Jim Shannon MP: written questions
1131 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Economic Growth: Small BusinessesDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 20 May 2026AnsweredUIN 3247More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of small businesses on economic growth.
Answer: Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) account for 5.7 million businesses, representing over 99.9% of the business population, and make a substantial contribution to UK economic activity. They generate around 51% of UK private sector turnover (£2.8 tri...
Answered 1 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordStamp Duty Land TaxTreasuryTabled 20 May 2026AnsweredUIN 3246More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of stamp duty changes on housing market activity.
Answer: Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) is an important source of Government revenue, raising around £14 billion each year to help pay for essential public services.The Government considers the impact of tax on market activity across all sectors, including housing, as...
Answered 3 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordMortgages: Government AssistanceTreasuryTabled 20 May 2026AnsweredUIN 3245More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions she has had with mortgage lenders on support available for homeowners experiencing financial difficulty.
Answer: The Government recognises the pressure facing mortgage borrowers across the UK. On 26 March 2026, the Chancellor met with the six largest mortgage lenders alongside UK Finance, to discuss the outlook for mortgage rates following the latest global developm...
Answered 4 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordPublic Expenditure: Cost EffectivenessTreasuryTabled 20 May 2026AnsweredUIN 3244More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on improving value for money in public spending programmes.
Answer: This government is committed to ensuring that every penny of public money is spent wisely, driving out low value spending and ensuring the state becomes more productive. At Spending Review 2025, the government announced that it would deliver total annual...
Answered 5 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordPublic Finance: Sustainable DevelopmentTreasuryTabled 20 May 2026AnsweredUIN 3243More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the long-term sustainability of public finances.
Answer: The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) is the Government's official independent forecaster responsible for assessing the UK economic and fiscal outlook.The Office for Budget Responsibility is required to prepare an analysis of the sustainability of th...
Answered 4 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordPublic Sector: BorrowingTreasuryTabled 20 May 2026AnsweredUIN 3242More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the projected level of public sector net borrowing is for this financial year.
Answer: This data is available at Table A.9: Fiscal aggregates in the March 2026 Economic and Fiscal Outlook published by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR).
Answered 3 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordOffshore Trusts: Tax Avoidance and Tax EvasionTreasuryTabled 20 May 2026AnsweredUIN 3241More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to tackle tax avoidance and evasion through offshore financial arrangements.
Answer: The UK is a leader in international tax transparency and HMRC works closely with tax authorities around the world to tackle offshore avoidance and evasion. For example, in 2024/25 HMRC received data on over 10 million offshore financial accounts from over...
Answered 2 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordIncome TaxTreasuryTabled 20 May 2026AnsweredUIN 3240More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of freezing income tax thresholds on taxpayers.
Answer: The previous government froze income tax thresholds from 2021/22 until 2027/28 – this means they were not due to rise until April 2028 at the earliest. The Government is asking everyone to contribute to maintain funding for the NHS and reduce debt, and it...
Answered 5 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordFuels: Excise DutiesTreasuryTabled 19 May 2026AnsweredUIN 2707More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to fuel duty on households and businesses reliant on road transport.
Answer: The Government recognises the pressures faced by households and businesses that rely on road transport, particularly during periods of global volatility which affect fuel prices. That is why the temporary 5p per litre cut to fuel duty has been extended to...
Answered 28 May 2026
Original Parliament recordProductivityTreasuryTabled 19 May 2026AnsweredUIN 2706More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to increase productivity.
Answer: The Government is committed to increasing productivity as a central driver of sustainable economic growth and rising living standards.To support this, at the 2026 Mais Lecture, the Chancellor announced that the government is going further with three big c...
Answered 28 May 2026
Original Parliament recordFirst Time Buyers: FinanceMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 19 May 2026AnsweredUIN 2705More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what fiscal measures are in place to support first-time buyers entering the housing market.
Answer: The affordability challenges facing prospective first-time buyers mean that too many people are now locked out of homeownership.In addition to increasing the supply of homes of all tenures, the government is supporting people into home ownership, includin...
Answered 27 May 2026
Original Parliament recordCapital Gains TaxTreasuryTabled 19 May 2026AnsweredUIN 2704More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much revenue was generated from capital gains tax in the last financial year.
Answer: Capital Gains Tax receipts in the 2025 to 2026 tax year were £22.2 billion. This figure is provisional until aligned to HMRC’s annual report and accounts due to be published in Summer 2026. This figure, along with receipts data for other tax years and oth...
Answered 28 May 2026
Original Parliament recordIncome TaxTreasuryTabled 19 May 2026AnsweredUIN 2703More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate her Department has made of the number of people paying the higher rate of income tax in the most recent tax year.
Answer: In 2023/24, the number of people estimated to have paid the higher rate of income tax can be found in Table 3.4 of HMRC’s Personal Income Statistics, linked below: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/69f1f12d2fae53a03709682f/Collated_Tables_3_1...
