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Written Question
Cars: Liquefied Petroleum Gas
Monday 27th June 2022

Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - North West Durham)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the evidential basis is for his fiscal policy on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cars; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of reviewing that policy in order to incentivise the use of LPG cars.

Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The government uses the tax system to encourage the purchase of cars with low carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Vehicles powered by Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) benefit from a reduced rate of fuel duty in comparison to the main road fuel rate. Budget 2018 extended the current duty differential until 2032, subject to review in 2024.

The temporary fuel duty cut announced at Spring Statement 2022 reduced rates for LPG proportionately to the 5p reduction for petrol and diesel to maintain the relative differential.

From 1 March 2001, cars powered by LPG, including those converted following first registration, receive a £10 discount on their annual VED payment.


Written Question
Council Tax: Valuation
Monday 27th June 2022

Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - North West Durham)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many and what proportion of properties are in Council Tax bands A to D in each (a) local authority and (b) constituency as of 21 June 2022.

Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport

The Valuation Office Agency publishes annual statistics on the number of domestic properties in each Council Tax Band, by Local Authority area. The latest publication can be found at: www.gov.uk/government/statistics/council-tax-stock-of-properties-2022.

Table 1.0 shows the number of properties by Council Tax band and Local Authority for each year from 1993 to 2022. Table 2.0 shows the number of properties by Council Tax band and Westminster Parliamentary Constituencies for 2022.

The current publication displays statistics up to 31 March 2022. The next publication for figures up to 31 March 2023 will be published next year.


Written Question
Paramedical Staff: Prescriptions
Monday 27th June 2022

Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - North West Durham)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of enabling paramedics with prescription training, including paramedic practitioners based in GP surgeries, to prescribe a limited number of drugs to alleviate pressure on the NHS.

Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

There are existing systems in place to allow advanced paramedics to become independent prescribers. To become an independent prescriber, a paramedic must have a minimum of three years’ patient-oriented experience and successfully completed an independent prescribing programme. Independent prescriber paramedics can prescribe any licensed medicine, except controlled drugs, for any condition within their competence, including in general practice.


Written Question
Food Supply
Thursday 23rd June 2022

Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - North West Durham)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to increase UK food production.

Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General

The recently published Government Food Strategy puts food security at the heart of our vision for the food sector. Our aim is to broadly maintain the current level of food that we produce domestically and boost production in sectors where there are the biggest opportunities – such as horticulture and seafood.

Our farming reforms are designed to support farmers to produce food sustainably and productively, alongside delivering environmental improvements which we all benefit from.

Alongside this, we are investing over £270 million in innovation by 2029 to support agricultural productivity. Our £48 million Farming Investment Fund is supporting more than 43,000 farmers this year, providing grants towards the cost of equipment and technology, as well as large capital items, to improve productivity.

We have also awarded grants, through the Future Farming Resilience Fund, to organisations who help farmers and land managers adapt to the agricultural transition.

The Government has committed to produce an assessment of our food security at least once every three years. We published the first UK Food Security Report in December 2021, which will serve as an evidence base for future policy work.


Written Question
Highway Code: Pedestrians
Thursday 23rd June 2022

Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - North West Durham)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the extent to which the new elements of the updated Highway Code published on 29 January 2022 promote safe walking for pedestrians, particularly in relation to cyclists.

Answered by Trudy Harrison

The updates to the Highway Code made on 29 January 2022 were an extension to the existing advice and guidance.

The amendments simply reinforce the good behaviours that we would expect every road user to adhere to and drivers should already be following the rules of the road. The changes will lead to improvements in road safety as they encourage more mutual respect and consideration for all road users.


Written Question
Red Diesel
Thursday 23rd June 2022

Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - North West Durham)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential economic merits of permitting the use of red diesel in the (a) construction industry and (b) timber industry in response to rising oil prices.

Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

At Budget 2020, the Chancellor announced that he would remove the entitlement to use red diesel from most sectors from April 2022.

The Government recognised that this would be a significant change and ran a consultation to gather information from affected users on the expected impact of these tax changes and make sure it had not overlooked any exceptional reasons why other sectors should be allowed to continue to use red diesel beyond April 2022.

