I very much enjoyed my visit to South Yorkshire to open that investment zone. It is incredibly impressive what is happening there and it was wonderful to welcome new investment by Boeing as part of that. The hon. Gentleman is right to talk about transport; that is why we involve local authorities in all our investment zone decisions. It is also vital to have universities involved, which is why the University of Sheffield is playing such a key role.

Views on the VAT registration threshold are divided and the case for change has been regularly reviewed over the years. While some businesses have argued that a higher threshold would reduce administrative and financial burdens, others contend that a lower threshold would provide a fairer competitive environment.

In 2018, the Government consulted on how the design of the VAT registration threshold could better incentivise growth. However, there was no clear option for reform.

It was announced at Autumn Budget 2022 that the VAT threshold will be maintained at its current level of £85,000 until 31 March 2026.

The Government recognises that accounting for VAT can be a burden on small businesses. This is why, at £85,000, the UK has a higher VAT registration threshold than any EU Member State and the second highest in the OECD. This keeps the majority of UK businesses out of VAT altogether.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer has not held discussions with Capita on the potential impact to members of the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme from the recent cyber incident.

HM Treasury has worked closely with the Bank of England, Financial Conduct Authority, and the National Cyber Security Centre to monitor any impacts in the finance sector of the cyber incident. The financial regulators have engaged directly with Capita.

The Government understands that people are worried about the cost-of-living challenges ahead. That’s why decisive action has been taken to support all households across the UK, whilst remaining fiscally responsible.

We have already announced further support for next year worth £26 billion in 2023-24, meaning over 8 million of the most vulnerable households will continue to be supported through next winter via additional Cost of Living Payments and an extension to the household support fund.

The Chancellor is fully committed to ensuring the benefits of economic development are felt right across the country, including with billions in support for local growth, skills training and transport.

Approved Mileage Allowance Payments (AMAPs) are used by employers to reimburse an employee’s expenses for business mileage in their private vehicle. The government sets the AMAP rates to minimise administrative burdens.

The AMAP rates aim to reflect running costs including fuel, servicing and depreciation. Depreciation is estimated to constitute the most significant proportion of the AMAP rates.

There is no formula or calculation which delivers the AMAPs rates for cars of 45 pence per mile for the first 10,000 miles and 25 pence per mile thereafter. The decision on what rates to adopt is a policy decision taken by the Chancellor after considering a range of factors. These factors include:

• the costs of motoring per business mile for a range of cars and mileages;

• the transport needs of business;

• the cost to the Exchequer of changing the rate;

• the overall fiscal position.”

Employers are not required to use the AMAPs rates. Instead, they can agree to reimburse a different amount that better reflects their employees’ circumstances. If an employee is paid less than the AMAP rate, they can claim Mileage Allowance Relief (MAR) on the shortfall. However, where payments exceed the relevant AMAP rate, there will be a tax and National Insurance charge on the difference.

May I begin, Mr Speaker, by wishing you and all of your brilliant House of Commons staff a very merry Christmas?

The integrated rail plan, published last November, set out an estimate of £17.2 billion at 2019 prices for the core Northern Powerhouse Rail network, with a further £5.4 billion for the TransPennine route upgrade. That includes building 40 miles of new, high-speed line between Warrington, Manchester and Yorkshire, as well as upgrading and electrifying the rest of the route between Liverpool and York, and the existing line between Leeds and Bradford.

I commend the hon. Gentleman, who speaks with great passion on these issues. He is right that the Chancellor is absolutely committed to the long-term benefit to the economy of capital investment and infrastructure schemes like these. Just to be clear, the IRP set out the Government’s view that the core NPR network is the most effective way to deliver rail connectivity benefiting the north. Our plans would deliver substantial journey-time saving and capacity benefits all the way from Liverpool to York. It will do so far more quickly and cost-effectively than alternatives.

Where a charity chooses to offer its goods or services for free and invites voluntary donations, with no minimum payment required and with no expectation of anything in return, no VAT is charged.

Where the charity wishes to sell its goods and services for a set price, and is VAT registered, it must charge VAT unless a VAT relief exists. There is no VAT due on an amount paid voluntarily over and above the set price.

Charities benefit from a range of tax reliefs, including a zero-rate relief for the sale of donated goods. Costed tax reliefs value these at over £5.4 billion in the year ending April 2022.

While all taxes are kept under review, we have no plans to make changes to the VAT treatment of minimum donations.

The government publishes plans for funding research and development in multi-year spending reviews. The 2021 Spending Review published plans for the period 2022/23 to 24/25. Future Spending Reviews will cover years beyond that.

Consistent with the sector’s preference to associate to EU R&D programmes, the Government and set aside funding for association at Spending Review 2021 and has continued negotiations with the EU, while ensuring the sector is supported by funding the Horizon Guarantee. If the EU does not formalise the UK’s association soon, we will ensure that the UK’s science superpower and innovation nation ambitions are supported by putting in place an ambitious alternative, funded from the budget we set aside for our association to these programmes.

