Written questions by Hollinrake.

With reference to the oral evidence of 3 November 2025 to the Foreign Affairs Select Committee by the Cabinet Secretary and the Permanent Under-Secretary at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will publish the report given to the Prime Minister on the appointment of Lord Mandelson.

Due diligence was undertaken prior to the appointment of the former Ambassador to the United States, and was part of an established process to collate relevant information as part of the identification and selection of the appointee. In line with the practice across multiple administrations, the government does not publish such material. I refer the Hon. Member to the Cabinet Secretary’s letter of 30 October 2025 to the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee, which sets out the process and describes the information contained in the due diligence report: https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/50019/documents/269409/default/

What guidance HMRC has issued on the residual tax liability of dissolved unincorporated associations.

HMRC has not issued specific guidance on the residual tax liability of unincorporated associations that have been dissolved. The treatment will depend on the types of tax involved, the structure of the unincorporated association and how it was dissolved. It is a complicated legal area that will depend heavily on the facts and we would suggest that any persons affected engage with HMRC directly or seek specialist advice if appropriate.

What guidance HMRC has produced on the (a) Stamp Duty and (b) Capital Gains Tax liability of selling a stake in a dwelling to a trust.

HMRC has published information on Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) here: http://www.gov.uk/stamp-duty-land-tax.Guidance on the transfer of ownership of land or property in different situations has also been provided: http://www.gov.uk/guidance/sdlt-transferring-ownership-of-land-or-property. Guidance on the application of SDLT for trusts is available in HMRC’s SDLT Manual at SDLTM31700 onwards, which includes:· bare trustees purchasing land (including dwellings) at SDLTM31710· trustees of a settlement purchasing land (including dwellings) at SDLTM31720HMRC has also published information on Capital Gains Tax, including on the disposal of assets to a trust, which includes selling a stake in a property to a trust. This information can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/trusts-taxes/trusts-and-capital-gains-tax. Further detailed guidance can be found in the Capital Gains Manual: https://www.gov.uk/hmrc-internal-manuals/capital-gains-manual.

If the Prime Minister will publicly state whether breaches of the Ministerial Code are deemed to be serious.

This Government has strengthened the Ministerial Code. The Prime Minister seeks advice from the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards where the Ministerial Code may have been engaged.

Pursuant to the Answer of 21 October 2025 to Question 76827 on Jeffery Epstein, which public body holds the records of Ministerial meetings and correspondence for 2009-10.

Records of HM Treasury ministerial meetings are published from May 2010 onwards. Records of HM Treasury ministerial meetings and correspondence prior to this date are held within HM Treasury’s archives.

With reference to page 18 of her Department's policy paper entitled Regulation Action Plan - Progress Update and Next Steps, updated in October 2025, whether the commitment to reduce the burden of regulation will apply to (a) the voluntary sector and (b) political parties.

We have committed to reduce the administrative burden of regulation on businesses by 25% by the end of the Parliament. For the purposes of this target, businesses count as all organisations defined as being in the private sector by the Office for National Statistics when compiling the National Accounts. This therefore includes other services activities, such as activities of the voluntary sector and political parties.We will focus our efforts on those sectors of the economy with the highest growth potential, and which face the highest administrative burden of regulation, so they can spend more time growing their businesses.

With reference to the press release entitled Prime Minister launches Global Clean Power Alliance as UK leads the global energy transition, published on 19 November 2024, which (a) countries and (b) international organisations have formally signed up to that alliance.

