HM Treasury

HM Treasury is the government’s economic and finance ministry, maintaining control over public spending, setting the direction of the UK’s economic policy and working to achieve strong and sustainable economic growth.



Secretary of State

 Portrait

Rachel Reeves
Chancellor of the Exchequer

Shadow Ministers / Spokeperson
Liberal Democrat
Baroness Kramer (LD - Life peer)
Liberal Democrat Lords Spokesperson (Treasury and Economy)
Daisy Cooper (LD - St Albans)
Liberal Democrat Spokesperson (Treasury)

Conservative
Mel Stride (Con - Central Devon)
Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer
Junior Shadow Ministers / Deputy Spokesperson
Conservative
Lord Altrincham (Con - Excepted Hereditary)
Shadow Minister (Treasury)
Richard Fuller (Con - North Bedfordshire)
Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Gareth Davies (Con - Grantham and Bourne)
Shadow Financial Secretary (Treasury)
Baroness Neville-Rolfe (Con - Life peer)
Shadow Minister (Treasury)
Junior Shadow Ministers / Deputy Spokesperson
Conservative
James Wild (Con - North West Norfolk)
Shadow Exchequer Secretary (Treasury)
Mark Garnier (Con - Wyre Forest)
Shadow Economic Secretary (Treasury)
Ministers of State
Darren Jones (Lab - Bristol North West)
Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Lord Livermore (Lab - Life peer)
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
Baroness Gustafsson (Lab - Life peer)
Minister of State (HM Treasury)
Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State
James Murray (LAB - Ealing North)
Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Emma Reynolds (Lab - Wycombe)
Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
Torsten Bell (Lab - Swansea West)
Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
There are no upcoming events identified
Debates
Wednesday 16th July 2025
Select Committee Inquiry
Tuesday 31st January 2023
Quantitative tightening

This inquiry will examine quantitative tightening, including its impact on the economy and its fiscal costs. It will also investigate …

Written Answers
Wednesday 16th July 2025
Terrorism: Insurance
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether existing (a) insurance and (b) reinsurance mechanisms cover (i) subsea cabled and …
Secondary Legislation
Tuesday 15th July 2025
Bank Recovery and Resolution (Amendment) Regulations 2025
These Regulations amend the Bank Recovery and Resolution (No. 2) Order 2014 (S.I. 2014/3348) (“the 2014 Order”). They make certain …
Bills
Wednesday 25th June 2025
Supply and Appropriation (Main Estimates) (No. 2) Bill 2024-26
A Bill to Authorise the use of resources for the year ending with 31 March 2026; to authorise both the …
Dept. Publications
Wednesday 16th July 2025
15:07

HM Treasury Commons Appearances

Oral Answers to Questions is a regularly scheduled appearance where the Secretary of State and junior minister will answer at the Dispatch Box questions from backbench MPs

Other Commons Chamber appearances can be:
  • Urgent Questions where the Speaker has selected a question to which a Minister must reply that day
  • Adjornment Debates a 30 minute debate attended by a Minister that concludes the day in Parliament.
  • Oral Statements informing the Commons of a significant development, where backbench MP's can then question the Minister making the statement.

Westminster Hall debates are performed in response to backbench MPs or e-petitions asking for a Minister to address a detailed issue

Written Statements are made when a current event is not sufficiently significant to require an Oral Statement, but the House is required to be informed.


Bills currently before Parliament

HM Treasury does not have Bills currently before Parliament


Acts of Parliament created in the 2024 Parliament

Introduced: 13th November 2024

A Bill to make provision about secondary Class 1 contributions.

This Bill received Royal Assent on 3rd April 2025 and was enacted into law.

Introduced: 6th November 2024

A Bill to make provision about finance.

This Bill received Royal Assent on 20th March 2025 and was enacted into law.

Introduced: 25th July 2024

A Bill to amend the Crown Estate Act 1961.

This Bill received Royal Assent on 11th March 2025 and was enacted into law.

Introduced: 5th March 2025

A Bill to Authorise the use of resources for the years ending with 31 March 2024, 31 March 2025 and 31 March 2026; to authorise the issue of sums out of the Consolidated Fund for those years; and to appropriate the supply authorised by this Act for the years ending with 31 March 2024 and 31 March 2025.

This Bill received Royal Assent on 11th March 2025 and was enacted into law.

Introduced: 6th November 2024

A Bill to make provision for loans or other financial assistance to be provided to, or for the benefit of, the government of Ukraine.

This Bill received Royal Assent on 16th January 2025 and was enacted into law.

Introduced: 18th July 2024

A Bill to impose duties on the Treasury and the Office for Budget Responsibility in respect of the announcement of fiscally significant measures.

This Bill received Royal Assent on 10th September 2024 and was enacted into law.

Introduced: 24th July 2024

A Bill to authorise the use of resources for the year ending with 31 March 2025; to authorise both the issue of sums out of the Consolidated Fund and the application of income for that year; and to appropriate the supply authorised for that year by this Act and by the Supply and Appropriation (Anticipation and Adjustments) Act 2024.

This Bill received Royal Assent on 30th July 2024 and was enacted into law.

HM Treasury - Secondary Legislation

These Regulations amend the Bank Recovery and Resolution (No. 2) Order 2014 (S.I. 2014/3348) (“the 2014 Order”). They make certain changes to the provisions in the 2014 Order which relate to the requirement for the Bank of England (“the Bank”) to set a minimum requirement for own funds and eligible liabilities (“MREL”) for relevant financial institutions. MREL is a requirement set by the Bank for relevant institutions to maintain sufficient equity and subordinated debt to support the effective use of the Bank’s write-down and conversion powers under the Banking Act 2009 (c. 1) in the event that such an institution fails and it is necessary for the Bank to take resolution action.
These Regulations provide for an exemption from income tax with retrospective effect for:
View All HM Treasury Secondary Legislation

Petitions

e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.

If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.

If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).

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Petitions with most signatures
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10,072 Signatures
(4,890 in the last 7 days)
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8,488 Signatures
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7,166 Signatures
(19 in the last 7 days)
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5,802 Signatures
(138 in the last 7 days)
Petition Open
4,282 Signatures
(5 in the last 7 days)
Petition Debates Contributed

Raise the income tax personal allowance from £12570 to £20000. We think this would help low earners to get off benefits and allow pensioners a decent income.

We think that changing inheritance tax relief for agricultural land will devastate farms nationwide, forcing families to sell land and assets just to stay on their property. We urge the government to keep the current exemptions for working farms.

Prevent independent schools from having to pay VAT on fees and incurring business rates as a result of new legislation.

View All HM Treasury Petitions

Departmental Select Committee

Treasury Committee

Commons Select Committees are a formally established cross-party group of backbench MPs tasked with holding a Government department to account.

At any time there will be number of ongoing investigations into the work of the Department, or issues which fall within the oversight of the Department. Witnesses can be summoned from within the Government and outside to assist in these inquiries.

