Written questions by McMurdock.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of (a) business rates, (b) VAT and (c) energy costs on small hospitality businesses.

The Government recognises the vital role that small hospitality businesses play in supporting the UK’s economy and communities. As announced at Autumn Budget 2024, the Government will introduce permanently lower business rates multipliers for retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) properties with ratable values (RVs) below £500,000 from 2026/27. This permanent tax cut will ensure that small hospitality businesses benefit from much-needed certainty and support. Ahead of the new multipliers being introduced, the Government has prevented RHL business rates relief from ending in April 2025, extending it for one year at 40 per cent up to a cash cap of £110,000 per business, and frozen the small business multiplier. VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption, and the 20 per cent standard rate applies to most goods and services. The UK’s VAT rate of 20 per cent is close to the OECD average of 19.3 per cent. The UK has a higher VAT registration threshold than any EU country and the joint highest in the OECD, at £90,000. This keeps the majority of businesses, including many small businesses in the hospitality sector, out of the VAT regime altogether. The government recognises the impact that energy costs can have on businesses, especially small businesses. To help with this, the Government announced in December 2024 a new Zero Carbon Services Hospitality trial which aims for Pubs, cafes, restaurants and hotels to receive free energy and carbon cutting advice to slash their energy bills as part of the government’s Plan for Change. The Government will continue to monitor the impact of energy costs on businesses. The Government keeps all areas of the tax system under review. Any changes to the tax system are announced as part of the annual Budget process.

What estimate she has made of the average time it takes a first-time buyer to save for a deposit.

The UK benefits from a competitive mortgage market that offers various low deposit products; prospective buyers are encouraged to shop around and speak to a mortgage broker to find the best possible product for their circumstances. The government is committed to making home ownership more accessible by supporting first-time buyers, and welcomes changes made this year to support homeowners. FCA clarifications to their affordability testing rules earlier this year are allowing customers to borrow around 10% more on the same income. This could equate to an additional £20k for an average first-time buyer. Additional flexibility from the Bank of England in relation to their loan-to-income rules are also allowing more customers to access larger mortgages in relation to their incomes. The Bank of England estimates that this change provide capacity for lenders to support up to 36,000 additional first-time buyers in the first year.

Pursuant to the Answer of 24 October 2025 to Question 81775 on , what assessment she has made of the potential impact of recent regulatory changes to mortgages by the FCA on the (a) average deposit required and (b) approval rate for first-time buyer mortgages.

The UK benefits from a competitive mortgage market that offers various low deposit products; prospective buyers are encouraged to shop around and speak to a mortgage broker to find the best possible product for their circumstances. The government is committed to making home ownership more accessible by supporting first-time buyers, and welcomes changes made this year to support homeowners. FCA clarifications to their affordability testing rules earlier this year are allowing customers to borrow around 10% more on the same income. This could equate to an additional £20k for an average first-time buyer. Additional flexibility from the Bank of England in relation to their loan-to-income rules are also allowing more customers to access larger mortgages in relation to their incomes. The Bank of England estimates that this change provide capacity for lenders to support up to 36,000 additional first-time buyers in the first year.

How many mortgages have been issued under the Mortgage Guarantee Scheme in the East of England since its introduction.

The Government recognises the difficulties some prospective first-time buyers face in buying a home and is committed to helping them get on the housing ladder.The new Mortgage Guarantee Scheme is designed to support and sustain the availability of low deposit mortgage products for credit-worthy borrowers. 95% loan-to-value mortgage products can be particularly important for first-time buyers who may struggle to raise larger deposits, and the scheme aims to support this segment of the UK mortgage market. The Scheme recently launched in July 2025 and will now remain permanently available to lenders. Properties of any value are eligible for the mortgage guarantee, and the scheme is available in all regions of the UK.

What assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Mortgage Guarantee Scheme in addressing regional disparities in home ownership.

The Government recognises the difficulties some prospective first-time buyers face in buying a home and is committed to helping them get on the housing ladder.The new Mortgage Guarantee Scheme is designed to support and sustain the availability of low deposit mortgage products for credit-worthy borrowers. 95% loan-to-value mortgage products can be particularly important for first-time buyers who may struggle to raise larger deposits, and the scheme aims to support this segment of the UK mortgage market. The Scheme recently launched in July 2025 and will now remain permanently available to lenders. Properties of any value are eligible for the mortgage guarantee, and the scheme is available in all regions of the UK.

How many mortgages have been issued under the Mortgage Guarantee Scheme in the East of England.

