Kelly Tolhurst Portrait

Kelly Tolhurst

Conservative - Former Member for Rochester and Strood

First elected: 7th May 2015

Left House: 30th May 2024 (Dissolution)


Northern Ireland Affairs Committee
22nd Jan 2024 - 30th May 2024
Finance (No. 2) Bill
10th May 2023 - 18th May 2023
Ballot Secrecy Bill [HL]
1st Mar 2023 - 7th Mar 2023
Minister of State (Education)
7th Sep 2022 - 27th Oct 2022
Committee of Selection
14th Jul 2022 - 11th Oct 2022
Treasurer of HM Household (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Commons)
1st Jul 2022 - 7th Sep 2022
Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill [HL]
9th Feb 2022 - 10th Feb 2022
Dormant Assets Bill [HL]
15th Dec 2021 - 11th Jan 2022
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
8th Sep 2020 - 16th Jan 2021
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
13th Feb 2020 - 8th Sep 2020
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy)
19th Jul 2018 - 13th Feb 2020
Assistant Whip (HM Treasury)
9th Jan 2018 - 19th Jul 2018
Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee
17th Oct 2016 - 13th Mar 2017
Business and Trade Committee
17th Oct 2016 - 13th Mar 2017
European Scrutiny Committee
15th Jul 2015 - 7th Nov 2016
Business, Innovation and Skills Committee
8th Jul 2015 - 17th Oct 2016


Division Voting information

Kelly Tolhurst has voted in 1816 divisions, and 6 times against the majority of their Party.

27 Mar 2019 - EU: Withdrawal and Future Relationship Votes - View Vote Context
Kelly Tolhurst voted No - against a party majority and in line with the House
One of 122 Conservative No votes vs 126 Conservative Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 139 Noes - 422
13 Mar 2019 - UK’s Withdrawal from the European Union - View Vote Context
Kelly Tolhurst voted No - against a party majority and in line with the House
One of 66 Conservative No votes vs 149 Conservative Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 164 Noes - 374
27 Apr 2021 - Fire Safety Bill - View Vote Context
Kelly Tolhurst voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 31 Conservative No votes vs 320 Conservative Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 320 Noes - 256
20 Oct 2021 - Environment Bill - View Vote Context
Kelly Tolhurst voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 22 Conservative No votes vs 265 Conservative Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 268 Noes - 204
25 Oct 2023 - Economic Activity of Public Bodies (Overseas Matters) Bill - View Vote Context
Kelly Tolhurst voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 7 Conservative Aye votes vs 264 Conservative No votes
Tally: Ayes - 207 Noes - 269
4 Dec 2023 - Victims and Prisoners Bill - View Vote Context
Kelly Tolhurst voted Aye - against a party majority and in line with the House
One of 22 Conservative Aye votes vs 238 Conservative No votes
Tally: Ayes - 246 Noes - 242
View All Kelly Tolhurst Division Votes

All Debates

Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.

Sparring Partners
Bill Esterson (Labour)
(29 debate interactions)
Theresa May (Conservative)
(16 debate interactions)
Nick Smith (Labour)
(16 debate interactions)
View All Sparring Partners
Department Debates
Department for Transport
(151 debate contributions)
Home Office
(50 debate contributions)
View All Department Debates
View all Kelly Tolhurst's debates

Latest EDMs signed by Kelly Tolhurst

16th May 2024
Kelly Tolhurst signed this EDM as the primary signatory on Thursday 16th May 2024

30th anniversary of the Maritime Volunteer Service

Tabled by: Kelly Tolhurst (Conservative - Rochester and Strood)
That this House notes the 30th anniversary of the Maritime Volunteer Service (MVS); commends the important national role that the charity plays in ensuring that all aspect of maritime skills remain available to future generations and highlights the importance of the MVS in supporting community resilience; expresses gratitude for the …
8 signatures
(Most recent: 23 May 2024)
Signatures by party:
Conservative: 4
Independent: 1
Democratic Unionist Party: 1
Scottish National Party: 1
Labour: 1
26th March 2024
Kelly Tolhurst signed this EDM on Monday 15th April 2024

Referral of matters of 21 February 2024 to the Committee of Privileges

Tabled by: William Wragg (Independent - Hazel Grove)
That this House notes the Speaker’s decision on selection and calling of amendments on 21 February 2024 was not in accordance with the established precedent for Opposition days; and accordingly considers that, notwithstanding the Resolution of this House of 6 February 1978, the matter of whether undue pressure was placed …
70 signatures
(Most recent: 19 Apr 2024)
Signatures by party:
Scottish National Party: 42
Conservative: 25
Independent: 2
Plaid Cymru: 1
View All Kelly Tolhurst's signed Early Day Motions

Commons initiatives

These initiatives were driven by Kelly Tolhurst, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.