Select Committee findings are reported to the Commons, printed, and published on the Parliament website. The government then usually has 60 days to reply to the committee's recommendations.


11 Members of the Treasury Committee
Meg Hillier Portrait
Meg Hillier (Labour (Co-op) - Hackney South and Shoreditch)
Treasury Committee Member since 9th September 2024
Yuan Yang Portrait
Yuan Yang (Labour - Earley and Woodley)
Treasury Committee Member since 21st October 2024
Jeevun Sandher Portrait
Jeevun Sandher (Labour - Loughborough)
Treasury Committee Member since 21st October 2024
Lola McEvoy Portrait
Lola McEvoy (Labour - Darlington)
Treasury Committee Member since 21st October 2024
Siobhain McDonagh Portrait
Siobhain McDonagh (Labour - Mitcham and Morden)
Treasury Committee Member since 21st October 2024
John Glen Portrait
John Glen (Conservative - Salisbury)
Treasury Committee Member since 21st October 2024
Rachel Blake Portrait
Rachel Blake (Labour (Co-op) - Cities of London and Westminster)
Treasury Committee Member since 21st October 2024
Harriett Baldwin Portrait
Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Treasury Committee Member since 21st October 2024
Bobby Dean Portrait
Bobby Dean (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Treasury Committee Member since 28th October 2024
Chris Coghlan Portrait
Chris Coghlan (Liberal Democrat - Dorking and Horley)
Treasury Committee Member since 28th October 2024
John Grady Portrait
John Grady (Labour - Glasgow East)
Treasury Committee Member since 9th December 2024
Treasury Committee: Upcoming Events
Treasury Committee - Oral evidence
Bank of England Financial Stability Reports
22 Jul 2025, 9:45 a.m.
At 10:15am: Oral evidence
Andrew Bailey - Governor at Bank of England
Professor Randall Kroszner - External Member at Financial Policy Committee, Bank of England
Carolyn Wilkins - External Member at Financial Policy Committee, Bank of England

