Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Spending Review 2025, published on 11 June 2025, if she will publish the full list of the 350 deprived communities that will receive new investment.
Answered by Darren Jones - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The government is setting out a more targeted, long-term local growth funding model across the UK, completing the transition from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. This is only one part of our wider regional growth strategy, including our support for devolution, local government funding reform, and significant investment in housing, transport and innovation, ensuring that benefits are felt across the country.
The government is investing in up to 350 deprived communities across the UK, to fund interventions including community cohesion, regeneration and improving the public realm.
MHCLG will set out more detail in due course.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Spending Review, published on 11 June 2025, whether the funding allocated to Casement Park is a (a) grant or (b) loan; whether a payment will be made to the (i) Gaelic Athletic Association or any body associated it or (ii) the Northern Ireland Executive or any Department associated wth it; and whether the UK Government will require any subsequent repayments or returned profits from activities at the Stadium when completed.
Answered by Darren Jones - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The UK Government has provided £50m of Capital Financial Transactions funding to redevelop Casement Park. The UK Government will continue to work with the Northern Ireland Executive, however it is up to the Executive to design and implement the Financial Transaction. The Financial Transaction will be provided to the Executive on a net basis, it does not need to be repaid to the UK Government and the Executive can recycle any repayments indefinitely.
Asked by: Ellie Chowns (Green Party - North Herefordshire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make it her policy to reclassify housing as essential infrastructure.
Answered by Darren Jones - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
On 19 June, the government published UK Infrastructure: A 10 Year Strategy. This sets out a long-term vision to deliver the infrastructure needed to drive the government’s missions, backed by at least £725 billion in infrastructure investment over the next decade.
Social, economic and housing infrastructure underpin the government’s central missions and the Plan for Change. That is why this government’s strategy brings together housing, social and economic infrastructure, aligning planning and delivery over the next 10 years to support growth.
The government has made its commitment to housing clear, including through major reforms to the planning system, its 10 year £39 billion investment in the Affordable Homes Programme, and the establishment of a new National Housing Bank backed with £16 billion of financial capacity, on top of £6bn of existing finance to be allocated this Parliament.
Asked by: Peter Bedford (Conservative - Mid Leicestershire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has made representations to the Secretary of State for Business and Trade on the monetary value of VAT registration thresholds.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
At £90,000, the UK has a higher VAT registration threshold than any EU country and the joint highest in the OECD. This keeps the majority of businesses out of the VAT regime altogether.
The Chancellor has regular discussions with other Government Ministers on matters of common interest.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many Equitable Life members are still waiting for compensation.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Equitable Life Payment Scheme has been fully wound down and closed since 2016. The only remaining part of the Payment Scheme in operation is the annual payments made to eligible With-Profit-Annuitants and the Scheme is on track to distribute the remainder of the £1.5 billion originally allocated as planned.
Further guidance on the status of the Payment Scheme after closure is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/equitable-life-payment-scheme#closure-of-the-scheme.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of including (a) air conditioning systems, (b) solar panels and (c) other energy-efficient installations within the scope of Improvement Relief in the context of encouraging (i) business investment and (ii) energy efficiency upgrades.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
At the Autumn Budget, the government published the Transforming Business Rates Discussion Paper, which set out priority areas for reform. This paper invited industry to help co-design a fairer business rates system that supports investment and is fit for the 21st century.
This paper sought views on the efficacy of Improvement Relief, which was introduced in April 2024 and provides 12 months of relief for qualifying improvements to a property where this increases a property’s RV, including air conditioning systems.
In summer, the Government will publish an interim report that sets out a clear direction of travel for the business rates system, with further policy detail to follow at Autumn Budget 2025.
Eligible plant and machinery used in onsite renewable energy generation and storage, such as rooftop solar panels, wind turbines, and battery storage, are exempt from business rates from 1 April 2022 until 31 March 2035.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate her Department has made of the number of businesses that will no longer be eligible for Small Business Rate Relief as a result of rateable value increases at the 2026 revaluation.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Small Business Rate Relief (SBRR) is available to businesses with a single property below a set rateable value (RV). Eligible properties under £12,000 will 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 upcoming 2026 revaluation will update RVs to reflect their estimated market value at the 1 April 2024 valuation date. The VOA will publish the draft list of all RVs in the Autumn.
Asked by: Ben Spencer (Conservative - Runnymede and Weybridge)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Prime Minister's post on X, dated 11 June 2025, whether she plans to use revenue raised from VAT on school fees for purposes other than education.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government has taken a number of decisions on tax to stabilise the public finances and support public services. Ending tax breaks for private schools will raise £1.8bn a year.
To raise school standards for every child, and break down the barriers to opportunity, the government will increase the core schools budget by £2.0bn in real terms over this Spending Review (2023-24 to 2028-29). This provides a £4.7bn cash increase per year by 2028-29 (compared to 2025-26), which ensures average real terms growth of 1.1% a year per pupil.
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to reduce the tax gap.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
At the Budget last autumn, the Government introduced the most ambitious package ever to close the tax gap, ensuring more individuals and businesses pay the taxes they owe and raising £6.5 bn in additional tax revenue per year by 2029-2030. At the Spring Statement, the Government built on this and announced a package of measures to further close the tax gap and raise over £1 billion more.
The announcements since the start of this Government will see 5,500 more compliance officers, alongside 2400 staff in HMRC’s debt management teams to ensure those who can afford to pay their tax debts do so.
The Government is also delivering on its commitments to prosecute more tax fraudsters, to introduce a new HMRC reward scheme for informants, to tackle ‘phoenixism’, and to overhaul HMRC’s approach to offshore tax non-compliance. The Government has also set out its plans to go further in the future to make it easier for taxpayers to pay the right tax through a modern and digital tax system.
Asked by: Kevin Bonavia (Labour - Stevenage)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of implementing an adjusted rate of tax for army reservists that is separate to their civilian incomes.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government fully supports Reservists in volunteering for service alongside their regular employment. Accordingly, Reservists are eligible for an annual tax-free lump sum. Information on this can be found on the Army Reserves pay and benefits webpage. We keep our policies and processes under constant review, to ensure that they attract people to serve and incentivise them to stay.
Introducing a separate, adjusted rate of tax for army reservists’ income would add complexity to the tax system and be costly at a time when the Government has already had to take a number of difficult but necessary decisions on tax, welfare, and spending to restore economic stability, fix the public finances, and support public services.