theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Catherine Fookes:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of altering the income change threshold on child maintenance allowance reviews. \p Andrew Western: Where a paying parent's income is at least 25 per cent different than the figure obtained from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) for the last available full tax year, or no figure is available, the Child Maintenance Service will consider whether the liability should be based on the parent's current income. A change will not be considered unless it breaches the 25 per cent tolerance.

The 25 per cent threshold ensures that both parents can continue to budget with certainty and therefore provide ongoing stability for the child. Most people's income does not change to this degree over the course of one year. This approach ensures that minor changes to income do not interfere with the efficiency of the system, increasing costs for the taxpayer.

The Department has been conducting a review of the child maintenance calculation to make sure it is fit for purpose and reflects today’s social trends. The review will also consider income change thresholds including their potential impact on both the paying and receiving parents.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the policy paper entitled Plan for Change, published on 5 December 2024, CP1210, what metrics she plans to use to measure economic stability beyond gross domestic product. \p Tulip Siddiq: The government’s Plan for Change can only be delivered on the foundation of a stable economy.

Achieving economic stability requires macroeconomic stability, which gives firms and households the certainty to plan spending and investment; financial stability, which supports the real economy and ensures we can withstand shocks; fiscal credibility, which keeps inflation expectations anchored; and long-term policy certainty, which encourages investors. The Autumn Budget took significant steps to restore stability to public finances and improve our public services. Only by achieving stability can we grow the economy and keep both taxes and inflation low.

The breadth of economic stability will require the use of many metrics to track it. These may include measures of price stability and inflation; measures of policy uncertainty; and a range of financial market indicators.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of trends in the level of interest rates on people with low incomes. \p Tulip Siddiq: The Government understands the importance of protecting family finances. That is why we are committed to delivering economic stability to grow the economy, maintain low and stable inflation, and keep taxes and mortgages as low as possible. Low and stable inflation is an essential pre-requisite for economic growth and improving living standards, so we are continuing to support the independent Monetary Policy Committee as it acts to return inflation to target sustainably.

We are taking a comprehensive approach—supporting those in immediate need while addressing the structural changes necessary to fix the country's foundations. These combined efforts will help families by boosting wages and putting more money in people’s pockets. Specific actions already taken by the Government to support people on low incomes include: increasing to the National Living Wage from April 2025; extension of the Household Support Fund in England and Discretionary Housing Payments in England and Wales in 2025-26; and introduction of a new Fair Repayment Rate from April 2025 to cap debt repayment made through Universal Credit.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the financial impact of potential changes to Small Business Rate Relief after the introduction of new non-domestic rate multipliers on small businesses; and whether she plans to take steps to mitigate this impact. \p James Murray: Small Business Rate Relief (SBRR) is available to businesses with a single property below a set rateable value. Eligible properties under £12,000 receive 100 per cent relief, which means over a third of businesses in England (more than 700,000) pay no business rates at all. There is also tapered support available to properties valued between £12,000 and £15,000.

The government is committed to retaining SBRR, which is a permanent relief set down in legislation. As highlighted in the Transforming Business Rates Discussion Paper, the Government is interested in hearing stakeholders’ views on whether the current eligibility criteria impact businesses' incentives to invest and expand into a second property.
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Dr Scott Arthur:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to support (a) small and (b) large family owned businesses. \p James Murray: At Autumn Budget, we published our Corporate Tax Roadmap, in which we are capping corporation tax at 25% as well as maintaining Small Profit Rate + marginal relief at their current rate + threshold, and maintaining the Annual Investment Allowance at £1m. As a result of commitments in the Corporate Tax Roadmap, 9 in 10 actively trading companies will have a Corporation Tax rate lower than 25%.

The Government protected the smallest businesses from the impact of the increase to Employer National Insurance by more than doubling the Employment Allowance to £10,500. The Government is also making sure family businesses will receive a very significant level of relief once changes to business property relief have been made, with the first £1 million of business assets continuing to receive 100% relief and then 50% thereafter.

Despite the difficult fiscal inheritance, we have also been able to protect key business support programmes that can be accessed by all small and large family businesses, like the England-wide network of Growth Hubs. We are also allocating £250 million in 2025/26 for small business loans programmes, including Start Up Loans and the Growth Guarantee Scheme.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of increased long term gilt rates on Government borrowing costs. \p Darren Jones: The government does not comment on specific financial market movements. Gilt yields are determined by a wide range of international and domestic factors, and it is normal for the price and yields of gilts to vary when there are wider movements in global financial markets.

