Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what proportion of Stamp Duty Land Tax repayments claimed were repaid within the 15 days target in the last financial year; and what the total sum outstanding beyond 15 days at the end of the previous fiscal year was.

In the 2017-18 financial year HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) received 46,781 SDLT repayment claims, of which 4,668 were dealt with within 15 working days. At 2017-18 year end there were 2,550 SDLT repayment claims on hand that were outside 15 working days.

A recovery plan has been implemented and the age profile and on hand volumes are now greatly reduced. Approximately 80% of Higher Rate Additional Dwellings repayments claims are now being dealt with within 15 working days, and HMRC expect the position to continue to improve.