David Simmonds MP: written questions
457 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Council TaxTreasuryTabled 12 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 104890More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 9 December 2025 to Question 95894 on Housing: council tax, whether the Valuation Office Agency holds council tax dwelling data by band based on those geographies.
Answer: The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) publishes Council Tax statistics on GOV.UK. The Council Tax stock of properties publication provides the number of properties by Council Tax band, administrative area and Westminster Parliamentary Constituency in England ...
Answered 20 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordCouncil Tax: SurchargesTreasuryTabled 12 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 104889More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Valuation Office Agency has made an estimate of the number of dwellings in each local authority that could be liable for the council tax surcharge.
Answer: The Valuation Office Agency estimates fewer than 1% of properties in England are expected to be liable for the High Value Council Tax surcharge.
Answered 20 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordBusiness Rates: Tax AllowancesTreasuryTabled 12 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 104888More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 10 December 2025 to Question 97277 on Business Rates: Tax Allowances, whether the Valuation Office Agency’s online calculator on the gov.uk website is correctly applying 2025-26 Retail, Hos
Answer: The business rates estimator tool was, in accordance with standard practice, taken down on Friday 16 January ahead of local authorities issuing business rates bills in the coming weeks.
Answered 22 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordCamping Sites and Caravan SitesTreasuryTabled 12 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 104887More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what information the Valuation Office Agency. holds on the number of (a) religious retreats, (b) caravan parks for recreational use and (c) recreational campsites there are in each local authority.
Answer: The Valuation Office Agency publishes an annual stock of properties in the Rating List on GOV.UK. The most recent release details the stock and value of properties on the 2023 rating lists as at 31 March 2025. Information relating to your request can be f...
Answered 20 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordPublic Houses: Business RatesTreasuryTabled 12 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 104864More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many and what proportion of pubs with Valuation Office Agency Special Category (i) Code 226 and (ii) Code 227, will see their business rates bills (a) increase, (b) fall or (c) remain the same, in 2026-27 relati
Answer: I refer the hon. Members to the answer given to UIN 101363.
Answered 19 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordCouncil Tax: SurchargesTreasuryTabled 6 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 103465More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the effect of the council tax surcharge on house prices of higher valued homes, and the associated effect on the wider housing market.
Answer: House prices are affected by lots of different factors – this is forecast by the Office for Budget Responsibility in its recent Economic and Fiscal Outlook here: https://obr.uk/docs/dlm_uploads/OBR_Economic_and_fiscal_outlook_November_2025.pdf
Answered 14 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordTreasury: ResearchTreasuryTabled 6 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 103464More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, further to the the publication entitled Areas of research interest, updated 27 November 2025, when will (a) her Department, (b) HMRC and (c) the Valuation Office Agency publish their 2025 areas of research interests
Answer: The Areas of Research Interest (ARI) documents you refer to, published in November 2024, set out a range of long-term and enduring research questions across the remit of HMT, HMRC and the Valuation Office Agency. The Government’s objectives, including rel...
Answered 14 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordCouncil Tax: ValuationTreasuryTabled 6 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 103463More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what powers the Valuation Office Agency has to fine householders, and at what level, for (a) not providing information to assist a council tax valuation request and (b) refusing a power of entry request which has be
Answer: The VOA does not have the power to directly fine householders.
Answered 15 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordCouncil Tax: SurchargesTreasuryTabled 6 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 103462More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, further to the OBR Economic and fiscal outlook report of 26 November 2025, Table 3.9, what is her Department's estimate of the monetary annual value of the behavioural effects from the introduction of the council ta
Answer: Estimates of the direct behavioural effects are set out on page 78 of the Office for Budget Responsibilities Economic and Fiscal Outlook:https://obr.uk/docs/dlm_uploads/OBR_Economic_and_fiscal_outlook_November_2025.pdf A breakdown of the policy costing is...
Answered 13 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordBusiness RatesTreasuryTabled 6 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 103461More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the OBR, Economic and fiscal outlook, of November 2025, CP1438m paragraph 4.38, what assessment has been made by (a) her Department and (b) the Valuation Office Agency, of the cause and drivers of
Answer: The Government does not hold data on the breakdown of business rates revenue. The total change in business rates revenue is set out in the OBR’s Economic and Fiscal Outlook.
Answered 14 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordCouncil Tax: SurchargesTreasuryTabled 6 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 103460More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of the administrative cost of implementing the council tax surcharge, including the estimated cost of the valuations for the dwellings.
Answer: Local authorities will collect this revenue on behalf of central Government. The Government will work closely with local government over the next two years to ensure the administration of the tax is not an excessive burden for local government. The Govern...
Answered 14 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordCouncil Tax: SurchargesTreasuryTabled 6 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 103459More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether Energy Performance Certificate data will be used by the Valuation Office Agency to assist the council tax surcharge valuations.
Answer: The Valuation Office Agency is developing its specific approach to the High Value Council Tax Surcharge work and will set out more details in due course, alongside the government's consultation.
