Asked by: Imogen Walker (Labour - Hamilton and Clyde Valley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the contribution of creative industry tax reliefs to jobs and investment in Scotland.
Answered by James Murray - Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Paymaster General
The Creative Industry Tax Reliefs Evaluation commissioned by HMRC in 2022 (available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/creative-industry-tax-reliefs-evaluation) found that there was strong evidence that the main four creative tax reliefs have made the UK a more attractive filming and production location, and led to more productions taking place in the UK. There was a widespread perception that the reliefs have had a significant impact on employment.
Asked by: Imogen Walker (Labour - Hamilton and Clyde Valley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much Apprenticeship Levy was paid by employers in South Lanarkshire in the latest financial year for which data is available.
Answered by James Murray - Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Paymaster General
HMRC does not hold any estimates on the amount of Apprenticeship Levy receipts paid by employers in South Lanarkshire.
Asked by: Imogen Walker (Labour - Hamilton and Clyde Valley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential benefits of VAT relief for renovating vacant commercial premises in town centres such as Hamilton.
Answered by James Murray - Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Paymaster General
The Government is committed to empowering local communities, and recently released £52 million from the Local Growth Fund to support local leaders throughout Scotland to revive local high streets, start-up businesses and create skilled jobs.
VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption, and the 20 per cent standard rate applies to most goods and services.
Outside of a limited number of reliefs aimed at supporting the supply of new homes, the standard rate applies to most construction works. Exceptions to the standard rate are limited and must be balanced against their impact on the public finances.
Asked by: Imogen Walker (Labour - Hamilton and Clyde Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to improve communication with British nationals seeking consular assistance during emergencies overseas.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office's (FCDO) consular and crisis support is available 24/7. During an overseas crisis, Travel Advice is kept under constant review as a situation develops to ensure it reflects our latest assessment of risks to British nationals. In a crisis the FCDO may also encourage affected British nationals to register their presence with us so that they can directly receive communications with the latest information.
The FCDO continues to improve the consular and crisis services we offer to British people overseas through enhancements to our public‑facing digital services and internal case management platform. In 2025/26, 88 per cent of service users who accessed consular and crisis support were satisfied with the support that they received.
Asked by: Imogen Walker (Labour - Hamilton and Clyde Valley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the number of people in Hamilton and Clyde Valley constituency who have benefited from the Help to Save scheme in each of the last three financial years.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
HMRC publishes Help to Save figures as part of their annual savings statistics publication, including a breakdown of Help to Save accounts by region. The latest figures are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/annual-savings-statistics-2026.
Hamilton and Clyde Valley is in Scotland, where 44,950 Help to Save accounts had been opened as of April 2026.
Following a consultation on its published statistics, HMRC removed Help to Save tables for Parliamentary Constituencies and Local Authorities for the 2023 publication onwards. The final version of these tables with a lower level geographical breakdown can be found in the 2022 Annual Savings Statistics publication, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/annual-savings-statistics-2022
Asked by: Imogen Walker (Labour - Hamilton and Clyde Valley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of mortgage interest rates on homeowners in Hamilton and Clyde Valley constituency.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government recognises the pressure that higher mortgage costs may be placing on homeowners across the UK, including in Hamilton and Clyde Valley.
Earlier this year, Ministers met the six largest mortgage lenders, alongside UK Finance, to discuss the outlook for mortgage rates and support for borrowers. At that meeting, lenders committed to contacting 1.6 million customers whose fixed-rate deals were due to end during 2026, so that they were aware of their options before their monthly repayments changed. Lenders also reaffirmed their commitment to the Mortgage Charter.
The Mortgage Charter covers around 90% of the mortgage market and provides eligible borrowers with short-term flexibility, including the option to switch temporarily to interest-only payments or extend their mortgage term for up to six months, without a new affordability check and without affecting their credit score.
Financial Conduct Authority rules also provide protections for borrowers, including requirements for lenders to treat customers fairly and offer appropriate support where needed. Homeowners in Hamilton and Clyde Valley who are concerned about their mortgage repayments should contact their lender at the earliest opportunity, as early engagement will help ensure that the widest range of support options can be considered.
