Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many freight forwarders and customs agents have received demands from HMRC for unpaid import VAT or customs duty in respect of declarations submitted on behalf of importers who were subsequently found to be (a) not genuinely established in the United Kingdom, (b) registered for VAT using a fraudulent or virtual address, or (c) dissolved or struck off at the time of the relevant declaration.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

HMRC systems do not record, in a readily extractable format, the number of freight forwarders or customs agents issued demands for unpaid import VAT or duty linked to importers who are not UK established, use fraudulent or virtual VAT registrations, or are dissolved/struck off.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has considered extending the Lancaster House Treaties to include a formal mechanism for Franco-British cooperation on Arctic and High North security.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)

NATO provides the formal mechanism for Franco-British cooperation on Arctic and High North security. The UK and France work closely together on NATO's Arctic Sentry mission which is a critical and proportionate step to bolster security in the Arctic and High North.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has considered inviting French forces to participate in Arctic cold-weather training at Camp Viking in Norway under the framework of the Lancaster House Treaties.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)

The UK, France and other Allies already engage in cold weather training together in Norway through exercise COLD RESPONSE.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of Companies House address verification procedures in preventing overseas entities from registering UK companies at virtual office addresses, residential properties, or addresses used by large numbers of unconnected companies.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

Companies House is continuously improving its ability to detect and prevent the misuse of addresses on the companies register.

The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 enhanced the Registrar’s powers to query and challenge addresses before they are registered and streamlined and strengthened powers to change and remove inappropriate addresses from the register.

Reports on this activity are provided to Parliament each year. The latest report is available here:

Second progress report on the implementation and operation of Parts 1 to 3 of Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, since the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 came into force, how many companies have been (a) investigated by Companies House for filing dormant accounts whilst conducting active trading, (b) referred by Companies House to HMRC for suspected VAT non-compliance, and (c) referred by Companies House to the Insolvency Service for suspected fraudulent trading.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

Companies House does not hold data that matches the specified categories requested. However, since the introduction of the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023, intelligence led targeted activity has been used to identify companies filing dormant accounts where indicators suggest active trading.

Furthermore, Companies House also works closely with HMRC and the Insolvency Service to enable effective intelligence sharing and coordinated enforcement action. Referrals to HMRC span multiple tax regimes, including VAT non-compliance, while referrals to the Insolvency Service typically focus on more serious misconduct, such as false filings, which supports disqualification and wider enforcement outcomes.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what consideration has been given to adding (a) a company registration number field to the HMRC VAT number checker service and (b) a VAT registration number field to the Companies House public register, so that the two identifiers can be cross-referenced by members of the public, online marketplaces, and customs agents.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and Companies House (CH) are committed to preventing fraud and tax evasion by identifying and holding accountable corporate entities that attempt to evade their responsibilities and tax liabilities. The departments have strong relations, further strengthened by the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act (2023) and have developed a collective Programme of activities to facilitate closer cooperation on company registrations and de-registrations, accounting and filing, and sharing risk intelligence and data.

There are no plans in place to add a Company Number field to the UK VAT Registration checker service, or a VAT Registration Number field to the Companies House online register. However, HMRC and CH will continue to work together to develop and implement further improvements to the way that businesses register as a company and register for corporation tax and VAT to reduce tax evasion and corporate fraud.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the answer of 28 April 2026 to question 128431, whether her Department verifies claims by major communication providers that no existing PSTN customers will be left without landline alternatives.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Landlines are not being removed. The technology underpinning the landline network, the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), is being upgraded to digital Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP).

As per the response to Question 128431 on 28 April, I can reiterate that major communications providers have assured the Government that no existing PSTN customer will be left without a landline or an option to move to a communication provider that can provide a landline. This include transitional products, such as Pre-Digital Phone Lines (PDPL), for customers who cannot yet be upgraded to VoIP.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the answer of 28 April 2026 to question 128431, what her Department considers to be an adequate landline alternative.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Landlines are not being removed. The technology underpinning the landline network, the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), is being upgraded to digital Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP).

