Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department plans to provide guidance to Ofcom on maintaining access to (a) affordable and (b) time-sensitive subscription publications, following changes to the Universal Service Obligation.

Answered by Justin Madders

A reliable and affordable universal postal service is crucial to the UK, and we are clear it must work for customers, workers and businesses that help drive growth across the country.

Parliament has made Ofcom the independent regulator for the postal sector, and as such Ofcom has the responsibility to ensure the provision of the universal service obligation. The government is not involved in Ofcom’s regulatory decisions.

Ofcom’s reforms to the universal service obligation are intended to improve Royal Mail’s reliability. The regulator is conducting a review of pricing and affordability and plan to publish a consultation in the new year.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, will she make it her policy to commission the OBR to produce an AI impact assessment.

Answered by Emma Reynolds - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) is the Government's official independent forecaster responsible for assessing the UK economic and fiscal outlook. As an independent body, the judgements underpinning these forecasts, including potential estimates of the impacts of Artificial Intelligence (AI), are for the OBR and the OBR has discretion over the contents of its publications.

In the OBR’s latest Fiscal Risks and Sustainability Report, published on 8 July 2025, it was noted that if productivity grows faster than expected it could significantly improve the outlook for the public finances. The OBR also note that the “rapid development and dissemination of artificial intelligence could be one driver of upside risk to future productivity growth, although the magnitude and timing of the potential boost to productivity remains highly uncertain”.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of artificial intelligence on the fiscal outlook.

Answered by Emma Reynolds - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

HM Treasury conducts a wide range of analysis to inform policy development. This includes working closely with the Department for Science, Technology and Innovation to understand the transformative impacts Artificial Intelligence (AI) may have across the UK economy.

The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) is the Government's official independent forecaster, and in its latest Fiscal Risks and Sustainability Report, published on 8 July 2025, it noted that if productivity grows faster than expected it could significantly improve the outlook for the public finances. The OBR also note that the “rapid development and dissemination of artificial intelligence could be one driver of upside risk to future productivity growth, although the magnitude and timing of the potential boost to productivity remains highly uncertain”.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions she has had with international partners on the potential impact of artificial intelligence on the fiscal outlook.

Answered by Emma Reynolds - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The Chancellor regularly discusses issues that impact the economic and fiscal outlook with international partners, including at the G7, G20, and other multilateral fora.

AI is set to be the most transformative technology of our time. The Government is taking decisive action to unlock its full potential across the economy, such as funding a twentyfold expansion of the UK’s AI Research Resource, establishing a new Sovereign AI Unit, and creating AI Growth Zones.

The Government will continue to work closely with international partners to realise our AI ambitions, including promoting interoperability across jurisdictions to more effectively harness AI’s growth and productivity potential.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she assumes increased productivity from AI adoption in her economic modelling.

Answered by Emma Reynolds - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The government is taking steps to consolidate the UK’s position at the forefront of artificial intelligence (AI), such as funding to enable a twentyfold expansion of the UK’s AI Research Resource and creating AI Growth Zones to accelerate the construction of cutting-edge AI infrastructure. With a growing evidence base pointing to the potential productivity benefits of AI, the UK is well placed to harness its potential across both the public and private sectors.

The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) is responsible for assessing the UK’s economic and fiscal outlook. In its July 25 Fiscal Risks and Sustainability (FRS) report, the OBR noted the rapid development and dissemination of artificial intelligence could be one driver of upside risk to future productivity growth, although the magnitude and timing of the possible boost to productivity remains highly uncertain.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to pages 134-5 of the OBR’s report entitled Fiscal risks and sustainability, published on 8 July 2025, what discussions she has had with the OBR on for what reason it categorised the rapid development and dissemination of artificial intelligence’s impact on productivity as uncertain.

Answered by Emma Reynolds - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) is required to prepare an analysis of the sustainability of the public finances annually, known as a Fiscal Risks and Sustainability Report (FRS), as set out in the Budget Responsibility and National Audit Act (BRNAA) 2011.

In the OBR’s latest FRS, published on 8 July 2025, it noted that if productivity grows faster than expected it could significantly improve the outlook for the public finances.[1] The content of the FRS is determined independently by the OBR.

[ 1 ]Fiscal risks and sustainability report, Office for Budget Responsibility, July 2025, p. 134.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the (a) development and (b) dissemination of artificial intelligence on the tax base.

Answered by Emma Reynolds - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

HM Treasury conducts a wide range of analysis to inform policy development. This includes working closely with the Department for Science, Technology and Innovation to understand the transformative impacts Artificial Intelligence (AI) may have across the UK economy.

In addition, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), as the Government's official independent forecaster, is responsible for assessing the UK’s economic and fiscal outlook, which may include the potential estimates of the impacts of AI where sufficient evidence exists.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the availability of driving tests within (a) half an hour, (b) an hour and (c) two hours travel of the Gosport peninsula.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA’s) main priority is to reduce car practical driving test waiting times, whilst upholding road safety standards.