Answered 14 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordBusiness RatesTreasuryTabled 6 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 103458More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 9 December 2025 to Question 95892 on Business Rates, and with reference to paragraph 4.38 of the OBR's report entitled Economic and Fiscal Outlook, November 2025, CP1439, published on 26 No
Answer: The Government does not hold data on the breakdown of business rates revenue. The total change in business rates revenue is set out in the OBR’s Economic and Fiscal Outlook.
Answered 14 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordCouncil Tax: Tax Rates and BandsTreasuryTabled 6 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 103457More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 8 December 2025 to Question 95402 on Council Tax: Tax Rates and Bands, if he will place in the Library a copy of the (a) analysis and (b) evidence base used to calculate the 2.5% impact on
Answer: A breakdown of the costing methodology used on the policy costing for the High Value Council Tax Surcharge is available on page 51 of the Autumn Budget 2025 policy costings document: Budget_2025-Policy_Costings.pdf
Answered 14 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordInflationTreasuryTabled 6 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 103456More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what her Department’s latest forecasts are for the value of annual CPI inflation in (a) September 2026 and (b) September 2027.
Answer: HM Treasury does not produce forecasts for the UK economy. Forecasting the economy is the responsibility of the independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), which published its latest forecast on 26 November 2025.In their most recent Economic and F...
Answered 13 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordCouncil Tax: ValuationTreasuryTabled 6 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 103455More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether leasehold properties are valued for council tax based on their actual sale price or a notional assumed lease length.
Answer: The VOA values all properties for Council Tax in line with legislation.
Answered 14 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordBusiness Rates: ValuationTreasuryTabled 6 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 103454More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 22 December 2025, to Question 99863, on Business Rates, for what reason do some hereditaments not have an Unique Address Reference Number listed in their entry in the Valuation Office Agenc
Answer: The current dataset for the 2023 Rating List includes a “proxy record” for each hereditament that has been deleted from the 2023 Rating List. They are included in the data to provide an effective date of deletion from the 2023 Rating List. As these are he...
Answered 14 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordLandlords: Regulation and TaxationCabinet OfficeTabled 6 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 103453More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Prime Minister has recused himself on matters relating to the regulation and taxation of landlords.
Answer: This Government has strengthened the Ministerial Code. Decisions relating to recusals are made with advice from the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards. Any relevant ministerial interests are published in the quarterly ‘List of Ministers’ Interes...
Answered 12 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordPoverty: ChildrenDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 6 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 103452More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what weight is given to the level of (a) private rented sector rents and (b) council tax in the statistical determination of child poverty.
Answer: The UK's headline child poverty statistics are provided via the Households Below Average Income (HBAI) statistics publication: Households below average income (HBAI) statistics - GOV.UK. Children are defined as being in income-based poverty if the net inc...
Answered 13 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordAsylum: HousingHome OfficeTabled 6 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 103451More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reason her Department has paused the sharing of regional asylum dispersal pack data with local government led strategic migration partnerships; and if she will change the policy of her Depart
Answer: The Home Office regularly publishes official accredited statistics, setting out the numbers of asylum seekers in receipt of Home Office support, broken down by local authorities These statistics are published on Gov.uk and are freely available to local au...
Answered 14 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordNational Underground Asset RegisterDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 16 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 100816More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether the National Underground Asset Register will enter full operational service on 1 January 2026 for safe digging and what formal safety and risk assessments the Department has rec
Answer: The National Underground Asset Register (NUAR) is operational now, and in January 2026 all of its core functionality for use in street works will be in place. Development and continuous improvement will continue beyond this point, informed by user feedbac...
Answered 23 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordNational Underground Asset RegisterDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 15 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 100084More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of integrating the National Underground Asset Register with existing safe digging services such as Linesearchbefore
Answer: We have conducted a discovery project and testing phase to investigate the potential to broaden access to information held in NUAR, and through other channels, including via third-party access. The outputs of this will be communicated to the sector in due...
Answered 23 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordNational Underground Asset RegisterDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 15 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 100083More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what data her Department holds on (a) underground asset strikes and (b) asset strikes in areas where the National Underground Asset Register has been operating in the past five years; a
Answer: The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology does not currently hold data on asset strikes, including in areas where NUAR has been operational. It is important to note that, over the past five years, NUAR has progressed through several delivery p...
Answered 22 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordLocal Government: ReorganisationMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 9 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 98459More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if his Department will take steps to ensure that suitable provision is made for uninsured historical liabilities that succeeding authorities may inherit following reorganisation;
Answer: There is a suite of general continuity regulations for local government reorganisation made under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 which ensure smooth transfer to new unitary councils.These general regulations provide transit...
Answered 18 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordLocal Government: ProcurementMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 9 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 98458More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if his Department will provide local authorities with flexibility in applying the provisions of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 or Procurement Act 2023 during periods of lo
Answer: There is a suite of general continuity regulations for local government reorganisation made under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 which ensure smooth transfer to new unitary councils.These general regulations provide transit...
Answered 18 Dec 2025
Original Parliament record
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