Asked by: Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Conservative - The Cotswolds)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department made of the additional (a) direct and (b) indirect tax revenues that would have been generated by extending the VAT Retail Export Scheme to EU visitors in September 2020.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The Chancellor announced on 17 October 2022 that the Government will not be proceeding with plans to introduce a new VAT-free shopping scheme. This decision was included as part of the reversal of almost all of the tax measures set out in the Growth Plan on 23 September which have not been legislated for in Parliament. The Chancellor has taken these decisions to ensure the UK’s economic stability and to provide confidence in the Government’s commitment to fiscal discipline. The Chancellor made clear in his statement that the UK’s public finances must be on a sustainable path into the medium term.
Introducing VAT-free shopping would come at a significant fiscal cost as it would subsidise a large amount of tourist spending which already occurs without a tax relief in place.
The independent Office of Budget Responsibility published their assessment of the withdrawal of the previous VAT-free shopping schemes in November 2020. This showed that the withdrawal of VAT-free shopping would raise a significant amount of revenue and have a limited behavioural effect on decisions to visit, or spend, in the UK.
Asked by: Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Conservative - The Cotswolds)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how his Department estimated the annual cost of extending the VAT Retail Export Scheme to EU visitors in September 2020.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The Chancellor announced on 17 October 2022 that the Government will not be proceeding with plans to introduce a new VAT-free shopping scheme. This decision was included as part of the reversal of almost all of the tax measures set out in the Growth Plan on 23 September which have not been legislated for in Parliament. The Chancellor has taken these decisions to ensure the UK’s economic stability and to provide confidence in the Government’s commitment to fiscal discipline. The Chancellor made clear in his statement that the UK’s public finances must be on a sustainable path into the medium term.
Introducing VAT-free shopping would come at a significant fiscal cost as it would subsidise a large amount of tourist spending which already occurs without a tax relief in place.
The independent Office of Budget Responsibility published their assessment of the withdrawal of the previous VAT-free shopping schemes in November 2020. This showed that the withdrawal of VAT-free shopping would raise a significant amount of revenue and have a limited behavioural effect on decisions to visit, or spend, in the UK.
Asked by: Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Conservative - The Cotswolds)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department made of the annual cost of extending the VAT Retail Export Scheme to EU visitors in September 2020.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The Chancellor announced on 17 October 2022 that the Government will not be proceeding with plans to introduce a new VAT-free shopping scheme. This decision was included as part of the reversal of almost all of the tax measures set out in the Growth Plan on 23 September which have not been legislated for in Parliament. The Chancellor has taken these decisions to ensure the UK’s economic stability and to provide confidence in the Government’s commitment to fiscal discipline. The Chancellor made clear in his statement that the UK’s public finances must be on a sustainable path into the medium term.
Introducing VAT-free shopping would come at a significant fiscal cost as it would subsidise a large amount of tourist spending which already occurs without a tax relief in place.
The independent Office of Budget Responsibility published their assessment of the withdrawal of the previous VAT-free shopping schemes in November 2020. This showed that the withdrawal of VAT-free shopping would raise a significant amount of revenue and have a limited behavioural effect on decisions to visit, or spend, in the UK.
Asked by: Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Conservative - The Cotswolds)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make it his policy to launch a publicity campaign on the introduction of new requirements for Voter ID for (a) local and (b) Parliamentary elections.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
Yes. The national communications campaign for voter identification is the responsibility of the Electoral Commission, including coordination of campaigns and supporting outreach and roll-out via partners. The Commission and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities will work to ensure plans and timelines for communications and guidance can be aligned. The Government will continue working constructively with charities and civil society organisations to help people understand these changes and make sure that voter identification works for everyone.
Asked by: Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Conservative - The Cotswolds)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to research by the University of Sydney, published in the Natural scientific journal on 20 June 2022, if he will take steps in response to that research that found a fifth of all food-related greenhouse gas emissions come from transporting edible products.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
The Government’s recently published Net Zero Strategy sets out our plans to reduce all greenhouse gas emissions. This includes a range of policies and actions to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions (including methane) from within the food system from farm to fork.
For example, ruminant livestock are the leading cause of food methane emissions, but feed additives with methane inhibiting properties have the potential to reduce emissions, especially from housed cattle. Whilst this is an emerging technology, the Government is actively investigating the promising role these products may have in delivering emissions savings in the medium term.
More broadly the Government will support the agricultural sector to decarbonise through the schemes set out in the Agricultural Transition Plan, which aims to support farmers to adopt low greenhouse gas emission farming practices and increase the carbon stored on their farms, helping to improve business productivity and profitability gains.
The Government also supports the work of the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), whose Courtauld 2030 voluntary agreement includes a target to reduce GHG emissions across the food supply chain. Periodic estimates of UK household food waste levels are undertaken by WRAP with government funding with the next estimate reporting year being 2022/23.
Asked by: Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Conservative - The Cotswolds)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to research by the University of Sydney, published in the Natural scientific journal on 20 June 2022, what assessment his Department has made of the validity of the finding that a fifth of all food-related greenhouse gas emissions come from transporting edible products.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
The Government’s recently published Net Zero Strategy sets out our plans to reduce all greenhouse gas emissions. This includes a range of policies and actions to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions (including methane) from within the food system from farm to fork.
For example, ruminant livestock are the leading cause of food methane emissions, but feed additives with methane inhibiting properties have the potential to reduce emissions, especially from housed cattle. Whilst this is an emerging technology, the Government is actively investigating the promising role these products may have in delivering emissions savings in the medium term.
More broadly the Government will support the agricultural sector to decarbonise through the schemes set out in the Agricultural Transition Plan, which aims to support farmers to adopt low greenhouse gas emission farming practices and increase the carbon stored on their farms, helping to improve business productivity and profitability gains.
The Government also supports the work of the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), whose Courtauld 2030 voluntary agreement includes a target to reduce GHG emissions across the food supply chain. Periodic estimates of UK household food waste levels are undertaken by WRAP with government funding with the next estimate reporting year being 2022/23.
Asked by: Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Conservative - The Cotswolds)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his timeframe is for implementing secondary legislation to reform rights of way.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government has decided to take forward a streamlined package of measures to implement rights of way reform including repealing the 2026 cut-off date to record historic rights of way, as well as giving landowners the right to apply to divert or remove rights of ways in specific circumstances. These measures, along with accompanying guidance, will be implemented as soon as reasonably practicable.
Asked by: Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Conservative - The Cotswolds)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when his Department plans to publish its response to the Planning for the Future consultation.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
We will bring forward a response shortly.
Asked by: Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Conservative - The Cotswolds)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will allow local authorities adequate time to plan their bids for the Levelling Up Fund round two; and whether the criteria for that round will be the same as for round one.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
The £4.8 billion Levelling Up Fund will invest in infrastructure that improves everyday life across the UK, including regenerating town centres and high streets, upgrading local transport and investing in cultural and heritage assets. We will open round 2 in Spring 2022 and will share further details in due course.
Asked by: Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Conservative - The Cotswolds)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when the criteria for the second round of the Levelling Up Fund will be published.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
The £4.8 billion Levelling Up Fund will invest in infrastructure that improves everyday life across the UK, including regenerating town centres and high streets, upgrading local transport and investing in cultural and heritage assets. We will open round 2 in Spring 2022 and will share further details in due course.