Paul Holmes

It is a long-standing convention that the fact that the Law Officers have advised or have not advised and the content of their advice must not be disclosed outside Government without their authority. This is known as the Law Officers’ Convention, is provided for in paragraph 21.27 of Erskine May, and applies to your question.

The Prime Minister raised a range of domestic and foreign issues in his meeting with President Xi at the G20 on 18 November. A read-out of this meeting is available on the GOV.UK website.

Ministerial meetings with external organisations will be published in the usual way on gov.uk as part of the government’s transparency agenda.

As set out by the Minister without Portfolio, the updated Ministerial Code will be published in due course. It will include details of a new Register of Ministers' Gifts and Hospitality, which will bring the publication of ministerial transparency data more closely into line with the parliamentary regime for gifts and hospitality.

As was the practice under the previous Administration, information about official ministerial meetings with external organisations and individuals will be published as part of the Cabinet Office transparency returns and made available on the GOV.UK website.

Ministerial Code guidance on hospitality applies to ministers.

The Code of Conduct for Special Advisers sets out the requirements for Special Advisers in respect of hospitality. .

The government currently has no plans to amend regulations to allow for the recognition of non-UK Air Traffic Controller licences.

The government has no plans to amend regulations to allow for the conversion of military Air Traffic Controller licences to civil Air Traffic Controller licences.

I refer the hon. Member to the answers by my hon. Friend, the Minister without Portfolio, during the Urgent Question, Reporting Ministerial Gifts and Hospitality, on 14 October 2024, Official Report, Columns 594-602.

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill will be the biggest public health intervention in a generation, tackling the harms of smoking and paving the way for a smoke-free United Kingdom. Smoking costs the economy and wider society £21.8 billion a year. This includes an annual £18.3 billion loss to productivity, through smoking related lost earnings, unemployment, and early death, along with £3.1 billion of costs to the National Health Service and social care. This exceeds the £8.8 billion received in tobacco duties in 2023/24.

Alongside the bill, we will publish an impact assessment which will include an estimate for the impact on tobacco duty receipts. HM Treasury and HM Revenue and Customs have consulted on proposals for a Vaping Products Duty. This would seek to discourage non-smokers and young people from taking up vaping and to raise revenue. HM Treasury and HM Revenue and Customs are reviewing the responses to this consultation and will respond in due course.

Since 1 January 2021 overseas sellers, or online marketplaces where they facilitate the sale, are required to be registered and account for VAT for supplies of low value imports of £135 or less. Where an overseas seller sells goods located in the UK at the point of sale via an online marketplace, the online marketplace is liable for the VAT for goods of any value.

The changes were introduced to ensure a level playing field for UK high street and online retailers, ensure the continued flow of goods at the border and improve compliance.

Certified analysis by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) estimates the changes will raise £1.8 billion per annum by 2026-27.

The Government keeps all taxes under review as part of the policy making process.

As set out at Budget, the government intends to introduce permanently lower tax rates for high-street retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) properties from 2026-27. However, this plan to support the high street must be sustainable. That is why we intend to apply a higher rate from 2026-27 on the most valuable properties - those with a Rateable Value of £500,000 and above. These represent less than one per cent of all properties, but include the majority of large distribution warehouses, including those used by online giants.

The Government will confirm the rates for the new multipliers at Budget 2025, taking account of the outcomes of the 2026 revaluation as well as the broader economic and fiscal context. As set out at Budget, the Government intends for the lower multipliers to be funded by the new higher multiplier.

Retail, Hospitality and Leisure (RHL) relief is a single year policy intervention. As such, the baseline scorecard assumption for 2025-26 was for RHL relief to not be extended.

At Autumn Budget, the Government announced that from 2026-27, it intends to introduce permanently lower tax rates for RHL properties, including those on the high street. To support this transition, the Government has prevented RHL relief from ending in April 2025 by extending it for one year at 40 per cent up to a cash cap of £110,000 per business, and frozen the small business multiplier. This package is worth more than £1.6 billion in 2025-26.

In 2025-26, Retail, Hospitality and Leisure (RHL) relief will provide RHL properties 40% relief up to a cash cap of £110,000 per business and the small business multiplier will be frozen at 49.9p.

This is a package worth over £1.6 billion, aimed at supporting the most vulnerable businesses. It will ensure that over 250,000 RHL properties receive the full 40% support, and in total, government support will protect over a million properties from inflationary increases.

