Asked by: Victoria Atkins (Conservative - Louth and Horncastle)
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 her Department's White Paper entitled A New Vision for Water, published on 20 January 2026, if she plans to publish the Transition Plan on a sitting day of the House this year.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Transition Plan will be published in 2026. It will set clear direction on priorities, sequencing, and engagement, giving the sector confidence as reforms begin and ahead of the introduction of an upcoming water bill.
Asked by: Victoria Atkins (Conservative - Louth and Horncastle)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has assessed the potential impact of the Heather and Grass etc. Burning (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2025 on the number of wildfires, including their incidence, scale, and severity.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Burning is damaging to peatlands and can increase their long-term vulnerability to wildfires, while wetter, healthy-functioning peatlands are more resilient to the impacts of wildfire. In developing the Amendments to The Heather and Grass etc. Burning (England) Regulations 2021, the Department considered the potential impacts of burning practices on wildfire risk, drawing on published evidence, responses to the public consultation and engagement with the National Fire Chiefs Council, and Fire and Rescue Services.
The Regulations enhance protection of upland peatlands by expanding restrictions on burning practices, with the aim of reducing long‑term wildfire risk and improving landscape resilience.
Asked by: Victoria Atkins (Conservative - Louth and Horncastle)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many of the 88 recommendations proposed in the independent report entitled Independent Water Commission: review of the water sector, published in July 2025, are included in her Department's policy paper entitled A new vision for water: white paper, published on 20 January 2026.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra thoroughly reviewed the Independent Water Commission’s final report in its entirety, and the White Paper sets out our overall response to the Commission’s recommendations.
This Government’s priority is to deliver the best possible outcomes for customers, the environment and investors through this once-in-a-generation reform of the water sector.
Asked by: Victoria Atkins (Conservative - Louth and Horncastle)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, on which dates the Water Delivery Taskforce has met.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra has established a Water Delivery Taskforce to ensure that water companies deliver on their planned investments to provide water and wastewater capacity. It ensures that water availability and wastewater capacity are not a constraint on growth.
The Water Delivery Taskforce first met in April 2025 and has convened on a six-weekly cycle since, including meetings in June, July, September, November, and December 2025. Its next meeting is scheduled for February 2026.
Asked by: Victoria Atkins (Conservative - Louth and Horncastle)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate her Department has made of the number of a) farms b) agricultural businesses and c) non-agricultural businesses that will pay additional inheritance after April 2026 following proposed changes to Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Compared to Budget 2025, the expected number of estates claiming agricultural property relief (including those also claiming business property relief) affected by the reforms in 2026-27 halves from 375 to 185. Around 85% of estates claiming agricultural property relief in 2026-27, including those that also claim for business property relief, are forecast to pay no more inheritance tax on their estates under these changes.
Excluding estates only holding shares designated as ‘not listed’ on the markets of recognised stock exchanges, the reforms are also now expected to result in up to 220 estates across the UK only claiming business property relief paying more inheritance tax in 2026-27. This is a reduction from up to 325 such estates forecast to pay more at Budget 2025. This means just over 80% of such estates making claims are forecast to not pay any more inheritance tax.
Further information is available in the updated Tax Impact and Information Note (TIIN) which was published on 9 January: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/changes-to-agricultural-property-relief-and-business-property-relief.
As is normal practice, the Exchequer cost of these changes will be considered by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) and published at the Spring Forecast.
Asked by: Victoria Atkins (Conservative - Louth and Horncastle)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she plans to publish an impact assessment on the proposal to change the Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property threshold to £2.5million.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Compared to Budget 2025, the expected number of estates claiming agricultural property relief (including those also claiming business property relief) affected by the reforms in 2026-27 halves from 375 to 185. Around 85% of estates claiming agricultural property relief in 2026-27, including those that also claim for business property relief, are forecast to pay no more inheritance tax on their estates under these changes.
