Written questions by Hollinrake.

Communities and Local Government, When he plans to respond to the letter of 16 September 2025 from the hon. Member for Thirsk and Malton on Tower Hamlets and community assets.

A response was sent to the hon. Member on 4 December 2025.

Food and Rural Affairs, what is the (a) percentage and (b) cash terms increase in the average household water bills, including waste water, of a dwelling in the Thames Water area, in each year from 2025 onwards, for those not on a social tariff, over each year of the regulated period, according to information held by (i) his department and (ii) Ofwat.

This information is available on Ofwat’s website.

Pursuant to the answer of 20 October 2025, to Question 80915, on Women: Politics and Government, what plans she has to consult political parties on implementation of Section 106 of the Equality Act 2010.

The Government is committed to commencing Section 106 of the Equality Act 2010, requiring registered political parties to publish anonymised data relating to the diversity of their candidate selections.Office for Equality and Opportunity officials are currently exploring when and how to commence the provision under Section 106, including the specifics with regards to data collection. Officials will consult with stakeholders, including political parties, in due course.

With reference to the publication Updating labelling guidance for no and low-alcohol alternatives, published on 28 September 2023, and pursuant to the Answer of 31 March 2025, to Question 41063, on Low Alcohol Drinks: Labelling and Marketing, whether the Government intends to publish a response to the 2023 consultation.

In Fit for the Future: 10-Year Health Plan for England, the Government has committed to exploring whether to raise the upper alcohol limit for drinks labelled as alcohol-free to 0.5% alcohol by volume (ABV) from 0.05% ABV, as set out in the current labelling guidance for no and low (NoLo) alcohol drink alternatives. Department officials are progressing work to take forward this commitment, and we will update stakeholders in due course. The consultation referred to was undertaken by the previous administration. A decision on publishing a response will be made as part of determining the delivery timescales of the NoLo commitments in the 10-Year Health Plan.

Food and Rural Affairs, Further to the DEFRA 2024-25 annual report and accounts, HC 1388, 12 November 2025, p.140, what was the title of the staff member who received the exit package of £300,000 to £350,000; what was the public body; on what date it was approved by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury; and what was the business case for the level of the exit payment.

The exit package relates to Flood Re. Flood Re is a company limited by guarantee. It does not receive any grant funding from the Government. As such, no Government funding has been spent on exit packages at Flood Re.

Whether she has considered introducing tax incentives for pubs that promote UK spirits producers.

Alcohol duty is charged at the point of production or importation of drinks, and is therefore not generally paid directly by pubs. Further, the United Kingdon has an international obligation under WTO rules to treat imported and domestic products fairly. A duty-based tax incentive that applied only to domestic spirits producers is likely to be inconsistent with these legal obligations. To support spirits producers, the Government has:agreed a trade deal with India which will reduce tariffs on gin and whisky exports from 150% to 75% initially, and then 40% over time;ended the alcohol duty stamps scheme on 1 May 2025, reducing the administrative burden on spirit producers and importers, including Scotch Whisky distilleries;invested £5m in the Spirits Drink Verification Scheme (SDVS) to enable HMRC to cut the fees it charges producers for its verification service. Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. Details of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the increase in employer National Insurance contributions on pubs with significant spirits sales.

The government published a Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) which set out the impact of the changes, including for businesses, to employer NICs alongside the introduction of the Bill. The Government decided to protect the smallest businesses from these changes by increasing 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. It means employers will be able to employ up to four full-time workers on the National Living Wage without paying employer NICs.  Businesses will still be able to claim employer NICs reliefs including those for under-21s and under-25 apprentices. At Budget 2025, the government asked licensing authorities in England and Wales to explicitly consider the need to promote growth and deliver economic benefits in their decisions and set this out in the first National Licensing Policy Framework.

What recent estimate her Department has made of the average spirits duty paid annually by a typical community pub.

HMRC does not hold data on alcohol duty paid on alcohol sold in pubs. Alcohol duty is paid at the point of production or import and would not generally be paid directly by pubs.

What recent discussions she has had with representatives of the drinks industry about the potential impact of spirits taxation on pub profitability.

Alcohol duty is charged at the point of production or importation of drinks, and is therefore not generally paid directly by pubs. Further, the United Kingdon has an international obligation under WTO rules to treat imported and domestic products fairly. A duty-based tax incentive that applied only to domestic spirits producers is likely to be inconsistent with these legal obligations. To support spirits producers, the Government has:agreed a trade deal with India which will reduce tariffs on gin and whisky exports from 150% to 75% initially, and then 40% over time;ended the alcohol duty stamps scheme on 1 May 2025, reducing the administrative burden on spirit producers and importers, including Scotch Whisky distilleries;invested £5m in the Spirits Drink Verification Scheme (SDVS) to enable HMRC to cut the fees it charges producers for its verification service. Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. Details of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel

With reference to her Oral Statement of 19 November 2025 on China Espionage: Government Security Response, Official Report, column 614, if she will set out the proposed changes to the maximum penalties for election interference offences.

