Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration the examining authorities gave to the impact on farming in considering consent for the Cottam, Mallard Pass and Gate Burton solar farms recently approved by the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero.

Answered by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

For each of these cases, the Examining Authorities’ Reports have been published alongside the Secretary of State’s Decision Letters on the Planning Inspectorate project pages. The consideration given to the impact on farming, as well as all other relevant matters, are set out in those documents.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to make exemptions from the seven-year potentially exempt transaction rule in order to allow farmers and family business owners to gift their businesses without risk of payment of inheritance tax.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government published information about the reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief at www.gov.uk/government/publications/agricultural-property-relief-and-business-property-relief-reforms.

It is expected that up to up to 520 estates claiming agricultural property relief will be affected by these reforms. Almost three-quarters of estates claiming agricultural property relief (or those claiming agricultural property relief and business property relief together) each year are expected to be unaffected by these reforms.

In accordance with standard practice, a tax information and impact note will be published alongside the draft legislation before the relevant Finance Bill.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the investment that will be lost within family-owned businesses now subject to inheritance tax as a result of changes to the reliefs announced in the Budget.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government published information about the reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief at www.gov.uk/government/publications/agricultural-property-relief-and-business-property-relief-reforms.

It is expected that up to up to 520 estates claiming agricultural property relief will be affected by these reforms. Almost three-quarters of estates claiming agricultural property relief (or those claiming agricultural property relief and business property relief together) each year are expected to be unaffected by these reforms.

In accordance with standard practice, a tax information and impact note will be published alongside the draft legislation before the relevant Finance Bill.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan for machinery, buildings and energy infrastructure to be valued at market value or depreciated value for the purposes of business property relief for inheritance tax.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

The approach to valuations for inheritance tax purposes is well-established. Valuations are based on the open market value of an asset, in line with the provisions of the Inheritance Tax Act 1984.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to value family businesses for inheritance tax based on the net asset value or their profitability.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

The approach to valuations for inheritance tax purposes is well-established. Valuations are based on the open market value of an asset, in line with the provisions of the Inheritance Tax Act 1984.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether renewable energy infrastructure will be taxed as a business asset for inheritance tax purposes.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

Any renewable energy infrastructure and equipment owned by a person liable to inheritance tax will be an asset of their estate for inheritance tax purposes. These assets can qualify for business property relief if (1) the assets are part of a business qualifying for business property relief and (2) if they are used in a qualifying business.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to keep monthly data on farmer, landowner and family business owner suicides and suicide attempts.

Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

Please see the letter attached from the National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority.

The Lord Roborough

House of Lords

London

SW1A 0PW

29 November 2024

Dear Lord Roborough,

As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking whether we plan to keep monthly data on farmer, landowner and family business owner suicides and suicide attempts (HL2859).

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes annual suicide death registration statistics for England and Wales[1]. Also published regularly are provisional statistics on suicide death registrations by quarter in England[2]. As these statistics are based on death registrations, they do not inform us about suicide attempts. The ONS holds death registrations for England and Wales only; separate figures for Scotland and Northern Ireland and are available from the National Records of Scotland (NRS)[3] and the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA)[4], respectively.

Suicide deaths are few enough in number that disaggregating them by age group or region in our quarterly provisional statistics for England presents very small numbers for some groups. Statistics such as change in rates of suicide deaths for small groups can therefore be volatile and uncertain. As such, while the ONS is committed to continuing its quarterly publication of suicide statistics and analysing suicide deaths by occupation using annual data[5], a more regular presentation of suicide deaths by occupation is not planned.

The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) produce a statistical report on near to real-time suspected suicide surveillance (nRTSSS) for England[6], which is revised monthly, but does not present suicides by occupation.

Yours sincerely,

Professor Sir Ian Diamond

[1]https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins/suicidesintheunitedkingdom/2023

[2]https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins/quarterlysuicidedeathregistrationsinengland/2001to2023registrationsandquarter1jantomartoquarter2aprtojune2024provisionaldata

[3]https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/publications/probable-suicides-2023/

[4]https://www.nisra.gov.uk/statistics/cause-death/suicide-deaths

[5]https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/adhocs/15043suicidebyoccupationenglandandwales2011to2021registrations

[6]https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/near-to-real-time-suspected-suicide-surveillance-nrtsss-for-england/statistical-report-near-to-real-time-suspected-suicide-surveillance-nrtsss-for-england-for-the-15-months-to-august-2023

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of losing agricultural property relief and business property relief for inheritance tax on the long-term ownership of land by private farmers and landowners, as opposed to UK and overseas-controlled corporate and institutional ownership.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government published information about the reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief at www.gov.uk/government/publications/agricultural-property-relief-and-business-property-relief-reforms.

