Written questions by Law.

Whether she has considered (a) removing the tapering-off of the personal allowance and (b) reducing the threshold for the additional rate of tax.

The withdrawal of the Personal Allowance affects those with income over £100,000 a year, reducing by £1 for every £2 above this threshold until it is fully withdrawn at £125,140. The additional rate threshold of income tax is currently £125,140, following its reduction from £150,000 in Autumn 2022. The Government remains committed to maintaining strong public finances and ensuring those on higher incomes contribute a fair share.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what consideration he has given to allow British International Investment to borrow from the financial markets to support the expansion of its international development goals.

In the first two years of British International Investment's (BII) current strategy (2022-2023), BII has invested approximately $3 billion into developing economies and mobilised an additional $2 billion in private capital on top of this. BII is evolving its approach to mobilising private capital, including through its new Mobilisation Facility announced by the Prime Minister at UNGA. As part of preparations for BII's next strategy, we will consider options to enable BII to continue mobilising private capital at scale.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of asking British International Investment to produce a critical minerals strategy that (a) strengthens the UK's supply chains and (b) supports its development goals.

British International Investment's (BII) mission is to help solve the biggest global development challenges by investing patient, flexible capital to support private sector growth and innovation. With regards to the critical minerals sector, BII's role is currently most relevant where it supports investments in the enabling infrastructure around critical minerals projects. As part of BII's next strategy, we will consider whether and how BII's approach to critical minerals should evolve.

Whether she has had discussions with the National Wealth Fund on establishing a platform for geothermal investment to commercialise the industry.

The Chancellor issued a new Statement of Strategic Priorities to the National Wealth Fund (NWF) on 19th March 2025, in which she set out that the NWF is at the forefront of investing public money for our future to help deliver the investment that underpins the Government’s growth and clean energy missions. The Chancellor made clear that the NWF should prioritise investment into clean energy, digital and technologies, and advanced manufacturing, alongside transport sectors. An NWF investment into any geothermal project would be subject to the investment satisfying the NWF’s normal requirements for investable proposals.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to prevent the euthanasia of healthy animals without their owners' prior consent.

The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) provides guidance on obtaining consent before euthanasia. The person presenting the animal is required to sign a consent form attesting to the fact they are the owner or are authorised by the owner. Defra has worked closely with the veterinary profession to provide greater assurance that alternatives to euthanasia are explored before a healthy dog or cat is put down. Following these discussions, the RVCS agreed to incorporate the principle of microchip scanning before euthanasia into the guidance that underpins their Code of Professional Conduct.

If she will make an assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the potential merits of providing the Home Office with a (a) reduced and (b) flat cash settlement for in-donor refugee costs.

The Government is committed to ensuring that asylum costs fall and the Home Secretary has reduced in-donor refugee costs by taking action to reduce the asylum backlog and seeking to end the use of costly asylum hotels. We therefore anticipate further reductions to in-donor refugee costs in the next Spending Review period.The Home Office’s Spending Review settlement will be subject to agreement with HM Treasury in the usual way.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of (a) bee and (b) swift bricks on urban biodiversity; and what steps her Department is taking to promote the inclusion of bee bricks in new housing developments and infrastructure projects.

The National Model Design Code and Natural England’s Green Infrastructure Framework set out how development can incorporate a range of nature friendly features including bee bricks and swift bricks.The revised National Planning Policy Framework published on 12 December 2024 expects developments to provide net gains for biodiversity, including through incorporating features which support priority or threatened species such as swifts, bats and hedgehogs.

Communities and Local Government, whether she has conducted an impact assessment of the Right to Buy scheme on council (a) house building (b) housing stock.

The government has not undertaken a full formal impact assessment of the Right to Buy scheme.However, the impact of the increased 2012 Right to Buy discounts on council housing stock and housebuilding was considered as part of the review of discounts that was published in October 2024.More information can be found on gov.uk here.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to help (a) councils and (b) local authorities deliver more (i) house-building and (ii) social housing.