View calendar - Save to Calendar
Treasury Committee: Previous Inquiries
The Financial Conduct Authority’s Regulation of London Capital & Finance plc Budget 2021 Work of National Savings and Investments Lessons from Greensill Capital Appointment of Carolyn Wilkins to the Financial Policy Committee Appointment of Tanya Castell to the Prudential Regulatory Committee The work of the Prudential Regulation Authority Reappointment of Jill May and Julia Black to the Prudential Regulation Committee Committee on COP26: climate change and finance Spring Budget 2020 Appointment of Sarah Breeden to the Financial Policy Committee Appointment of Catherine Mann to the Monetary Policy Committee Reappointment of Jonathan Haskel to the Monetary Policy Committee Bank of England July Financial Stability Report and August Monetary Policy Report Economic Crime Regional Imbalances in the UK economy The Work of the Debt Management Office Appointment of Richard Hughes as Chair of the Office for Budget Responsibility Reappointment of Professor Silvana Tenreyro to the Monetary Policy Committee Reappointment of Andy Haldane to the Monetary Policy Committee Appointment of Jonathan Hall to the Financial Policy Committee Appointment of Nikhil Rathi as Chief Executive of the Financial Conduct Authority Maxwellisation inquiry The work of National Savings and Investments inquiry Retail Banking Market Review inquiry HMRC Executive Chair and Chief Executive Financial stability one-off hearing Appointment of the CEO of Financial Conduct Authority Bank of England Financial Stability Report Hearings 2016-17 UK's future economic relationship with the EU inquiry Appointment of Deputy Governor for Prudential Regulation EU Insurance Regulation inquiry HM Treasury: Report and Accounts 2015 – 2016 Appointment of Michael Saunders to the Monetary Policy Committee Appointment of Anil Kashyap to the Financial Policy Committee Tax credits, fraud and error inquiry The work of the Chancellor of the Exchequer inquiry Bank of England Inflation Report Hearing August 2016 Prudential Regulation Authority inquiry Sir Charles Bean appointment to Budget Responsibility Committee UK tax policy and the tax base inquiry Government Internal Audit Agency inquiry HM Treasury Annual Report and Accounts 2014-15 inquiry Valuation Office Agency inquiry Independent review of report into failure of HBOS inquiry Review of the Office for National Statistics inquiry Appointment of Angela Knight as Chair of the Office for Tax Simplification Appointment of Tim Parkes as Chair of Regulatory Decisions Committee Budget 2016 inquiry Financial Policy Committee re-appointment hearings Bank of England Inflation Report Hearing May 2016 Work of the Court of the Bank of England inquiry Bank of England Inflation Report Hearing February 2017 Appointment of the Deputy Governor for Markets and Banking Budget 2017 inquiry Restoration and Renewal of the Palace of Westminster inquiry Capital inquiry Work of the Payment Systems Regulator inquiry Effectiveness and impact of post-2008 UK monetary policy Access to basic retail financial services inquiry Financial Conduct Authority inquiry Bank of England Inflation Report Hearing November 2016 UK Financial Investments annual reports and accounts 2015-16 Housing Policy inquiry Autumn Statement 2016 Household finances: income, saving and debt inquiry Bank of England Inflation Reports inquiry Budget Autumn 2017 inquiry Student Loans inquiry The UK's economic relationship with the European Union inquiry The work of the Bank of England inquiry The work of the Financial Conduct Authority The work of the National Infrastructure Commission inquiry Women in finance inquiry Appointment of Professor Silvana Tenreyro to the Monetary Policy Committee Appointment of Sir Dave Ramsden as Deputy Governor for Markets and Banking, Bank of England The work of the Chancellor of the Exchequer EU Insurance Regulation inquiry HMRC Annual Report and Accounts inquiry Re-appointment of Professor Anil Kashyap to the Financial Policy Committee inquiry Re-appointment of Ben Broadbent as Deputy Governor for Monetary Policy, Bank of England inquiry The effectiveness of gender pay gap reporting inquiry Decarbonisation of the UK Economy and Green Finance inquiry Regional Imbalances in the UK Economy inquiry Work of the Financial Services Compensation Scheme inquiry Spending Round 2019 inquiry Access to Cash Review inquiry Appointment of Kathryn Cearns as Chair of the Office of Tax Simplification inquiry The future of the UK’s financial services inquiry The impact of Business Rates on business inquiry Spring Statement 2019 inquiry The work of the Adjudicator’s Office inquiry The work of the Debt Management Office inquiry Independent Review of the Co-Operative Bank inquiry Work of the Court of the Bank of England inquiry Tax enquiries and resolution of tax disputes inquiry IT failures in the financial services sector inquiry Work of the Banking Standards Board inquiry Independent Review of the Financial Ombudsman Service Appointment of Bradley Fried as Chair of Court, Bank of England Appointment of Professor Jonathan Haskel to the Monetary Policy Committee Andy King, Nominated Member of the Budget Responsibility Committee Re-appointment of Dr Gertjan Vlieghe to the Monetary Policy Committee Maxwellisation inquiry Work of the Valuation Office Agency inquiry Appointment of Julia Black as external member of the Prudential Regulation Committee Appointment of Jill May as an external member of the Prudential Regulation Committee Consumers’ Access to Financial Services inquiry The re-appointment of Sir Jon Cunliffe as Deputy Governor for Financial Stability at the Bank of England inquiry Budget 2018 inquiry The Work of the Treasury inquiry Service Disruption at TSB inquiry Economic Crime inquiry Re-appointment of Alex Brazier to the Financial Policy Committee Re-appointment of Donald Kohn to the Financial Policy Committee Re-appointment of Martin Taylor to the Financial Policy Committee VAT inquiry Spring Statement 2018 Digital Currencies inquiry Appointment of Charles Randell as Chair of the Financial Conduct Authority SME Finance inquiry Appointment of Elisabeth Stheeman to the Bank of England Financial Policy Committee The work of the Prudential Regulation Authority inquiry Bank of England Financial Stability Reports RBS's Global Restructuring Group and its treatment of SMEs inquiry Childcare inquiry The work of the Payment Systems Regulator inquiry HM Treasury Annual Report and Accounts inquiry Women in the City Crown Estate Cheques, the end of? Mortgage Arrears and Access to Mortgage Finance: Follow up Financial Institutions - Too Important To Fail? Budget 2010 Credit Searches European Macro and Micro Prudential Financial Regulation Presbyterian Mutual Society Pre-Budget Report 2009 Budget 2009 Pre-Budget Report 2008 Budget 2008 Pre-Budget Report 2007 Mortgage Arrears and Access to Mortgage Finance Evaluating the Efficiency Programme Administration and expenditure of the Chancellor’s Departments, 2008-09 Banking Crisis Banking Crisis: International Dimensions Banking Reform Run on the Rock Budget June 2010 Competition and choice in the banking sector Office for Budget Responsibility Financial Regulation Spending Review 2010 Administration and effectiveness of HMRC The principles of tax policy Retail Distribution Review European financial regulation Autumn forecast 2010 Accountability of the Bank of England Private Finance Initiative Budget 2011 Future of Cheques Independent Commission on Banking: Interim Report Closing the tax gap: HMRC's record at ensuring tax compliance Budget Measures and Low-income Households Financial Conduct Authority Inherited Estates Counting the population Administration and expenditure of the Chancellor's Departments, 2006-07 Comprehensive Spending Review 2007 Administration and expenditure of the Chancellor's Departments, 2007-08 Independent Commission on Banking: Final Report Global Imbalances Autumn Statement 2011 Budget 2012 Corporate governance and remuneration Money Advice Service LIBOR FSA's report into HBOS Spending Round 2013 Project Verde Macroprudential tools Disposal of Government Stakes in RBS and Lloyds Credit Rating Agencies Autumn Statement 2012 Appointment of Dr Mark Carney as Governor of the Bank of England Budget 2013 Quantitative easing Private Finance 2 Autumn Statement 2013 Bank of England Financial Stability Report hearings: Session 2014-15 Appointment hearings, Session 2013-14 Bank of England Inflation Report Hearings: Session 2013-14 EU Financial Regulation Monetary Policy: Forward Guidance UK Financial Investments Ltd 2013 The economics of HS2 SME Lending Financial Conduct Authority hearings The costing of pre-election policy proposals Performance of the Royal Mint Budget 2014 The economics of currency unions OBR: July 2013 Fiscal Sustainability Report Banks' Lending Practices: Treatment of Businesses in Distress RBS Independent Lending Review Prudential Regulation Authority Hearings: Session 2014-15 HM Treasury Annual Report and Accounts 2013-14 Treatment of Financial Services Consumers Bank of England Inflation Report Hearings: Session 2014-15 HMRC Business Plan 2014-16 Manipulation of Benchmarks Appointment hearings, Session 2014-15 Co-op Governance Review Cost effectiveness of economic and financial sanctions Bank of England Financial Stability Report Hearings 2015-16 Bank of England Inflation Report Hearings 2015-16 Summer Budget 2015 inquiry UK Financial Investments Ltd Annual Report and Accounts 14-15 Review of scope and performance of Office for Budget Responsibility Bank of England Bill inquiry Chair of Office for Budget Responsibility reappointment hearing HMRC Annual Report and Accounts 2014-15 inquiry Prudential Regulation Authority inquiry Comprehensive Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015 inquiry Review of CMA work on Retail Banking Market one-off session Financial Conduct Authority Practitioner Panels one-off session Appointment of Gertjan Vlieghe to the Monetary Policy Committee hearing Reappointment of Ian McCafferty to the Monetary Policy Committee hearing Financial Conduct Authority Economic and financial costs and benefits of UK's EU membership Crown Estate Annual Report and Accounts 2013/14 Bank of England Foreign Exchange Market Investigation HM Revenue and Customs and HSBC Budget 2015 The UK's EU Budget Contributions Press briefing of information in the Financial Conduct Authority’s 2014/15 Business Plan Fair and Effective Markets Review The Payment Systems Regulator Implementing the recommendations on the Parliamentary Commission on Banking Standards Autumn Statement 2014 Work of the Tax Assurance Commissioner UK Financial Investments Ltd Proposals for further Fiscal and Economic Devolution to Scotland Debt Management Office Annual Report and Accounts 2013-14 UK Customs Policy Infrastructure The cost of living The venture capital market The crypto-asset industry Tax Reliefs September 2022 Fiscal Event The Financial Services and Markets Bill The mortgage market The Edinburgh Reforms Quantitative tightening Retail Banks Appointment of Andrew Bailey as Governor of the Bank of England Work of Government Actuary’s Department Work of the Financial Ombudsman Service Work of HM Treasury Future of Financial Services Spending Review 2020 HMRC Annual Report and Accounts Bank of England Financial Stability Reports The appointment of John Taylor to the Prudential Regulation Committee UK’s economic and trading relationship with the EU The appointment of Antony Jenkins to the Prudential Regulation Committee Access to Cash Review Bank of England Financial Stability Reports Bank of England Inflation Reports Consumers’ Access to Financial Services Decarbonisation of the UK Economy and Green Finance Economic Crime The effectiveness of gender pay gap reporting HMRC Annual Report and Accounts inquiry Tax enquiries and resolution of tax disputes IT failures in the financial services sector Appointment of Dame Colette Bowe to the Financial Policy Committee Re-appointment of Professor Anil Kashyap to the Financial Policy Committee Work of the Financial Services Compensation Scheme Spending Round 2019 The impact of Business Rates on business Work of the Court of the Bank of England Independent Review of the Co-Operative Bank Regional Imbalances in the UK Economy Re-appointment of Michael Saunders to the Monetary Policy Committee Re-appointment of Ben Broadbent as Deputy Governor for Monetary Policy, Bank of England Maxwellisation RBS's Global Restructuring Group and its treatment of SMEs SME Finance Spring Statement 2019 The future of the UK’s financial services HM Treasury Annual Report and Accounts Service Disruption at TSB The UK's economic relationship with the European Union VAT The work of the Bank of England The work of the Chancellor of the Exchequer The work of the Financial Conduct Authority The Work of the Treasury The work of the Prudential Regulation Authority

50 most recent Written Questions

(View all written questions)
Written Questions can be tabled by MPs and Lords to request specific information information on the work, policy and activities of a Government Department

11th Jul 2025
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has made an assessment of the adequacy of the (a) insurance and (b) reinsurance market for businesses affected by cyber-attacks.

