Ben Goldsborough MP: written questions
113 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Housing: GardensMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 1 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 15173More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of policy options to deliver adequately sized, high-quality gardens of 200 square metres as part of the Government's pledge to build 1.5 million new
Answer: The National Planning Policy Framework emphasises the importance of a network of high quality, open spaces for the health and wellbeing of communities and the environment. This is supported by national design guidance, which explains the contribution of p...
Answered 20 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordRecreation SpacesMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 1 Jul 2026AnsweredUIN 15172More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of access to high-quality green spaces across the UK.
Answer: The government is committed to ensuring everyone lives within a 15-minute walk of a green or blue space. In response to this commitment, earlier this year Defra published official statistics in development showing that 80% of people are within this range,...
Answered 9 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordProperty: IncomeTreasuryTabled 29 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 14165More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 15 June 2026 to Question 7262, what proportion of taxpayers reporting a gross property income greater than £1,000 claimed property allowance, and at what cost to the treasury.
Answer: The proportion of taxpayers reporting a gross property income greater than £1,000 that claimed property allowance in the latest available financial year (2023/24) is estimated to be 8%. An estimate of the Exchequer cost is not readily available as Landlor...
Answered 7 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordVideo GamesDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 29 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 14164More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment she has made of trends in the levels of video games studio closures, and what steps she is taking to support the long-term sustainability of the UK video games development
Answer: This Government has committed to supporting the video games sector as part of the Creative Industries Sector Plan, published last year, which sets out support for the industry in order to address the challenges it faces. In April, we launched the £30 mill...
Answered 6 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordVideo Games: Tax AllowancesTreasuryTabled 29 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 14163More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the proportion of qualifying expenditure for Video Games Expenditure Credit (VGEC) from 80 per cent to 100 per cent.
Answer: The Government recognises the importance of the creative industries, including the contribution made by the UK’s video games sector to growth and innovation. Video games companies already benefit from a generous Video Games Expenditure Credit (VGEC) of 34...
Answered 7 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordVideo Games: Tax AllowancesTreasuryTabled 29 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 14162More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the Video Games Expenditure Credit (VGEC) to 53%.
Answer: The Government recognises the importance of the creative industries, including the contribution made by the UK’s video games sector to growth and innovation. Video games companies already benefit from a generous Video Games Expenditure Credit (VGEC) of 34...
Answered 7 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordVideo Games: FinanceDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 29 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 14161More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to encourage banks to provide financial support to video games developers at all stages of the development process.
Answer: The Government has reaffirmed its support for SME growth and the startup ecosystem, extending both the Enterprise Investment Scheme and Venture Capital Trust scheme to 2035. Our 10-year Industrial Strategy and Creative Industries Sector Plan set out how w...
Answered 6 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordVideo Games: South NorfolkDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 29 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 14160More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to hep support the establishment and growth of video games studios in South Norfolk.
Answer: This Government has committed to supporting the video games sector as part of the Creative Industries Sector Plan, published last year, which sets out support for the industry in order to address the challenges it faces. In April, we launched the £30 mill...
Answered 6 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordUK Games FundDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 29 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 14159More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the Entry Track grant of the UK Games Fund.
Answer: This Government has committed to supporting the video games sector as part of the Creative Industries Sector Plan, published last year, which sets out support for the industry in order to address the challenges it faces. In April, we launched the £30 mill...
Answered 6 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordVideo GamesDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 29 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 14158More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to help ensure the long-term presence of video game studios in a) the UK b) the East of England.
Answer: This Government has committed to supporting the video games sector as part of the Creative Industries Sector Plan, published last year, which sets out support for the industry in order to address the challenges it faces. In April, we launched the £30 mill...
Answered 6 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordVideo Games: Work ExperienceDepartment for EducationTabled 29 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 14157More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help expand access to work experience placements for young people interested in careers in the video games industry.
Answer: This government is working with industry to deliver a UK-wide £9 million creative careers initiative, to equip young people with the ambition and knowledge to work in the creative industries. This includes ‘Into Games’ workshops in schools led by trained ...
Answered 7 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordVideo Games: CurriculumDepartment for EducationTabled 29 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 14156More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure the curriculum is encouraging young people to consider careers in the video games sector.
Answer: To ensure that children and young people are equipped with the essential knowledge and skills required for the future, this government is taking decisive action to modernise digital education.Following the final report of the independent Curriculum and As...
Answered 7 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordVideo GamesDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 29 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 14155More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her department will review the effectiveness of the updated Standard Industrial Classification codes for the video games industry following their implementation.
