Asked by: Mike Reader (Labour - Northampton South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment her Department has made of the equity implications of the list of medical conditions conferring exemption from prescription charges; and whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of reviewing that list in respect of long-term conditions that disproportionately affect particular ethnic groups, including sickle cell disease.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided to the Hon Member for North Devon on 18 August in response to Question 18253.
No specific estimates regarding this matter have been made.
Asked by: Mike Reader (Labour - Northampton South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate her Department has made of the cost to the public purse of adding sickle cell disease to the list of medical conditions conferring exemption from prescription charges; and what estimate she has made of the number of people in England with sickle cell disease who pay for NHS prescriptions.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided to the Hon Member for North Devon on 18 August in response to Question 18253.
No specific estimates regarding this matter have been made.
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.