Asked by: Aphra Brandreth (Conservative - Chester South and Eddisbury)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether Emma Reynolds MP received any correspondence from the (a) Treasury and (b) the Cabinet office on the (i) timetable, (ii) options and (iii) modelling for inheritance tax changes since 1 July 2024.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
HM Treasury Ministers routinely receive briefings and information on an extensive range of subjects relating to the department’s responsibilities and their specific portfolios. As the Minister responsible for the UK tax system, the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury’s portfolio of responsibilities includes inheritance tax. My Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs has not been the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury. She was Parliamentary Secretary at HM Treasury and the Department of Work and Pensions from 9 July 2024 to 14 January 2025. She was Economic Secretary to the Treasury from 14 January 2025 to 5 September 2025.HM Treasury Ministers also discuss a range of subjects with Ministers from all other departments, including the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
Asked by: Aphra Brandreth (Conservative - Chester South and Eddisbury)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether any (a) written briefings, (b) submissions, and (c) minutes on inheritance tax changes were (i) sent to and (ii) copied to Emma Reynolds MP since 1 July 2024.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
HM Treasury Ministers routinely receive briefings and information on an extensive range of subjects relating to the department’s responsibilities and their specific portfolios. As the Minister responsible for the UK tax system, the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury’s portfolio of responsibilities includes inheritance tax. My Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs has not been the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury. She was Parliamentary Secretary at HM Treasury and the Department of Work and Pensions from 9 July 2024 to 14 January 2025. She was Economic Secretary to the Treasury from 14 January 2025 to 5 September 2025.HM Treasury Ministers also discuss a range of subjects with Ministers from all other departments, including the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
Asked by: Aphra Brandreth (Conservative - Chester South and Eddisbury)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the UK-EU reset agreement, whether her Department has undertaken a cost benefit analysis in relation to its agreement to extend the fisheries arrangements.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The UK-EU Summit Deal announced on 19 May secures the continuation of current UK-EU fishing access arrangements. This means continued access for UK vessels to EU waters, worth £80m annually, and retention of the quota uplift the UK secured through the Trade and Cooperation Agreement. That boost, worth £175m in fishing opportunities in 2025, remains fully in place under the new deal. We have also secured a new SPS Agreement, which could add up to £5.1bn a year to our economy in the long run. The latest fisheries access agreement should therefore not be viewed in isolation. The benefits to the fisheries sector arise not only from the access provisions themselves but also from the SPS Agreement, which will increase opportunities for UK seafood exporters. Taken together, these provisions support growth, stability, and new opportunities for the UK’s fishing industry. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has conducted analysis on the impact of various fishing arrangements to the UK, relative to the years 2021-2025.
Asked by: Aphra Brandreth (Conservative - Chester South and Eddisbury)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the financial resilience of Thames Water.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Our current assessment is that the company remains financially stable. The Government has stepped up our preparations and stands ready for all eventualities, including applying for a SAR if that were to become necessary. The Government will continue to work with the economic regulator of the water industry Ofwat to help support a market led solution to the company’s issues of financial resilience and operational delivery, which is in the interests of customers and the environment.
Asked by: Aphra Brandreth (Conservative - Chester South and Eddisbury)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of reductions to overseas aid on Jordan.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Jordan is one of the UK's most trusted allies and important humanitarian partners in the region. The Minister for International Development made Jordan her first official visit overseas in her new role in March 2025, and discussed the future UK-Jordan official development assistance budget with her counterpart HE Zeina Toukan, Minister for Planning and International Cooperation during the inaugural UK-Jordan Development and Growth Dialogue in May. While reductions in the UK overseas aid budget for Jordan are consistent with the gradual reduction in the UK official development assistance (ODA) budget over the next few years, we will continue to support stability and self-sufficiency for Jordan and tackle drivers of migration through our development and broader work.
Asked by: Aphra Brandreth (Conservative - Chester South and Eddisbury)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much and what proportion of the overseas aid budget is spent domestically.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Honourable Member to the figures here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/statistics-on-international-development-final-uk-oda-spend-2024.
Asked by: Aphra Brandreth (Conservative - Chester South and Eddisbury)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much and what proportion of the overseas aid budget is spent on asylum seekers in the UK.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Honourable Member to the answer of 9 June to Question 56044.
Asked by: Aphra Brandreth (Conservative - Chester South and Eddisbury)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether Emma Reynolds MP participated in any meetings with the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs on the impact of inheritance tax changes on farmers since 1 July 2024.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
HM Treasury Ministers take part in internal and external meetings routinely on a range of subjects relating to the department’s responsibilities and their specific portfolios.
As the Minister responsible for the UK tax system, the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury’s portfolio of responsibilities includes inheritance tax. My rt hon Friend the Secretary of State for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs has not been the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury. She was Parliamentary Secretary at HM Treasury and the Department of Work and Pensions from 9 July 2024 to 14 January 2025. She was Economic Secretary to the Treasury from 14 January 2025 to 5 September 2025.
Asked by: Aphra Brandreth (Conservative - Chester South and Eddisbury)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the capacity of Thames Water to prevent sewage discharges.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government has put down the building blocks to clean up England’s rivers, lakes and seas. We are rebuilding the water network to slash pollution levels, backed by a record £104 billion of investment, which includes over £10 billion to reduce sewage discharges from over 2,500 storm overflows in England.
Over 2025-30, Thames Water are expected to deliver a 29% reduction in spills from storm overflows and reduce pollution incidents by 30%. They are also expected to invest £1.2 billion to prevent harmful nutrients polluting rivers.
As part of the Environment Act 2021, a duty has been created for water and sewerage companies in England and Wales, including Thames Water, to produce Drainage and Wastewater Management Plans (DWMPs).
These plans will help sewerage companies to fully assess the capacity of the drainage and wastewater network, develop collaborative solutions to current problems and future issues and bring together key stakeholders including local authorities and industry regulators.
We are introducing root and branch reform so that the water sector works for the British people. Working in partnership with water companies, investors and communities, the Government will introduce a new water reform bill early this Parliament.
Asked by: Aphra Brandreth (Conservative - Chester South and Eddisbury)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of Ofwat in protecting consumers from bill increases where a water company becomes insolvent.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Ofwat’s price review process sets limits on what water companies can charge customers, ensuring bills reflect only efficient costs required to deliver services and meet statutory obligations. It does not allow companies to pass on costs incurred outside normal business operations, including those related to financial distress.
In the event of insolvency, Ofwat can initiate a Special Administration Regime to maintain service continuity and protect consumers. Price controls remain in place regardless of ownership changes, safeguarding customers from disproportionate bill increases.