Excluding estates only holding shares designated as ‘not listed’ on the markets of recognised stock exchanges, the reforms are also now expected to result in up to 220 estates across the UK only claiming business property relief paying more inheritance tax in 2026-27. This is a reduction from up to 325 such estates forecast to pay more at Budget 2025. This means just over 80% of such estates making claims are forecast to not pay any more inheritance tax.
Further information is available in the updated Tax Impact and Information Note (TIIN) which was published on 9 January: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/changes-to-agricultural-property-relief-and-business-property-relief.
As is normal practice, the Exchequer cost of these changes will be considered by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) and published at the Spring Forecast.
Asked by: Victoria Atkins (Conservative - Louth and Horncastle)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the changes to the threshold for Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property to £2.5million has been scored by the Office for Budget Responsibility.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Compared to Budget 2025, the expected number of estates claiming agricultural property relief (including those also claiming business property relief) affected by the reforms in 2026-27 halves from 375 to 185. Around 85% of estates claiming agricultural property relief in 2026-27, including those that also claim for business property relief, are forecast to pay no more inheritance tax on their estates under these changes.
Excluding estates only holding shares designated as ‘not listed’ on the markets of recognised stock exchanges, the reforms are also now expected to result in up to 220 estates across the UK only claiming business property relief paying more inheritance tax in 2026-27. This is a reduction from up to 325 such estates forecast to pay more at Budget 2025. This means just over 80% of such estates making claims are forecast to not pay any more inheritance tax.
Further information is available in the updated Tax Impact and Information Note (TIIN) which was published on 9 January: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/changes-to-agricultural-property-relief-and-business-property-relief.
As is normal practice, the Exchequer cost of these changes will be considered by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) and published at the Spring Forecast.
Asked by: Victoria Atkins (Conservative - Louth and Horncastle)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether an impact assessment was carried out on changing the Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property to £2.5million.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Compared to Budget 2025, the expected number of estates claiming agricultural property relief (including those also claiming business property relief) affected by the reforms in 2026-27 halves from 375 to 185. Around 85% of estates claiming agricultural property relief in 2026-27, including those that also claim for business property relief, are forecast to pay no more inheritance tax on their estates under these changes.
Excluding estates only holding shares designated as ‘not listed’ on the markets of recognised stock exchanges, the reforms are also now expected to result in up to 220 estates across the UK only claiming business property relief paying more inheritance tax in 2026-27. This is a reduction from up to 325 such estates forecast to pay more at Budget 2025. This means just over 80% of such estates making claims are forecast to not pay any more inheritance tax.
Further information is available in the updated Tax Impact and Information Note (TIIN) which was published on 9 January: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/changes-to-agricultural-property-relief-and-business-property-relief.
As is normal practice, the Exchequer cost of these changes will be considered by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) and published at the Spring Forecast.
Asked by: Victoria Atkins (Conservative - Louth and Horncastle)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate her Department has made of the number of estates that will pay additional inheritance after the threshold changes to £2.5million from April 2026 who claim a) only Agricultural Property Relief b) only Business Property Relief and c) both Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Compared to Budget 2025, the expected number of estates claiming agricultural property relief (including those also claiming business property relief) affected by the reforms in 2026-27 halves from 375 to 185. Around 85% of estates claiming agricultural property relief in 2026-27, including those that also claim for business property relief, are forecast to pay no more inheritance tax on their estates under these changes.
Excluding estates only holding shares designated as ‘not listed’ on the markets of recognised stock exchanges, the reforms are also now expected to result in up to 220 estates across the UK only claiming business property relief paying more inheritance tax in 2026-27. This is a reduction from up to 325 such estates forecast to pay more at Budget 2025. This means just over 80% of such estates making claims are forecast to not pay any more inheritance tax.
Further information is available in the updated Tax Impact and Information Note (TIIN) which was published on 9 January: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/changes-to-agricultural-property-relief-and-business-property-relief.
As is normal practice, the Exchequer cost of these changes will be considered by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) and published at the Spring Forecast.
Asked by: Victoria Atkins (Conservative - Louth and Horncastle)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many pubs have closed since 5 July 2024 in Louth and Horncastle constituency.
Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 10th October is attached.