Regional Growth

Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee Excerpts

Thursday 5th June 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee (Non-Afl)]

My Lords, I very much welcome the Statement on connectivity across England, and I welcome the noble Lord’s commentary in relation to the spending review next week, particularly in relation to the connectivity of the different parts of the United Kingdom. He will know that I have mentioned the report of the noble Lord, Lord Hendy, on union connectivity many times, and I urge the Minister and his colleagues to look at that report again, particularly in relation to the A75 in Scotland, which is very important for people and businesses travelling from Northern Ireland to England, because that road really needs an upgrade. I commend the Government for taking this initiative. I really believe in capital investment leading to economic growth, and I think that connectivity will be very much helped by that. I urge him to look at that connectivity review and to link up the rest of the Kingdom as well.

[Lord Livermore (Lab)]

I am grateful to the noble Baroness for her question and the points that she makes. I think we would agree with a lot of what she says. She is supporting the importance of connectivity underlying much of our growth mission. That is obviously what we were starting to set out yesterday—as I say, just in the city regions for now, but next week, in the spending review, in the rest of the United Kingdom. I cannot comment on the specific road that she mentions ahead of that spending review, but of course I will take away what she says about that report and very much support what she says about connectivity.

Inheritance Tax: Impact on Rural Businesses

Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee Excerpts

Thursday 1st May 2025 Lords Chamber

[Lord Livermore (Lab)]

I am grateful to the noble Baroness for her question. I fully recognise that she has a great deal of expertise in this area and I pay tribute to the work that she has done, particularly on behalf of tenant farmers. I do not accept the premise of her question. I fully respect the commitment that has gone into the survey that she spoke of but do not necessarily accept its conclusions. Our commitment to tenant farmers remains steadfast, which is why we are investing £5 billion in farming over two years, the largest budget for sustainable food production in our country’s history.

I take seriously what the noble Baroness says about mental health. Mental health is of course an issue that the Government take extremely seriously, which is why we are working to improve mental health services across the country, including through plans to recruit an additional 8,500 mental health workers. We fully understand the strength of feeling on this issue, and we urge people to make sure they use the correct data to prevent further inflaming the debate.

[Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee (Non-Afl)]

My Lords, the nature of farming across the UK varies greatly. For example, in Northern Ireland the size of family farms is smaller but the price of land is a lot higher per acre. Given that that is the case, and given that families in Northern Ireland are concerned about the incoming changes, will the Minister commit to looking at an impact assessment not of the macro situation in the UK but of the different regional variations?

[Lord Livermore (Lab)]

I am grateful to the noble Baroness for her question. As she may know, as is standard practice, we will publish a tax information impact note alongside the draft legislation before the relevant Finance Bill. My honourable friend the Exchequer Secretary has engaged extensively with stakeholders in this area, including with the Ulster Farmers’ Union. We have fully listened to the issues that the noble Baroness raises. However, it is worth saying that individuals will still benefit from 100% relief for the first £1 million of combined business and agricultural assets, and above that amount there will be 50% relief, meaning that inheritance tax will be paid at a reduced effective rate of up to 20%. That is considerably more generous than in any other part of the economy.

US Steel Import Tariffs

Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee Excerpts

Thursday 13th February 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Gustafsson (Lab)]

I thank the noble Lord for the question. Again, it is very difficult to comment on the specifics of what the tariffs will look like when we are at a point when there are few facts and a lot more conversation and speculation. Northern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom customs territory and internal market. For goods moving into Northern Ireland that do not subsequently enter the EU, the duty reimbursement scheme enables traders to reclaim or remit applicable EU duties in full. However, the implications for Northern Ireland of the substance of any arrangements will be a key aspect of the considerations and the ongoing consultation with our partners, both within the UK and within the steel sector at large.

[Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee (Non-Afl)]

My Lords, on Tuesday in the other place, the Minister’s colleague, the Minister for Trade Policy and Economic Security, said that

“a clear-headed sense of the … national interest”.—[Official Report, Commons, 11/2/25; col. 182.]

was required in reset talks with the EU. Given that that is the case, and following on from the question from the noble Lord, Lord Dodds, can she tell us what His Majesty’s Government are doing proactively with the EU to deal with the complexities and constraints of the Windsor Framework if tariffs come to the EU—I accept her point about hypotheticals—so that it does not impact on Northern Ireland?

[Baroness Gustafsson (Lab)]

Forgive me. I cannot comment further on the specifics of the Windsor arrangement in absence of the facts, but on the relationship with the EU, this Government were elected with a strong mandate to reset that and make sure that we build on the relationship we have, both with Europe and the US—I do not think this is necessarily a binary choice between the two. I suspect that when we think about the strategy particular to the steel industry, understanding what those relationships look like with the EU but also with the US, and the specifics of any tariff arrangements in place, will be a key factor of those considerations and the strategy at large. We will not be afraid to make sure that we are representing UK industries in supporting the steel industry to the best of our ability.

Public Finances: Borrowing Costs

Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee Excerpts

Thursday 9th January 2025 Lords Chamber

[Lord Livermore (Lab)]

I agree with a lot of what the noble Lord says. He and I are both strong supporters of an industrial strategy. The Government’s new modern industrial strategy is a core component of what the noble Lord is asking for. We are introducing a new industrial strategy that will give the private sector the guidance it requires about the sectors that we would like to see investment coming into. We are doing planning reform, which is one of the biggest reforms that we can possibly do to unlock new levels of private sector investment in the economy. We are doing pension reform, which the Chancellor set out in her Mansion House speech. We are doing skills reform—another key component of unlocking investment in our economy. All those things will significantly boost growth in our economy, but none of them is yet included in the OBR’s forecast.

[Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee (Non-Afl)]

My Lords, how concerned are the Minister and His Majesty’s Treasury that £9.6 billion of cash was withdrawn last year from the London Stock Exchange—the highest amount on record?

[Lord Livermore (Lab)]

Clearly, ensuring that UK businesses have access to finance is crucial to this Government’s economic policy.

Small Farms and Family Businesses

Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee Excerpts

Thursday 12th December 2024 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee (Non-Afl)]

My Lords, I thank the noble Earl for bringing this debate to the House, as it is of fundamental importance that we discuss the impact of the recent Budget on the UK’s rural community. Obviously, it would have been preferable that the discussion on the impact of the Budget measures had been assessed before their announcement, but that was not what the Government chose on this occasion. It means that policy decisions have been made on flawed data.

We have heard much from the Government about how the changes to agricultural property relief will impact on only relatively few farming families, but the reality is somewhat different, certainly in Northern Ireland. This week the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland published an analysis of the impact of the budgetary measures. The figures are stark. The price of land in Northern Ireland is high, for a variety of reasons, and the latest government figures for 2026 projecting forward are that it will cost £21,000 per acre. That figure covers agriculture and business property on farms. This means that farms that own greater than 19.5 hectares of agricultural land will be caught by the new measures announced in the Budget. That is 50% of the farms in Northern Ireland. Those figures are not from farmers or their union, the UFU, but from the government department in Northern Ireland. Even more striking is that this covers 80% of total farmed land in Northern Ireland.

I think noble Lords will agree that those are devastating figures, which is why solutions will have to be found before 2026. Food security for the whole of the UK is at risk. Why do I say that? Noble Lords will say, “Surely Northern Ireland is only a small part of the equation”. It is true that we have a population of only 1.9 million, but our farmers produce enough food for 10 million people, and 6 million of them are here in Great Britain. As a former Economy Minister in Northern Ireland, I know the importance of the agri-food industry very well. It is simply the largest economic driver in Northern Ireland. That is why these new tax rules will have a disproportionate impact in Northern Ireland, on not just our rural communities but our economic well-being.

The next issue is that these tax rules, if implemented in full, will cut to the very heart of the fabric of rural Ulster. If farms have to be sold to pay tax bills, families will leave the rural way of life. That will bring hugely negative changes to our society. Schools, rural shops, churches, sporting organisations—life will fundamentally change if there are fewer rural dwellers. Of course, farmland is not just an asset; it is a legacy, a symbol of perseverance, and a promise to future generations. We have to allow that promise to be fulfilled.

The well-being of our rural dwellers is also of huge concern. We all know that farming is a solitary profession, and mental ill-health is often an undiagnosed issue. The implications of the tax burden have added to farmers’ worries, and that cannot be dismissed. I commend the National Farmers’ Union’s president on trying to explain the emotional stress yesterday to the Select Committee in the other place. Whether you are an elderly farmer worrying about estate planning or a young farmer wondering whether it is worth the worry taking on the debt that you would have to take on to keep the family farm going, it is a really worrying time. Yes, farmers are particularly bad at succession planning—I used to be a country solicitor before I entered politics, so I know it all too well—but they often work for very little just to have the hope of handing on the farm to the next generation. This policy threatens that hope and adds to the growing burden on farmers. They are already under pressure from government regulation and supermarket powers.

So solutions have to be found. Of course, I would prefer the tax to be scrapped but, if that does not find favour with the Treasury, please set the threshold much higher—so you are not attacking the rural way of life—or have a definition of an active farmer and exempt active farmers from the tax. That would deal with those who are buying up farmland for other purposes. That is what happens in Germany and the Republic of Ireland, so solutions are available. I really hope the Government take the time to listen to those solutions, because farmers are fair people and it is wrong to attack their way of life.

Wales: Public Services

Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee Excerpts

Tuesday 5th November 2024 Lords Chamber

[Lord Livermore (Lab)]

As always, my noble friend says it far better than I could. I nearly always agree with him, and I do so on this point in particular.

[Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee (Non-Afl)]

My Lords, the Barnett formula was introduced for Scotland by a Labour Government in 1978; then it was applied to Wales and then to Northern Ireland. That is nearly 50 years ago. Surely it is time to look at a new mechanism that will reflect the modern devolved Administrations.

[Lord Livermore (Lab)]

I give the noble Baroness the same answer that I have given already: I do not think the Government have any such plans. The Northern Ireland Executive settlement for 2025-26 is the largest in real terms of any Northern Ireland Executive settlement since devolution. The Northern Ireland Executive will receive £18.2 billion in 2025-26.

Independent School Fees: VAT

Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee Excerpts

Monday 21st October 2024 Lords Chamber

[Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Lab Co-op)]

Can we hear from the noble Baroness, Lady Foster?

[Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee (Non-Afl)]

My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Lord. Is the Minister aware of the disproportionate impact that this tax will have on Christian schools in Northern Ireland given the structure of the education system there? Given that, will a specific impact assessment be carried out?

[Lord Livermore (Lab)]

The impact assessment will cover the full range of expected impacts.