Written questions by Hollinrake.

What data her Department holds on the revenue from stamp duty land tax on primary homes in the last financial year for which figures are available by (a) local authority and (b) Parliamentary constituency.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) does not collect data via the Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) return on whether a residential property will serve as a primary residence. However, the Higher Rates for Additional Dwellings (HRAD) apply when an individual acquires a residential property while already owning another piece of residential property anywhere in the world. SDLT paid on homes which did not pay HRAD on a local authority basis can be calculated using Table 7b and on a Parliamentary constituency basis using Table 8b of the UK Stamp Tax statistics publication available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/uk-stamp-tax-statistics In both cases, SDLT paid on homes which did not pay HRAD is calculated by subtracting HRAD receipts from Residential receipts. Please note that the statistics publication covers the temporary thresholds period ending 1 April 2025 so the HRAD share may be higher than usual.

Whether he has considered (a) banning vaping in pubs, (b) banning 16 and 17 year olds from buying zero alcohol drinks in pubs and (c) raising the drink drive limit to support the economic viability of pubs.

The Department for Business and Trade is not responsible for bans on vaping in pubs, restrictions on zero-alcohol drinks for 16–17-year-olds, or changes to drink-drive limits. These matters fall under the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and the Department for Transport DHSC advises that while vapes are less harmful than smoking, they are not risk-free and plans to consult on making most indoor settings vape-free. Many pubs already prohibit vaping voluntarily. In Fit for the Future: 10 Year Health Plan for England, the Government committed to explore prohibiting sales of no- and low-alcohol drinks to under-18s including prohibiting sales to individuals under the age of 18 years old. This policy is being pursued as these alcohol substitute drinks are intended for consumption by adults. DHSC Officials are scoping details and will update stakeholders in due course.This Government takes road safety seriously. We are committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. In 2023 there were 1,624 people killed on GB roads. There were an estimated 260 people killed in collisions involving drink driving, accounting for 16% of total fatalities in 2023. Given the significant casualties caused by drink driving, we have no plans to increase the drink drive limit.

What guidance (a) her Department and (b) the Financial Conduct Authority has given to financial institutions on the anti-money laundering checks on (i) UK domestic Politically Exposed Persons and (ii) their spouses or partners when purchasing a house to determine the true source of (A) deposits and (B) equity.

Guidance for financial institutions on the treatment of Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs) is published by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and can be found here: FG25/3: Treatment of politically exposed persons | FCA The guidance was updated in July 2025, including to clarify that unless other enhanced risk factors are present, UK PEPs and their relatives must be subject to a lower level of enhanced due diligence than overseas PEPs.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 20 October 2025 to Question HL10734 on USA: Diplomatic Service, whether the ongoing work involved expenditure whilst Lord Mandelson was Ambassador.

Refurbishment work at our Embassy in Washington DC began in June 2019. The majority of work was completed in 2023, with limited aspects ongoing.

Innovation and Technology, whether she has had discussions with BT Openreach on the cyber-security of the CL-WAP telephone and internet exchange adjacent to the Royal Mint.

The Government is committed to ensuring the security and resilience of the UK’s telecommunications infrastructure. The Telecommunications (Security) Act 2021 introduced a robust security framework requiring public telecoms providers to identify, reduce and prepare for security and resilience risks.The Government does not comment on discussions around the security of specific sites.

Communities and Local Government, what guidance his Department provides to local billing authorities on (a) the length of time that council taxpayers should be given to pay and (b) when council tax bills are considered to be in arrears.

This government has recently consulted on modernising and improving the administration of council tax. This included seeking views on the current processes in place to recover council tax. We are currently reviewing all responses to the consultation and will publish our response in due course. A person is considered to be in arrears from the day they have missed a payment. Councils cannot carry out formal enforcement action until after they have issued a reminder and then acquired a liability order confirming the amount owed.

Pursuant to the Answer of 21 October 2025 to Question 74185 on Deputy Prime Minister: Admiralty House, for what reason the second homes council tax premium was paid in August 2025.

I refer the Honorable Member to 74185 which has since been corrected.

Whether (a) members of the Royal Family and (b) parliamentarians will be required to have digital ID cards.

There will be no requirement to enrol in Digital ID. Employers will be required to conduct digital right to work checks by the end of this Parliament.

How much has the Cabinet Office spent in John Lewis since 4 July 2024.

The Cabinet Office procures furniture, furnishings, and work-related items from a range of suppliers. It is sometimes the case that required items can be procured cheaper at great British brands such as John Lewis. This has been the practice under previous administrations. Value for money is always central to purchase decisions.

Food and Rural Affairs, what the cost to the public purse was of spending by (a) her Department and (b) Natural England on (i) the upland Brood Management Scheme and (ii) the Southern Reintroduction project; and how many hen harrier chicks fledged under each of those schemes.

These programmes were created as part of the Joint Action Plan for the Recovery of the English Hen Harrier Population, put in place in 2016. The Hen Harrier brood management trial and the Southern Reintroduction project were funded by Defra and led by Natural England as part of the Hen Harrier Action Plan. Natural England spent £80,800 over the five-year (2019-2023) brood management trial. During the trial 15 nests were brood-managed, and 58 chicks were subsequently released. Natural England spent £572,272 on the Southern Reintroduction project between March 2021 and October 2025. No chicks fledged in this period. The decision was taken to close the Southern Reintroduction programme this year.