As of 1 September 2025, there were 640,907 car practical driving tests booked, and 30,339 driving tests available within the 24-week booking window.

The table below shows the current average waiting time and number of tests available at the driving test centres within up to two hours traveling distance from the Gosport peninsula.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of AI on (a) graduate employment, (b) employment in labour intensive industries, (c) employment in capital intensive industries and (d) overall employment.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

We are starting to witness AI’s impact within the labour market: transforming the workplace, demanding new skills and augmenting old ones. But there is uncertainty over the future scale of AI’s impact on the labour market, particularly over the next few years. Given the recent rapid pace of AI development, government is planning against a range of plausible future outcomes and closely monitoring the data that will help track if we are heading towards any of these outcomes.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much VAT was refunded to international visitors as a result of the Government's Shop and Ship retail export scheme in 2019, 2023 and 2024.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Goods purchased in the UK and subsequently exported outside the UK, whether by the business or the consumer, may be eligible for VAT zero-rating, provided that the relevant conditions are met, and appropriate evidence of export is retained. However, as such transactions are accounted for at the zero rate on VAT returns, they do not generate a separate refund and are not separately identifiable in HMRC’s systems. Therefore, HMRC does not hold data on the volume or value of such exports for which VAT has been zero-rated.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, in what way he is supporting small businesses to remain compliant with (a) VAT and (b) customs paperwork.

Answered by Gareth Thomas

As part of our recently launched Plan for Small Business, the Government is modernising the tax and customs system as referenced in HMRC’s Transformation Roadmap. This will include AI powered technology and personalised digital experiences making it easier for small businesses to navigate their tax affairs.

The new AI tools will also help small businesses avoid common tax mistakes and find the information they need. HMRC will continue to deepen its engagement with SMEs to understand their priorities in simplifying the processes and remain compliant with VAT returns and customs declarations.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the OBR’s report entitled Fiscal risks and sustainability, published on 8 July 2025, what plans she has to commission the OBR to assess the fiscal implications of artificial intelligence.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) is required to prepare an analysis of the sustainability of the public finances annually, known as a Fiscal Risks and Sustainability Report (FRS), as set out in the Budget Responsibility and National Audit Act (BRNAA) 2011. The content of the FRS is determined independently by the OBR.

In the OBR’s latest FRS, published on 8 July 2025, it noted that if productivity grows faster than expected it could significantly improve the outlook for the public finances.[1] The OBR also noted that the “rapid development and dissemination of artificial intelligence could be one driver of upside risk to future productivity growth, although the magnitude and timing of the potential boost to productivity remains highly uncertain”.

[1]Fiscal risks and sustainability report, Office for Budget Responsibility, July 2025, p. 134.

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 potential implications for his Department’s policies of the correspondence of 6 July 2025 from The Restart Project’s on (a) product design codes, (b) the right to repair, (c) VAT on repairs, (d) reuse targets and (e) waste reduction.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government is committed to transitioning towards a circular economy. The Circular Economy Taskforce, composed of experts from industry, academia, and civil society, is helping to develop a Circular Economy Strategy for England, which we plan to publish proposals for in due course. The outputs will aim to support economic growth, deliver green jobs, promote efficient and productive use of resources, minimise negative environmental impacts and accelerate to Net Zero.

The strategy will be accompanied by a series of roadmaps detailing the interventions that the government and others will make on a sector-by-sector basis. The Circular Economy Taskforce will start with six sectors: agri-food; built environment; chemicals and plastics; electrical and electronic equipment; textiles; and transport.

Defra recognises that repair and reuse are fundamental tenets of any circular economy, and a successful transition aims to eliminate waste and promote sustainability through reuse and resource efficiency. The Circular Economy Taskforce will consider the evidence for appropriate action right across the economy throughout the development of the strategy.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether the Government plans to work with (a) Swim England and (b) other stakeholders to prioritise swimming pool provision as part of the £400 million grassroots sport investment.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Government recognises the importance of ensuring public access to leisure facilities, including swimming pools, which are vital spaces for people of all ages to stay fit and healthy, and which play an important role within communities across the country.

The ongoing responsibility of providing access to public leisure facilities lies at local authority level, with funding levels set as part of the Local Government Finance Settlement. The Government encourages local authorities to make investments which offer the right opportunities and facilities for the communities they serve, investing in sport and physical activity with a place-based approach, to meet the needs of individual communities.

In June, we committed another £400 million to transform facilities across the whole of the UK over the next four years, supporting the Government's Plan for Change. We will ensure that this funding promotes health, wellbeing and community cohesion and helps to remove the barriers to physical activity for under-represented groups. We are working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need, before setting out further plans on how future funding will be allocated across the UK.

