Asked by: John Lamont (Conservative - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many hotels in Scotland are being used to accommodate asylum seekers.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the Answer I gave on 3 February to Question UIN 26316.
Asked by: John Lamont (Conservative - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much correspondence her Department has received from individuals making representations on proposed changes to (a) Agricultural Property Relief and (b) Business Property Relief for Inheritance Tax since October 2024.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer 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 Government takes into account all representations, and HM Treasury officials and Ministers meet with stakeholders on a regular basis.
Asked by: John Lamont (Conservative - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many (a) letters, (b) emails and (c) other correspondence her Department has received supporting proposed changes to (i) Agricultural Property Relief and (ii) Business Property Relief for Inheritance Tax.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer 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 Government takes into account all representations, and HM Treasury officials and Ministers meet with stakeholders on a regular basis.
Asked by: John Lamont (Conservative - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions she has had with the National Farmers Union of Scotland on changes to Business Property Relief in the Autumn Budget 2024 since 30 October 2024.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer 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 Government takes into account all representations, and HM Treasury officials and Ministers meet with stakeholders on a regular basis.
Asked by: John Lamont (Conservative - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much correspondence his Department has received from individuals making representations on proposed changes to (a) Agricultural Property Relief and (b) Business Property Relief for Inheritance Tax since October 2024.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The information requested is not held centrally.
Asked by: John Lamont (Conservative - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many (a) letters, (b) emails and (c) other correspondence his Department has received supporting proposed changes to (i) Agricultural Property Relief and (ii) Business Property Relief for Inheritance Tax.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The information requested is not held centrally.
Asked by: John Lamont (Conservative - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether he plans to take legal advice on whether introducing an exception to copyright for text and data mining with an opt-out is consistent with the UK’s international obligations under the Berne Convention.
Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government published a consultation on Copyright and AI in December 2024.
This consultation seeks views on proposals for a new regulatory model for text and data mining. These proposals are presented for feedback and discussion, and no decision has yet been taken on the final policy.
As set out in the consultation “any proposals that we take forward will be implemented in line with our existing legal obligations, domestic and international. Relevant international treaties include the Berne Convention, Rome Convention, WCT, WPPT and TRIPS”.
The consultation closes on 25 February.
Asked by: John Lamont (Conservative - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what assessment he has made with Cabinet colleagues of the impact of levels of taxation on people in Scotland.
Answered by Ian Murray - Secretary of State for Scotland
The assessment that we have made is that the Honourable Gentleman's party crashed the economy and left the legacy of the highest tax burden on working people in 70 years and in Scotland that is even higher.
The SNP Government’s own figures show that a Band 5 Nurse will pay more tax in Scotland than a nurse earning the same amount in England, meanwhile billions of pounds of taxpayer money has been wasted under the SNP.
The previous Conservative government and current SNP government both share the belief that nurses, teachers and ordinary Scots should pay for their economic failures.
We will provide economic stability and put more money in people’s pockets.
Asked by: John Lamont (Conservative - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department of the potential impact of changes to employer national insurance contributions on Scotland’s retail sector.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
A Tax Information and Impact Note that covers the employer NICs changes was published by HMRC on 13 November.
The Government has protected the smallest businesses from the impact of the increase to Employer National Insurance by increasing the Employment Allowance from £5,000 to £10,500, which means that 865,000 employers will pay no NICs at all next year, more than half of employers will see no change or will gain overall from this package, and all eligible employers will be able to employ up to four full-time workers on the National Living Wage and pay no employer NICs.
Asked by: John Lamont (Conservative - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what discussions his officials have had with Scottish Borders Council on funding of the feasibility study for the extension of the Borders Railway.
Answered by Ian Murray - Secretary of State for Scotland
My officials have had discussions with the Scottish Borders Council and with officials from both the Department for Transport and the Scottish Government on the funding of the feasibility study for the extension of the Borders Railway.
The Department for Transport will continue to work with the Scotland Office, the Scottish Government and the Scottish Borders Council on the next stage of development for this scheme as part of the Borderlands Growth Deal.