The Chancellor has commissioned the Office for Budget Responsibility for an updated economic and fiscal forecast for the 26th of March, which will incorporate the latest data.
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Llinos Medi:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions she has had with the Welsh Government on devolving management of the Crown Estate to Wales. \p Darren Jones: The UK Government has had no discussions with the Welsh Government on devolving the Crown Estate.

The Crown Estate has played a significant role in attracting international investment into Wales to support the UK’s net zero target and will continue to do so through future leasing rounds for offshore wind developments, including floating wind projects in the Celtic Sea. They work closely with the Welsh Government and Natural Resources Wales in support of shared priorities, ensuring that these resources are sustainably managed for the long term.

Introducing a new entity would fragment the market, complicate existing processes, and likely delay further development offshore, undermining investment in Welsh waters.
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Mr Angus MacDonald:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of changes to business property relief on (a) plant hire companies and (b) the ability of those companies to help meet housebuilding targets. \p James Murray: The Government published information about the reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief at www.gov.uk/government/publications/agricultural-property-relief-and-business-property-relief-reforms.

It is expected that up to around 2,000 estates will be affected by the changes to APR and BPR in 2026-27.

In accordance with standard practice, a tax information and impact note will be published alongside the draft legislation before the relevant Finance Bill.

The Budget set out a series of new investments to kickstart the biggest increase to social and affordable housebuilding in a generation. This is an important step to providing the conditions needed for the market to deliver 1.5 million homes - homes that are desperately needed.

To deliver on the commitment to get Britain building the government added £500 million to the Affordable Homes Programme in 2025-26, increasing it to £3.1 billion, the biggest annual budget for affordable housing in over a decade. This is part of over £5 billion total housing investment in 2025-26 to boost supply.

This package helps provide certainty for investors ahead of the government’s long-term housing strategy which will be published alongside Phase 2 of the Spending Review.
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Nadia Whittome:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the overseas development assistance budget to 0.7% of gross national income without applying a fiscal test. \p Darren Jones: The Government remains committed to international development. This is why we allocated £13.3 billion to ODA in 2024/25 and £13.7 billion in 2025/26 at Autumn Budget 2024. We will restore Official Development Assistance (ODA) spending to the level of 0.7 percent of GNI as soon as the fiscal circumstances allow, but this isn’t currently affordable. The government will continue to monitor future forecasts closely, and each year will review and confirm, in accordance with the International Development (Official Development Assistance Target) Act 2015, whether a return to spending 0.7% of GNI on ODA is possible against the latest fiscal forecast.
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Jim Allister:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much from the public purse the UK provided to the EU for any purpose in financial years (a) 2019-20, (b) 2020-21, (c) 2021-22, (d) 2022-23 and (e) 2023-24. \p Darren Jones: As part of the Withdrawal Agreement, the UK agreed the Financial Settlement with the EU. This provides a methodology for settling pre-existing UK financial obligations and is not a fixed amount.

The European Union Finances Statement 2023 sets out HM Treasury’s estimates of the size of these obligations in more detail. As at 31st December 2023, the UK is estimated to have paid £23.8bn in net liabilities under the agreement since February 2020. HM Treasury will provide updated figures for 2024 in the next annual statement, expected in Spring 2025.

Other payments to the EU, such as those under the Trade and Cooperation Agreement, are reported in departments' annual accounts and normal budgetary disclosures.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what proportion of efficiency savings she plans to require of Government departments in each year of the Spending Review Phase 2 in order to meet her planned 5% savings over this Parliament; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of levels of efficiency savings announced in (a) her Department's policy paper entitled Fixing the foundations: public spending audit 2024-25, published on 29 July 2024 and (b) the Autumn Budget 2024 on her planned 5% efficiency savings over this Parliament. \p Darren Jones: In developing their plans for the Spending Review departments will need to find 5% savings and efficiencies against their current budgets, to help drive out waste and ensure all funding is focused on the Government’s priorities.

The Government will set out its spending plans in the multi-year Spending Review in June 2025.