The government recognises that cyber insurance is an important tool for businesses' economic resilience. HM Treasury works closely with industry, regulators, other government departments and relevant stakeholders to monitor insurance markets, including cyber. Cyber insurance is widely offered in the UK insurance market and the government would encourage businesses to shop around, or employ the services of a broker, to find the most appropriate cover, at the best price.

Emma Reynolds
Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
9th Jul 2025
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether existing (a) insurance and (b) reinsurance mechanisms cover (i) subsea cabled and (ii) other off-shore assets in the event of a terrorist attack.

The owners or operators of subsea cables and other off-shore assets are responsible for the insurance of their assets.

There is a wide variety of insurance products available in the UK market, including from speciality insurers. The government would always recommend the companies shop around, or engage the services of a specialist broker, to ensure they can access the cover they need at the best price.

Emma Reynolds
Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
8th Jul 2025
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the use of Defence Bonds for financing military expenditure; and whether her Department has had recent discussions with financial investors on their issuance.

As the Prime Minister announced in February, we are fully funding the path to 2.5% by reducing ODA spending. That is why we can announce a £10.9bn real-terms increase to the MOD budget over the Spending Review period. On top of this, we are recognising the contribution provided by our intelligence agencies on defence, in line with practice among our Allies. This means that in 2027-28 we expect to reach 2.6% of GDP


The increase in defence spending will be funded by reducing ODA from 0.5% to 0.3% of Gross National Income (GNI) by 2027, and reinvesting it into defence.

The government’s core gilt programme is the most stable and cost-effective way of raising finance to fund the day-to-day activities of the government, owing to the depth and liquidity of the market. This is, in part, down to the fungibility of the instruments issued to the market. Issuing bonds aimed at financing specific areas of spending risks fragmenting the gilt market, which would not be consistent with the government’s debt management objective of minimising the long-term cost of financing, taking into account risk.

The government keeps under regular review the introduction of new debt instruments. The government would however need to be satisfied that any new instrument would meet value-for-money criteria, enjoy strong and sustained demand in the long term, and be consistent with wider fiscal objectives.

Darren Jones
Chief Secretary to the Treasury
8th Jul 2025
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department plans to bring forward legislative proposals on the employment status of joint or sole directors who receive their income from both dividends and a salary.

An individual’s employment status is determined by the facts and circumstances of the engagement between the worker and engager. This is based on case law.

HMRC takes steps to ensure individuals are correctly treated as employees, or as self-employed, where they should be. HMRC provides extensive guidance to support organisations and individuals understand and determine employment status for tax.

The Government acknowledges that differences in tax treatment between employees, the self-employed and those working through a company structure can lead to individuals paying different amounts of tax while doing very similar work.

Rates of dividend tax are lower than the main rates of income tax, partly to recognise the fact that corporation tax may have been charged on the profits that are then distributed in the form of dividends

The off-payroll working rules, also known as IR35, have been in place for 25 years. They are designed to ensure that individuals working like employees but through their own company, usually a personal service company (PSC), pay broadly the same income tax and National Insurance contributions (NICs) as those who are directly employed.

James Murray
Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
8th Jul 2025
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to protect National Insurance numbers from repeated (a) misuse and (b) fraud.

A National Insurance Number (NINo) is a unique reference number used to administer the Benefits and National Insurance systems. It is not proof of identity and cannot be used on its own to access HMRC records or systems.

HMRC regularly urges customers to be alert to scams requesting personal information, including their NINo.

James Murray
Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
8th Jul 2025
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether contingency planning is in place for potential macroeconomic disruption resulting from prolonged national electricity blackouts.

HM Treasury has a comprehensive framework for assessing and managing potential risks to the economic outlook, including those posed by national power outages. This framework involves systematic monitoring through internal risk monitors, risk governance forums, and collaboration with other government departments such as the Cabinet Office and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.

HM Treasury also engages with the Bank of England and Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), as the financial sector regulators, to ensure the sector is prepared to respond to a range of risks, including national power outages.

Darren Jones
Chief Secretary to the Treasury
8th Jul 2025
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much the National Infrastructure Commission has spent on equipment to enable staff to work from home in each of the last three years.

As equipment costs to enable working from home were processed as expenses, and are approved on an individual basis, the information is not readily available and providing it would incur a disproportionate cost to the organization.

Darren Jones
Chief Secretary to the Treasury
8th Jul 2025
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the potential merits of introducing real-time alerts for compromised National Insurance numbers.

The Department for Work and Pensions have processes in place to flag NINos and will monitor flagged NINos daily for inappropriate use.

James Murray
Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
8th Jul 2025
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of removing the customs duty on mastectomy bras.

The UK’s tariff schedule, known as the UK Global Tariff (UKGT), adheres to global classification standards. Those classify mastectomy bras under a commodity code that covers a range of other textiles.

We continue to monitor the UKGT to ensure our Most Favoured Nation tariff schedule functions as effectively as possible, supports domestic priorities, and provides a stable operating environment for businesses.

Businesses are able to request the partial or full liberalisation of the import duty applied to the products under this commodity code, including mastectomy bras, either through the online feedback form or the next business suspensions window.

James Murray
Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
8th Jul 2025
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she plans to continue the 40 percent relief on business rates for Retail, Hospitality and Leisure businesses into the 2026-27 financial year.

Retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) relief has been extended year-by-year by previous governments since the pandemic. It has been a stopgap measure, and we recognise that businesses need longer term certainty on their business rates liabilities.

Without any Government intervention, RHL relief would have ended entirely in April 2025, creating a cliff-edge for businesses. Instead, the Government is providing a 40 per cent discount to RHL properties up to a cash cap of £110,0000 per business in 2025-26, ahead of introducing permanently lower rates for RHL properties with rateable values below £500,000 from April 2026.

James Murray
Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
8th Jul 2025
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of scrapping the High Income Child Benefit Charge.