Answer: The new 2026 UK Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) framework will introduce a new dedicated 4-digit code for video games development, alongside the existing 4-digit code for video games publishing and new activity such as esports. My department will...
Answered 6 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordUK Games FundDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 29 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 14154More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how the UK Games Fund will be targeted to support early-stage video game studios.
Answer: This Government has committed to supporting the video games sector as part of the Creative Industries Sector Plan, published last year, which sets out support for the industry in order to address the challenges it faces. In April, we launched the £30 mill...
Answered 6 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordVideo Games: Vocational GuidanceDepartment for EducationTabled 29 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 14153More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help ensure that careers guidance in schools promotes video-games careers to girls and young women.
Answer: This government is working with industry to deliver a UK-wide £9 million creative careers initiative, to equip young people with the ambition and knowledge to work in the creative industries. This includes ‘Into Games’ workshops in schools led by trained ...
Answered 7 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordVideo Games: EqualityDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 29 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 14152More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her department is taking to help improve gender diversity within the video-games sector.
Answer: This Government has committed to supporting the video games sector as part of the Creative Industries Sector Plan, published last year, which sets out support for the industry in order to address the challenges it faces. In April, we launched the £30 mill...
Answered 6 Jul 2026
Original Parliament recordHong Kong: Human RightsForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 10 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 900452More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the potential implications for her Department's policies of the human rights situation in Hong Kong.
Answer: On 26 March, the Foreign Secretary published the Government’s latest six-monthly report on Hong Kong, which repeated our concerns about the continued erosion of rights and freedoms in Hong Kong, in breach of the Sino-British Joint Declaration.Ministers an...
Answered 16 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordGenetically Modified Organisms: PlantsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 8 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 7651More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answers of 27 May 2026 to Questions 2585 and 2586, on what date will a National Listing system recognising precision bred seeds be available.
Answer: On 9 March, this Government published the legislation expected to be in scope of the Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Agreement currently being negotiated with the EU. This includes legislation relating to plant varieties and seeds. As negotiations are on...
Answered 16 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordLandlords: TaxationTreasuryTabled 5 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 7265More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the cost to her Department was of allowing incorporated landlords to deduct mortgage interest from rental properties when calculating taxable profits in the last year.
Answer: Estimates of the cost of allowing incorporated landlords to deduct mortgage interest from rental properties are not readily available since landlords subject to Corporation tax are not required to report separately their residential finance costs.
Answered 15 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordLandlords: Tax AllowancesTreasuryTabled 5 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 7264More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the cost to her Department was of the Replacement of Domestic Items Relief for landlords in the last financial year.
Answer: Estimates of the Exchequer cost of the Replacement of Domestic Items Relief for landlords are not readily available.
Answered 15 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordLandlords: Tax AllowancesTreasuryTabled 5 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 7263More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the cost to her Department was of tax relief for landlords of residential properties in the last financial year.
Answer: Unincorporated landlords receive basic rate relief through a tax reduction. The estimated cost of basic rate tax relief on finance costs for landlords of residential properties reporting in Income Tax Self Assessment (ITSA) in 2023/24 (the latest availabl...
Answered 15 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordProperty: IncomeTreasuryTabled 5 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 7262More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people reported a gross property income of greater than £1,000 to HMRC in the last financial year.
Answer: Estimates of the number of people reporting a gross property income of greater than £1,000 to HMRC for the latest available financial year are shown in the table below. Tax YearCategoryNo. of People Reporting Gross Property Income Greater Than £1,000 in ...
Answered 15 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordSocial Security Benefits: EmploymentDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 5 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 7239More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what is the annual cost of paying legacy benefits such as working tax credits and earlier iterations of Universal Credit to people in paid employment.
Answer: Precursors to Universal Credit (UC) such as Working Tax Credits (WTC) have now migrated to UC, therefore legacy payments are no longer applicable. As a result, all associated costs are captured within UC payments. For other working age benefits where clai...
Answered 17 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordUniversal Credit: EmploymentDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 5 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 7238More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in receipt of Universal Credit while in paid employment are employed (a) in the retail sector and (b) by supermarkets.
Answer: The Getting Britain Working: Labour Market Insights Publication contains an estimate of the proportion of people on Universal Credit who work in Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles sector, which can be found at https://www...
Answered 16 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordUniversal Credit: EmploymentDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 5 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 7237More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what is the annual cost of paying Universal Credit to people in paid employment.
Answer: The department publishes figures for expenditure on Universal Credit (UC) Expenditure here: Benefit expenditure and caseload tables - GOV.UK Universal Credit entitlement is calculated on a household basis. The requested breakdown of UC expenditure to peop...
Answered 16 Jun 2026
Original Parliament record
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