Asked by: Baroness Bakewell of Hardington Mandeville (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the tax incentives offered by (1) Czechia, (2) Latvia, (3) Luxembourg, and (4) Sweden, to support the further rollout of renewable biofuels, such as Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO); and what plans they have to introduce similar incentives in the UK.
Answered by Baroness Penn - Minister on Leave (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State)
Hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) is taxed at the same rate as diesel and required to be marked if used for an allowed purpose. The Government is aware that other countries use tax incentives to increase the uptake of HVO, but differences between tax systems make direct comparison difficult.
The UK Government encourages the use of HVO through the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO), which incentivises the use of low carbon fuels and reduces emissions from fuel supplied for use in transport and non-road mobile machinery. The RTFO has been highly successful in supporting a market for renewable fuel since its introduction in 2008.
In addition, the forthcoming Biomass Strategy will review the amount of sustainable biomass available to the UK, including liquid biofuels such as HVO, and how this could be best used across the economy to achieve our net zero target. It is important to ensure that biomass is prioritised within the economy where it offers the greatest opportunity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in ‘hard to abate’ sectors where there are fewer options to decarbonise through alternative low carbon technologies.
The Government keeps all taxes under review.
Asked by: Baroness Bakewell of Hardington Mandeville (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are planning to commit to future funding that reflects the total level of the 2014–20 European structural and investment funding programme in line with the needs of local areas.
Answered by Lord O'Neill of Gatley
The people of the UK have voted to leave the EU. It would not be appropriate to commit, without due consideration, to continuing to spend money over a long period as if we had not voted to leave the EU. But the Government remains committed to encouraging economic growth across the regions and nations of the UK. The Government is therefore carefully considering the use of these funds and will make an announcement on EU funding in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Bakewell of Hardington Mandeville (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether it is their intention to allocate sufficient funding to meet the level and profile of the current calls by the UK on European structural and investment funding.
Answered by Lord O'Neill of Gatley
The people of the UK have voted to leave the EU. It would not be appropriate to commit, without due consideration, to continuing to spend money over a long period as if we had not voted to leave the EU. But the Government remains committed to encouraging economic growth across the regions and nations of the UK. The Government is therefore carefully considering the use of these funds and will make an announcement on EU funding in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Bakewell of Hardington Mandeville (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what guarantees are in place to ensure that European structural and investment funding commitments that have already been entered into are honoured.
Answered by Lord O'Neill of Gatley
The Government remains committed to encouraging economic growth across the regions and nations of the UK. The Government is carefully considering the use of these funds and will make an announcement on EU funding in due course.