Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the March 2026 limitation deadline on unresolved Covid-19 Business Interruption claims.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), as the independent regulator for financial services, sets the conduct standards required of insurance firms. This includes rules requiring insurers to handle claims fairly and promptly.
With respect to business interruption claims linked to Covid-19, the Supreme Court published its final judgment in the FCA test case in January 2021. At the time of the judgment, the FCA set out its expectation that insurers should communicate to all impacted policyholders what the judgment meant for their claim and that insurers should move quickly to resolve claims as determined by the judgment, making interim payments wherever possible. It is important to note that the FCA court case did not cover all potential issues with business interruption policies but aimed to provide certainty to as many policyholders as possible.
The FCA, as the independent regulator, has robust powers to take action where firms do not appear to be meeting their expectations and treating their customers fairly.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will work with the Financial Conduct Authority to issue guidance to insurers on the resolution of Covid-19 Business Interruption claims not resolved when the limitation deadline is reached.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), as the independent regulator for financial services, sets the conduct standards required of insurance firms. This includes rules requiring insurers to handle claims fairly and promptly.
With respect to business interruption claims linked to Covid-19, the Supreme Court published its final judgment in the FCA test case in January 2021. At the time of the judgment, the FCA set out its expectation that insurers should communicate to all impacted policyholders what the judgment meant for their claim and that insurers should move quickly to resolve claims as determined by the judgment, making interim payments wherever possible. It is important to note that the FCA court case did not cover all potential issues with business interruption policies but aimed to provide certainty to as many policyholders as possible.
The FCA, as the independent regulator, has robust powers to take action where firms do not appear to be meeting their expectations and treating their customers fairly.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to ensure insurers do not use litigation to prevent small business policyholders from making claims.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), as the independent regulator for financial services, sets the conduct standards required of insurance firms. This includes rules requiring insurers to handle claims fairly and promptly.
With respect to business interruption claims linked to Covid-19, the Supreme Court published its final judgment in the FCA test case in January 2021. At the time of the judgment, the FCA set out its expectation that insurers should communicate to all impacted policyholders what the judgment meant for their claim and that insurers should move quickly to resolve claims as determined by the judgment, making interim payments wherever possible. It is important to note that the FCA court case did not cover all potential issues with business interruption policies but aimed to provide certainty to as many policyholders as possible.
The FCA, as the independent regulator, has robust powers to take action where firms do not appear to be meeting their expectations and treating their customers fairly.
Asked by: Jenny Riddell-Carpenter (Labour - Suffolk Coastal)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, (a) whether he is aware of reports that some motor insurers refuse cover to individuals on joining the Armed Forces and (b) what steps he is taking to address this.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Under the Armed Forces Covenant, organisations are encouraged to make voluntary pledges to support Service personnel, Veterans and their families. However, insurance provision is a matter for private companies, and the Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not have the authority to direct or mandate their commercial decisions.
The MOD continues to engage with industry and promote best practice through the Covenant framework of voluntary pledges and the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme, encouraging businesses to remove barriers and ensure fair treatment for the Armed Forces community.
The MOD does not provide financial or legal advice, and neither can we take responsibility for individual financial decisions. Personnel who require such advice are directed by their Unit HR staffs to a list of Services Insurance and Investment Advisory Panel (SIIAP) approved independent financial advisers. However, personnel are, of course, free to use the services of any independent financial adviser.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether Switzerland’s regulatory and supervisory framework offers protections equivalent to UK standards, particularly regarding (1) market integrity, (2) financial stability, and (3) consumer protection, so that UK markets are not exposed to additional or undue risk under the Berne Financial Services Agreement.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Berne Financial Services Agreement is an outcomes-based mutual recognition agreement. The Agreement will enhance cross-border trade in wholesale financial services between the UK and Switzerland. Specifically, the BFSA provides new cross-border market access for investment services from Switzerland into the UK and for (re)insurance from the UK into Switzerland.
