Asked by: Tom Gordon (Liberal Democrat - Harrogate and Knaresborough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what her department’s priorities are for this parliamentary session.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the Hon. Member to the statement made to the House by my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State of Health and Social Care, on 9 September.
Asked by: Tom Gordon (Liberal Democrat - Harrogate and Knaresborough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she intends to further the prevention agenda as set out by the ten-year health plan.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the Hon. Member to the statement made to the House by my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State of Health and Social Care, on 9 September.
Asked by: Tom Gordon (Liberal Democrat - Harrogate and Knaresborough)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has considered options for replacing Stamp Duty Land Tax with an alternative that creates fewer disincentives to move home.
Answered by James Murray - Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Paymaster General
The Chancellor makes decisions on tax policy at fiscal events, and does not routinely comment on proposals.
Asked by: Tom Gordon (Liberal Democrat - Harrogate and Knaresborough)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of reducing Stamp Duty Land Tax on residential property transactions on the economy.
Answered by James Murray - Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Paymaster General
The Chancellor makes decisions on tax policy at fiscal events, and does not routinely comment on proposals.
Asked by: Tom Gordon (Liberal Democrat - Harrogate and Knaresborough)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will review the structure of Stamp Duty Land Tax to support mobility throughout the housing market.
Answered by James Murray - Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Paymaster General
The Chancellor makes decisions on tax policy at fiscal events, and does not routinely comment on proposals.
Asked by: Tom Gordon (Liberal Democrat - Harrogate and Knaresborough)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking with the Financial Conduct Authority to make mortgage advice and guidance available earlier in the journey towards homeownership.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government is committed to supporting homeownership and continues to work closely with the independent Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
The FCA is currently undertaking a wide-ranging review of the mortgage market, including how mortgage regulation can better support first-time buyers and other underserved consumers, and expects to report back later this year.
The UK benefits from a competitive mortgage market and a large, well-established mortgage intermediary sector, through which prospective first-time buyers can already seek advice and guidance at an early stage. I would encourage anyone thinking about buying a home to contact a mortgage broker, who can help them understand their options and any steps they can take to become mortgage-ready.
Asked by: Tom Gordon (Liberal Democrat - Harrogate and Knaresborough)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of local authorities' capacity to deliver cross-pavement electric vehicle charging schemes.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government made up to £25 million available to local authorities in England to support thousands of residents without off-street parking to conveniently charge their vehicles at home.
Local authorities are supported through the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Support Body, which provides technical, commercial and management expertise to help local authorities develop and deliver their electric vehicle infrastructure projects. Local authorities have also received capability funding to help secure dedicated in-house expertise to plan and deliver on local electric vehicle infrastructure strategies.
Asked by: Tom Gordon (Liberal Democrat - Harrogate and Knaresborough)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of local government reorganisation, including the creation of new unitary authorities and combined authorities, on the delivery of electric vehicle charging infrastructure schemes at local level.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Local EV Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund supports local authorities to install at least 100,000 chargers. At Budget 2025, the Government announced £100 million further resource funding for local authorities to support delivery. Local Authorities in receipt of LEVI allocations update the Department for Transport on a quarterly basis, including progress and spend on electric vehicle infrastructure installations.
Asked by: Tom Gordon (Liberal Democrat - Harrogate and Knaresborough)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to ensure funding allocated to combined authorities for infrastructure schemes, including electric vehicle charging, is passed on to and spent by constituent local authorities in a timely manner.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Local EV Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund supports local authorities to install at least 100,000 chargers. At Budget 2025, the Government announced £100 million further resource funding for local authorities to support delivery. Local Authorities in receipt of LEVI allocations update the Department for Transport on a quarterly basis, including progress and spend on electric vehicle infrastructure installations.
Asked by: Tom Gordon (Liberal Democrat - Harrogate and Knaresborough)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department plans to publish further guidance to local authorities on integrating cross-pavement charging into wider electric vehicle infrastructure strategies.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
In December 2024, the Government published cross-pavement guidance to help local authorities understand what to consider for the rollout of cross-pavement solutions. The Electric Vehicle Pavement Channel Grant was also facilitated by a blueprint document with guidance on how to plan, procure and install a cross-pavement solution in line with local authorities’ wider electric vehicle strategies. It is available on an online portal which all local authorities have access to alongside a comprehensive range of guidance on all aspects of electric vehicle infrastructure and deployment. The need for further guidance is kept under review.