Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what criteria will be used to determine if a worker has met the six-month waiting period requirement under Article 8(4) of the Convention to prevent the use of back-to-back detachment periods.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
A new certificate of coverage can only be issued under Article 8(4) of the Convention if six months has elapsed from the end date of a worker’s previous detachment, as shown on the worker’s previous certificate. Where the period of validity of the previous certificate is less than six months, a new certificate may be issued once an equivalent period of time has elapsed. For example, if a worker's previous certificate was issued for a period of four months, they will need to wait for four months from the end date of that certificate until they may be issued with another certificate.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Office for Budget Responsibility’s Economic and Fiscal Outlook published in March 2026, how much additional revenue would be raised from a one-penny increase in fuel duty per litre; and how much additional revenue will be raised from planned increases in fuel duty in each financial year from 2026-27.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government is taking action to ensure that fuel at the pump remains affordable. At Budget 2025, the Government extended the 5p-per-litre cut for a further five months, until the end of August this year. The Government has also cancelled the increase in line with inflation for 2026/27; instead, rates will only gradually return to early 2022 levels by March 2027.The government has set out the expected impacts, including Exchequer impacts, from fuel duty and other Budget measures in the Budget 2025 Policy Costings document. This document can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/692872fd2a37784b16ecf676/Budget_2025-Policy_Costings.pdf
HMRC publishes a ready reckoner which estimates the direct impact on HMRC tax revenues of simple changes to tax rates. For fuel duty specifically, the most recent publication estimates a 1% (approximately 0.6p) increase in fuel duty would result in £240m additional revenue in 26/27. This ready reckoner can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/direct-effects-of-illustrative-tax-changes
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the 36-month National Insurance exemption under the UK–India Double Contributions Convention on the competitiveness of UK-based recruitment of domestic staff in the technology sector.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Convention will prevent the double payment of social security contributions and will not make it cheaper to hire Indian workers over British workers. While working in the UK, Article 8(7) requires Indian detached workers to pay contributions into India’s social security scheme (the Employees’ Provident Fund Scheme). The rates applying are broadly the same as those applied in the UK National Insurance system, meaning contributions will be similar. Indian detached workers would additionally be subject to visa application fees and may also be subject to the Immigration Health Surcharge.
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department considered including self-employed people within the scope of the Double Contributions Convention signed with the Government of the Republic of India on 10 February 2026.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Double Contributions Conventions are designed to prevent double payment of social security contributions. The agreement does not include self-employed workers as they are not covered by India’s Employees' Provident Fund Scheme.
Asked by: Lord Jamieson (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what their latest estimate is of the level of total business rate receipts to be raised in England in (1) 2025-26, (2) 2026-27, and (3) 2027-28; and what their working estimate is of the cost of the new Pubs and Live Music Venues Relief in each year of the 2026 revaluation cycle.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
Details on business rates receipts for FY25/26, FY26/27and FY27/28 are set out in the OBR’s economic and fiscal outlook. Forecast receipts are £33.7bn, £37.1bn and £37.9bn respectively.
The further support for pubs and live music venues was scored at the Spring Statement. The impacts on total receipts in FY26/27, FY27/28 and FY28/29 are £94m, £138m and £204m respectively.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the time taken to implement pension recalculations required following the judgment in McCloud v Lord Chancellor across public service pension schemes.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Scheme managers of the individual public service pension schemes are responsible for ensuring the effective delivery of the McCloud remedy to affected members. This is a complex and wide-ranging exercise and I acknowledge that some schemes have not made as much progress as we’d wish. I have written to scheme managers to remind them of their responsibilities to implement the remedy as quickly as possible and ensure that scheme members and the Pensions Regulator are kept informed of progress and plans. I can confirm that schemes pay interest to members on amounts owed as a result of the remedy.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether interest will be paid on delayed pension payments owed to retired members of public service pension schemes due to delays in implementing the McCloud remedy.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Scheme managers of the individual public service pension schemes are responsible for ensuring the effective delivery of the McCloud remedy to affected members. This is a complex and wide-ranging exercise and I acknowledge that some schemes have not made as much progress as we’d wish. I have written to scheme managers to remind them of their responsibilities to implement the remedy as quickly as possible and ensure that scheme members and the Pensions Regulator are kept informed of progress and plans. I can confirm that schemes pay interest to members on amounts owed as a result of the remedy.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment she has made of the impact of inflation on low-income households.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government recognises inflation can place particular pressure on low-income households. Analysis from the Office for National Statistics shows that lower-income households spend a larger share of their income on essentials such as food, energy and housing.
The Government is committed to bearing down on inflationary pressures and cutting the cost of living.
Alongside this, the Government is going further to support those who need it most by removing the two-child limit in Universal Credit, increasing the National Living Wage, and committing to the pensions Triple Lock for the duration of this Parliament. The Government has also expanded the £150 Warm Home Discount to a total of 6 million lower-income households, and is expanding free school meals to children in households receiving Universal Credit in England.
Asked by: Jack Rankin (Conservative - Windsor)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many apprentices her Department recruited in (a) 2025, (b) 2022, (c) 2023 and (d) 2024.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The number of apprentices has fallen for a number of reasons:
HM Treasury remains committed to apprenticeships as one pathway to break down barriers to opportunity. External recruitment campaigns for AO & EO grades are considered for a level 3 apprenticeship where appropriate.
As a result, the department has recruited the following number of apprentices:
2022 - 12
2023 - 4
2024 - 4
2025 – 0
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to her Oral Statement on Youth Unemployment, whether her Department has considered the benefits of raising the VAT Threshold to remove the potential barriers to sole traders taking on more work and hiring apprentices.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - 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 means the majority of UK businesses are not in the VAT system at all, reducing administrative burdens and supporting their growth.
The Government’s approach to the VAT registration threshold aims to balance the impacts on small businesses, including their growth and financial sustainability, with the needs of the wider economy and the public finances. Increasing the VAT registration threshold would come at a significant fiscal cost and reduce the revenue available for vital public services.
More than £1.5 billion is being made available over the Spending Review period for investment in employment and skills support. This includes £725 million for the Growth and Skills Levy, to help support apprenticeships for young people and fully fund SME apprenticeships for under-25s.