The Global Clean Power Alliance (GCPA) is organised around tangible “Missions”, which bring interested partners together to overcome shared barriers to clean power deployment. Initially, we are focusing on mobilising private finance and enhancing supply chains. Brazil, Australia, Barbados, Canada, Chile, Colombia, France, Germany, Morocco, Mozambique, Norway, Tanzania and the African Union are partners of the GCPA’s Finance Mission, endorsing its founding statement, with the European Commission also supporting. All are working with the UK on the Finance Mission to build investment opportunities and provide the assistance developing countries need to get clean energy finance flowing. The UK’s Green Finance Institute and the World Bank’s ESMAP (Energy Sector Management Assistance Programme) are key delivery partners of the Finance Mission. At the time of launch several financial institutions, international organisations, philanthropies and industry representatives committed to supporting energy transitions in the Global South supported a related non-governmental statement. An update to the Finance Mission was issued on 15 November Global Clean Power Alliance: finance mission update (November 2025) - GOV.UK Australia, Canada, Kenya, the Netherlands and Zambia, alongside the International Energy Agency and Utilities for Net Zero Alliance (facilitated by IRENA), are partners of the Supply Chains Mission, with continued inputs from Chatham House and support from the European Commission and the COP30 Presidency. All agreed to endorse its vision statement Global Clean Power Alliance: supply chains mission vision - GOV.UK

Communities and Local Government, with reference to paragraph 33 of his Department's publication entitled Local Government Pension Scheme in England and Wales: Scheme improvements (access and protections), updated on 15 October 2025, if he will publish a copy of the (a) calculations and (b) estimates provided by the Government Actuary Department.

Currently, the Department has no plan to publish the calculations or estimates provided by the Government Actuary’s Department in the consultation document published on 13 October 2025. The policy is still being developed and is subject to public consultation.

With reference to page 18 of her Department's policy paper entitled Regulation Action Plan - Progress Update and Next Steps, updated in October 2025, whether the new Key Performance Indicators for regulators will apply to (a) the Information Commission and the (b) the Electoral Commission.

The March Regulation Action Plan committed government to ask that regulators review and publish their Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). This was focused on the top 16 regulators that drive economic growth. This group includes the Information Commissioner’s Office but does not include the Electoral Commission. In October, the Regulation Action Plan update published a dashboard which collates the performance of the 16 regulators against key performance indicators in one place.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the letter of 27 October 2025 from the Minister of State for Local Government and Homelessness to the hon Member for Thirsk and Malton, what is the planned timetable for introducing the legislation on councillors’ home addresses.

On 18 November, we tabled government amendments NC45 and 114 to the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill. These amendments would prevent a member’s or co-opted member’s home address from being included in public registers by default. They are scheduled for debate during the Commons Report Stage from 24 November.

Whether any trade unions have not provided full accounts to the Certification Officer in the last three years.

The Certification Officer provides high-level information about compliance with the requirement to submit an annual return in his Annual Report to the Secretary of State each year. This report is laid before both Houses of Parliament by the Secretary of State and published on the Certification Officer's website. The Certification Officer’s report for 2024/25 was published on 7 July 2025 and is available online.

Representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, whether any local government boundary restructuring exercises have been (a) cancelled and (b) paused by the Local Government Boundary Commission for England as a result of potential unitary local government restructuring; and whether the Commission has had discussions with the Government on the potential (a) cancellation and (b) postponement of scheduled local elections in May 2026.

In February 2025, following the issuing of a statutory invitation to submit unitary proposals to all two-tier authorities, the Local Government Boundary Commission for England took the decision to pause all live reviews in those areas.In total, 40 reviews have been paused as a result. No reviews have been cancelled as a result of local government reorganisation.The Commission has had no discussions with the Government on the potential for cancellation or postponement of the local elections scheduled for May 2026.

Representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what information the Speaker's Committee holds on whether the Electoral Commission has held discussions with the Government on the length of time councillors will have remained in post during the process of unitary local government restructuring.

The Electoral Commission has had discussions with MHCLG officials about the proposals for local government reorganisation and the implications for elections.The Commission has said that delaying elections for more than one year can affect the legitimacy of local decision making and risks damaging public confidence. Scheduled polls should only be postponed in exceptional circumstances when no alternative options are available.The Commission understands the Government is working with councils on their reorganisation plans, and in the meantime, continues to support the electoral community as it prepares for the scheduled polls next May.

Whether she has discussed the proposed Chinese Embassy in London with the Chinese Government.

The Chancellor has engaged with the Chinese Government on a number of occasions, including during her visit to China for the 2025 UK-China Economic and Financial Dialogue, and has discussed a range of economic and financial issues. The Chancellor published a written ministerial statement about her visit to China on the morning of Monday 13 January (found here) and delivered an oral statement to the House of Commons on Tuesday 14 January (found here).

