Every parliamentary written question tabled by Neil Duncan-Jordan this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.
Showing 561–580 of 1,111 · this parliament
Whether overall receipts from National Insurance were higher in June 2025 than June 2024.
Monthly receipts for National Insurance Contributions are published in HMRC tax receipts and National Insurance Contributions for the UK statistics publication. Provisional National Insurance receipts in June 2025 were £15,296m, higher than the £12,988m reported for June 2024.
Whether existing claimants of Employment Support Allowance, who leave the social security system and later need to return to claim (a) Employment Support Allowance and (b) Universal Health, will be considered new claimants.
Customers who leave the social security system and later need to return to claim New Style Employment Support Allowance or the Universal Credit health element will be considered new claimants, unless they stopped receiving Universal Credit as a result of increased earnings and then return to payment within six months. All new claimants who apply for the Universal Credit health element from 6 April 2026 will receive the lower rate unless they meet the Severe Conditions Criteria or qualify under Special Rules for End of Life.
What assessment she has made of the potential merits of reducing the Housing Benefit taper rate from to 55 per cent to bring it in line with Universal Credit.
It remains the department’s priority to ensure that those who can work are supported to enter the labour market and to sustain employment. The Department acknowledges there is a challenge presented by the interaction between Universal Credit and Housing Benefit for those living in Supported Housing and Temporary Accommodation and receiving their housing support through Housing Benefit. The department will consider the issue carefully in partnership with stakeholders.Like Universal Credit, Housing Benefit has an income taper. As Housing Benefit may be claimed by those both in work and out of work, there are no rules around the number of hours that someone may work; instead, there are income tapers which apply. The income taper in Housing Benefit ensures people in work are better off than someone wholly reliant on benefits. In addition to any financial advantage, there are important non-financial benefits of working. These benefits include learning new skills, improved confidence and independence as well as a positive effect on an individual's mental and physical health. However, the treatment of earnings in Housing Benefit is less generous than that of Universal Credit. Therefore, although customers living in Supported Housing are better off working than doing no work at all, they can be financially better off limiting the hours they work to ensure they retain a small amount of Universal Credit entitlement.Changing the current rules would require a fiscal event and funding at a Budget. As funding is required to allow a change, any future decisions will take account of the current fiscal context.
What assessment she has made of the potential merits of providing free bus travel to under 22 year olds.
The Government knows how important affordable and reliable bus services are in enabling people to get to education, work and access vital services. On 1 January, we introduced a £3 cap on single bus fares in England outside London to help passengers continue to access cheaper bus services and better opportunities. At the Spending Review announced the cap would be extended until March 2027.At present, the majority of bus services operate on a commercial basis by private operators, and any decisions regarding the level at which fares are set outside the scope of the £3 bus fare cap are commercial decisions for operators. Bus operators can choose to offer discounted fares for young people, and in the year ending March 2025, youth discounts were offered by at least one commercial bus operator in 73 out of 85 local authority areas in England outside London.As part of the Autumn 2024 Budget, the Government allocated £955 million to support and improve bus services in 25/26. This includes £712 million for local authorities, this can be used to expand services and improve reliability, which are currently massive obstacles for too many people. Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council has been allocated £6 million of this funding. Funding allocated to local authorities to deliver better bus services can be used in whichever way they wish to improve services for passengers, which could include introducing new fares initiatives to reduce the cost of bus travel for young people.
If he will ensure that the National Cancer Plan for England includes targets to improve the diagnosis times of myeloma.
It is a priority for the Government to support the National Health Service to diagnose cancer, including blood cancers such as myeloma, as well as other unstageable cancers, as early and quickly as possible, and to treat it faster, in order to improve outcomes.To tackle late diagnoses of blood cancers, the NHS is implementing non-specific symptom pathways for patients who present with symptoms such as weight loss and fatigue, which do not clearly align to a tumour type. Blood cancers are one of the most common cancer types diagnosed through these pathways.We will get the NHS diagnosing blood cancer earlier and treating it faster, and we will support the NHS to increase capacity to meet the demand for diagnostic services through investment, including for magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scanners.The National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, including speeding up diagnosis and treatment, ensuring patients have access to the latest treatments and technology, and ultimately drive up this country’s cancer survival rates.
