Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many enquiries were opened as a result of data-sharing between HMRC and the DWP to identify when older children claim benefits in their own right; over what timeframe they were opened; and what the outcomes were.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
DWP has long provided HMRC with information where older children receive benefits in their own right. Since 2024, this has been done through notifications of Universal Credit claims, replacing the previous approach which relied on Jobseeker’s Allowance and Income Support data.
HMRC uses these notifications to stop Child Benefit awards in cases where a young person is receiving benefit in their own right. This prevents dual provision of government support for the same individual. Because the DWP data is notifying HMRC of clear evidence of a benefit award, rather than indicating a risk of this potential, it is approaching 100% effective for addressing this type of error and fraud.
Based on operational management information, which is subject to change, over the last two years HMRC has closed around 3,000 Child Benefit awards following notifications from DWP that the young person was in receipt of Universal Credit.
Asked by: John Milne (Liberal Democrat - Horsham)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of allowing businesses to continue paying rates based on the previous year's valuation where a newly determined business rates valuation is under appeal with additional liability payable only if the appeal is unsuccessful.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
If customers disagree with their Rateable Value (as published in the Rating Lists), there is a three-stage process run by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) known as Check, Challenge, Appeal to challenge this.
Ratepayers are required to continue paying business rates based on the current valuation while a case is ongoing.
Asked by: Mel Stride (Conservative - Central Devon)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how the cost of the additional business rates support for pubs will be funded.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
From April, every pub and live music venue will get 15% off its new business rates bill on top of the support announced at Budget, ahead of their bills being frozen in real terms for a further two years. The cost of this support will not impact other sectors’ bills.
Final costings will be confirmed at a fiscal event in the usual way.
Asked by: Lord Naseby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what, if any, provision is being made to allow independent schools which have a Combined Cadet Forces Unit to offset the associated costs against their VAT commitments.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
VAT registered schools, like all VAT registered businesses, are entitled to recover VAT incurred on the goods and services they purchase and use in making taxable supplies. Costs relating to non-business activities cannot be recovered as input tax. There is no special provision to allow recovery of VAT incurred for non-business activities.
Where Combined Cadet Forces related costs also support the broader educational provision, schools may be able to deduct a portion of the VAT incurred on the associated costs.
HMRC has published guidance specifically for private schools, including how they can recover VAT on costs.
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 12 January 2026 to Question 101767 on Jeffrey Epstein, whether Jeffery Epstein visited HM Treasury offices in Whitehall during the period 1997 to 2010.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
Visitor information for HM Treasury offices in Whitehall is not retained for the time periods specified.
Asked by: Jo White (Labour - Bassetlaw)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what information her Department holds on whether the Crown Estate sought legal advice on the potential liability of their properties being used for the procurement of prostitution.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The Epstein scandal exposed a culture that didn't value the lives of women. It is utterly contrary to what the Prime Minister stands for and the values at the heart of a government tackling misogyny in schools, halving violence against women and girls and overhauling how our criminal justice system serves victims.
The Crown Estate is an independent commercial organisation, and the Government is not involved in its operations and day-to-day decision making.
The Crown Estate has confirmed that its leases contain a nuisance clause that prohibits illegal or immoral use, and that it enforces those leases in accordance with applicable law.
The Crown Estate has confirmed that its residential lease arrangements do not require monitoring or recording the identities of a leaseholder’s private visitors. Such monitoring would be incompatible with privacy and data protection requirements and with the long-established covenant owed to leaseholders under landlord-tenant law.
Asked by: Jo White (Labour - Bassetlaw)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what information her Department holds on the number of times that Jeffrey Epstein (a) visited and (b) stayed at a Crown Estate owned property.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The Epstein scandal exposed a culture that didn't value the lives of women. It is utterly contrary to what the Prime Minister stands for and the values at the heart of a government tackling misogyny in schools, halving violence against women and girls and overhauling how our criminal justice system serves victims.
The Crown Estate is an independent commercial organisation, and the Government is not involved in its operations and day-to-day decision making.
The Crown Estate has confirmed that its leases contain a nuisance clause that prohibits illegal or immoral use, and that it enforces those leases in accordance with applicable law.
The Crown Estate has confirmed that its residential lease arrangements do not require monitoring or recording the identities of a leaseholder’s private visitors. Such monitoring would be incompatible with privacy and data protection requirements and with the long-established covenant owed to leaseholders under landlord-tenant law.
Asked by: Baroness Neville-Rolfe (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government which public sector employers, including (1) NHS bodies, (2) maintained schools, (3) academy trusts, and (4) transport authorities, operate optional remuneration arrangements involving the sacrifice of earnings for employer pension contributions.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
Remuneration arrangements involving the sacrifice of earnings for employer pension contributions are not possible within statutory Public Service Pension Schemes and those public sector employers to which the Managing Public Money guidance applies are not permitted to offer such remuneration schemes. For other public sector organisations, the Government does not hold a central record of which organisations offer this type of salary sacrifice arrangement.
Asked by: Lord Bassam of Brighton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the net annual cost to the Treasury of freezing business rates on recording studios.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government has no current plans to freeze business rates for recording studios.
At the Budget in November 2025, the Government announced a £4.3 billion support package to support ratepayers across all sectors seeing bill increases. This includes a redesigned Transitional Relief scheme, which protects ratepayers from large overnight increases as a result of the revaluation.
The Government values the music industry and understands that recording studios are a vital part of the infrastructure of the industry. The Music Growth Package will see Government funding for the sector more than double from £4.1 million to up to £10 million a year for the next three years.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the figures for economic growth in the last 12 months and how does that outcome compare with their economic growth objectives.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
In 2025, UK GDP grew by 1.3%, which was the fastest rate of economic growth among the European G7. GDP per capita strongly accelerated, growing by 1.0% in 2025 after no growth in 2024 and a 1.0% fall in 2023. GDP per capita is now 0.9% above pre-election levels, whereas it declined by 0.2% in the previous Parliament.