As per the response to Question 128431 on 28 April, I can reiterate that major communications providers have assured the Government that no existing PSTN customer will be left without a landline or an option to move to a communication provider that can provide a landline. This include transitional products, such as Pre-Digital Phone Lines (PDPL), for customers who cannot yet be upgraded to VoIP.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many addresses in the United Kingdom are currently registered as the VAT address of 100 or more businesses; and what processes HMRC has in place to verify that such addresses represent legitimate serviced office arrangements rather than address fraud.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

As of Tuesday 19 May 2026, there are 165 UK addresses that are currently registered as the VAT address of 100 or more businesses.

HMRC undertakes a range of checks to ensure that business addresses provided for VAT registration purposes are appropriate. As part of the registration process, HMRC assesses the information supplied by the applicant, including the declared address, against the nature of the business and established risk indicators.

Where necessary, HMRC requests further information or supporting evidence before deciding whether to approve a registration.

HMRC also undertakes ongoing, risk‑based compliance activity after registration. Where an address is identified as higher risk, including those associated with large numbers of registrations, further checks may be carried out to ensure it is being used legitimately, including in cases involving serviced office arrangements.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, since January 2021, how many applications for UK VAT registration from companies incorporated in the UK within the previous 24 months have been (a) accepted without a compliance check, (b) accepted following a compliance check, (c) refused, and (d) subsequently cancelled within 12 months of registration.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

HMRC introduced a new VAT Registration Service in August 2022. The previous registration service did not include incorporation date data, so figures are only available from August 2022 to 1 January 2026.

The figures below relate to UK VAT registration applications from companies incorporated in the UK within the previous 24 months.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the answer of 29 April 2026 to question 129483, what (a) the declared trade value of goods imported under BIRDs declarations across all procedure codes and both CDS and CHIEF, (b) HMRC's estimate of the VAT that should have been collected on those sales and (c) the VAT remitted to HMRC by sellers and online marketplaces for those imports was in each year between 2022 and 2025.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

(a) The trade value and number of declarations from the Bulk Import Reduced Data Set (BIRDS) under the Customs Declaration Service and Low-Value Bulking of Imports (LVBI) under the legacy CHIEF system are in the following table:

Data notes:

1. Low value imports are defined as being exempt from customs duties if valued at £135 or less. These imports either use the Bulk Import Reduced Data Set (BIRDS) under CDS and Low-Value Bulking of Imports (LVBI) under CHIEF facilitations.
2. The use of the BIRDS facilitation has been identified as declarations using CDS procedure codes beginning “0020''. The use of the LVBI facilitation has been identified as declarations using CHIEF procedure codes “4000003”, “4900003”, or “4000005”. LVBI was phased out with the introduction of BIRDS alongside the decommissioning of CHIEF replaced by CDS.
3. Declarations with ‘GB’ denoted as the country of dispatch have been excluded from analysis.
4. BIRDS declarations where the total declared value of all the consignments covered is above £10,000,000 have been removed from this analysis as these are assumed to be erroneous.
5. Counts of declarations have been rounded to the nearest 1000. Totals may not sum together due to rounding.
6. The methodology for calculating the number of BIRDS declarations has been improved and now excludes a small number of declarations where relevant information is recorded at an aggregate level.

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(b) and (c) HMRC does not have an estimate or hold specific data on the total VAT chargeable or remitted in respect of imported goods declared under BIRDS. Different rates of VAT may apply to items declared under BIRDS, with some benefiting from relief from VAT. This information is not recorded within BIRDS declaration data.