The Government keep the approved mileage allowance payment rate under review. As the rate is set using an average, it is more appropriate for some drivers than for others. Employers, including public sector employers, can agree to reimburse a different amount that better reflects their employee’s circumstances.

The hon. Gentleman makes a fair point. I think we are all conscious of the general increase in costs faced by keyworkers and all our workers, but let me make this point about the specific HMRC-approved mileage allowance payments rate. He will appreciate that, ultimately, it is there as an administrative convenience for both employers and employees. The employer can choose to pay more, though of course they would have to check the tax impact with the employee. We do sympathise about the cost of fuel, but that is why we took that crucial measure in the spring statement to cut the rate of duty on petrol and diesel by 5p a litre for 12 months. That is worth £2.4 billion for everyone who uses an internal combustion engine, whether in the public or the private sector.

Approved Mileage Allowance Payments (AMAPs) are used by employers to reimburse an employee’s expenses for business mileage in their private vehicle.

The government sets the AMAP rates to minimise administrative burdens. The AMAP rates aim to reflect running costs including fuel, servicing and depreciation. Depreciation is estimated to constitute the most significant proportion of the AMAP rates.

Employers are not required to use the AMAPs rates. Instead, they can agree to reimburse a different amount that better reflects their employees’ circumstances. If an employee is paid less than the AMAP rate, they can claim Mileage Allowance Relief (MAR) on the shortfall. However, where payments exceed the relevant AMAP rate, there will be a tax and National Insurance charge on the difference.

Like all taxes and allowances, the Government keeps the AMAP rate under review.

The Government also sets out Advisory Fuel Rates (AFR) for company car users. These rates reflect average miles per gallon (MPG) for vehicle types from manufacturers’ information, taking into account annual sales to businesses, combined with petrol and diesel prices.

AFRs are not mandatory, and employers and employees can agree to use different rates to reflect scenarios in which a car is more fuel efficient or where the fuel cost per mile of business travel is higher. Where an employer pays a rate higher than the published AFRs, no tax charge will arise if the employee is able to demonstrate there is no profit element.

The AFRs are reviewed by HMRC on a quarterly basis.

Approved Mileage Allowance Payments (AMAPs) are used by employers to reimburse an employee’s expenses for business mileage in their private vehicle.

The government sets the AMAP rates to minimise administrative burdens. The AMAP rates aim to reflect running costs including fuel, servicing and depreciation. Depreciation is estimated to constitute the most significant proportion of the AMAP rates.

Employers are not required to use the AMAPs rates. Instead, they can agree to reimburse a different amount that better reflects their employees’ circumstances. If an employee is paid less than the AMAP rate, they can claim Mileage Allowance Relief (MAR) on the shortfall. However, where payments exceed the relevant AMAP rate, there will be a tax and National Insurance charge on the difference.

Like all taxes and allowances, the Government keeps the AMAP rate under review.

The Government also sets out Advisory Fuel Rates (AFR) for company car users. These rates reflect average miles per gallon (MPG) for vehicle types from manufacturers’ information, taking into account annual sales to businesses, combined with petrol and diesel prices.

AFRs are not mandatory, and employers and employees can agree to use different rates to reflect scenarios in which a car is more fuel efficient or where the fuel cost per mile of business travel is higher. Where an employer pays a rate higher than the published AFRs, no tax charge will arise if the employee is able to demonstrate there is no profit element.

The AFRs are reviewed by HMRC on a quarterly basis.

HMRC only ever considers enforcement action as a last resort. Many customers that they take enforcement action against will have multiple debts and they apply their powers consistently across all debts and customers, regardless of how the tax arose.

HMRC do not treat PAYE debts any differently and so do not collect or hold data on the number of cases in which enforcement action was taken against employers or employees, where an employer refuses to pay their liabilities.

HMRC only ever considers enforcement action as a last resort. Many customers that they take enforcement action against will have multiple debts and they apply their powers consistently across all debts and customers, regardless of how the tax arose.

HMRC do not treat PAYE debts any differently and so do not collect or hold data on the number of cases in which enforcement action was taken against employers or employees, where an employer refuses to pay their liabilities.

We are absolutely committed to the levelling-up agenda. South Yorkshire received £570 million through the regional cities transport scheme, £95 million through the levelling-up fund and £46 million through the shared prosperity fund, and our ambitions for levelling up continue.

It is a pleasure to answer my first question at the Dispatch Box, and to reply to the hon. Member for Barnsley Central (Dan Jarvis), who responded to my maiden speech.

The White Paper “Levelling Up the United Kingdom” set out a clear plan to level up every corner of the UK by 2030. We are also driving growth and unlocking housing across the UK with our new investment zones, and we are continuing to invest billions in regional infrastructure. That includes £1.7 billion allocated under the levelling-up fund, of which £500 million went to the north.