Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to support cycle manufacturers.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
UK bicycle manufacturers stand to benefit from the Secretary of State’s pro-business agenda, as outlined in the Government’s Industrial Strategy Green Paper. The strategy targets key growth levers, boosting scale-ups, growing the co-operative economy, revitalising high streets, improving access to finance, unlocking new markets, and strengthening business capabilities, creating a more competitive and resilient business environment. Recently, the Business Secretary announced a new Business Growth Service (BGS) to streamline the process for businesses across the UK to access the support they need to grow. The Department will continue to engage with the industry on key issues moving forward.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reason people who have settled have been excluded from the review into Loan Charge settlements.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government believes the review must bring the Loan Charge to a close for those people who still owe substantial amounts of money but can see no way to resolve their debts
The Government is committed to tackling promoters of tax avoidance and is currently consulting on a package of measures, powers and sanctions to facilitate swifter and stronger action against those who own or control promoter organisations. Further options are under consultation targeting those tax advisors and legal professionals behind avoidance schemes.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential role of chartered accountants in the use of disguised remuneration tax avoidance schemes.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government is committed to tackling tax avoidance and is consulting on a package of measures, including potential new criminal sanctions, to facilitate swifter and stronger action against those who own or control promoter organisations.
The Government also announced action at 2024 Autumn Budget to tackle tax avoidance by umbrella companies. Legislation, effective from April 2026, will be introduced to make recruitment agencies using umbrella companies legally responsible for accounting for PAYE on workers’ pay. Where there is no agency in the supply chain, this responsibility will fall to the end client. This along with the measures on promoters will help prevent disguised remuneration in the future.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential role of recruitment companies in the use of disguised remuneration tax avoidance schemes.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government is committed to tackling tax avoidance and is consulting on a package of measures, including potential new criminal sanctions, to facilitate swifter and stronger action against those who own or control promoter organisations.
The Government also announced action at 2024 Autumn Budget to tackle tax avoidance by umbrella companies. Legislation, effective from April 2026, will be introduced to make recruitment agencies using umbrella companies legally responsible for accounting for PAYE on workers’ pay. Where there is no agency in the supply chain, this responsibility will fall to the end client. This along with the measures on promoters will help prevent disguised remuneration in the future.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential implications for its policies of the findings of the Northern Ireland Executive Department for Communities' Prevalence of gambling in Northern Ireland 2024 survey, published on 30 April 2025, on (a) attitudes to and (b) frequency of gambling.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
We are committed to reviewing the best available evidence from a wide range of sources and working with all stakeholders in order to ensure there are robust protections in place to protect those at risk of gambling related harm, particularly children and young people. While gambling is a devolved matter for Northern Ireland and regulation is thus a consideration for the Northern Ireland Executive, the department has noted the findings on prevalence and consequences of gambling from the Department for Communities' 2024 Northern Ireland Gambling Prevalence Survey.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to help reduce the prevalence of gambling among children and young people in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
We are committed to reviewing the best available evidence from a wide range of sources and working with all stakeholders in order to ensure there are robust protections in place to protect those at risk of gambling related harm, particularly children and young people. While gambling is a devolved matter for Northern Ireland and regulation is thus a consideration for the Northern Ireland Executive, the department has noted the findings on prevalence and consequences of gambling from the Department for Communities' 2024 Northern Ireland Gambling Prevalence Survey.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reason she has ruled out scheme promoters paying a proportion of Loan Charge liabilities.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government believes the review must bring the Loan Charge to a close for those people who still owe substantial amounts of money but can see no way to resolve their debts
The Government is committed to tackling promoters of tax avoidance and is currently consulting on a package of measures, powers and sanctions to facilitate swifter and stronger action against those who own or control promoter organisations. Further options are under consultation targeting those tax advisors and legal professionals behind avoidance schemes.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of making the (a) marketing and (b) operation of disguised remuneration schemes a criminal offence.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The promotion or operation of mass marketed tax avoidance schemes is not, in or of itself, a criminal offence, unless the promoter is acting in breach of an HM Revenue and Customs Stop Notice.
The Government is committed to tackling tax avoidance and is consulting on a package of measures, including potential new criminal powers, to facilitate swifter and stronger action against those who own or control promoter organisations.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of conducting a review into the adequacy of the system of (a) oversight and (b) accountability of HMRC.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
I have overall ministerial responsibility for HMRC and have chaired its Board since September 2024. HMRC is headed by a body of Commissioners, appointed by the Crown, who are required to publish a Charter of Standards of behaviours and values for how they will deal with taxpayers and report on performance against these standards annually. Taxpayers can challenge HMRC’s decisions in the specialist tax tribunal or through the civil courts. Senior HMRC officials are also accountable to parliament and regularly give evidence to the Treasury and Public Accounts committees.
I have set priorities for HMRC to close the tax gap, improve day to day performance and the overall customer experience, and reform and modernise the UK tax and customs system. These are hardwired into the Department’s business plan, and we will be setting out more detail about how we will transform to deliver these priorities in a Transformation Roadmap.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his French counterpart on the attack on a Muslim worshipper in La Grand-Combe on 25 April 2025; and what steps he is taking to help support (a) freedom of religion or belief and (b) the protection of religious minorities in that country.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is strongly committed to freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all abroad. The UK champions the right to FoRB and promoting tolerance and mutual respect through our position at the UN, G7, and other multilateral fora, and in our bilateral work. Ministers and officials engage with their French counterparts on a broad range of issues and the UK works with France and other partners through the International Contact Group on FoRB. This group met most recently in the margins of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva in March. Officials also regularly engage with faith leaders in France.