What assessment he has made of the potential merits of funding (a) ICBs and (b) NHS trusts to purchase private hospitals.
The Government is committed to delivering an NHS that is fit for the future through our 10-Year Health Plan. We recognise that delivering high quality NHS healthcare services requires safe, sustainable, and effective infrastructure. That is why we prioritised investment in healthcare at the recent Spending Review, delivering the largest ever health capital budget.The New Hospital Programme is transforming the design and delivery of new hospital infrastructure and there are no plans for other national programmes of new hospital development or acquisition at this time. At a local level, integrated care boards (ICBs) and NHS Trusts are responsible for infrastructure planning, managing the operational capital allocations for their respective local areas, and acquiring new facilities.
How many employees paid National Insurance in June 2025.
The ONS and HMRC publish monthly data on Earnings and employment from Pay As You Earn Real Time Information (PAYE RTI): Earnings and employment from Pay As You Earn Real Time Information, UK - Office for National Statistics The table below sets out the number of Employees from March 2025 to June 2025 (inclusive) who have made Class 1 Employee National Insurance Contributions (NICs) in that month. March 2025April 2025May 2025June 2025Number of Employees with Class 1 Employee NICs24,512,00024,465,00024,522,00024,658,000 Notes:Data is taken from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) Pay-As-You-Earn (PAYE) Real-Time-Information (RTI)Rounded to the nearest thousandData for the 2025/26 tax year (April 2025 to June 2025 inclusive) may be subject to revisions as new data is receivedData has not been seasonally adjusted
How many employees paid National Insurance in April 2025.
The ONS and HMRC publish monthly data on Earnings and employment from Pay As You Earn Real Time Information (PAYE RTI): Earnings and employment from Pay As You Earn Real Time Information, UK - Office for National Statistics The table below sets out the number of Employees from March 2025 to June 2025 (inclusive) who have made Class 1 Employee National Insurance Contributions (NICs) in that month. March 2025April 2025May 2025June 2025Number of Employees with Class 1 Employee NICs24,512,00024,465,00024,522,00024,658,000 Notes:Data is taken from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) Pay-As-You-Earn (PAYE) Real-Time-Information (RTI)Rounded to the nearest thousandData for the 2025/26 tax year (April 2025 to June 2025 inclusive) may be subject to revisions as new data is receivedData has not been seasonally adjusted
How many employees paid National Insurance in May 2025.
The ONS and HMRC publish monthly data on Earnings and employment from Pay As You Earn Real Time Information (PAYE RTI): Earnings and employment from Pay As You Earn Real Time Information, UK - Office for National Statistics The table below sets out the number of Employees from March 2025 to June 2025 (inclusive) who have made Class 1 Employee National Insurance Contributions (NICs) in that month. March 2025April 2025May 2025June 2025Number of Employees with Class 1 Employee NICs24,512,00024,465,00024,522,00024,658,000 Notes:Data is taken from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) Pay-As-You-Earn (PAYE) Real-Time-Information (RTI)Rounded to the nearest thousandData for the 2025/26 tax year (April 2025 to June 2025 inclusive) may be subject to revisions as new data is receivedData has not been seasonally adjusted
How many employees paid National Insurance in March 2025.
