David Simmonds MP: written questions
4 Jul 2026–16 Oct 2026 · year in progress
How these years work
Our reporting years run from 4 July to 3 July, starting with the 2024 general election. They are not official parliamentary sessions. Office costs keep IPSA’s April–March financial years. Records may cover only part of a year; a missing record does not mean no work was done.
Read what this MP said, asked and contributed in Parliament.
40 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Business RatesTreasuryTabled 10 Sept 2026AnsweredUIN 28849More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans his Department has to amend business rates for (a) pubs and nightclubs and (b) the thresholds for independent small businesses.
Answer: The Government has introduced permanently lower multipliers for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) properties. Local Authorities determine whether a hereditament meets the legislative definition of Retail, Hospitality or Leisure (RHL) and ther...
Answered 17 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordPublic Houses: Business RatesTreasuryTabled 10 Sept 2026AnsweredUIN 28834More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the reduction in business rates for pubs announced in July 2026 is subject to a subsidy limitation regime for individual businesses.
Answer: The 20 per cent relief announced in July will be available for all pubs, social clubs and all but the very largest live music venues. The scope of the 20 per cent relief will broadly mirror the scope of the existing 15 per cent relief. [1] Eligible social...
Answered 17 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordBusiness RatesTreasuryTabled 9 Sept 2026AnsweredUIN 28452More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 4 September 2026, to Question 22095, on Urban Areas: Planning Permission, whether the new positive contribution will apply to (a) all businesses, and all business rate reliefs, or (b) only
Answer: The Government will set out further details on funding for the additional 20 per cent business rates relief for pubs, social clubs and live music venues at the Budget. As part of that work, the Government is reviewing reliefs for businesses that do not ma...
Answered 17 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordCouncil Tax: SurchargesTreasuryTabled 9 Sept 2026AnsweredUIN 28451More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 9 June 2026, to Question 5344, on Council Tax: Surcharges, whether the powers of officers appointed by the Commissioners of His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs to undertake valuations for the
Answer: The High Value Council Tax Surcharge will be legislated for in Finance Bill 2026 and subject to Parliamentary approval in the normal way.
Answered 17 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordCouncil Tax: ValuationTreasuryTabled 9 Sept 2026AnsweredUIN 28450More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Valuation Office Agency annual report and accounts 2025-26, July 2026, p.22, if he will list each of the individual datasets use for the data collection and sales verification.
Answer: The Model Specification Document is published on gov.uk here https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67e6a9a08ac59d1882eaddf5/Model_specification_document.pdfThis sets out datasets used for data collection and sales verification under the heading U...
Answered 17 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordBusiness RatesTreasuryTabled 9 Sept 2026AnsweredUIN 28449More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the No10 press release entitled "Burnham means business: PM slashes business rates bills for pubs, clubs and live music venues", of 23 July 2026, and the pledge to fully fund the reduction in busin
Answer: The Government will set out further details on funding for the additional 20 per cent business rates relief for pubs, social clubs and live music venues at the Budget. As part of that work, the Government is reviewing reliefs for businesses that do not ma...
Answered 17 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordHousing: ConstructionTreasuryTabled 9 Sept 2026AnsweredUIN 28448More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to HMRC Research Programme: Updated July 2026, published in August 2026, entry: Tax Reliefs, Ref: 2324TRE04, Evaluation of tax reliefs intended to support house building, which organisation is underta
Answer: This evaluation examines tax reliefs relevant to housebuilding. It aims to:Assess stakeholders’ awareness and understanding of the reliefs.Understand how and when the tax reliefs are considered during the development process.Explore the reliefs’ influence...
Answered 17 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordAsylum: HousingTreasuryTabled 9 Sept 2026AnsweredUIN 28447More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether residential asylum accommodation will be liable for the council tax surcharge.
Answer: The High Value Council Tax Surcharge is a new charge on owners of residential property in England worth £2m or more. The Government consulted on a proposed list of discounts and exemptions. and a response to the consultation will be published in due cours...
