David Simmonds MP: written questions 2025
375 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Parish and Town Councils: Council TaxMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 1 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 96077More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether an assessment has been made of the potential impact of changes in parish council precepts on council tax.
Answer: Council tax levels are decided by local authorities wish to set, but increases above referendum principles set by the Secretary of State must be approved by voters. To date, no referendum principles have been set for town and parish councils. The Secretar...
Answered 9 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordCounter-terrorism: FinanceHome OfficeTabled 1 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 95899More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer of 14 November 2025, to Question 86767, on Counter-terrorism: expenditure, what was the policy reason for the number of local authorities receiving Prevent funding being reduced
Answer: The number of local authorities (LAs) that receive Home Office funding has varied over the years from 20 in 2012 to 44 areas at its peak in 2021, which was just under 25% of all single-tier and upper tier LAs in England and Wales. Irrespective of funding,...
Answered 4 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordAsylum: Multiple OccupationHome OfficeTabled 1 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 95898More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Home Office and its subcontractor are paying above market rates to hire Houses in Multiple Occupation for asylum accommodation.
Answer: This Government is determined to restore order to the asylum system so that it operates swiftly, firmly and fairly. This includes our accommodation sites, as the Home Office continues to identify a range of options to minimise the use of hotels and ensure...
Answered 17 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordAsylum: FinanceHome OfficeTabled 1 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 95897More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, further to page 122 of the OBR, Economic and Fiscal Outlook, November 2025, CP1439, 26 November 2025, what is her department’s estimated spending on asylum in 2024-25 and each year of the Spending Rev
Answer: Asylum support spend in FY 2024/25 was £4.0 billion and for 2025/26 the budget is £3.6 billion. As per the Spending Review, by FY 2028/29, we plan to reduce this by £1.1 billion, bringing the total spend down to £2.5 billion. The allocations process is on...
Answered 15 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordAsylum: HillingdonHome OfficeTabled 1 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 95896More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much Home Office funding is being provided to the London Borough of Hillingdon in 2025-26 to assist with the costs of asylum seekers.
Answer: The Home Office does not publicly publish grant payment levels by local authority, we do however provide funding to Local Authorities under the following grant agreements Asylum, Unaccompanied Asylum-seeking children & former unaccompanied asylum-seek...
Answered 9 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordMinisters: Council TaxCabinet OfficeTabled 1 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 95895More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 13 November 2025, to Question 86773, on Ministers: Council tax, what policy or threshold is used to prevent the occupation of a designated secondary residence as a de facto primary resi
Answer: There is no such internal written guidance or advice.Whether a residence is an individual’s sole or main residence is ultimately a question of fact determined by the billing authority.
Answered 9 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordCouncil TaxTreasuryTabled 1 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 95894More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Office for National Statistics holds data on the number of dwellings in each council tax band by (a) Parliamentary constituency, (b) local authority ward or division or polling district, (c) Lower layer
Answer: The Office for National Statistics does not publish this data. The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) publish Council Tax statistics on gov.uk.
Answered 9 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordDeputy Prime Minister: Admiralty HouseCabinet OfficeTabled 1 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 95893More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 19 November 2025, to Question 89453, on Deputy Prime Minister: Admiralty House, for what reason the second homes premium was billed in July when it had been introduced in from 1 April 2
Answer: The issuing of council tax bills is a matter for the relevant billing authority.
Answered 15 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordBusiness RatesTreasuryTabled 1 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 95892More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, further to paragraph 4.38 of the OBR, Economic and Fiscal Outlook, November 2025, CP1439, 26 November 2025, whether according to information held by HM Treasury, the 10.2 per cent increase in business rate receipts
Answer: This figure applies to the United Kingdom.
Answered 9 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordBusiness RatesTreasuryTabled 1 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 95890More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, further to paragraph 4.38 of the OBR, Economic and Fiscal Outlook, November 2025, CP1439, 26 November 2025, whether according to information held by HM Treasury, the 10.2 per cent increase in business rate receipts
Answer: This figure applies to the United Kingdom.
Answered 9 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordCouncil Tax: ValuationTreasuryTabled 1 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 95888More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the high value council tax surcharge will be valued by the Valuation Office Agency by the same assumptions and methodology as current council tax, other than the valuation date.
Answer: The Valuation Office Agency are developing their approach to the targeted revaluation and will set out more details in due course, following the outcome of the Government's consultation. In general, when valuing domestic properties, the VOA uses modern te...
Answered 9 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordBusiness Rates: Tax AllowancesTreasuryTabled 1 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 95887More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Budget 2025, HC1492, 26 November 2025, Box 3.H, and Table 4.1, and to the HMT document, Effects of the business rates retail, hospitality and leisure multipliers and high value multiplier of 26
Answer: The amount of business rates paid on each property is based on the rateable value of the property, assessed by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA), and the multiplier values, which are set by the Government. Rateable values are re-assessed every three years...