The government is committed to delivering the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation.On 30 July 2024 we announced a number of changes in planning policy designed to support the delivery of affordable homes. We also confirmed a range of new flexibilities for councils and housing associations, both within the Affordable Homes Programme and in relation to how councils can use their Right to Buy receipts, and a further £450 million for councils through the Local Authority Housing Fund enabling councils to grow their housing stock.At the Budget on 30 October 2024, the Chancellor set out details of an immediate one-year cash injection of £500 million to top up the existing Affordable Homes Programme which will deliver up to 5,000 new social and affordable homes. The Chancellor also confirmed that we will reduce Right to Buy discounts to their pre-2012 regional levels and allow councils to retain 100% of the receipts generated by Right to Buy sales.On 12 February 2025, the government announced a further cash injection of £300 million to the existing Affordable Homes Programme which will deliver up to 2,800 new homes, with more than half being Social Rent homes. The government also announced a £50 million uplift to the third round of the Local Authority Housing Fund.Between 30 October 2024 and 23 December 2024, the government consulted on a new 5-year social housing rent settlement to provide the sector with the certainty it needs to invest in new social housing.We will set out details of new investment to succeed the 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme at the Spending Review. This new investment will deliver a mix of homes for sub-market rent and homeownership, with a particular focus on delivering homes for Social Rent.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of (a) trends in the level of local authority borrowing costs and (b) rent-setting policies on the ability of local councils to build and maintain housing stock.

The government recognises that access to low-cost borrowing and the certainty provided by a long-term rent settlement are essential to the ability of local authorities to build and maintain housing stock. To this end, the government is helping local authorities borrow more cheaply from the Public Works Loan Board until the end of 2025-26. Local authorities are responsible for their own capital strategies and have wide freedoms to use borrowing to support local investment. Under the current framework, they must ensure borrowing is prudent, affordable, and sustainable. The government recently consulted on a long-term rent settlement that would allow social housing rents to increase above inflation (by up to CPI + 1%) each year for five years from 2026. The consultation closed on 23 December and my officials and I are giving careful consideration to all the responses received. The government will issue its response to the consultation in due course.

What steps she is taking to ensure that banks are applying (a) Know Your Customer and (b) other compliance checks transparently for humanitarian charities operating in vulnerable countries.

Banks are required to apply ‘know your customer’ and other checks to mitigate the risk that banks accounts may be used for money laundering or terrorist financing. The Treasury works closely with the Financial Conduct Authority and industry groups such as UK Finance to ensure that financial crime controls are applied proportionately and on a risk-sensitive basis. The Treasury and the Home Office are currently updating the National Risk Assessment of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing (NRA). This sets out the latest assessment of threats, including in relation to the risks to which charitable organisations operating overseas may be exposed, to help regulated firms to take account of these risks when applying financial crime controls. The updated NRA will be published later this year.

What steps she is taking to support the delivery of the Youth Guarantee.

The Department is taking a number of steps to deliver the Youth Guarantee, to ensure all 18-21 year olds in England have access to quality education, employment and training opportunities. The Get Britain Working White Paper announced £45 million of funding to test delivery of the Youth Guarantee in eight trailblazer areas that will start delivering support from April 2025. These are: Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, East Midlands, Liverpool City Region, Tees Valley, West of England, West Midlands, and two areas within the Greater London Authority. The trailblazers will be led by the Mayoral Strategic Authorities, providing learnings that will inform the future roll-out of the Guarantee across England. The Guarantee will also be supported by our first national partnerships with The Premier League, Channel 4 and the Royal Shakespeare Company, who will generate a range of opportunities that engage young people and set them on the path to success. There is already a range of existing provision available to young people, including the Department’s Youth Offer, which provides individually tailored Work Coach support for young people aged 16 to 24 and claiming Universal Credit.

Whether he has made an assessment of the potential economic impact of linking the UK and EU emissions trading schemes; and if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of linking UK and EU emissions trading schemes on (a) electricity prices, (b) energy bills, (c) carbon prices and (d) the economic climate for UK industrial investment.

Under the terms of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA), the UK Government and EU agreed to give serious consideration to linking our respective carbon pricing schemes and to cooperate on carbon pricing. As part of our reset with the EU the Government continues to explore all options to improve trade and investment.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of reducing VAT for admissions fees to indoor play centres for children under 12.

VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption, and the 20 per cent standard rate applies to most goods and services. Tax breaks reduce the revenue available for vital public services and must represent value for money for the taxpayer.One of the key considerations when assessing a new VAT relief is whether the cost saving is likely to be passed on to consumers. Evidence suggests that businesses only partially pass on any savings from lower VAT rates. The Government therefore has no plans to zero-rate VAT on admission fees for indoor play facilities.The Government keeps all taxes under review.

