Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 15 December 2025 to Question 97528 on Electronic Cigarettes: Public Houses, whether a pub vaping ban would constitute a material change of circumstances for the purposes of the Valuation Office Agency’s valuation of pubs.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
A vaping ban in pubs would not constitute a material change of circumstance that would impact the rating assessment of a property.
Section 14 of the Non-Domestic Rating Act 2023 in England, and in Wales, The Valuation for Rating (Prescribed Assumptions) (Wales) Regulations 2023, determined that any subsequent changes to legislation, government advice or policy could not be taken into account when determining the rateable value of a property.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what is the mean Rateable Value of a public house in (a) 2025-26 under the current Rating List and (b) 2026-27 under the draft Rating List in each billing authority in England.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Valuation Office Agency published data relating to your request which can be found here.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 19 November 2025 to Question 89480 on Jeffery Epstein, whether those records are held in (a) electronic and (b) hard copy format; and whether Ministerial private office records for 2009-10 are searchable electronically.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
HM Treasury’s private office records for 2009-10, including for ministerial meetings and correspondence, are held within HM Treasury’s archives in both digital and paper formats, and those in electronic format are searchable electronically.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether any staff (a) have and (b) will be made redundant following the closure of the Office for Value for Money.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The Office for Value for Money (OVfM) successfully delivered on its remit.Its functions have been embedded within the Treasury, leaving a legacy of value for money improvements across the public sector.
OVfM was made up of a combination of HM Treasury employees and people on loan from other departments or public bodies. Staff on loan have returned to their home organisations and the permanent HM Treasury employees have either taken up new roles internally or left the department for new employers.
The independent Chair's contract ended alongside the closure of OVfM. An exit payment was not made.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the departing direct ministerial appointments in the Office for Value for Money will receive exit payments.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The Office for Value for Money (OVfM) successfully delivered on its remit.Its functions have been embedded within the Treasury, leaving a legacy of value for money improvements across the public sector.
OVfM was made up of a combination of HM Treasury employees and people on loan from other departments or public bodies. Staff on loan have returned to their home organisations and the permanent HM Treasury employees have either taken up new roles internally or left the department for new employers.
The independent Chair's contract ended alongside the closure of OVfM. An exit payment was not made.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of the number of households who will have child benefit reduced as a result of freezing of income tax thresholds.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
At Budget 2025, the Government announced that it will maintain the income tax Personal Allowance at £12,570 and higher rate threshold at £50,270 from April 2028 to April 2031. The additional rate threshold remains at £125,140 from April 2028 to April 2031. These decisions have no impact on entitlement to Child Benefit or liability to the High Income Child Benefit Charge.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of the number of households who will have (a) Married Couple’s Allowance and (b) marriage allowance reduced as a result of freezing of income tax thresholds.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
HMRC does not produce household-level analysis for either the Marriage Allowance or the Married Couple’s Allowance.
Data on the number of Marriage Allowance claimants up to 2022-23 can be found here:
Non-structural tax reliefs - GOV.UK
Published estimates of the number of Married Couple’s Allowance claimants up to 2024-25 can be found here:
Structural tax reliefs - GOV.UK
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how Politically Exposed Persons and their families can complain about unreasonable withdrawal of services by companies which are not financial services institutions and not regulated by the Financial Services Ombudsman.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
A wide range of business activities, not limited to financial services, are regulated under the Money Laundering Regulations. Relevant businesses must identify and carry out enhanced due diligence on Politically Exposed Persons and their close relatives or business associates. Guidance for different sectors makes clear that these checks should be proportionate to the risks posed on a case-by-case basis.
Individual businesses will be subject to various regulatory and accountability arrangements depending on the nature of the services they provide. Consumers are normally encouraged to direct any complaints first to a business’s own complaints department before escalating if necessary to the relevant ombudsman or equivalent organisation which is empowered to consider complaints.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 26 November 2025 to Question 92033 on Ministers: Second Homes, whether her official ministerial residence is classified as a second home.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Chancellor of the Exchequer pays full council tax on the flat above 10 Downing Street as her primary residence.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Ministerial residence is registered with Westminster City council as a primary residence.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Chancellor of the Exchequer pays full council tax on the flat above 10 Downing Street as her primary residence.