Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether there are any circumstances in which a residential home would be considered as empty where the resident has been unable to sell or is long-term sick and hospitalised.
Answered by Baroness Swinburne - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
Properties being sold are not eligible for empty dwellings management orders (EDMOs), nor are the homes of people away from home because they are being cared for in hospital or elsewhere. The full exemptions to EDMOs are set out in guidance available on the Government website and set out a balanced approach between giving local authorities appropriate powers to bring empty homes into use and protecting home owners whose properties may be empty for a period due to personal circumstances.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether there is a register for empty properties.
Answered by Baroness Swinburne - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what checks are carried out on animal and plant products at UK borders; and what quarantine arrangements are in place for potentially infected products.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Checks are currently carried out on products of animal origin (POAO) and plant and plant products (P&PP) arriving in GB from outside of the EU, and on live animals and high-risk P&PP imports from the EU. The Border Target Operating Model (BTOM) will deliver a new sanitary and phytosanitary regime applicable to all imports to GB with changes starting from January 2024. Under BTOM, controls will be risk-based and calibrated to the specific commodity and country of origin. Additional physical controls on certain EU imports will be conducted at Border Control Posts (BCPs) and Control Points (CPs) on a risk basis from April 2024. BCP and CP specifications vary according to the type of commodities received. BCPs and CPs contain suitable facilities for containing non-compliant consignments.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the increasing number of dog attacks on (1) other animals, and (2) people; and what plans they have to (a) review, and (b) amend, the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 to add new breeds in view of these increasing attacks.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We recognise dog attacks can have horrific consequences and we take this issue very seriously. The Government is taking urgent action to bring forward a ban on XL Bully dog types following a concerning rise in attacks and fatalities, which appear to be driven by this type of dog. We intend to have the legislation in place to deliver this ban by the end of the year.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on farmers of delays to Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) payments; and what plans they have to rectify the delay.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government has no plans to pause the phasing out of Basic Payment Scheme payments.
Our priority is to roll out Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) in a way that ensures the service works as straightforwardly as possible for all our customers and aligns with the closing date for Countryside Stewardship.
The SFI 2023 scheme has been expanded and made more flexible in response to farmers’ feedback. There are 23 actions on offer under the new and improved 2023 scheme, including on soil health, moorland, hedgerows, integrated pest management, farmland wildlife, buffer strips, and low input grassland.
The scheme will open for applications from 18 September. Before then farmers can contact the Rural Payments Agency to join the thousands of farm businesses that have already expressed their interest in applying.
Recently, we have run an extensive communications and engagement programme with farmers and farming organisations, including through webinars and our presence at agricultural shows. This has enabled us to promote the options available to farmers and feedback is of increased awareness and interest in what is on offer.
Information on the scheme is available in one handbook and on 10 August we published voluntary ‘How to Guidance’ which farmers can follow if helpful for them. We know that applicants to date have welcomed the simple, automated online application process which again will support uptake in the coming months.
We know the importance of getting agreements and payments out as quickly as possible, which is why we’ll be working to get as many people as possible on board as quickly as possible after 18 September. What is more, in recognition of the challenges faced with inflation and rising input costs, the Government has confirmed farmers will receive a payment in the first month of their SFI 2023 agreement to help with cashflow.
We remain committed to our target of 70% of farms and farmland being in schemes by 2028.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to pause the phasing out of existing farm payments until Sustainable Farming Incentive payments are in place.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government has no plans to pause the phasing out of Basic Payment Scheme payments.
Our priority is to roll out Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) in a way that ensures the service works as straightforwardly as possible for all our customers and aligns with the closing date for Countryside Stewardship.
The SFI 2023 scheme has been expanded and made more flexible in response to farmers’ feedback. There are 23 actions on offer under the new and improved 2023 scheme, including on soil health, moorland, hedgerows, integrated pest management, farmland wildlife, buffer strips, and low input grassland.
The scheme will open for applications from 18 September. Before then farmers can contact the Rural Payments Agency to join the thousands of farm businesses that have already expressed their interest in applying.
Recently, we have run an extensive communications and engagement programme with farmers and farming organisations, including through webinars and our presence at agricultural shows. This has enabled us to promote the options available to farmers and feedback is of increased awareness and interest in what is on offer.
Information on the scheme is available in one handbook and on 10 August we published voluntary ‘How to Guidance’ which farmers can follow if helpful for them. We know that applicants to date have welcomed the simple, automated online application process which again will support uptake in the coming months.
We know the importance of getting agreements and payments out as quickly as possible, which is why we’ll be working to get as many people as possible on board as quickly as possible after 18 September. What is more, in recognition of the challenges faced with inflation and rising input costs, the Government has confirmed farmers will receive a payment in the first month of their SFI 2023 agreement to help with cashflow.
