Written questions by McVey.

How many complaints HMRC have received in the last 6 months about VAT refunds to businesses because the refund was a) not received and b) delayed.

Between 1 June to 30 November 2025, HMRC processed around 1.4 million VAT repayment returns, with around 93% paid promptly following initial risking.Based on the information held on HMRC’s complaints database, between 1 June to 30 November 2025, HMRC received 162 complaints relating to VAT repayments of which 119 were directly linked to VAT refund delays.

How many VAT refunds to businesses in the last six months a) have not been refunded and b) have been delayed.

Between 1 June to 30 November 2025, HMRC processed around 1.4 million VAT repayment returns, with around 93% paid promptly following initial risking.Based on the information held on HMRC’s complaints database, between 1 June to 30 November 2025, HMRC received 162 complaints relating to VAT repayments of which 119 were directly linked to VAT refund delays.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of continued fuel duty freezes on (a0 supporting economic growth and (b) supply chain stability in the North West.

At Budget 2025, the Government announced continued support for people and businesses by extending the temporary 5p fuel duty cut until the end of August 2026. Rates will then gradually return to previous levels. The planned increase in line with inflation for 2026-27 will not take place, with the government uprating fuel duty rates by RPI from April 2027. This will save the average car driver £49 next year compared to previous plans. The Government considers the impact of fuel duty on the economy, including households and businesses, with decisions on rates made at fiscal events.

What recent assessment she has made of the condition and capacity of the road network linking the Port of Liverpool with the M57, M58 and M6 corridors; and whether additional funding is planned to support freight movement efficiency in the North West.

National Highways has considered the current performance and potential future needs of the A5036, M57, M58 and M6 corridor as part of its South Pennines Route Strategy. This is the principal evidence-gathering mechanism for the organisation to inform investment planning for future Road Investment Strategies. The interim reports were published in May 2023, and the final version of these reports will be published alongside the third Road Investment Strategy (RIS3) in March 2026.Funding allocated to National Highways through the RIS is the primary source for improvements to the strategic road network serving key international ports and gateways.

What assessment her Department made of the adequacy of the use of single unique identifiers for schools, in the context of the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill.

Provision in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill to introduce a single unique identifier (SUI) for children is based on extensive user research, including engagement with schools and education settings. Our 2023 report, ‘Improving multi-agency information sharing’, highlighted that while schools use identifiers such as the unique pupil number (UPN), these are not recognised across other agencies that process and share information relating to safeguarding and welfare, creating fragmentation and risk.To address this, the department began pilot activity in April 2025 to test the feasibility of using the NHS number as a consistent identifier within health and children’s social care. Future piloting will test this across wider safeguarding partners, including education. The intention is not to replace identifiers that are currently used in education, but to design how the SUI can work alongside existing identifiers to improve information sharing and strengthen safeguarding.

Whether her Department has issued guidance to police forces on the use of stop and search for weapons at hotels housing asylum seekers.

Code A of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) governs the use of stop and search powers. Guidance on the use of stop and search is also issued to forces by the College of Policing in its Authorised Professional Practice.The Home Office has issued no guidance to police forces specifically relating to the use of stop and search at hotels asylum seekers. Decisions on the deployment of stop and search powers are for chief constables and their officers, who have the appropriate operational expertise.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the increase to Employer's National Insurance Contributions on rape crisis centres.

This Government inherited a criminal justice system under immense pressure, and a black hole in the nation’s finances.  We have made difficult decisions to ensure we can deliver the justice victims deserve.This Government has protected the smallest businesses and charities by increasing the Employment Allowance to £10,500, meaning that 43% of employers will pay no National Insurance Contributions at all.I have protected dedicated VAWG victims spending in the department this year to ensure help is available to survivors of these awful crimes. This includes our ringfenced domestic abuse and sexual violence funding to all 42 Police and Crime Commissioners and our Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Fund, which reaches over 60 specialist rape victim support organisations. Grant recipients are best placed to understand their local communities and shape support to meet the need of victims in their area.To stay abreast of demand volumes and service user needs, we regularly monitor these grants, using management information to inform policy development and commissioning.Now that the department has its Spending Review settlement, we are in the process of allocating this budget to individual priorities, including victims funding. This will require difficult and carefully considered decisions to balance priorities within the Ministry of Justice.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure provisions in the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill maintain data protection requirements.