MPs who are act as Ministers or Shadow Ministers are generally restricted from performing Commons initiatives other than Urgent Questions.


Kelly Tolhurst has not been granted any Urgent Questions

1 Adjournment Debate led by Kelly Tolhurst

Thursday 16th September 2021

1 Bill introduced by Kelly Tolhurst


A Bill to place a duty on lenders and creditors to provide periods of financial respite for families with children and young people in debt in certain circumstances; to place a duty on public authorities to provide access to related advice, guidance and support in those circumstances; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading: House Of Commons
Wednesday 29th June 2016
(Read Debate)

Latest 50 Written Questions

(View all written questions)
Written Questions can be tabled by MPs and Lords to request specific information information on the work, policy and activities of a Government Department
2 Other Department Questions
20th Jul 2015
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what estimate she has made of the total cost of smart meters being delivered to (a) 100 per cent of customers and (b) 80 per cent of customers by 2020.

The Government’s policy is to make the benefits of smart meters available to all consumers so they can take control of their energy consumption, make better informed decisions on their energy supplier and switch more easily. With a lower target energy suppliers could choose to target the rollout at consumers who were the easiest to service, potentially excluding important groups from the benefits of smart metering.

The Government’s Smart Metering Impact Assessment projects a strong case for a near universal rollout. It estimates a net present value benefit of around £6 billion over the period to 2030, with total benefits of around £17 billion and costs of around £11 billion.

Changes in the rollout target would affect both costs and benefits and our provisional estimate is that an 80% rollout target would reduce the net present value by around £2 billion. This reflects that the fixed costs of the smart metering system would be shared across a smaller number of consumers, that there would be additional operational costs for energy suppliers running two metering systems at scale, in particular from needing to continue to manually read basic meters, and that certain network benefits would not be achieved where these require a comprehensive deployment of meters.

20th Jul 2015
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps she is taking to ensure that the smart meter programme will not exceed the projected costs set out in her Department's impact assessment published in January 2014.

The smart meters programme is designed within the legal framework for the GB energy market. This is based on energy companies competing against each other to supply energy to consumers.

The Government is requiring all energy suppliers through their licence conditions to deliver smart metering. The energy companies have strong commercial incentives to do this as efficiently as possible, all along their supply chain.

Ofgem is responsible for regulating the energy market and is able to intervene where suppliers do not meet their licence conditions. In addition, the Data and Communications Company is regulated by Ofgem to ensure that its services are provided in an economic and efficient manner.

The Government is monitoring progress by all parties on whom the smart metering roll-out depends, to ensure benefits to consumers are delivered.

There is a strong business case for rolling out smart meters. The total cost of this national infrastructure programme needs to be looked at in the context of its overall net benefits, expected to be around £6 billion.

25th Feb 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps can be taken in the event that a port operator is suspected of breaking competition law through abuse of a dominant position.

Under competition law, responsibility for investigating individual and market-wide competition issues falls to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), the UK’s competition authority. If an individual is concerned about the conduct of individual ports, or the state of competition in the market as a whole, these concerns can be submitted to the CMA. The Government has ensured that the CMA has significant powers to investigate and act if it finds that a company has abused its dominant position within a market. As an independent authority, the CMA has discretion to investigate competition cases which, according to its prioritisation principles, it considers most appropriate. The CMA also has powers to conduct detailed examinations of why particular markets may not be working well, and decide what remedial action is appropriate.

25th Feb 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of reviewing the competitiveness of the ports sector.

Under competition law, responsibility for investigating individual and market-wide competition issues falls to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), the UK’s competition authority. If an individual is concerned about the conduct of individual ports, or the state of competition in the market as a whole, these concerns can be submitted to the CMA. The Government has ensured that the CMA has significant powers to investigate and act against anticompetitive conduct. As an independent authority, the CMA has discretion to investigate competition cases which, according to its prioritisation principles, it considers most appropriate. The CMA also has powers to conduct detailed examinations of why particular markets may not be working well, and decide what remedial action is appropriate.

