Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the oral Answer of 20 November 2025, Official Report, Column 834, on Motorists, and further to the point of order of 25 November 2025, Official report, Column 261, on what date was she first aware of the proposal to introduce a national pay-per-mile Electric Vehicle Excise Duty scheme in the Budget 2025.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Secretary of State has regular discussions with HM Treasury ministers about a range of topics, but final tax decisions are for the Chancellor of the Exchequer to make and are announced at the Budget.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the combined effect of higher rateable values and reduced business rates relief on (a) the number of hospitality businesses and (b) vacancy rates on high streets over the next three years.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The amount of business rates paid on each property is based on the rateable value of the property, assessed by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA), and the multiplier values, which are set by the Government. Rateable values are re-assessed every three years. Revaluations ensure that the rateable values of properties (i.e. the tax base) remain in line with market changes, and that the tax rates adjust to reflect changes in the tax base.

At the Budget, the VOA announced updated property values from the 2026 revaluation. This revaluation is the first since Covid, which has led to significant increases in rateable values for some properties as they recover from the pandemic. To support with bill increases, at the Budget, the Government announced a support package worth £4.3 billion over the next three years, including protection for ratepayers seeing their bills increase because of the revaluation. As a result, over half of ratepayers will see no bill increases, including 23% seeing their bills go down. This means most properties seeing increases will see them capped at 15% or less next year, or £800 for the smallest.

More broadly, the Government is delivering a long overdue reform to rebalance the business rates system and support the high street, as promised in our manifesto.

The Government is doing this by introducing new permanently lower tax rates for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) properties. These new tax rates are worth nearly £900 million per year, and will benefit over 750,000 properties, including those on the high street.

The new RHL tax rates replace the temporary RHL relief that has been winding down since Covid. Unlike RHL relief, the new rates are permanent, giving businesses certainty and stability, and there will be no cap, meaning all qualifying properties on high streets across England will benefit.

Treasury Ministers and officials engaged with a wide range of stakeholders across the pub and hospitality sector ahead of the Budget to discuss business rates.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the (a) name, (b) job title, (c) annual remuneration, (d) time commitment and (e) expected end date is for each direct ministerial appointment in her Department.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

There are four current Direct Ministerial Appointees.

Andrew Morlet is Chair of the Circular Economy Taskforce. He is remunerated at £15,600 per year with a time commitment of one day per week. His appointment is due to end on 3 February 2026.

Paul Ekins is Deputy Chair of the Circular Economy Taskforce. He receives £15,600 annually with a time commitment of one day per week. His appointment is due to end on 3 February 2026.

Philip Stocker is the Chair of the Dartmoor Land Management Group. He is paid £20,114.88 per annum with a commitment of four days per month. His appointment ends 28 April 2026.

Peter Troughton is appointed as a Chequers Trustee. This is an unremunerated position, the time commitment is not specified, and the appointment is due to conclude on 16 August 2027.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what the (a) name, (b) job title, (c) annual remuneration, (d) time commitment and (e) expected end date is for each direct ministerial appointment in his Department.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

Direct ministerial appointments are published on GOV.UK in line with Cabinet Office best practice.

Current direct ministerial appointments in the department are:

Appointees are listed alphabetically by surname.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what the (a) name, (b) job title, (c) annual remuneration, (d) time commitment and (e) expected end date is for each direct ministerial appointment in his Department.

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

The information requested is attached.

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Solicitor General, what the (a) name, (b) job title, (c) annual remuneration, (d) time commitment and (e) expected end date is for each direct ministerial appointment made by the Law Officers.

Answered by Ellie Reeves - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)

The AGO has not made any direct ministerial appointments.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the (a) name, (b) job title, (c) annual remuneration, (d) time commitment and (e) expected end date is for each direct ministerial appointment in her Department.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Hon Member to the answer given to Question 74274 on 26 September 2025.

Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what the (a) name, (b) job title, (c) annual remuneration, (d) time commitment and (e) expected end date is for each direct ministerial appointment in his Department.

