Asked by: Craig Mackinlay (Conservative - South Thanet)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Answer of 21 April 2021 to Question 182074 on the Green Homes Grant Scheme, what policies his Department plans to implement to decarbonise the heating of listed buildings where low carbon options are economically unviable or prohibited by planning law.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Further to the response to Question 182074 of 21 April 2021, the Government recognises that some households, including those living in listed buildings, may need additional support to decarbonise, particularly if they are on a lower income or vulnerable. The Government is planning to publish a Heat and Buildings Strategy in due course, which will set out the immediate actions we will take for reducing emissions from buildings.
The Government is putting affordability and fairness at the heart of our reforms. We will continue support to lower income households and the vulnerable to make homes greener, through schemes such as the Home Upgrade Grant (HUG) and the Energy Company Obligation (ECO). HUG will provide energy efficiency upgrades and low-carbon heating to low-income households living off the gas grid in England to tackle fuel poverty and meet net zero. An initial £150m was allocated to HUG in the 2020 spending review and will be delivered alongside a £200m third tranche of Local Authority Delivery (LAD) as a £350m Sustainable Warmth competition, which was launched on 16 June, with delivery expected to run from early 2022 to March 2023. The ECO, worth £640m per year, is already supporting low income and vulnerable households with energy efficiency and heating measures. The next iteration of ECO will run from 2022 to 2026 with an increase in value from £640m to £1bn per year.
The Government will also be launching the Clean Heat Grant from 2022 to 2024. The scheme will support homes to transition from high carbon fossil fuel heating sources to low carbon heating , such as heat pumps or alternatives including biomass boilers where heat pumps are unsuitable.
Additionally, property owners may consult the Simple Energy Advice (SEA) service, and a retrofit coordinator for further advice and information on improving their building’s energy performance.
Asked by: Craig Mackinlay (Conservative - South Thanet)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans he has to replace the Green Homes Grant scheme; and what steps he plans to take to ensure that listed property owners benefit from a successor scheme.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government will be expanding its funding commitment in financial year 21/22 for both the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF) and the Green Homes Grant Local Authority Delivery scheme (LAD) with £300 million of new funding.
Furthermore, £150m has already been committed to the Home Upgrade Grant (HUG), intended to support low-income households by upgrading the worst-performing off-gas-grid homes in England.
Design guidance for a further phase of LAD, and both the HUG and SHDF schemes is currently being developed. A wide range of possibilities will be examined to ensure successful delivery of the funds, through schemes which efficiently complement each other, with delivery extending into 2023.
Asked by: Craig Mackinlay (Conservative - South Thanet)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the report by Kent Action Against Live Export (KAALE) sent to his Department by that organisation on 25 October 2020 and by the hon. Member for South Thanet on 20 October 2020; and what steps he plans to take in response to the findings of that report.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
The report produced by Kent Action Against Live Exports (KAALE) is currently being reviewed by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) on behalf of Defra. Where any non-compliance set out in the report is confirmed, APHA will take appropriate regulatory or enforcement action.
The Government is committed to the welfare of all animals and to making further improvements to animal welfare in transport. We fully intend to take advantage of our departure from the European Union to improve animal welfare and to ensure the highest standards. We have a commitment to end excessively long journeys for slaughter and fattening and we intend to consult on how we deliver on that manifesto commitment before the end of this year.
Asked by: Craig Mackinlay (Conservative - South Thanet)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of whether all live animals for export loaded onto livestock transporters at Ramsgate Port have received full inspections by adequately accredited veterinary officers; and if he will publish that assessment.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
Government accredited Official Veterinarians ensure that every animal for which export certification is requested is fit to travel and has been rested, fed and watered.
The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) undertakes supervised loadings in all bar exceptional circumstances at departure premises where animals are being exported for further fattening or slaughter. In addition, welfare checks are conducted on all vehicles on arrival at Ramsgate. These checks range from ensuring all watering and ventilation systems are fully functional, to an inspection of the animals on board the vehicle.
APHA inspectors are present at every sailing from Ramsgate involving the export of live animals destined for slaughter. Where breaches in the legislation are identified APHA can, and does, take regulatory action to ensure compliance, protect the welfare of the animals and to achieve ongoing compliance.