The government recognises that many households have been faced with higher mortgage rates in recent years. That is why we are committed to building a stronger economy that works for everyone and that keeps taxes, inflation and mortgage rates as low as possible.
Asked by: Imogen Walker (Labour - Hamilton and Clyde Valley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of waiting times for complaints from consumers in Scotland to be resolved by the Financial Ombudsman Service.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) is an independent, non-governmental body. The FOS sets out its service standards in its annual Plans and Budget publication and on its website at https://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/who-we-are/governance-funding/customer-service/service-standards.
Ensuring timely outcomes is one of the FOS’s main priorities for 2026-27, as outlined in its most recent Plans and Budget published on 31 March 2026. The FOS has set itself the target of resolving 50 per cent of cases within three months and 80 per cent of cases within six months in 2026-27. In 2025-26, the FOS resolved 46 per cent of its cases within three months. This figure excludes cases related to motor finance commission pending the delivery of the FCA’s industry-wide redress scheme. Some cases may be more complex than others. The FOS looks at each case individually and carefully, and the time it takes to do so will depend on the length of time it takes to gather information and on the complexity of the case.
I am clear that the FOS should deal with all cases in a timely manner. My officials will continue to raise the important issue of waiting times in their regular meetings with the FOS.
Asked by: Imogen Walker (Labour - Hamilton and Clyde Valley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of debt-collection practices on people in Hamilton and Clyde Valley constituency.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government expects firms involved in collecting debts to treat customers fairly and to follow responsible debt-recovery practices.
Firms that purchase or collect consumer credit debts must be authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and comply with its rules, including requirements to treat customers fairly and to offer appropriate forbearance options to those in financial difficulty. The FCA has a broad range of supervisory and enforcement powers to address misconduct.
Alongside these protections, the Government is strengthening support for people in financial difficulty. Through the Financial Inclusion Strategy, the UK Government increased funding for free debt advice across all four nations of the UK. In 2025-26, over £10 million was allocated to fund debt advice in Scotland which the Scottish Government has distributed to a range of national and community-based providers.
Asked by: Imogen Walker (Labour - Hamilton and Clyde Valley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of card-payment fees on independent retailers in Hamilton and Clyde Valley constituency.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government recognises the importance of ensuring that the cost of accepting payments, including cards, is fair to all parties, and that our payment systems work for all.
When a card payment is made, businesses will pay a fee to their merchant acquirer, which provide services that allow the business to accept card payments. These fees are made up of several components. This includes interchange fees, which are regulated by the Interchange Fee Regulations 2015 (IFR). The IFR caps these fees for consumer card transactions. The caps are currently set at 0.2% for every transaction using a debit card, and 0.3% for credit card transactions.
The Payment Systems Regulator (PSR), the UK’s economic regulator for payment systems, has also recently concluded two market reviews into card fees to assess if increases in certain card fees are fair and reflect a market that is operating well. This includes scheme and processing fees, which are paid by merchant acquirers directly to the card schemes, such as VISA and Mastercard. The PSR has recently issued directions to VISA and Mastercard, which require them to produce better evidence showing how they make pricing decisions for scheme and processing fees and to improve the transparency of the fees they are charging to merchant acquirers, which can then be passed onto businesses they provide services to.
The PSR is considering further remedies in relation to its market reviews, which it will set out in due course.
Asked by: Imogen Walker (Labour - Hamilton and Clyde Valley)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to protect pension savers in Hamilton and Clyde Valley constituency from pension scams.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Government works closely with regulators, industry and law enforcement partners to monitor emerging scam risks, identify new threats and ensure that appropriate protections are in place for pension savers.
The Conditions for Pension Transfers Regulations form a key element of those protections. Providing important safeguards against pension scams by enabling trustees and scheme managers to pause or prevent a transfer where there are indicators that the transfer may present a risk.
Earlier this year, the Government consulted on reforms to the regulations following concerns about the potential misuse of Small Self-Administered Schemes. Having carefully considered the responses received, we have today published our response, outlining a targeted package of measures to address identified risks, improve existing safeguards, and enhance protections for pension savers. The Government Response is available at the following link: Government response to the public consultation on proposals to amend the Occupational and Personal Pension Schemes (Conditions for Transfers) Regulations 2021 - GOV.UK