25th Feb 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of the lack of separation between port authorities and port service providers in some areas on anti-competitive behaviour in the ports sector.

Under competition law, responsibility for investigating individual and market-wide competition issues falls to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), the UK’s competition authority. If an individual is concerned about the conduct of individual ports, or the state of competition in the market as a whole, these concerns can be submitted to the CMA. The Government has ensured that the CMA has significant powers to investigate and act against anticompetitive conduct. As an independent authority, the CMA has discretion to investigate competition cases which, according to its prioritisation principles, it considers most appropriate. The CMA also has powers to conduct detailed examinations of why particular markets may not be working well, and decide what remedial action is appropriate.

25th Feb 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of limited potential for entry into the ports sector on anti-competitive behaviour in that sector.

Under competition law, responsibility for investigating individual and market-wide competition issues falls to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), the UK’s competition authority. If an individual is concerned about the conduct of individual ports, or the state of competition in the market as a whole, these concerns can be submitted to the CMA. The Government has ensured that the CMA has significant powers to investigate and act against anticompetitive conduct. As an independent authority, the CMA has discretion to investigate competition cases which, according to its prioritisation principles, it considers most appropriate. The CMA also has powers to conduct detailed examinations of why particular markets may not be working well, and decide what remedial action is appropriate.

25th Feb 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of (a) the adequacy of competition in the ports sector and (b) the ability of customers to switch between different ports.

Under competition law, responsibility for investigating individual and market-wide competition issues falls to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), the UK’s competition authority. If an individual is concerned about the conduct of individual ports, or the state of competition in the market as a whole, these concerns can be submitted to the CMA. The Government has ensured that the CMA has significant powers to investigate and act if it finds that a company has abused its dominant position within a market. As an independent authority, the CMA has discretion to investigate competition cases which, according to its prioritisation principles, it considers most appropriate. The CMA also has powers to conduct detailed examinations of why particular markets may not be working well, and decide what remedial action is appropriate.

28th Apr 2016
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the practical implications of schools having their own admissions criteria under a fully-academised system; and how local authorities will manage that situation.

The schools white paper, ‘Educational Excellence Everywhere’, sets out the Government’s aim that every school should become an academy. In this context, it also sets out our intention to seek views on a number of changes to the admissions system to support parents in understanding how to get a place at their local schools.

As part of this, we will seek views on requiring the Local Authority to take on greater responsibility for certain admissions functions – in particular, co-ordinating in-year admissions and handling the administration of the independent appeal panels for all schools (including academies) in their area. These changes will make the system clearer and simpler for parents to navigate.

Any parent who has concerns regarding an individual school’s admission arrangements will continue to be able to refer an objection to the Office of the Schools Adjudicator. We intend to streamline the functions of the Office of the Schools Adjudicator so that objections to admission arrangements are resolved more quickly.

The white paper is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/educational-excellence-everywhere.

28th Apr 2016
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what role local authorities will have in school place planning under the proposals in her Department's White Paper, Educational excellence everywhere, published in March 2016.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

28th Apr 2016
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether local authorities will retain responsibility for school deficits under the proposals in her Department's White Paper, Educational excellence everywhere, published in March 2016.

Deficits for schools which convert to become sponsored academies remain with the local authority. These deficits remain with their local authority as these schools were the responsibility of the authority when they were found to be failing or underperforming and it is the authority’s responsibility for ensuring the school managed its expenditure satisfactorily. Guidance on how deficits for converter and sponsored academies are dealt with is available on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/416430/School_balances_on_conversion_submission.pdf

Local authorities are responsible for ensuring the financial viability of maintained schools and ensuring any deficits are cleared within 3 years.

19th Apr 2016
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department plans to take to improve the performance of schools in parts of the country where there has been persistent underperformance.

Our reforms are delivering much needed improvement to our education system. Ofsted inspection data shows that sponsored academies are transforming the life chances ‎of over 350,000 pupils by raising standards in their schools. But there are too many areas of the country where, for too long, children have not had the Education they deserve.

Our strategy for Achieving Excellence Areas will tackle entrenched underperformance in areas where low school standards have been allowed for too long. We look forward to working with the first areas from this autumn.

8th Mar 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure adequate flood defences in England.

