Asked by: Bobby Dean (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of extending online marketplace VAT liability rules to domestic sellers as a way to reduce fraud and close the tax gap.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government has and will continue to engage with stakeholders to understand the impact of any changes to online marketplace liability rules on both platforms and sellers. Certified analysis by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) estimates the current online marketplace liability rules, together with the abolishment of Low Value Consignment relief, will raise £1.8 billion per annum by 2026-27.
HMRC has an overall compliance strategy which focuses on addressing all forms of non-compliance. The most recent published VAT gap shows a continued downward trend, falling from 13.7% to 5.4% between tax years 2005/06 and 2023/24.
Asked by: Bobby Dean (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact on saving behaviour and consumer confidence of existing Lifetime ISA users arising from the introduction of a new product to replace the Lifetime ISA.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
At Autumn Budget 25 the government announced that it will publish a consultation in early 2026 on the implementation of a new, simpler ISA product to support first time buyers to buy a home. Once available, this new product will be offered in place of the Lifetime ISA.
The LISA was designed to help people save for both their first home and later life. The Treasury Select Committee‘s 2025 LISA inquiry concluded that this dual purpose has made it unnecessarily complex and that ‘the Lifetime ISA may not be the most efficient use of taxpayers’ money to achieve those disparate objectives’. The upfront bonus that requires a withdrawal charge for non-compliant withdrawals was highlighted as a specific concern.
The new design will include the government bonus being paid at the point the individual makes a withdrawal for a house purchase. This removes the need for a withdrawal charge and means a saver can withdraw funds, should their circumstances change, without penalty.
It will remain possible to open a Lifetime ISA until the new product becomes available and for account holders to continue to save into their Lifetime ISA in line with the existing rules indefinitely.
Asked by: Bobby Dean (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of reforming the Lifetime ISA, rather than replacing it with a new product.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
At Autumn Budget 25 the government announced that it will publish a consultation in early 2026 on the implementation of a new, simpler ISA product to support first time buyers to buy a home. Once available, this new product will be offered in place of the Lifetime ISA.
The LISA was designed to help people save for both their first home and later life. The Treasury Select Committee‘s 2025 LISA inquiry concluded that this dual purpose has made it unnecessarily complex and that ‘the Lifetime ISA may not be the most efficient use of taxpayers’ money to achieve those disparate objectives’. The upfront bonus that requires a withdrawal charge for non-compliant withdrawals was highlighted as a specific concern.
The new design will include the government bonus being paid at the point the individual makes a withdrawal for a house purchase. This removes the need for a withdrawal charge and means a saver can withdraw funds, should their circumstances change, without penalty.
It will remain possible to open a Lifetime ISA until the new product becomes available and for account holders to continue to save into their Lifetime ISA in line with the existing rules indefinitely.
Asked by: Bobby Dean (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the relative value for money of reforming the Lifetime ISA compared with introducing a new product to replace it.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
At Autumn Budget 25 the government announced that it will publish a consultation in early 2026 on the implementation of a new, simpler ISA product to support first time buyers to buy a home. Once available, this new product will be offered in place of the Lifetime ISA.
The LISA was designed to help people save for both their first home and later life. A 2025 report by the Treasury Select Committee, however, concluded the dual purpose has made it unnecessarily complex and that ‘the Lifetime ISA may not be the most efficient use of taxpayers’ money to achieve those disparate objectives’. In addition, the provision of an upfront bonus requires a withdrawal charge for non-compliant withdrawals.
HMRC have also conducted research into use of the Lifetime ISA which can be found here: Understanding the use of the Lifetime ISA: qualitative research - GOV.UK
The new design will include the government bonus being paid at the point the individual makes a withdrawal for a house purchase. This removes the need for a withdrawal charge and means a saver can withdraw funds, should their circumstances change, without penalty.
It will remain possible to open a Lifetime ISA until the new product becomes available and for account holders to continue to save into their Lifetime ISA in line with the existing rules indefinitely.
Asked by: Bobby Dean (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the restriction on tax relief for banks' compensation payments for motor finance compensation payments.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
We are monitoring the redress situation closely and want to see it resolved in an efficient way that provides certainty for consumers and firms.
