Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she provides guidance to Train Operating Companies on the declassification of first class portions of services during periods of high demand.

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

The Secretary of State for Transport does not issue guidance to train operating companies on the declassification of first-class accommodation during periods of high demand. Decisions on whether to declassify first class accommodation are operational matters for individual train operating companies.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the letter from the Minister of State for Rail to the hon. Member for St Albans of 28 November 2025, reference MC/00054165 whether she has received representations from Govia Thameslink Railway on integrating CCTV at St Albans City station with the new system to facilitate ease of access for authorised police and rail industry personnel.

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

The rail CCTV connectivity project is in its start-up phase. It is being delivered by Network Rail, who will ensure improved connectivity to British Transport Police (BTP) will be prioritised at the stations with the greatest footfall and greatest crime. GTR already provides the BTP and other police forces with CCTV footage from its trains, stations and body worn cameras across its network, but this project will speed up that process.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what information her Department holds on the proportion of text redacted in statements provided to hon. Members from opposition parties in advance of the Chancellor’s statement on each Budget day since 1997.

Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

Redactions to documents shared in confidence are made for reasons of market sensitivity. The full Budget documentation and the Chancellor’s speech are shared with all MPs as soon as the Chancellor finishes delivering the Budget speech.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will publish copies of the redacted statements provided to opposition MPs each budget day in advance of the Chancellor’s statement to the House of Commons in each year since 1997.

Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

Redactions to documents shared in confidence are made for reasons of market sensitivity. The full Budget documentation and the Chancellor’s speech are shared with all MPs as soon as the Chancellor finishes delivering the Budget speech.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many and what proportion of retail, hospitality and leisure businesses will be eligible to receive transitionary relief for business rates in 2026-27.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

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. This includes a redesigned transitional relief scheme which caps bill increases, and is worth £3.2 billion over the next 3 years, and a supporting small business (SSB) scheme capping bill increases for the smallest businesses losing some or all of their small business rates relief or rural rate relief worth over £500 million. The Government has gone further, by expanding this to ratepayers losing RHL relief to offer further support worth an additional £1.3 billion as they transition to permanently lower tax rates.

As a result, over half of all 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, including pubs. These new tax rates are worth nearly £900 million per year, and will benefit over 750,000 properties.

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.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 25 November to Question 92922 on Fly-tipping, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of a single responsible body to receive and investigate incidents of fly-tipping, as called for by the Hon. Member for St Albans and Hon. Member for Harpenden and Berkhamsted in their letter dated 19 September 2025.

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

We have not made an assessment of the potential merits of a single responsible body to receive and investigate incidents of fly-tipping.

Local councils are responsible for tackling fly-tipping in their area and have a range of enforcement powers to help them do so. These include fixed penalty notices of up to £1000, seizing and crushing of vehicles and prosecution action. We encourage councils to make good use of their enforcement powers and are taking steps to develop statutory fly-tipping enforcement guidance to support councils to consistently, appropriately and effectively exercise these existing powers.  We are also conducting a review of council powers to seize and crush vehicles of fly-tippers, to identify how we could help them make better use of this tool.

In our manifesto we committed to forcing fly-tippers to clean up the mess that they have created. We will provide further details on this commitment in due course.

In the meantime, Defra continues to chair the National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group (NFTPG), through which we work with a wide range of interested parties such as local councils, the Environment Agency, National Farmers Union and National Police Chiefs Council, to promote and disseminate good practice with regards to preventing fly-tipping.  

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a financial protection scheme for users of home learning providers which become insolvent.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

Where an online home learning provider closes, parents and local authorities should work together to identify other suitable provision which is safe and meets the needs of the child. Home learning providers are often private providers and so are responsible for the financial management of their business.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the cost to the public purse is of reducing the retail, hospitality and leisure multiplier by the maximum permitted by the Non-Domestic Rating (Multipliers and Private Schools) Act 2025.

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. To support with bill increases, at the Budget, the Government introduced a support package worth £4.3 billion over the next three years to protect 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.

Without our support, pubs would have faced a 45% increase in the total bills they pay next year. Because of the support we’ve put in place, this has fallen to just 4%.

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 permanently lower tax rates for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) properties, while ensuring that warehouses used by online giants will pay more. 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.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will hold discussions with Thameslink on taking steps to reduce reliance on rest-day working to operate timetabled passenger rail services.

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

Department Officials meet regularly with Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) to review performance and reliability, including driver resource considerations. The Department is supporting GTR in the recruitment of nearly 100 additional Thameslink drivers, which will assist in reducing reliance on rest day working.

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 improve (a) awareness, (b) diagnosis and (c) treatment for, pulmonary hypertension.