If he will set out the (a) remit and (b) responsibilities of each Deputy National Security Adviser, including how they differ from those of the National Security Adviser.

There are currently three Deputy National Security Advisers (DNSAs), one for International Affairs, one for International Economics and Global Issues, and one for Defence, Intelligence and Security. The National Security Adviser (NSA) is the most senior figure that provides advice to the Prime Minister and the Cabinet on national security matters. The NSA attends the National Security Council and oversees cross-government delivery of the National Security Strategy 2025. The DNSAs also provide advice to the Prime Minister on issues within their portfolios, and coordinate relevant policy and operational issues across government at Director-General level. The DNSAs have additional responsibilities as Civil Servant leaders which the NSA does not undertake. They act as secretaries to the National Security Council and chair the National Security Council (Official-level) meetings. The Executive DNSA, who currently also holds the post of Defence, Intelligence, and Security DNSA, is also responsible for managing the National Security Secretariat’s corporate responsibilities such as headcount, finances, and compliance, as well as being a member for the Cabinet Office Executive Committee.

Innovation and Technology, what information his Department holds on when the Information Commissioner plans to respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Thirsk and Malton of 12 June 2025 on data protection in local government.

Although the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) acts as the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)’s sponsor within government, it is an independent regulator and they manage their own casework function. The ICO has informed me that they will be responding shortly to the member’s letter.

Communities and Local Government, what guidance has been given to local billing authorities by (a) his Department and (b) its agencies on council tax (i) avoidance and (ii) evasion in relation to the second homes council tax premium.

The Government has not issued guidance to billing authorities on this issue. Council tax is a local tax and administered by local authorities. It is therefore for them to manage and address any potential cases of avoidance or evasion in the council tax system.

Pursuant to the Answer of 13 October 2025 to Question HL9585, on Deputy Prime Minister: Admiralty House, on what date was the former Minister’s residence registered with Westminster City Council as a secondary residence according to records held by the Government Property Agency.

Before the Second Home premium was introduced in Westminster, the Cabinet Office was aware that the former Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) was occupying Admiralty House (AH) as a second home and that council tax would therefore be payable by Government. In line with long standing precedent under successive administrations, as the property was a second residence the Government was responsible for paying the Council Tax on Admiralty House, not the former DPM. Similarly, the Cabinet Office is responsible for liaising with Westminster City Council (WCC) for matters concerning residency at Admiralty House. WCC were notified at the beginning of May that the former DPM was occupying AH as a second home for council tax purposes, and details were provided for WCC to issue a bill accordingly. GPA wrote to WCC in June to confirm that the second home's premium applied. WCC issued an invoice in July which was paid the same day.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to paragraph 99 of the policy paper entitled Restoring trust in our democracy: Our strategy for modern and secure elections, published on 17 July 2025, to what activities would the proposed thresholds of (a) £11,180 and (b) £2,230 apply.

Our ‘Strategy for Modern and Secure Elections’ sets out how we will respond to the threat of foreign interference by strengthening the rules around political donations. This includes ensuring that unincorporated associations are prevented from making significant campaign contributions unless they can verify and disclose the source of their funding, and requiring donors to declare any benefits received in connection with their donation. We will ensure the appropriate thresholds for these requirements are uprated from £7,500 to £11,180 in line with other thresholds in electoral law.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to paragraphs 99 and 102 of his Department's policy paper entitled Restoring trust in our democracy: Our strategy for modern and secure elections, published on 17 July 2025, whether the donation threshold of £7,500 will be uprated to £11,180, in line with the threshold for unincorporated associations.

Our ‘Strategy for Modern and Secure Elections’ sets out how we will respond to the threat of foreign interference by strengthening the rules around political donations. This includes ensuring that unincorporated associations are prevented from making significant campaign contributions unless they can verify and disclose the source of their funding, and requiring donors to declare any benefits received in connection with their donation. We will ensure the appropriate thresholds for these requirements are uprated from £7,500 to £11,180 in line with other thresholds in electoral law.