Ben Lake MP: written questions
164 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Customs: Digital TechnologyTreasuryTabled 18 May 2026AnsweredUIN 2223More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many BIRDs-authorised traders have had authorisation (a) suspended, (b) withdrawn, (c) reviewed following compliance investigations and (d) referred to HMRC's Fraud Investigation Service since the introduction o
Answer: HMRC does not systematically record data on the number of BIRDs authorised traders whose authorisation has been suspended, withdrawn, reviewed following compliance activity, or referred to the Fraud Investigation Service, and this information could only b...
Answered 27 May 2026
Original Parliament recordCustoms: Digital TechnologyTreasuryTabled 18 May 2026AnsweredUIN 2222More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many BIRDs declarations submitted in each year between 2022 and 2025 were associated with (a) UK-incorporated companies that had been registered at Companies House for fewer than 24 months at the time of submiss
Answer: The information requested is not available.
Answered 27 May 2026
Original Parliament recordCustoms: Digital TechnologyTreasuryTabled 18 May 2026AnsweredUIN 2221More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how HMRC reconciles BIRDs import declaration data with (a) online marketplace order data, (b) VAT returns submitted by sellers and marketplaces and (c) the Customs Declaration Service consignee and importer data for
Answer: The purpose of BIRDS is to allow operators to comply with customs requirements. There is a separate VAT regime.Given the scope of the data, HMRC does not typically reconcile BIRDS declaration data with data from online marketplaces, VAT return data or Cus...
Answered 27 May 2026
Original Parliament recordCustoms: Digital TechnologyTreasuryTabled 18 May 2026AnsweredUIN 2220More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the answer of 29 April 2026 to question 129483, what (a) the declared trade value of goods imported under BIRDs declarations across all procedure codes and both CDS and CHIEF, (b) HMRC's estimate o
Answer: (a) The trade value and number of declarations from the Bulk Import Reduced Data Set (BIRDS) under the Customs Declaration Service and Low-Value Bulking of Imports (LVBI) under the legacy CHIEF system are in the following table:YearLVBI Trade value (£bn)L...
Answered 27 May 2026
Original Parliament recordCustoms: Digital TechnologyTreasuryTabled 18 May 2026AnsweredUIN 2219More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the answer of 29 April 2026 to question 129483, how many (a) individual consignments and parcels were covered by BIRDs declarations under CPC 0020 21V submitted via the Customs Declaration Service
Answer: The information requested is not available. BIRDs declarations submitted under CPC 0020 21V and declarations submitted via the legacy CHIEF system are aggregated, with a single declaration covering multiple consignments or parcels using a reduced dataset....
Answered 27 May 2026
Original Parliament recordSeeds: ImportsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 18 May 2026AnsweredUIN 2218More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of the volume of seed imported into the UK via online marketplaces in each year since 2020.
Answer: Seed import applications do not capture data on how these imports are sourced.
Answered 4 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordSeeds: ImportsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 18 May 2026AnsweredUIN 2217More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the amount of seeds imported into the UK from EU countries was by weight in each year since 2020.
Answer: This is the volume (kgs) of notifiable seed from EU countries declared to the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) based on risk categorisation: 2025: 18,899,370.212024: 9,235,173.432023: 10,551,652.022022: 16,197,085.562021: 7,905,863.802020: TBC There ...
Answered 4 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordSeeds: ImportsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 18 May 2026AnsweredUIN 2216More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the amount of seeds imported into the UK from non-EU countries was by weight in each year since 2020.
Answer: This is the volume (kgs) of notifiable seed from non-EU countries declared to the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) based on risk categorisation: 2025: 3,800,221.642024: 3,702,498.582023: 4,464,313.202022: 6,478,940.932021: 6,292,767.162020: 4,173,602...
Answered 4 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordSeeds: Import ControlsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 18 May 2026AnsweredUIN 2215More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has considered the potential impact of the re-introduction of the Places of Destination scheme on the home garden seed sector.
Answer: There are no plans to re-introduce the Place of Destination Scheme and therefore there been no assessment of the impact its re-introduction would have on the home garden seed sector.
Answered 9 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordMobile Phones: StandardsDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 18 May 2026AnsweredUIN 2214More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the answer of 28 April 2026 to question 128431, whether her Department verifies claims by major communication providers that no existing PSTN customers will be left wi
Answer: Landlines are not being removed. The technology underpinning the landline network, the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), is being upgraded to digital Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP).As per the response to Question 128431 on 28 April, I can rei...
Answered 27 May 2026
Original Parliament recordMobile Phones: StandardsDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 18 May 2026AnsweredUIN 2213More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the answer of 28 April 2026 to question 128431, what her Department considers to be an adequate landline alternative.
Answer: Landlines are not being removed. The technology underpinning the landline network, the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), is being upgraded to digital Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP).As per the response to Question 128431 on 28 April, I can rei...
Answered 27 May 2026
Original Parliament recordMotability: WalesDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 15 May 2026AnsweredUIN 1681More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average milage of Motability scheme users living in (a) Ceredigion Preseli constituency and (b) Wales was in each of the last five years.
Answer: Responsibility for the terms and administration of the Scheme sits with Motability Foundation and its Board of Governors.Changes to the leasing package announced by Motability in March 2026 included reducing the mileage allowance from 20,000 per year to 1...
Answered 26 May 2026
Original Parliament recordMotability: WalesDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 15 May 2026AnsweredUIN 1680More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Motability scheme users living in (a) Ceredigion Preseli constituency and (b) Wales exceeded 10,000 miles in each of the last five years.
