Dec. 22 2025
Source Page: Tax Minister and Bingo Association celebrate scrapping of Bingo DutyDec. 22 2025
Source Page: Chancellor announces date of Spring ForecastDec. 22 2025
Source Page: Correspondence Privacy NoticeDec. 22 2025
Source Page: Freedom of Information Act and Environmental Information Regulations Requests Privacy NoticeDec. 22 2025
Source Page: HM Treasury Public Appointments: Privacy NoticeDec. 22 2025
Source Page: Data Protection Information Rights Requests Privacy NoticeAsked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many and what proportion of civil servants in her Department are (a) on temporary contract and (b) consultants.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Information on the number of staff in HM Treasury that are (a) on temporary contracts and (b) consultants, is published annually through the HM Treasury annual report and accounts at the following web address: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hm-treasury-annual-report-and-accounts-2024-to-2025 on pages 95 and 103, respectively.
Asked by: Sarah Pochin (Reform UK - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of public sector pay awards agreed since July 2024 on expenditure over the Spending Review period.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
No additional central funding has been given to Departments for the 2025/26 pay awards beyond their existing funding allocations, and this will be the case for the remainder of the Spending Review period. This means we will not be borrowing more or raising taxes to fund higher pay awards, nor will there be an impact on the fiscal rules.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department has taken to explore alternatives to business rates for retail, hospitality and leisure premises; and whether she has considered implementing a Commercial Landowner Levy based on land value.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government is delivering a long overdue reform to rebalance the business rates system and support the high street, as promised in our manifesto.
The Government is doing this by introducing new permanently lower tax rates for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) properties. These new tax rates are worth nearly £900 million per year, and will benefit over 750,000 properties.
The Call for Evidence, published at Budget, focuses on how reform of the business rates system can be used to incentivise and secure more investment by Britain’s businesses. This Call for Evidence builds on the findings of the Transforming Business Rates: Discussion Paper and asks stakeholders for more detailed evidence on how the business rates system influences investment decisions.
Any reforms taken forward will be phased over the course of the Parliament.
Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what her planned timetable is for business rate bills to be issued for 2026-27; and what is the timetable for appeals against the new draft valuations published on 25 November 2025.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Local councils are responsible for the timing and issuing of business rates bills, typically these are sent in February or March for the following tax year.
New valuations cannot be formally challenged until they come into force on 1 April 2026. Until then valuations are draft. Ratepayers can let the VOA know now if any of the information used to calculate the valuation is wrong, and if necessary, the valuation will be corrected.