Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 11 November 2025 to Question 87814, what proportion of mileage claims are made using a). HMRC Approved Mileage Allowance Payment rates and b). employers own assessment by 1). employees and 2). the self-employed.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The rate at which employees are reimbursed for undertaking business mileage in their personal vehicles is a matter between employers and their employees. As such these are exempt from reporting to HMRC, and the Government does not routinely collect the information requested.HMRC recently published research on benefits-in-kind and expenses. Of those employers surveyed, 41% of employers reimbursed mileage for employees using their own car for business travel, of which 37% reimbursed at the Approved Mileage Payment Rate and 4% at another rate.
The research report can be found here: Research with employers on Benefits in Kind and expenses - GOV.UK
Self-employed people are able to choose whether to use the simplified mileage rates or claim actual expenses and capital allowances for a vehicle. HMRC published research carried out in 2023 which showed that 29% of self-employed people who use vehicles in their business use the simplified mileage rates.
The research report was published on 28 May 2025 and can be found here: HMRC Mileage Rates Research - GOV.UK
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 19 November 2025 to Question 89705 on Child Benefit, what steps HMRC will take to ensure that customers affected by the suspension of Child Benefit payments are formally notified of the apology issued and compensated for any financial hardship caused.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
HMRC’s Chief Executive wrote to the Treasury Select Committee on 14 November 2025 about this matter including the corrective action that HMRC is taking. This letter was subsequently published by the Committee on 18 November 2025. There are no plans to publish a report.
In the response to the Treasury Select Committee, HMRC provided figures for those customers subsequently confirmed as eligible through a PAYE check or customer contact up to and including 31 October 2025. This time period reflects that figures are only validated after the month end.
Where there was evidence that customers had continued UK employment, HMRC reinstated payments automatically without any need for customer contact and those payments have been backdated. By the end of November 2025, HMRC will have written to all customers who have not yet contacted them to provide a further 4 weeks in which to make contact.
HMRC holds information by postal address although HMRC would be unable to release to such a granular level due to the risk of breaching taxpayer confidentiality.
HMRC’s pilot last year using international travel data prevented around £17m in incorrect payments. This led to a wider rollout and investment in an additional 180 counter-fraud staff, announced at the Autumn Budget 2024, which is expected to save around £350 million over the next five years.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 19 November 2025 to Question 89705 on Child Benefit, how many of the 23,500 enquiries excluded from the PAYE check were found to be eligible for reinstatement after the checks were completed on 14 November 2025.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
HMRC’s Chief Executive wrote to the Treasury Select Committee on 14 November 2025 about this matter including the corrective action that HMRC is taking. This letter was subsequently published by the Committee on 18 November 2025. There are no plans to publish a report.
In the response to the Treasury Select Committee, HMRC provided figures for those customers subsequently confirmed as eligible through a PAYE check or customer contact up to and including 31 October 2025. This time period reflects that figures are only validated after the month end.
Where there was evidence that customers had continued UK employment, HMRC reinstated payments automatically without any need for customer contact and those payments have been backdated. By the end of November 2025, HMRC will have written to all customers who have not yet contacted them to provide a further 4 weeks in which to make contact.
HMRC holds information by postal address although HMRC would be unable to release to such a granular level due to the risk of breaching taxpayer confidentiality.
HMRC’s pilot last year using international travel data prevented around £17m in incorrect payments. This led to a wider rollout and investment in an additional 180 counter-fraud staff, announced at the Autumn Budget 2024, which is expected to save around £350 million over the next five years.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 19 November 2025 to Question 89705 on Child Benefit, whether HMRC plans to publish a report on a) the circumstances of the error and b) lessons learned from the review into suspended Child Benefit claims, including methodology, criteria for suspension, and the results of PAYE checks.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
HMRC’s Chief Executive wrote to the Treasury Select Committee on 14 November 2025 about this matter including the corrective action that HMRC is taking. This letter was subsequently published by the Committee on 18 November 2025. There are no plans to publish a report.
