Written questions by Timothy.

What meetings (a) she, (b) Ministers, (c) special advisers and (d) officials in her Department have had with the organisers of the Forest City 1 campaign.

Treasury Ministers 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 meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at the link below. HM Treasury: ministerial overseas travel and meetings - GOV.UK

When she plans to respond to the letter of 18 December 2025 from the hon. Member for West Suffolk.

The correspondence from the hon. Member for West Suffolk is receiving attention and a response will be issued as soon as it is practical to do so.

What discussions she has had with her US counterpart on the US sanctions applied to Zaher Birawi and the Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad; and if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of designating Zaher Birawi under the Counter-Terrorism (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019.

HMT is unable to provide details on any OFSI actions or investigations that may or may not be ongoing. HMT regularly reviews targets for designation to explore whether they meet our criteria for designation under the Counter-Terrorism (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019.

If she will meet with the Valuation Office Agency to discuss the potentail impact of changes to business rates relief on pubs and breweries.

From April, every pub and live music venue will get 15% off its new business rates bill on top of the support announced at Budget and then bills will be frozen in real terms for a further two years.Three-quarters of pubs will see bills flat or falling in April. The new relief is worth £1,650 for the average pub next year. As a sector pubs will pay 8% less in business rates in 2029 than they do right now.The Government will also launch a review which will explore how pubs are valued for business rates.

If her Department will adopt a call for evidence process on changes to the taxation and cost of electric cars.

At Budget 2025, the Government announced a number of changes to the taxation of electric vehicles (EVs). The eVED consultation provides further detail on how eVED will work and seeks views on its implementation. The consultation is available at GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/consultation-on-the-introduction-of-electric-vehicle-excise-duty-eved.

How the assessment for electric Vehicle Excise Duty will differentiate between (a) domestic and (b) overseas mileage for (i) electric vehicles and (ii) plug-in hybrids.

As announced at Budget 2025, the Government is introducing Electric Vehicle Excise Duty (eVED) from April 2028, a new mileage charge for electric and plug-in hybrid cars, recognising that EVs (electric vehicles) contribute to congestion and wear and tear on the roads but pay no equivalent to fuel duty. The taxation of motoring is a critical source of funding for public services and investment in infrastructure. The Government has ruled out charging tax based on when or where people drive to protect motorists’ privacy. This means non-UK mileage driven by UK registered cars will fall into scope of eVED, as with fuel duty, which does not vary by basis of where a car is driven. The vast majority of eVED will be paid on travel in the UK; there were an estimated 225 billion car miles in Great Britain in 2024, and over nine billion miles travelled by car in Northern Ireland in 2023.

How the assessment for electric Vehicle Excise Duty will differentiate between (a) petrol, (b) diesel and (c) electricity usage for plug-in hybrids.

As announced at Budget 2025, the Government is introducing Electric Vehicle Excise Duty (eVED) from April 2028, a new mileage charge for electric and plug-in hybrid cars, recognising that EVs contribute to congestion and wear and tear on the roads but pay no equivalent to fuel duty. The taxation of motoring is a critical source of funding for public services and investment in infrastructure. eVED rates will be set at 3p per mile for electric cars, which is around half of the fuel duty rate paid by the average petrol/diesel driver, and 1.5p per mile for plug-in hybrid cars, given that they will continue to be subject to fuel duty on miles driven in petrol/diesel mode.

If she will carry out a public consultation on removing (a) racehorse training yards and (b) racecourses from the Retail, Hospitality, and Leisure business rate relief scheme.

The Government is introducing new permanently lower business rates tax rates for retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) properties with rateable values below £500,000.On 16 October 2025, the Government published legislation and accompanying guidance detailing the eligibility criteria for the new multipliers. To ensure the new tax rates are appropriately targeted, only properties that are wholly or mainly used for providing RHL activity (as defined in legislation) to visiting members of the public are eligible for the new multipliers. This is in line with the eligibility criteria for the current RHL business rates relief, and includes racecourses and racehorse training grounds with retable values below £500,000 that are open to members of the public. Further details on what is meant by “visiting members of the public” can be found online here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/business-rates-multipliers-qualifying-retail-hospitality-or-leisure. As the Government has not removed racehorse training yards and racecourses from being eligible for RHL business rates support, the Government does not intend to public a consultation on this.

What estimate she has made of the cost of removing (a) racehorse training yards and (b) racecourses from the Retail, Hospitality, and Leisure business rate relief scheme.

The Government is introducing new permanently lower business rates tax rates for retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) properties with rateable values below £500,000. On 16 October 2025, the Government published legislation and accompanying guidance detailing the eligibility criteria for the new multipliers. To ensure the new tax rates are appropriately targeted, only properties that are wholly or mainly used for providing RHL activity (as defined in legislation) to visiting members of the public are eligible for the new multipliers.

Whether she has carried out an impact assessment on removing (a) racehorse training yards and (b) racecourses from the Retail, Hospitality, and Leisure business rate relief scheme.

The Government is introducing new permanently lower business rates tax rates for retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) properties with rateable values below £500,000. On 16 October 2025, the Government published legislation and accompanying guidance detailing the eligibility criteria for the new multipliers. To ensure the new tax rates are appropriately targeted, only properties that are wholly or mainly used for providing RHL activity (as defined in legislation) to visiting members of the public are eligible for the new multipliers.

