Ben Lake MP: written questions 2025
163 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Horizon IT System: CompensationDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 11 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 99248More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many sub postmasters resident in Wales have had claims related to the Horizon IT system (a) settled and (b) not settled.
Answer: The Department for Business and Trade has not, to date, compiled data on Horizon-related claims by the UK’s constituent countries; however, we intend to include this breakdown in a future publication. Overall, across the UK, as of 28 November 2025, approx...
Answered 18 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordBusiness Rates: WalesTreasuryTabled 5 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 97671More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what are the Zone A rates for retail properties used to calculate the business rates due in (a) Aberystwyth, (b) Tregaron, (c) Aberaeron, (d) Lampeter, (e) Llandysul, (f) Cardigan, (g) St Dogmaels, (h) Crymych, (i)
Answer: Retail Zone A rates are specific to individual properties, so there will be a range of Zone A values in each of the locations referred to.
Answered 10 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordPublic Expenditure: WalesTreasuryTabled 3 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 96737More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 2 December 2025 to question 95185, what the updated average annual change in the Welsh Government’s capital budget is between 2025-26 and 2029-30; and whether that budget will increase.
Answer: As a result of decisions at Budget 2025, the Welsh Government will receive an additional £185m CDEL through the operation of the Barnett formula on top of the record settlement provided at Spending Review 2025. This will ensure the Welsh Government are fu...
Answered 8 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordGaza: Military AircraftMinistry of DefenceTabled 28 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 95446More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost to the public purse has been of UK military flights over Gaza since October 2023.
Answer: While I am unable to disclose these costs for reasons of operational security and as a matter of policy, Defence operational spend in relation to the Israel-Gaza conflict and the wider Middle East has been published in its Annual Reports and Accounts for ...
Answered 3 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordDisposable Income: WalesTreasuryTabled 27 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 95342More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment has her department made of the potential impact of the Autumn Budget 2025 on the forecasts for (a) living standards (b) Real Household Disposable Income in Wales, as compared to the pre-Autumn Budget
Answer: HM Treasury does not prepare forecasts for the UK economy. Forecasts, including for RHDI per person, are the responsibility of the independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR). In their November forecast, after accounting for the effects of policy, ...
Answered 2 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordWelsh Government: BorrowingTreasuryTabled 27 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 95341More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, will the 10% increase in the size of the Welsh Government's (a) annual capital borrowing limit (b) cumulative capital borrowing (c) overall limit on the size of the Wales Reserve, (d) annual limit for drawing down f
Answer: The updates to the Welsh Government’s Fiscal Framework announced at Autumn Budget 2025 increase the real value of the Welsh Government’s budget management tools. The annual uprating of the limits from 2027-28 will maintain the real value of the Welsh Gove...
Answered 2 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordIncome Tax: Tax Rates and BandsTreasuryTabled 27 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 95336More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of the number of additional people who will paying the (a) basic rate and (b) higher rate of income tax broken down by country, in the context of the extension of the income tax threshold
Answer: The number of people forecast to pay tax by marginal rate can be found in Table 3.19 in the OBR’s November 2025 Economic and fiscal outlook – detailed forecast tables: receipts, linked below: https://obr.uk/download/november-2025-economic-and-fiscal-outlo...
Answered 2 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordPublic Expenditure: WalesTreasuryTabled 27 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 95186More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the impact of inflation on the real terms value of the £505 million in Barnett Formula consequential funding for the Welsh Government announced at the Autumn Budget 2025.
Answer: Welsh Government block grant funding is growing in real terms between 2024-25 and 2028-29.
Answered 2 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordPublic Expenditure: WalesTreasuryTabled 27 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 95185More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment has she made of the impact of the additional Barnett Formula consequential funding for the Welsh Government announced at the Autumn Budget 2025 on the average annual growth of the Welsh Government’s
Answer: The additional funding that the Welsh Government will receive as a result of decisions at Autumn Budget 2025 and through the operation of the Barnett Formula increases the average annual growth of the Welsh Government’s capital budget between 2025-26 and ...
Answered 2 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordFiresMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 21 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 93415More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when he last met with the National Fire Chiefs Council to discuss wildfires; and if he will publish the minutes.
Answer: Ministers regularly meet with external stakeholders. As is precedent, details of Ministerial meetings with external organisations and individuals are published quarterly on GOV.UK.
Answered 1 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordApprenticeship Levy: WalesTreasuryTabled 20 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 93079More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in pursuant to the answer to Question 91154, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of (a) collecting and (b) publishing data on the revenue raised from the Apprenticeship Levy from (a) businesses who
Answer: Receipts data for the Apprenticeship Levy is published by HM Revenue and Customs in their Tax and NIC Receipts publication which can be found online at:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/hmrc-tax-and-nics-receipts-for-the-uk HMRC does not require or...
Answered 25 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordWelsh Government: BorrowingTreasuryTabled 19 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 92916More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions she has had with the Welsh Government on the current real terms value of their capital borrowing powers as compared with their real terms value when they were introduced.
Answer: HM Treasury ministers regularly engage with their Welsh Government counterparts, including through forums such as the Finance: Interministerial Standing Committee (F:ISC), to discuss a range of issues affecting Wales. We remain committed to working in par...
Answered 24 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordAgriculture and Business: Inheritance TaxTreasuryTabled 19 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 92903More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment has she made of the potential merits of conducting a Wales specific impact assessment on the implementation of changes to Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief announced at
Answer: Ministers from several Government departments have met with organisations, including NFU Cymru and the Farmers’ Union of Wales, to discuss the reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief from 6 April 2026. The Government believes ...