The ONS and HMRC publish monthly data on Earnings and employment from Pay As You Earn Real Time Information (PAYE RTI): Earnings and employment from Pay As You Earn Real Time Information, UK - Office for National Statistics The table below sets out the number of Employees from March 2025 to June 2025 (inclusive) who have made Class 1 Employee National Insurance Contributions (NICs) in that month. March 2025April 2025May 2025June 2025Number of Employees with Class 1 Employee NICs24,512,00024,465,00024,522,00024,658,000 Notes:Data is taken from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) Pay-As-You-Earn (PAYE) Real-Time-Information (RTI)Rounded to the nearest thousandData for the 2025/26 tax year (April 2025 to June 2025 inclusive) may be subject to revisions as new data is receivedData has not been seasonally adjusted
What assessment she has made of the adequacy of existing taxation arrangements on the lending or staking of crypto assets.
The government has engaged in detail with industry on the tax treatment for the lending and staking of cryptoassets, following the previous consultation on this issue. The government will be responding to the industry in due course.
If she will publish the most recent statement of accounts for the National Insurance Fund.
The most recent statement of accounts for the GB and NI National Insurance Funds were published on 27 November 2024 and relate to the 2023-24 financial year. The respective National Insurance Fund accounts for the 2024-25 financial year will be published shortly.
How many additional rate taxpayers have left the UK in relation to their tax liabilities in the last 12 months up to 1 August 2025.
Taxpayers are not always required to inform HM Revenue and Customs when they leave the UK. Some taxpayers outside of Self Assessment might file a P85 form after leaving the UK, but only where they are seeking to claim a repayment of income tax. Taxpayers in Self Assessment can indicate that they have become non-resident after leaving the UK, but tax returns for the 2024 to 2025 and the 2025 to 2026 tax years are not due to be received by HMRC until 31 January of 2026 and 2027 respectively.
If she will consider introducing a 2 per cent levy on football transfers over £10 million.
The government is committed to ensuring the long-term health of English football at all levels. At this moment in time, the government is not considering a levy on football transfers.
Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to ensure there is sufficient future supported housing to meet demand.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 69642, on 4 September 2025.
Communities and Local Government, whether the forthcoming long-term housing strategy will address the (a) viability and (b) supply of supported housing.
The government intends to publish a long-term housing strategy later this year. For obvious reasons, we do not intend to share details about tis content ahead of publication.
What administrative steps her Department takes in relation to an overseas care worker whose sponsorship visa has (a) expired or (b) been terminated.
There are no unique arrangements for care workers whose leave has expired and have been unable to find a suitable full-time vacancy in the sector prior to the expiration of their leave.Individuals would be expected to regularise their stay or make arrangements to leave the UK.Where employment has been terminated due to a sponsor being revoked or suspended, the worker is signposted to the relevant Regional Partnership for support.
How many overseas care workers hold sponsorship visas which will expire within the next 12 months.
The Home Office publishes data on sponsored work visas by occupation in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on grants of visas for ‘Caring Personal Services’ occupations, by quarter, are published in table ‘Occ_D02’ of the sponsored work visas by occupation and industry dataset. Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. Data is from January 2021 up to the end of June 2025. Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.
How many overseas care workers are working on sponsorship visas from their employers.
The Home Office publishes data on sponsored work visas by occupation in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on grants of visas for ‘Caring Personal Services’ occupations, by quarter, are published in table ‘Occ_D02’ of the sponsored work visas by occupation and industry dataset. Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. Data is from January 2021 up to the end of June 2025. Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.
What steps he is taking to help ensure that the views of (a) patients and (b) the public continue to be heard when the responsibilities of Healthwatch are moved to Integrated Care Boards.
The Department has accepted the recommendation of the Dash review of patient safety across the health and care landscape, to abolish Local Healthwatch.In future, integrated care boards will be responsible for seeking patient, user and wider community input for health along with their existing duties of patient involvement, and local authorities for social care, where it can feed directly into overall strategic planning and be more closely aligned with the commissioning and provision of care.The Dash review recommends that the strategic functions of Healthwatch England are transferred into a new patient experience directorate of the Department.The abolition of Healthwatch England and the transfer of its functions and the changes to Local Healthwatch will require primary legislation. Timing of this is subject to the will of parliament and will happen when parliamentary time allows.