Answer: Responsibility for the terms and administration of the Scheme sits with Motability Foundation and its Board of Governors.Changes to the leasing package announced by Motability in March 2026 included reducing the mileage allowance from 20,000 per year to 1...
Answered 26 May 2026
Original Parliament recordMotability: Rural AreasDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 15 May 2026AnsweredUIN 1679More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he plans to take steps to help support people in rural areas who may be affected by the reduction to the Motability scheme mileage allowance from 20,000 miles to 10,000 miles a year.
Answer: Responsibility for the terms and administration of the Scheme sits with Motability Foundation and its Board of Governors.Changes to the leasing package announced by Motability in March 2026 included reducing the mileage allowance from 20,000 per year to 1...
Answered 26 May 2026
Original Parliament recordMotability: Rural AreasDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 15 May 2026AnsweredUIN 1678More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the proportion of Mobility Scheme users who exceeded 10,000 miles per year live in rural areas.
Answer: Responsibility for the terms and administration of the Scheme sits with Motability Foundation and its Board of Governors.Changes to the leasing package announced by Motability in March 2026 included reducing the mileage allowance from 20,000 per year to 1...
Answered 26 May 2026
Original Parliament recordProstate Cancer: DiagnosisDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 15 May 2026AnsweredUIN 1677More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Stockholm 3 (S3) diagnostic test for prostate cancer; and whether he will consider its inclusion within the routine NHS diagnostic pathway fo
Answer: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body responsible for developing evidence-based guidance for the health and care system on best practice. NICE’s HealthTech programme provides the route for providing independe...
Answered 26 May 2026
Original Parliament recordPet Travel SchemeDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 14 May 2026AnsweredUIN 1327More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions her Department has had with (a) veterinary bodies and (b) EU counterparts on the financial implications for pet owners of the ending of EU recognition of UK pet passpo
Answer: On 22 April the EU brought in new rules affecting those travelling with pets from third countries such as Great Britain (GB) into the EU. Defra has engaged with the European Commission to understand how they are implemented, and how this impacts those tra...
Answered 19 May 2026
Original Parliament recordMorocco: Armed ForcesForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 23 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 129570More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has had discussions with her Moroccan counterpart on the UN Secretary-General’s report to the Security Council calling for the Royal Moroccan Army to refrain from
Answer: The UK wants to see a lasting solution to the Western Sahara conflict. In her meeting with Moroccan Foreign Minister Bourita on 23 April, the Foreign Secretary reaffirmed Morocco's 2007 autonomy plan as the most credible, viable and pragmatic basis for ac...
Answered 29 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordVAT: Non-paymentTreasuryTabled 23 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 129520More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the value is of overdue VAT owed by non-established taxable persons registered for VAT under Schedule 1A to the VAT Act 1994.
Answer: HMRC holds management information on VAT liabilities, but data for non‑established taxable persons is not robust enough to provide reliable estimates of the population with VAT debt or amounts overdue.
Answered 28 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordVAT: Non-paymentTreasuryTabled 23 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 129484More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many non-established taxable persons liable to be registered for VAT under Schedule 1A to the VAT Act 1994 have an overdue VAT bill.
Answer: HMRC holds management information on VAT liabilities, but data for non‑established taxable persons is not robust enough to provide reliable estimates of the population with VAT debt or amounts overdue.
Answered 28 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordCustoms: Digital TechnologyTreasuryTabled 23 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 129483More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Customs Declaration Service and its Bulk Import Reduced Data Set, how many entries were logged under Customs Procedure Code 0020 21V in each year since 2022.
Answer: For the purposes of this answer, “entries” have been interpreted as customs declarations. The table shows the number of customs declarations logged on the Customs Declaration Service (CDS) under Customs Procedure Code (CPC) 0020 21V, which is used for the...
Answered 29 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordFuels: Excise DutiesTreasuryTabled 23 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 129482More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of the revenue raised from fuel duty between January and April (a) 2026 and (b) 2025; and if she will consider offering targeted support to the road haulage sector.
Answer: Fuel duty receipts total approximately £8 billion for the period January to April 2025. Tax receipt data is available on GOV.UK, where data for April 2026 will be published in due course. Fuel duty is charged as a fixed amount per litre, so receipts depen...
Answered 28 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordMobile Phones: StandardsDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 20 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 128431More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the answer of 20 April 2026 to question 125033, what is her Department's estimate of the number of premises in (a) Ceredigion Preseli constituency, (b) Wales and (c) the UK
Answer: The estimated number of premises currently without access to good mobile coverage for each of these areas based on the latest Ofcom data was provided in our answer to question 125033.The Government is committed to ensuring that any risks from the industry...
Answered 28 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordVAT: Tax EvasionTreasuryTabled 20 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 128304More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent estimate her Department has made of the level of loss to public finances of VAT non-compliance by overseas retailers through online marketplaces.
Answer: HMRC’s best estimate of VAT losses, for 2021 to 2022, as a result of overseas seller non-compliance occurring through online marketplaces is £150 million per annum as published in the NAO report Tackling tax evasion in high street and online retail - NAO ...
Answered 28 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordBank Services: Post OfficesTreasuryTabled 16 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 127844More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of co-locating community banking representatives within post offices.
Answer: Banks provide access to in‑person banking services through a range of channels, including branches, banking hubs and post offices. Some banks also provide access to community bankers through pop‑up services in locations such as libraries and community cen...
Answered 23 Apr 2026
Original Parliament record
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