Following the consultation, the Chancellor announced at Spring Budget 2021 that the Government would grant further entitlements to use red diesel after April 2022 for a limited number of users. However, having assessed the cases made by other sectors to retain their red diesel entitlement, including the construction sector, the Government did not believe that they were compelling enough to outweigh the need to ensure fairness between the different users of diesel fuels, the Government's long-term environmental objectives and the need for the tax system to incentivise the development of greener alternatives to polluting fuels.

Rebated fuel can be used in permitted vehicles and machines for accepted purposes relating to forestry, but not for the further processing or use of timber. Further guidance is available at: www.gov.uk/guidance/using-rebated-fuels-in-vehicles-and-machines-excise-notice-75-from-1-april-2022


Written Question
Coronavirus: Vaccination
Thursday 23rd June 2022

Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - North West Durham)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps his Department has taken on vaccine damage payment policy in respect of the families of those who died as a result of receiving a covid-19 vaccination.

Answered by Maggie Throup

The Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS) provides a one-off tax-free payment, currently £120,000, to individuals whose health was damaged by a vaccine, including COVID-19 vaccines. The VDPS can be applied for on behalf of someone who has died. To be eligible in such cases, the applicant should manage the estate of the deceased, with each case assessed against the legal requirements of the Scheme and considered on its own merits.

The Department and the NHS Business Services Authority are improving the VDPS through a simplified process and greater accessibility for all claimants. This includes the digitisation and modernisation of the claims process, including the VDPS claim form and more regular communications on the progress of claims.


Written Question
Small Businesses: VAT
Thursday 23rd June 2022

Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - North West Durham)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to increases in the cost of living, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of raising the VAT threshold for small businesses.

Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport

The Government recognises that accounting for VAT can be a burden on small businesses. This is why the UK maintains the highest VAT registration threshold in the OECD and as compared to EU Member States at £85,000. This keeps the majority of UK businesses out of VAT altogether.

Views on the VAT registration threshold are divided and the case for change has been regularly reviewed over the years. While some businesses have argued that a higher threshold would reduce administrative and financial burdens, others contend that a lower threshold would provide a fairer competitive environment.

Whilst the Government keeps all taxes under review, it was announced at Budget 2021 that the VAT threshold will be maintained at its current level of £85,000 until 31 March 2024.


Written Question
Home Information Packs
Thursday 23rd June 2022

Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - North West Durham)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if his Department will take steps to ensure that homebuyer reports include information on (a) whether or not water supply is connected to mains water and (b) whether sewerage is connected to the mains sewers or to a septic tank.

Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

Homebuyer reports are undertaken by qualified surveyors, and the report contents will depend upon the nature of the property and the type of report commissioned. Prior to commissioning a survey, buyers should check the terms and scope carefully to ensure it meets their needs.


Written Question
Truphone
Wednesday 22nd June 2022

Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - North West Durham)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to ensure that the sale of Truephone does not permit sanctioned individuals and their business partners to recoup a substantial part of their investment.

Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

We understand that this question relates to the entity Truphone Limited.

Financial sanctions restrictions apply to any entity that is owned or controlled directly or indirectly by a designated person. This includes where that person holds (directly or indirectly) more than 50% of the shares or voting rights in an entity, has the right (directly or indirectly) to appoint or remove a majority of the board of directors of the entity, or it is reasonable to expect that the person would be able to ensure the affairs of the entity are conducted in accordance with the person’s wishes.

The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI), in the Treasury, does not aggregate different designated persons’ holdings in a company unless (for example) the shares or rights are subject to a joint arrangement between the designated parties or one party controls the rights of another.

Therefore, OFSI does not consider that Truphone is subject to an asset freeze.

If any sanctioned individuals are due to receive funds as a result of the sale of a company which is not subject to financial sanctions restrictions, any funds they receive from a UK company or into a UK bank account will need to be frozen. An OFSI licence would then be needed for any onward movement of such funds, otherwise breaches of financial sanctions restrictions may occur. Any suspected breach of financial sanctions should be reported to OFSI.