The Government uses the Government Efficiency Framework to distinguish between efficiencies and savings.
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Tracy Gilbert:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what funding from ending the VAT exemption on private schools she plans to provide to the Scottish Government. \p Darren Jones: Ending tax breaks for private schools will raise revenue that can help fund priorities in the state education sector in England. The Barnett formula will be applied in the usual way to any resulting additional funding for UK Government departments provided in devolved areas.

The Scottish Government’s block grant funding is growing in real terms in 2025-26 and its spending review settlement for 2025-26 is the largest in real terms of any settlement since devolution. The Scottish Government will receive over 20% more per person than equivalent UK Government spending in the rest of the UK in 2025-26 which translates into over £8.5 billion more.
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Sorcha Eastwood:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Department of Health and Social Care's press release entitled Biggest investment into hospices in a generation, published on 19 December 2024, whether any Barnett consequentials will be made available for Northern Ireland. \p Darren Jones: The Barnett formula applies to all increases or decreases to UK Government Departmental Expenditure Limits (DEL).

As this funding for adult and children’s hospices is being re-allocated from within existing Department of Health and Social Care budgets there will be no additional Barnett consequentials for the devolved governments. The Barnett formula has already been applied to funding previously allocated at Autumn Budget 2024.

The Northern Ireland Executive’s block grant funding is growing in real terms in 2025-26 and the Executive’s spending review settlement for 2025-26 is the largest in real terms of any settlement since devolution. The Northern Ireland Executive will receive over 24% more per person than equivalent UK Government spending in the rest of the UK in 2025-26, including the 2024 Northern Ireland Executive restoration financial package. That translates into over £2.5 billion more in 2025-26.
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Priti Patel:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 22 November 2024 to Question 14333 on Diego Garcia: Military Bases, which Departments will incur the costs of the (a) lease of the military base, (b) economic partnership and (c) Chagossian trust fund; with which Departments her Department has reached agreement; whether the financial elements are included in the (i) 2025-26 budget allocations and (ii) spending envelope to 2029-30; and whether she has received representations to increase the cost envelope since 3 October 2024. \p Darren Jones: The UK-Mauritius treaty enabling the continued operation of the base on Diego Garcia is still subject to finalisation and signature. Financial obligations arising from this agreement, including departmental budgetary responsibilities, will be managed responsibly within the government’s fiscal framework, including through the upcoming spending review.
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Ben Maguire:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of rises in fuel duty on rural communities. \p James Murray: At Autumn Budget 2024, the Government announced continued support for people and businesses by extending the temporary 5p fuel duty cut and cancelling the planned inflationary increase for 2025/26, meaning rates will remain frozen at the levels set in March 2022.

This support represents a total saving for drivers in 2025/26 of around £3 billion, or £59 for the average car driver. Vans will see an average saving of £126 and heavy goods vehicles will see an average saving of nearly £1,100. Those driving more than average, which includes drivers in rural communities, will generally experience larger savings.

The Rural Fuel Duty Relief Scheme provides a 5p reduction to motorists buying fuel in certain areas. The areas included in the scheme demonstrate certain characteristics such as: pump prices much higher than the UK average; remoteness leading to high fuel transport costs from refinery to filling station; and relatively low sales meaning that retailers cannot benefit from bulk discounts.
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Katrina Murray:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the impact of the introduction of IR35 on tax receipts. \p James Murray: The off-payroll working rules, also known as IR35, have been in place for over twenty years and are designed to ensure that individuals working like employees but through their own company, usually a personal service company (PSC), pay broadly the same income tax and National Insurance contributions (NICs) as those who are directly employed.

The reform to the off-payroll working rules in the private and voluntary sectors, introduced in April 2021, is estimated to have generated an additional £1.8 billion in tax revenue up to March 2022. Further details are set out in HMRC’s research report published on gov.uk in December 2022:

Impacts of the off-payroll working rules reform in the private and voluntary sectors - GOV.UK

HMRC has previously evaluated the public sector reform and estimated it generated around £525m between April 2017 and March 2019.
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Ben Maguire:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to help reduce the number of families dependent on food banks. \p James Murray: The Government has committed to producing a Food Systems Strategy which will provide an opportunity to set out how the food system can deliver for growth, health and the environment. A particular focus will be ensuring that families in poverty can afford healthy food which will improve child welfare, reduce the burden on the NHS, and benefit UK productivity in the long term.

