Asked by: Mike Reader (Labour - Northampton South)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of extending 0% VAT relief to clean heating technologies, including heat batteries.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with HM Treasury)
The Government is supporting heat batteries by including them in the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, with a £2,500 grant to support homes that are not suitable for heat pumps. Heat batteries will become eligible once new product and installation standards are in place, ensuring quality and consumer protection and we expect applications to open in 2026/27, once standards, regulations and guidance have been completed.
Installations of qualifying energy-saving materials (ESMs) in residential accommodation and buildings used solely for a charitable purpose benefit from a temporary VAT zero rate until March 2027, after which they will revert to the reduced rate of VAT at five per cent.
The Government assesses whether to add ESMs to this relief by evaluating them against the following tests: the primary purpose of the technology must be to improve energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions; relieving the technology of VAT must be a cost effective lever for encouraging installations; and it must be practical for business to operate and for HMRC to administer.
Asked by: Mike Reader (Labour - Northampton South)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of extending 0% VAT relief to clean heating technologies such as heat batteries, including on initial costs, the number of households adopting low-carbon heating systems, and the level of exposure to changes in gas and oil prices.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with HM Treasury)
The Government is supporting heat batteries by including them in the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, with a £2,500 grant to support homes that are not suitable for heat pumps. Heat batteries will become eligible once new product and installation standards are in place, ensuring quality and consumer protection and we expect applications to open in 2026/27, once standards, regulations and guidance have been completed.
Installations of qualifying energy-saving materials (ESMs) in residential accommodation and buildings used solely for a charitable purpose benefit from a temporary VAT zero rate until March 2027, after which they will revert to the reduced rate of VAT at five per cent.
The Government assesses whether to add ESMs to this relief by evaluating them against the following tests: the primary purpose of the technology must be to improve energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions; relieving the technology of VAT must be a cost effective lever for encouraging installations; and it must be practical for business to operate and for HMRC to administer.
Asked by: Mike Reader (Labour - Northampton South)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if her department will update the Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering Services to require applicable government agencies to purchase higher welfare products, including cage-free eggs and pork, and chicken sourced from production systems that adhere to the Better Chicken Commitment.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The National Procurement Policy Statement underscores the government’s commitment to increasing procurement of food that meets higher environmental standards, supporting local suppliers and upholding ethical sourcing practises, including sourcing products raised to high UK welfare standards.
While Defra has begun collecting new data to understand public sector food sourcing, the Government is open to considering all lawful means to increase sustainable and locally sourced food.
The Government is also considering policy options including the potential for updating the Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering Services.
Asked by: Mike Reader (Labour - Northampton South)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when her Department expects to implement the policy of requiring government catering contracts to favour high-quality, high-welfare products.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The National Procurement Policy Statement underscores the government’s commitment to increasing procurement of food that meets higher environmental standards, supporting local suppliers and upholding ethical sourcing practises, including sourcing products raised to high UK welfare standards.
While Defra has begun collecting new data to understand public sector food sourcing, the Government is open to considering all lawful means to increase sustainable and locally sourced food.
The Government is also considering policy options including the potential for updating the Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering Services.
Asked by: Mike Reader (Labour - Northampton South)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department will be strengthening the animal welfare provisions of the Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering Services.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The National Procurement Policy Statement underscores the government’s commitment to increasing procurement of food that meets higher environmental standards, supporting local suppliers and upholding ethical sourcing practises, including sourcing products raised to high UK welfare standards.
While Defra has begun collecting new data to understand public sector food sourcing, the Government is open to considering all lawful means to increase sustainable and locally sourced food.
The Government is also considering policy options including the potential for updating the Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering Services.
Asked by: Mike Reader (Labour - Northampton South)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of the volume of structural timber required to meet the government’s housing delivery ambitions during this Parliament.
Answered by Mary Creagh
We recognise the important role timber can play in supporting Net Zero, including through reducing embodied emissions in construction and storing carbon. The Government relaunched a more ambitious Timber in Construction Roadmap in February 2025 to increase sustainable timber use. The UK currently meets only around a fifth of its timber demand from domestic production, and even with increased planting and improved management, imports will continue to be essential to meet demand and balance wider land use priorities. Using a combination of domestic and imported timber, as well as other construction materials will allow the Government to meet its housing delivery ambitions.
Asked by: Mike Reader (Labour - Northampton South)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the extent to which imported timber will be used in future housing construction.
Answered by Mary Creagh
We recognise the important role timber can play in supporting Net Zero, including through reducing embodied emissions in construction and storing carbon. The Government relaunched a more ambitious Timber in Construction Roadmap in February 2025 to increase sustainable timber use. The UK currently meets only around a fifth of its timber demand from domestic production, and even with increased planting and improved management, imports will continue to be essential to meet demand and balance wider land use priorities. Using a combination of domestic and imported timber, as well as other construction materials will allow the Government to meet its housing delivery ambitions.
Asked by: Mike Reader (Labour - Northampton South)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the quantity of (a) commercial forest timber and (b) waste wood products that will be needed to achieve the government’s target of 1.5million homes in this parliament; and what proportion of these products are likely to be sourced (i) domestically and (ii) internationally.
Answered by Mary Creagh
We recognise the important role timber can play in supporting Net Zero, including through reducing embodied emissions in construction and storing carbon. The Government relaunched a more ambitious Timber in Construction Roadmap in February 2025 to increase sustainable timber use. The UK currently meets only around a fifth of its timber demand from domestic production, and even with increased planting and improved management, imports will continue to be essential to meet demand and balance wider land use priorities. Using a combination of domestic and imported timber, as well as other construction materials will allow the Government to meet its housing delivery ambitions.
Asked by: Mike Reader (Labour - Northampton South)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the cost of regulation introduced since 2019 on the food and drink supply chain, including in farming, manufacturing, retail and hospitality, on food and drink inflation.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Food and drink inflation is determined by a range of factors and it is not always possible to isolate the direct impact of regulation on food prices. However, Defra is taking action to reduce cost pressures in the food system, including from regulation. In November, Defra launched the Food Inflation Gateway to ensure regulatory impacts on food businesses are appropriately assessed, and to identify where burdens can be reduced or better sequenced. Food price inflation rose sharply in 2022 (following the start of the war in Ukraine) to a peak of 19.1% in March 2023. Subsequently the inflation rate has decreased but not reached pre-2022 levels. Food price inflation averaged 4.6% over 2025 and in March 2026 stood at 3.7%.
Asked by: Mike Reader (Labour - Northampton South)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to support the transformation of the National Lottery.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
The National Lottery is a national institution and a unique source of national pride and funding for good causes. It is a huge contributor to the Government’s Plan for Change, providing £1.9 billion in 2024/25 to the arts, heritage, sport and community sectors.
Allwyn, the operator of the 4th National Lottery licence, has successfully delivered its technical transformation. This modernisation will ensure the National Lottery continues to enrich lives and support communities across the country for generations to come.