By the end of March 2021, the Environment Agency will have invested £2.6 billion to better protect 300,000 homes from flooding and coastal erosion risk between 2015/16 and 2020/21. Since April 2015, the Environment Agency and other Risk Management Authorities will have completed almost 750 new flood and coastal defence projects across the country.

From April 2021, a new 6 year investment programme will start, which will invest the £5.2 billion announced in the March 2020 Budget. This will ensure a further 336,000 homes and non-residential properties are better protected from flooding and coastal erosion.

In addition, a further up to £170 million will be spent to accelerate work on 22 shovel-ready flood defence schemes that will begin construction before the end of 2021/2022. This additional funding will provide an immediate boost to jobs supporting local economies as communities recover from the impact of coronavirus.

An additional £200 million will also be invested in the Innovative Flood and Coastal Resilience Innovation Programme. This will help over 25 local areas over six years to take forward wider innovative actions that improve their resilience to flooding and coastal erosion.

8th Mar 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to ensure that Sites of Specific Scientific Interest remain protected from housing development.

Sites of Special Scientific Interest are afforded statutory protection through the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Additionally, the National Planning Policy Framework clarifies that development on land within or outside a Site of Special Scientific Interest, and which is likely to have an adverse effect on it (either individually or in combination with other developments), should not normally be permitted. The only exception is where the benefits of the development in the location proposed clearly outweigh both its likely impact on the features of the site that make it of special scientific interest, and any broader impacts on the national network of Sites of Special Scientific Interest.

25th Feb 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has plans to increase the competitiveness of ports to support operators that are facing high charges.

The UK has a very competitive, privately operated ports sector. The Government is committed to supporting this competitiveness and has an ongoing dialogue with port operators to ensure their interests are fully taken into account.

25th Feb 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to regulate port charges.

The Government has no current plans to make changes to the regulation of charges imposed on port operators. Following the UK’s departure from the European Union, a review of whether the Port Services Regulations 2019 are required will be initiated as part of broader EU regulatory reviews.

25th Feb 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has plans to bring forward legislative proposals to regulate the charges imposed on port operators in the UK.

The Government has no current plans to make changes to the regulation of charges imposed on port operators and will continue to utilise the mechanisms that exist in the Harbours Act 1964 for managing objections over Harbour Dues. Following the UK’s departure from the European Union, a review of whether the Port Services Regulations 2019 are required will be initiated as part of broader EU regulatory reviews.

25th Feb 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to reduce port charges in the UK.

The Government has no current plans to make changes to the charges levied by port operators.

25th Feb 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has plans to bring forward legislative proposals to amend the Harbours Act 1964 in light of the changing demands on UK ports.

The Government has no current plans to amend the Harbours Act 1964, but will keep the port regulatory regime under review to ensure it remains fit for purpose.

18th Oct 2017
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department as made of the gross value added to the UK economy by the general aviation sector in the last 12 months.

In March 2015 the Government published research that the Department for Transport commissioned from York Aviation entitled “The Economic Value of General Aviation in the UK”.

That research contained an estimate of the gross value added to the economy by general aviation in the UK as being £3.8bn direct and indirect economic benefit, supporting 38,000 jobs.

We have commissioned research on what a strategic network of general aviation airfields might look like and this research may review that calculation.

18th Oct 2017
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of airfields in the UK.

The majority of airfields in the UK are privately run and owned.

The Government takes the matter of airport capacity seriously. In March 2015 the Government published research that the Department for Transport commissioned from York Aviation entitled “The Economic Value of General Aviation in the UK”.

That research contained an estimate of the jobs linked to the general aviation sector in the UK being 38,000.

We are commissioning research on what a strategic network of general aviation airfields might look like and this research may review that calculation.

13th Apr 2017
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will reclassify general aviation airfields as a national infrastructure issue for which any changes require approval above local authority level.

The government is seeking to better define a strategic network of General Aviation airfields and is engaging with the General and Business Aviation Strategic Forum to do this.

13th Apr 2017
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department plans to discuss with the Department for Communities and Local Government the co-ordination of (a) the drafting of the General Aviation Strategy document, (b) the drawing up of the National Planning Policy Framework and (c) general aviation policy.

The National Planning Policy Framework was published on 27 March 2012 and the General Aviation Strategy on 25 March 2015. Departments across Government are involved in discussing aviation policy, including in relation to general aviation.