Moreover, the Child Poverty Taskforce is working to publish a comprehensive strategy to tackle child poverty. This includes consideration of how the Government can tackle the key drivers of essential costs for low-income families, such as food.

The Government has put in place several measures to support the households who face the greatest hardship, including the Fair Repayment Rate for debt deductions in Universal Credit, which means approximately 1.2 million families will keep more of their award each month. The Household Support Fund in England has also been extended until 31 March 2026, which will mean those most in need can continue to access support towards the cost of essentials, such as food, energy and water. We are investing over £30 million in the rollout of free breakfast clubs in every primary school, so that every child is well prepared for the school day and can achieve their full potential.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will introduce an exemption from changes to employer National Insurance contributions for (a) small and (b) local charities. \p James Murray: The Government has protected the smallest businesses and charities from the impact of the increase to Employer National Insurance by increasing the Employment Allowance from £5,000 to £10,500, which means that 865,000 employers will pay no NICs at all next year, more than half of employers will see no change or will gain overall from this package, and all eligible employers will be able to employ up to four full-time workers on the National Living Wage and pay no employer NICs. All charities are eligible for the Employment Allowance, even if they are wholly or mainly carrying out functions of a public nature.

The UK tax regime for charities, including an exemption from paying business rates, is among the most generous of anywhere in the world with tax reliefs for charities and their donors, worth just over £6 billion for the tax year to April 2024.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what her policy is on business rate relief in (a) freeports, (b) investment zones and (b) legacy enterprise zones; and how that relief will apply to the new business rate multiplier on hereditaments over £500,000 rateable value. \p James Murray: Freeports, Investment Zones and Enterprise Zones have access to a range of tax reliefs, including 100 per cent business rates relief. The eligibility criteria for business rates relief in Freeports and Enterprise Zones is available online: https://www.gov.uk/apply-for-business-rate-relief, as well as guidance for local authorities on granting Investment Zone business rate relief: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/investment-zones-business-rates-relief-scheme-guidance-for-local-authorities/investment-zone-business-rates-relief-local-authority-guidance.

The Government has announced its intention to introduce permanently lower tax rates for high street retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) properties, with rateable values below £500,000, from 2026-27. This tax cut must be sustainably funded, and so we intend to apply a higher rate from 2026-27 on the most valuable properties - those with a Rateable Value of £500,000 and above. When calculating business rates liabilities, the multiplier is applied first and then reliefs are applied after. This means that eligible businesses in these areas will receive 100 per cent business rates relief on their liability under the new multipliers.
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Dan Carden:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of (a) access to (i) deposit and (ii) withdraw cash and (b) the availability of trained people to help with cash access services in Liverpool Walton constituency. \p Tulip Siddiq: 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. Furthermore, the Government recognises that businesses need access to cash deposit services in order to continue accepting cash.

Furthermore, where a community, or interested party, feels that access to cash in their area is not sufficient, they are able to submit a cash access assessment request to LINK, the operator of the UK’s largest ATM network, who undertake these assessments. Further information about submitting a cash access assessment request can be found at the following link: https://www.link.co.uk/helping-you-access-cash/request-access-to-cash

LINK publishes data on the number of ATMs across each parliamentary constituency. In the constituency of Liverpool Walton, LINK data identifies 46 free-to-use ATMs out of 75 cash access facilities across the constituency. There are also 40 Post Office branches in the wider Liverpool area where you can deposit and withdraw money.

The Government recognises that some individuals may need assistance, including in-person assistance, to support their access to cash, and is committed to ensuring appropriate services are in place to support this.

This is why the Government is working closely with industry to roll out 350 banking hubs across the UK. The UK banking sector has committed to deliver these hubs by the end of this parliament. These hubs will provide small businesses and individuals who need face-to-face support with critical cash and in-person banking services. Over 100 Banking Hubs are already open across the UK.
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David Simmonds:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the policy paper entitled Plan for Change, published on 5 December 2024, CP1210, whether (a) council tax and (b) other local taxes will be included in the target of higher Real Household Disposable Income per person. \p James Murray: Real Household Disposable Income (RHDI) is reported by the ONS as part of the UK Economic Accounts.

RHDI represents the total income of households in a given period after direct taxes have been accounted for, with an adjustment for inflation. RHDI per person is calculated as aggregate RHDI divided by the estimated population.

