Asked by: Baroness Jenkin of Kennington (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the decision of the Supreme Court in For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers [2025] UKSC 16, what discussions they have had with the Financial Conduct Authority regarding possible changes to the UK Listing Rules Sourcebook with regard to UKLR 6.6.6R(9) to (11), UKLR 6.6.14 and UKLR 6 Annex 1R.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
As the independent financial services regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority is responsible for the UK Listings Rules.
The Government regularly discusses a range of issues with the FCA.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 7 May 2025 to Question 46726 on Treasury: Information Officers, what the total annual cost is for the 40.9 full-time equivalent Government Communication Service professionals.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
HM Treasury’s communications pay budget for the last financial year was £2,775,204.
Asked by: Lord Rogan (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Timpson on 13 May (HL Deb col 2055), how much of the extra £1 billion for policing will be allocated to Northern Ireland.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
As set out in the 2025-26 final police funding settlement, overall funding for the policing system in England and Wales will be up to £19.6 billion, an increase of up to £1.1 billion when compared to the 2024-25 funding settlement
This funding is for England and Wales. Policing is devolved in Northern Ireland and so the Barnett formula was applied in the normal way to the Home Office DEL budget, providing Barnett consequentials to the Northern Ireland Executive.
The Northern Ireland Executive's Phase 1 Spending Review settlement is the largest in real terms of any settlement since devolution, at £18.2 billion in 2025-26, including an additional £1.5 billion through the operation of the Barnett formula.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of the number of farmers who will be impacted by changes to (a) Agriculture Property Relief and (b) Business Property Relief.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
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.
These 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.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how the Infrastructure Strategy will support infrastructure enhancements in Lincolnshire.
Answered by Darren Jones - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The 10 Year Infrastructure Strategy will reduce uncertainty by bringing together a long-term plan for the social, economic and housing infrastructure across the UK
Alongside considering the UK’s economic and social infrastructure needs, the strategy will set out how we are reforming institutions and changing the way we make decisions and deliver infrastructure, maximising the benefits of our strong fiscal and spending frameworks, breaking down regulatory and planning barriers, and resetting our relationship with the private sector.
Asked by: Suella Braverman (Conservative - Fareham and Waterlooville)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has made an estimate of the potential impact of the increase in employer National Insurance contributions on the average cost of operation of pub chains.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
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 Government decided to protect the smallest businesses from these changes by increasing the Employment Allowance from £5,000 to £10,500. This means that this year, 865,000 employers will pay no NICs at all, and more than half of all employers will either gain or will see no change. It means employers will be able to employ up to four full-time workers on the National Living Wage without paying employer NICs.
Asked by: Suella Braverman (Conservative - Fareham and Waterlooville)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the increase in employer National Insurance contributions on pubs.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
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 Government decided to protect the smallest businesses from these changes by increasing the Employment Allowance from £5,000 to £10,500. This means that this year, 865,000 employers will pay no NICs at all, and more than half of all employers will either gain or will see no change. It means employers will be able to employ up to four full-time workers on the National Living Wage without paying employer NICs.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to ensure the full amount of Gift Aid claimed by online fundraising platforms reaches charities.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government recognises the vital role played by the charity sector and the generosity of the British public. We support charitable giving with over £1.6billion in Gift Aid each year.
Charities have the flexibility to decide on their own strategy for fundraising and are free to partner with other organisations to process their Gift Aid claims. It will ultimately be a commercial decision on the part of a charity to work with a fundraising platform. If they do, any fee paid to the platform for processing gift aid claims may be calculated by reference to the amount claimed but is not itself gift aid.
Fundraising platforms do not receive financial support from the government and their profits are taxable.
Many of the fundraising platforms are voluntarily registered with the Fundraising Regulator which is the independent, non-statutory regulator of charitable fundraising in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Fundraising Regulator can act if it believes standards have been breached.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when she plans to respond to the Technical consultation - Inheritance Tax on pensions: liability, reporting and payment which closed on 22 January 2025.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
As announced at Autumn Budget 2024, from 6 April 2027 most unused pension funds and death benefits will be included within the value of a person’s estate for inheritance tax purposes.
The Government is considering the responses to the technical consultation on the liability for reporting and paying any inheritance tax on pensions, which closed on 22 January.
The government will publish a response document and draft legislation later this year in the normal way.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential role of chartered accountants in the use of disguised remuneration tax avoidance schemes.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government is committed to tackling tax avoidance and is consulting on a package of measures, including potential new criminal sanctions, to facilitate swifter and stronger action against those who own or control promoter organisations.
The Government also announced action at 2024 Autumn Budget to tackle tax avoidance by umbrella companies. Legislation, effective from April 2026, will be introduced to make recruitment agencies using umbrella companies legally responsible for accounting for PAYE on workers’ pay. Where there is no agency in the supply chain, this responsibility will fall to the end client. This along with the measures on promoters will help prevent disguised remuneration in the future.