Stuart Andrew Portrait

Stuart Andrew

Conservative - Daventry

3,012 (5.7%) majority - 2024 General Election

First elected: 6th May 2010

Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport

(since November 2024)

Opposition Chief Whip (Commons)
8th Jul 2024 - 3rd Nov 2024
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
7th Feb 2023 - 5th Jul 2024
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Equalities)
7th Feb 2023 - 5th Jul 2024
Football Governance Bill
8th May 2024 - 23rd May 2024
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
20th Sep 2022 - 7th Feb 2023
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for International Trade) (Minister for Equalities)
27th Oct 2022 - 7th Feb 2023
Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
8th Jul 2022 - 7th Sep 2022
Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill
15th Jun 2022 - 11th Jul 2022
Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
8th Feb 2022 - 6th Jul 2022
Committee of Selection
3rd Mar 2020 - 21st Feb 2022
Treasurer of HM Household (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Commons)
13th Feb 2020 - 8th Feb 2022
Vice-Chamberlain (HM Household)
28th Jul 2019 - 13th Feb 2020
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
19th Jul 2018 - 28th Jul 2019
Assistant Whip (HM Treasury)
15th Jun 2017 - 19th Jul 2018
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Wales Office)
9th Jan 2018 - 19th Jul 2018
Welsh Affairs Committee
2nd Nov 2010 - 5th Nov 2012


Division Voting information

During the current Parliament, Stuart Andrew has voted in 55 divisions, and never against the majority of their Party.
View All Stuart Andrew Division Votes

Debates during the 2024 Parliament

Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.

Sparring Partners
Lisa Nandy (Labour)
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
(3 debate interactions)
Lucy Powell (Labour (Co-op))
Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
(2 debate interactions)
Daniel Zeichner (Labour)
Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
(2 debate interactions)
View All Sparring Partners
Department Debates
HM Treasury
(1 debate contributions)
Leader of the House
(1 debate contributions)
Department for Education
(1 debate contributions)
View All Department Debates
Legislation Debates
Stuart Andrew has not made any spoken contributions to legislative debate
View all Stuart Andrew's debates

Daventry Petitions

e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.

If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.

If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).

Stuart Andrew has not participated in any petition debates

Latest EDMs signed by Stuart Andrew

2nd September 2024
Stuart Andrew signed this EDM as a sponsor on Thursday 29th August 2024

Social Security

Tabled by: Rishi Sunak (Conservative - Richmond and Northallerton)
That an humble Address be presented to His Majesty, praying that the Social Fund Winter Fuel Payment Regulations 2024 (S.I., 2024, No. 869), dated 22 August 2024, a copy of which was laid before this House on 22 August 2024, be annulled.
81 signatures
(Most recent: 10 Sep 2024)
Signatures by party:
Conservative: 75
Independent: 3
Democratic Unionist Party: 2
Scottish National Party: 1
View All Stuart Andrew's signed Early Day Motions

Commons initiatives

These initiatives were driven by Stuart Andrew, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.

MPs who are act as Ministers or Shadow Ministers are generally restricted from performing Commons initiatives other than Urgent Questions.


Stuart Andrew has not been granted any Urgent Questions

Stuart Andrew has not been granted any Adjournment Debates

1 Bill introduced by Stuart Andrew


A Bill to make provision for the destruction of certain property found in prisons and similar institutions.

This Bill received Royal Assent on 28th February 2013 and was enacted into law.

Stuart Andrew has not co-sponsored any Bills in the current parliamentary sitting


Latest 35 Written Questions

(View all written questions)
Written Questions can be tabled by MPs and Lords to request specific information information on the work, policy and activities of a Government Department
1st Nov 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department will continue to support the continuation of the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme which is due to expire in March 2025.

Departmental settlements have been set following the Budget announcement on October 30. Individual programmes, such as the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, will now be assessed during the departmental Business Planning process.

Chris Bryant
Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
16th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of increases in machine gaming duty on high streets.

The government will consult next year on proposals to bring remote gambling (meaning gambling offered over the internet, telephone, TV and radio) into a single tax, rather than taxing it through a three-tax structure. This will aim to simplify, future-proof and close loopholes in the system.

Stephanie Peacock
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
16th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of an increase in machine gaming duty on bingo halls.