As council tax is a direct tax faced by households, it is accounted for in the measurement of RHDI per person. Where other local taxes directly affect household income, they will also be accounted for in the measurement of RHDI per person.
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Victoria Collins:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of providing a similar Orchestra Tax Relief to vocal concerts. \p James Murray: The creative industries play a key role in driving economic growth. The Government is committed to supporting them as part of its plan to fix the foundations of the economy.

To qualify for Orchestra Tax Relief (OTR), a concert must be performed by a group of at least 12 instrumentalists. The voice is not considered to be an instrument, but orchestra concerts with a vocal element are not excluded from the relief. Concerts with a vocal element may be eligible provided that the instrumentalists are the primary focus.

The Government keeps all tax policy under review and regularly receives proposals for sector-specific tax reliefs. When considering a new tax relief, the Government must ensure it supports businesses in a fair way and that taxpayer money is effectively targeted.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to support small high street businesses reliant on Small Business Rate Relief. \p James Murray: Small Business Rate Relief (SBRR) is available to businesses with a single property below a set rateable value. Eligible properties under £12,000 receive 100 per cent relief, which means over a third of businesses in England (more than 700,000) pay no business rates at all. There is also tapered support available to properties valued between £12,000 and £15,000.

The Government has no plans to withdraw SBRR, which is a permanent relief set down in legislation. As highlighted in the Transforming Business Rates Discussion Paper, the Government is interested in hearing stakeholders’ views on the extent to which the current system acts as a barrier to investment and specifically, whether the current eligibility criteria for SBRR impacts businesses' incentives to invest and expand into a second property.
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Torsten Bell:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has made an estimate of the revenue accrued from capital gains tax on the sale of crypto-assets in the last financial year. \p James Murray: No estimate of the revenue accrued from capital gains tax on the sale of cryptoassets has been made for the last financial year, 2023-24.
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Steve Witherden:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism on foundry businesses (a) in Montgomeryshire and Glyndŵr constituency and (b) nationally. \p James Murray: The government will introduce the UK Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) on 1 January 2027.

The UK CBAM will ensure highly traded, carbon intensive products from overseas face a comparable carbon price to those produced here so that UK decarbonisation efforts lead to a true reduction in global emissions rather than simply displacing carbon emissions overseas.

The CBAM will apply to all imports of relevant goods into the UK, and will have indirect differential regional impacts due to the location of impacted sectors. Both nationally and in Montgomeryshire and Glyndŵr, the CBAM will give industry confidence to invest in decarbonising knowing their efforts will not be undermined by carbon leakage. An assessment of CBAM impacts on the economy and businesses will be provided when the policy is final or near final, in the form of a tax information and impact note.
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Danny Beales:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what her planned timetable is for the delivery of the Loan Charge Review. \p James Murray: At Budget, the Government committed to an independent review of the Loan Charge to help bring the matter to a close for those affected whilst ensuring fairness for all taxpayers.

Further details will be set out in due course.
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of new US tariffs on the UK economy. \p James Murray: HMT continuously monitors external developments and potential impacts on the UK economy, but it will not comment on hypotheticals.

The US is one of the UK’s closest partners with a trading relationship worth £304 billion and representing 18% of total UK trade. We look forward to working with the new US administration in office, including on their policy priorities and to improve UK-US trading relations to support businesses on both sides of the Atlantic.
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Charlie Dewhirst:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 11 December 2024, to Question 17676, on Ministers: Official Cars, if the Chancellor’s car travel arrangements are at public expense. \p James Murray: We do not comment on the specific arrangements in place for the Chancellor for security reasons.
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Tim Roca:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of making defibrillators exempt from VAT. \p James Murray: The Government currently provides VAT reliefs to aid the purchase of defibrillators. For example, when an Automated External Defibrillator is purchased with funds provided by a charity and then donated to an eligible body, no VAT is charged. Furthermore, all state schools in England have been fitted with AEDs.

A key consideration for any potential new VAT relief is whether savings would be passed on to the consumer. Evidence suggests that businesses only partially pass on any savings from lower VAT rates.
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Samantha Niblett:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the independent review of the loan charge will cover the (a) current and (b) historic roles of (i) promoters, (ii) umbrella companies and (iii) HMRC; what steps she is taking to ensure the independence of the staff of the review; whether people who (A) work and (B) have worked for (1) HMRC and (2) her Department will be permitted to work for the review; and what steps she is taking to ensure the confidentiality of the conclusions and recommendations of the review until it is published. \p James Murray: At Budget, the Government committed to an independent review of the Loan Charge to help bring the matter to a close for those affected whilst ensuring fairness for all taxpayers.

