Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people were unable to benefit from the Residence Nil Rate Band due to not having direct descendants in the most recent year for which data is available.

The residence nil-rate band was introduced under the previous Government in April 2017. The then Government set out in a tax information and impact note at the time of its introduction that there was no evidence to suggest that this policy would have significant adverse impacts on those with protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010. The tax information and impact note is available at www.gov.uk/government/publications/inheritance-tax-main-residence-nil-rate-band-and-the-existing-nil-rate-band/inheritance-tax-main-residence-nil-rate-band-and-the-existing-nil-rate-band.

HMRC publishes annual statistics about the use of nil-rate bands, reliefs and exemptions. 30,600 estates used the residence nil-rate band in 2022-23, and £7.72 billion of chargeable estate value was removed from an inheritance tax charge as a result. HMRC does not collect comprehensive data about the reasons for an estate not using the residence nil-rate band.