Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of the potential impact of her Department's plan to introduce a higher multiplier on properties with rateable value of £500,000 and above on the food and drink wholesale sector.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
To deliver our manifesto pledge, from April 2026, we intend to introduce permanently lower tax rates for high street retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) properties with rateable values (RVs) below £500,000.
This tax cut must be sustainably funded, and so we also intend to introduce a higher rate on the most valuable properties from April 2026 - those with RVs of £500,000 and above. These represent less than one per cent of all properties.
The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) has published data on properties with RVs above £500,000 based on the previous valuation, broken down by sector online here:
Every three years, all commercial properties are revalued by the VOA. The 2026 revaluation, which will take effect from April 2026, will update RVs and may, therefore, affect which businesses are within scope of the new higher rate. The revaluation process is ongoing. The VOA are required to publish a draft of all properties’ new RVs this year.
The rates for these new business rate multipliers will be set at Budget 2025 so that the Government can take into account the upcoming revaluation outcomes as well as the economic and fiscal context. When the new multipliers are set, HM Treasury intends to publish analysis of the expected effects of the new multiplier arrangements.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing targeted business rates relief for food and drink wholesalers.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
To deliver our manifesto pledge, from April 2026, we intend to introduce permanently lower tax rates for high street retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) properties with rateable values (RVs) below £500,000.
This tax cut must be sustainably funded, and so we also intend to introduce a higher rate on the most valuable properties from April 2026 - those with RVs of £500,000 and above. These represent less than one per cent of all properties.
The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) has published data on properties with RVs above £500,000 based on the previous valuation, broken down by sector online here:
Every three years, all commercial properties are revalued by the VOA. The 2026 revaluation, which will take effect from April 2026, will update RVs and may, therefore, affect which businesses are within scope of the new higher rate. The revaluation process is ongoing. The VOA are required to publish a draft of all properties’ new RVs this year.
The rates for these new business rate multipliers will be set at Budget 2025 so that the Government can take into account the upcoming revaluation outcomes as well as the economic and fiscal context. When the new multipliers are set, HM Treasury intends to publish analysis of the expected effects of the new multiplier arrangements.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which (a) local authorities and (b) metro mayors have not published local plans to achieve compliance with legal limits for nitrogen dioxide.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Responsibility for developing plans to address nitrogen dioxide exceedances rests with local authorities, rather than metro mayors. We have agreed plans with the following local authorities:
Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council
Basildon Borough Council, Essex County Council and Rochford District Council (joint plan)
Bath and North East Somerset Council
Birmingham City Council
Blackwater Valley (joint plan by Surrey Heath Borough Council, Guildford Borough Council, Rushmoor District Council and Hampshire County Council)
Bolsover District Council
Bradford Metropolitan District Council
Bristol City Council
Broxbourne Borough Council
Coventry City Council
Derby City Council
Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council
Fareham Borough Council and Hampshire County Council (joint plan)
Greater Manchester (joint plan by Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council, Bury Metropolitan Borough Council, Manchester City Council, Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council, Rochdale Borough Council, Salford City Council, Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council, Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council, Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council, and Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council)
Leeds City Council
Leicester City Council
Liverpool City Council
Nottingham City Council
Portsmouth City Council
Reading Borough Council
Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council
Southampton City Council
Sheffield City Council and Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council (joint plan)
Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council
Tyneside (joint plan by Newcastle City Council, South Tyneside Council and Gateshead Metropolitan Borough Council)
City of Wolverhampton Council
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which (a) local authorities and (b) metro mayors have published local plans to achieve compliance with legal limits for nitrogen dioxide.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Responsibility for developing plans to address nitrogen dioxide exceedances rests with local authorities, rather than metro mayors. We have agreed plans with the following local authorities:
Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council
Basildon Borough Council, Essex County Council and Rochford District Council (joint plan)
Bath and North East Somerset Council
Birmingham City Council
Blackwater Valley (joint plan by Surrey Heath Borough Council, Guildford Borough Council, Rushmoor District Council and Hampshire County Council)
Bolsover District Council
Bradford Metropolitan District Council
Bristol City Council
Broxbourne Borough Council
Coventry City Council
Derby City Council
Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council
Fareham Borough Council and Hampshire County Council (joint plan)
Greater Manchester (joint plan by Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council, Bury Metropolitan Borough Council, Manchester City Council, Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council, Rochdale Borough Council, Salford City Council, Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council, Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council, Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council, and Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council)
Leeds City Council
Leicester City Council
Liverpool City Council
Nottingham City Council
Portsmouth City Council
Reading Borough Council
Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council
Southampton City Council
Sheffield City Council and Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council (joint plan)
Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council
Tyneside (joint plan by Newcastle City Council, South Tyneside Council and Gateshead Metropolitan Borough Council)
City of Wolverhampton Council
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 28 April 2025 to Question 45552 on Nitrogen Dioxide: Pollution Control, whether he has had discussions with the Office for Environmental Protection on exceedances of nitrogen dioxide limit values.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra has regular discussions with the Office for Environmental Protection on a range of issues.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department publishes information on the (a) Joint Air Quality Unit, (b) nitrogen dioxide programme and (c) nitrogen dioxide programme’s Central Evaluation.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Joint Air Quality Unit has been established to deliver the actions set out in the published Air quality plan for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in UK (2017) and the Supplement to the UK plan for tackling roadside nitrogen dioxide concentrations (2018). The Clean Air Zone Framework sets out the principles for the operation of clean air zones in England, one of the air quality measures used in seven local authorities. These publications set out how local authorities with the worst air pollution concentrations must take robust action to improve air quality.
The NO2 programme’s accounting officer assessment is also published and shows assessments of regularity, propriety, value for money, feasibility and affordability.
The Evaluation of Local NO2 Plans is publicly available on the DEFRA website at the following link: Evaluation of Local NO2 Plans - AQ0851 (defra.gov.uk).
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 28 April 2025 to Questions 45557, 45558 and 45559 on Nitrogen Dioxide: Pollution Control, whether Stoke on Trent is the only (a) city and (b) town in The Potteries reporting zone delaying compliance until 2032.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Stoke on Trent is the only city in the Potteries delaying compliance with the NO2 limit value.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department will comply with the National Emission Ceiling Regulations emission reduction commitments for (a) NH3, (b) NOx, (c) SO2, (d) NMVOCs and (e) PM2.5 in each year until 2030.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The UK is projected to meet the emission reduction commitments for NH3, NOx, SO2, NMVOCs and PM2.5 for each year to 2029 and to meet tighter commitments for 2030 and beyond for NOx, SO2, NMVOCs and PM2.5. Projections published in March 2025 show a risk to the 2030 target for NH3. UK Governments are considering further policies and measures to tackle NH3 emissions that will help to reduce that risk.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has taken to increase availability of Megestrol 160mg tablets for surgery based pharmacies.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are aware of supply issues affecting Megestrol Acetate 160 milligram tablets, for which we issued comprehensive management guidance to the National Health Service. This supply issue should start being resolved the week commencing 14 July 2025. We continue to work with the supplier to ensure full resolution.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential reasons for the level of availability of Megestrol 160mg tablets.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are aware of supply issues affecting Megestrol Acetate 160 milligram tablets, for which we issued comprehensive management guidance to the National Health Service. This supply issue should start being resolved the week commencing 14 July 2025. We continue to work with the supplier to ensure full resolution.