Answered 17 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordVisitor Levy: VATTreasuryTabled 9 Sept 2026AnsweredUIN 28446More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether VAT is charged by HMRC on the overnight visitor levy set by councils in (a) Wales and (b) Scotland.
Answer: Under UK VAT law, VAT is charged on the full amount paid by a customer for the goods or services they are purchasing. Therefore, where an overnight visitor levy forms part of the consideration paid for accommodation, VAT is charged on the total amount pai...
Answered 17 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordIndividual Savings AccountsTreasuryTabled 9 Sept 2026AnsweredUIN 28445More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the First Time Buyer ISA: Consultation, updated 29 June 2026, for what reason the pension saving option has been removed from the First Time Buyer ISA successor scheme which replaces the Lifetime I
Answer: The Government is committed to making the aspiration of home ownership a reality for as many people as possible and recognises that the Lifetime ISA (LISA) is not working for everyone. Its dual purpose of supporting both home ownership and retirement savi...
Answered 17 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordPublic Works Loan BoardTreasuryTabled 9 Sept 2026AnsweredUIN 28444More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reason the Public Works Loan Board is a non-discretionary lender; and what consideration has been given to the potential merits of it assessing the purpose of a municipal loan application.
Answer: The assessment of Public Works Loan Board loan applications is the responsibility of each local authority’s Section 151 (finance) Officer, who must be satisfied that they are acting in line with statute and affordability considerations. This framework pre...
Answered 30 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordCouncil Tax: ValuationTreasuryTabled 1 Sept 2026AnsweredUIN 26178More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the answer of 26 February 2026 to Question 113649 on Council Tax: Valuation, whether there is HMRC Valuation Office guidance on physical inspections of dwellings for council tax valuations.
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN19141 tabled on 15 July 2026.
Answered 9 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordBusiness Rates: ValuationTreasuryTabled 1 Sept 2026AnsweredUIN 26177More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what Special Category Code is given by HMRC Valuation Office to (a) betting shops, (b) fast food takeaways, (c) adult gaming centres and (d) barbers.
Answer: The Valuation Office publishes a list of Special Category codes and descriptions on their website here.
Answered 7 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordBusiness RatesTreasuryTabled 1 Sept 2026AnsweredUIN 26176More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to reduce business rates on (a) butchers, (b) bakers and (c) bookshops.
Answer: The Government has introduced new permanent lower multipliers for eligible Retail, Hospitality and Leisure (RHL) properties. These provide nearly £1 billion per year of support to the RHL sector and benefit over 750,000 properties, replacing temporary rel...
Answered 9 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordBusiness Rates and Council Tax: ValuationTreasuryTabled 1 Sept 2026AnsweredUIN 26175More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Valuation Office Agency annual report and accounts, 2025-26, HC401, 9 July 2026, pages 53 and 56, what the nature of the risk is in relation to (a) the introduction of the council tax surcharge
Answer: As outlined in our annual report and accounts, the risks relating to Revaluation 2029 and High Value Council Tax Surcharge relate to VO delivery and ensuring we mitigate them effectively.
Answered 9 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordValuation Office Agency: StaffTreasuryTabled 1 Sept 2026AnsweredUIN 26174More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Valuation Office Agency annual report and accounts, 2025-26, HC401, 9 July 2026, page 81, if he will break down the increase in staff by business unit; and what the FTE target is for 2026-27.
Answer: The Valuation Office’s headcount increase was for 9 corporate roles and 484 operational roles. The operational roles were split between the Chief Valuer Group (152) and the Valuation Operation Group (332) to support delivery across a range of areas includ...
Answered 9 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordValuation Office Agency: ICTTreasuryTabled 1 Sept 2026AnsweredUIN 26173More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Valuation Office Agency annual report and accounts, 2025-26, HC401, 9 July 2026, page 46, how data enhancement was undertaken to improve council tax data quality.
Answer: Data enhancement involves reviewing property information held by the VO, including validating and updating property attributes and correcting missing or inaccurate records. This provides a more accurate evidence base for valuations.