HMRC does not hold information on VAT revenue from specific goods or services, including goods imported through BIRDS. This is because businesses are not required to provide figures at a transaction level on their VAT returns, as this would impose an excessive administrative burden.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how HMRC reconciles BIRDs import declaration data with (a) online marketplace order data, (b) VAT returns submitted by sellers and marketplaces and (c) the Customs Declaration Service consignee and importer data for the purpose of identifying VAT evasion.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The purpose of BIRDS is to allow operators to comply with customs requirements. There is a separate VAT regime.

Given the scope of the data, HMRC does not typically reconcile BIRDS declaration data with data from online marketplaces, VAT return data or Customs Declaration Service data. HMRC actively monitors compliance with UK tax and customs obligations and uses a range of tools, including risk-based audits and data analytics, to tackle non-compliance.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the answer of 29 April 2026 to question 129483, how many (a) individual consignments and parcels were covered by BIRDs declarations under CPC 0020 21V submitted via the Customs Declaration Service and (b) declarations were submitted via the legacy CHIEF system in each year between 2022 and 2025.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The information requested is not available. BIRDs declarations submitted under CPC 0020 21V and declarations submitted via the legacy CHIEF system are aggregated, with a single declaration covering multiple consignments or parcels using a reduced dataset. As a result, the number of individual consignments or parcels is not recorded directly.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many BIRDs declarations submitted in each year between 2022 and 2025 were associated with (a) UK-incorporated companies that had been registered at Companies House for fewer than 24 months at the time of submission and (b) companies that have since been (i) dissolved, (ii) struck off and (iii) filed dormant accounts.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The information requested is not available.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many UK VAT registration numbers have been identified as having been used in customs declarations submitted under PVA (Postponed VAT Accounting) after the registration was cancelled, and what steps HMRC took to notify customs agents and freight forwarders when such cancellations occurred.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

HMRC does not hold information on de-registered VRNs being used in customs declarations. Since June 2025 it has not been possible for entities who have cancelled their VAT registration to continue to use that registration number (VRN) to use Postponed VAT Accounting (PVA). Customs agents and freight forwarders who try to use a deregistered VRN to notify PVA would have those declarations rejected. Intermediaries are expected to complete due diligence using Check a UK VAT number - GOV.UK to confirm the status of a VRN before using it to notify PVA on a customs declaration.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what guidance HMRC has issued to freight forwarders and customs agents on the steps they should take to verify the genuine UK establishment status of importers before submitting indirect customs declarations; and whether HMRC has provided any tool enabling agents to make such verification in real time at the point of submission.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

HMRC has published GOV.UK guidance which allows businesses to check if they meet the criteria for UK establishment for customs purposes: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/check-if-youre-established-in-the-uk-or-eu-for-customs.

This guidance is intended to support the practical application of the legal establishment criteria and enables businesses, including customs agents, to assess whether the traders they represent meet the criteria for UK establishment under UK customs law.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what consideration has been given to providing freight forwarders and customs agents with real-time access to the current VAT registration status of importers, so that agents can verify eligibility for Postponed VAT Accounting at the point of submitting a customs declaration.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many BIRDs-authorised traders have had authorisation (a) suspended, (b) withdrawn, (c) reviewed following compliance investigations and (d) referred to HMRC's Fraud Investigation Service since the introduction of that scheme.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

HMRC does not systematically record data on the number of BIRDs authorised traders whose authorisation has been suspended, withdrawn, reviewed following compliance activity, or referred to the Fraud Investigation Service, and this information could only be obtained at disproportionate cost

HMRC does not comment on the details or outcomes of specific compliance or enforcement activity, as to do so could prejudice ongoing or future investigations.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Stockholm 3 (S3) diagnostic test for prostate cancer; and whether he will consider its inclusion within the routine NHS diagnostic pathway for prostate cancer.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body responsible for developing evidence-based guidance for the health and care system on best practice. NICE’s HealthTech programme provides the route for providing independent, evidence-based guidance on whether new technologies should be adopted in the National Health Service. Decisions on routine use in the NHS is therefore guided by NICE’s established processes and the available evidence.

