Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what her Department's planned timetable is for making a decision on the proposed A39 Camelford Bypass plans.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government’s Budget in October delivers increased investment in local transport, supporting everyday journeys and addressing poor connectivity within our towns and cities across the country. The Department’s Major Road Network/ Large Local Majors programme, which includes the proposed A39 Camelford Bypass scheme, is now being reviewed in light of the Budget. Further details will be released in due course.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help support unsustainable debt burdens and service payments from countries in Africa.
Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Supporting developing countries to tackle unsustainable debt is a key development priority of this government. Where we are a creditor, we have fully engaged in debt restructuring negotiations. We welcome recent Common Framework debt agreements with Zambia and Ghana.
We are also focussed on strengthening the system for the future. This means improving debt transparency, strengthening debt management, global implementation of sustainable lending and borrowing practices, and wider roll out of Natural Disaster Clauses which pause debt repayments when a climate or health disaster hits.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 2.44 of the Autumn Budget 2024, published on 30 October 2024, HC295, what the (a) territorial extent and (b) timetable is for the consultation on encouraging small brewers to retain and expand their access to UK pubs.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The government wants to work with the hospitality industry, including the pub sector, to identify the barriers to small brewers accessing their local markets – particularly where there is consumer demand, for example in tourist areas – and to look at options for overcoming those barriers.
The government will set out further details of any consultation in due course, as well as the territorial extend of any measures.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 2.51 of Autumn Budget 2024, HC 295, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to Agricultural Property Relief on food security.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government has published information about the reforms to agricultural property relief at https://www.gov.uk/government/news/what-are-the-changes-to-agricultural-property-relief#:~:text=From%206%20April%202026%2C%20the,rather%20than%20the%20standard%2040%25. Almost three-quarters of estates claiming agricultural property relief in 2026-27 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.
The UK has high food security and Autumn Budget 2024 continued to support and improve food security. The Government has provided £5 billion across this year and next to support the ongoing transition towards a more productive and environmentally sustainable agricultural sector in England. This will strengthen the domestic sector, and improve food security.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of implementing a change to the Agricultural Property Relief rate.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government has published information about reforms to agricultural property relief at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/what-are-the-changes-to-agricultural-property-relief.
Almost three-quarters of estates claiming agricultural property relief (or those claiming agricultural property relief and business property relief together) in 2026-27 are expected to be unaffected by these reforms.
Historic data published by HMRC shows that in 2021-22, 73% of estates making agricultural property relief claims did so on total amounts worth less than £1m.
HMRC is commissioned by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) at each fiscal event to produce Inheritance Tax receipts forecasts. More information behind this process is published on the OBR website: https://obr.uk/forecasts-in-depth/tax-by-tax-spend-by-spend/inheritance-tax/.
HMRC analysis suggests that in 2026-27, 500 estates claiming agricultural property relief will receive a lower financial benefit as a result of the Government’s reforms, out of a projected total of 1,800 estates making agricultural property relief claims in that year. This means that around three-quarters of estates making agricultural property relief claims will be unaffected by this measure.
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 she will make an assessment of the potential merits of devolving legislative powers to a Cornish Assembly.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government is committed to transferring power out of Westminster and into local communities; we believe that economic prosperity, productivity, and social cohesion are best addressed by devolving powers to local areas who best understand the needs of their communities. An ambitious new framework for English devolution will be published in due course. We intend this framework will set out an attractive, far-reaching offer which will increase devolution across all parts of England, including Cornwall. I am also pleased we have recently confirmed we are minded to progress a non-mayoral devolution agreement as part of the county’s journey to deeper devolution.
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, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of (a) recognition of the Cornish as a national minority under the European Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities and (b) protection of the Cornish language under the European Charter for Regional and Minority Languages on policy on devolving powers to Cornwall.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government is committed to seeing more areas benefit from devolution agreements, with new powers that will allow them to play a leading role in delivering growth and bringing economic benefit to their communities. In taking forward any devolution agreement, the Government recognises the importance of considering the distinct culture, history and identity of Cornish people and will always have regard to its international obligations.
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 she has made of the potential impact of the disparity in wealth of the wealthiest 10% of the population and the average household on (a) economic prosperity, (b) productivity and (c) social cohesion in Cornwall.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
This Government is committed to improving the living standards of the average household across the United Kingdom. The Employment Rights Bill will upgrade the UK labour market to make it fit for our modern economy, driving business growth and tackling poor productivity through providing greater security to working people.
We believe that economic prosperity, productivity, and social cohesion are best addressed by devolving powers to local areas who best understand the needs of their communities. Cornwall’s recently announced Level 2 devolution agreement is the start of that journey to move more powers from Whitehall to local people in Cornwall. Local authorities will be given new powers to address the challenge of short-term lets and second homes which are a particular challenge in Cornwall.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that schools receive adequate funding to provide equitable access to arts education alongside English Baccalaureate subjects in (a) Cornwall and (b) England.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
This government is clear that arts subjects should be part of every child’s education.
The independent Curriculum and Assessment Review will advise on how the department delivers a broader curriculum for every child, including arts subjects and English Baccalaureate (EBacc) subjects. The department will also support children to study a creative or vocational subject to the age of 16 and ensure accountability measures reflect this.
Schools have autonomy over how they spend their core funding and can decide how to best allocate their resources for the benefit of their students. The department does not provide schools with dedicated or ring-fenced funding for either arts subjects or EBacc subjects. Schools do not report back on the funding they have allocated to different subjects.
Overall core revenue funding for schools totals almost £61.8 billion in the 2024/25 financial year. More specifically, through the Dedicated Schools Grant, Cornwall is receiving £406.3 million for mainstream schools in 2024/25.
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 of the potential merits of removing VAT on swimming lessons provided by non-council swimming facilities for (a) SEND children, (b) hydrotherapy patients, (c) the elderly and (d) other groups.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption, and the 20 per cent standard rate applies to most goods and services. Tax breaks reduce the revenue available for public services, and must represent value for money for the taxpayer.
The Government has inherited a challenging fiscal position, with. A Treasury audit in July 2024 revealing an additional £21.9 billion pressure on departmental spending.
One of the key considerations for any potential new VAT relief is whether the cost saving is likely to be passed on to consumers. Evidence suggests that businesses only partially pass on any savings from lower VAT rates.