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.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of consumer protections for leaseholders undertaking informal lease extensions, in the context of the (a) absence of specialist qualification requirements for solicitors handling such transactions, (b) exclusion of lease extension advice from Financial Conduct Authority regulation and (c) lack of price controls in the informal extension process.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My Department has considered the adequacy of consumer protections for leaseholders undertaking informal lease extensions as part of the wider package of leasehold reform.
The Leasehold Reform (Ground Rent) Act 2022 already provides some protections by restricting the ground rent payable following a non-statutory lease extension. Given that the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 will make the statutory route cheaper and easier, we expect more leaseholders to use it in future.
Solicitors must meet the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s strict education, training, and ethical standards and maintain competence throughout their careers. While there is no statutory requirement for specialist qualifications in lease-extension work, solicitors are professionally obliged to act only where competent and to provide a proper standard of service. Consumer protections include mandatory professional indemnity insurance, access to the Legal Ombudsman, and SRA enforcement powers.
The government and Parliament set the rules for financial services and decide which activities require official approval. These rules are detailed because financial products are varied and complex. The costs and benefits of bringing activities into the regulatory perimeter can be finely balanced, which is why the government is committed to regulating only where there is a clear case for doing so.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South and Mid Down)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the regulation of car insurance providers.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The government is determined that insurers should treat customers fairly and firms are required to do so under the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) rules.
The FCA is an independent body responsible for regulating and supervising the financial services industry across the United Kingdom and has robust powers to act against firms that fail to comply with its rules.
The government plans to publish the final report of the cross-government Motor Insurance Taskforce in the autumn. The Taskforce has a strategic remit to set the direction for UK Government policy, identifying short- and long-term actions for departments that may contribute to stabilising or reducing premiums, while maintaining appropriate levels of cover.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many active legal cases are open against the NHS.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS Resolution (NHSR) manages clinical negligence and other claims against the National Health Service in England.
NHSR handles negligence claims on behalf of the members of their indemnity schemes. The indemnity schemes are divided into clinical and non-clinical negligence schemes.
Clinical negligence schemes:
Non clinical negligence schemes:
NHSR has provided the attached information:
Table 1: Number of Clinical and Non-Clinical Claims received between Financial Years '2006/07' and '2024/25' where the status of the claim was open as at 31/03/2025. Broken down by Scheme (as noted above).
Table 2: Number of Clinical and Non-Clinical Claims and Incidents received between Financial Years '2006/07' and '2024/25' where the status was 'Open' or 'Incident' as at 31/03/2025. Broken down by Scheme (as noted above).
Note: NHSR defines an ‘open’ claim as one where NHSR is yet to settle or claims that have settled but remain open, where NHSR are yet to agree costs. NHSR has not included cases which are settled but remain open due to ongoing periodical order payments.
The distinction between Table 1 and Table 2 is that Table 2 includes incidents reported to NHSR that have not yet progressed to a formal notification of claim. NHSR encourages its members and beneficiaries to report such incidents directly, even prior to the receipt of a claim.
Asked by: Lord Birt (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 23 July (HL9313), whether they can identify the reasons as to why London’s economy is 28.5 per cent more productive on average than the rest of the United Kingdom.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
Please see the letter below from the National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority.
The Lord Birt
House of Lords
London
SW1A 0PW
4 September 2025
Dear Lord Birt,
As Acting National Statistician, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 23 July (HL9313), whether the reasons as to why London’s economy is 28.5 per cent more productive on average than the rest of the United Kingdom can be identified (HL9939).
London is home to a high proportion of knowledge-intensive sectors such as financial services, insurance, and professional, scientific, and technical industries, all of which drive higher levels of productivity. There is evidence that London, like other major cities, benefits from an agglomeration effect, whereby the close proximity of a diverse mix of businesses, highly skilled labour, and major institutions fuels knowledge spillovers, collaboration, and innovation which enhance overall economic output. 1
London-based firms also consistently outperform their regional peers, even within the same industries, with firms benefitting from access to a large highly skilled labour market and a well-developed infrastructure and also from high competition between firms driving business dynamism.
This same pattern is found globally, with the largest cities typically having higher productivity levels compared with other areas due to these agglomeration impacts.
Yours sincerely,
Emma Rourke
1 https://whatworksgrowth.org/insights/understanding-agglomeration/
Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the House of Lords Select Committee on Financial Exclusion's report entitled Tackling financial exclusion: A country that works for everyone?, published on 25 March 2017, Session 2016-17, HL Paper 132, what progress she has made on implementing the (a) recommendations on (i) older and (ii) vulnerable consumers and (b) other recommendations.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government has committed to publish a National Financial Inclusion Strategy later this year to tackle a range of barriers individuals and households face in accessing the financial products and services they need. The strategy will consider what more Government and industry can do to address key issues, including a focus on: (i) digital inclusion and access to banking; (ii) savings; (iii) insurance; (iv) affordable credit; (v) problem debt; and (vi) financial education and capability.
Across these areas, the themes of accessibility, mental health, and economic abuse have also been considered in recognition of the particular challenges individuals can face in relation to these issues.
More widely, the Government works closely with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the independent regulator of the UK’s financial services sector, to ensure customers get the right support with their financial products and services. The FCA’s Vulnerability Guidance requires firms to consider the needs of vulnerable customers appropriately.