Asked by: Baroness Coffey (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government how the baseline and measures for the proposed assessment of growth by every postcode in the UK will be established.
Answered by Lord Pitt-Watson - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government's ambition is to support good growth across all parts of the United Kingdom. As set out in the Prime Minister's recent Machinery of Government Statement, No10 North will be responsible for driving good growth through devolution and working in close partnership with local leaders, businesses, and communities to strengthen place-based growth
The Government is considering how best to assess progress against its growth ambitions and will provide further details as policy development progresses.
Asked by: Baroness Stedman-Scott (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the revenue implications of ending private residence relief.
Answered by Lord Pitt-Watson - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The estimated cost of private residence relief in the 2025 to 2026 tax year was forecast as £32.9 billion.
The estimated cost of private residence relief from this year and from previous tax years can be found online here: Tax relief statistics (January 2026) - GOV.UK
The estimated cost of this relief does not represent the yield if it were to be abolished, as consequential behavioural effects could substantially reduce yield.
Asked by: Baroness Monckton of Dallington Forest (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce a 10 per cent levy on estates at death to fund adult social care.
Answered by Lord Pitt-Watson - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Prime Minister has set out his commitment to end decades of political drift on social care and fix the system with a National Care Service that gives people dignity, security and the support they deserve.
Reforms to social care will be fully and sustainably funded – the government will meet its fiscal rules. However, it is right that Baroness Casey’s Commission, which will now report in summer 2027, considers all options for the National Care Service. Funding options will be an important part of that conversation, and the government is not going to pre-empt Baroness Casey’s work.
Asked by: Lord Pickles (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are considering the introduction of a levy to fund adult social care.
Answered by Lord Pitt-Watson - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Prime Minister has set out his commitment to end decades of political drift on social care and fix the system with a National Care Service that gives people dignity, security and the support they deserve.
Reforms to social care will be fully and sustainably funded – the government will meet its fiscal rules. However, it is right that Baroness Casey’s Commission, which will now report in summer 2027, considers all options for the National Care Service. Funding options will be an important part of that conversation, and the government is not going to pre-empt Baroness Casey’s work.
Asked by: Lord Caine (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the implications for electricity prices in Northern Ireland of the decision to disapply VAT on domestic electricity bills for six months.
Answered by Lord Pitt-Watson - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government has announced a cut in VAT on electricity bills to give millions of households breathing space on the cost of living. These changes to VAT apply and are funded for this winter (from 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027).
The Windsor Framework provides the legal basis and mechanism for changes to VAT on goods in Northern Ireland, and the Government has begun discussions about with the European Union on applying this mechanism for these changes.
To ensure that households in Northern Ireland receive the same support as quickly as the rest of the UK, the Northern Ireland Executive will receive comparable funding to enable it to support households in Northern Ireland with the cost of living this winter.
Asked by: Lord Mackinlay of Richborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government, in light of the announcement by the Prime Minister's Office of 21 July, New PM cuts tax on household electricity bills to give breathing space on cost of living, what assessment they have made of how cutting VAT on electricity bills will be funded after this financial year.
Answered by Lord Pitt-Watson - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government has announced a cut in VAT on electricity bills to give millions of households breathing space on the cost of living.
These changes to VAT apply and are funded for this winter (from 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027).
Any further decisions will be taken at the Budget alongside an OBR forecast, and will be consistent with the Government’s fiscal rules.
Asked by: Lord Mackinlay of Richborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government, in light of the announcement by the Prime Minister's Office of 21 July, New PM cuts tax on household electricity bills to give breathing space on cost of living, whether the cut in VAT on electricity bills will last for one year.
Answered by Lord Pitt-Watson - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government has announced a cut in VAT on electricity bills to give millions of households breathing space on the cost of living.
These changes to VAT apply and are funded for this winter (from 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027).
Any further decisions will be taken at the Budget alongside an OBR forecast, and will be consistent with the Government’s fiscal rules.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had, if any, with the EU to ensure that Northern Ireland can benefit from cuts to VAT in fuel, energy, or other utilities bills on the same basis as the rest of the UK.
Answered by Lord Pitt-Watson - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
I refer the Noble Lord to the answer given on 5th August 2026 to UIN HL2396.
Asked by: Lord Moylan (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to proceed with the introduction of Electric Vehicle Excise Duty in April 2028; and what assessment they have made of its impact on rural motorists, disabled motorists and those without access to off-street charging.
Answered by Lord Pitt-Watson - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
As announced at Autumn Budget 2025, Electric Vehicle Excise Duty (eVED) will be introduced from April 2028. Drivers of electric and plug-in hybrid cars will pay for their mileage alongside their existing Vehicle Excise Duty (VED).
The Government has carefully considered the impact of eVED on rural motorists, disabled motorists and those without access to off-street charging. The Government has confirmed eVED should apply to these groups on a consistent basis, as it is designed to mirror the contribution made by drivers of petrol and diesel vehicles through fuel duty, from which these groups are not exempt.
While those living in rural areas tend to drive more than those in urban areas, they are also significantly more likely to have access to lower-cost home charging. According to 2025 Department for Transport survey data, 84% of rural electric vehicle drivers have access to a dedicated home charger.
Support for disabled motorists continues to be available through existing schemes. Individuals in receipt of the higher rate mobility component of disability benefits, including Personal Independence Payment (PIP), qualify for a VED exemption. A 50 per cent reduction in VED is also available to those in receipt of the standard rate mobility component of disability benefits.
Asked by: Earl of Clancarty (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to providing business rates relief for recording studios.
Answered by Lord Pitt-Watson - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
New multipliers for retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) were announced at Budget 2024. Government has been clear that the intention was for their scope to broadly reflect the scope of the RHL relief, which was centred around RHL properties that are “reasonably accessible to visiting members of the public”. As recording studios are not generally open to members of the public, they were unlikely to be receiving RHL relief.
In recognition of the impact of the 2026 revaluation on bills, the Government introduced a support package worth £4.3 billion at Budget 2025 to protect ratepayers against large overnight increases in bills. Additionally, many recording studios are also likely to benefit from Small Business Rates Relief (SBRR). SBRR is available to businesses with a single property below a set rateable value. Eligible properties under £12,000 receive 100 per cent relief, which means around a third of properties in England pay no business rates at all. Tapered support is available to properties valued between £12,000 and £15,000.