For what reason (a) racehorse training yards and (b) racecourses have been removed from the Retail, Hospitality, and Leisure business rate relief scheme.

The Government is introducing new permanently lower business rates tax rates for retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) properties with rateable values below £500,000. On 16 October 2025, the Government published legislation and accompanying guidance detailing the eligibility criteria for the new multipliers. To ensure the new tax rates are appropriately targeted, only properties that are wholly or mainly used for providing RHL activity (as defined in legislation) to visiting members of the public are eligible for the new multipliers.

How much in remittances by country of destination has been sent from the UK in each year since 2020.

The Treasury does not collect or report data on the flow of remittances out of the UK and has not under previous governments. The UK imposes taxes based on individual’s residence status. Individuals who are resident in the UK are taxable on their income and gains that arise worldwide. Remitting funds outside of the UK is not generally considered to be a chargeable event for individuals. It should also be noted that funds being remitted will often have been subject to UK tax, such as income tax, if funded from earnings.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing a tax on remittance flows.

The Treasury does not collect or report data on the flow of remittances out of the UK and has not under previous governments. The UK imposes taxes based on individual’s residence status. Individuals who are resident in the UK are taxable on their income and gains that arise worldwide. Remitting funds outside of the UK is not generally considered to be a chargeable event for individuals. It should also be noted that funds being remitted will often have been subject to UK tax, such as income tax, if funded from earnings.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the charging of (a) interest and (b) compound interest on Equity Release Loans by financial services companies on (i) elderly customers and (ii) relatives of deceased customers.

Decisions concerning the design of loans, including the interest charged, are commercial decisions for firms in which the Government does not intervene. However, equity release products are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and so benefit from consumer protections under the Financial Conduct Authority’s rules, including requiring lenders to engage and provide tailored support to their customers and that advertising is clear, fair and not misleading. Anyone considering equity release should seek independent financial advice to help ensure that the product is suitable for their individual needs. The Equity Release Council, which represents the sector, also promotes high standards of conduct and practice across the industry.

What steps she is taking to allocate revenues from carbon pricing to help increase levels of (a) industrial resilience and (b) innovation in high energy-consuming sectors.

The Government is committed to maintaining an ambitious carbon pricing scheme to ensure that polluters continue to pay for their emissions. The UK’s lead carbon pricing policy is the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS).The ETS raised c.£3.5 billion in the 2024-25 financial year, and the funds raised by the scheme are invested in the Government’s spending priorities, including public services and decarbonisation efforts. The Government is also providing support for industrial energy bills as set out in the Industrial Strategy.

Whether contingency planning is in place for potential macroeconomic disruption resulting from prolonged national electricity blackouts.

HM Treasury has a comprehensive framework for assessing and managing potential risks to the economic outlook, including those posed by national power outages. This framework involves systematic monitoring through internal risk monitors, risk governance forums, and collaboration with other government departments such as the Cabinet Office and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.HM Treasury also engages with the Bank of England and Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), as the financial sector regulators, to ensure the sector is prepared to respond to a range of risks, including national power outages.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of her Department's proposals to harmonise gambling duties on (a) horseracing and (b) other sports.

The Government is consulting on proposals to simplify the current gambling tax system by merging the three current taxes that cover remote (including online) gambling into one. The Government is committed to engaging with all stakeholders, including representatives of the horseracing industry, as part of the consultation process. If any changes are made to gambling duties at a future Budget following the consultation, the legislation will be accompanied by a Tax Information and Impact Note which will set out the expected impacts.

If she will publish the full cost assessment undertaken by the previous Government of the double contribution convention aspect of the UK-India free trade agreement.

The OBR will certify the impact of the trade deal including the Double Contributions Convention in the usual way at a fiscal event, once the deal is finalised and ratified. The agreement to negotiate a Double Contributions Convention was made in the context of the wider deal, which will bring billions into the economy.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of (a) her Department's proposals on gambling harmonisation and (b) affordability checks on levels of black market gambling.

The Government is consulting on proposals to simplify the current gambling tax system by merging the three current taxes that cover remote (including online) gambling into one – reducing complexity and improving compliance. A new system for financial risk assessments is currently being piloted by the Gambling Commission. Stage 1 of the pilot showed that 95% of checks were frictionless and this increased to 97% of checks in stage 2. DCMS works closely with the Gambling Commission to ensure that illegal gambling, in all its forms, is addressed. The Crime and Policing Bill, introduced in Parliament on 25 February 2025, will grant the Gambling Commission with powers to move quickly and effectively to take down illegal gambling websites.

Pursuant to the Answer of 2 April 2025 to Question 41176 on Research: Tax Allowances, if she will publish a breakdown of the data provided for (a) error and (b) fraud.

As with other parts of the tax system, the term ‘error and fraud’ includes this full range of behaviours, from mistakes and failure to take reasonable care, through to deliberate non-compliance. The Government is committed to further enhancing the administration of R&D tax reliefs. To support this, HMRC published a consultation on 26 March to explore widening the use of advance clearances in the reliefs to help further reduce error and fraud, while also improving the customer experience and providing certainty to businesses.