If he will direct NICE to undertake an assessment of the potential merits of the use of hydrotherapy treatments in the NHS.

I have no plans to direct the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to assess hydrotherapy treatments, and it would not be appropriate for ministers to circumvent the NICE’s established process for prioritising topics for guidance development.When developing its guidelines, the NICE considers all the available evidence within the scope of the topic under consideration. Where good quality evidence supports the use of a therapy as clinically and cost effective, the NICE’s independent committee may recommend it for use in the National Health Service.Hydrotherapy is already recommended as a form of rehabilitation therapy following nerve injury in the NICE’s Rehabilitation after traumatic injury 2022 guideline. It is also recommended in the 2017 guideline Spondyloarthritis in over 16s: diagnosis and management, as an adjunctive therapy to manage pain and maintain or improve function for people with axial spondyloarthritis.

Whether she plans to bring forward legislative proposals to increase the maximum sentence for (a) failing to stop at and (b) report a road accident, known as hit and run accidents, from six months to ten years.

This Government takes road safety seriously, and we are committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. We are currently considering policy options, including possible changes to motoring offences.

What steps he is taking to ensure that social value for communities and workers is prioritised in the forthcoming Critical Mineral Strategy.

The new Critical Minerals Strategy will support the industries of tomorrow, be explicitly targeted at UK strengths, articulate the impacts on people’s lives, deliver for businesses and create new jobs across the UK. In developing the Strategy, the UK Government is committed to the sustainable development of natural resources in the UK and overseas, in close collaboration with local communities and their workforce to ensure they benefit in turn. The UK Government places a high priority on mining and mineral processing being carried out to the highest standards.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing progressive banding for National Insurance.

National Insurance contribution rates are part of an overall progressive system.The personal allowance (PA) is set at £12,570 this year, meaning the first £12,570 an individual’s income is tax free. Above the PA, income tax is paid at 20 per cent, until the higher rate threshold of £50,270 above which income tax is paid at 40 per cent, and then 45 per cent for income above £125,140 per year (the additional rate threshold).Employee NICs also start to be paid for earnings above £12,570 at 8 per cent, with this rate decreasing to 2 per cent above £50,270 per year. Taking NICs and income tax together, this means an overall progressive rate structure for earnings of 28 per cent for basic rate taxpayers, 42 per cent for higher rate taxpayers, and 47 per cent for additional rate taxpayers.

If she will increase the speed at which reforms are conducted to the business rates system.

We are creating a fairer business rates system that protects the high street, supports investment, and is fit for the 21st century. The Non-Domestic Ratings Bill is currently passing through the House of Lords. The Bill will give Government the power to introduce permanently lower tax rates for high street retail, hospitality, and leisure properties, with rateable values below £500,000, from 2026-27. This permanent tax cut will ensure that they benefit from much-needed certainty and support. The rates for these new multipliers will be set at Budget 2025 in light of the outcomes of the revaluation. At the Autumn Budget, we also published a Discussion Paper setting out priority areas for business rates reform and inviting stakeholders to co-design a fairer business rates system. Engagements are ongoing, and any further reforms will be phased over the course of the Parliament to minimise disruption for businesses.

What steps his Department is taking to help put in place an effective workforce strategy for the neurology profession prior to the publication of the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan in summer 2025.

This summer, we will publish a refreshed Long Term Workforce Plan to deliver the transformed health service we will build over the next decade, and treat patients on time again. We will ensure the National Health Service has the right people, in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the care patients need when they need it, including in neurology.As of July 2024, there were over 1,800 full-time equivalent (FTE) doctors working in the specialty of neurology in NHS trusts and other organisations in England. This includes over 900 FTE consultant neurologists. In 2023, the fill rate for recruitment into the specialty of neurology in England was 94%.There are currently no plans for a specific workforce strategy for the neurology profession prior to the publication of the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan.The NHS workforce has been overworked for years, leading to staff becoming burnt out and demoralised. The NHS is broken but not beaten, and together we will turn it around. We have launched a 10-Year Health Plan to reform the NHS. The plan will set out a bold agenda to deliver on the three big shifts needed to move healthcare from hospital to the community, analogue to digital, and sickness to prevention.A central part of the 10-Year Health Plan will be our workforce and how we ensure we train and provide the staff, technology, and infrastructure the NHS needs to care for patients across our communities.