The government will consult next year on proposals to bring remote gambling (meaning gambling offered over the internet, telephone, TV and radio) into a single tax, rather than taxing it through a three-tax structure. This will aim to simplify, future-proof and close loopholes in the system.

Stephanie Peacock
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
16th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of increasing gambling taxes on employment in (a) high street bookmakers, (b) high street adult gaming centres and (c) bingo halls.

The government will consult next year on proposals to bring remote gambling (meaning gambling offered over the internet, telephone, TV and radio) into a single tax, rather than taxing it through a three-tax structure. This will aim to simplify, future-proof and close loopholes in the system.

Stephanie Peacock
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
16th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate she has made of the contribution of the betting and gaming industry to the UK economy.

Official statistics from a range of sources provide the Government with insights into the economic contribution of the betting and gaming industry, including estimates for gross value added (GVA), employment generated and tax revenue raised.

The latest headline statistics show that the gambling sector contributed £4.9bn to GVA in 2022, accounting for 0.2% of UK GVA. In the financial year 2023/24, the gambling sector employed around 94,000 people in Britain (provisional), accounting for 0.2% of UK jobs and paid approximately £3.4bn in betting and gaming duty.

Stephanie Peacock
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
2nd Dec 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what financial support she plans to provide to the Early Years sector to help manage the impact of proposed changes to employer National Insurance contributions.

I refer the right hon. Member for Daventry to the answer of 11 November 2024 to Question 12804.

Stephen Morgan
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
16th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to embed a Whole Education Approach to mental health and wellbeing in all education settings.

​​The government is committed to improving mental health outcomes for all children and young people, as this is critical to breaking down barriers to opportunity and learning.

The department, along with the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, provides guidance to schools and colleges on a whole school or college approach to promoting and supporting mental health and wellbeing, which can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/614cc965d3bf7f718518029c/Promoting_children_and_young_people_s_mental_health_and_wellbeing.pdf. The department has also provided a free to access resource hub for mental health leads, which can be found here: https://www.mentallyhealthyschools.org.uk/whole-school-or-college-resources/.

Over 70% of all schools and colleges have accessed grants from the department to train a senior mental health lead, who develops their knowledge and skills to embed a whole school or college approach to mental health and wellbeing. Information is available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/senior-mental-health-lead-training. In addition, as of April 2024, Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) cover 44% (4.2 million) of pupils in schools and learners in further education (FE) in England. Coverage of MHSTs is expected to cover at least 50% by the end of March 2025.

A key part of our approach is ensuring the right support is available to every young person that needs it, which is why we have committed to provide access to specialist mental health professionals in every school. The government will also be putting in place new Young Futures hubs, including access to mental health support workers, and will recruit an additional 8,500 new mental health staff to treat children and adults.

For early years settings, the early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework sets the standards and requirements that all early years providers must meet to ensure that children have the best start in life and are kept healthy and safe. The EYFS statutory framework can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-foundation-stage-framework--2.

The department works closely with the FE sector to support providers to develop and implement a whole college approach to mental health and wellbeing. This is supported by the Association of Colleges refreshed Mental Health and Wellbeing Charter, which was published in March 2024.

To raise standards in the higher education sector, the Office for Students has provided £400,000 of funding to the student mental health charity, Student Minds. This has enabled significant expansion of the University Mental Health Charter Programme, with 113 universities now signed up. The programme helps universities to adopt a whole institution approach to mental health.

Stephen Morgan
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
4th Dec 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to review the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018.

Defra is finalising its post-implementation review of the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018. The report into the review will be published in due course.

Daniel Zeichner
Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
4th Nov 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to resolve the status of lease renewals of Motorway Service Areas.

I am able to confirm that lease extension options at the Motorway Service Areas in which the Secretary of State has an interest are the subject of current, detailed discussions with the third parties concerned, including Roadchef who operate Watford Gap Service Area. However, because these are sensitive, on-going commercial negotiations in which value for the taxpayer is being sought, I can share no further details at this time.

Lilian Greenwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
4th Nov 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions her Department has had with Motorway Service Area operators on the renewal of leases for those areas.

