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 21 January 2026 to Question 101775 on 1 Carlton Gardens: Council tax, whether the Chancellor’s residence in Downing Street is her primary residence.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given on 8 January 2026 to Question 101771.Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential impact unresolved Covid Business Interruption claims expiring without payment on hospitality and leisure businesses.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), as the independent regulator for financial services, sets the conduct standards required of insurance firms. This includes rules requiring insurers to handle claims fairly and promptly. The FCA meets with a wide variety of organisations in the course of delivering its statutory objectives. Queries about such engagements can be addressed directly to the FCA.
The Supreme Court published its final judgment in the FCA’s Business Interruption Insurance test case in 2021. At the time of the judgment, the FCA set out its expectation that insurers should communicate to all impacted policyholders what the judgment meant for their claim and should move quickly to resolve claims as determined by the judgment.
The FCA court case did not cover all potential issues with business interruption policies. The FCA has been clear that, in the event of further court rulings, insurers will need to consider carefully how the rulings impact claims they have already decided.
The FCA is continuing to supervise firms to ensure they are meeting their expectations and has robust powers to take action where necessary.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions the Financial Conduct Authority has had with representative bodies, including UKHospitality, on unresolved Covid Business Interruption claims.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), as the independent regulator for financial services, sets the conduct standards required of insurance firms. This includes rules requiring insurers to handle claims fairly and promptly. The FCA meets with a wide variety of organisations in the course of delivering its statutory objectives. Queries about such engagements can be addressed directly to the FCA.
The Supreme Court published its final judgment in the FCA’s Business Interruption Insurance test case in 2021. At the time of the judgment, the FCA set out its expectation that insurers should communicate to all impacted policyholders what the judgment meant for their claim and should move quickly to resolve claims as determined by the judgment.
The FCA court case did not cover all potential issues with business interruption policies. The FCA has been clear that, in the event of further court rulings, insurers will need to consider carefully how the rulings impact claims they have already decided.
The FCA is continuing to supervise firms to ensure they are meeting their expectations and has robust powers to take action where necessary.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much of the funding allocated for compensating Equitable Life With-Profits Annuitants has been spent up to and including 2024-25; and how much was forecast to be spent on both a cash and discounted basis.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The previous Conservative Government allocated £1.5 billion to the Equitable Life Payment Scheme. Before it ceased operations in 2016, the Scheme had issued £1.12 billion in tax-free payments to nearly 933,000 policyholders. The remainder of the £1.5 billion has been set aside for future payments to the With-Profits Annuitants. Further information is available in the Final Report on the Scheme. (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/equitable-life-payment-scheme-final-report).
The total value of payments made by the Scheme stood at £1.35 bn as of 30 May 2025, and the Scheme is on track to pay out the remainder.
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.