It is expected that up to up to 520 estates claiming agricultural property relief will be affected by these reforms. Almost three quarters of estates claiming agricultural property relief (or those claiming agricultural property relief and business property relief together) are expected to be unaffected.

In accordance with standard practice, a tax information and impact note will be published alongside the draft legislation before the relevant Finance Bill.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to replace investment in farm businesses lost as a result of the reduced agricultural and business property inheritance tax reliefs with an increase in the DEFRA capital budget.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

At Autumn Budget 2024, the Government took a number of decisions on tax, welfare, and spending to restore economic stability, fix the public finances, and support public services. These were tough decisions given the situation we inherited from the previous administration, but the Government has done so in a way that makes the tax system fairer and more sustainable. This includes the reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief.

Despite the fiscal constraints, the Farming and Countryside Programme budget has been protected at £5 billion across the next two years. This includes the largest ever proportion of the budget directed at sustainable food production and nature’s recovery in our country’s history. This will accelerate the transition to a more resilient and sustainable farming sector, supporting investment in farm businesses and boosting Britain’s food security.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the number of farmers, tenants, partnerships, or limited companies, who do not use agricultural property relief but rely on business property relief, and who will be impacted by the reduction of business property relief for inheritance tax.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government published information about the reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief at www.gov.uk/government/publications/agricultural-property-relief-and-business-property-relief-reforms.

The reforms are expected to affect around 2,000 estates in 2026-27. Around 500 of these are expected to claim agricultural property relief, including those also claiming business property relief. Around 1,500 are expected to claim business property relief. Around 1,000 of these are expected to only hold shares designated as “not listed” on the markets of recognised stock exchanges. This means around 500 estates are expected to claim business property relief on a range of other eligible business assets and pay more inheritance tax.

The reforms mean that around three-quarters of estates claiming business property relief in 2026-27 (excluding those only relating to holding shares designated as “not listed” on the markets of recognised stock exchanges) will not pay any more inheritance tax, nor will around three-quarters of estates claiming agricultural property relief, including where they also claim business property relief.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier payments to farmers are being delayed from December 2024 to mid-2025; what is the reason for any delay; and what assessment they have made of the impact on farmers’ finances.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

There are no delays to payment for existing Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier customers. Since 1 December we have paid around 14,000 customers with both Mid-Tier and Higher Tier Countryside Stewardship agreements, the revenue payment total around £151 million.

More information about the timing and content of the new expanded Higher Tier scheme will be published later in December.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to keep and publish detailed records of farmer, landowner, and family business owner suicides in the months leading up to the reduction of agricultural and business property reliefs for inheritance tax, for the purpose of public interest.

Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

Please see the letter attached from the National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority.

Professor Sir Ian Diamond | National Statistician

The Lord Roborough

House of Lords

London

SW1A 0PW

19 December 2024

Dear Lord Roborough,

As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking whether we plan to keep and publish detailed records of farmer, landowner, and family business owner suicides in the months leading up to the reduction of agricultural and business property reliefs for inheritance tax, for the purpose of public interest (HL3558).

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) mortality statistics are compiled from information supplied when deaths are certified and registered as part of civil registration, which is a legal requirement. This data enables the ONS to produce detailed statistics on suicides that are registered in England and Wales and we publish regular annual[1] and quarterly[2] statistics. All these are based on date of registration, rather than occurrence.

In England and Wales, all deaths by suicide are certified by a coroner and cannot be registered until an inquest is completed. This results in a delay between the date the death occurred and the date of registration. Due to these registration delays, it will not be possible to produce accurate statistics on suicides occurring in 2026 until 2028. The ONS will continue its quarterly publication of suicide statistics and analysis of suicide deaths by occupation based on registration date. However, a more regular presentation of suicide deaths by occupation is not planned.

Yours sincerely,

Professor Sir Ian Diamond

[1]https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins/suicidesintheunitedkingdom/previousreleases

[2]https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins/quarterlysuicidedeathregistrationsinengland/previousreleases

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many avian influenza compensation scheme claims were paid in (1) 2023, and (2) 2024 to date.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

In 2023 58 claims for compensation for avian influenza were paid. To date, in 2024 7 claims for compensation have been paid.

Found: likened the bill to others introduced by the government, and said that more detail was needed.108 Lord Roborough

Found: LORD FULLER LORD ROBOROUGH 67_ Clause 6, page 3, line 38, at end insert— “(1A) The Secretary of State

Found: likened the bill to others introduced by the government, and said that more detail was needed.108 Lord Roborough