I am able to confirm that lease extension options at the Motorway Service Areas in which the Secretary of State has an interest are the subject of current, detailed discussions with the third parties concerned, including Roadchef who operate Watford Gap Service Area. However, because these are sensitive, on-going commercial negotiations in which value for the taxpayer is being sought, I can share no further details at this time.

Lilian Greenwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
4th Nov 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to extend the lease on the Motorway Service Area at Watford Gap.

I am able to confirm that lease extension options at the Motorway Service Areas in which the Secretary of State has an interest are the subject of current, detailed discussions with the third parties concerned, including Roadchef who operate Watford Gap Service Area. However, because these are sensitive, on-going commercial negotiations in which value for the taxpayer is being sought, I can share no further details at this time.

Lilian Greenwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
11th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much funding her Department plans to provide for road infrastructure in each of the next three financial years.

Future funding decisions, including for our highway networks, is a matter for the upcoming Budget and Spending Review.

Lilian Greenwood
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
16th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that the Mental Health Bill will (a) protect and (b) enhance the rights of (i) children and (ii) young people who are (A) detained in and (B) admitted informally to mental health hospitals.

The forthcoming Mental Health Bill will strengthen the rights of children and young people, to ensure they are involved in decisions about their care, that they can challenge these decisions and, above all, ensure that they are only detained for treatment in hospital when it is absolutely necessary. NHS England is working to minimise the number of children and young people informally admitted to inpatient mental health care.

Subject to the passage of the Bill through Parliament, it is proposed that children and young people formally detained under the Mental Health Act will have statutory Care and Treatment Plans, the right to choose a ‘Nominated Person’ to look after their interests and expanded access to Independent Mental Health Advocates. The latter will also apply to voluntary patients who are not detained under the Act.

Stephen Kinnock
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
16th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to increase investment into the children's mental health system to (a) reduce waiting times for and (b) increase access to support.

It is unacceptable that too many children and young people are not receiving the mental health care they need, and we know that waits for mental health services are far too long. That is why we will recruit 8,500 additional mental health workers across both adult and children and young people’s mental health services. We are discussing our future investment in children and young people’s mental health services.

The Department of Health and Social Care is working with the Department for Education to consider how to deliver our manifesto commitment of accessing a specialist mental health professional in every school. We need to ensure any support meets the needs of young people, teachers, parents, and carers. This includes considering the role of existing programmes of support with evidence of a positive impact, such as Mental Health Support Teams in schools and colleges.

Alongside this we are working toward rolling out Young Futures hubs in every community, offering open access mental health services for young people.

The Mental Health Bill currently before Parliament will deliver the Government’s commitment to modernise the Mental Health Act 1983, so that it is fit for the 21st century. The Bill will amend the Act, which applies to England and Wales, and give patients detained under the Act greater choice, autonomy, rights, and support.

Stephen Kinnock
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
5th Sep 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has carried out an impact assessment of the Government’s plans to ban (a) smoking and (b) vaping across university campuses.

The Government will soon introduce the Tobacco and Vapes Bill into Parliament, which stands to be the most significant public health intervention in a generation, and will put us on track to a smoke-free United Kingdom.

The Government supports measures that will create a smoke-free environment, helping to reduce 80,000 preventable deaths, reduce the burden on the National Health Service, and reduce the burden on the taxpayer. Any proposed extension of smoke-free legislation is subject to the approval of Parliament, as well as a full public consultation and further engagement with relevant organisations.

An impact assessment will be published on the new bill after it has been introduced, and further impact assessments will be published on new regulations when they are laid in Parliament. More details will be set out soon.

Andrew Gwynne
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
5th Sep 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Government's proposals to ban outdoor smoking and vaping in and by pubs on the number of pub closures.

The Government will soon introduce the Tobacco and Vapes Bill into Parliament, which stands to be the most significant public health intervention in a generation, and will put us on track to a smoke-free United Kingdom.

The Government supports measures that will create a smoke-free environment, helping to reduce 80,000 preventable deaths, reduce the burden on the National Health Service, and reduce the burden on the taxpayer. Any proposed extension of smoke-free legislation is subject to the approval of Parliament, as well as a full public consultation and further engagement with relevant organisations.

An impact assessment will be published on the new bill after it has been introduced, and further impact assessments will be published on new regulations when they are laid in Parliament. More details will be set out soon.

