Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government what forecast they have made of the UK tax-to-gross domestic product (GDP) ratio in (1) 2025–26, (2) 2026–27, (3) 2027–28, (4) 2028–29, and (5) 2029–30; and what comparative assessment they have made of the tax-to-GDP ratio of each of the G7 countries in each of those years.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) published the latest Economic and Fiscal Outlook (EFO) in March 2026[1]. This forecasts the tax-to-GDP ratio to change as follows: 2025-26 – 36.3%; 2026-27 – 37.0%; 2027-28 – 37.7%; 2028-29 – 37.8%; 2029-30 – 38.3%[2].

The UK’s current tax-to-GDP ratio is in the middle of the pack within the G7; lower than Italy (42.8%), France (43.5%) and Germany (38.0%), but above Japan (33.7%), Canada (34.9%) and the US (25.6%) based on the latest available OECD data. [3]

[1] https://obr.uk/efo/economic-and-fiscal-outlook-march-2026/#

[2] https://obr.uk/efo/economic-and-fiscal-outlook-march-2026/#, page 42

[3] Latest OECD data 2024, except Japan, which is from 2023.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of people between 16 and 24 years old who are not in (1) paid work, or (2) education or training, in each of the G7 countries compared to the UK.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

This government will not leave an entire generation of young people behind. When this Government came into power there were 921,000 NEETs. This increased by 250,000 between 2021 and 2024. The number of young people not in education, employment and training (NEET) currently stands at around 957,000. For many years our young people have not had the opportunity and support they deserve and we are increasing funding and taking action in the following ways.

On 16^th March, the Government announced a further £1 billion investment in young people, resulting in a total £2.5 billion over the next three years into the Youth Guarantee and additional investment in the Growth and Skills Levy. This investment will support almost one million young people and create up to 500,000 opportunities to earn and learn.

This includes the delivery of eight Youth Guarantee Trailblazers in England, expansion of Youth Hubs to more than 360 areas across Great Britain and introduction of a new Youth Guarantee Gateway in Jobcentres, providing more intensive support to 16-24 year olds.

This investment will also create around 300,000 more opportunities to gain workplace experience and training. It will also help unlock up to 200,000 more employment opportunities, through a new £3,000 Youth Jobs Grant for employers who hire 18–24-year-olds who have been on Universal Credit for over six months, a new £2,000 apprenticeship incentive for small and medium sized employers hiring 16–24-year-olds and the Jobs Guarantee scheme, providing long-term unemployed 18–24-year-olds with a fully funded six month job.

The Government will also prioritise prevention, building on measures announced in the Skills White Paper. The Government will improve support in schools, monitor attendance, increase access to work experience and work with local authorities to pilot auto-enrolling young people in further education, if needed.

Together these measures demonstrate the Government’s commitment to supporting employers, partners and young people across Great Britain.

Additionally, an independent investigation has been launched to tackle the persistently high numbers of young people who are NEET. Led by former Health Secretary Alan Milburn, the report will examine why increasing numbers of young people are falling out of work or education before their careers have begun, with a particular focus on the impact of mental health conditions and disability.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of people aged between 16 and 24 years old who are not in (1) paid work, or (2) education or training.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

This government will not leave an entire generation of young people behind. When this Government came into power there were 921,000 NEETs. This increased by 250,000 between 2021 and 2024. The number of young people not in education, employment and training (NEET) currently stands at around 957,000. For many years our young people have not had the opportunity and support they deserve and we are increasing funding and taking action in the following ways.

On 16^th March, the Government announced a further £1 billion investment in young people, resulting in a total £2.5 billion over the next three years into the Youth Guarantee and additional investment in the Growth and Skills Levy. This investment will support almost one million young people and create up to 500,000 opportunities to earn and learn.

This includes the delivery of eight Youth Guarantee Trailblazers in England, expansion of Youth Hubs to more than 360 areas across Great Britain and introduction of a new Youth Guarantee Gateway in Jobcentres, providing more intensive support to 16-24 year olds.

This investment will also create around 300,000 more opportunities to gain workplace experience and training. It will also help unlock up to 200,000 more employment opportunities, through a new £3,000 Youth Jobs Grant for employers who hire 18–24-year-olds who have been on Universal Credit for over six months, a new £2,000 apprenticeship incentive for small and medium sized employers hiring 16–24-year-olds and the Jobs Guarantee scheme, providing long-term unemployed 18–24-year-olds with a fully funded six month job.

The Government will also prioritise prevention, building on measures announced in the Skills White Paper. The Government will improve support in schools, monitor attendance, increase access to work experience and work with local authorities to pilot auto-enrolling young people in further education, if needed.

Together these measures demonstrate the Government’s commitment to supporting employers, partners and young people across Great Britain.

Additionally, an independent investigation has been launched to tackle the persistently high numbers of young people who are NEET. Led by former Health Secretary Alan Milburn, the report will examine why increasing numbers of young people are falling out of work or education before their careers have begun, with a particular focus on the impact of mental health conditions and disability.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the benefits of international dark sky reserves.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The UK has some of the best, earliest, and largest number of designated Dark Skies Areas in Europe. This includes Exmoor National Park, which was the first designated Dark Sky Reserve in Europe; and Northumberland, which has been awarded the Dark Sky Gold Tier, indicating natural, non-polluted or near-natural night skies. A survey into the designation of the Northumberland International Dark Sky Park, for example, reported a positive impact on the local economy. There have been no recent assessments of the benefits by Defra.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the risks to the visibility of the night sky of light pollution from new housing developments.

Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The National Planning Policy Framework is clear that planning policies and decisions should ensure that new development is appropriate for its location, taking into account the likely effects (including cumulative effects) of pollution on the natural environment, as well as the potential sensitivity of the site or wider area to impacts that could arise from the development. In doing so they should limit the impact of light pollution from artificial light on local amenity, intrinsically dark landscapes and nature conservation.

Between 16 December 2025 and 10 March 2026, we consulted on changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). That consultation, which can be found on gov.uk here, included proposals relating to pollution. We are currently analysing the feedback received and will publish our response in due course.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the protection afforded to surrounding landscape views (1) of, and (2) from, World Heritage Sites in England.

Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

My Department has not made such an assessment. Our National Planning Policy Framework sets out the strong protections in place for World Heritage Sites including their settings.

Found: the Government to publish a version of the China Audit, including former Governor of Hong Kong, Lord Patten