In line with international norms, companies generally obtain Corporation Tax deductions for compensation payments, though the bank compensation restriction which was introduced as part of a wider bank tax regime, prevents banks from doing so.
Asked by: Bobby Dean (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she plans to increase funding for research on low‑grade gliomas and other rare brain tumours.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department invests over £1.6 billion per year in research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).
The NIHR is continuing to invest in brain tumour research. For example, in December 2025, the NIHR announced the pioneering Brain Tumour Research Consortium to accelerate research into new brain tumour treatments. NIHR is investing an initial £13.7 million in the consortium with significant further funding due to be awarded early in 2026. The world-leading consortium aims to transform outcomes for adults and children and their families who are living with brain tumours, ultimately reducing lives lost to cancer.
Brain tumours are one of the toughest cancers to treat. This new NIHR investment will help researchers and clinicians understand the disease better, test new treatments earlier and make trials available to more adults and children closer to home.
The consortium brings together 48 organisations from across leading universities, National Health Service trusts, and charities, along with patients, to help deliver better research, faster. It is a coordinated national effort to improve the development and evaluation of treatments for brain tumours across adult and paediatric populations.
The NIHR continues to welcome high quality funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including low-grade glioma and other rare brain tumours.
Asked by: Bobby Dean (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his Department has had with UKRI and the National Institute for Health and Care Research on supporting new and emerging treatments for low‑grade gliomas.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department invests over £1.6 billion per year in research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).
Government responsibility for delivering cancer research is shared between Department for Health and Social Care, with research delivered by the NIHR, and Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, with research delivered via UK Research and Innovation.
Department of Health and Social Care and Department of Science, Innovation and Technology officials meet regularly to discuss a range of research investments to drive the maximum collective research impact on policy, practice, and individual lives.
The NIHR is continuing to invest in brain tumour research. In December 2025, the NIHR announced the pioneering Brain Tumour Research Consortium to accelerate research into new brain tumour treatments. NIHR is investing an initial £13.7 million in the consortium, with significant further funding due to be awarded early in 2026. The world-leading consortium aims to transform outcomes for adults and children and their families who are living with brain tumours, ultimately reducing lives lost to cancer.
The NIHR continues to welcome high quality funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including low-grade glioma.
Asked by: Bobby Dean (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to improve (a) transparency and (b) reporting on corridor care incidents in NHS trusts.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is determined to get the National Health Service back on its feet, so patients can be treated with dignity. We are therefore doing everything we can as fast as we can to consign the delivery of care in temporary escalation spaces to the history books.
Our Urgent and Emergency Care Plan, published in June 2025, set out steps we are taking to ensure that patients will receive better, faster, and more appropriate emergency care this winter, backed by a total of nearly £450 million of funding. This includes a commitment to publish data on the prevalence of corridor care for the first time.
We have started collecting data on the prevalence of corridor care and we will look to publish it once data quality improves.
Asked by: Bobby Dean (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department collects on the number of patients receiving care in corridors in NHS hospitals.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is determined to get the National Health Service back on its feet, so patients can be treated with dignity. We are therefore doing everything we can as fast as we can to consign the delivery of care in temporary escalation spaces to the history books.
Our Urgent and Emergency Care Plan, published in June 2025, set out steps we are taking to ensure that patients will receive better, faster, and more appropriate emergency care this winter, backed by a total of nearly £450 million of funding. This includes a commitment to publish data on the prevalence of corridor care for the first time.
We have started collecting data on the prevalence of corridor care and we will look to publish it once data quality improves.
Asked by: Bobby Dean (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the use of corridor care in NHS hospitals.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is determined to get the National Health Service back on its feet, so patients can be treated with dignity. We are therefore doing everything we can as fast as we can to consign the delivery of care in temporary escalation spaces to the history books.
Our Urgent and Emergency Care Plan, published in June 2025, set out steps we are taking to ensure that patients will receive better, faster, and more appropriate emergency care this winter, backed by a total of nearly £450 million of funding. This includes a commitment to publish data on the prevalence of corridor care for the first time.
We have started collecting data on the prevalence of corridor care and we will look to publish it once data quality improves.