Andrew Gwynne
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
5th Sep 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has carried out impact assessments of the Government’s plans to ban (a) smoking and (b) vaping (i) in pub gardens, (ii) at outdoor restaurant tables, (iii) at outdoor shisha bar seating and (iv) in outdoor nightclubs.

The Government will soon introduce the Tobacco and Vapes Bill into Parliament, which stands to be the most significant public health intervention in a generation, and will put us on track to a smoke-free United Kingdom.

The Government supports measures that will create a smoke-free environment, helping to reduce 80,000 preventable deaths, reduce the burden on the National Health Service, and reduce the burden on the taxpayer. Any proposed extension of smoke-free legislation is subject to the approval of Parliament, as well as a full public consultation and further engagement with relevant organisations.

An impact assessment will be published on the new bill after it has been introduced, and further impact assessments will be published on new regulations when they are laid in Parliament. More details will be set out soon.

Andrew Gwynne
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
5th Sep 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of banning smoking and vaping outside pubs, restaurants and nightclubs on the (a) night-time economy and (b) viability of local high streets.

The Government will soon introduce the Tobacco and Vapes Bill into Parliament, which stands to be the most significant public health intervention in a generation, and will put us on track to a smoke-free United Kingdom.

The Government supports measures that will create a smoke-free environment, helping to reduce 80,000 preventable deaths, reduce the burden on the National Health Service, and reduce the burden on the taxpayer. Any proposed extension of smoke-free legislation is subject to the approval of Parliament, as well as a full public consultation and further engagement with relevant organisations.

An impact assessment will be published on the new bill after it has been introduced, and further impact assessments will be published on new regulations when they are laid in Parliament. More details will be set out soon.

Andrew Gwynne
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
4th Dec 2024
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of forthcoming changes to business rate relief on the viability of grassroots music venues.

At the Autumn Budget, the Government announced that retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) properties will receive 40% relief (up to a cash cap of £110,000 per business) for 2025-26. Under the plans we inherited from the previous government, RHL relief would have ended entirely in April 2025.

The Culture, Media and Sport Committee’s report on grassroots music venues recommended that RHL relief should not be wholly withdrawn in April 2025.

The Committee’s report also highlighted the sector's desire for certainty and long-term stability. The government has also announced its intention to introduce permanently lower tax rates for RHL properties with rateable values below £500,000 from 2026-27.

The Government’s full response to this report was published on 14th of November and is available online: https://committees.parliament.uk/work/8227/grassroots-music-venues/publications/.

James Murray
Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
17th Oct 2024
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the recommendations in Loan Charge Resolution’s letter to the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, dated 7th August 2024.

I know that the loan charge is an extremely important issue for many members and their constituents.

I have met with campaigners to discuss the loan charge, and the Chancellor and I continue to consider this matter. We will provide an update in due course.

James Murray
Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
8th Oct 2024
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many suicides of people facing the Loan Charge HMRC has referred to the Independent Office of Police Conduct.

HMRC takes issues relating to loss of life or serious injury extremely seriously. HMRC has made ten referrals to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) where a taxpayer has sadly taken their life and used a disguised remuneration scheme.

James Murray
Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
8th Oct 2024
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many (a) promoters and (b) operators of schemes now subject to the Loan Charge have been prosecuted.

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 HMRC Stop Notice.

One individual involved in selling Disguised Remuneration schemes subject to the Loan Charge has been convicted for a related offence. A number of individuals are currently under criminal investigation by HMRC for offences linked to schemes subject to the Loan Charge.

James Murray
Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
8th Oct 2024
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate her Department has made of the potential impact of changes in the level of fuel duty on food prices.

Fuel duty applies to petrol, diesel and other fuels for road and non-road uses, such as construction. The Government carefully considers the impact of fuel duty on households and businesses, including haulage firms involved in food production and transportation.

Following the spending audit, the Chancellor has been clear that difficult decisions lie ahead on spending, welfare and tax to fix the foundations of our economy and address the £22 billion hole the government has inherited. Decisions on how to do that will be taken at the Budget in the round; the Chancellor makes decisions on tax policy at fiscal events.

James Murray
Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
5th Sep 2024
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what business rate reliefs will be available in (a) 2024-25 and (b) 2025-26 to (i) pubs, (ii) restaurants and (iii) nightclubs; and what the thresholds and eligibility requirements are for each.

