Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled Decisive action to break influence of gas on electricity prices, published on 21 April 2026, what assessment her has made of the potential impact of the (a) increase of the rate and (b) the duration of the Electricity Generator Levy on household bills.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The government does not expect the increase in the Electricity Generator Levy (EGL) rate from 1 July to increase bills for consumers. The EGL applies only to existing, older renewable generators when wholesale prices are above a benchmark price of £82.61 per MWh. These generators receive larger revenues when wholesale prices rise with gas prices, without commensurate increased costs.
Increasing the EGL will ensure a proportion of any exceptional revenue that generators receive because of the conflict in the Middle East is available to Government to support businesses and households with their cost of living.
Asked by: Mike Reader (Labour - Northampton South)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has considered the potential merits of introducing support for food and drink manufacturers.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The Government recognises the important role that food and drink manufacturers play in growing our economy, accounting for £37 billion in Gross Value Added in 2023.
We understand, and are taking seriously, the possible impacts of the conflict in the Middle East on the food sector.
The Government has been meeting, and will continue to meet, with stakeholders to share intelligence, assess emerging pressures, and agree how we can keep our food sector resilient and stable.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 20 March 2026 to Question 119948 on Cryptocurrencies, whether her Department holds information on whether the Tether cryptocurrency is being used to make political donations into the UK from abroad.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
HMT Treasury does not collect or hold information on the use of specific cryptoassets in political donations. Oversight of political donations rests with the Electoral Commission.
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of the number of income tax payers in tax year ending April 2026 with taxable income of a) between £90,000 and £99,999 b) £100,000-£109,999 and c) £110,000 to £119,999.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
HMRC publish the distribution of total income before tax in Table 3.3 of the Personal Incomes Statistics, linked below.
Personal Incomes Statistics for the tax year 2023 to 2024 - GOV.UK
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of the volume of private capital that could be unlocked through partnerships with venture capital firms in the defence sector.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The Government recognises the important role that venture capital and other private investors play in backing innovation across the economy. The forthcoming Defence Finance Investment Strategy will be the Government’s blueprint for how we increase the capital available to improve warfighting readiness while also driving UK growth.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of the regulations governing financial institutions handling Tether cryptocurrency.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government legislated in February of this year to establish a financial services regulatory regime for cryptoassets, requiring firms to be authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority for providing relevant cryptoasset services in or to the UK. This built on previous regulatory interventions on cryptoasset money laundering and financial promotions. The Government’s approach is ensuring cryptoasset users are protected against detriment, whilst giving firms the certainty needed to invest and grow in the UK.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether HMRC has issued guidance on whether a donation of cryptocurrency to a (a) political party and (b) regulated donee creates a capital gains tax liability for the donor.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
HMRC has not published specific guidance on the donation of cryptoassets to political parties or regulated donees.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Customs Declaration Service and its Bulk Import Reduced Data Set, how many entries were logged under Customs Procedure Code 0020 21V in each year since 2022.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
For the purposes of this answer, “entries” have been interpreted as customs declarations.
The table shows the number of customs declarations logged on the Customs Declaration Service (CDS) under Customs Procedure Code (CPC) 0020 21V, which is used for the Bulk Import Reduced Data Set (BIRDs).
Year | Number of declarations |
2022 | 60,000 |
2023 | 278,000 |
2024 | 368,000 |
2025 | 403,000 |
These figures represent the number of declarations submitted to CDS under CPC 0020 21V only.
It should be noted that the figures are not directly comparable across years. In 2022 and 2023 a substantial proportion of BIRDs declarations were submitted via the legacy CHIEF system, under CPCs 4900003 and 4000003, and are therefore not included in the CDS figures shown above. In 2022 around 21% of BIRDs declarations were submitted via CDS, rising to around 75% in 2023.
The figures also exclude BIRDs declarations submitted using multiple additional procedure codes and therefore do not represent total BIRDs volumes.
Number of customs declarations are rounded to the nearest thousand.
You should note that a BIRDs declaration can cover multiple consignments.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the time was for HMRC to determine whether to levy a penalty charge for the incorrect payment of residential stamp duty in the last 12 months.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Where HMRC identifies an inaccuracy during a compliance check into a Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) return or claim, it is standard practice to also consider whether a penalty is due.
In the vast majority of cases any penalty will be issued at the conclusion of the compliance check, at the same time as when the tax position is decided.
The length of a compliance check depends on multiple factors such as the technical complexity of the issue and whether a customer appeals a decision. HMRC does not record separately the amount of time within compliance checks spent considering whether penalties are due.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions she has had with the banking sector on the rollout of banking hubs beyond the lifetime of this Parliament.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
Treasury Ministers regularly engage with the banking sector on access to banking services, including the rollout of banking hubs.
The Government understands the importance of access to in-person banking services for communities and high streets and is committed to supporting the financial services industry’s roll-out of 350 banking hubs by the end of this Parliament. Importantly, this number is a floor, not a ceiling, and Cash Access UK will deliver a banking hub wherever LINK has recommended one.
The Government keeps the effectiveness of current arrangements under review through regular engagement with industry and other stakeholders to ensure they meet the needs of people and communities.