Answered 28 May 2026
Original Parliament recordCredit: ConsumersTreasuryTabled 19 May 2026AnsweredUIN 2702More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions she has had with regulators on the affordability of consumer credit products.
Answer: The Government recognises that, when provided responsibly, credit can play an important role in helping people manage unexpected expenses and smooth their cash flow. Access to suitable, affordable credit products can support people’s financial resilience ...
Answered 22 May 2026
Original Parliament recordMortgages: Government AssistanceTreasuryTabled 19 May 2026AnsweredUIN 2701More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to help support households facing increased mortgage costs.
Answer: The Government recognises the pressure facing mortgage borrowers across the UK. On 26 March 2026, the Chancellor met with the six largest mortgage lenders alongside UK Finance, to discuss the outlook for mortgage rates following the latest global developm...
Answered 22 May 2026
Original Parliament recordFood: PricesTreasuryTabled 19 May 2026AnsweredUIN 2700More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of rising food prices on household finances in the past 12 months.
Answer: The Government recognises that rising food prices can put pressure on household budgets, particularly for those on lower incomes. The Government monitors food price pressures through the Office for National Statistics’ inflation statistics and wider evide...
Answered 28 May 2026
Original Parliament recordSmall Businesses: Digital TechnologyDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 19 May 2026AnsweredUIN 2699More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps the Government is taking to support small businesses adopting digital technologies.
Answer: Last summer, the industry-led SME Digital Adoption Taskforce set out ten recommendations to help small and medium-sized enterprises adopt digital technology, and boost productivity. We are taking these forward, including by collaborating with industry on ...
Answered 26 May 2026
Original Parliament recordNigeria: Religious FreedomForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 18 May 2026AnsweredUIN 1958More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she will make an assessment of the potential merits of appointing a senior official to lead UK engagement with the Government of Nigeria on freedom of religion or bel
Answer: The UK's Special Envoy on Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB), David Smith MP, continues to lead the UK Government's work on FoRB across the world. He visited Nigeria between 18 and 21 May and engaged directly with the Nigerian authorities, religious lea...
Answered 27 May 2026
Original Parliament recordNew BusinessesDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 18 May 2026AnsweredUIN 1938More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of trends in the level of regional disparities in business start-up rates across the UK.
Answer: Data on regional start-up rates is available via the Office for National Statistics Business Demography publication. Latest data shows that London has the highest rate of business births and Northern Ireland has the lowest. There has been relatively littl...
Answered 26 May 2026
Original Parliament recordBusiness: InvestmentDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 18 May 2026AnsweredUIN 1937More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to encourage investment in businesses located in economically disadvantaged regions.
Answer: 84% of businesses supported by the British Business Bank were outside London in 2024/25. The expected boost to Gross Value Added expected from those businesses supported in 2024/25 is more than £100 million in every UK nation and region.Their £1.6 billion...
Answered 27 May 2026
Original Parliament recordInsolvency ServiceDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 18 May 2026AnsweredUIN 1936More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Insolvency Service in tackling fraudulent business practices.
Answer: The Insolvency Service plays a key part in tackling fraudulent business practices. The agency has established the systems needed to investigate offences introduced by the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 and is strengthening its partners...
Answered 26 May 2026
Original Parliament recordCorporate Governance: StandardsDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 18 May 2026AnsweredUIN 1935More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to help improve corporate governance standards among large UK companies.
Answer: My department’s upcoming Modernising Corporate Reporting consultation will outline the government’s plans to improve corporate governance reporting, including for large companies, with the programme also giving consideration to the wider corporate governa...
Answered 26 May 2026
Original Parliament recordUK Trade with EUDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 18 May 2026AnsweredUIN 1934More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent discussions he has had with business representatives on export opportunities following the UK's departure from the EU.
Answer: The Secretary of State and Ministers regularly engage with a wide range of business representatives to discuss export opportunities. These discussions take place through formal stakeholder forums, sector roundtables, and bilateral meetings, and help infor...
Answered 26 May 2026
Original Parliament recordExports: Government AssistanceDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 18 May 2026AnsweredUIN 1933More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what support is available to small exporters seeking to access new markets overseas.
Answer: Exports are central to the Government’s growth mission. For the first time, DBT has integrated its business support offer in a single, accessible place – the Business Growth Service – to help firms start, scale, and succeed. From tailored market advice an...
Answered 26 May 2026
Original Parliament recordManufactured Goods: ExportsDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 18 May 2026AnsweredUIN 1932More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of new trade agreements on manufacturing exports.
Answer: The Department publishes analysis to assess the potential impacts of new Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) in advance of negotiations. On conclusion of negotiations, the Department publishes full impact assessments. The analysis in these publications covers a ...
Answered 26 May 2026
Original Parliament record
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