Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential impact of the taxation of inherited pensions before transfer into trusts on the long-term financial security of disabled beneficiaries.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Certain types of trusts for vulnerable people, including disabled persons trusts, are exempt from inheritance charges which normally apply to other types of trusts. No inheritance tax is charged on payments made to a beneficiary from a disabled persons trust. These are longstanding rules and are not changing.
From 6 April 2027, most unused pension funds and death benefits payable from a pension will form part of a person’s estate for inheritance tax purposes. This removes distortions resulting from changes that have been made to pensions tax policy over the last decade, which have led to pensions being openly used and marketed as a tax planning vehicle to transfer wealth, rather than as a way to fund retirement.
Following these changes, any unused pension funds or death benefits left to a disabled persons trust on the settlor’s death, will therefore be in scope for inheritance tax in the same way as other assets in the settlor’s estate, such as cash or property. This is the longstanding position for assets settled into a disabled persons trust following the settlor’s death.
The government estimates that more than 90% of estates will continue to have no inheritance tax liability following these changes and the transferable tax-free nil-rate bands mean that estates can continue to pass on up to £1 million without an inheritance tax liability.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that households in (a) North Cornwall and (b) other rural areas can connect to (i) solar panels and (ii) other renewable energy systems without having to directly fund local grid upgrades where needed.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Under connection charging rules set by Ofgem, domestic connection customers are not liable for any network upgrade costs to accommodate renewable generation up to 3.68kW per phase. For larger systems, the customer may be liable for a proportion of the upgrade costs.
The Government works with Ofgem to ensure grid investment supports all communities, including rural areas. In the current electricity distribution network price control, RIIO ED2, Ofgem has allowed £22.2bn for upfront network investment, including £3.1bn for upgrades. The next price control (2028–2033) will require distribution network operators to produce long-term regional network plans.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department will assess the potential merits of providing funding to upgrade local energy networks to support at-home renewable energy generation in (a) North Cornwall constituency and (b) rural areas.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Government works with Ofgem to ensure grid investment supports all communities, including rural areas. The current electricity distribution price control (RIIO-ED2, 2023-2028) has allowed £22.2bn for upfront investment in low voltage networks, including £3.1bn for network upgrades. For the next price control ED3 (2028 to 2033), Ofgem will use Regional Energy Strategic Plans (RESPs) to inform investment ahead of need and ensure a reliable local power grid fit for the net zero transition. These measures will enable timely upgrades and connections for rural communities, supporting renewable generation and other low-carbon technologies, while maintaining affordability for consumers.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the press release entitled Government steps in to save historic rights of way from being lost to the nation, published on 26 December 2024, what her Department's planned timeline is for the (a) planning stages and (b) implementation of the nine new river walks.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government has repealed the 2031 cut-off date, safeguarding hundreds of miles of historic rights of way so they remain available for public enjoyment. This change will be formally enacted when parliamentary time allows.
The Department plans to designate nine National River Walks across England are progressing. Defra is working with stakeholders to identify suitable locations and develop a delivery mechanism. Several delivery options are under consideration, and further details on planning and implementation will be provided in due course.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will hold discussions with representatives of the legal sector in Cornwall on the consultation entitled Home buying and selling reform, published on 20 October 2025.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
On 6 October 2025, the government published two consultations outlining reform proposals to transform home buying and selling. They can be found on gov.uk here and here.
Officials in my Department are actively engaging with stakeholders as part of the consultation process, and they would welcome discussions with representatives of the legal sector in Cornwall.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the proposed introduction of (a) digital property logbooks and (b) open property data on (i) cyber-security and (ii) fraud.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
On 6 October 2025, the government published two consultations outlining reform proposals to transform home buying and selling. They can be found on gov.uk here and here.
We recognise that robust security and privacy standards will be essential in an increasingly digitalised market. Subject to the outcome of the consultations, we will work with industry to establish and maintain security protocols and approval criteria for providers.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the potential merits of implementing a pilot scheme for banks to provide standardised anti-money laundering checks for use in property transactions.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The requirements for anti-money laundering checks in property transactions are set out in the Money Laundering Regulations (MLRs). The MLRs are not prescriptive in setting out precisely how banks and other regulated firms should undertake anti-money laundering checks, but instead require firms to take a proportionate approach commensurate with their assessment of the risk. Each bank will therefore have its own policies and procedures within this broader framework. The Government keeps the MLRs under periodic review to ensure that requirements remain effective and proportionate for all regulated sectors.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many trials have been delayed and court days lost because a prisoner has failed to be delivered to the Court by the Prisoner Escort and Custody Services.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The question has been interpreted to mean ineffective trials that do not start on their intended start date and need rescheduling. Trials can become ineffective for many reasons, owing to the action or inaction of stakeholders responsible for producing prisoners to court, or of the courts themselves. Delays or failures to bring prisoners to court are one such reason.
Data on trial effectiveness at the criminal courts, by reason for ineffectiveness, is published as part of the Criminal court statistics quarterly series. Applying the “reason” filter in the pivot table in Trial Effectiveness at Criminal Courts document enables the reader to select reasons why trials have been ineffective. Tab 14 shows instances where the defendant’s not having been produced by Prisoner Escort and Custody Services led to an ineffective trial. This includes all instances where a prisoner was not produced on time, regardless of whether the contractor was at fault. The most recent publication can be accessed via the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-court-statistics-quarterly-april-to-june-2025.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what plans her Department has to undertake a Data Protection Impact Assessment on the integration of the digital Veteran Card with GOV.UK One Login.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Department has undertaken a full Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) for the digital Veteran Card service, which has been signed off by the One Login Senior Responsible Officer (SRO) and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology’s Data Protection Officer (DPO). Further to this, the DPIA has been reviewed by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the Data Protection Act 2018 and Article 5 of the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the safeguards to ensure that personal data gathered through the digital Veteran Card service is not shared across Government departments without the explicit consent of the veteran.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Department has conducted a data protection impact assessment (DPIA) for the digital Veteran Card, approved by the One Login Senior Responsible Officer and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology’s Data Protection Officer, in consultation with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). A Data Sharing Agreement governs processing between the Ministry of Defence and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and ensures that data is only used for its intended and agreed purpose.
Personal data is stored locally on the veteran’s mobile device and is only shared when the veteran actively chooses to present their digital card. There is no automatic cross-government data sharing. Veterans retain full control of their data and can delete their card at any time.