Written questions by McDonald.

What assessment she has made of whether UK persons and regulated businesses are exposed to money laundering risks through transactions involving companies whose goods or revenues are wholly or partly generated from

Awaiting answer.

Communities and Local Government, whether his Department plans to review Council Tax Reduction schemes, minimum payment policies and the overall affordability of council tax for low income households.

Awaiting answer.

Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that statutory pre-enforcement requirements for council tax debt include mandatory affordability checks, vulnerability identificatio

Awaiting answer.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of Universal Credit conditionality on the likelihood of young people entering employment that matches their skills, qualifications and lon

Awaiting answer.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of capped council tax liability order costs on low income households, and whether he is considering exemptions or reductions f

Awaiting answer.

Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has undertaken or commissioned analysis of the fiscal implications of restoring pay to its 2008 inflation-adjusted value for (a) local government and (b) s

Awaiting answer.

What assessment he has made of trends in the level of advanced surveillance technologies being used in the workplace.

The use of workplace surveillance has increased due to growth in remote working, advancement in monitoring technologies and changes to employment relationships. This is why the Plan to Make Work Pay set out the government’s aim to put worker voice at the ...

What discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Science and Innovation on new surveillance technologies being used on workers in the course of their duties.

Ministers in the Department for Business and Trade and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology work closely on issues and policy relating to workplace surveillance and emerging technologies. This ensures policy is informed by evidence and re...

Communities and Local Government, whether his Department intends to publish any assessment comparing the costs of alternative financing models for infrastructure supporting new towns.

Between 23 March and 19 May 2026, we consulted on the Draft New Towns Programme. That consultation, which can be found on gov.uk here, sought views on a range of issues, including in respect of financing the programme. We are currently analysing the feedb...

Whether her Department has undertaken an assessment of the expected impact on consumer food prices of the temporary suspension of tariffs on agricultural and food products announced on 30 April 2026.

The Chancellor appreciates that the weekly shop is one of the biggest worries for families and is taking action on the cost of living, by suspending tariffs on a range of agri-food products. The Government announced a package of temporary tariff suspensio...

Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has undertaken an assessment of the estimated lifetime cost to the public sector of financing infrastructure supporting new towns through private investmen

Between 23 March and 19 May 2026, we consulted on the Draft New Towns Programme. That consultation, which can be found on gov.uk here, sought views on a range of issues, including in respect of financing the programme. We are currently analysing the feedb...

Whether her Department intends to publish an assessment of the expected consumer benefits of any tariff suspensions implemented following the Call for Input on goods for cost of living tariff suspensions.

The Government will be setting out next steps after the Call for Input closes on 24 June.

What estimate her Department has made of the average annual saving to households arising from the temporary suspension of tariffs on agricultural and food products announced on 30 April 2026.

The Chancellor appreciates that the weekly shop is one of the biggest worries for families and is taking action on the cost of living, by suspending tariffs on a range of agri-food products. The Government announced a package of temporary tariff suspensio...

Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has undertaken comparative modelling of the costs of financing infrastructure supporting new towns through (a) private investment arrangements and (b) dire

Between 23 March and 19 May 2026, we consulted on the Draft New Towns Programme. That consultation, which can be found on gov.uk here, sought views on a range of issues, including in respect of financing the programme. We are currently analysing the feedb...

What estimate her Department has made of the proportion of tariff savings that will be passed through to consumers in retail food prices.

The Chancellor appreciates that the weekly shop is one of the biggest worries for families. She is taking action on the cost of living, including by suspending tariffs on a range of agri-food products. The UK grocery market is highly competitive, and we f...

How many Full‑Time Equivalent staff are engaged via the Managed Service Provider, broken down by business area.

HMRC is currently using Managed Service Providers (MSPs) to provide additional customer service capacity, equivalent to around 500 FTE, focused on routine work. This includes support for the Online Services Helpdesk and handling simple PAYE enquiries.HMRC are currently in an initial approximately 18 month ‘proof of value’ phase using existing Government contracts. This will allow them to test, learn and ensure quality and value for money before wider implementation.HMRC has been clear that no HMRC colleague will be made redundant as a result of this initiative.HMRC will continue to use a range of resourcing models, alongside the use of MSPs, to meet variable customer demand.

Whether Managed Service Provider staffing levels are expected to increase beyond peak‑demand coverage for each function.

HMRC is currently using Managed Service Providers (MSPs) to provide additional customer service capacity, equivalent to around 500 FTE, focused on routine work. This includes support for the Online Services Helpdesk and handling simple PAYE enquiries.HMRC are currently in an initial approximately 18 month ‘proof of value’ phase using existing Government contracts. This will allow them to test, learn and ensure quality and value for money before wider implementation.HMRC has been clear that no HMRC colleague will be made redundant as a result of this initiative.HMRC will continue to use a range of resourcing models, alongside the use of MSPs, to meet variable customer demand.

Whether HMRC plans to maintain Customer Services Group headcount and total productive hours as Managed Service Provider capacity increases.

HMRC is currently using Managed Service Providers (MSPs) to provide additional customer service capacity, equivalent to around 500 FTE, focused on routine work. This includes support for the Online Services Helpdesk and handling simple PAYE enquiries.HMRC are currently in an initial approximately 18 month ‘proof of value’ phase using existing Government contracts. This will allow them to test, learn and ensure quality and value for money before wider implementation.HMRC has been clear that no HMRC colleague will be made redundant as a result of this initiative.HMRC will continue to use a range of resourcing models, alongside the use of MSPs, to meet variable customer demand.

What HMRC’s projected Managed Service Provider headcount is for the (a) next 12 months and (b) Spending Review period.

HMRC is currently using Managed Service Providers (MSPs) to provide additional customer service capacity, equivalent to around 500 FTE, focused on routine work. This includes support for the Online Services Helpdesk and handling simple PAYE enquiries.HMRC are currently in an initial approximately 18 month ‘proof of value’ phase using existing Government contracts. This will allow them to test, learn and ensure quality and value for money before wider implementation.HMRC has been clear that no HMRC colleague will be made redundant as a result of this initiative.HMRC will continue to use a range of resourcing models, alongside the use of MSPs, to meet variable customer demand.

What modelling HMRC has undertaken on the displacement risk from the Managed Service provider model to existing HMRC roles, including surge staff and fixed‑term employees.

HMRC is currently using Managed Service Providers (MSPs) to provide additional customer service capacity, equivalent to around 500 FTE, focused on routine work. This includes support for the Online Services Helpdesk and handling simple PAYE enquiries.HMRC are currently in an initial approximately 18 month ‘proof of value’ phase using existing Government contracts. This will allow them to test, learn and ensure quality and value for money before wider implementation.HMRC has been clear that no HMRC colleague will be made redundant as a result of this initiative.HMRC will continue to use a range of resourcing models, alongside the use of MSPs, to meet variable customer demand.