While the government understands the concerns that have been raised about the High Income Child Benefit Charge (HICBC), it is currently the best way to manage Child Benefit expenditure. By withdrawing Child Benefit from high-income families, the HICBC helps to ensure the sustainability of the public finances and protect our vital public services.

James Murray
Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
8th Jul 2025
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make it her policy to increase £500,000 threshold for the new surcharge on business rates in line with the increase in aggregate rateable values from the 2026 business rates revaluation.

As announced at Autumn Budget 2024, the Government intends to introduce a higher business rates multiplier for all properties with a rateable value (RV) of £500,000 or above in April 2026 to fund permanently lower multipliers for retail, hospitality and leisure properties with RVs below £500,000.

The final details of the higher multiplier will be announced at Autumn Budget 2025 in light of the outcomes of the 2026 revaluation, which is currently ongoing.

James Murray
Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
8th Jul 2025
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to allocate revenues from carbon pricing to help increase levels of (a) industrial resilience and (b) innovation in high energy-consuming sectors.

The Government is committed to maintaining an ambitious carbon pricing scheme to ensure that polluters continue to pay for their emissions. The UK’s lead carbon pricing policy is the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS).

The ETS raised c.£3.5 billion in the 2024-25 financial year, and the funds raised by the scheme are invested in the Government’s spending priorities, including public services and decarbonisation efforts. The Government is also providing support for industrial energy bills as set out in the Industrial Strategy.

James Murray
Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
8th Jul 2025
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment the Government has made of the merits of introducing National Insurance Contributions exemptions for employers who hire individuals transitioning off working benefits.

The Government is committed to providing people who are out of work with the personalised support they need to find work, aiding the long-term ambition of an 80% employment rate. At the Spending Review, the Government increased funding for employment support to over £3.5 billion by 2028-29, helping people to access the skills they need to progress, tackling unemployment and inactivity and ensuring more people are in better jobs.

There are a wide range of factors to take into consideration when introducing a tax relief. These include how effective the relief would be at achieving the policy intent, how targeted support would be, whether it adds complexity to the tax system, and the cost.

James Murray
Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
8th Jul 2025
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has provided additional funding to government departments to compensate public bodies for the increase in employer National Insurance contributions for each year of the Spending Review 2025.

At Autumn Budget 2024 the Government set aside funding to support the public sector with the additional cost of employer National Insurance Contributions. The Government then updated Parliament on allocations by department for 2025-26 (published alongside Main Estimates 2025-26).

Spending Review 2025 departmental settlements fully reflect these changes for 2026-27, 2027-28 and 2028-29, with the Barnett formula applying in the usual way.

James Murray
Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
8th Jul 2025
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 inflationary and revaluation-driven increases in rateable values at the 2026 revaluation.

Small Business Rate Relief (SBRR) is available to businesses with a single property with a rateable value (RV) below the threshold of £15,000. If a business expands to a second property, it retains SBRR on the first property for 12 months. Following that, the business is not eligible for SBRR unless additional properties have an RV below £2,899 and their total property portfolio has an RV below £20,000 (£28,000 in London).

Currently, over a third of properties (more than 700,000) pay no business rates as they receive 100 per cent SBRR, with an additional c.60,000 benefiting from reduced bills as this relief tapers.

Every three years, all commercial properties are revalued by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA). The 2026 revaluation, which will take effect from April 2026, will update RVs and may, therefore, affect businesses’ eligibility for SBRR. The revaluation process is ongoing and the VOA are required to publish a draft of all properties’ new RVs this year.

James Murray
Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
2nd Jul 2025
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of (1) companies leaving the London Stock Exchange, and (2) new companies listed on the stock market; and whether they intend to implement further incentives to encourage companies to be listed on the London Stock Exchange.

The government is committed to reinvigorating our capital markets to deliver growth, supporting firms to start, scale, list and stay in the UK.

We have already delivered an ambitious set of reforms including overhauling the Prospectus regime and Listing Rules, providing more flexibility to firms and founders raising capital on UK markets.

The government has published the Financial Services Growth and Competitiveness Strategy which sets out a 10-year strategy for the sector including a focus on Capital Markets.

Lord Livermore
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
10th Jul 2025
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 10 July 2025 to Question 65293 on Defence: Finance, what the total quantum of spend on the Chagos settlement is, for each remaining year of the current Parliament.

The UK’s financial obligations under the UK-Mauritius Treaty can be found in the document ‘UK/Mauritius: Agreement concerning the Chagos Archipelago including Diego Garcia’, which is available on Gov.uk. Payments will be managed responsibly within the government’s fiscal framework and reported in annual accounts in the usual way. Obligations within MOD and FCDO budgets have been agreed through the recently published Spending Review. No payments will be made until the treaty is legally binding.

Darren Jones
Chief Secretary to the Treasury
1st Jul 2025
To ask His Majesty's Government what changes were made to the guidance Managing Public Money in the June 2025 version compared to the May 2023 version.

As set out in the Dear Accounting Officer letter DAO 02/25, the 2025 edition of Managing Public Money includes the following revisions and additions.

  1. New guidance on the circumstances in which it might be appropriate to ‘pre-fund’ future liabilities, aligned with guidance set out in Dear Accounting Officer letter 05/23.
  2. Revised guidance on subsidy control to reflect changes to the wider UK subsidy control regime.
  3. Updated guidance on how accounting officers should manage risk in their organisations.
  4. Revised references and guidance on the importance of evaluation in government.
  5. Updated guidance on the use of models in government.
  6. Updated guidance on access to information by the National Audit Office, and clarifying rules on communication with the Public Accounts Committee.
  7. Revised guidance on the propriety of using the Companies Act 2006 to establish government owned companies.
  8. Revisions permitting the setting of delegations by the Treasury for the approval of special severance payments.
  9. Revised guidance, to align with that in Consolidated Budgeting Guidance, on the disposal of public sector land.
  10. An uprated threshold for the definition of ‘modest’ expenditure which may rest on the sole authority of the Supply and Appropriation Act, to reflect inflation.
  11. Updated guidance on fees and charges reporting to ensure that these are backed by appropriate powers.
  12. Updated guidance on the treatment of Public Corporations.
  13. Updated wording to confirm the scope of the rules in Managing Public Money – in line with existing Clear Line of Sight guidance.
  14. More detailed definitions of Regularity, Propriety, Value for Money and Feasibility.
  15. Wider corrections and amendments including updated links to wider government guidance.

Lord Livermore
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
10th Jul 2025
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of removing the tax exemption from woodlands.

Income Tax and Corporation Tax do not apply to woodlands managed on a commercial basis and with a view to making profits. This treatment was introduced in 1988 to prevent high-income individuals sheltering other income from tax by setting it against expenditure on forestry.

James Murray
Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
10th Jul 2025
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of recent changes to stamp duty thresholds on the number of first time buyers entering the property market.

