Asked by: Tom Hayes (Labour - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to support industry to reduce the embodied carbon emissions related to the (a) production and (b) use of new construction materials.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Ministers are considering options to reduce embodied emissions in industry by growing the demand for construction materials such as low carbon steel, cement and concrete. This includes resolving questions such as how embodied emissions in products are measured.
The Government will consult on options for answering these questions in due course.
The Government has established a Circular Economy Taskforce to support the efficient use of construction materials to reduce embodied carbon. Alongside this, Government continues to collaborate with industry groups to promote the efficient, circular use of construction materials, supporting research to enable this.
Asked by: Tom Hayes (Labour - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to incentivising energy performance-related improvements of commercial buildings in the private sector.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Minimum energy efficiency standards in non-domestic buildings have improved energy efficiency and Government has consulted on strengthening them. We will publish our government response early next year. In addition, our Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme requires large businesses to undertake energy audits and encourages improvements.
There are also incentives to decarbonise with grants to small businesses through the Boiler Upgrade Scheme and the Industrial Energy Transformation Fund offers up to £500 million to support existing firms to decarbonise and grow, with the government recently confirming £163 million in phase 3 funding to invest by 2028. More detail on the Government’s approach to decarbonising non-domestic buildings, including through the Warm Homes Plan, will be published in due course.
Asked by: Tom Hayes (Labour - Bournemouth East)
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 have discussions with the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero on the potential impact of planning policy on target reductions in the UK carbon account, in the context of section 1 of the Climate Change Act 2008.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Climate change is one of the greatest challenges facing the world today, and the planning system can play a powerful role in helping to mitigate and adapt to its effects. Our recent consultation on proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework consultation sought views on how best to reflect climate change adaptation and mitigation in strengthened planning policies. The consultation closed on the 24 September and officials in my department are currently analysing responses with a view to publishing a government response before the end of the year.
Asked by: Tom Hayes (Labour - Bournemouth East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make it her policy to remove VAT for building refurbishment works when energy performance targets are met to incentivise retrofit.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
This Government is committed to improving the quality and sustainability of our housing stock, through improvements such as low carbon heating, insulation, solar panels, and batteries. This will be vital to making the UK more energy resilient and meeting our 2050 Net Zero commitment.
Installations of qualifying energy-saving materials 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.
VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption and the 20 per cent standard rate applies to most goods and services. VAT is the UK’s second largest tax forecast to raise £171 billion in 2024/25. Taxation is a vital source of revenue that helps to fund vital public services.
One of the key considerations when assessing a new VAT relief is whether the cost saving is likely to be passed on to consumers. Evidence suggests that businesses only partially pass on any savings from lower VAT rates. In some cases, reliefs do not represent good value for money, as savings will not always be passed on to consumers.
The Government has no current plans to formally review the VAT treatment of building works. However, all taxes are kept under review as part of the tax policymaking process. The Chancellor makes decisions on tax policy at fiscal events in the context of the overall public finances.
Asked by: Tom Hayes (Labour - Bournemouth East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make it her policy to review the VAT framework to reduce incentives towards (a) demolition and (b) rebuilding of housing.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
This Government is committed to improving the quality and sustainability of our housing stock, through improvements such as low carbon heating, insulation, solar panels, and batteries. This will be vital to making the UK more energy resilient and meeting our 2050 Net Zero commitment.
Installations of qualifying energy-saving materials 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.
VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption and the 20 per cent standard rate applies to most goods and services. VAT is the UK’s second largest tax forecast to raise £171 billion in 2024/25. Taxation is a vital source of revenue that helps to fund vital public services.
One of the key considerations when assessing a new VAT relief is whether the cost saving is likely to be passed on to consumers. Evidence suggests that businesses only partially pass on any savings from lower VAT rates. In some cases, reliefs do not represent good value for money, as savings will not always be passed on to consumers.
The Government has no current plans to formally review the VAT treatment of building works. However, all taxes are kept under review as part of the tax policymaking process. The Chancellor makes decisions on tax policy at fiscal events in the context of the overall public finances.
Asked by: Tom Hayes (Labour - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to restore the Government's Sexwise website.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has no plans to restore the Government’s Sexwise website. Extensive sexual and reproductive health information is readily available from other sources, which provide quality up-to-date information for the general public and healthcare professionals. These include, but are not limited to:
Asked by: Tom Hayes (Labour - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to respond the consultation on Future Homes and Buildings Standard.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Future Homes and Buildings Standards consultation was published in December 2023 and closed in March 2024, and a government response has not yet been issued. We fully support the need for low carbon homes, fit for a net zero future. We are reviewing proposals and feedback from the Future Homes and Buildings Standards consultation and will publish the government response in due course.
Asked by: Tom Hayes (Labour - Bournemouth East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make it her policy to allow improvements made to increase the energy performance rating of rental properties to be tax deductible against rental income.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government currently offers several schemes to support landlords and tenants in improving energy efficiency, including VAT relief on Energy-Saving Materials (ESMs), the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) and the Home Upgrade Grant (HUG).
Repair or maintenance work which also improves the energy efficiency of a rented property is generally already a deductible expense.
Asked by: Tom Hayes (Labour - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Written Statement of 13 December 2023 on Planning – Local Energy Efficiency Standards Update, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of reversing the effects of that Statement.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Written Ministerial Statement my honourable friend has asked about sets out that local authorities may set higher energy efficiency standards than the planned Building Regulations. Local authorities must, though, ensure that development remains viable and that the performance targets of increased standards are expressed in the same terms as are used in the Building Regulations.
The Written Ministerial Statement was recently the subject of a judicial review. The judgement from the High Court may be appealed and, while legal proceedings are ongoing, I cannot comment further.
Asked by: Tom Hayes (Labour - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to improve the terms of employment as a local authority planning officer.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Proactive planning is vital to delivering the housing we desperately need and to support economic growth. The Government recognise that local authority planning departments face capacity and capability challenges due to prolonged underfunding of services and that this has placed significant strain on the planners that provide these services.
Within weeks of taking office, the Government consulted on increasing planning fees to put planning services on a firmer footing and to reflect the real costs. We have now gone further and committed an additional £46 million in the spending review to fund 300 additional planners in local government and to support local planning authorities to deliver the essential reforms to local plans and development management.
Planning officers play a vital role, and I wrote to the President of the RTPI to underline the value we place on them and the work they do.