Asked by: Craig Mackinlay (Conservative - South Thanet)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Deaths related to drug poisoning by selected substance data published by the Office for National Statistics on 15 August 2019, how many of the 4,359 deaths in 2018 related to drug poisoning were related to the use of (a) drugs prescribed to the deceased by a medical professional, (b) drugs purchased over the counter and (c) drugs which have been diverted (prescribed for someone else), by each selected substance.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I
have asked the Authority to reply.
Asked by: Craig Mackinlay (Conservative - South Thanet)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
Whether the Government will conduct further voter ID pilots; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The British public deserves to have confidence in our democracy. A diverse range of 10 local authorities have confirmed that they will be taking part in Voter ID and postal vote pilots for the 2019 local elections. The pilots will provide further insight into ensuring the security of the voting process.
Asked by: Craig Mackinlay (Conservative - South Thanet)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
Whether the Government plans to conduct further voter ID pilots; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Chloe Smith
The British public deserves to have confidence in our democracy. A diverse range of local authorities have confirmed that they will be taking part in Voter ID and postal vote pilots for the 2019 local elections. The pilots will provide further insight into ensuring the security of the voting process.
Asked by: Craig Mackinlay (Conservative - South Thanet)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the potential effect on encouraging people and businesses to be more environmentally-friendly and on energy security of establishing an exemption from any valuation uplift of business premises for business rates purposes when solar panels have been fitted.
Answered by Mel Stride - Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
Solar panels are only rateable for business rates purposes where they are supplying energy for the business occupying the property. Where the energy generated is wholly or mostly sold to consumers, the panels are exempt from business rates. This is an established principle for rating energy generation. New microgeneration installations benefit from a business rate exemption until the following revaluation.
Businesses occupying properties with solar panels are also benefiting from recent reforms and reductions to business rates worth over £10bn by 2023, including switching from Retail Price Index to Consumer Price Index uprating of business rates and increasing the frequency of revaluations.
Asked by: Craig Mackinlay (Conservative - South Thanet)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether under the terms of the 6 July 2018 statement of the Government and its reference to a common rulebook the UK will be able to ban live animal exports for slaughter from January 2021 without there being consequences for trade.
Answered by George Eustice
The Government’s proposal for a common rulebook on goods only relates to those technical and product safety rules necessary to provide for a frictionless border. The proposal does not extend to wider single market legislation nor animal welfare and would not fetter our abilities to restrict or ban live animal exports.
The White Paper published on 12 July 2018 explains: “By being outside the CAP, and having a common rulebook that only applies to rules that must be checked at the border, the UK would be able to have control over new future subsidy arrangements, control over market surveillance of domestic policy arrangements, an ability to change tariffs and quotas in the future, and the freedom to apply higher animal welfare standards that would not have a bearing on the functioning of the free trade area for goods – such as welfare in transport and the treatment of live animal exports.”
Asked by: Craig Mackinlay (Conservative - South Thanet)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make it his policy to suspend penalties for tax credit over-payments arising from the high income child benefit tax charge for PAYE taxpayers and apply the suspended penalty provisions of Paragraph 14, Schedule 24, of the Finance Act 2007 to any outstanding penalties.
Answered by Elizabeth Truss
The High Income Child Benefit Charge (HICBC) was introduced to ensure that support is targeted at those who need it most. It applies to anyone with an income over £50,000 who claims Child Benefit, or whose partner claims Child Benefit. The tax charge increases gradually for taxpayers with incomes between £50,000 and £60,000.
Those who continue to receive Child Benefit must register for Self Assessment to declare their Child Benefit payments and pay the tax charge through their tax return. HM Revenue and Customs encourages individuals to contact it straightaway to pay the tax charge and the vast majority do so.
Failure to notify penalties are chargeable where an individual does not register for Self Assessment by 5 October following the tax year when the tax charge becomes due. Penalties are only charged if the tax due is not paid in full by the following 31 January. These penalties are statutory and are charged unless the individual has a reasonable excuse given their individual circumstances.