The Government recognises the difficulties some prospective first-time buyers face in buying a home and is committed to helping them get on the housing ladder.The new Mortgage Guarantee Scheme is designed to support and sustain the availability of low deposit mortgage products for credit-worthy borrowers. 95% loan-to-value mortgage products can be particularly important for first-time buyers who may struggle to raise larger deposits, and the scheme aims to support this segment of the UK mortgage market. The Scheme recently launched in July 2025 and will now remain permanently available to lenders. Properties of any value are eligible for the mortgage guarantee, and the scheme is available in all regions of the UK.

What assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Mortgage Guarantee Scheme in tackling regional disparities in home ownership.

The Government recognises the difficulties some prospective first-time buyers face in buying a home and is committed to helping them get on the housing ladder.The new Mortgage Guarantee Scheme is designed to support and sustain the availability of low deposit mortgage products for credit-worthy borrowers. 95% loan-to-value mortgage products can be particularly important for first-time buyers who may struggle to raise larger deposits, and the scheme aims to support this segment of the UK mortgage market. The Scheme recently launched in July 2025 and will now remain permanently available to lenders. Properties of any value are eligible for the mortgage guarantee, and the scheme is available in all regions of the UK.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Mortgage Guarantee Scheme on the number of first time buyers since the introduction of that scheme.

The Government recognises the difficulties some prospective first-time buyers face in buying a home and is committed to helping them get on the housing ladder.The new Mortgage Guarantee Scheme is designed to support and sustain the availability of low deposit mortgage products for credit-worthy borrowers. 95% loan-to-value mortgage products can be particularly important for first-time buyers who may struggle to raise larger deposits, and the scheme aims to support this segment of the UK mortgage market. The Scheme recently launched in July 2025 and will now remain permanently available to lenders. Properties of any value are eligible for the mortgage guarantee, and the scheme is available in all regions of the UK.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Mortgage Guarantee Scheme on the number of first time buyers.

The Government recognises the difficulties some prospective first-time buyers face in buying a home and is committed to helping them get on the housing ladder.The new Mortgage Guarantee Scheme is designed to support and sustain the availability of low deposit mortgage products for credit-worthy borrowers. 95% loan-to-value mortgage products can be particularly important for first-time buyers who may struggle to raise larger deposits, and the scheme aims to support this segment of the UK mortgage market. The Scheme recently launched in July 2025 and will now remain permanently available to lenders. Properties of any value are eligible for the mortgage guarantee, and the scheme is available in all regions of the UK.

What information her Department holds on the regional distribution of (a) Lifetime ISA accounts and (b) property purchases supported by the scheme.

HMRC does not collect information on the address of LISA account holders. In HMRC’s response to the recent Treasury Select Committee’s LISA enquiry (link), they provided a regional breakdown of where homes were bought using LISA’s:HMRC LISA enquiry response - Tables 1, 2 and 3.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of her business rates policies on small hospitality businesses.

The Government is creating a fairer business rates system that protects the high street, supports investment, and is fit for the 21st century. As set out at Autumn Budget 2024, the Government will introduce permanently lower tax rates for retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) properties with ratable values (RVs) below £500,000 from 2026-27. The final design, including the rates, of the new business rates multipliers will be announced at Budget 2025, so that the Government can factor the revaluation outcomes, as well as the broader economic and fiscal context into decision-making. When the new multipliers are set, HM Treasury intends to publish analysis of the effects of the new multiplier arrangements. Ahead of the new multipliers being introduced, the Government prevented RHL business rates relief from ending in April 2025, extending it for one year at 40 per cent up to a cash cap of £110,000 per business, and froze the small business multiplier. Over a third of properties (more than 700,000) already pay no business rates as they receive 100 per cent Small Business Rate Relief, with an additional c.60,000 benefiting from reduced bills as this relief tapers.

What estimate she has made of the number of first-time buyers unable to use Lifetime ISA savings towards home purchases due to house price limits being exceeded.

HMRC does not collect information on the sale price of houses in the UK when the individual is unable to utilize a Lifetime ISA. HMRC publishes information on withdrawal charges, but are unable to distinguish if charges were incurred due to a planned house purchase exceeding the £450k price limit. ONS publish house price statistics here: House price data: annual tables - Office for National Statistics Within this ONS publication, First Time Buyers are split into price bands by calendar year (Table 34), but do not distinguish whether purchasers held a Lifetime ISA.

What assessment she has made of the barriers faced by young people in accessing the Lifetime ISA.

