Every parliamentary written question tabled by Dave Doogan this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.
Showing 1–19 of 19 · Treasury
When she plans to respond to the correspondence from the hon. Member for Angus and Perthshire Glens with reference DD22592.
The correspondence from the hon. Member for Angus and Perthshire Glens with reference DD22592 was sent to HMRC. HMRC will respond in due course.
What assessment she has made of the potential economic impact on Scottish communities of the estimated £551 million shortfall between the Financial Conduct Authority's proposed motor finance redress scheme pay outs and potential court awards as outlined in the APPG on Fair Banking Report on Car Finance redress published in November 2025.
The Government wants to see this issue resolved in an efficient and orderly way that provides certainty for consumers and firms. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), as the independent regulator, has consulted on proposals for a motor finance consumer redress scheme. The FCA has announced that it will set out its final approach to motor finance redress on 30 March: https://www.fca.org.uk/news/statements/timing-fca-motor-finance-announcement.
What discussions she has had with the Financial Conduct Authority regarding its proposal to set compensatory interest for motor finance redress at the Bank of England base rate plus one per cent, in the context courts recently awarding eight per cent to compensate vulnerable consumers for consequential financial losses.
The Government wants to see this issue resolved in an efficient and orderly way that provides certainty for consumers and firms. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), as the independent regulator, has consulted on proposals for a motor finance consumer redress scheme. The FCA has announced that it will set out its final approach to motor finance redress on 30 March: https://www.fca.org.uk/news/statements/timing-fca-motor-finance-announcement.
Pursuant to the Answer of 9 March 2026 to Question 116959 on Taxation: Overpayments, if she will publish the average processing time for HMRC overpayment relief claims in each of the last 12 months.
HMRC does not produce an overall average processing time for overpayment relief claims. Processing times vary depending on the type of claim and the checks required to protect public funds. However, HMRC recognises that payments to customers are important, therefore claims are processed as priority post. HMRC aims to process 80% of priority post received within 15 working days. Customer correspondence performance is reported monthly and quarterly through HMRC’s published performance updates at: www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmrc-quarterly-performance-updates
What support she will introduce to assist people with oil heating through the current kerosine price increases.
The government recognises the pressures facing households who rely on heating oil. This is why we are providing an additional £53 million of targeted support for vulnerable households, largely in rural communities.
(a) what the current average processing time is for HMRC overpayment relief claims; and (b) what steps her Department are taking to reduce times in processing those claims.
HMRC recognises that payments to customers are important, therefore claims are processed as priority post. HMRC aims to process 80% of priority post received within 15 working days. Customer correspondence performance is reported monthly and quarterly through HMRC’s published performance updates at: www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmrc-quarterly-performance-updates. HMRC continues to invest in automation and to review their internal processes to ensure overpayments relief claims are issued in a timely manner.
What assessment she has made of the potential impact of increases in employer National Insurance contributions on the recruitment of young workers in Scotland.
A detailed assessment of the policy has been published by HMRC in their Tax Information and Impact Note. The TIIN sets out the impact of the policy on the exchequer, the economic impacts of the policy, and the impacts on individuals, businesses, and civil society organisations, as well as an overview of the equality impacts. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) also published the Economic and Fiscal Outlook (EFO), which sets out a detailed forecast of the economy and public finances. Accounting for policies that will materially affect the forecast, the OBR expect that employment levels will rise in every year of the forecast, and that they will be higher in every year compared to March, reaching 35.5m in 2030-31. The UK Government is committed to providing young people with the best start to their working lives. That is why we have committed to a Youth Guarantee to support young people across Great Britain to earn or learn. This includes a Jobs Guarantee, which will provide a six-month paid work placement for every eligible 18- to 21-year-old who has been on Universal Credit and looking for work for 18 months.
With reference to her oral contribution of 26 November 2025 on Financial Statement and Budget, Official Report, column 388, what (a) meetings, (b) correspondence and (c) other discussions did she have with Mr Sarwar to arrive at the £820 million uplift to Scotland's Block Grant prior to the Autumn Budget 2025.
The government listens to a wide range of representations to help shape the Budget, including from Scottish Labour.
With reference to her oral contribution of 26 November 2025 on Financial Statement and Budget, Official Report, column 388, if she will confirm whether her £820m allocation to Scotland's Block Grant is as a function of Barnett Consequentials following her finalisation of UK Government Expenditure in England.
The £820 million additional funding for the Scottish Government referenced is a result of the operation of the Barnett formula.
What steps her Department is taking to ensure that when errors in earnings submissions to HMRC are self-identified and corrected, those corrections are communicated promptly and accurately to the Department for Work and Pensions, so that claimants are not adversely or unfairly affected by inaccurate income data.
Where an error has been identified, employers can submit revised information to HMRC through standard reporting processes. HMRC transmits payroll data to the Department for Work and Pensions on a daily basis.
What was the total value of bonds sold by, or on behalf of, the Development Company for Israel in the UK in the most recent year for which data is available.
The government does not hold this information.
Whether the (a) Bank of England and (b) Financial Conduct Authority have a role in the (i) authorisation and (ii) regulation of bond sales (A) by and (B) on behalf of the Development Company for Israel in the UK.
