Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will publish a full impact assessment for ending the Energy Company Obligation scheme.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
To bring energy bills down for all, the decision has been made not to continue the Energy Company Obligation when the current scheme ends.
The government does not intend to publish a new impact assessment for ending the scheme. An assessment of their impacts was produced when both the ECO4 and Great British Insulation Scheme were laid.
The government has committed £1.5 billion in additional grant funding to support low-income households and those in fuel poverty. Details of this will be set out in the Warm Homes Plan, which will be published soon.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the Budget 2025 on areas with lower average incomes in each region.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
HM Treasury’s ‘Impact on households’ publication, produced alongside Budget 2025, shows that the impact of government tax, welfare and public service spending decisions from Autumn Budget 2024 onwards are benefit households in the lowest income deciles the most, on average HM Treasury does not produce a distributional assessment of policy decisions at a subnational level.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of the average increase in annual tax paid by households earning between £25,000 and £50,000 following the Autumn Budget 2025.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
HM Treasury’s ‘Impact on households’ publication, produced alongside Budget 2025, shows that the impact of government tax, welfare and public service spending decisions from Autumn Budget 2024 onwards are progressive and benefit households in the lowest income deciles the most, on average, with increases in tax concentrated on the highest income households. On average, all but the richest 10% of households will benefit from policy decisions in 2028-29.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the Budget on self-employed workers, including freelancers and contractors.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government is committed to a fair tax system that supports small firms and the self-employed, while ensuring the ongoing funding of essential public services and economic stability. The Budget raises revenue in a fair and progressive way, and the Government is sticking to its manifesto pledge not to increase the headline rates of income tax, National Insurance and VAT and its commitments in the Corporate Tax Roadmap.
We are providing support for small businesses and the self-employed in a number of areas. We are introducing the toughest late payment laws in the G7. Through the new Business Growth Service, small businesses will be able to access support with skills training, recruitment, or accessing Start Up Loans and Export Finance.
We are taking wider measures to ensure the wider economic environment is conducive to growth. We are cutting borrowing and debt, and supporting the Bank of England by tackling the persistent high inflation that dampens investment in the UK and slows economic growth. Government took measures at Budget to reduce consumer price inflation by 0.4pp in 2026/27.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of raising taxes on property income on the private rented sector, including supply and rent levels.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The independent Office for Budget Responsibility does not expect that the reform to property income tax will have a significant impact on rental prices.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the Budget 2025 on (a) investment and (b) hiring decisions by small and medium-sized enterprises.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
We are cutting borrowing and debt, and supporting the Bank of England by tackling the persistent high inflation that dampens investment in the UK and slows economic growth. The Government set out its overall approach for supporting SMEs in the Small Business Strategy published in July 2025 and built on this with targeted reforms to support small businesses at Autumn Budget 2025. We are supporting employment and skills by changing the rules to fully fund SME apprenticeships training costs for eligible people under the age of 25. At the Budget we announced an Entrepreneurship which includes the largest ever injection of capital into the British Business Bank. Over the next five years, the British Business Bank will enable up to an additional £10 billion in small business lending through guarantees. We are also doubling the eligibility of our enterprise tax incentives to boost scale-ups and consulting on plans to reduce business energy prices.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of introducing a 3p-per-mile charge for electric cars and 1.5p for plug-in hybrids on low-income households, the environment, society and the economy.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
As announced at Budget 2025, the Government is introducing Electric Vehicle Excise Duty (eVED) from April 2028, a new mileage charge for electric and plug-in hybrid cars, recognising that EVs contribute to congestion and wear and tear on the roads but pay no equivalent to fuel duty.
The Government has set out estimated impacts on household incomes from tax, welfare and public service spending decisions taken at Budget 2025, including eVED. These impacts are available at GOV.UK: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/69269c6222424e25e6bc31bb/Impact_on_households.pdf
The Government has also set out Exchequer and behavioural impacts from eVED and other Budget measures in the Budget 2025 Policy Costings document at GOV.UK: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/692872fd2a37784b16ecf676/Budget_2025-Policy_Costings.pdf
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how she plans to assess and administer the new high-value property charge; what steps she is taking to prevent avoidance and undervaluation; and whether there will be transitional relief for homeowners whose property value has recently increased due to market fluctuations.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Valuation Office Agency will be conducting a targeted valuation to identify properties in scope of the High Value Council Tax Surcharge (HVCTS). HVCTS will then be collected by local authorities.
The Government will consult on the detailed implementation of the HVCTS in the new year, including the provision of support for those who may find it more difficult to pay. Further information on HVCTS is available at the following link:
High Value Council Tax Surcharge - GOV.UK
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to strengthen the UK’s bilateral relationship with Israel following recent events in Gaza and in the context of the UK’s wider Middle East security priorities.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has a longstanding and important relationship with Israel, built on cooperation in areas including security, trade, science, and technology. We remain firmly committed to Israel's security and continue to work together on shared regional challenges.
The UK's immediate priority, working alongside our international partners, is to ensure continued progress on the 20-point peace plan endorsed by the UN Security Council on 17 November, including maintaining the current ceasefire, increasing the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza, and advancing the political process necessary for a just and lasting peace.
We discuss those matters regularly, and we remain committed to the pursuit of a two-state solution, with a secure Israel living side by side in peace and security alongside a viable, sovereign Palestinian state.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the level of taxation set out in the Budget on savings, dividends and property income on small investors, retired people relying on investment income, and small business owners.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government is taking action to ensure income from assets are taxed more fairly. That is why we have increased taxes on property, dividend and savings income to narrow the gap between tax paid on work and tax paid on income from assets.
The majority of taxpayers, and the majority of pensioners, have no taxable savings, dividend or property income and will pay no more tax as a result of these changes.
Those with small amounts of income from assets will continue to be protected by tax-free allowances, and all income from savings and investments held in ISAs will continue to be entirely tax-free.