Recent changes to stamp duty thresholds on 1 April 2025 were the result of policy introduced by the previous government. HMRC analysis estimates that there will be 4,000-6,000 fewer first-time buyer transactions per year between 2025/26-2029/30 as a result.

At Budget 2024, the Government increased the higher rates of Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) for additional dwellings by two percentage points from 3% to 5%. This measure will help to ensure that those looking to move home, or purchase their first property, have a greater advantage over second home buyers, landlords, and companies purchasing residential property. The OBR certified costing estimates that increasing the higher rates of SDLT by two percentage points is expected to result in 130,000 additional transactions over the next five years by first-time buyers and other people buying a primary residence.

James Murray
Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
7th Jul 2025
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of changes to inheritance tax on social mobility.

The estates of all individuals benefit from a £325,000 nil-rate band for inheritance tax. The residence nil-rate band is a further £175,000 and is available to those passing on a qualifying residence on death to their direct descendants, such as children or grandchildren. This means qualifying estates can pass on up to £500,000 and the qualifying estate of a surviving spouse or civil partner can pass on up to £1 million without an inheritance tax liability. This is because any unused nil-rate band or residence nil-rate band is transferable to a surviving spouse or civil partner.

The combination of nil-rate bands, exemptions, and reliefs means less than 10 per cent of estates across the UK are forecast to have an inheritance tax liability in 2029-30. However, inheritance tax still makes an important contribution to the public finances and it is now forecast to raise more than £14 billion in 2029-30 to help deliver public services. This includes over £2 billion more in 2029-30 from changes to the inheritance tax system announced at Autumn Budget 2024.

James Murray
Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
10th Jul 2025
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 10 July 2024 to Question 65661 on Wealth: Taxation, whether this will include a wealth tax.

I refer the Honourable Member to the answer given to UIN 65661.

James Murray
Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
1st Jul 2025
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of pension fund buyouts on the volume of gilt sales in the government bond market.

The volume of government gilt issuance is determined by the Office for Budget Responsibility forecast for cash borrowing, adjusted for redeeming gilts, any unanticipated under/over-financing in the previous financial year, and financing via other sources (such as National Savings & Investments).

Underlying demand for the UK’s debt remains robust, with a well-diversified investor base and the Debt Management Office’s gilt sales operations continue to see strong demand.

Insurance companies have fewer incentives to invest in gilts than Defined Benefit schemes, so insurance buyouts are expected to reduce demand from the sector over the longer term. This is well understood by the market. Gilts continue to offer benefits to insurance companies, though, and there are limits to the pace at which insurers can buy out pension funds.

Historically, we have seen changes in demand patterns from across the investor base. Overall demand has however remained resilient throughout these periods of changing investor patterns as a result of our policy of supporting a strong and diversified market. More generally, gilt yields are determined by a wide range of both domestic and international factors.

Lord Livermore
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
1st Jul 2025
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the sale of Government bonds by insurance companies who have taken over pension fund assets in exchange for annuities on (1) growth and (2) Government bond yields.

The volume of government gilt issuance is determined by the Office for Budget Responsibility forecast for cash borrowing, adjusted for redeeming gilts, any unanticipated under/over-financing in the previous financial year, and financing via other sources (such as National Savings & Investments).

Underlying demand for the UK’s debt remains robust, with a well-diversified investor base and the Debt Management Office’s gilt sales operations continue to see strong demand.

Insurance companies have fewer incentives to invest in gilts than Defined Benefit schemes, so insurance buyouts are expected to reduce demand from the sector over the longer term. This is well understood by the market. Gilts continue to offer benefits to insurance companies, though, and there are limits to the pace at which insurers can buy out pension funds.

Historically, we have seen changes in demand patterns from across the investor base. Overall demand has however remained resilient throughout these periods of changing investor patterns as a result of our policy of supporting a strong and diversified market. More generally, gilt yields are determined by a wide range of both domestic and international factors.

Lord Livermore
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
1st Jul 2025
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact that (1) regulatory risk aversion, and (2) the encouragement of pension fund buyouts and the accompanying sales of holdings of UK Government bonds once buyout is completed, have had on the availability and cost of start-up and scale-up capital in the UK.

The government keeps the availability and cost of start-up and scale-up capital under close review. The government is taking action to ensure that UK businesses can access the capital they need to grow, and that the financial system supports innovation and economic growth.

The Chancellor’s remit letters put the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority firmly at the heart of the Growth Mission, challenging them to go further to support growth and competitiveness. The letters made clear that there is an opportunity for more responsible and informed risk taking across the economy, and the government will support the regulators to enable this, including by facilitating innovation across the financial services sector.

Similarly, following a request in the Chancellor’s November 2024 remit letter to the Bank of England’s Financial Policy Committee, the BoE is working with HM Treasury and other authorities to assess how the financial system can better support sustainable economic growth, including by improving access to finance for high-potential small and medium-sized enterprises and for long-term investment.

The British Business Bank plays a key role in supporting start-ups and scale-ups, working with over 200 delivery partners (including banks and venture capital firms) to channel funding to SMEs that might otherwise struggle to access finance. Following the June Spending Review, the Bank’s financial capacity has increased to £25.6 billion, including the new £4 billion Industrial Strategy Growth Capital initiative, which will help address the scale-up financing gap for priority sectors.

The government is also working with private sector investors to enable more institutional investment into productive UK assets. This includes initiatives like the Pensions Investment Review and the Mansion House Accord. The British Business Bank is also supporting this effort through programmes such as the British Growth Partnership. Together, these actions will help address funding gaps in the market, including the availability and cost of start-up and scale-up capital.

Lord Livermore
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
1st Jul 2025
To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made in implementing the Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing (Amendment) Regulations 2023, and in updating the Financial Conduct Authority guidance with regard to politically exposed people.

The Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing (Amendment) Regulations 2023 came into force on 10 January 2024. All businesses within scope of the Money Laundering Regulations are now required to ensure that their starting point for assessing the risk posed by domestic politically exposed persons (PEPs), and the extent of the enhanced customer due diligence measures to be applied in relation to that customer, is that they present a lower level of risk than a non-domestic PEP.

The Government has been working closely with the FCA to follow up on the findings of its review into the treatment of Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs) by financial institutions and to ensure firms improve their practices where necessary. Following a consultation, the FCA published updated guidance on PEPs on 7 July 2025. It is available here: https://www.fca.org.uk/publications/finalised-guidance/fg25-3-treatment-politically-exposed-persons

Lord Livermore
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
7th Jul 2025
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation plans to issue updated guidance to asset managers on the risks of holding Hong Kong-listed securities that track sanctioned Chinese parent companies through Stock Connect.

UK businesses should ensure compliance with all UK sanctions regulations as part of their business operations, including performing due diligence checks on all of their clients, suppliers and partners. Non-compliance with UK sanctions is a serious offence and punishable through financial penalties or criminal prosecution.

