Written questions by Hollinrake.

Pursuant to the Answer of 21 January 2026 to Question 105915 on Katie Martin, for what reason she is unpaid; and how many and what proportion of (a) female and (b) male advisers to her Department are unpaid.

Katie Martin is a Business Adviser to the Chancellor, appointed as a Direct Ministerial Appointment. Direct Ministerial Appointments are generally unpaid, reflecting their part-time, advisory nature. HM Treasury currently has nine unpaid Direct Ministerial Appointments: three are held by women and six by men (37.5% and 62.5% respectively). HM Treasury also has two paid Direct Ministerial Appointments, one held by a woman and one held by a man.

With reference to the Memorandum of Understanding: accessing HMRC information to assist honours committees in making recommendations about awarding honours to individuals, between Cabinet Office and HMRC, what were the conclusions of the review that took place on 12 June 2025.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) agreed between HMRC and the Cabinet Office on 19 October 2023 sets out the arrangements under which HMRC may disclose information to support the honours process. A review of the operation of the MoU took place on 29 November 2024 as part of routine governance activity. The review concluded that the arrangements continued to operate as intended and it did not result in any material changes. As the arrangements were unchanged, no further review was carried out on 12 June 2025. The MoU remains in force until 12 June 2027. Any future updates would be reflected in a revised agreement when agreed and published.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many Notes Verbale have been issued to foreign governments and supranational organisations since 4 July 2024.

The requested information is held on a number of different systems across the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, and could only be collated for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential cumulative impact of changes to (a) the Minimum Wage, (b) employer National Insurance, (c) Business Rates and (d) lack of uprating to VAT thresholds on micro-businesses in the hospitality sector since July 2024.

The Government recognises the important contribution that micro-businesses in the hospitality sector make to local communities, the high street and the wider economy. The potential impacts of changes on this sector are carefully considered as part of policy development. The Government considers the impact of tax measures on these businesses. Where changes are made, relevant impact notes and assessments are published at fiscal events and otherwise as necessary, in line with the Government’s usual practice. The Treasury also engages regularly with the hospitality sector. To protect the smallest businesses from changes to employer National Insurance Contributions (NICs) made at Autumn Budget 2024, the Government increased the Employment Allowance from £5,000 to £10,500. This means that this year, 865,000 employers will pay no NICs at all, and more than half of all employers will either gain or will see no change. The Government is also supporting small businesses to grow. At Budget, the Government announced the extension of Small Business Rates Relief (SBRR) so that businesses opening second premises can retain their SBRR for three years, tripling the current allowance. The Government continues to provide targeted support to the hospitality sector through the tax system and other policies and keeps all areas of the tax system under review, with future decisions taken at fiscal events under the normal process.

Which financial institutions does the British Business Bank use for its (a) corporate banking and (b) staff pension fund.

The financial institution that provides British Business Bank plc with corporate banking services is NatWest. Bank accounts are held within the Government Banking Service.The British Business Bank’s workplace pension scheme is provided through Aegon.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether Lord Mandelson used a non-corporate email address for government business whilst Ambassador.to the United States.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 27 February in response to Question 110419.

Whether equality, diversity and inclusion requirements have been included in the Clean Energy Jobs Plan.

Equality, diversity and inclusion are integral to the Clean Energy Jobs Plan. The government is working with trade unions and industry to ensure clean energy jobs are well paid, safe, and accessible to all. An industry-led Social Inclusion Forum chaired by EU Skills with support from POWERful Women and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, with representatives from across the sector, has been created to coordinate social inclusion initiatives and improve working culture.

With reference to page 91 of his Department’s Annual Report and Accounts 2024-25, published on 15 September 2025, HC 1274, when he approved the expenditure on trade union activities from facility time; what the nature is of the transformation work; and what trade union activities were funded in 2024-25.

Transformation work is primarily focused on reshaping the department to ensure we are on track to meet our Mission priorities and capitalising on digital opportunities to maximise efficiency. The specific nature of trade union activity is managed and recorded locally, with time spent recorded centrally on an annual basis.

Whether his Department has issued guidance on whether Ministers on official overseas visits are required to declare visits to external commercial organisations.

Guidance on the declaration of ministers' overseas travel and meetings can be found on GOV.UK at the following address: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministers-overseas-travel-and-meetings-publication-guidance/ministers-overseas-travel-and-meetings-publication-guidance.

Pursuant to the Answer of 28 January 2026 to Question 106743 on DBT: Public Appointments, who declared political activity; and what the political activity was in each case.