In August 2022, NICE published a medtech innovation briefing on Stockholm3, which noted that the test may improve risk prediction compared with prostate-specific antigen testing alone, but also highlighted important uncertainties, including limited evidence on its effect on clinical decision-making and long-term outcomes in the National Health Service.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average milage of Motability scheme users living in (a) Ceredigion Preseli constituency and (b) Wales was in each of the last five years.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Responsibility for the terms and administration of the Scheme sits with Motability Foundation and its Board of Governors.

Changes to the leasing package announced by Motability in March 2026 included reducing the mileage allowance from 20,000 per year to 10,000 per year, to align with industry norms. This change will only apply to new leases from 1 July 2026, existing leases will not be affected. Motability Foundation have advised that approximately 75% of customers on the Scheme already drive 10,000 miles or fewer per year.

Motability understand that this will affect customers differently are and keeping these changes under review.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he plans to take steps to help support people in rural areas who may be affected by the reduction to the Motability scheme mileage allowance from 20,000 miles to 10,000 miles a year.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Responsibility for the terms and administration of the Scheme sits with Motability Foundation and its Board of Governors.

Changes to the leasing package announced by Motability in March 2026 included reducing the mileage allowance from 20,000 per year to 10,000 per year, to align with industry norms. This change will only apply to new leases from 1 July 2026, existing leases will not be affected. Motability Foundation have advised that approximately 75% of customers on the Scheme already drive 10,000 miles or fewer per year.

Motability understand that this will affect customers differently are and keeping these changes under review.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Motability scheme users living in (a) Ceredigion Preseli constituency and (b) Wales exceeded 10,000 miles in each of the last five years.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Responsibility for the terms and administration of the Scheme sits with Motability Foundation and its Board of Governors.

Changes to the leasing package announced by Motability in March 2026 included reducing the mileage allowance from 20,000 per year to 10,000 per year, to align with industry norms. This change will only apply to new leases from 1 July 2026, existing leases will not be affected. Motability Foundation have advised that approximately 75% of customers on the Scheme already drive 10,000 miles or fewer per year.

Motability understand that this will affect customers differently are and keeping these changes under review.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the proportion of Mobility Scheme users who exceeded 10,000 miles per year live in rural areas.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Responsibility for the terms and administration of the Scheme sits with Motability Foundation and its Board of Governors.

Changes to the leasing package announced by Motability in March 2026 included reducing the mileage allowance from 20,000 per year to 10,000 per year, to align with industry norms. This change will only apply to new leases from 1 July 2026, existing leases will not be affected. Motability Foundation have advised that approximately 75% of customers on the Scheme already drive 10,000 miles or fewer per year.

Motability understand that this will affect customers differently are and keeping these changes under review.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what proportion of mobile phone mast sites servicing rural areas have alternative power generation or a battery back-up that can be accessed during an unplanned power outage.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Government does not hold this level of detailed information. Mobile network operators have legal obligations to put in place appropriate and proportionate measures to ensure the resilience of their networks and services. This is overseen by the independent regulator Ofcom, who have powers to monitor compliance, conduct investigations, issue penalties and enforce remedial actions.

Residents in all areas of the country, rightly expect to have reliable mobile connectivity to participate in the modern digital economy. The Government recognises that events like storms and power outages can have a particular impact on rural communities. That is why, with support from the Government Ofcom have completed a public consultation on power back-up for mobile services across the UK, which identified a particular impact on rural communities. They published an update on their work in February 2025 and announced they are completing further analysis to determine the appropriate and proportionate measures required to ensure adequate resilience for consumers. Government looks forward to Ofcom concluding this work as soon as possible.

Government is also supporting collaboration between the electricity and telecommunications sectors to deliver measures so that when power cuts occur the likelihood of disruption to telecommunications services is as low as possible, and where disruption does occur it should affect as few people for the shortest possible time. This will include all areas of the country and will help strengthen resilience of mobile networks.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what was the average duration of an unplanned power outage in each Distribution Network Operator area in each of the last five years.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The UK has a highly resilient energy network, and industry works to continuously minimise the risk and impacts of unplanned outages.