The Lifetime ISA encourages younger people to save towards later life at the same time as being able to save for their first home. The Lifetime ISA is open to all UK residents of the UK aged 18 or over and is offered by a range of providers. As of 2023/24, there were over 1.3 million LISA accounts open and, since its introduction in 2017, the LISA has helped 227,600 people purchase their first property.

If she will take steps to increase the Personal Allowance for pensioners in line with the level of the State Pension.

The Government is committed to making sure older people can live with the dignity and respect they deserve in retirement. The State Pension is the foundation of the support available to them. Over the course of this Parliament, the yearly amount of the full new State Pension is currently projected to go up by around £1,900 based on the Office for Budget Responsibility's latest forecast. The Personal Allowance - the amount an individual can earn before paying tax - will continue to exceed the basic and full new State Pension in 2025/26. This means pensioners whose sole income is the full new State Pension or basic State Pension without any increments will not pay any income tax.

Whether her Department plans to review the personal tax allowance threshold to prevent pensioners paying income tax.

The Personal Allowance - the amount an individual can earn before paying tax - will continue to exceed the basic and full new State Pension in 2025/26. This means pensioners whose sole income is the full new State Pension or basic State Pension without any increments will not pay any income tax. The Government is committed to making sure older people can live with the dignity and respect they deserve in retirement. The State Pension is the foundation of the support available to them. Over the course of this Parliament, the yearly amount of the full new State Pension is currently projected to go up by around £1,900 based on the Office for Budget Responsibility's latest forecast.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of maintaining the personal tax allowance threshold on the number of pensioners living in (a) relative and (b) absolute poverty in each of the next three years.

The Personal Allowance - the amount an individual can earn before paying tax - will continue to exceed the basic and full new State Pension in 2025/26. This means pensioners whose sole income is the full new State Pension or basic State Pension without any increments will not pay any income tax. The Government is committed to making sure older people can live with the dignity and respect they deserve in retirement. The State Pension is the foundation of the support available to them. Over the course of this Parliament, the yearly amount of the full new State Pension is currently projected to go up by around £1,900 based on the Office for Budget Responsibility's latest forecast.

What recent discussions she has had with business representatives on levels of business confidence.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Treasury Ministers and Senior Officials regularly meet with businesses and business representation organisations. These meetings provide an opportunity for the Government to hear the views of the business community, and aid in the formation of policy. These engagements are ongoing.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of business confidence levels on levels of (a) investment and (b) job creation in the economy.

The Government monitors a wide range of indicators to assess the UK’s economic performance, including measures of business confidence. Many of these confidence measures are volatile and can move materially from month to month. Official economic forecasts and assessments of policy impacts are set out in the Office for Budget Responsibility’s Economic and Fiscal Outlook documents, the most recent of which was published in March 2025.Kickstarting economic growth is the Government’s primary mission and businesses are central to this. The Government is committed to going further and faster to drive growth and raise living standards, working in close partnership with business design and delivery policy. For example, at the recent Spending Review, the government increased funding for employment support to over £3.5 billion by 2028-29, tackling inactivity and ensuring more people are in better jobs by helping people to access the skills they need to progress.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the 25% withdrawal penalty on Lifetime ISAs on the level of first-time buyers purchasing a property valued marginally above the £450,000 cap.

The Lifetime ISA (LISA) is designed to help people buy their first home or save for later life. You can withdraw funds (plus a government bonus) to buy a first home under £450k, from age 60, or if terminally ill.Data from the latest UK House Price Index shows that while the average price paid by first-time buyers has increased, it is still below the LISA property price cap in all regions of the UK except for London, where the average price paid is affected by boroughs with very high property values.This Government is committed to helping first time buyers own their own home and will do this by building 1.5 million more homes.The Government keeps all aspects of savings tax policy under review.

What assessment she has made of potential implications for her policies of trends in the level of business confidence included in the Business insights and impact on the UK economy confidence intervals, published by the Office of National Statistics, in the last six months.

The Government monitors a wide range of indicators to assess the UK’s economic performance, including measures of business confidence. Many of these confidence measures are volatile and can move materially from month to month. Official economic forecasts and assessments of policy impacts are set out in the Office for Budget Responsibility’s Economic and Fiscal Outlook documents, the most recent of which was published in March 2025.Kickstarting economic growth is the Government’s primary mission and businesses are central to this. The Government is committed to going further and faster to drive growth and raise living standards, working in close partnership with business design and delivery policy. For example, at the recent Spending Review, the government increased funding for employment support to over £3.5 billion by 2028-29, tackling inactivity and ensuring more people are in better jobs by helping people to access the skills they need to progress.