Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending the Stamp Duty holiday, to (a) mitigate the effect of logistical delays occurring during property transactions as a result of covid-19 restrictions and (b) facilitate full outworking of sales that are underway that may otherwise not complete.

The temporary SDLT relief was designed to stimulate immediate momentum in a property market where property transactions fell by as much as fifty per cent during the COVID-19 lockdown in March. This momentum in the property market will also support the jobs of people whose employment relies on custom from the property industry, such as retailers and tradespeople.

The Government will continue to monitor the market. However, as the relief was designed to provide an immediate stimulus to the property market, the Government does not plan to extend this relief.