Asked by: Harriet Cross (Conservative - Gordon and Buchan)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what his Department's timetable is for announcing the Track 2 Cluster sequencing for carbon capture, usage and storage funding.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
CCUS requires significant resources, and it is right that it is considered within the Spending Review. We continue to engage at both working and ministerial level with all future projects, including Track-2, and further decisions for future CCUS deployment will be taken in due course.
Asked by: Harriet Cross (Conservative - Gordon and Buchan)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 5 February 2025 to Question 27456 on Holiday Accommodation: Tax Allowances, if she will hold discussions with the Scottish Government on sharing data from the Short-term Let Licensing Scheme to (a) identify the number of Furnished Holiday Let properties in Scotland and (b) inform the implementation of changes to the Furnished Holiday Lettings tax regime in Scotland.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The UK Government regularly engages with the Scottish Government, including on the implementation of policies. The Scottish Government regularly publishes statistics from its Short-term Licensing Scheme, which is publicly available. HMRC currently has no plans investigate Furnished Holiday Lettings in Scotland separately to those in the rest of the UK and the EEA.
Asked by: Harriet Cross (Conservative - Gordon and Buchan)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of expanding the scope of the Loan Charge review to examine the wider contracting sector.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government has commissioned an independent review of the Loan Charge. Ray McCann, a highly respected figure in the tax world, is leading the review. His name was suggested by one of the Loan Charge campaigners.
To ensure transparency, the terms of reference make it clear that Mr McCann will be supported by a team of officials who have not previously worked on this policy area and will be based outside of HM Treasury and HMRC. Information provided by HMT and HMRC to the review team and factual comments provided on draft reports will be published after the review has concluded.
The Government does not think it is right for people affected by the Loan Charge to have to wait years to bring this matter to a close and has therefore ensured that the review has a focused remit, allowing it to report by this summer. The Government will respond by Autumn Budget 2025.
Alongside the review, the Government will consult in 2025 on measures to tackle promoters of marketed tax avoidance and has already announced measures to tackle the significant tax avoidance and fraud in the umbrella company market.
Asked by: Harriet Cross (Conservative - Gordon and Buchan)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has considered including the role of promoters and intermediaries within the scope of the Loan Charge review.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government has commissioned an independent review of the Loan Charge. Ray McCann, a highly respected figure in the tax world, is leading the review. His name was suggested by one of the Loan Charge campaigners.
To ensure transparency, the terms of reference make it clear that Mr McCann will be supported by a team of officials who have not previously worked on this policy area and will be based outside of HM Treasury and HMRC. Information provided by HMT and HMRC to the review team and factual comments provided on draft reports will be published after the review has concluded.
The Government does not think it is right for people affected by the Loan Charge to have to wait years to bring this matter to a close and has therefore ensured that the review has a focused remit, allowing it to report by this summer. The Government will respond by Autumn Budget 2025.
Alongside the review, the Government will consult in 2025 on measures to tackle promoters of marketed tax avoidance and has already announced measures to tackle the significant tax avoidance and fraud in the umbrella company market.