OFSI has delivered a wealth of guidance, advisories, alerts and threat assessment reports assessing sectoral threats and vulnerabilities relating to financial sanctions. These products have been produced to support industry to comply with UK sanctions, including as part of their global operations. OFSI is not currently working on further guidance for the Hong Kong securities sector. If firms are unclear on their obligations, they should seek legal advice.

If somebody has evidence or information of activity that contravenes UK financial sanctions, this should be reported to OFSI immediately using the reporting form available on GOV.UK(https://www.gov.uk/guidance/suspected-breach-of-financial-sanctions-what-to-do).

Emma Reynolds
Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
1st Jul 2025
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the potential use of UK-listed closed-ended investment companies in order to fulfil the Mansion House pension fund commitments, and (2) the risks to pension scheme members of using open-ended long-term asset funds to hold illiquid long-term assets.

The Mansion House Accord is an industry-led agreement and information about the assets in scope is available on the websites of Pensions UK (formerly the PLSA) and the Association of British Insurers (ABI).

The Long-Term Asset Fund (LTAF) was introduced by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The structure was designed to fulfil the need for investment products that can provide funding for long-term projects, such as venture capital, private equity and debt, real estate and infrastructure while offering investors the potential for higher returns in exchange for limited liquidity.

Pension schemes are subject to liquidity requirements as set out in law and in Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) rules and are subject to the oversight of the FCA and The Pensions Regulator (TPR).

Lord Livermore
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
2nd Jul 2025
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential demand from defined benefit pension funds and insurers for new issuance of Government bonds aiming to match pension liabilities or annuities and linked to (1) consumer price index, (2) limited price indexation and (3) life expectancy in the United Kingdom.

The Government consults primary dealers and gilt investors regularly to understand their needs, taking that feedback into account when designing the gilt financing programme. The gilt market is deep and liquid and enjoys strong demand from a well-diversified investor base.

Issuing new types of gilts risks fragmenting the market, which would not be consistent with the government’s debt management objective to minimise the long-term cost of financing. Long-dated and index-linked gilts are already very effective assets for defined benefit pension funds and insurers and allow them to hedge long-term liabilities. This is reflected by the high levels of demand for these products from those sectors.

The government keeps the introduction of new debt instruments under regular review. Any new instrument would need to meet value-for-money criteria, enjoy strong and sustained demand in the long term, and be consistent with wider fiscal objectives.

Lord Livermore
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
7th Jul 2025
To ask His Majesty's Government to what extent the rise in employers' National Insurance contributions contributed to the loss of 69,000 hospitality jobs since last October, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics, and how this compares with their initial estimates of sector specific job losses before implementing the rise.

A Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) was published alongside the introduction of the Bill containing the changes to employer National Insurance contributions (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 Office for Budget Responsibility also published the Economic and Fiscal Outlook (EFO), which sets out a detailed forecast of the economy and public finances.

With all policies considered, the OBR's March 2025 EFO forecasts the employment level to increase from 33.6 million in 2024 to 34.8 million in 2029.

The Government protected the smallest businesses from the changes to employer NICs 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.

Lord Livermore
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
4th Jul 2025
To ask His Majesty's Government how many adults in the UK they expect not to pay any income tax in the financial year 2025–26.

Data on the number of UK adults who are not liable to pay income tax are not currently held or published.

HMRC publishes projections for the total number of Income Taxpayers per year in Table 2.1 of the Income Tax liabilities statistics. [1] Current projections show that there are estimated to be 39.1 million Income Taxpayers in the UK in the 2025 to 2026 financial year.

The Office for National Statistics publishes projections for the total number of people in the UK by age in their population projections. [2] They currently estimate there to be 55.9 million individuals aged 18 or over in the UK in 2025.

[1] Table 2.1 of our Accredited official statistics (gov.uk).

[2] Zipped population projections data files, UK - Office for National Statistics

Lord Livermore
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
8th Jul 2025
To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect to publish updated estimates of the wealthy tax gap which is the difference between the amount of tax that should be paid by wealthy individuals and what is actually paid.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) estimates the size of the tax gap, which is the difference between the amount of tax that should, in theory, be paid to HMRC, and what is actually paid. The tax gap statistics are published annually, most recently on 19 June 2025, with the next release planned for June 2026. [1]

The latest estimate of the wealthy customer group tax gap was £2.1 billion for the tax year 2023 to 2024. [2]

[1] The latest estimates include tax years from 2005 to 2006 through to 2023 to 2024 and are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/measuring-tax-gaps.

[2] Historical estimates for the tax gap for wealthy customers can be found in table 1.4 here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/measuring-tax-gaps-tables

Lord Livermore
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
9th Jul 2025
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Livermore on 8 July (HL8787 and HL8788), how introducing Making Tax Digital for smaller taxpayers will help reduce the tax gap.

Making Tax Digital (MTD) helps reduce the estimated £22 billion tax gap across all taxes caused through error and failure to take reasonable care. It does this by requiring closer-to-real-time digital record keeping, underpinned by quarterly updates and submission of the end-of-year tax return using MTD compatible software. MTD for VAT is currently predicted to deliver cumulative additional revenue (ATR) of over £4 billion by 2029-30 by reducing taxpayer errors.

Lord Livermore
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
7th Jul 2025
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to support people who were ineligible for government financial support measures during the Covid pandemic.

Decisions on eligibility for Covid-19 financial support were taken by the previous government.

The previous Government provided support through the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) and Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS). The support was based on two principles: a) targeting support at those who needed it most; and b) guarding against error, fraud, and abuse, whilst reaching as many individuals as possible. Those ineligible for the schemes may have been eligible for other elements of financial support provided by the previous Government.

The current Government is working to improve living standards for everyone across the country. We are taking immediate action to support individuals, such as committing to no increases in employee National Insurance, Income Tax or VAT as we want to keep taxes low for working people. Driving growth is the Government’s number one mission, which will help individuals by boosting wages and putting more money in people’s pockets.

Darren Jones
Chief Secretary to the Treasury
7th Jul 2025
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of her Department's proposals for a Remote Betting & Gaming Duty on (a) levels of investment in the UK, (b) consumer costs and (c) levels of illegal gambling.

The Government is consulting on proposals to simplify the current gambling tax system by merging the three current taxes that cover remote (including online) gambling into one. The Government welcomes views from stakeholders, as part of the consultation process.

No final policy decisions have been made. If any changes are made to gambling duties at a future Budget following the consultation, they will be accompanied by a Tax Information and Impact Note which will set out the expected impacts, including to individuals, businesses and the wider economy.

DCMS works closely with the Gambling Commission to ensure that illegal gambling, in all its forms, is addressed. The Crime and Policing Bill, introduced in Parliament on 25 February 2025, will grant the Gambling Commission with powers to move quickly and effectively to take down illegal gambling websites.

James Murray
Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
7th Jul 2025
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to help improve HMRC investigation times.