Answered by Kirsty McNeill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Scotland Office)

The Scotland Office does not have any Direct Ministerial Appointments.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the (a) name, (b) job title, (c) annual remuneration, (d) time commitment and (e) expected end date is for each direct ministerial appointment in his Department.

Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

Within my Department, the following direct ministerial appointments have been made to non-statutory offices:

Intertrade UK - Chair and Members

Name and Job Title: Baroness Arlene Foster, Chair of Intertrade UK

Annual Remuneration: N/A

Time Commitment: Approximately 1 day per month

Expected End Date: 18 months from date of appointment. The Chair may be reappointed for no more than 18 months (so may serve for a maximum of three consecutive years).

Names and Job Title: Dr Esmond Birnie, Kirsty McManus, Suzanne Wylie, Roger Pollen, Angela McGowan - Members of Intertrade UK.

Annual Remuneration: N/A

Time Commitment: Approximately 1 day per month

Expected End Date: 18 months from date of appointment. Members may be reappointed for no more than 18 months (so may serve for a maximum of three consecutive years).

Windsor Framework Independent Monitoring Panel

Names and Job Title: Alastair Hamilton (Chair), Anna Jerzewska, Aidan Reilly - Chair and Panel Members of the Windsor Framework Independent Monitoring Panel.

Annual Remuneration: N/A

Time Commitment: The Panel is expected to report to the Government on a six-monthly basis and therefore Panelists should have the capacity to do so.

Expected End Date: 24 months from date of appointment with the possibility of an extension subject to Ministerial agreement.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the (a) name, (b) job title, (c) annual remuneration, (d) time commitment and (e) expected end date is for each direct ministerial appointment in his Department.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The Ministry of Justice makes information on its direct ministerial appointments available in line with Cabinet Office guidance on transparency. This information is available on GOV.UK and kept under review to ensure it is up to date.

Question to the Wales Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what the (a) name, (b) job title, (c) annual remuneration, (d) time commitment and (e) expected end date is for each direct ministerial appointment in her Department.

Answered by Jo Stevens - Secretary of State for Wales

There are currently no direct ministerial appointments at the Wales Office.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the (a) name, (b) job title, (c) annual remuneration, (d) time commitment and (e) expected end date is for each direct ministerial appointment in his Department.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

We will publish data on MHCLG’s Direct Ministerial Appointments in line with recent guidance.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the answer of 13 October 2025 to Question 73329 on NHS: Recruitment and with reference to the his Department's press release entitled NHS App overhaul will break down barriers to healthcare and reduce inequalities, published on 25 June 2025, if he will list the types of convictions that (a) will and (b) will not be eligible for the Widening Access Demonstrator programme.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department is unable to provide a list of convictions which would automatically prevent someone from being accepted on the Widening Access Demonstrator (WAD) programme as this depends on the role applied for, the nature and seriousness of the offence, and the safeguarding risks to patients and other colleagues. All National Health Service employers have well-established and robust employment checks in place, including Disclosure and Barring Service checks for eligible roles, to assess a person’s suitability and uphold the safety of patients and staff. Anyone seeking employment through the WAD programme is subject to these same rigorous processes.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what the (a) name, (b) job title, (c) annual remuneration, (d) time commitment and (e) expected end date is for each direct ministerial appointment in her Department.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Please see a list of all the Direct Ministerial Appointments (DMAs) in DSIT to date, including job title, renumeration, time commitment and expected end date.

Live Appointments:

• Matt Clifford: the Prime Minister’s AI Opportunities Advisor. 1 day per week, Term Dates: 13/01/2024 - 13/01/2026.
• Dr Dan Mahoney: Life Sciences Investment Envoy. 15 days per year, Term Dates:18/11/2024 - 18/05/2026.
• Theo Blackwell: Local Digital Champion. 2 days per week, Term Dates: 13/01/2025 - 31/12/2025.
• Yoshua Bengio: International AI Safety Report Chair. 26 days per year, Term Dates: 29/01/2025 - 31/03/2026.
• Lord David Willetts: Regulatory Innovation Office Chair. 36 days per year, Term Dates: 07/03/2025 - 07/03/2027
• Steve Bates: Office for Life Sciences Executive Chair. Full-time, Term Dates: 29/09/2025 - 29/03/2027.
• Anne Lingford-Hughes, Peter Johnson, Hilary Evans-Newton, Nadeem Sarwar, Husseini Manji, Kathryn Abel and Naveed Sattar: OLS Healthcare Goals Chairs, 4-8 days per month, Term Dates: 30/09/2025 - 05/03/2027 (DHSC appointments with joint accountability between DHSC, DSIT and DBT)
• Simon Johnson, Tom Blomfield and Raia Hadsell: AI Ambassadors. 2 days per year, Term Dates: 21/11/2025 - 21/11/2026.
• James Wise: Sovereign AI Champion, 10 days per year. Term Dates: 21/11/2025 - 21/11/2026.
• Anne Marie Imafidon: Women in Tech Envoy. 20 days per year, Term Dates: 15/12/2025 - 15/06/2027.
• Prof. Sir Jonathan Irving Bell: Life Sciences Champions, 30 days per year, Term Dates: 01/01/2011 - 31/122025
• Sir Jon Symonds: Life Sciences Champions, 30 days per year, Term Dates: 01/01/2021- 31/12/2025.

Appointments that have now ended

• Matt Clifford: Lead Reviewer of the Artificial Intelligence Action Plan. 4-8 days per month, Term Dates: 22/07/2024 - 03/09/2024.
• Martha Lane Fox (Co-Chair), Poppy Gustafsson, Paul Willmott (Co-Chair), Jeni Tennison, Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon, Lou Cordwell, Aaron Maniam, David Eaves, Sarah Hunter, Lisa Harrington, Josie Cluer and Lord Richard Allan: Digital Centre Design Panel Members. 1 day a month, Date: 30/09/2024 - 04/01/2025.
• Ian Hogarth: AI Safety Institute Chair. 10 days per year, Term Dates: 10/02/2025 - 09/12/2025.

Appointments made before July 2024 (publicly available information)

• David Morris: UK Government Space Advisor. 2022 to 2024.
• Simon Fell: Rural Connectivity Champion. 2023 to 2024.
• Hilary Evans: Co-Chair for Dementia Mission. 2023 to 2024.
• Nadeem Sarwar: Co-Chair for the Dementia Mission. 2023 to 2024.
• Stephen McPartland: Chair of the McPartland Review. 2024.
• Alice Sullivan: Independent Reviewer of Data Collection. 2024.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what the (a) name, (b) job title, (c) annual remuneration, (d) time commitment and (e) expected end date is for each direct ministerial appointment in her Department.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has no direct ministerial appointments.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the (a) name, (b) job title, (c) annual remuneration, (d) time commitment and (e) expected end date is for each direct ministerial appointment in her Department.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Current Direct Ministerial Appointments are set out in the table below:

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) name, (b) job title, (c) annual remuneration, (d) time commitment and (e) expected end date is for each direct ministerial appointment in his Department.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The Department has 41 direct Ministerial appointments, across seven entities. These are as follows:

Defence Industrial Joint Council

Defence Investors Advisory Group

Independent Inquiry relating to Afghanistan

LGBT Financial Recognition Scheme Independent Panel

LGBT Financial Recognition Scheme Appeals Board

Octric Semiconductors Ltd

Strategic Advisor to the Secretary of State for Defence

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Mr Alistair Carmichael (Chair); Sarah Bool; Juliet Campbell; Charlie Dewhirst

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Mr Alistair Carmichael (Chair); Sarah Bool; Juliet Campbell; Charlie Dewhirst

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Mr Alistair Carmichael (Chair); Sarah Bool; Juliet Campbell; Charlie Dewhirst

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Mr Alistair Carmichael (Chair); Sarah Bool; Juliet Campbell; Charlie Dewhirst

Found: Q254 Charlie Dewhirst: Yes.

Found: Aphra Brandreth: Impact of the UK ODA cuts on international development • Sir John Hayes, Charlie Dewhirst

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Alistair Carmichael (Chair); Sarah Bool; Juliet Campbell; Charlie Dewhirst