agreement, and must balance any commitments under an agreement against wider priorities in their budgets – and in line with the Managing Public Money framework. OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) guidelines on ODA eligibility will continue to be applied in the usual way to any financial obligations arising from an agreement. The Prime Minister recently announced that the UK will spend 2.5% of GDP on defence by the 2027/28 financial year, funded by a reduction in ODA spending to the equivalent of 0.3% of GNI.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-12 conversation_244

James Cartlidge:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Prime Minister’s Oral Statement of 25 February 2025 on Defence and Security, whether all of the announced uplift to defence spending will be allocated to the Ministry of Defence. \p Darren Jones: On 25 February 2025 the Prime Minister announced that NATO qualifying defence spending will increase to 2.5% GDP by 2027-28. Final budgets for departments for the Spending Review period will be announced on 11 June 2025.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-12 conversation_245

James Cartlidge:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Prime Minister’s Oral Statement of 25 February 2025 on Defence and Security, whether she plans to hold any of the announced uplift to defence spending as a reserve. \p Darren Jones: On 25 February 2025 the Prime Minister announced that NATO qualifying defence spending will increase to 2.5% GDP by 2027-28. Final budgets for departments for the Spending Review period will be announced on 11 June 2025.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-12 conversation_246

Charlie Maynard:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of rail infrastructure funding on future trends in the level of regional economic growth. \p Darren Jones: The growth mission is the central mission of this government. The impact of rail infrastructure investment on regional economic growth is a key consideration that is informing decisions for phase 2 of the Spending Review. The first phase of the Spending Review delivered a £1.1bn cash increase to the transport budget in 2025-26 compared to 2024-25 representing 1.5% real terms growth, delivering record spending.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-12 conversation_247

Jo White:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will outline the timeline for the review of the Green Book. \p Darren Jones: The review of the Green Book will report back at the conclusion of the Spending Review in June.