Asked by: Richard Foord (Liberal Democrat - Honiton and Sidmouth)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether pension increases resulting from voluntary National Insurance contributions are backdated to the date HMRC received payment in cases where processing delays exceed the expected timeframe.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Where voluntary National Insurance contributions lead to a pension increase, the adjustment is applied to the relevant tax years being applied for and is backdated to the date HMRC received the payment, even if processing takes longer than expected.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what criteria HMRC will use to prioritise enforcement on high-risk tax areas.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
HMRC uses a risk-based approach to identify individuals and businesses for investigation, applying civil and criminal powers to tackle avoidance, evasion, and error. In 2024–25, this approach helped protect an estimated £48 billion in tax revenue.
Its Strategic Picture of Risk combines data analytics and expert insight to assess key compliance risks. This informs HMRC’s planning, resource allocation, and case selection, using data from tax returns and third-party sources (e.g. banks, online platforms, other departments).
Compliance activity is tailored to taxpayer groups such as large businesses, individuals, and suspected tax avoiders or criminals. HMRC prioritises interventions based on their wider impact on tax compliance, economic objectives, and societal harm. HMRC’s compliance approach, Prevent, Promote and Respond, focuses on preventing non-compliance from happening in the first place, and helping customers get their tax right before they submit their return or claim.
Asked by: Charlotte Cane (Liberal Democrat - Ely and East Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Floods Resilience Taskforce is taking to prepare for potential floods in winter 2025-26.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Flood Resilience Taskforce, which brings together national and local government, emergency services and other partners, met on 8 September and reviewed preparedness for flooding this autumn and winter.
The Taskforce discussed the risk of flooding and the improvements made by Taskforce members to prepare, respond and recover, including improvements to national flood modelling and forecasting, communication of flood warnings, exercising of the National Flood Response Centre and improving the awareness of schemes to support those affected by flooding.
The Taskforce concluded that at local and national levels, preparedness for flooding has overall increased compared to September 2024. Taskforce members will continue to work throughout the autumn and winter to protect communities.
Asked by: David Smith (Labour - North Northumberland)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of implementing economic sanctions on Israel in relation to the expansion of settlements in the West Bank.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer given on 17th September to Question 74580.
Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh and Atherton)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of business rates valuation methods on grassroots music venues.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
I refer the honorable Member to the response to UIN 22711.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, in which NHS trusts Stereotactic Ablative Body Radiotherapy is available in England .
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Health Service delivers a range of treatments for cancer, with expert clinicians working with patients to determine the most appropriate option. The Government is working with NHS England to ensure that the most effective treatments are available to patients across the country when they need them.
Stereotactic ablative body radiotherapy (SABR) is routinely available to treat several types of cancer, including some types of lung cancer, pancreatic cancer, and liver cancer. Every NHS trust that is commissioned to provide radiotherapy services in England can offer SABR. However, not all cancer types can be treated with SABR in every radiotherapy service, because some trusts may not host the relevant specialist multi-disciplinary team.
No assessment has been made of the potential for systemic anti-cancer therapies to be delivered via primary care in the community or at home. However, in line with the Government’s Health Mission shift from hospital to community, the 10-Year Health Plan committed to deliver more urgent care in the community, in people’s homes, or through neighbourhood health centres by 2035.
Asked by: Simon Opher (Labour - Stroud)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will consider issuing a call for evidence on ways to (a) promote and (b) fund the installation of domestic energy efficiency measures.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
We are working across government on a comprehensive Warm Homes Plan for households to cut energy bills for good. The Warm Homes Plan will help people find ways to save money on energy bills and transform our ageing building stock into comfortable, low-carbon homes that are fit for the future. We will upgrade up to 5 million homes across the country by accelerating the installation of efficient new domestic energy technologies.
We are investing £13.2bn in the Warm Homes Plan up to 2030, in line with the Manifesto commitment. The transition to warmer, decarbonised homes via the Warm Homes Plan will include support for the most vulnerable to help slash fuel poverty. We will publish more details soon.
Asked by: Jenny Riddell-Carpenter (Labour - Suffolk Coastal)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to support communities that are affected by energy infrastructure projects.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
In the Clean Power Action Plan, we made it clear that where communities host clean energy infrastructure, they should feel tangible and enduring benefit of doing so.
The Government has already announced bill discounts for communities living nearest to new electricity transmission infrastructure and published guidance on community funds for electricity transmission infrastructure and onshore wind in England. Solar Energy UK is also expected to publish guidance this year.
In addition, in May, the Government published a working paper on mandatory community benefits and facilitating shared ownership and is in the process of reviewing responses.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate his Department has made of the cost savings to the NHS from the expansion of Fracture Liaison Services in England.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Potential cost savings to the National Health Service from the expansion of Fracture Liaison Services will be taken into consideration in future policy development.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish FOI reference, FOI2025/09624, dated 16 July 2025.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
A copy of the information released in the response to the referenced Freedom of Information request has been deposited in the Library of the House.