The government does not comment on individual firms.The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is the independent non-governmental body responsible for regulating and supervising the financial services industry. The FCA is responsible for authorising and supervising regulated firms, in line with their objectives, and for taking enforcement action where necessary.This includes responsibility for the UK Prospectus Regime which sets out requirements firms must follow for the public issuance or admission of securities – including debt securities – on UK regulated markets.
With reference to the Answer of 16 June 2025 to Question 59132 on Intelligence Services: Finance, whether the provision of 2.5% of GDP on defence spending includes spending on the increase to the Single Intelligence Account.
The Prime Minister announced in February 2025 that NATO-qualifying defence spending will increase to 2.6% in 2027 through a reduction in ODA funding, and, in line with practice among our allies, recognising the contribution of our intelligence and security services to the defence of our nation. The SIA budget will be fully NATO qualifying from 27-28. The inclusion of departmental spending that falls under NATO qualifying defence spending definitions will continue to be periodically reviewed in line with NATO guidance.
Whether the planned increase of £13.4 billion in annual defence spending by the 2027-28 financial year includes previously announced funding of (a) £150 million for national security and (b) £4.5 billion for the Single Intelligence Account in the 2025-26 financial year.
The Prime Minister announced in February 2025 that NATO-qualifying defence spending will increase to 2.6% in 2027. This will be achieved through an increase in funding from a reduction in the Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget from 0.5% to 0.3% Gross National Income, and, in line with practice among our allies, recognising the contribution of our intelligence and security services to the defence of our nation. The inclusion of other departmental spending that falls under NATO qualifying defence spending definitions will continue to be periodically reviewed in line with NATO guidance.
If she will require the Financial Conduct Authority to consider access to banking services when carrying out local access to cash assessments.
The Financial Services and Markets Act 2023 granted the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) the responsibility and powers to seek to ensure the reasonable provision of cash withdrawal and deposit facilities. Under the FCA’s regime, LINK, the operator of the UK’s ATM network, is responsible for undertaking access to cash assessments. When a cash service such as a bank branch closes, or if LINK receives a request directly from a community, LINK assesses a community’s access to cash needs and can recommend a new service, such as a banking hub. The criteria for access to cash assessments is a matter for LINK, the financial services sector and the FCA. We have no plans to change the criteria. The FCA is required by law to keep its access to cash rules under review and is monitoring the impact of these rules on an ongoing basis to ensure they deliver the right outcomes for businesses and consumers.
If she will make an estimate of the potential cost to the public purse of the Bank of England's Quantitative Tightening programme (a) since July 2024 and (b) since its commencement in November 2022.
Since October 2022, HM Treasury has transferred £85.9bn to the Bank of England to cover losses arising from the Asset Purchase Facility, of which £25bn was transferred since July 2024. This covers losses incurred from net interest costs and the sale and redemption of bonds as the portfolio is unwound. Data on these quarterly cash transfers between HM Treasury and the Bank of England are made publicly available by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in its monthly Public Sector Finances publication. The data are available at the following link under the ONS series ID MF7A in worksheet PSA9B: https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/governmentpublicsectorandtaxes/publicsectorfinance/datasets/publicsectorfinancesappendixatables110
Which minister is responsible for overseeing progression of The Payment Services (Contract Terminations Amendment) Regulations 2024.
I am the minister responsible for the progression of this policy. The Government is preparing to lay these regulations in Parliament in due course.
What definition of family farm was used when developing changes to inheritance tax relief for (a) business and (b) agricultural assets.
The Government believes its reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief from 6 April 2026 get the balance right between supporting farms and fixing the public finances in a fair way. The reforms reduce the inheritance tax advantages available to owners of agricultural and business assets, but still mean those assets will be taxed at a much lower effective rate than most other assets. Despite a tough fiscal context, the Government will maintain very significant levels of relief from inheritance tax beyond what is available to others and compared to the position before 1992. The Government’s assessment relates to claims for agricultural property relief and business property relief. The qualifying conditions for these reliefs are set out in Part 5 of the Inheritance Tax Act 1984. Guidance on agricultural property relief is available at www.gov.uk/guidance/agricultural-relief-on-inheritance-tax and www.gov.uk/hmrc-internal-manuals/inheritance-tax-manual/ihtm24000. Guidance on business property relief is available at www.gov.uk/business-relief-inheritance-tax and www.gov.uk/hmrc-internal-manuals/inheritance-tax-manual/ihtm25000.
What is the average wait time for callers to HMRC helplines; what action is being taken to reduce wait times on HMRC helplines; and if she will make it her policy implement a freephone service when wait times are high.
Information regarding the average speed of answer is published as part of HMRC’s monthly performance report:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmrc-monthly-performance-reports HMRC know that their service levels have, until recently, been below published standards. They aim to answer calls as quickly as possible but wait times may be longer than usual during busy periods. HMRC received extra funding last year to recruit more customer service advisers to help improve telephony performance. They met their helpline service standard in Quarter 3. HMRC do not have plans to introduce a freephone service. HMRC helplines use 03 numbers (0300 or 0345), which cost the same as landline 01 or 02 numbers, but actual call charges depend on the customer's phone provider. For mobile networks, 03 numbers are typically included in airtime plans, but customers should verify with their specific network provider. HMRC is a public body and does not profit from customer contacts.