Written questions by Clifton-Brown.

Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has issued guidance to Lead Local Flood Authorities on the application of Section 245 of the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 when assessing Flood Risk Assessments accompanying planning applications.

Awaiting answer.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure public authorities are aware of and comply with Section 245 of the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023.

The Government has published guidance on the Protected Landscapes duty to ensure public bodies operating in these areas deliver better environmental outcomes working together with Protected Landscape organisations, and will consider what further support this Government can offer to ensure the duty is appropriately applied.

How many people diagnosed with SOD 1 MND are currently unable to access tofersen.

Companies may put in place Early Access Programmes (EAPs) to allow early access to new medicines which have been licensed by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, but which do not yet have National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance. Participation in such programmes is decided at an individual National Health Service trust level. The manufacturer of tofersen, Biogen, has established an EAP for people diagnosed with SOD1 amyotrophic lateral sclerosis who meet the inclusion and exclusion criteria set out by the company.Under EAPs, the cost of the drug is free both to patients taking part in it and to the NHS, although NHS trusts must still cover the costs of administering the medicine. NHS England does not therefore have any involvement in directing EAP enrolment by trusts and the Department has no plans to issue any national direction to trusts to participate in such programmes.Many NHS hospitals have been able to identify the extra staff and resources needed to take part in the EAP and safely provide tofersen to as many eligible patients as possible. Neither NHS England nor the Department holds any data on the number of NHS trusts or patients accessing tofersen through the company led EAP.

What steps the Government is taking to help ensure tofersen can be administered to MND patients under the early access programme.

Companies may put in place Early Access Programmes (EAPs) to allow early access to new medicines which have been licensed by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, but which do not yet have National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance. Participation in such programmes is decided at an individual National Health Service trust level. The manufacturer of tofersen, Biogen, has established an EAP for people diagnosed with SOD1 amyotrophic lateral sclerosis who meet the inclusion and exclusion criteria set out by the company.Under EAPs, the cost of the drug is free both to patients taking part in it and to the NHS, although NHS trusts must still cover the costs of administering the medicine. NHS England does not therefore have any involvement in directing EAP enrolment by trusts and the Department has no plans to issue any national direction to trusts to participate in such programmes.Many NHS hospitals have been able to identify the extra staff and resources needed to take part in the EAP and safely provide tofersen to as many eligible patients as possible. Neither NHS England nor the Department holds any data on the number of NHS trusts or patients accessing tofersen through the company led EAP.

Whether the Treasury has reviewed its 2020 forecast of the fiscal impact of extending the VAT RES to EU residents.

The OBR’s estimate is that the withdrawal of the VAT Retail Export Scheme will save the Exchequer around £540 million per year by 2025-26. The Government has also noted recent external data, which shows that tourism numbers and spending for the UK has recovered at a similar rate following the pandemic to other European economies that offer tax-free shopping The Government has carefully considered external analysis estimating that a new tax-free shopping scheme would generate more revenue than cost for the Exchequer, as well as supporting data from a wide range of business stakeholders across the UK. However, these do not provide sufficient evidence that a new tax-free shopping scheme would have greater benefits to the UK than costs. The Government therefore has no plans to introduce a new tax-free shopping scheme in Great Britain.

Whether the OBR has reviewed the Treasury’s 2020 forecast of the fiscal impact of extending the VAT RES to EU residents.

The OBR’s estimate is that the withdrawal of the VAT Retail Export Scheme will save the Exchequer around £540 million per year by 2025-26. The Government has also noted recent external data, which shows that tourism numbers and spending for the UK has recovered at a similar rate following the pandemic to other European economies that offer tax-free shopping The Government has carefully considered external analysis estimating that a new tax-free shopping scheme would generate more revenue than cost for the Exchequer, as well as supporting data from a wide range of business stakeholders across the UK. However, these do not provide sufficient evidence that a new tax-free shopping scheme would have greater benefits to the UK than costs. The Government therefore has no plans to introduce a new tax-free shopping scheme in Great Britain.

Representing the House of Commons Commission, what the budget is for Strategic Estates in the next financial year.

The Commission expects to consider the Administration’s Estimate for 2026/27 in February 2026, which will include the final budget for Strategic Estates.In 2025/26 the Strategic Estates budget is £104m resource and £201.2m capital. This is a bicameral budget and House of Commons share is £79.3m resource and £171.6 capital.

Representing the Restoration and Renewal Client Board, what the budget is for the restoration and renewal of the parliamentary estate in the next financial year.