Further details will be set out in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-13)

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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether farm equipment was included when assessing the number of farms impacted by changes to inheritance tax. \p James Murray: Yes. Any farm equipment eligible for Business Property Relief was included in the analysis used to assess this impacts of this policy.

Information on APR and BPR reforms can be found in the policy briefing paper published at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/agricultural-property-relief-and-business-property-relief-reforms/summary-of-reforms-to-agricultural-property-relief-and-business-property-relief#statistical-annex-distribution-of-claims-at-death-for-agricultural-property-relief-and-business-property-relief-in-2021-to-2022.

Additionally, more information behind the approach adopted is available in the Chancellor's recent letter to the Chair of the Treasury Select Committee at https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/45691/documents/226235/default/.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-13 conversation_244

Chris Bloore:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she plans to review the list price at which motorists are required to pay additional car tax. \p James Murray: The Expensive Car Supplement is an additional VED charge for new cars with a list price of £40,000 or more, which is payable in year 2 – 6 of a car’s lifecycle.

As set out at Autumn Budget 2024, the government recognises the disproportionate impact of the current VED Expensive Car Supplement threshold for those purchasing zero emission cars and will consider raising the threshold for zero emission cars only at a future fiscal event, to make it easier to buy electric cars.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-13 conversation_245

Mr Clive Betts:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for Policing, Fire and Crime Prevention in response to the question from the hon. Member for Sheffield South East of 29 July 2024, Official Report, Column 1028, what progress her Department has made on tackling antisocial road users. \p Dame Diana Johnson: Tackling anti-social behaviour is a top priority for this Government, and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission.

On 27 November 2024, the Government announced proposals to give the police greater powers to clamp down on e-bikes, e-scooters and other vehicles involved in anti-social behaviour, with officers no longer required to issue a warning before seizing vehicles.

This will allow the police to quickly remove anti-social vehicles which are creating a nuisance or disturbance in city centres and pedestrian areas. These powers will be included in the forthcoming Crime and Policing Bill.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-13 conversation_246

Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people were (a) arrested and (b) charged for (i) drink and (ii) drug driving in December 2024. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The information requested is not held centrally by the Home Office because drunk and drug driving offences are not among the list of offences for which police forces are currently required to notify the Home Office of data on arrests, charges and outcomes.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-13 conversation_247

Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Autumn Budget 2024 on the number of police officers in Lancashire. \p Dame Diana Johnson: If it maintains officer numbers at the required level of 3,586 officers.

Total funding to police forces in 2025-26will be up to £17.4 billion, an increase of up to £987 million compared to the 2024-25 police funding settlement.

This includes a £657.1 million additional Government grant funding to police forces, which includes:

In addition to the force’s government grant of up to £284 million, Lancashire Police will receive £12,596,034 to directly support the maintenance of officer numbers in FY2025/26
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-13 conversation_248

Mike Wood:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to page 6 of the policy paper entitled Plan for Change: Milestones for mission-led government, published on 5 December 2024, CP1210, how many and what proportion of the additional police officers will be (a) full-time police constables, (b) full-time detective constables, (c) PCSOs and (d) special constables. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee will be supported by the commitment to deliver an additional 13,000 additional police officers, PCSOs and special constables in neighbourhood policing roles. There will be funding of £100 million to kickstart delivery, as announced by the Prime Minister in December 2024.

We will work with police forces on the mix of roles which will make up those 13,000 additional personnel, will vary from force to force, depending on their needs and existing staffing.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-13 conversation_249

Mike Amesbury:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the University of Central Lancashire's report entitled Minimising firefighters’ exposure to toxic fire effluents, published in November 2020. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The Home Office takes very seriously the health and safety of those firefighters who risk their lives for our communities every day.

