Asked by: Mark Prisk (Conservative - Hertford and Stortford)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraphs 1.296 and 1.297 of the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015, what progress his Department has made by estimated capacity of land sold since March 2016 in identifying and disposing of land to meet the Government's commitment there set out.
Answered by David Gauke
Increasing the supply of land for new homes is central to this Government’s vision of a country that works for everyone. The Government has an ambition to release surplus public land with capacity for at least 160,000 homes during this Parliament. This target was set at the Autumn Statement in 2015 and reiterated in the recent Housing White Paper.
Progress towards meeting this ambition is set out in Table 3 of the Public Land for Housing Programme Annual Report published in February 2017, which shows that between 8 May 2015 and 30 September 2016 all departments released land for a total of 13,817 homes. It is the responsibility of the Treasury, alongside the Cabinet Office, to provide oversight, support and challenge to the Public Land for Housing Programme.
Asked by: Mark Prisk (Conservative - Hertford and Stortford)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that business rates for heat networks are calculated using the receipts and expenditure method of valuation.
Answered by Jane Ellison
The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) has responsibility for setting Rateable Values for business rates and is in discussion with industry representatives about the method of valuation used for heat networks. This includes whether the receipts and expenditure method of valuation would be a more appropriate method and the VOA will consider any evidence put forward by the industry in support of its use.
Asked by: Mark Prisk (Conservative - Hertford and Stortford)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on encouraging the development of heat networks.
Answered by David Gauke
In line with the practice of successive administrations details of ministerial discussions are not routinely disclosed.
Asked by: Mark Prisk (Conservative - Hertford and Stortford)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Government is planning to introduce restrictions on the sale of UK property to investors living outside the EU.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
The Government has no plans to introduce restrictions on the sale of UK property to investors living outside the EU
Asked by: Mark Prisk (Conservative - Hertford and Stortford)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Government plans to increase the £250,000 threshold for properties outside London under the Help to Buy ISA scheme.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
The government does not plan to revise the eligibility criteria for the Help to Buy: ISA scheme.
Asked by: Mark Prisk (Conservative - Hertford and Stortford)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the additional revenue secured since 2010 as a result of changes to the IR35 tax regulations affecting the self-employed.
Answered by David Gauke
The intermediaries' legislation, known as IR35, does not apply to the self-employed, rather it applies to those providing their services through an intermediary (normally a limited company) who if it were not for the intermediary would otherwise be considered an employee of the client. IR35 ensures that under such circumstances broadly the same tax and National Insurance contributions are paid as if the individual were directly employed.
A very minor change to the IR35 legislation was made in 2010 in consequence of the Corporation Taxes Act 2010.
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) have currently four specialist compliance teams which undertake investigations of intermediaries (commonly called personal service companies) operating across all sectors where potential non-compliance with IR35 is suspected. These teams form part of a restructuring of HMRC's administration of IR35 following recommendations in March 2011 by the Office of Tax Simplification. Revenue secured under IR35 from this direct compliance activity between 6 April 2010 and 5 April 2013 is £2.519m. Figures for 2013/14 are not currently available.