The department recognises its responsibility to ensure the highest standards of data privacy and transparency in respect of personal data, and we are ensuring that this is prioritised as the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill progresses.We are ensuring that measures outlined in the Bill align with data protection principles, as set out in the Data Protection Act 2018, UK General Data Protection Regulations (UK GDPR) and the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025.The department has met its obligation under Article 36(4) of UK GDPR to consult with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) on all measures involving the use of personal data. We continue to engage with the ICO for measures relating to the single unique identifier and the children not in school.The department is engaging with the ICO to ensure that data protection risks identified are properly mitigated and will publish summaries of the assessments once they are complete.

What consultation her Department undertook with parents of home educated children on the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill.

The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill includes a proposal for compulsory Children Not in School registers and an accompanying duty on parents to give information for these registers. The department consulted on this proposal as part of its ‘Children Not in School’ consultation, which ran between April and June 2019. The consultation received almost 5,000 responses, 74% of which were from parents and young people.

What steps he is taking to help ensure that rape support charities receive adequate funding.

This Government inherited a criminal justice system under immense pressure, and a black hole in the nation’s finances.  We have made difficult decisions to ensure we can deliver the justice victims deserve.This Government has protected the smallest businesses and charities by increasing the Employment Allowance to £10,500, meaning that 43% of employers will pay no National Insurance Contributions at all.I have protected dedicated VAWG victims spending in the department this year to ensure help is available to survivors of these awful crimes. This includes our ringfenced domestic abuse and sexual violence funding to all 42 Police and Crime Commissioners and our Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Fund, which reaches over 60 specialist rape victim support organisations. Grant recipients are best placed to understand their local communities and shape support to meet the need of victims in their area.To stay abreast of demand volumes and service user needs, we regularly monitor these grants, using management information to inform policy development and commissioning.Now that the department has its Spending Review settlement, we are in the process of allocating this budget to individual priorities, including victims funding. This will require difficult and carefully considered decisions to balance priorities within the Ministry of Justice.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of funding for rape crisis centres.

This Government inherited a criminal justice system under immense pressure, and a black hole in the nation’s finances.  We have made difficult decisions to ensure we can deliver the justice victims deserve.This Government has protected the smallest businesses and charities by increasing the Employment Allowance to £10,500, meaning that 43% of employers will pay no National Insurance Contributions at all.I have protected dedicated VAWG victims spending in the department this year to ensure help is available to survivors of these awful crimes. This includes our ringfenced domestic abuse and sexual violence funding to all 42 Police and Crime Commissioners and our Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Fund, which reaches over 60 specialist rape victim support organisations. Grant recipients are best placed to understand their local communities and shape support to meet the need of victims in their area.To stay abreast of demand volumes and service user needs, we regularly monitor these grants, using management information to inform policy development and commissioning.Now that the department has its Spending Review settlement, we are in the process of allocating this budget to individual priorities, including victims funding. This will require difficult and carefully considered decisions to balance priorities within the Ministry of Justice.

What plans he has to review the funding model for rape crisis centres.

This Government inherited a criminal justice system under immense pressure, and a black hole in the nation’s finances.  We have made difficult decisions to ensure we can deliver the justice victims deserve.This Government has protected the smallest businesses and charities by increasing the Employment Allowance to £10,500, meaning that 43% of employers will pay no National Insurance Contributions at all.I have protected dedicated VAWG victims spending in the department this year to ensure help is available to survivors of these awful crimes. This includes our ringfenced domestic abuse and sexual violence funding to all 42 Police and Crime Commissioners and our Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Fund, which reaches over 60 specialist rape victim support organisations. Grant recipients are best placed to understand their local communities and shape support to meet the need of victims in their area.To stay abreast of demand volumes and service user needs, we regularly monitor these grants, using management information to inform policy development and commissioning.Now that the department has its Spending Review settlement, we are in the process of allocating this budget to individual priorities, including victims funding. This will require difficult and carefully considered decisions to balance priorities within the Ministry of Justice.

If she will take steps to ensure that HMRC does not impose (a) penalties and (b) interest on (i) people and (ii) businesses who make inadvertent errors on their tax returns.

Financial penalties encourage taxpayers to comply with their obligations and act as a sanction for those who fail to comply. HMRC recognises that people may make inadvertent errors and does not charge a penalty provided the customer has not failed to take reasonable care in completing their return. If a penalty for an inaccuracy is charged by HMRC, a person can also appeal against our decision to impose a penalty. Interest is only applied to any outstanding liability. If a corrected error shows no outstanding amount, no interest will be charged.