The Home Office is reviewing recent academic research to evaluate risks posed by contaminants and the effectiveness of decontamination procedures, and we will share our findings with the Fire and Rescue Authorities, who hold the legal responsibility to protect firefighters against those risks.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-13 conversation_250

Mike Amesbury:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the potential merits of regular health checks for fire fighters. \p Dame Diana Johnson: Fire and rescue authorities, as employer, are responsible for the health and wellbeing of the firefighters they employ, and so it is for those authorities to take the appropriate action to conduct health checks on their workforce.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-13 conversation_251

Patrick Hurley:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to increase (a) the number of specialist teams to deal with vehicle crime and (b) the funding available to track stolen cars across borders. \p Dame Diana Johnson: This Government is determined to drive down vehicle crime and we are working with the automotive industry and law enforcement to ensure our response is as strong as it can be – including recruiting thousands of additional neighbourhood police officers, PCSOs and Special Constables to provide a visible and effective response to car crime in local communities.

We continue to work closely with the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) lead for vehicle crime, through the National Vehicle Crime Working Group, to take forward a programme of work, focusing on prevention and deterrence of theft of and from vehicles. Through the Working Group, a network of vehicle crime specialists has been established, involving every police force in England and Wales, to ensure forces can share information about emerging trends in vehicle crime and better tackle regional issues.

There are also a number of specialist teams that support work to tackle vehicle crime, including Opal, the police’s national intelligence unit for serious acquisitive crime, and the National Vehicle Intelligence Service (NaVCIS), a national policing unit funded by industry, including finance and leasing companies, insurers and hauliers, to provide dedicated specialist intelligence and enforcement.

Last autumn, driven by the NPCC lead for vehicle crime and supported by the Home Office, the National Vehicle Crime Reduction Partnership was established, bringing together the police, Home Office and manufacturers.

We are also providing £250,000 this financial year to help support enforcement at the ports to prevent stolen vehicles and vehicle parts being shipped abroad, including additional staff and specialist equipment.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-13 conversation_252

Dr Kieran Mullan:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 20 December 2024 to Question 19427 on the Police National Computer, what proportion of PNC records relate to dead people. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The data could only be obtained for the purposes of answering this question at disproportionate cost.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-13 conversation_253

Satvir Kaur:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help tackle retail crime in (a) Southampton and (b) nationally; and if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing additional powers to the police for this purpose. \p Dame Diana Johnson: Shop theft is at a record high, police recorded crime for shoplifting in Southampton Community Partnership area saw an increase of (43%) in the latest year and a higher increase than in England and Wales as a whole (29%).

This Government is taking strong action to tackle this problem by ending the effective immunity, introduced by the previous Government, granted to shop theft of goods under £200. We will also introduce a new offence of assaulting a retail worker to protect the hardworking and dedicated staff that work in stores.

As announced in the Autumn Budget, and building on current Home Office funding, we will provide:

£5 million over three years to continue to fund a specialist analysis team within Opal, the National Policing Intelligence Unit for serious organised acquisitive crime, to crack down on organised gangs targeting retailers;

£2 million over three years to the National Business Crime Centre, a resource for police and businesses to learn, share and support each other to prevent and combat crime; and

£100k in 2025-26 for the National Police Chiefs' Council for further training on prevention tactics.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-13 conversation_254

Rachel Blake:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the National and International Cities grant to the Metropolitan Police for policing the capital city. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The Metropolitan Police face increased demands on resources from policing the capital city and, as part of the 2025-26 police funding settlement, the Metropolitan Police will receive £248.7 million through the National and International Capital City grant, an increase of £63.3 million when compared to the 2024-25 settlement.

Overall, the Metropolitan Police will receive up to £3.8 billion in funding in 2025-26, an increase of up to £226.9 million when compared to the 2024-25 police settlement.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-13 conversation_255

Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 23 October 2024 to Question 8756 on Polygamy, if she will make it her policy to record data on polygamous marriages in the UK. \p Dame Diana Johnson: I refer the Hon.Member to the Answer of 27 November 2024 to Question UIN 15076.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-13 conversation_256

Sir Alec Shelbrooke:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to publish a Remediable Service Statement for the Police Pension Scheme. \p Dame Diana Johnson: Remediable Service Statements are produced for each scheme member by the relevant scheme administrator.

While the Home Office has responsibility for overarching policy and legislative changes to the police pension regulations, the police pension scheme is locally administered by individual police forces.

It is for each chief constable, in their role as scheme manager for their force, to determine their administrative timetable. This includes the timetabling of when scheme members’ Remediable Service Statements will be distributed.