The full set of business rate reliefs available in 2024-25 and the eligibility criteria for them can be found on gov.uk. This includes:

  • The 2024/25 Retail, Hospitality and Leisure (RHL) Relief which offers 75% rate relief up to a limit of £110,000 per RHL business.
  • Small Business Rate Relief (SBRR) which provides 100% rate relief for eligible properties with rateable values below £12,000 with tapered relief available for eligible properties with rateable values between £12,000-£15,000.

Any decisions on future tax policy will be announced by the Chancellor at a fiscal event.

James Murray
Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
5th Sep 2024
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in what Special Category code the Valuation Office Agency classifies shisha bars; and how many shisha bars there are in each local authority in England.

The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) is responsible for assessing all non-domestic properties for business rates purposes.

The categorisation of properties is determined by the characteristics of the property, rather than the occupier. The special category code assigned to shisha bars is dependent on the type of property they occupy.

There is no designated special category code for shisha bars and it is not possible to separately identify these properties from the data and statistics the VOA publishes.

James Murray
Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
5th Sep 2024
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what information the Valuation Office Agency holds on the number of hereditaments there are with the (a) 227 Public Houses/Pub Restaurants (Inc. Lodge) (National Scheme), (b) 226 Public Houses/Pub Restaurants (National Scheme), (c) 234 Restaurants, (d) 238 Roadside Restaurants (National Scheme), (e) 409 Cafes, (f) 500 Cafes/Restaurants Within/Part of Specialist Property, (g) 060 Clubhouses, (h) 061 Licensed Sports, Social and Private Members Clubs, (i) 062 Coaching Inns, (j) 303 Bars (Valued on Floor Space) and (k) 199 G Night Clubs and Discotheques special category code in each local authority.

The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) is responsible for assessing all non-domestic properties for business rates purposes and determining each property’s rateable value (RV). Non-domestic properties are assigned a special category code (SCat), as a descriptor for different categories of property.

For transparency, the VOA publishes official statistics on the number of properties recorded in each Scat by local authority area. These can be found on VOA’s ‘Non-domestic rating: stock of properties, 2024’ statistics page on gov.uk, under ‘Stock SCat Tables by region, county, local authority district and rateable value band, 2024’ table ‘SOP_SCAT_LA_counts_all’.

The VOA also publishes the total RV by Scat and local authority area in table ‘SOP_SCAT_LA_rv_all’. The data published in these tables can be used to calculate the average RV.

The VOA does not calculate business rates bills or hold data on average business rates charges. The responsibility for the billing and liability of Council Tax lies with the local (billing) authority.

James Murray
Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
5th Sep 2024
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the average rateable value was for hereditaments with the (a) 227 Public Houses/Pub Restaurants (Inc. Lodge) (National Scheme), (b) 226 Public Houses/Pub Restaurants (National Scheme), (c) 234 Restaurants, (d) 238 Roadside Restaurants (National Scheme), (e) 409 Cafes, (f) 500 Cafes/Restaurants Within/Part of Specialist Property, (g) 060 Clubhouses, (h) 061 Licensed Sports, Social and Private Members Clubs, (i) 062 Coaching Inns, (j) 303 Bars (Valued on Floor Space) and (k) 199 G Night Clubs and Discotheques special category code in each local authority in (i) England and (ii) Wales in the latest period for which data is available.

The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) is responsible for assessing all non-domestic properties for business rates purposes and determining each property’s rateable value (RV). Non-domestic properties are assigned a special category code (SCat), as a descriptor for different categories of property.

For transparency, the VOA publishes official statistics on the number of properties recorded in each Scat by local authority area. These can be found on VOA’s ‘Non-domestic rating: stock of properties, 2024’ statistics page on gov.uk, under ‘Stock SCat Tables by region, county, local authority district and rateable value band, 2024’ table ‘SOP_SCAT_LA_counts_all’.

The VOA also publishes the total RV by Scat and local authority area in table ‘SOP_SCAT_LA_rv_all’. The data published in these tables can be used to calculate the average RV.

The VOA does not calculate business rates bills or hold data on average business rates charges. The responsibility for the billing and liability of Council Tax lies with the local (billing) authority.

