Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of the cost of the £1,000 tax free allowance for (a) trading and (b) property income in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The tax-free allowances simplify the tax system and keep low levels of casual income out of taxation. Individuals with trading income or property income at £1,000 or below are not required to report the income and the use of allowances to HMRC through Self Assessment (SA). As a result, HMRC cannot provide a total estimate on the number of people using the allowances and the cost of the allowances.

More information on the tax free allowances can be found at:

Tax-free allowances on property and trading income - GOV.UK”

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of the number of people using the £1,000 tax free allowance for (a) trading and (b) property income in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The tax-free allowances simplify the tax system and keep low levels of casual income out of taxation. Individuals with trading income or property income at £1,000 or below are not required to report the income and the use of allowances to HMRC through Self Assessment (SA). As a result, HMRC cannot provide a total estimate on the number of people using the allowances and the cost of the allowances.

More information on the tax free allowances can be found at:

Tax-free allowances on property and trading income - GOV.UK”

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his Department's policies of the Public Accounts Committee report HC 1229 on the delivery of a programme prior to appointing a new Permanent Secretary.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The Ministry of Defence Permanent Secretary was appointed on 1 November 2025, following an external competition and approval from the Prime Minister.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero will respond to the Public Accounts Committee report (HC 1229) in the usual way.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment has been made of the potential implications for his polices of the change in the number of available hospice beds in England over the last 12 months.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

No formal assessment has been made of the potential implications for the Department’s policies of the change in the number of available hospice beds in England over the last 12 months.

However, we do recognise the difficult and challenging financial situation that many hospices are facing due to a range of concurrent cost pressures and that, as a result, some hospices have had to reduce the services they offer and the number of inpatient beds.

We have been supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for eligible adult and children’s hospices in England to ensure they have the best physical environment for care. We can now confirm we are providing a further £25 million in capital funding for hospices to spend in 2025/26.

We also recently announced that we are providing approximately £80 million of revenue funding for children and young people’s hospices in England over the next three financial years, from 2026/27 to 2028/29, giving them stability to plan ahead and focus on what matters most, caring for their patients.

The Government is developing a Palliative Care and End-of-Life Care Modern Service Framework (MSF) for England. As part of the MSF, we will consider contracting and commissioning arrangements. We recognise that there is currently a mix of contracting models in the hospice sector. By supporting integrated care boards to commission more strategically, we can move away from grant and block contract models. In the long term, this will aid sustainability and help hospices’ ability to plan ahead.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he was made aware of conclusion 1 in the Sixty-second Report of the Committee of Public Accounts entitled Faulty energy efficiency installations, HC 1229, prior to the decision to appoint a new Permanent Secretary in his Department.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The Ministry of Defence Permanent Secretary was appointed following an external competition and approval from the Prime Minister.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero will respond to the Public Accounts Committee report (HC 1229) in the usual way.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's letter to the Rt hon. Member for North East Cambridgeshire, reference: PQW/24-25/2025/16500/16507/16511/16512/16514/16521, dated 20 August 2025, and the oral contribution of the Minister for the Armed Force during the Second Reading of the Armed Forces Bill on 26 January 2026, Official Report, column 706, how much was the total reserve spending for each of the last five years, including the main categories of spending beyond pay and and bounty payments; and if he will set out the expected total reserve spending for the remaining years of this Parliament.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The Government has committed to spending 2.6% of GDP on defence from 2027, and we have set the ambition to reach 3% in the next Parliament, subject to economic and fiscal conditions. Over this Spending Review period, this Government will invest over £270 billion in cash terms in defence. This is the largest sustained increase in spending since the Cold War.

The Strategic Defence Review outlined an ambition to increase the number of Active Reserves by 20% when funding allows, enhancing surge capacity and demonstrating the UK's readiness to defend itself.

Total spending on Reserve Forces between 2023-24 and 2024-25 is not managed centrally, with each Service determining expenditure based on its specific operational requirements. In relation to spending plans in 2025-26, we do not routinely place figures relating to planned expenditure in the public domain as they are subject to change.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department has spent on the reserves in 2024-25 and 2023-24, broken down by RDEL, CDEL and TDEL; and how much it plans to spend in 2025-26, broken down by RDEL, CDEL and TDEL.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The Government has committed to spending 2.6% of GDP on defence from 2027, and we have set the ambition to reach 3% in the next Parliament, subject to economic and fiscal conditions. Over this Spending Review period, this Government will invest over £270 billion in cash terms in defence. This is the largest sustained increase in spending since the Cold War.

The Strategic Defence Review outlined an ambition to increase the number of Active Reserves by 20% when funding allows, enhancing surge capacity and demonstrating the UK's readiness to defend itself.

Total spending on Reserve Forces between 2023-24 and 2024-25 is not managed centrally, with each Service determining expenditure based on its specific operational requirements. In relation to spending plans in 2025-26, we do not routinely place figures relating to planned expenditure in the public domain as they are subject to change.

Found: House of Commons Palace of Westminster London SW1A 0AA Tu esday, 27 January 2026 Rt H on Steve Barclay

Found: COMMITTEE Decisions from the meeting held on Tuesday 16 December 2025 at 3.00 pm Members present: Steve Barclay

Found: Dawson (Client Team) Marianne Cwynarski Chris Elliott (Commons) Irene Campbell MP (delegate for Steve Barclay

Found: of the House) Marianne Cwynarski (Director General (Operations)) Apologies: The Speaker Steve Barclay

Found: Dawson (Client Team) Marianne Cwynarski Chris Elliott (Commons) Irene Campbell MP (delegate for Steve Barclay

Found: COMMONS COMMISSION / MEC Monday 8 December 2025 Present: The Speaker, in the Chair Steve Barclay

Found: OF COMMONS COMMISSION / MEC Monday 12 January 2026 Present: The Speaker, in the Chair Steve Barclay

Found: Membership Rt Hon Sir Lindsay Hoyle MP (Speaker, Chorley) (Chair) Rt Hon Steve Barclay MP (Conservative

Found: Membership • Rt Hon Sir Lindsay Hoyle MP (Speaker, Chorley) (Chair) • Rt Hon Steve Barclay MP (Conservative

Found: Apologies were received from Irene Campbell MP (delegate for Steve Barclay MP), Catherine Ward, Lord

Found: Blake MP Lord Vaux of Harrowden Simon Burton Sir Alan Campbell MP Irene Campbell MP (for Steve Barclay

Found: Room 2A Meeting time 16:30–18:00 Attendees Client Board Programme Board (in attendance) Steve Barclay

Found: Dawson (Client Team) Marianne Cwynarski Chris Elliott (Commons) Irene Campbell MP (delegate for Steve Barclay