With regard to (c), Departments across government will be involved in discussing aviation policy, including policy in relation to General Aviation, as we develop the new Aviation Strategy.

13th Apr 2017
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what international rules will govern cross-border general aviation traffic after the UK leaves the EU.

The Government is considering carefully all the potential implications arising from the UK’s exit from the EU, including future arrangements for the regulation of cross-border general aviation traffic. Until the UK leaves the EU, EU law continues to apply alongside national rules. The Department for Transport is working closely with the sector to best understand its requirements.

30th Mar 2017
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will seek a UK exemption on current EU targets for 8.33kHz radio adoption.

The Government and the Civil Aviation Authority have sought some limited exemptions to keep some channels in use after the deadline. The Government will review the situation should the broader exemptions sought by other states be granted.

30th Mar 2017
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to encourage the building and opening of new airfields.

The majority of airfields in the UK are privately run and owned. Any application to build or open a new airfield would be for the landowner and Local Planning Authorities to consider.

Like other business enterprises, potential investors and owners of airfields can benefit from a range of measures that the Government has set in place to support businesses and promote growth.

30th Mar 2017
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent estimate he has made of the gross value added to the economy by general aviation in the UK.

In March 2015 the Government published research that the Department for Transport commissioned from York Aviation entitled “The Economic Value of General Aviation in the UK”.

That research contained an estimate of the gross value added to the economy by general aviation in the UK as being £3.8bn direct and indirect economic benefit, supporting 38,000 jobs.

We consider this research to still be valid but will keep this under review in light of emerging trends.

30th Mar 2017
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to incentivise the use of greener fuels in general aviation.

I refer my honourable friend to the written answer that I gave to the honourable Member for Birmingham, Northfield on 5 April (Reference UIN 69591). We are taking action to encourage the development and supply of lower carbon jet fuels, including by bringing forward proposals to support the use of sustainable alternative fuels in aviation under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation. We will publish the outcome of that consultation in due course.

6th Mar 2017
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to commission economic research to provide an update on the General Aviation Strategy published in March 2015.

The General Aviation Strategy published in March 2015 was supported by research that the Department for Transport commissioned from York Aviation entitled “The Economic Value of General Aviation in the UK” and published on 26 March 2015. We consider this research to still be valid but will keep thus under review in light of emerging trends.

7th Dec 2016
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions (a) his Department and (b) Network Rail has with local authorities ahead of major rail maintenance work in the areas covered by those authorities.

The Department for Transport does not hold such discussions. Network Rail route teams have an ongoing programme of general engagement with local authorities. Network Rail needs to agree all access to the railway for maintenance, engineering and upgrade works with Train Operating Companies (TOCs). TOCs are primarily responsible for taking account of passenger and other local needs, liaising with local authorities where applicable.

7th Dec 2016
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what procedures his Department has agreed with Network Rail on the avoidance of major weekend rail maintenance works on lines serving locations where events likely to attract substantial numbers of people are scheduled.

Network Rail has responsibility for scheduling major weekend rail maintenance works and operates at arm’s length from the Department for Transport. Network Rail plans its major engineering work up to two years in advance. The company considers major recurring events that happen at the same time each year during the early stages of planning, and ensures routes for services are kept available.

10th Oct 2016
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to analyse and expand health service capacity in areas of expected high population growth.

Neighbouring National Health Service providers, commissioners, and other health and care services are currently developing strategic plans across 44 sustainability and transformation ‘footprints’ to deliver a sustainable NHS. These are geographic areas in which people and organisations are collaborating to develop plans to improve the way that health and care is planned and delivered in a more person-centred and coordinated way for local people. In places where high population growth is identified as a need it is expected that the plans will contain a locally developed approach to ensure the service can manage demand.

26th Apr 2016
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effects of moderate alcohol consumption on cardiovascular and cognitive health.

The UK Chief Medical Officers have made an assessment of the effect of moderate alcohol consumption on cardiovascular and cognitive health as part of their review of the alcohol guidelines.

The advice that the UK Chief Medical Officers give on how the public can limit their risks from drinking alcohol can be found on Gov.uk at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/health-risks-from-alcohol-new-guidelines

2nd Sep 2016
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he expects the follow-up report to Children in Military Custody, a report written by a delegation of British lawyers on the treatment of Palestinian children under Israeli military law, published in June 2012, to be published.

