Asked by: Michelle Scrogham (Labour - Barrow and Furness)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure that farmers have certainty when planning participation in future SFI schemes.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government plans to offer SFI in 2027, in keeping with the Farming Roadmap 2050. Defra is working to bring forward the 2027 offer as early as possible and will publish details once scheme design and delivery planning have been completed. Ministers have committed to stabilising the main design of SFI for the duration of this Parliament. The Government is also considering lessons from SFI26, including alternatives to first-come, first-served allocation, to support fairness, accessibility and deliverability.
Asked by: Michelle Scrogham (Labour - Barrow and Furness)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress she has made on the review of statutory vehicle recovery fees; and what the anticipated timetable is for any decisions arising from that work.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government recognises the vital role vehicle recovery operators play in supporting policing and road safety,
The Government consulted on proposed increases to vehicle disposal fees in May last year. We have considered responses to the proposed changes following the closure of the consultation and are in the process of analysing police data to ensure any revised fee complies with Managing Public Money Guidance. We are prioritising this work and we will engage further with the sector once this process has concluded.
We are aware of industry and policing concerns about the costs of recovery, storage and disposal of electric vehicles. Although consideration of the impacts from electric vehicles were outside of the scope of the previous consultation, we continue to consider next steps for working with police forces and industry to collect evidence on the costs of electric vehicles for potential future consultation.
Asked by: Michelle Scrogham (Labour - Barrow and Furness)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to assess the potential impact of operating costs arising from the review of statutory vehicle recovery fees, including those associated with electric vehicle recovery and storage.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government recognises the vital role vehicle recovery operators play in supporting policing and road safety,
The Government consulted on proposed increases to vehicle disposal fees in May last year. We have considered responses to the proposed changes following the closure of the consultation and are in the process of analysing police data to ensure any revised fee complies with Managing Public Money Guidance. We are prioritising this work and we will engage further with the sector once this process has concluded.
We are aware of industry and policing concerns about the costs of recovery, storage and disposal of electric vehicles. Although consideration of the impacts from electric vehicles were outside of the scope of the previous consultation, we continue to consider next steps for working with police forces and industry to collect evidence on the costs of electric vehicles for potential future consultation.
Asked by: Michelle Scrogham (Labour - Barrow and Furness)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what consultations she is undertaking with the vehicle recovery sector to support their long term-resilience and their role in policing and road safety.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government recognises the vital role vehicle recovery operators play in supporting policing and road safety,
The Government consulted on proposed increases to vehicle disposal fees in May last year. We have considered responses to the proposed changes following the closure of the consultation and are in the process of analysing police data to ensure any revised fee complies with Managing Public Money Guidance. We are prioritising this work and we will engage further with the sector once this process has concluded.
We are aware of industry and policing concerns about the costs of recovery, storage and disposal of electric vehicles. Although consideration of the impacts from electric vehicles were outside of the scope of the previous consultation, we continue to consider next steps for working with police forces and industry to collect evidence on the costs of electric vehicles for potential future consultation.
Asked by: Michelle Scrogham (Labour - Barrow and Furness)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of whether the receipts and expenditure method used to determine the rateable value of renewable energy generation assets, including hydroelectric schemes, supports the Government's clean power mission.
Answered by James Murray - Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Paymaster General
At the Budget 2025, the Valuation Office announced updated property values from the 2026 revaluation. This revaluation is the first since pandemic, which has led to significant increases in rateable values for some properties.
The Valuation Office's statutory role is to determine a Rateable Value (a rental value) of every non-domestic property in England and Wales. In assessing the value, the Valuation Office will take into account all the inherent qualities of the property and the existing legislation at the valuation date. The Valuation Office adopts a range of professionally recognised valuation methods to do this, including Receipts & Expenditure and market rental evidence.
The Government makes use of a range of levers to deliver on our ambitious plan to decarbonise our electricity system and support energy infrastructure. This includes the Contracts for Difference scheme, which some hydroelectric schemes are eligible for, where the Government delivered the most successful renewables auction in history last year by contracting a record-breaking 8.4 gigawatts of offshore wind. The Government is committed to working with the private sector to radically increase investment in the clean energy sector to accelerate deployment of onshore wind, solar power, and offshore wind.
Asked by: Michelle Scrogham (Labour - Barrow and Furness)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many Loan Charge cases remain open with HMRC for the latest date for which figures are available.
Answered by James Murray - Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Paymaster General
As of March 2025, HM Revenue and Customs estimates that approximately 32,000 individuals and 5,000 employers have liabilities that have not been paid in full and are therefore considered to be in scope of the review. Some taxpayers will have more than one liability.
The Government commissioned an independent review of the loan charge to bring the matter to a close for those who have not settled and paid their loan charge liabilities. The Government accepted all but one of the independent review’s recommendations and in some cases is going further. Around a third of people will have their liabilities written off entirely. Most will see reductions in their liabilities of at least 50%.
The legislation for the Loan Charge Settlement Scheme came into force on the 05 August 2026, HMRC is now writing to customers inviting them to settle under the new settlement scheme.
Asked by: Michelle Scrogham (Labour - Barrow and Furness)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what criteria will be used to select areas for the Community Power Pilots.
Answered by Nesil Caliskan
We will publish more information on Community Power Pilots, including the places we will be working with and the criteria that will be used, in due course.
Asked by: Michelle Scrogham (Labour - Barrow and Furness)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what measures will be used to assess the effectiveness of the Community Right to Buy Fund in sustaining community assets at risk of closure; and whether the Department will publish regular data on the number and location of assets acquired through the Fund.
Answered by Nesil Caliskan
The newly announced Pride in Place Community Right to Buy Fund, backed by £61 million, will help communities buy and run the buildings and spaces they value most, including pubs, shops, community centres, sports facilities and cultural venues.
The Fund will be a targeted and strategic offer, designed to support the new Community Right to Buy and focusing on communities in the most deprived areas. The funding is part of the £301m earmarked to support our high streets and community spaces, and builds on our wider package of investment in communities including the £5.8 billion Pride in Place Programme.
The details of this Fund, including timelines, eligibility criteria and monitoring and evaluation will be set out in due course.
Asked by: Michelle Scrogham (Labour - Barrow and Furness)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how the Community Right to Buy Fund will interact with the wider Pride in Place programme and associated high street funding streams.
Answered by Nesil Caliskan
The newly announced Pride in Place Community Right to Buy Fund, backed by £61 million, will help communities buy and run the buildings and spaces they value most, including pubs, shops, community centres, sports facilities and cultural venues.
The Fund will be a targeted and strategic offer, designed to support the new Community Right to Buy and focusing on communities in the most deprived areas. The funding is part of the £301m earmarked to support our high streets and community spaces, and builds on our wider package of investment in communities including the £5.8 billion Pride in Place Programme.
The details of this Fund, including timelines, eligibility criteria and monitoring and evaluation will be set out in due course.
Asked by: Michelle Scrogham (Labour - Barrow and Furness)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what criteria will be used to identify areas with historically low levels of investment for the purposes of allocating Community Right to Buy Fund support.
Answered by Nesil Caliskan
The newly announced Pride in Place Community Right to Buy Fund, backed by £61 million, will help communities buy and run the buildings and spaces they value most, including pubs, shops, community centres, sports facilities and cultural venues.
The Fund will be a targeted and strategic offer, designed to support the new Community Right to Buy and focusing on communities in the most deprived areas. The funding is part of the £301m earmarked to support our high streets and community spaces, and builds on our wider package of investment in communities including the £5.8 billion Pride in Place Programme.
The details of this Fund, including timelines, eligibility criteria and monitoring and evaluation will be set out in due course.