Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 5 September 2025 to Question 69409 on Business Rates: Impact Assessments, if she publish sector-specific impact assessments for (a) hospitality, (b) retail and (c) leisure businesses with rateable values under £500,000 of the effect of the (i) withdrawal of Retail, Hospitality and Leisure (RHL) Relief, (ii) implementation of the 2026 VOA draft ratings list and (iii) the reduction of the RHL multiplier.
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. Most properties seeing increases will see them capped at 15% or less next year, or £800 for the smallest. The Valuation Office Agency has published statistics on changes in the rateable value of properties in the 2026 revaluation.
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. 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. The 40% RHL relief was forecast to cost £1.7 billion in 2025/26, less than the £2.1 billion we are spending on Transitional Relief and Supporting Small Business relief in 2026/27. 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.
The new RHL tax rates will be 5p below the national tax rates. Making the RHL tax rates even lower would have led to an even higher tax rate for high-value properties.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of reducing the RHL multiplier by 20p on the (a) public purse and (b) long term viability of the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure sectors.
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. Most properties seeing increases will see them capped at 15% or less next year, or £800 for the smallest. The Valuation Office Agency has published statistics on changes in the rateable value of properties in the 2026 revaluation.
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. 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. The 40% RHL relief was forecast to cost £1.7 billion in 2025/26, less than the £2.1 billion we are spending on Transitional Relief and Supporting Small Business relief in 2026/27. 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.
The new RHL tax rates will be 5p below the national tax rates. Making the RHL tax rates even lower would have led to an even higher tax rate for high-value properties.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the reduction of the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure multiplier and the withdrawal of the capped Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Relief scheme on multiple retail and hospitality operators.
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. Most properties seeing increases will see them capped at 15% or less next year, or £800 for the smallest. The Valuation Office Agency has published statistics on changes in the rateable value of properties in the 2026 revaluation.
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. 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. The 40% RHL relief was forecast to cost £1.7 billion in 2025/26, less than the £2.1 billion we are spending on Transitional Relief and Supporting Small Business relief in 2026/27. 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.
The new RHL tax rates will be 5p below the national tax rates. Making the RHL tax rates even lower would have led to an even higher tax rate for high-value properties.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, on how many occasions DWP staff have failed to call Universal Credit customers or their appointees at the agreed appointment time in each month of the last 12 months.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department for Work and Pensions does not hold the requested information centrally, and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has received any representations from (a) farmers, (b) other rural landowners and (c) other interested parties calling for a single responsible body to receive and investigate incidents of flytipping.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra not received any representations from farmers, other rural landowners and other interested parties calling for a single responsible body to receive and investigate incidents of fly-tipping.
Local councils are responsible for investigating most fly-tipping incidents, including those on private land. Fly-tipping incidents can be reported by visiting the relevant local authority's website. Individuals can get help on identifying the relevant local authority webpage at https://www.gov.uk/report-flytipping.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
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 27 October 2025 to Question 77609 on Medical Treatments: Cost Effectiveness, if he will instruct NICE to review the adequacy of the Quality-Adjusted Life Year threshold for innovative medicines.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The pharmaceutical sector and the innovative medicines it produces are critical to our national interest, helping people access life changing treatments, reducing pressure on the health service over the longer-term, and ensuring we have a National Health Service that is fit for the future.
That is why through our Life Sciences Sector Plan, we have committed to working with industry to accelerate growth in spending on innovative medicines, compared to the previous decade. Our 10-Year Health Plan set out how we’d reform National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing double summer time.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The government believes the current daylight-saving arrangements represent the optimal use of the available daylight across the UK. The government believes now would not be the time to make changes that would require considerable planning and action by business. Since the government does not currently intend to make changes to the existing system, we will not be conducting an assessment of the potential merits of introducing double summer time.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 19 November to Question 90360 on Business Rates, how many business premises (a) have been brought into paying business rates for the first time and (b) will pay more per year in business rates as a result of the revaluation, notwithstanding any reduction in the multiplier.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Valuation Office Agency is responsible for compiling the non-domestic rating lists and setting the rateable value for each non-domestic property. Local billing authorities then use this information to calculate rates payable by using the multiplier set by government and applying any appropriate relief or discounts. Next year’s liability has not yet been confirmed.
The Valuation Office Agency plans to publish draft valuations for the 2026 Rating List on 26 November 2025. Statistics will be published alongside this showing changes in rateable values between the 2023 and 2026 lists. The statistics will be updated to reflect any changes made when the compiled list is published on 1 April 2026.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on the (a) shortest, (b) average and (c) longest processing times for a decision on an in-country parent visa application.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Home Office does not publish this specific information, but the current expected processing times for in-country parent visa applications can be found at: Visa processing times: applications inside the UK - GOV.UK
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will bring forward the statutory review of the Jet Zero strategy.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
This Government is committed to delivering greener transport as part of its missions to kickstart economic growth and make Britain a clean energy superpower.
We are progressing a range of measures to support the decarbonisation of the aviation sector at pace. The Government has introduced the Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Mandate and the SAF Bill to provide revenue certainty for UK SAF producers, is delivering airspace modernisation, which will see cleaner, quicker and quieter journeys, and is providing funding to support the develop of low and zero emission aerospace technologies.
While there are no statutory obligations for the Government to review the Jet Zero Strategy, we continue to keep our approach to support the decarbonisation of aviation under review.