Answered 4 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordBusiness RatesTreasuryTabled 1 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 95886More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, further to the publication of the draft Rating List of 26 November 2025, if she will publish the changes in average Rateable Values by (a) local authority and (b) region, compared to the previous Rating List, accord
Answer: Statistics on changes in the rateable value of non-domestic properties as a result of the 2026 Revaluation and publication of the draft 2026 Rating List are published here: Change in rateable value of rating lists, 2026 Revaluation
Answered 9 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordCouncil TaxTreasuryTabled 1 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 95885More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Budget 2025, HC1492, 26 November 2025, Table 4.1, what is the evidential basis for the reduction in council tax receipts of (a) -£60 million in 2025-26, (b) -£120 million in 2026-27, and (c) -£
Answer: The measure does not reduce Council Tax receipts. Summary of the costing is published here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/692872fd2a37784b16ecf676/Budget_2025-Policy_Costings.pdf
Answered 9 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordAsylum: HousingHome OfficeTabled 1 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 95884More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, further to paragraph 5.29 of the OBR, Economic and Fiscal Outlook, November 2025, CP1439, 26 November 2025, if she will provide an annual breakdown of the £15.3 billion cost of asylum accommodation ov
Answer: The £15.3bn figure was cited in a NAO report from May this year, it relates to a broad estimate of spend on accommodation contracts across the period 2019 to 2029, not the next 10 years. Actual Asylum spend is published in our Annual Report and Accounts, ...
Answered 9 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordVisitor LevyTreasuryTabled 1 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 95883More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, further to the written statement of 25 November 2025, HCWS1097, on Devolution and Growth, and further to the Visitor levy policy paper published on 26 November 2025, whether the levy measure will be classed by the G
Answer: The precise design and scope of a devolved power for Mayors to introduce an overnight visitor levy if they so choose is under development. The Government has published a consultation running until 18 February 2026, so that the public, businesses, and loca...
Answered 9 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordAlcoholic Drinks: Excise DutiesTreasuryTabled 1 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 95882More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, further to the Autumn Budget 2025, for what reason alcohol duty is being uprated by RPI rather than CPI inflation.
Answer: The Office for National Statistics, regulated by the UK Statistics Authority, produces a range of inflation statistics. The most widely used estimates of inflation, both by Government and the private sector, are the Consumer Prices Index and the Retail Pr...
Answered 4 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordCouncil TaxMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 1 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 95881More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, further to Table A.5 of the OBR, Economic and Fiscal Outlook, November 2025, CP1439, 26 November 2025, according to information held by HM Government, if he will list the estimat
Answer: The Department has published data on actual council tax collection rates in England which can be found on gov.uk here. Estimates of council tax receipts (excluding police authorities, mayoral combined and county combined authorities and parish councils) w...
Answered 9 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordSpecial Educational Needs: FinanceTreasuryTabled 1 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 95880More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, further to paragraph 1.28 of the OBR, Economic and Fiscal Outlook, November 2025, CP1439, 26 November 2025, how the Government intends to finance the cost of the estimated £14 billion of local authority SEND deficit
Answer: See paragraph 4.94 of Budget 2025: Strong Foundations, Secure Future. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/budget-2025-document
Answered 9 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordCouncil Tax: SurchargesTreasuryTabled 1 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 95879More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate has the Valuation Office Agency made of the number of appeals that will be made against the high value council tax surcharge.
Answer: We recognise the importance of the right to appeal, and the Government will consult on the details of this in the new year.
Answered 9 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordBusiness Rates: Tax AllowancesTreasuryTabled 1 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 95878More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Budget 2025, HC1492, 26 November 2025, Box 3.H, and to the HMT document, Effects of the business rates retail, hospitality and leisure multipliers and high value multiplier of 26 November 2025,
Answer: The amount of business rates paid on each property is based on the rateable value of the property, assessed by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA), and the multiplier values, which are set by the Government. Rateable values are re-assessed every three years...
Answered 4 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordTourism: TaxationMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 1 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 95728More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 13 October 2025 to Question 77537 on Hotels: Taxation, and with reference to the written statement of 25 November 2025 on Devolution and Growth, HCWS109
Answer: The government keeps all tax policy under review. The government’s number one mission is to kickstart economic growth, and devolving fiscal powers is critical to achieving this.Introducing a visitor levy provides Mayors with a new lever to both raise and ...
Answered 9 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordAsylum: HillingdonHome OfficeTabled 27 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 95340More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much funding was allocated to the London Borough of Hillingdon for asylum costs in the 2024-2025 financial year.
Answer: The Home Office does not publicly publish grant payment levels by local authority, we do however provide funding to Local Authorities under the following grant agreements Asylum, Unaccompanied Asylum-seeking children & former unaccompanied asylum-seek...
Answered 8 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordCouncillors: VettingMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 27 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 95339More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 10 November 2025 to Question 83467 on Councillors: Disclosure and Barring Service, what steps would be taken if a councillor has a criminal record.
Answer: Where a councillor has been convicted of criminal offences and receives a jail sentence (whether suspended or not) of three months or more, they are disqualified from either standing for or holding office as a local authority member for a period of five y...
Answered 4 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordCommunity Relations: RadicalismHome OfficeTabled 27 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 95338More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of the Preventing Radicalisation Fund funding to local authorities in 2025-26 operating on a competitive bidding basis.
Answer: It is vital that Prevent is well-equipped to counter the threats that we face and the ideologies that underpin them. Prevent provides funding for all local authorities in England, Wales and Scotland to address radicalisation risks through targeted project...
Answered 4 Dec 2025
Original Parliament record
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