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 19 September 2025 to Question 76603 on Peatlands: Fires, whether (a) his Department and (b) its agencies have received representations from the National Fire Chiefs Council on that issue.

The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) responded to Defra’s consultation on heather and grass burning in England earlier this year. Their response is published on their website: 250523-Heather-and-Grass-Burning-in-England-Consultation-Response-FINAL.pdf. I also met with NFCC to discuss their consultation response, prior to the amendments to the Heather and Grass etc. Burning (England) Regulations 2021 being finalised. Defra and NFCC, as well as representatives from various Fire and Rescue Services, continue to work together in this area.

How many post offices there are in each (a) constituency and (b) local authority area by (i) location, (ii) rurality and (iii) type of post office.

Post Office Limited publishes monthly data on the number of branches trading across the UK, including their locations and rurality. The latest dataset, covering September 2025, is available on the Post Office Limited’s website at: 2025-september-network-numbers-online-list-v2.xlsxPost Office Limited’s most recent annual Network Report includes data on branch types. You can access it here: network-report-2024-final-5.pdf.Parliamentarians can find data on branch locations by constituency in the House of Commons Library.

Whether the Certification Officer has received (a) representations and (b) complaints on the elections of the Unite trade union.

The Certification Officer does not comment on whether any complaints are under consideration. The Certification Officer lists all forthcoming hearings and publishes all decisions on their website.

How much and what proportion of the average energy bill for households not in receipt of the Warm Homes Discount was allocated to support the Warm Homes Discount in the latest period for which data is available.

The UK Government has statutory duties to address and reduce fuel poverty and is committed to helping the poorest in our society. The expanded Warm Home Discount will support around 6m households this winter, offering essential support through the winter for those in or at risk of fuel poverty. The scheme’s expansion to 2.7 million additional households will be cost neutral, with costs offset through Ofgem’s work to reduce energy debt.

What guidance his Department has provided to special advisers on the definition of personal hospitality.

The Code of Conduct for Special Advisers requires special advisers to declare details of gifts and hospitality received in accordance with the rules set out in their departmental staff handbooks. The Special Advisers’ Transparency Guidance available on GOV.UK provides further details of requirements for reporting of gifts, hospitality and meetings with senior media figures.

Whether he plans to introduce a ban on (a) vaping and (b) smoking outside (i) pubs, (ii) restaurants and (iii) nightclubs.

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill allows the Government to expand current indoor smoking restrictions to outdoor public places and workplaces via secondary legislation. The bill also gives the Government powers to make most public places and workplaces that are smoke-free also vape-free. Exactly which settings should become smoke-free and vape-free will be subject to a full consultation. However, we are not considering extending smoke-free or vape-free places to outdoor hospitality settings, such as outside pubs, restaurants, and nightclubs.

Pursuant to the Answer of 15 October 2025 to Question 70563 on Admiralty House: Valuation, what the valuation was; and whether each residence is valued.

Admiralty House as a whole was valued at £18.2 Million. The residences formed part of the valuation, however, they were not individually valued separately to the rest of the building.

Media and Sport, whether her Department has issued guidance to charities on the (a) participation of and (b) provision of parallel provision for (i) older girls and (ii) women in sporting events.

The Charity Commission for England and Wales provides guidance for charities on compliance with the Equality Act 2010.The Government is committed to supporting every aspect of women’s sport and ensuring all women and girls, no matter their background, are able to participate in sport and physical activity.The This Girl Can campaign, run by our Arm’s Length Body Sport England, has inspired millions of women and girls to get active. 1.6 million more women are expected to be active as a result of the campaign by 2028.We’ve also launched the Women’s Sport Taskforce to tackle challenges and barriers facing women and girls in sport, from grassroots to elite.More widely, the Government is also harnessing the power of hosting major sporting events, such as investing £6.7 million into the Impact 25’ programme for the Women’s Rugby World Cup, which has been used to make facilities more accessible for women, train new female coaches and match officials and provide sanitary packages to clubs nationwide. To honour the Lionesses recent European Championship triumph, the Government has announced new plans that are expected to more than double the share of slots dedicated to women’s and girls’ teams at Government-funded facilities across England over the next five years.

Pursuant to the Answer of 16 September 2025 to Question 76281 on Ministers: Redundancy Pay, when Ministers were asked to sign the waiver.

The reforms took effect from 13 October 2025 with waivers issued accordingly.

Communities and Local Government, which Levelling Up culture projects that were announced under the previous Government have since been (a) cancelled and (b) amended.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 78670 on 21 October 2025. Worcester received £2.3 million funding for only some of the activity within its original programme. This amendment was determined on the basis of representations received to the consultation. Prioritisation of funding considered a series of factors including: significant progress of work to date, imminent delivery, and/or the wider strategic impact of withdrawing funding on local regeneration efforts, as well as potential to boost economic growth.