Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the proposed pay‑per‑mile tax on electric vehicles will take into account rural drivers.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
As announced at Budget 2025, the Government is introducing Electric Vehicle Excise Duty (eVED) from April 2028, a new mileage charge for electric and plug-in hybrid cars, recognising that electric vehicles (EVs) contribute to congestion and wear and tear on the roads but pay no equivalent to fuel duty.
The Treasury has considered the impact of eVED on rural drivers; as with fuel duty, those who use the roads more will generally pay more in eVED. Although those living in rural areas tend to drive more than those living in urban areas, they are also more likely to have a dedicated home charger for their EV, which allows access to the lowest charging costs.
The eVED consultation provides further detail on how eVED will work and seeks views on its implementation. The consultation is available at GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/consultation-on-the-introduction-of-electric-vehicle-excise-duty-eved.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has make of the potential impact of the requirement for letting agents to carry out money laundering checks on landlords and tenants on the number of rental properties available.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The impact of compliance with the Money Laundering Regulations (MLRs) for letting agents was assessed as part of the Impact Assessment for the Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing (Amendment) Regulations 2019, which brought certain letting agents into scope of the MLRs. This is available here: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2019/1511/impacts
The Government keeps the MLRs under review in order to ensure the requirements remain effective and proportionate for all regulated sectors, including letting agents.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will consider increasing the £450,000 cap for buying a first property with a Lifetime ISA in line with property price inflation.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
Data from the latest UK House Price Index shows that while the average price paid by first-time buyers has increased, it is still below the Lifetime ISA property price cap in all regions of the UK except for London, where the average price paid is affected by boroughs with very high property values.
Having a single property cap across the UK simplifies the Lifetime ISA for savers and account providers. However, as with all aspects of the tax system, the Government keeps ISA policy under review.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a tax on ultra-processed food.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The ‘Strengthening the Soft Drinks Industry Levy’ consultation, published last month, seeks ways to encourage producers to remove added sugar from soft drinks. Specifically, it sets out proposals to reduce the minimum sugar threshold at which the levy applies from 5g to 4g sugar per 100ml, and to remove the current exemptions for milk-based and milk substitute drinks with added sugar. These changes would be estimated to reduce calorie consumption by 15 million kcal per day in children and 46 million kcal per day in adults, achieving health and economic benefits of around £4.2 billion over 25 years.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will take steps to ensure that funding allocated through the National Wealth Fund provides effective support to different port requirements.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
I refer the member to the answer given to UIN 38914 on 20 March 2025.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to ensure that funding for port infrastructure through the National Wealth Fund is allocated according to the needs of each region.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The National Wealth Fund (NWF) has financial capacity totaling £27.8 billion, of which at least £5.8 billion will be committed over this Parliament to the five priority sectors that the Chancellor announced at the International Investment Summit, including ports. This capital will be targeted into investable projects that meet the NWF’s investment criteria and mandate – driving growth, clean energy and creating the jobs of the future.
The NWF will support regional and local strategies with advisory and lending support throughout the investment cycle to deliver on local priorities. In doing so, the NWF will act in partnership with central government, local government, and other public bodies, to help identify and deliver the right support for projects.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what her Department's timeline is for the allocation of funding to ports through the National Wealth Fund.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The National Wealth Fund (NWF) has financial capacity totaling £27.8 billion, of which at least £5.8 billion will be committed over this Parliament to the five priority sectors that the Chancellor announced at the International Investment Summit, including ports. This capital will be targeted into investable projects that meet the NWF’s investment criteria and mandate – driving growth, clean energy and creating the jobs of the future.
The NWF will support regional and local strategies with advisory and lending support throughout the investment cycle to deliver on local priorities. In doing so, the NWF will act in partnership with central government, local government, and other public bodies, to help identify and deliver the right support for projects.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor for the Exchequer, whether she has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, on the potential merits of equalising the duty treatment of renewable liquid fuels, in the context of encouraging its uptake amongst consumers.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Renewable liquid fuels such as hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) are relatively new fuels and have limited availability in the UK. When used for domestic heating, HVO benefits from the rebated duty rate of 10.18p per litre, in contrast to the full duty rate of 52.95p per litre.
The Chancellor makes decisions on tax policy at fiscal events in the context of public finances.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of excluding properties that are restricted by planning permission for holiday let use only from the removal of the Furnished Lets Allowance.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The Government will abolish the Furnished Holiday Lets (FHLs) tax regime from April 2025, and will apply to all furnished holiday let properties.
This measure will equalise the tax treatment of landlords’ property income and gains.