The rates for new multipliers will be set at Budget 2025 so that the government can factor into its decision-making the next revaluation outcomes and the broader economic and fiscal context.

The Residential Property Developer Tax (RPDT) is a 4% tax on the most profitable businesses undertaking UK residential property development to help pay for building safety remediation. The tax applies to developers' profits exceeding an annual allowance of £25 million for an accounting period.

The tax forms part of the government’s broader programme of work on building safety, which also includes significant capital funding (around £5.1bn) to remediate unsafe cladding on high-risk buildings.

According to HMRC’s latest Corporation Tax statistics, the tax raised £157 million in 2022-23 and £103 million in 2023-24.

The Home Office published a definition of extremism in March 2024, under the previous government. There are no current plans to update this definition.

Further information can be found on gov.uk:

New definition of extremism (2024) - GOV.UK

Under this definition, extremism is the promotion or advancement of an ideology based on violence, hatred or intolerance, that aims to:

1. negate or destroy the fundamental rights and freedoms of others; or
2. undermine, overturn or replace the UK’s system of liberal parliamentary democracy and democratic rights; or
3. intentionally create a permissive environment for others to achieve the results in (1) or (2).

The Home Secretary is responsible within Cabinet and accountable to Parliament for the protective security of members of the Royal Family and public figures at particular risk.

The Home Secretary has delegated responsibility to the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (RAVEC).

The government’s protective security system is rigorous and proportionate. It is our long-standing policy not to provide detailed information on protective security arrangements, as doing so could compromise their integrity and affect individuals’ security.

Decisions on security arrangements are independent operational decisions for the police.

As is standard practice, all ministerial gifts and hospitality received are declared on the Ministerial gifts, hospitality, travel and meetings transparency data on gov.uk

Home Office: ministerial gifts, hospitality, travel and meetings, January to March 2024 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

The safety of the British public is the first priority of this Government. We make no apologies for ensuring citizens are protected.

It is entirely right that for major events in the capital, the Government has a dialogue with the Metropolitan Police and Mayor to discuss planning to ensure events happen safely. Operational decisions on security arrangements are made by the police, independent of politicians.

It is long-standing policy not to provide detailed information on security arrangements, as doing so could compromise their integrity and affect individuals’ security.

Local authorities signpost new arrivals to English language provision as needed. Government also signposts to English language provision and resources for new arrivals in published guidance.

For Afghan arrivals, the Home Office provides local authorities with £850 for English language provision for adults requiring this support.

In addition to specific English language schemes, Government also provides tariff funding to local authorities to support Ukrainian and Afghan arrivals to integrate into their local communities, which includes supporting them to access English language training where needed. This includes integration tariff funding of up to £20,520 per person, over three years, for each Afghan household they move into settled accommodation in their area. For Ukrainian arrivals, local authorities continue to receive a tariff of £5,900 per Homes for Ukraine arrival in their area to support guests to rebuild their lives and fully integrate into communities.

A number of councils have responded to my letter of 16 December, making requests involving postponement of their May 2025 elections. A list of those councils can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-government-reorganisation-letter-to-two-tier-areas

In my letter I set out that requests will only be considered where it is clear that postponement will help the area to deliver both reorganisation and devolution to the most ambitious timeframe. A decision will be made in due course, recognising the need to give confirmation as soon as practically possible. If I decide to make secondary legislation to postpone elections from May 2025 to 2026, such legislation would be subject to the negative resolution procedure.

Strengthening employment rights is a key priority across Government. The Deputy Prime Minister is the Chair of the Future of Work Cabinet Committee, which is responsible for considering and taking decisions on matters related to the Make Work Pay package of reforms to the Employment Law framework. The Deputy Prime Minister is working closely with the Department for Business and Trade, and other government departments, to deliver the Employment Rights Bill. There has been no change to formal departmental responsibilities.

In Round 1, over £10 million was awarded to 37 projects. In Round 2, around £22.8m was awarded to 95 projects. In Round 3, around £65.7m was awarded to 190 projects. In Round 4, around £36.2m was awarded to 85 projects.

A full breakdown of funding is available on the Community Ownership Fund successful bidders page on GOV.UK.

Following the decision to appoint new non-executive board members to the Departmental Board, Mo Baines was appointed as Interim Lead Non-Executive Director in October 2024. An open competition for Non-Executive Directors is also underway to bring the Board to full complement and these appointments will be announced in due course. We have full confidence in our ongoing governance arrangements.