To match an exact phrase, use quotation marks around the search term. eg. "Parliamentary Estate". Use "OR" or "AND" as link words to form more complex queries.


Keep yourself up-to-date with the latest developments by exploring our subscription options to receive notifications direct to your inbox

Written Question
Development Aid
Friday 26th July 2024

Asked by: Christine Jardine (Liberal Democrat - Edinburgh West)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if her Department will take steps to restore the level of funding allocated to international development and aid projects to 0.7% of GDP.

Answered by Darren Jones - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

This Government is committed to restoring ODA spending at the level of 0.7 per cent of GNI as soon as fiscal circumstances allow. The Government will set out its approach to the House in due course.


Written Question
Holiday Accommodation: Taxation
Tuesday 21st May 2024

Asked by: Christine Jardine (Liberal Democrat - Edinburgh West)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether changes to taxation arrangements of furnished holiday lets will apply to purpose-built holiday lodges on sites designated for leisure and tourism purposes.

Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Shadow Financial Secretary (Treasury)

The Government has announced that it will abolish the Furnished Holiday Lettings (FHL) tax regime from April 2025, equalising the tax treatment of all individual FHL and non-FHL businesses. This will make the taxation of property fairer and simpler while raising revenue for vital public services. The changes will not penalise or prohibit the provision of FHLs more widely.

The status of individual businesses, and so the application of tax rules, will always depend on the specific facts of each case.

The Government keeps all aspects of tax policy under review and any decisions on future changes will be taken by the Chancellor in the context of the wider public finances.


Written Question
Public Sector: Workplace Pensions
Tuesday 20th February 2024

Asked by: Christine Jardine (Liberal Democrat - Edinburgh West)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent steps he has taken to ensure pension remediation for public sector workers affected by the McCloud judgement.

Answered by Laura Trott - Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury

The Public Service Pensions and Judicial Offices Act 2022 provides remedy for discrimination that arose when new public service pensions schemes were introduced between 2014 and 2016. The remedy has two main elements: older “legacy” pension schemes were closed as of 1 April 2022 to equalise future accrual in newer “reformed” schemes; and, from 1 October 2023 all affected members are being given a choice at retirement (or within 18 months of 1 October 2023 for those who have already retired) as to whether to receive legacy or reformed scheme benefits for the remedy period.


Written Question
Small Businesses: Government Assistance
Thursday 29th June 2023

Asked by: Christine Jardine (Liberal Democrat - Edinburgh West)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what support his Department is providing to small and medium-sized enterprises to help with costs in the context of the rate of inflation.

Answered by Gareth Davies - Shadow Exchequer Secretary (Treasury)

The Government recognises the challenges facing businesses and that is why we have made it a priority to halve inflation this year, on the path back to the target of 2%.

We have taken several steps to support small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), including a substantial package of business rates support worth £13.6bn over the next five years; additional tax relief at a higher rate of 14.5% for R&D intensive SMEs; and the Small Profits Rate will mean 70% of businesses will see no increase in Corporation Tax this year.

The supply side policies announced at Spring Budget – such as action on childcare support – will also provide a boost to growth without fuelling inflation and ease the pressures faced by SMEs by delivering the workforce they need to succeed.


Written Question
Treasury: Recruitment
Thursday 23rd February 2023

Asked by: Christine Jardine (Liberal Democrat - Edinburgh West)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much his Department spent on recruitment consultants in each of the last three years.

Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence

Consistent with the answer given to a written question on 17 May 2022, the information requested on recruitment consultant expenditure is not available, as we do not hold detail of expenditure on recruitment costs at this level of granularity for any of the financial years in question.


Written Question
Treasury: Recruitment
Monday 6th February 2023

Asked by: Christine Jardine (Liberal Democrat - Edinburgh West)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much his department has spent on headhunters in each of the last three years.

Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence

HM Treasury does not hold information on head-hunters separately within its recruitment costs.


Written Question
Treasury: Redundancy Pay
Monday 14th November 2022

Asked by: Christine Jardine (Liberal Democrat - Edinburgh West)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the cost to the public purse has been of Ministerial severance pay in their Department in each year since 1 January 2016 to 8 November 2022.

Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence

The Provision of severance payments for Ministers is set out in legislation.

Details of the severance payments made to ministers when leaving office are published in departments’ annual reports and accounts.


Written Question
Public Finance and Taxation
Tuesday 11th October 2022

Asked by: Christine Jardine (Liberal Democrat - Edinburgh West)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the potential effect of the Government's Growth Plan 2022 on the rate of inflation.

Answered by Felicity Buchan

The Government’s Energy Price Guarantee will limit average household energy bills to £2,500. External forecasts expect this intervention to reduce inflation by around 5 percentage points this winter.

The Government’s Growth Plan will enhance UK competitiveness and lead to greater opportunities. By targeting 2.5% trend growth, the Growth Plan will ensure sustainable improvements in living standards.

The Office for Budget Responsibility is the government’s official forecaster and will publish its next forecast on the economy, including for inflation, on the 31st October.


Written Question
Older People: Income Tax
Wednesday 20th July 2022

Asked by: Christine Jardine (Liberal Democrat - Edinburgh West)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 7 July 2022 to Question 30119 on Income Tax: Older People, if he will publish the constituency-level breakdown of HMRC’s Income Tax liabilities statistics containing the number of taxpayers aged 65 and over since 2019.

Answered by Lucy Frazer

I refer the hon. Member for Edinburgh West to the answer that was given on the 7 July 2022 to the Question UIN 30119.


Written Question
Older People: Income Tax
Thursday 7th July 2022

Asked by: Christine Jardine (Liberal Democrat - Edinburgh West)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish a constituency-level breakdown of HMRC’s Income Tax liabilities statistics: tax year 2019 to 2020 to tax year 2022 to 2023, containing the number of taxpayers aged 65 and over since 2019.

Answered by Lucy Frazer

HMRC’s Personal income by tax year statistics contains constituency-level breakdown of taxpayer numbers for 2019-20, the latest available outturn can be found in Table 3.15 here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1066946/Table_3.15_1920.ods.

Further breakdowns of this information are not readily available and cannot be provided within the time available.

HMRC’s Income Tax liabilities statistics publish a high-level regional breakdown containing the number of taxpayers in each Income Tax bracket and numbers over 65, these can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1086257/Table_2.2.ods.

For projection years, HM Treasury does not publish this information at constituency level.