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

NHS England commissions specialist services for both adults and children to diagnose and treat pulmonary arterial hypertension. Care is provided through a small number of specialised centres and shared care arrangements with other centres.

High-cost drug treatments are delivering improvements in outcomes for this group of patients, as evidenced by the National Pulmonary Hypertension Audit. This audit is funded by NHS England, with further information available at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/clinical-audits-and-registries/national-pulmonary-hypertension-audit

Clinical guidelines and pathways exist for the investigation of breathlessness, to support the recognition and diagnosis of this rare condition.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 10 December to Question 97661 on Business Rates: Tax Allowances, what proportion of the ratepayers who will see their bills reduced are listed as a hereditament that has been assessed as qualifying for the retail, hospitality and leisure multiplier from 2026/27.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

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, the Government has introduced a generous support package worth £4.3 billion over the next 3 years, including support to help ratepayers to transition to their new bill.

As a result, over half of all 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 in England. The Government is paying for this tax cut through higher rates on the top one per cent of most expensive properties, including distribution warehouses used by online giants.

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.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 10 December to Question 97661 on Business Rates: Tax Allowances, how many and what proportion of the ratepayers who will see no increases were eligible for Retail, Hospitality and Leisure relief in 2025-26.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

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, the Government has introduced a generous support package worth £4.3 billion over the next 3 years, including support to help ratepayers to transition to their new bill.

As a result, over half of all 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 in England. The Government is paying for this tax cut through higher rates on the top one per cent of most expensive properties, including distribution warehouses used by online giants.

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.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 9 December to Question 96304 on St Albans City Station: CCTV whether bike thefts will be included in the assessment of railway stations with the highest crime levels when prioritising CCTV integration across the network.

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

The Department has committed £17 million to improve CCTV connectivity on the railway. Network Rail are delivering the project and as they are currently in the start up phase of the project the details you have requested are not yet available.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 9 December to Question 96304 on St Albans City Station: CCTV, if Network Rail will publish a list of railway stations to be prioritised for CCTV integration.

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

The Department has committed £17 million to improve CCTV connectivity on the railway. Network Rail are delivering the project and as they are currently in the start up phase of the project the details you have requested are not yet available.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions her department has had with Amazon on its proposal to support the collection of £700 million in VAT receipts from online marketplace sellers operating overseas.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Since 1 January 2021 overseas sellers, or online marketplaces where they facilitate the sale, are required to be registered and account for VAT for supplies of low value imports of £135 or less. Where an overseas seller sells goods located in the UK at the point of sale via an online marketplace, the online marketplace is liable for the VAT for goods of any value.

The changes were introduced to ensure a level playing field for UK high street and online retailers, ensure the continued flow of goods at the border and improve compliance. Certified analysis by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) estimates the changes, together with the abolishment of Low Value Consignment relief, will raise £1.8 billion per annum by 2026-27.

The Government engages with a wide range of stakeholders as part of the policy making process.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will expedite a consultation into proposals to require online marketplace sellers to collect VAT from overseas sellers.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Since 1 January 2021 overseas sellers, or online marketplaces where they facilitate the sale, are required to be registered and account for VAT for supplies of low value imports of £135 or less. Where an overseas seller sells goods located in the UK at the point of sale via an online marketplace, the online marketplace is liable for the VAT for goods of any value.

The changes were introduced to ensure a level playing field for UK high street and online retailers, ensure the continued flow of goods at the border and improve compliance. Certified analysis by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) estimates the changes, together with the abolishment of Low Value Consignment relief, will raise £1.8 billion per annum by 2026-27.

The Government engages with a wide range of stakeholders as part of the policy making process.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether her Department has made an assessment how social media platforms could use in-built AI to detect and protect children against (a) cyberbullying and (b) online grooming.

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

The government takes tackling cyberbullying and online grooming extremely seriously.

Under the Online Safety Act, services must put in place measures to mitigate the risk of illegal activity, including grooming, and protect children from harmful content, such as bullying.

Ofcom recommends measures services can take to fulfil their duties in Codes of Practice, including using hash matching to detect and remove child sexual abuse material. Ofcom can introduce new measures in future iterations of the Codes.

On 18 December, the government published its Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy, including a world-leading ban on nudification apps. This government will not allow technology to be weaponised to humiliate and exploit women and girls.

Sinking of SS Tilawa

Impact of proposed immigration changes on migrants living in the UK

UK arms export licensing and conflict in Sudan

Ukrainian Permission Extension Scheme

Sale of caged hens’ eggs

Thanking postal workers

Tenth anniversary of Storm Desmond

LED headlights