Pursuant to the Answer of 7 July 2025 to Question 64393 on Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme: Coronavirus, what steps he is taking to improve the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme.

I would like to reiterate my profound and sincere sympathies to all those individuals who have experienced harm following vaccination, and to their families.The Department has been working with the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA), the administrators of the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS), to take steps to improve the scheme and process claims at a faster rate. Building on work to scale up and modernise operations through the digitisation of the claims process and increasing administrative staff working on the VDPS, the NHSBSA is engaging with healthcare providers to improve the return rate of medical records, essential to assessing claims, including through submitting subject access requests.In parallel, Ministers continue to actively consider a range of options for further reforming the VDPS.

What was the total civil service Equality, Diversity and Inclusion expenditure for the 2023-24 financial year.

The Cabinet Office does not routinely collect data on all expenditure of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. Delivery of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion falls within the responsibility of departments under the Civil Service Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Expenditure Guidance.In 2023/2024, the Civil Service conducted a one-off review of expenditure; the outcomes of the Civil Service Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Expenditure Review have been published in the CS EDI Expenditure Review Data.Since the Civil Service Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Expenditure Guidance published on 14 May 2024, the Cabinet Office routinely collects and publishes only external expenditure on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. The 2024/2025 external expenditure was published in the Civil Service 2024/2025 External Expenditure on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion on 30 May 2025.

What was the total civil service external expenditure on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in the 2024-25 financial year.

The Cabinet Office routinely collects and publishes the external expenditure on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion from departments under the Civil Service Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Expenditure Guidance, which was published on 14 May 2024. Before the guidance was published, combined internal and external expenditure was gathered as part of the one-off Civil Service Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Expenditure Review. The 2024/2025 external expenditure was published in the Civil Service 2024/2025 External Expenditure on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion on 30 May 2025.

What was the total civil service external expenditure on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in the 2023-24 financial year.

The Cabinet Office routinely collects and publishes the external expenditure on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion from departments under the Civil Service Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Expenditure Guidance, which was published on 14 May 2024. Before the guidance was published, combined internal and external expenditure was gathered as part of the one-off Civil Service Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Expenditure Review. The 2024/2025 external expenditure was published in the Civil Service 2024/2025 External Expenditure on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion on 30 May 2025.

What was the total civil service Equality, Diversity and Inclusion expenditure in the 2024-25 financial year.

The Cabinet Office does not routinely collect data on all expenditure of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. Delivery of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion falls within the responsibility of departments under the Civil Service Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Expenditure Guidance.In 2023/2024, the Civil Service conducted a one-off review of expenditure; the outcomes of the Civil Service Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Expenditure Review have been published in the CS EDI Expenditure Review Data.Since the Civil Service Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Expenditure Guidance published on 14 May 2024, the Cabinet Office routinely collects and publishes only external expenditure on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. The 2024/2025 external expenditure was published in the Civil Service 2024/2025 External Expenditure on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion on 30 May 2025.

Innovation and Technology, whether the Information Commissioner's Office made a comparative estimate of the cost of office space in (a) Wilmslow and (b) Manchester before deciding to relocate.

On completion of the Property Control Approval Request (PCAR) process, the Circle Square Manchester option was lowest in cost on a lifecycle basis across the 10 years. As part of this approval process the Cabinet Office assesses any proposed lease of office space against value for money, efficiency, sustainability and increasing professional skills and expertise. We cannot for reasons of commercial confidentiality reveal real estate costs without the agreement of the landlords but can assure the Right Honourable Member that, in order to gain approval, the relocation represents value for money.The ICO’s decision to relocate was approved by the Cabinet Office under existing delegated authorities from Cabinet Office Ministers. This enables National Property Controls to provide a cross-department, objective perspective to property transactions to check alignment with the Government Property Strategy and ensure financial and space efficiency.In response to your question regarding working from home, the ICO offer hybrid working in support of their commitment to attract the best talent, enabling their staff to work where they are most productive, including at one of their five office locations in the UK.

If she will make it her policy to collect DNA samples from of all immigrants who enter the country illegally.

Biometrics, in the form of fingerprints and facial images, underpin the UK Immigration system to support identity assurance and suitability checks on foreign nationals who are subject to immigration control.DNA does not form part of our biometric collection