This funding is on top of the £250 million per year which we invest through Sport England, our arm’s length body responsible for physical activity and sport participation in England, into grassroots sport and physical activity.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment she has made of the role of swimming pools in delivering (a) health, (b) wellbeing and (c) community cohesion outcomes.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Government recognises the importance of ensuring public access to leisure facilities, including swimming pools, which are vital spaces for people of all ages to stay fit and healthy, and which play an important role within communities across the country.

The ongoing responsibility of providing access to public leisure facilities lies at local authority level, with funding levels set as part of the Local Government Finance Settlement. The Government encourages local authorities to make investments which offer the right opportunities and facilities for the communities they serve, investing in sport and physical activity with a place-based approach, to meet the needs of individual communities.

In June, we committed another £400 million to transform facilities across the whole of the UK over the next four years, supporting the Government's Plan for Change. We will ensure that this funding promotes health, wellbeing and community cohesion and helps to remove the barriers to physical activity for under-represented groups. We are working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need, before setting out further plans on how future funding will be allocated across the UK.

This funding is on top of the £250 million per year which we invest through Sport England, our arm’s length body responsible for physical activity and sport participation in England, into grassroots sport and physical activity.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what proportion of the £400 million funding for grassroots sport facilities she plans to allocate to support the (a) development, (b) refurbishment and (c) sustainability of public swimming pools.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Government recognises the importance of ensuring public access to leisure facilities, including swimming pools, which are vital spaces for people of all ages to stay fit and healthy, and which play an important role within communities across the country.

The ongoing responsibility of providing access to public leisure facilities lies at local authority level, with funding levels set as part of the Local Government Finance Settlement. The Government encourages local authorities to make investments which offer the right opportunities and facilities for the communities they serve, investing in sport and physical activity with a place-based approach, to meet the needs of individual communities.

In June, we committed another £400 million to transform facilities across the whole of the UK over the next four years, supporting the Government's Plan for Change. We will ensure that this funding promotes health, wellbeing and community cohesion and helps to remove the barriers to physical activity for under-represented groups. We are working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need, before setting out further plans on how future funding will be allocated across the UK.

This funding is on top of the £250 million per year which we invest through Sport England, our arm’s length body responsible for physical activity and sport participation in England, into grassroots sport and physical activity.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that the £400 million grassroots sport funding supports swimming pools in areas with limited access to aquatic facilities.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Government recognises the importance of ensuring public access to leisure facilities, including swimming pools, which are vital spaces for people of all ages to stay fit and healthy, and which play an important role within communities across the country.

The ongoing responsibility of providing access to public leisure facilities lies at local authority level, with funding levels set as part of the Local Government Finance Settlement. The Government encourages local authorities to make investments which offer the right opportunities and facilities for the communities they serve, investing in sport and physical activity with a place-based approach, to meet the needs of individual communities.

In June, we committed another £400 million to transform facilities across the whole of the UK over the next four years, supporting the Government's Plan for Change. We will ensure that this funding promotes health, wellbeing and community cohesion and helps to remove the barriers to physical activity for under-represented groups. We are working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need, before setting out further plans on how future funding will be allocated across the UK.

This funding is on top of the £250 million per year which we invest through Sport England, our arm’s length body responsible for physical activity and sport participation in England, into grassroots sport and physical activity.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether the £400 million funding for grassroots sport facilities includes funding for energy efficiency upgrades in swimming pools.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Government recognises the importance of ensuring public access to leisure facilities, including swimming pools, which are vital spaces for people of all ages to stay fit and healthy, and which play an important role within communities across the country.

The ongoing responsibility of providing access to public leisure facilities lies at local authority level, with funding levels set as part of the Local Government Finance Settlement. The Government encourages local authorities to make investments which offer the right opportunities and facilities for the communities they serve, investing in sport and physical activity with a place-based approach, to meet the needs of individual communities.

In June, we committed another £400 million to transform facilities across the whole of the UK over the next four years, supporting the Government's Plan for Change. We will ensure that this funding promotes health, wellbeing and community cohesion and helps to remove the barriers to physical activity for under-represented groups. We are working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need, before setting out further plans on how future funding will be allocated across the UK.

This funding is on top of the £250 million per year which we invest through Sport England, our arm’s length body responsible for physical activity and sport participation in England, into grassroots sport and physical activity.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of artificial intelligence on public expenditure.

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

The primary focus of the government’s analysis has been to assess the potential for AI to enhance public sector productivity and efficiency, which are key determinants of future spending levels. Analysis by DSIT for the State of Digital Government Review found an estimated £45 billion per year in unrealised savings and productivity benefits in the public sector, 4-7% of public sector spend, which could be achieved through full digitisation of public sector services. Opportunities are based predominantly on process simplification, AI-driven automation of manual tasks, greater availability, adoption of low-cost digital channels and reduced fraud through compliance automation.

Of this, £36 billion in potential annual savings are from using AI to simplify and automate delivery across the public sector. This was estimated through a detailed analysis of 350,000 public sector roles using Civil Service data, scaling productivity savings from automating or augmenting routine tasks to the wider public sector workforce.

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