The Agreement is underpinned by assessments, with the UK and Switzerland each assessing each other’s regulatory and supervisory regimes. The Treasury, Financial Conduct Authority, Bank of England, and Prudential Regulation Authority undertook an assessment of the Swiss regime between 2022 and 2023. Recognition was given on the basis that both regimes achieved equivalent outcomes in terms of consumer protection, market integrity and financial stability.
The Agreement is also supported by a Memorandum of Understanding between the Financial Conduct Authority, Bank of England, Prudential Regulation Authority, and Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority signed on 22 September 2025, which sets out arrangements for supervisory cooperation and information sharing. These arrangements will facilitate ongoing dialogue, support the functioning of the Agreement, and ensure both sides can address risks or supervisory developments promptly.
Lastly, the Agreement provides safeguards for the Financial Conduct Authority and Prudential Regulation Authority to manage any residual risk as a result of new market access under the Agreement with regards to protecting financial stability, consumer protection, market integrity and compliance with the Agreement. The Financial Conduct Authority and Prudential Regulation Authority have been provided these powers through the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023 (Mutual Recognition Agreement) Switzerland Regulations 2025.
Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions she has had with regulators on reviewing rules on credit unions offering insurance products such as income protection.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
Credit unions are regulated by the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to ensure the stability and soundness of the sector. The regulators are independent and make decisions on the regulation of credit unions in line with their statutory objectives.
Credit unions themselves are not insurance providers. Following the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023, credit unions were given clearer permissions to act as distributors, enabling their members to access insurance products through partner firms. This does not allow credit unions to underwrite insurance themselves, and any arrangements made under these rules would be subject to the regulators' consumer protection rules.
In response to a request from HM Treasury, the PRA and FCA published reports on the mutuals sector on 5 December. As part of this, the regulators have committed to reviewing the regulatory framework governing credit unions.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of establishing a taskforce on improving access to travel insurance for people with cancer.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The government does not intend to establish a taskforce on travel insurance for people with cancer at this time. However, the government recognises the important role of insurance products, including travel insurance, in building the financial resilience of consumers and protecting them when things go wrong. The government’s Financial Inclusion Strategy seeks to close gaps in protection and ensure that the insurance sector is well-placed to support the financial wellbeing of households and vulnerable customers.
In addition, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the independent body responsible for regulating and supervising the financial services industry, requires firms to treat customers fairly. Since 2021, the FCA also requires firms providing travel insurance to signpost consumers to a directory of specialist providers if they are declined cover, offered cover with an exclusion, or charged a significantly higher premium based on a pre-existing medical condition. The FCA has robust powers to act against firms that fail to comply with its rules.
Different insurers may take a different view of the relevant factors in determining the price of insurance based on their differing claims experience. The government would always encourage consumers to shop around for the most suitable cover at the best price. The British Insurance Brokers’ Association (BIBA) can offer guidance on how to look across the insurance market for suitable products and may be able to provide names of specialist brokers. BIBA can be contacted at: www.biba.org.uk/find-insurance/.
Asked by: Saqib Bhatti (Conservative - Meriden and Solihull East)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment has her Department made of the potential impact of employer National Insurance Contribution increases in the financial year 2025/2026 on a) the charity sector and b) neurorehabilitation service providing charities.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
This government recognises the vital role that charitable organisations and community groups play in providing crucial support to families and individuals across the country. These organisations, as well as the wider voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector, are integral to the Government’s vision for national renewal and delivery of the five national missions.
DCMS Ministers have met with representatives from the VCSE sector and are aware of their concerns about changes to National Insurance Contributions (NICs). We recognise the need to protect the smallest businesses and charities, which is why we more than doubled the Employment Allowance to £10,500, meaning that more than half of businesses (including charities) with NICs liabilities will either gain or see no change in 2025/26.
The UK continues to have one of the most generous charity tax regimes in the world. More than £6 billion in charitable reliefs were provided to charities, community amateur sports clubs and their donors last year.