The question of when a follow-up report will be published is a matter for the delegation of lawyers that will write it. Meanwhile, the UK Government continues to push for the full implementation of changes recommended in the 2012 report and will work with the Israeli authorities to identify ways to improve these practices.

4th Mar 2016
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Hungarian counterpart on the sale of Hungarian residency bonds through off-shore companies.

The Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), has had no discussions with the Hungarian government on this issue.

11th Feb 2016
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the outcome of discussions at the February 2016 European Council on the UK's relationship with the EU.

As The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) made clear in his statement to the House yesterday, the renegotiation deal delivers on the Government’s commitment to fix the problems with the EU that have frustrated people in the UK. It is legally binding, irreversible and delivers for the UK. The deal gives the UK the best of both worlds: in to the parts of Europe that work for us and out of those parts which don’t.

21st Jun 2022
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to help ensure that banks are passing on the interest rate increase to their customers.

The pricing of financial products is a commercial decision for firms and the Government does not seek to intervene in such decisions.

The independent Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Bank of England makes monetary policy decisions independently of the Government. Therefore, the Government does not comment on the conduct or effectiveness of monetary policy. The MPC sets the base rate of interest, which is known as Bank Rate. This is the rate of interest the Bank of England will pay on reserves held with them by commercial banks. MPC decisions over Bank Rate guide commercial banks’ decisions over retail interest rates, i.e. interest rates they charge on loans and pay on deposits. However, retail banks also make commercial judgements that influence the degree of pass‐through from changes in Bank Rate into retail interest rates, with conditions in financial markets and in the banking sector also influencing interest rates paid on deposits or charged for lending.

John Glen
Shadow Paymaster General
24th Feb 2022
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the (a) effectiveness of HMRC's policy on long-life assets and (b) effect of that matter on tug owners.

Capital allowances, including writing down allowances, provide tax relief for businesses' capital expenditure on qualifying plant or machinery.

In 1997 a 6 per cent special rate writing down allowance was introduced for assets with a long life, which is more than 25 years, to align their tax position more closely with the commercial accounts of a business. This compared to a 25 per cent main rate, which is now 18 per cent, for plant and machinery.

HMRC does not classify which assets should be written down at the main or special rate of writing down allowances. Instead, businesses should identify whether an asset they have acquired has a useful economic life of more or less than 25 years when new.

Ships were initially exempted from this change, with owners given 13 years to adjust to the long-life asset rules. Ships are now treated consistently with all other business assets.

The Government keeps all tax reliefs under review.

24th Feb 2022
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of reviewing HMRC policy on capital allowances on workboats.

Capital allowances, including writing down allowances, provide tax relief for businesses' capital expenditure on qualifying plant or machinery.

In 1997 a 6 per cent special rate writing down allowance was introduced for assets with a long life, which is more than 25 years, to align their tax position more closely with the commercial accounts of a business. This compared to a 25 per cent main rate, which is now 18 per cent, for plant and machinery.

HMRC does not classify which assets should be written down at the main or special rate of writing down allowances. Instead, businesses should identify whether an asset they have acquired has a useful economic life of more or less than 25 years when new.

Ships were initially exempted from this change, with owners given 13 years to adjust to the long-life asset rules. Ships are now treated consistently with all other business assets.

The Government keeps all tax reliefs under review.

15th Oct 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to support the hospitality industry and independent distilleries through the upcoming Budget and the Alcohol Duty Review; and when he plans to announce the next stage of that Review.

The 2020 Budget committed the Government to undertaking a wide-ranging review of alcohol. Last Autumn the Government launched a Call for Evidence for this review. We are now in the process of analysing responses.

The Government has acted through its unprecedented coronavirus response to support the hospitality sector, including through furlough, grants and business rates relief. As announced at Budget 2021, the Government extended the temporary reduced rate of VAT (5 per cent) for the tourism and hospitality sector. Although that relief ended on 30 September 2021, on 1 October 2021, a new reduced rate of 12.5 per cent was introduced for these goods and services to help businesses manage the transition back to the standard rate. The new rate will end on 31 March 2022.

Helen Whately
Shadow Secretary of State for Transport
15th Oct 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions officials in his Department have held with relevant stakeholders on changing the classification of long-term assets in the maritime sector.

The Treasury maintains regular contact with HMRC about all aspects of capital allowances policy.

