Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Reform UK - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of implementing restrictions on foreign (a) nationals and (b) companies purchasing new houses.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government made clear in its manifesto that we would increase the non-resident Stamp Duty Land Tax surcharge by one percentage point.
At the Budget, we decided to go further and instead increased the Higher Rate for Additional Dwellings by 2 percentage points to 5%. This will raise £310 million by 2029-30 and go further than the manifesto commitment to rebalance the housing market.
Overseas entities who want to buy, sell, or transfer property or land in the UK, must register with Companies House and tell us who their registrable beneficial owners or managing officers are.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Reform UK - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will introduce legislation to prohibit non-resident foreigners from purchasing residential property in the UK.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government made clear in its manifesto that we would increase the non-resident Stamp Duty Land Tax surcharge by one percentage point.
At the Budget, we decided to go further and instead increased the Higher Rate for Additional Dwellings by 2 percentage points to 5%. This will raise £310 million by 2029-30 and go further than the manifesto commitment to rebalance the housing market.
Overseas entities who want to buy, sell, or transfer property or land in the UK, must register with Companies House and tell us who their registrable beneficial owners or managing officers are.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Reform UK - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of ensuring that infrastructure investment is in place before any new building of homes.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The National Planning Policy Framework sets out that the purpose of the planning system is to contribute to the achievement of sustainable development, including the provision of supporting infrastructure in a sustainable manner.
Local development plans should address needs and opportunities in relation to infrastructure and identify what infrastructure is required and how it can be funded and brought forward. When preparing a Local Plan, Planning Practice Guidance recommends that local planning authorities use available evidence of infrastructure requirements to prepare an Infrastructure Funding Statement. Such Statements can be used to demonstrate the delivery of infrastructure throughout the plan-period.
The Government provides financial support for essential infrastructure in areas of greatest housing demand through the Housing Infrastructure Fund.
The changes to the National Planning Policy Framework announced on 12 December will also support the increased provision and modernisation of various types of public infrastructure.
The Government is also committed to strengthening the existing system of developer contributions to ensure new developments provide necessary affordable homes and infrastructure. Further details will be set out in due course.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Reform UK - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will take steps to put proposed changes to the structure of local government in Norfolk to voters in that county.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The English Devolution White Paper sets out the Government’s plans for local government reorganisation, and that the Government will write to council leaders as soon as possible to formally invite proposals, setting out information on our criteria for sustainable unitary structures, how and when to submit proposals and how the government intends to respond to proposals.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Reform UK - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make an estimate of the proportion of planned housing development that will be located within the green belt.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The amount of development that occurs in any given Green Belt will depend on local circumstances.
The revised National Planning Policy Framework published on 12 December makes clear that before concluding that exceptional circumstances exist to justify changes to Green Belt boundaries, the relevant authority should be able to demonstrate that it has examined fully all other reasonable options for meeting its identified need for development. Where it is necessary to release Green Belt land for development, plans should give priority to previously developed land, then consider grey belt which is not previously developed, and then other Green Belt locations.
It is for local planning authorities to assess whether Green Belt land should be released, with their decisions informed by Green Belt reviews undertaken at a local level. The government recognises the need to provide further guidance, to ensure a consistent approach to Green Belt Reviews and the identification of grey belt land. We will be providing further guidance in January 2025 to assist in this.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Reform UK - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will (a) make an assessment of the adequacy of local infrastructure in Great Yarmouth constituency and (b) reassess the housing target for that constituency following that assessment.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Local development plans should address needs and opportunities in relation to infrastructure and identify what infrastructure is required and how it can be funded and brought forward, including in Great Yarmouth.
When preparing a Local Plan, Planning Practice Guidance recommends that local planning authorities use available evidence of infrastructure requirements to prepare an Infrastructure Funding Statement. Such Statements can be used to demonstrate the delivery of infrastructure throughout the plan-period.
I understand that Great Yarmouth Council intend to adopt the Community Infrastructure Levy to help secure contributions towards local infrastructure.
The government has no intention of reassessing the recently implemented new standard method for assessing housing needs.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Reform UK - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an estimate of the number of school places in Great Yarmouth constituency (a) available and (b) requested in the next academic year.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
As part of the school capacity survey 2023, Norfolk local authority submitted to the department information on school capacity and forecast demand for school places. Forecasts are made for pupil place planning areas, which are not a standard geography and cannot be linked to parliamentary constituency. However, there is a Great Yarmouth planning area.
Using school capacity survey 2023 data, as well as information on centrally delivered programmes, the department estimated that in the 2025/26 academic year there would be 426 spare primary places and 323 spare secondary places in the Great Yarmouth planning area.
These estimates were made in 2023. These estimated spare places may or may not be available for pupil placements, as this depends on admission policies set by the individual admission authorities covering the Great Yarmouth planning area.
The department does not have information on the number of places requested for the 2025/26 academic year, as the national primary and secondary applications and offers rounds have not yet started.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Reform UK - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many sole traders (a) registered and (b) deregistered each day in 2024.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
HMRC does not hold the data requested relating to people added to and removed from PAYE. The PAYE population is made up of around 35 million individuals, and precise numbers change frequently as customers take up their first PAYE employment or pension, start new employments or pensions, and leave old ones. Increasing numbers of customers also take up secondary or additional employments or pensions, and have other income sources which may or may not be taxed through PAYE.
HMRC does not hold the data requested relating specifically to sole traders registering for Self Assessment. There are around 12.1 million taxpayers who are expected to submit Self Assessment tax returns by 31 January 2025. That population includes sole traders, some of whom will have commenced or ceased trading during the 2023/24 tax year.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Reform UK - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people were (a) added and (b) removed from PAYE each day in 2024.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
HMRC does not hold the data requested relating to people added to and removed from PAYE. The PAYE population is made up of around 35 million individuals, and precise numbers change frequently as customers take up their first PAYE employment or pension, start new employments or pensions, and leave old ones. Increasing numbers of customers also take up secondary or additional employments or pensions, and have other income sources which may or may not be taxed through PAYE.
HMRC does not hold the data requested relating specifically to sole traders registering for Self Assessment. There are around 12.1 million taxpayers who are expected to submit Self Assessment tax returns by 31 January 2025. That population includes sole traders, some of whom will have commenced or ceased trading during the 2023/24 tax year.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Reform UK - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will review the use of Bovaer.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Food Standards Agency has advised milk from cows given Bovaer, an authorised feed additive used to reduce methane emissions, is safe to drink. Bovaer has undergone a rigorous safety assessment and is approved for use in Great Britain.