In January 2025, NHS England published Standardising community health services which outlines the core community health services that integrated care boards (ICBs) should consider when planning services for their local population. Community rehabilitation for people with neurological conditions is named as one of the ICB-funded core components of community health services.
Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the total number of calls (a) answered (b) abandoned was for each public helpline number provided by her Department and its executive agencies for each year from 2015 to date.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Every year, HMRC answers millions of calls. A call is recorded as ‘answered’ when a customer got through to an adviser after hearing the automated messages and choosing the option to speak to an adviser (this is also referred to as ‘adviser attempts handled’ (AAH) in HMRC published data).
A call is recorded as ‘abandoned’ when a customer hears the automated messages and chooses the option to speak to an adviser, but then hangs up before their call is answered.
Customers may hang up before their call is answered for a number of reasons. For example, they may have had their query answered by HMRC’s recorded messages, they may have found the information they require online or they may have decided to call back another time.
The below tables provide a breakdown of calls answered and calls abandoned over the past ten years for HMRC’s main helplines:
Calls answered | 2015-16 | 2016-17 | 2017-18 | 2018-19 | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 | 2024-25 | 2025-26 YTD |
Child Benefit | 1,815,166 | 2,071,590 | 2,009,135 | 1,777,736 | 1,712,300 | 1,386,818 | 1,569,267 | 1,377,817 | 1,017,140 | 1,142,678 | 833,880 |
National Insurance | 1,483,095 | 1,671,677 | 1,475,416 | 1,377,855 | 1,349,929 | 1,069,710 | 1,247,349 | 1,242,943 | 1,097,036 | 1,044,772 | 682,058 |
Tax Credits Helpline and Tax Credits Payment Helpline – combined figures | 11,509,090 | 11,581,913 | 9,265,206 | 6,671,778 | 4,557,161 | 2,343,044 | 1,895,384 | 1,587,633 | 1,147,483 | 647,815 | 109,086 |
Corporation Tax | 373,190 | 500,940 | 508,270 | 475,961 | 441,835 | 378,406 | 507,372 | 506,145 | 421,603 | 378,862 | 231,741 |
Stamp duty land tax | 112,333 | 154,415 | 164,259 | 144,667 | 131,610 | 100,624 | 122,429 | 122,582 | 107,538 | 103,229 | 71,526 |
Agent Dedicated Line | 1,707,224 | 1,851,753 | 1,432,405 | 1,360,234 | 1,374,380 | 705,308 | 968,925 | 1,041,355 | 640,405 | 503,105 | 289,091 |
Construction Industry Scheme Helpline | 584,630 | 496,413 | 376,861 | 343,789 | 334,675 | 225,708 | 293,478 | 281,009 | 239,920 | 168,990 | 94,016 |
Employers Helpline | 819,618 | 984,212 | 976,437 | 939,286 | 755,040 | 588,062 | 650,432 | 686,890 | 589,002 | 506,637 | 328,452 |
Online Services Helpline | 675,158 | 1,073,270 | 982,535 | 730,981 | 635,733 | 548,319 | 688,575 | 780,038 | 978,228 | 932,393 | 611,680 |
PAYE | 6,513,062 | 8,913,008 | 8,199,621 | 7,707,564 | 7,127,556 | 4,703,878 | 5,973,909 | 5,908,209 | 4,405,365 | 4,586,352 | 3,177,096 |
Self Assessment Helpline | 2,389,400 | 3,094,058 | 3,444,452 | 3,219,552 | 3,236,719 | 2,560,862 | 2,602,917 | 2,643,691 | 1,441,380 | 1,904,363 | 1,113,666 |
VAT | - | 282,301 | 644,072 | 585,882 | 771,572 | 500,095 | 623,494 | 657,205 | 486,335 | 395,747 | 277,184 |
Calls abandoned | 2015-16 | 2016-17 | 2017-18 | 2018-19 | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 | 2024-25 | 2025-26 YTD |