All DNOs are regulated by the independent regulator, Ofgem, and must report their performance against annual targets to Ofgem each year. The outcomes of these reports are published on Ofgem’s website: RIIO-2 Electricity Distribution: annual report 2024 to 2025 | Ofgem

Ofgem’s most recent RIIO-2 Electricity Distribution report found that most companies improved their customer disruption scores between 2024 and 2025.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many unplanned power outages occurred in each of the last five years.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The UK has a highly resilient energy network, and industry works to continuously minimise the risk and impacts of unplanned outages.

All DNOs are regulated by the independent regulator, Ofgem, and must report their performance against annual targets to Ofgem each year. The outcomes of these reports are published on Ofgem’s website: RIIO-2 Electricity Distribution: annual report 2024 to 2025 | Ofgem

Ofgem’s most recent RIIO-2 Electricity Distribution report found that most companies improved their customer disruption scores between 2024 and 2025.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when the consultation on the Marriage Act 1949 reforms will be launched.

Answered by Catherine Atkinson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Government has announced its intention to reform weddings law when parliamentary time allows.

The reforms reflect a commitment to making marriage law fairer, simpler, and more modern, whilst also protecting the solemnity and dignity of marriage. The current aim is that the consultation on the reform of weddings law in England and Wales will be launched before the summer recess, which commences on 16 July 2026.

Government response to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman report on communication of changes to women’s state pension age

Coastguard remuneration

Eisteddfod yr Urdd 2026

Amendment of the Law Motions for Finance Bills

Public health campaign on the dangers of swimming in open water

Government response to Israel’s actions in the West Bank and Gaza

110th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme

Draft Code of Practice on Services, public functions and associations

VAT for UK hospitality

Emergency Medicine Day 2026

Towards a ceasefire and political resolution in Sudan

Palantir and the NHS

Silicosis and the engineered stone and kitchen worktop industry

Civil Service pensions

Heating oil prices

Transition of rail workers into Great British Railways

Introduction of reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief

Mental health in farming

Farmgate milk price reduction

Seven-year anniversary of the mixed-aged couples’ rule

Five-year indefinite leave to remain pathway for Skilled Worker visa holders

NARPO Love or Money Campaign

Job cuts planned at the BBC

Inquiry into Labour Together

Safety of British nationals following the interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla

Free-to-air coverage of European finals

Holyhead Hotspur Development Side, treble winners

Devolved powers in Wales

Scott Hastings (No. 2)

Interception of Global Sumud Flotilla vessels in international waters

Trans+ History Week

Israel death penalty

Online abuse and exploitation of Ukrainian refugees

Visas and access to education for Ukrainian refugee children

Stability for Ukrainian refugees in the UK

UK arms sales to Israel

Two-state solution in Israel and Palestine

Funding for rural Britain

Found: North) Simon Hoare (Conservative; North Dorset) Gerald Jones (Labour; Merthyr Tydfil and Aberdare) Ben Lake

Found: Representation for general elections Jerome Mayhew: Improving financial education Ruth Jones and Ben Lake

Submit Evidence (by 15 Jun 2026)

Policing in Wales is reserved to the UK Government, with the Home Office bearing responsibility for publishing the most pressing national crime threats and how police forces ought to respond to them (the Strategic Policing Requirement), presenting the Annual Police Grant Report to Parliament for approval, and holding Police and Crime Commissioners accountable.

Submit Evidence (by 19 Jun 2026)

Once a major industry in Wales, mines extracting metals like zinc, lead and gold are now largely abandoned. But metals from these mines can discharge into local rivers, streams and lakes, damaging local plant and animal biodiversity and possibly impacting human health.