The following six Direct Ministerial Appointees declared political activity:1. Nita Clarke - Departmental Board - (Labour Party)2. Paul Lindley OBE - Board of Trade Advisers (Labour Party)3. Mike Soutar - Board of Trade Advisers (Labour Party)4. Kate Bell - Industrial Strategy Advisory Council (Labour Party)5. Greg Clark - Industrial Strategy Advisory Council (Conservative Party)6. Roy Rickhuss - Industrial Strategy Advisory Council (Labour Party)

Pursuant to the Answer of 9 February 2026 to Question 110416 on Government Departments: Publicity, whether there are plans for (a) HM Treasury or (b) HMRC to remove the HM reference in its public branding.

There are no plans for either HM Treasury or HMRC to remove the “HM” reference from their public branding.

Pursuant to the Answer of 30 January 2026 to Question 107375 on Public Appointments Commissioner: Correspondence, whether Nita Clarke made a declaration of political activity.

Nika Clarke OBE declared political activity for the Labour Party. This was declared at the time of announcement in line with Appointments guidance.

What the name is of his Department's Freedom of Information casework database.

The Cabinet Office uses Fivium's e-Case for the management of Freedom of Information requests made to the department.

Pursuant to the Answer of 27 November 2025 to Question 92263 on Low Alcohol Drinks: Children, if he will cite the sources and titles of the evidence.

The effect of the growing no and low alcohol products market on alcohol consumption and public health is still emerging. The World Health Organization’s 2023 report A Public Health Perspective on zero-and low alcohol beverages consolidated the available scientific evidence, but the evidence base continues to grow and there have been several academic studies published since. The World Health Organization’s report is available at the following link:https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240072152There are also several academic studies underway investigating the effects of no and low alcohol beverages (NoLo), including a National Institute for Health and Care Research funded No/Lo Project, titled Evaluating and responding to the public health impact of no and low alcohol drinks: A multi-method study of a complex intervention in a complex system, which is being conducted by the University of Sheffield. The researchers will, as part of the wider research, ask different groups, including young people, about their experiences with NoLo drinks. Further information on the study is available at the following link:https://sarg-sheffield.ac.uk/projects/no-lo-project/The Department will continue to monitor the emerging evidence from these and other studies about the impact of NoLo products on children and young people.

Pursuant to the answer of 4 November 2025 to Question 85189 on National Wealth Fund: Workplace Pensions, and with reference to page 19 of the UK Infrastructure Bank's document entitled Framework document, published on 9 January 2024, whether the Civil Service Pay guidance applies to the National Wealth Fund; and whether the Chief Secretary to the Treasury’s pay controls apply to the body.

National Wealth Fund employees are subject to the Civil Service Pay guidance, including pay controls.

Pursuant to the Answer of 23 January 2025 to Question 105926 on National Energy System Operator: Workplace Pensions, what the name is of the defined contribution pension scheme operated by Legal and General; and what information his Department holds on the type of investments, including overseas equities, it makes.

National Energy System Operator (NESO) is an operationally independent public body and manages their own pension arrangements. The Department does not hold detailed information on NESO’s defined contribution pension scheme. There is some information available publicly in NESO’s latest annual report and accounts.

What data the Financial Conduct Authority holds on the number of Covid Business Interruption claims that were reopened or reassessed by insurers following post-Test Case court judgments.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), as the independent regulator for financial services, sets the conduct standards required of insurance firms. The FCA has made clear its expectation that insurers carefully consider how new legal rulings affect claims they have already decided. It is for the FCA to supervise firms and, if necessary, take action against those that do not comply with its rules. The FCA has robust powers to take action where it deems appropriate. The FCA’s 23 January letter (available online at: https://www.fca.org.uk/publication/correspondence/fca-response-insurance-open-letter.pdf) stated that the FCA stopped publishing business interruption claims data in March 2023. Questions about data held by the FCA can be addressed directly to the FCA.

Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 11 February 2026 to Question 110421 on Ofcom: Public Appointments, for what reason the competition was extended.

The window for applications was extended in order to ensure that the competition attracted a strong and diverse field of candidates and to maximise the number of high‑quality applications for the role.

How many (a) Valuation Office Agency and (b) HMRC staff by FTE are assigned to equality, diversity and inclusion roles.

(a) The Valuation Office Agency has 1 Full‑Time Equivalent staff assigned to equality, diversity and inclusion roles. (b) HMRC has 23.95 Full‑Time Equivalent staff assigned to equality, diversity and inclusion roles. Note: This reflects the PQ’s requirement for FTE only.

Whether the Government plans to introduce income-based pricing of regulated (a) utilities and (b) merit goods.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) has no plans to introduce universal income-based pricing for all regulated utilities or merit goods.Across both regulated utilities and merit goods, the Government aims to enhance fairness, reduce inequality, and improve affordability while maintaining service quality, financial sustainability, and investor confidence.