Answered 7 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordRevenue and Customs: Freedom of InformationTreasuryTabled 1 Sept 2026AnsweredUIN 26172More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish the HMRC response to Freedom of Information Act request FOI2026/09619, of 11 June 2026.
Answer: The information requested in Freedom of Information request FOI2026/09619, the Valuation Office’s Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA) for the 2026 business rates revaluation, has already been disclosed under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Disclosure u...
Answered 7 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordHome Shopping: VATTreasuryTabled 1 Sept 2026AnsweredUIN 26171More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the No10 press release entitled Burnham means business: PM slashes business rates bills for pubs, clubs and live music venues, of 23 July 2026, what the estimated annual revenue is from extending V
Answer: The Government consulted on extending VAT online marketplace liability to combat non-compliance, from 23 June to 18 August 2026Revenue raised from extending the VAT online marketplace liability rules to domestic businesses will be reinvested into improvem...
Answered 9 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordBusiness RatesTreasuryTabled 1 Sept 2026AnsweredUIN 26170More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the No10 press release entitled Burnham means business: PM slashes business rates bills for pubs, clubs and live music venues, 23 July 2026, how he plans to determine whether premises will be eligi
Answer: The scope of the 20 per cent relief will broadly follow the scope of the current 15 per cent relief and real-terms freeze in bills. However, to target support where it is most needed, the Government will not be making the additional 20 per cent available ...
Answered 9 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordRevenue and Customs: SecondmentTreasuryTabled 1 Sept 2026AnsweredUIN 26169More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, which organisations have (a) had departmental Civil Servants seconded to HMRC and the Valuation Office since July 2024 and (b) seconded organisational staff to HMRC and the Valuation Office in that period.
Answer: Since July 2024, HMRC civil servants have been seconded to the following organisations: • Gambling Commission • Office for Environmental Protection • St Helena Government • Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA) • Information Commissioner's Office (...
Answered 7 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordFood: SalesTreasuryTabled 1 Sept 2026AnsweredUIN 26168More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether HMRC Valuation Office values cake sheds for business rates.
Answer: The Valuation Office would consider the extent and frequency of the non-domestic use, and any modifications made to the property to accommodate that use, when deciding whether a cake shed fell to be rateable. Where the use of domestic property for a non-d...
Answered 9 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordRegional Growth FundTreasuryTabled 1 Sept 2026Awaiting answerUIN 26167More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much funding has been allocated to the Exceptional Regional Growth Fund in each year of the Spending Review period.
Answer: No published answer in this record yet.
Original Parliament recordPublic Houses: Business RatesTreasuryTabled 1 Sept 2026AnsweredUIN 26166More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the answer of 10 April 2026, to Question 122709, if he will provide equivalent data, for the number of pubs with special category code 226 and 227, by local authority area, and their average Rateab
Answer: The HMRC Valuation Office publishes statistics on non-domestic properties, including public houses, through its non-domestic rating stock of properties collection. I refer the Member to the answer given to Question UIN122709 tabled on 23 March 2026 which ...
Answered 7 Sept 2026
Original Parliament recordAmusement Arcades: Business RatesTreasuryTabled 1 Sept 2026AnsweredUIN 26165More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the guidance, Business Rates Multipliers: Qualifying Retail, Hospitality or Leisure, of 30 March 2026, and with reference to the No10 press release, “PM vows to save hollowed out high streets with
Answer: Local Authorities determine whether a hereditament meets the legislative definition of Retail, Hospitality or Leisure (RHL) and therefore qualifies for the RHL multiplier. Ahead of Budget 2025, the Government laid a Statutory Instrument (SI) defining ‘qua...
Answered 9 Sept 2026
Original Parliament record
Explore activity by topic or department
Written questions by answering department
4 Jul 2026–16 Oct 2026. One record per UIN and tabled date; the named department is not a measure of answer quality.
View as listWhat this shows and doesn't show
Published records only — not a full account of an MP’s work. How we work →