The funding for work related to Restoration and Renewal comes from several budgets.The majority of R&R funding is provided through the R&R Delivery Authority’s Main Estimate which is subject to various stages of parliamentary scrutiny and approval. The funding approval process is partly set out in the Parliamentary Buildings (Restoration and Renewal) Act 2019. The House Commissions are required to set a limit on how much the Delivery Authority can spend in phase one of the programme (the phase before Parliament has approved the scheme and full funding for the works). The Parliamentary Works Estimates Commission is required under the Act to review the Estimate and consult HM Treasury and is responsible for laying the Estimate before the House of Commons. Prior to this, the Estimate is also scrutinised by the R&R Client Team and House finance teams, R&R Delivery Authority Board, R&R Programme Board and the R&R Client Board.The budget for the R&R Delivery Authority for the next financial year (2026–27) is scheduled to be considered by the Client Board on 2 March 2026 as it progresses through the agreed governance approval stages.The budgets for the R&R Client Team, Strategic Estates and the House of Lords R&R Team for the next financial year are contained within the wider House Administration Estimates and are formally scrutinised by the House Commissions, as advised by their respective finance committees. These budgets are also progressing through their approval stages.In the current financial year (2025–26), the agreed budget for the R&R Delivery Authority is £53.2 million, £7.7m for the R&R Client Team, £0.4m for the House of Lords R&R Team, and £13m for Strategic Estates’ costs of developing the enhanced maintenance and improvement (EMI) option.

Representing the House of Commons Commission, what the total cost was of the new security arrangements at carriage gates; how many tenders were received for those works; and what the sign-off procedure was.

The total cost of the New Palace Yard works is expected to be £62million and includes security works, significant ground-work and heritage works. Of this, the main construction works contracts were worth £42.6million.The main works contract was tendered as a two-stage tender, under the Southern Construction Framework. BAM were awarded the main construction works contract for each of the two stages.Three competitive tenders were received for the first stage and the second stage of the tender was a direct award to the contractor successful at the first stage (BAM) as set out in the first stage tender documents. Evaluation was conducted in accordance with procurement regulations.The tender award report for the second stage was prepared by the Commercial Lead and approved by the Director of Procurement, the Managing Director of Strategic Estates, HOC Finance Director and Clerk of the House, and the HOL Director of Finance, Director of Estates and Facilities and the Clerk of the Parliaments, in accordance with Parliament’s Finance Regulations, during the period June to July 2022.The updated Business Case for the New Palace Yard works was also considered by the Commons Finance Committee in February 2023, prior to Accounting Officer approval to award BAM the contract for the second stage.A briefing note on the New Palace Yard project was published by the Finance Committee in December 2025.

Food and Rural Affairs, what information his Department holds on the number of brown hares shot in England between February and October each year.

Defra holds no official statistics on the number of brown hares shot in England between February and October each year. We are however aware of a number of estimates made by stakeholder groups which range markedly from the low tens of thousands to the low hundreds of thousands.

What data on the performance of firearms licensing departments her Department has received in each of the last three years.

The issuing of firearms certificates and the efficiency of police forces is a matter for individual Chief Officers of Police and they are held to account by Police and Crime Commissioners.However, the performance of forces is actively being monitored by the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for firearms licensing, Deputy Chief Constable David Gardner, and he is developing a new performance framework for firearms licensing teams, which it is intended will be published soon, to provide greater transparency on application turnaround times.

How many times the Home Office Firearms Fees Working Group met in 2022 and 2023; what conclusions it reached on firearms licensing fees; and if she will publish its report.

On 5 February 2025, increased fees came into effect to provide full-cost recovery for firearms licensing applications processed by police forces. This gave effect to a commitment in the Government’s manifesto. The fees had not been increased since 2015 and they no longer met the cost of the service provided. It is essential for both public safety and police efficiency that the fees were increased to provide full-cost recovery so that service improvements can be made.A review of firearms licensing fees was started in 2022 under the previous Government, and was informed by a Firearms Fees Working Group, chaired by the Home Office and including representation from the National Police Chiefs’ Council, the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, the Scottish Government, the Countryside Alliance and national representative shooting organisations.The Working Group met in person on 7 April 2022 and again on 3 May 2023. There were also communications between Working Group members on the development of the fee proposals in this period in addition to the meetings. As part of the review, data was collected on firearms licensing costs in 31 police forces in January 2023, and this data was discussed by the Working Group. The previous Government reached no final conclusions before the General Election was called.The new full-cost recovery fees introduced by this Government are based on the 2023 data, updated to reflect increases in costs since then. A full impact assessment, which shows how the data was used to calculate the fees, was published alongside the relevant statutory instrument.

Innovation and Technology, if he will make an assessment of potential levels of (a) financial and (b) carbon savings from (i) estate and (ii) digital budgets through consolidation of disparate legacy IT systems located at (A) fewer, (B) more energy efficient and (C) AI-enabled data centres.

Government is looking to understand what Legacy IT systems it currently has, and how to best prioritise and mitigate the risks they carry. By their nature, Legacy IT often underpins complex and critical services that have unique requirements, informing how they need to be treated.The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) has recently published the AI Opportunities Action Plan and A blueprint for modern digital government. This describes how the Government will work across Government and the wider public sector to ensure digital services - including legacy IT - are delivered efficiently and take advantage of AI.

Whether her Department holds information on the proportion of general practitioners who place medical markers on the medical notes of patients who are firearms certificate holders.