Foreign interference in British politics is a growing danger to our democracy, and it is imperative that we tackle this problem.The changes announced in our Elections Strategy will keep our elections secure by boosting transparency and accountability in politics, closing down loopholes for foreign funding, and significantly increasing penalties by giving the Electoral Commission the power to impose fines up to £500,000 per offence.

Under what terms was Katie Martin appointed.

Katie Martin was appointed as a special adviser to the Chancellor on 5th July 2024. She has now resigned from that position, with her employment formally ending on 17th December 2025. From January 2026, she will become Business Adviser to the Chanceller. Details of that appointment will be made public in due course.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, Further to Foreign Affairs Committee, Oral evidence: Work of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, HC 385, 3 November 2025, Q262, if he will list the mitigations used to avoid conflicts of interest on Lord Mandelson’s shareholding in Global Counsel.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 11 June 2025 to Question 57229. A copy of the standard Conflict of Interest Declaration Form will be deposited in the Library.

Pursuant to the answer of 17 November 2025, to Question 89478, on Chinese Embassy: Planning Permission, if she will list each date that she has met representatives of the Chinese Government.

As stated in my previous answer, the Chancellor has engaged with the Chinese Government on a number of occasions to discuss economic and financial issues. Data on ministers' overseas travel and meetings with external individuals and organisations is published every quarter. This can be found here and here.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, Further to Foreign Affairs Committee, Oral evidence: Work of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, HC 385, 3 November 2025, Q258, if he will place a copy of the standard conflict of interest form, and associated guidance, in the Library.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 11 June 2025 to Question 57229. A copy of the standard Conflict of Interest Declaration Form will be deposited in the Library.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to Question 347 to 349 of Foreign Affairs Committee, Oral evidence: Work of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, HC 385, 3 November 2025, if he will place (a) a readout and (b) the minutes of the discussions between the Permanent Under-Secretary and the Chinese Government on the proposed Chinese Embassy in London in the Library.

The planning application has been called in by the Secretary of State for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) who will make this decision independently in a quasi-judicial capacity. Consistent with long-standing policy, the Government does not routinely publish details of meetings between officials and external organisations.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent progress his Department has made on the proposed (a) Embassy and (b) residence redevelopment in Beijing, and whether formal state consents are still needed.

I refer the Hon. Member to the response to Question 22931 on 16 January.

Media and Sport, further to Foreign Affairs Committee, Oral evidence: Work of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, HC 385, 3 November 2025, Q282, if she will place the National Archives documentation on the meeting with Jeffery Epstein in the Library of the House.

The records cited in the Foreign Affairs Committee’s oral evidence session on the Work of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (HC 385, 3 November 2025, Q282) can be viewed at The National Archives under references PREM 49/3326 and PREM 49/2771.Additionally, a copy of PREM 49/3326 is available digitally on The National Archives’ website.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, further to Foreign Affairs Committee, Oral evidence: Work of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, HC 385, 3 November 2025, Q261, whether Lord Mandelson was asked to sell his shareholding in Global Counsel, or place the shareholding in a blind trust.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 11 June 2025 to Question 57229. A copy of the standard Conflict of Interest Declaration Form will be deposited in the Library.

Whether the Treasury has approved a severance payment for Lord Mandelson.

The termination of Lord Mandelson’s contract was subject to normal HR processes within the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). Where appropriate, severance payments for FCDO employees are reported in the departmental annual reports and accounts.

Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the current operational status of the IPSO Arbitration Scheme, including whether arbitrators are presently being appointed to claims, and what evaluation she has made of the implications of any such delays for the public’s ability to access timely and effective redress.

The UK has a self-regulatory system for the press, which is independent from Government. This is vital to ensure the public has access to accurate and trustworthy information from a range of different sources. The Government therefore does not intervene in or evaluate the work of IPSO.However, under Section 179 of the Data Protection Act every three years the Secretary of State must lay before Parliament a report on the use and effectiveness of alternative dispute resolution procedures, such as arbitration, in cases involving a failure or alleged failure by relevant media organisations to comply with data protection legislation. The most recent report was presented to Parliament in May 2024 and was carried independently of DCMS by David Rossington, as the Independent Reviewer. The report is published on the Gov.uk website: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67d2ded5fb8db2176d5e97d0/Formatted_240312_SECOND_REPORT_UNDER_SECTION_179_OF_THE_DATA_PROTECTION_ACT_v3__FINAL__accessible.pdf.