James Murray
Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
5th Sep 2024
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the average business rates charge was for hereditaments with the (a) 227 Public Houses/Pub Restaurants (Inc. Lodge) (National Scheme), (b) 226 Public Houses/Pub Restaurants (National Scheme), (c) 234 Restaurants, (d) 238 Roadside Restaurants (National Scheme), (e) 409 Cafes, (f) 500 Cafes/Restaurants Within/Part of Specialist Property, (g) 060 Clubhouses, (h) 061 Licensed Sports, Social and Private Members Clubs, (i) 062 Coaching Inns, (j) 303 Bars (Valued on Floor Space) and (k) 199 G Night Clubs and Discotheques special category code in each local authority in (i) England and (ii) Wales in the latest period for which data is available.

The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) is responsible for assessing all non-domestic properties for business rates purposes and determining each property’s rateable value (RV). Non-domestic properties are assigned a special category code (SCat), as a descriptor for different categories of property.

For transparency, the VOA publishes official statistics on the number of properties recorded in each Scat by local authority area. These can be found on VOA’s ‘Non-domestic rating: stock of properties, 2024’ statistics page on gov.uk, under ‘Stock SCat Tables by region, county, local authority district and rateable value band, 2024’ table ‘SOP_SCAT_LA_counts_all’.

The VOA also publishes the total RV by Scat and local authority area in table ‘SOP_SCAT_LA_rv_all’. The data published in these tables can be used to calculate the average RV.

The VOA does not calculate business rates bills or hold data on average business rates charges. The responsibility for the billing and liability of Council Tax lies with the local (billing) authority.

James Murray
Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
10th Sep 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the oral contribution of 2 September 2024 by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Official Report, Column 3, if she will publish a timetable for implementing high street rental auctions.

Government is committed to supporting high streets and town centres, empowering communities and tackling the problem of persistent vacancy. Owing to the complex and technical nature of the policy, secondary legislation is required to implement High Street Rental Auctions. We are working through the legislative process and will confirm the commencement date in due course.

Alex Norris
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
9th Sep 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Local Government Finance Settlement will contain measures to reform adult social care funding.

We recognise the financial pressures that local authorities face and remain committed to supporting local government to deliver improved outcomes for local people through the adult social care system. We are committed to delivering a multiyear settlement in this Parliament giving certainty on allocations going forward to create a more sustainable, simplified adult social care funding system. Our Government’s manifesto set out our intention for a programme of reform to create a National Care Service. The National Care Service will deliver consistent and high quality care across the country, which will be locally delivered, supporting people to live independently for as long as possible. We will engage with local government as we develop this programme of reform.

Future local authority funding decisions will be a matter for the next Spending Review and Local Government Finance Settlement in which we are engaged. The department will work with local government leaders to ensure they are better able to fulfil their statutory duties.

Jim McMahon
Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
9th Sep 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to redistribute assets and wealth between different (a) local authorities, (b) communities and (c) local government through the Local Government Finance Settlement.

Future local authority funding decisions will be a matter for the next Spending Review and Local Government Finance Settlement in which we are engaged. The department will work with local government leaders to ensure they are better able to fulfil their statutory duties.

We want to hear from councils about the financial challenges they are facing and we are committed to stabilising the local government finance landscape in this Parliament.

Jim McMahon
Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
9th Sep 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to change the local government funding formula in the upcoming Local Government Finance Settlement; and whether she plans to consult on (a) technical changes and (b) data sources before publication.

Future local authority funding decisions will be a matter for the next Spending Review and Local Government Finance Settlement in which we are engaged. The department will work with local government leaders to ensure they are better able to fulfil their statutory duties.

We want to hear from councils about the financial challenges they are facing and we are committed to stabilising the local government finance landscape in this Parliament.

Jim McMahon
Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
6th Sep 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department has taken to facilitate (a) restaurants and (b) pubs to offer outdoor smoking facilities since 2010.

The provision of outdoor smoking facilities on the premises of an individual business is currently a matter for the business itself. However, where a business has a pavement license allowing it to have seating on the public highway, the national 'smoke free seating condition' must be followed. This requires the licence holder to make reasonable provision for seating where smoking is not permitted, so that where space is provided for smokers, customers will also have the option of sitting in a non-smoking area.

Matthew Pennycook
Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)