Topical Questions

Question

I, too, send my full sympathy. I also wish everyone across the House a merry Christmas. Industry has fully supported the Prime Minister's vision of the UK becoming a cryptocurrency hub, but many licensed companies are still finding it difficult to open bank accounts here. So will the Chancellor meet the all-party group on crypto and digital assets to discuss what progress can be made on digital Britain?

Question

Merry Christmas to you and to the House, Mr Speaker. Let me start by thanking the Chancellor for his kind words about the late Lord Darling, which I think show the gratitude of Members from across the House for his lifetime of public service. The public have a right to know why so many billions of pounds of their taxes have been wasted by this Government. Baroness Mone has claimed today that Conservative Ministers knew about her personal connections to the company PPE Medpro from the very beginning. So why did the Government not correct the record when a misleading picture was being painted in the media about Baroness Mone's personal connection to PPE Medpro in the first place?

Question

We all know that Baroness Mone's enrichment via PPE Medpro is subject to an investigation, but that does not allow Ministers to refuse to answer questions here in the House today. So let me ask another: Baroness Mone's husband, Doug Barrowman, alleged that in November 2022 he was approached by a Government official asking if they would “pay more for the other matter to go away.” Is that specific and incredibly serious claim now being investigated and, if so, by whom?

Question

I am hearing from a concerning number of small businesses in my constituency that they are slowing down as they approach the VAT threshold, rather than doing what the whole economy needs them to do and going for growth. Ahead of the spring Budget, will my right hon. Friend look at substantially shifting the VAT threshold upwards?

Question

I echo the Chancellor's generous and well-judged tribute to Alistair Darling. At the autumn statement, the Chancellor said—mistakenly, as it turned out—that the household support fund was being extended into the next financial year; the Chief Secretary to the Treasury clarified the position a few moments ago. Does the Chancellor recognise that there is a compelling case for him to announce exactly that extension in the Budget, so that councils can continue to provide the last-resort safety net that has been such a valuable feature of the household support fund over the last three years?

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Merry Christmas. Millions of constituents will file a self-assessment tax return between now and the next Treasury questions, yet HMRC has shut down its hotline. How can my hon. Friend advise constituents on contacting HMRC?

Question

Mr Speaker. The Prime Minister instructed a £40 million VIP helicopter service that was earmarked for closure to continue providing him with flights. Will the Treasury publish a cost-benefit analysis of this decision?

Question

The electrification of the north Wales main line has been a vital issue for many years. It was kiboshed by the Treasury in 2015 as not being value for money, but it's now expected to cost over £1 billion. Will the Chancellor guarantee that the project will definitely go ahead?

Question

Mr Speaker, people in rural areas suffer more than their urban counterparts because of the rural premium they encounter daily. With food inflation at around 10%, people are facing a choice between heating and eating. What assessment has the Department made on this issue?

Question

May I ask the Chancellor to comment on the state of our gold reserves and whether he anticipates adding to them in 2024?

Question

Right now, council leaders are having to make very difficult decisions on cutting vital services not because of profligacy but because of Government cuts. What steps is the Chancellor taking to ensure local authorities like that in York, which is lowest-funded area, are adequately funded?

Question

Kaye Adams won her case against HMRC on IR35 status despite losing earlier. HMRC took her to four additional hearings over nine years, forcing her to spend £200k in legal fees while the tax bill was only £70k. There is no economic case for this practice. When will the Government review and ideally abolish IR35?

Question

UK capital requirement regulations mandate 50% level of capitalisation held by lenders for longer terms as opposed to 20% for shorter terms. Car manufacturer banks such as Renault's RCI Financial Services, underpin every franchise car dealer across these islands and operate on a seven-day notice period to terminate in order to minimise their capital requirements at 20%. The problem arises when a bank such as RCI maladministers a serious activity report, panics over its obligations under the regulations and terminates an award-winning Renault, Nissan and Dacia dealer such as Mackie Motors in my constituency with seven days' notice. Will the Chancellor or one of his Ministers meet me to discuss this crisis?

Question

Since the Prime Minister's speech on net zero in September, Nissan has announced a £2 billion investment in Sunderland, which comes hot on the heels of Tata's £4 billion investment in batteries. EDF Masdar has announced an £11 billion investment in offshore wind in Dogger Bank. In his autumn statement, the Chancellor announced a tripling of tidal energy contracts for difference. We had 11 hydrogen projects announced last week. There are six companies bidding for small modular reactors. Is it not the case that, hot on the heels of yesterday's announcement of a £6 billion allocation of energy efficiency funding and the carbon border adjustment mechanism—

Question

The life sciences sector is worth £2.4 billion to the Northern Ireland economy. What steps have been taken, with counterparts in the Northern Ireland Assembly, to increase funding for employment within this worthy sector?

Question

Our economy continues to be impacted by the war in Ukraine and denial across the Black sea, and we now must brace ourselves for further economic shocks as global shipping avoids the Red sea. Does the Minister agree that we should be protecting these shipping lanes? Our Navy is now too small by half to protect our maritime interests, so will he now look at investing in our surface fleet to protect our economy?

Question

Will the Chancellor update the House on how he plans to move forward with some of the key recommendations from Lord Harrington's review into foreign direct investment in the UK?

Question

We are all mindful of the need to control public finances and slim the civil service, but can my right hon. Friend reassure my constituents that the Darlington Economic Campus will receive the jobs that were promised, and will he give consideration to my proposal to name their permanent home of DEC William McMullen House, in recognition of the sacrifice William made for people of Darlington?

Question

My right hon. Friend is well aware of the threat to thousands of jobs at Scunthorpe steelworks and many more in the supply chain that supports it, all of which would have a devastating effect on the economy of northern Lincolnshire. Can he and his colleagues in the Department for Business and Trade bring a speedy conclusion to the negotiations and lift the cloud over Scunthorpe?