We remain committed to our target of 70% of farms and farmland being in schemes by 2028.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government why a qualified veterinary surgeon must sign off each consignment of Quorn for export to the EU, given that that product contains no meat or dairy content.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Quorn products containing no animal component would not require an export health certificate (EHC) for import into the EU.
Quorn products that contain egg-based ingredients will require an EHC for entry into the EU. EU law (Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/692) requires imports of animal products including products containing egg or egg product to be accompanied by an EU EHC that must be signed by an official veterinarian of the competent authority of the exporting third country, guaranteeing that the conditions for entry into the EU have been met.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they plan to take, if any, to set up a rural banking hub to avoid a lack of banking provision within ten miles.
Answered by Baroness Penn - Minister on Leave (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State)
Decisions on opening and closing branches are taken by the management team of each bank on a commercial basis, which it would be inappropriate for the Government to intervene in.
Guidance from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) sets out its expectation of firms when closing a branch; they must carefully consider the impact of a planned closure on their customers’ everyday banking and cash access needs and consider possible alternative access arrangements. This will ensure the implementation of closure decisions is done in a way that treats customers fairly.
An alternative for those who prefer to conduct their everyday banking face-to-face is the Post Office, which enables customers to carry this out at 11,500 post offices across the UK. The Post Office is required by the Department for Business and Trade to ensure that 95% of the total rural population across the UK to be within 3 miles of their nearest Post Office outlet.
New shared Banking Hubs are also being introduced providing cash and basic banking services, and dedicated space where community bankers from major banks can meet customers of that bank. Banking Hubs are a commercial initiative provided by participating retail banks and building societies in partnership with the Post Office. Decisions regarding the operation and location of Banking Hubs are taken by the parties involved.
Regarding access to cash, the government legislated to protect access to cash services through the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023. Following this, the government recently published a policy statement. This included setting the government’s current understanding that the vast majority of people in predominately rural areas have access to cash within 3 miles of where they live, while the vast majority of people in predominately urban areas have access to cash within 1 mile of where they live. This is based on FCA analysis and concerns access to cash services in general rather than bank branches. The policy statement sets out that the FCA, as responsible regulator, should seek to maintain this distribution of cash access services, while recognising that cash needs may differ by location and change over time. The government’s policy statement is available on gov.uk.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what provisions are in place to support customers in the event of a rural bank closure with no bank branch available within three miles.
Answered by Baroness Penn - Minister on Leave (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State)
Decisions on opening and closing branches are taken by the management team of each bank on a commercial basis, which it would be inappropriate for the Government to intervene in.
Guidance from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) sets out its expectation of firms when closing a branch; they must carefully consider the impact of a planned closure on their customers’ everyday banking and cash access needs and consider possible alternative access arrangements. This will ensure the implementation of closure decisions is done in a way that treats customers fairly.
An alternative for those who prefer to conduct their everyday banking face-to-face is the Post Office, which enables customers to carry this out at 11,500 post offices across the UK. The Post Office is required by the Department for Business and Trade to ensure that 95% of the total rural population across the UK to be within 3 miles of their nearest Post Office outlet.
New shared Banking Hubs are also being introduced providing cash and basic banking services, and dedicated space where community bankers from major banks can meet customers of that bank. Banking Hubs are a commercial initiative provided by participating retail banks and building societies in partnership with the Post Office. Decisions regarding the operation and location of Banking Hubs are taken by the parties involved.
Regarding access to cash, the government legislated to protect access to cash services through the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023. Following this, the government recently published a policy statement. This included setting the government’s current understanding that the vast majority of people in predominately rural areas have access to cash within 3 miles of where they live, while the vast majority of people in predominately urban areas have access to cash within 1 mile of where they live. This is based on FCA analysis and concerns access to cash services in general rather than bank branches. The policy statement sets out that the FCA, as responsible regulator, should seek to maintain this distribution of cash access services, while recognising that cash needs may differ by location and change over time. The government’s policy statement is available on gov.uk.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of any distortion to the housing market caused by VAT on the renovation and restoration of existing homes as opposed to VAT exemption for the building of new homes; and what plans they have, if any, to address such distortion.
Answered by Baroness Penn - Minister on Leave (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State)
The construction of certain new-build properties, including residential buildings, is subject to a VAT zero rate to encourage the construction of new homes. A reduced rate of VAT at five per cent is also maintained, subject to certain conditions, for residential renovations. This includes conversions of buildings from one residential use to another, conversions from commercial to residential use, and the renovation of properties that have been empty for two years or more.
Extending this VAT relief would impose additional pressure on the public finances to which VAT makes a significant contribution. As such, the Government has no plans to introduce a VAT relief on the renovation and restoration of existing homes; however, the Government keeps all taxes under review.
A temporary zero rate (up to April 2027) also applies to installations of qualifying energy saving materials, such as insulation, solar panels and heat pumps into residential accommodation. This relief is targeted at materials that specifically improve the energy efficiency or reduce carbon emission from a residential property.