Child Benefit | 653,242 | 190,353 | 147,771 | 171,017 | 224,611 | 194,436 | 267,186 | 410,792 | 332,543 | 256,223 | 146,160 |
National Insurance | 891,375 | 126,759 | 118,987 | 156,762 | 132,920 | 109,035 | 196,346 | 415,222 | 336,696 | 277,058 | 84,032 |
Tax Credits Helpline and Tax Credits Payment Helpline – combined figures | 2,295,327 | 596,654 | 726,769 | 599,007 | 539,088 | 360,618 | 565,334 | 420,411 | 334,029 | 208,923 | 10,735 |
Corporation Tax | 99,498 | 37,064 | 51,406 | 45,763 | 63,957 | 35,267 | 78,894 | 89,900 | 68,084 | 56,574 | 35,108 |
Stamp duty land tax | 16,518 | 9,969 | 12,634 | 13,924 | 16,321 | 6,208 | 10,556 | 17,648 | 10,108 | 8,384 | 5,989 |
Agent Dedicated Line | 13,821 | 24,219 | 11,413 | 5,127 | 7,855 | 175,775 | 110,683 | 119,404 | 115,316 | 85,356 | 28,577 |
Construction Industry Scheme Helpline | 72,500 | 31,310 | 37,289 | 39,095 | 33,566 | 29,732 | 36,743 | 49,250 | 37,574 | 19,087 | 10,167 |
Employers Helpline | 226,890 | 50,288 | 63,019 | 66,163 | 62,852 | 63,135 | 86,365 | 138,787 | 122,053 | 125,470 | 81,521 |
Online Services Helpline | 350,563 | 138,027 | 97,650 | 108,720 | 119,130 | 126,824 | 128,903 | 235,456 | 197,111 | 226,446 | 76,031 |
PAYE | 2,755,469 | 401,321 | 840,726 | 917,232 | 1,067,304 | 1,427,842 | 1,303,284 | 1,769,338 | 1,765,227 | 1,248,174 | 628,559 |
Self Assessment Helpline | 1,193,023 | 206,772 | 372,471 | 380,719 | 443,148 | 611,544 | 689,007 | 1,144,135 | 704,546 | 523,645 | 201,569 |
VAT | - | 13,143 | 43,173 | 84,539 | 72,648 | 62,494 | 127,450 | 162,969 | 150,244 | 72,014 | 36,010 |
Further telephony data is published as part of HMRC’s quarterly performance reports: www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmrc-quarterly-performance-updates
And HMRC publishes a historical data series as part of its annual report and accounts: www.gov.uk/government/publications/hmrc-annual-report-and-accounts-2024-to-2025
Data covering VOA helplines:
Financial Year | Answered | Abandoned |
2015-16 | 283711 | 49173 |
2016-17 | 327896 | 67348 |
2017-18 | 232687 | 56334 |
2018-19 | 225205 | 72898 |
2019-20 | 261216 | 97460 |
2020-21 | 106016 | 27554 |
2021-22 | 222467 | 38949 |
2022-23 | 218353 | 37896 |
2023-24 | 202043 | 52191 |
2024-25 | 201663 | 71225 |
2025-2026 (YTD) | 129319 | 19618 |
Asked by: Sarah Hall (Labour (Co-op) - Warrington South)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent assessment he has made of the cumulative impact of property taxes, staffing costs, food and drink inflation and energy prices on the financial sustainability of hospitality businesses.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government recognises the significant pressures facing the hospitality sector and the Government is providing support through various measures to help ease these pressures.
We aim to permanently reduce business rates for RHL properties with a rateable value of less than 500,000 and we have announced a new Zero Carbon Services Hospitality trial which aims for Pubs, cafes, restaurants and hotels to receive free energy and carbon cutting advice to slash their energy bills as part of the government’s Plan for Change.
Additionally, the Employment Allowance has been increased to £10,500, meaning 865,000 employers will pay no National Insurance Contributions enabling businesses to employ up to four full-time staff on the National Living Wage without incurring employer NIC costs.
The Department will continue to engage with the sector, including through the Hospitality Sector Council with an aim to co-create solutions to the issues impacting the sector.