In the response to the Treasury Select Committee, HMRC provided figures for those customers subsequently confirmed as eligible through a PAYE check or customer contact up to and including 31 October 2025. This time period reflects that figures are only validated after the month end.
Where there was evidence that customers had continued UK employment, HMRC reinstated payments automatically without any need for customer contact and those payments have been backdated. By the end of November 2025, HMRC will have written to all customers who have not yet contacted them to provide a further 4 weeks in which to make contact.
HMRC holds information by postal address although HMRC would be unable to release to such a granular level due to the risk of breaching taxpayer confidentiality.
HMRC’s pilot last year using international travel data prevented around £17m in incorrect payments. This led to a wider rollout and investment in an additional 180 counter-fraud staff, announced at the Autumn Budget 2024, which is expected to save around £350 million over the next five years.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 19 November 2025 to Question 89703 on Child Benefit, if she can advise what is the most localised level for which data is available.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
HMRC’s Chief Executive wrote to the Treasury Select Committee on 14 November 2025 about this matter including the corrective action that HMRC is taking. This letter was subsequently published by the Committee on 18 November 2025. There are no plans to publish a report.
In the response to the Treasury Select Committee, HMRC provided figures for those customers subsequently confirmed as eligible through a PAYE check or customer contact up to and including 31 October 2025. This time period reflects that figures are only validated after the month end.
Where there was evidence that customers had continued UK employment, HMRC reinstated payments automatically without any need for customer contact and those payments have been backdated. By the end of November 2025, HMRC will have written to all customers who have not yet contacted them to provide a further 4 weeks in which to make contact.
HMRC holds information by postal address although HMRC would be unable to release to such a granular level due to the risk of breaching taxpayer confidentiality.
HMRC’s pilot last year using international travel data prevented around £17m in incorrect payments. This led to a wider rollout and investment in an additional 180 counter-fraud staff, announced at the Autumn Budget 2024, which is expected to save around £350 million over the next five years.
Asked by: Andrew Mitchell (Conservative - Sutton Coldfield)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an estimate of the number of pensioners who will need to pay back the Winter Fuel Payment through tax system in Sutton Coldfield constituency in the next 12 months.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The vast majority of pensioners, around 9 million individuals, will benefit from Winter Fuel Payments this winter.
The Government has been clear that the Winter Fuel Payment should be means-tested on the basis of income. For higher income pensioners, those with an annual income of more than £35,000, the payment will be recovered via the tax system.
Estimates for winter 2025/26 are not available at the Parliamentary Constituency level.
Asked by: Euan Stainbank (Labour - Falkirk)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the £200m National Wealth Fund allocation to Grangemouth could be used for Ministry of Defence projects.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
As set out in the Chancellor’s Statement of Strategic Priorities to the National Wealth Fund, it should consider the role it can play in supporting the delivery of the wider Industrial Strategy, including in defence.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will take steps to ensure that contractors have the same right to (a) settlement and (b) negotiated concession of their tax bills that are provided to large companies.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
HMRC applies the law fairly and consistently in accordance with its published Litigation and Settlement Strategy (LSS). This ensures every taxpayer, no matter who they are, pays the tax due under the law.
Central to the LSS is that HMRC will not settle a dispute by agreement for an amount which is less than it would reasonably expect to obtain from litigation.
HMRC’s LSS can be found on gov.uk: www.gov.uk/government/publications/litigation-and-settlement-strategy-lss
Asked by: Louie French (Conservative - Old Bexley and Sidcup)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the international competitiveness of the tax regime.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The UK has an internationally competitive tax system.
The Government published its Corporate Tax Roadmap at Autumn Budget 2024, which included a commitment to ensuring a competitive and sustainable main rate of corporation tax by capping it at 25 per cent for the duration of this parliament. The current rate of corporation tax is the lowest in the G7, and this is supplemented by generous business investment tax reliefs which directly support investment, including Capital Allowances, R&D tax reliefs, and the Patent Box regime.
Asked by: Anna Sabine (Liberal Democrat - Frome and East Somerset)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what an accurate valuation method is for the business rates of grassroots music venues.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Please see the response to UIN 22711 here: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2025-01-08/22711