As part of our transformation of HMRC, we are improving our compliance learning offer to build the capability of both new trainees and established colleagues. Our Compliance Professional Standards reinforce that all colleagues should be mindful to avoid unnecessary delay in dealing with cases and keep customers informed throughout the compliance activity.

HMRC’s new Interactive Compliance Guidance tool, launched in April 2025, is designed to help businesses and individuals understand HMRC compliance checks, improving our support for customers. This promotes a better experience for the customer.

James Murray
Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
7th Jul 2025
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing funding from the Growth Mission fund to Springburn Winter Gardens.

In her recent Spending Review speech, the Chancellor announced that the Government would be establishing a Growth Mission Fund to expedite local projects that are important for growth.

Whilst we cannot confirm funding allocations yet, our £240 million Growth Mission Fund should support transformative projects that give local leaders real investment to deliver real change.

Details regarding funding criteria will be set out in due course.

Darren Jones
Chief Secretary to the Treasury
7th Jul 2025
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the National Insurance Contributions (Secondary Class 1 Contributions) Act 2025 on small and medium sized businesses.

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 the changes to employer NICs 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.

James Murray
Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
10th Jul 2025
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 10 July 2025 to Question 65293 on Defence: Finance, if she will publish the average increase as a percentage of GDP spent on defence expenditure from 2027, excluding the addition of intelligence and security services spend.

NATO qualifying defence expenditure is calculated using standardised NATO definitions of defence spending, as agreed by NATO allies.

Annual defence expenditure per country is reported to NATO on a regular basis and is published on their website.

Darren Jones
Chief Secretary to the Treasury
10th Jul 2025
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Prime Minister's Oral Statement of 25 February 2025 on Defence and Security, Official Report, column 633, referencing spending 2.6% on defence from 2027, how much will be spent out of the defence budget on increasing capacity in the intelligence and security services from 2027.

The Intelligence and Security Services are funded through the Single Intelligence Account (SIA), which is separate from the Ministry of Defence's budget.

The budget for the SIA from 2027 onwards is set out in the Spending Review 2025 document - GOV.UK.

Darren Jones
Chief Secretary to the Treasury
7th Jul 2025
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an estimate of the cost to the public purse of increasing the Trading Allowance to £3,000.

The Trading Allowance allows individuals to earn up to £1,000 a year in trading or miscellaneous income tax-free, and this has not changed. The Government is increasing the Income Tax Self-Assessment reporting threshold from £1,000 to £3,000 gross within this parliament.

Individuals will still owe tax on anything above £1,000, but if below £3,000 they will be able to report their income through a new HMRC online service rather than Self-Assessment. This will reduce administrative burdens for up to 300,000 traders.

The Government must ensure the tax system supports strong public finances whilst targeting support where it is most needed. As with all aspects of the tax system, the Government keeps the taxation of trading income under review. Any decisions on future changes will be taken by the Chancellor in the context of the wider public finances.

James Murray
Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
10th Jul 2025
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 10 July 2025 to Question 65293 on Defence: Finance, if she will publish the percentage of GDP spent on defence for each financial year since 2018/2019.

Historic NATO qualifying defence spend as a percentage of GDP is published on the NATO website:

240617-def-exp-2024-en.pdf

Darren Jones
Chief Secretary to the Treasury
7th Jul 2025
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions her Department has had with representatives of the farming sector on the implications of the proposed changes to inheritance tax.

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.

Ministers from multiple Government departments have had several meetings with agricultural organisations on this matter since Autumn Budget 2024. As the Minister with responsibility for the UK tax system, I have had meetings with organisations including the National Farmers’ Union, the Tenant Farmers’ Association, the Country Land and Business Association, the Central Association of Agricultural Valuers, the Ulster Farmers’ Union, NFU Cymru, NFU Scotland and the Farmers’ Union of Wales.

James Murray
Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
7th Jul 2025
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to engage with (a) farmers and (b) other agricultural groups in the development of proposed changes to inheritance tax.

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.

Ministers from multiple Government departments have had several meetings with agricultural organisations on this matter since Autumn Budget 2024. As the Minister with responsibility for the UK tax system, I have had meetings with organisations including the National Farmers’ Union, the Tenant Farmers’ Association, the Country Land and Business Association, the Central Association of Agricultural Valuers, the Ulster Farmers’ Union, NFU Cymru, NFU Scotland and the Farmers’ Union of Wales.

James Murray
Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
7th Jul 2025
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, which Minister has led engagement with the agricultural sector on the proposed changes to inheritance tax.

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.

Ministers from multiple Government departments have had several meetings with agricultural organisations on this matter since Autumn Budget 2024. As the Minister with responsibility for the UK tax system, I have had meetings with organisations including the National Farmers’ Union, the Tenant Farmers’ Association, the Country Land and Business Association, the Central Association of Agricultural Valuers, the Ulster Farmers’ Union, NFU Cymru, NFU Scotland and the Farmers’ Union of Wales.

James Murray
Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
7th Jul 2025
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions she has had with representatives of the farming sector on her Department's proposed changes to inheritance tax.

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.

Ministers from multiple Government departments have had several meetings with agricultural organisations on this matter since Autumn Budget 2024. As the Minister with responsibility for the UK tax system, I have had meetings with organisations including the National Farmers’ Union, the Tenant Farmers’ Association, the Country Land and Business Association, the Central Association of Agricultural Valuers, the Ulster Farmers’ Union, NFU Cymru, NFU Scotland and the Farmers’ Union of Wales.

James Murray
Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
7th Jul 2025
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to consult with (a) agricultural stakeholders, (b) farmers and (c) groups that represent farmers in the development of its proposed changes to inheritance tax policy.

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.

Ministers from multiple Government departments have had several meetings with agricultural organisations on this matter since Autumn Budget 2024. As the Minister with responsibility for the UK tax system, I have had meetings with organisations including the National Farmers’ Union, the Tenant Farmers’ Association, the Country Land and Business Association, the Central Association of Agricultural Valuers, the Ulster Farmers’ Union, NFU Cymru, NFU Scotland and the Farmers’ Union of Wales.

James Murray
Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
7th Jul 2025
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of VAT on the affordability of support services for people with (a) permanent disabilities and (b) dementia.

Supplies of welfare services, including the provision of care for people with permanent disabilities and dementia, are exempt from VAT if they are supplied by eligible bodies, such as public bodies or charities.

When developing policy, including on VAT on welfare services, the Treasury carefully considers the impact of its decisions on those sharing any of the nine protected characteristics, including disability, age, sex and race, in line with its statutory obligations under the Public Sector Equality Duty set out in the Equality Act 2010.

More generally, VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption, and the 20 per cent standard rate applies to most goods and services. VAT is the UK’s second largest tax, forecast to raise £180 billion in 2025/26. Exceptions to the standard rate have always been limited and balanced against affordability considerations.

James Murray
Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)