Answered 24 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordRailways: WalesDepartment for TransportTabled 19 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 92901More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the total identifiable expenditure per head on railways as shown in her department's Public Expenditure Statistical Analysis 2025, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of spending on r
Answer: Our 10 year UK Infrastructure Strategy, published in June 2025, acknowledged that for too long Wales’s long-term rail infrastructure needs have not been recognised and committed the UK Government to delivering at least £445 million of rail enhancements fu...
Answered 24 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordApprenticeship Levy: WalesTreasuryTabled 14 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 91154More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much of the total Apprenticeship Levy funding collected by HMRC from employers (a) primarily based in Wales and (b) who work across the UK but have a headcount in Wales was transferred to the Treasury in each of
Answer: UIN 91154 - While the Apprenticeship Levy is UK wide, apprenticeship policy and spending is devolved. This means that the devolved governments receive funding through the Barnett formula in relation to English apprenticeship spending as part of their bloc...
Answered 19 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordApprenticeship Levy: WalesTreasuryTabled 14 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 91153More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much funding raised by the Apprenticeship Levy was passed to the Welsh Government as part of the Welsh Block Grant in each year of the past five years.
Answer: While the Apprenticeship Levy is UK wide, apprenticeship policy and spending is devolved. This means that the devolved governments receive funding through the Barnett formula in relation to English apprenticeship spending as part of their block grant. The...
Answered 19 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordApprenticeship Levy: WalesTreasuryTabled 14 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 91152More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much funding was raised by the Apprenticeship Levy from employers who work across the UK, but have a headcount in Wales, in each year of the past five years.
Answer: UIN 91154 - While the Apprenticeship Levy is UK wide, apprenticeship policy and spending is devolved. This means that the devolved governments receive funding through the Barnett formula in relation to English apprenticeship spending as part of their bloc...
Answered 19 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordApprenticeship Levy: WalesTreasuryTabled 14 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 91151More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much funding was raised by the Apprenticeship Levy from employers primarily based in Wales in each of the past five years.
Answer: UIN 91154 - While the Apprenticeship Levy is UK wide, apprenticeship policy and spending is devolved. This means that the devolved governments receive funding through the Barnett formula in relation to English apprenticeship spending as part of their bloc...
Answered 19 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordMotor Vehicles: Excise DutiesTreasuryTabled 12 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 90314More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of exempting search and rescue vehicles from Vehicle Excise Duty.
Answer: The Government annually reviews the rates and thresholds of taxes and reliefs to ensure that they are appropriate and reflect the current state of the economy. The Chancellor makes decisions on tax policy at fiscal events in the context of the public fina...
Answered 17 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordBroadband: Rural AreasDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 12 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 90313More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that pricing mechanisms for infrastructure access do not adversely impact private investment in rural gigabit rollout.
Answer: As the independent regulator for telecommunications, Ofcom is responsible for making regulatory decisions in the fixed telecoms sector, including on the Physical Infrastructure Access (PIA) product.In July, we published our draft Statement of Strategic Pr...
Answered 17 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordPublic ExpenditureTreasuryTabled 5 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 88306More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference her Department's policy paper entitled Finance: Interministerial Standing Committee – 17 October 2025, what options were discussed for enhancing the fiscal flexibilities available to devolved Governme
Answer: It is important that the Finance: Interministerial Standing Committee remains a space for confidential discussions between governments, so it would not be appropriate to comment on the detail of those discussions. I look forward to continued engagement wi...
Answered 12 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordDeposit Return Schemes: VATTreasuryTabled 5 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 88305More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 9 April 2025 to Question 43325 on Deposit Return Schemes: VAT, for what reason her Department is considering applying VAT to unredeemed deposits in the deposit return scheme in the context
Answer: The Deposit Returns Scheme (DRS) will launch in the UK in October 2027, introducing mandatory refundable deposits on drinks containers with the aim of increasing recycling. VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption, and the 20 per cent standard rate applies...
Answered 17 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordEmployers' Contributions: Welsh GovernmentTreasuryTabled 5 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 88304More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 3 April 2025 to Question 42630 on Employers' Contributions: Welsh Government, what mechanism her Department will use to provide compensation for public services in Wales for the increase in
Answer: The Welsh Government’s budget is growing in real terms between 2024-25 and 2028-29 and their Spending Review settlement is the largest in real terms since devolution in 1998. At Autumn Budget 2024, the Chancellor agreed to provide funding to the public se...
Answered 11 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordEmployers' Contributions: WalesTreasuryTabled 4 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 87820More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether future compensation funding provided to the Welsh Government for increased National Insurance contributions costs for the public sector in Wales will cover this cost in full.
Answer: The Welsh Government’s budget is growing in real terms between 2024-25 and 2028-29 and their Spending Review settlement is the largest in real terms since devolution in 1998. At Autumn Budget 2024, the Chancellor agreed to provide funding to the public se...
Answered 11 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordDigital Services TaxTreasuryTabled 4 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 87819More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of increasing the level of the Digital Services Tax.
Answer: Decisions on tax are a matter for the Chancellor and any changes will be announced at the budget in the usual way. The Digital Services Tax is an interim solution to widely held concerns with the international corporate tax framework, and the UK remains c...
Answered 11 Nov 2025
Original Parliament record
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