The Statutory Guidance for Chief Officers of Police on firearms licensing sets out clearly the different factors that police forces must consider when deciding whether someone is suitable to have a firearms licence. The Statutory Guidance requires that medical information is supplied by the applicant before a firearms licence can be granted by a police force.The firearms licensing system is supported by the placing of a firearms marker by the GP on the medical records of those who hold a firearms licence. As part of the medical arrangements for firearms licensing, GPs are asked to place a marker on the medical records of those who hold a firearms licence and guidance is issued by the British Medical Association to support doctors in using the marker. The marker prompts the GP to alert the police if the licence holder begins to suffer from a relevant medical condition.Since 2023, a digital firearms marker has been available to all GP surgeries in England to use with a person’s medical record and replaces the previous marker. The Home Office is working with the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England to put measures in place to monitor the use of the digital marker to ensure that it is operating as intended.

Whether it is her policy that firearms certificate holders should have a marker placed on their medical notes.

The Statutory Guidance for Chief Officers of Police on firearms licensing sets out clearly the different factors that police forces must consider when deciding whether someone is suitable to have a firearms licence. The Statutory Guidance requires that medical information is supplied by the applicant before a firearms licence can be granted by a police force.The firearms licensing system is supported by the placing of a firearms marker by the GP on the medical records of those who hold a firearms licence. As part of the medical arrangements for firearms licensing, GPs are asked to place a marker on the medical records of those who hold a firearms licence and guidance is issued by the British Medical Association to support doctors in using the marker. The marker prompts the GP to alert the police if the licence holder begins to suffer from a relevant medical condition.Since 2023, a digital firearms marker has been available to all GP surgeries in England to use with a person’s medical record and replaces the previous marker. The Home Office is working with the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England to put measures in place to monitor the use of the digital marker to ensure that it is operating as intended.

For what reason she is not making placing of a marker on the medical notes of firearms certificate holders mandatory for general practitioners.

The Statutory Guidance for Chief Officers of Police on firearms licensing sets out clearly the different factors that police forces must consider when deciding whether someone is suitable to have a firearms licence. The Statutory Guidance requires that medical information is supplied by the applicant before a firearms licence can be granted by a police force.The firearms licensing system is supported by the placing of a firearms marker by the GP on the medical records of those who hold a firearms licence. As part of the medical arrangements for firearms licensing, GPs are asked to place a marker on the medical records of those who hold a firearms licence and guidance is issued by the British Medical Association to support doctors in using the marker. The marker prompts the GP to alert the police if the licence holder begins to suffer from a relevant medical condition.Since 2023, a digital firearms marker has been available to all GP surgeries in England to use with a person’s medical record and replaces the previous marker. The Home Office is working with the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England to put measures in place to monitor the use of the digital marker to ensure that it is operating as intended.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of applying a 10p increase in the business rate multiplier for all hereditaments in Greater London with a rateable value of £500,000 or more on business rate income in (a) the City of London and (b) each of the London boroughs in the (i) 2023-24, (ii) 2024-25 and (iii) 2025-26 financial year.

The Government will confirm the rates for the new multipliers at Budget 2025, taking account of the outcomes of the 2026 revaluation as well as the broader economic and fiscal context.Tax policy and legislation is not subject to the Better Regulation Framework Guidance which requires an Impact Assessment to accompany policy decisions.  Nevertheless, when the new multipliers are set at Budget 2025 – to take effect in the 2026-27 billing year – HM Treasury intends to publish analysis of the effects of the new multiplier arrangements.

How many hereditaments are used for (a) distribution and (b) warehousing by Amazon in England and have a rateable value of £499,999 or below.

Due to legislation protecting taxpayer confidentiality, I am unable to disclose information about individual ratepayers or properties. The Non Domestic Rating Lists are publicly available to view and can be searched by postcode and Special Category Code. The Valuation Office Agency also publishes statistics on the Non Domestic Rating Stock of Properties on gov.uk.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of applying a 10p increase in the business rate multiplier for all hereditaments in England with a rateable value of £500,000 or more on business rate income in the (a) 2023-24, (b) 2024-25 and (c) 2025-26 financial year.

The Government will confirm the rates for the new multipliers at Budget 2025, taking account of the outcomes of the 2026 revaluation as well as the broader economic and fiscal context.Tax policy and legislation is not subject to the Better Regulation Framework Guidance which requires an Impact Assessment to accompany policy decisions.  Nevertheless, when the new multipliers are set at Budget 2025 – to take effect in the 2026-27 billing year – HM Treasury intends to publish analysis of the effects of the new multiplier arrangements.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of reducing the business rate multiplier by 20p for all hereditaments in England used for retail, hospitality and leisure with a rateable value of (a) under £51,000 and (b) £51,000 to £499,999 on business rate income (i) including and (ii) excluding the (A) existing and (B) planned Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Business Rates Relief scheme in the (1) 2023-24, (2) 2024-25 and (3) 2025-26 financial year.

The Government will confirm the rates for the new multipliers at Budget 2025, taking account of the outcomes of the 2026 revaluation as well as the broader economic and fiscal context. Tax policy and legislation is not subject to the Better Regulation Framework Guidance which requires an Impact Assessment to accompany policy decisions. Nevertheless, when the new multipliers are set at Budget 2025 – to take effect in the 2026-27 billing year – HM Treasury intends to publish analysis of the effects of the new multiplier arrangements.