HMRC does not classify which assets should be written down at the main or special rate of writing down allowances. Instead, businesses should identify whether an asset they have acquired has a useful economic life (UEL) of more or less than 25 years when new.

15th Oct 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions officials in his Department have held with HMRC on the classification of long- and short-term vessels under the Capital Allowance scheme for commercial maritime vessels.

The Treasury maintains regular contact with HMRC about all aspects of capital allowances policy.

HMRC does not classify which assets should be written down at the main or special rate of writing down allowances. Instead, businesses should identify whether an asset they have acquired has a useful economic life (UEL) of more or less than 25 years when new.

13th Apr 2017
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, at what level of seniority his Department had discussions with (a) the Royal Bank of Scotland and (b) NatWest on their programmes for nationwide branch closures; and how many times such discussions took place.

Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. Details of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel

8th Mar 2017
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he plans to take to reduce VAT on flight training and general aviation-related mechanical or engineering education programmes.

Where education is provided for no charge it is outside the scope of VAT.

Where an eligible body such as a university or a further education college charges for supplies of vocational training, or school, higher, or further education, that supply will be exempt from VAT.

While all taxes are kept under review, there are no plans to provide further VAT relief for flight training and general aviation-related mechanical or engineering education programmes.

3rd Feb 2017
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent steps he has taken to support high street banking for local communities.

High streets are a crucial part of our local and regional economies. The Government wants to see vibrant hubs where people live, shop, use services, and spend their leisure time.

A new agreement between the Post Office and UK banks, announced on 24 January 2017, means that more individuals and businesses can use 11,600 local Post Office branches to access a wider range of banking services. Thanks to the new agreement, the Post Office estimates that 99% of personal bank customers and 75% of business customers will now be able to do their day to day banking at a Post Office.

The Government recognises the need to support local communities to adapt to changes in banking, including when bank branches close. In March 2015, the Government helped to broker an industry-wide agreement to work with customers and communities to minimise the impact of bank branch closures and put in place alternative banking services. The Government welcomed Professor Russel Griggs’ recent review of the Protocol and is pleased to see the industry commit to further improvements to protect those affected by closures.

The Government has also made a manifesto commitment to support credit unions in making financial services more accessible. Credit unions are democratic, not-for-profit, financial services providers which are owned and run by members of their community and who provide affordable, sustainable credit to their members.

21st Nov 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of asylum seekers in Medway.

The latest published Immigration Statistics detail the number of asylum seekers accommodated in each local authority area. These statistics can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/asylum-and-resettlement-datasets#asylum-support. Data is published on a quarterly basis, with the latest information published 25 August 2022.

The next quarterly figures are due to be released later this month.

21st Nov 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department will take to increase the rate of processing for asylum seekers.

The Asylum Transformation programme aims to bring the system back into balance and modernise it. It is focused on increasing productivity by streamlining, simplifying and digitising processes to speed up decision making to increase efficiency and output. This will support us in delivering sustainable changes to decision maker productivity, helping us control the unprecedented volumes of intake to prevent long wait times for customers.

The PACE pilot covers new flow cases (including small boats and those claims which are admitted to the UK asylum process) along with Legacy cases and children casework. The 8-week pilot reduced the time asylum seekers waited for a first interview by 40%. It is being rolled out across the UK at pace to deal with the 100,000 people awaiting a decision on their claim.

We have increased the number of asylum caseworkers by 80%, from 597 staff in 2019/20 to more than 1,000 today. We are on course for a further 500 people by March 2023.

21st Nov 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress her Department has made in reducing the backlog of asylum seeker cases.

The Asylum Transformation programme aims to bring the system back into balance and modernise it. It is focused on increasing productivity by streamlining, simplifying and digitising processes to speed up decision making to increase efficiency and output. This will support us in delivering sustainable changes to decision maker productivity, helping us control the unprecedented volumes of intake to prevent long wait times for customers.

The PACE pilot covers new flow cases (including small boats and those claims which are admitted to the UK asylum process) along with Legacy cases and children casework. The 8-week pilot reduced the time asylum seekers waited for a first interview by 40%. It is being rolled out across the UK at pace to deal with the 100,000 people awaiting a decision on their claim.

We have increased the number of asylum caseworkers by 80%, from 597 staff in 2019/20 to more than 1,000 today. We are on course for a further 500 people by March 2023.