Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Government plans to ensure that local authorities recognise natural stone as a low-carbon material in planning guidance and local plan development.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

National design guidance, which supports the National Planning Policy Framework, states that well-designed places should be responsive to local history, culture and heritage. The guidance highlights the role of resources, including the careful selection of materials and construction techniques, to minimise any environmental impacts.

A local design code can introduce requirements on the use of materials for new development, if appropriate.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she plans to review (a) tax and (b) energy cost burdens facing small quarrying businesses in rural constituencies.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The government keeps all tax under review as part of the policy making process.

The government is bearing down on business energy prices more widely by reducing Great Britain’s reliance on volatile international gas prices, and through a new framework to scrutinise energy levies, ensuring they are affordable and value-for-money.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to support the continued availability of British natural stone for heritage restoration projects.

Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Department for Business and Trade does not offer any specific support for British natural stone for heritage restoration projects.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport supports heritage restoration projects with several grant schemes, including those covering VAT for repairs through the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme and the Memorial Grant Scheme. Additional funds, such as the Heritage At Risk Capital Fund and the Heritage Revival Fund, provide financial support in England for repairing endangered heritage sites and repurposing neglected historic buildings for community and economic benefit.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of (a) international trade practices and (b) foreign subsidies on the competitiveness of UK natural stone SMEs.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) is the UK’s investigatory body that exists to defend the UK against unfair international trade practices, including foreign subsidies.

I encourage UK industry to engage directly with the TRA if they believe they are being injured by unfair trading practices as it will be for the TRA to decide whether evidentiary thresholds to initiate a trade remedies investigation are met.

The Department remains vigilant to any reports of potential injury to industries from unfair trading practices and regularly engages with the natural stone sector.

Written Parliamentary Questions (WPQs) are an important tool for Members of Parliament to obtain detailed and targeted information to aid in the scrutiny of Government policy and operations. The long-established purpose of WPQs is to uphold transparency and accountability by ensuring that the Government provides clear and timely information to Parliament, and to the public via their publication.

The report from the Infected Blood Inquiry includes recommendations for Parliament on two key areas: how to respond to calls for public inquiries and how to scrutinise the implementation of recommendations resulting from future inquiries.