Asked by: Virginia Crosbie (Conservative - Ynys Môn)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what (a) financial and (b) tax incentives he has put in place to enable the conversion of the 23 per cent of homes in Ynys Môn constituency which are heated by oil to the renewable liquid fuel HVO.
Answered by Helen Whately - Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
Biofuels such as liquid fuel hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) may play a role in future off-gas-grid decarbonisation. However, further evidence is needed to consider the extent of this. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy will publish a new Biomass Strategy in 2022, which will review the amount of sustainable biomass the UK will have access to, including liquid biofuels, and how this could be best used across the economy to achieve our net zero target.
As part of the Net Zero Strategy, the Government announced the new £450 million Boiler Upgrade Scheme to support the uptake of heat pumps
The Government keeps all taxes under review, and any changes are made in the round at fiscal events.
Asked by: Virginia Crosbie (Conservative - Ynys Môn)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to introduce a small wine producers duty relief for small vineyards in the UK similar to the small brewers relief.
Answered by Helen Whately - Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
The Government is considering the merits of extending small producer reliefs to other categories as part of its alcohol duty review. Further updates will be provided in our response to the alcohol duty review call for evidence in due course.
Asked by: Virginia Crosbie (Conservative - Ynys Môn)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme until April 2022 for the travel industry; and what additional steps he is taking to provide ongoing support to the travel industry.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme was designed as a temporary, economy-wide measure to support businesses while widespread restrictions were in place. Closing the scheme at the end of September is designed to strike the right balance between supporting the economy as it opens up, continuing to provide support and protect incomes, and ensuring that incentives are in place to get people back to work as demand returns. This approach has worked; the OBR have estimated that without the short-term fiscal easing announced in the Budget, and in particular the CJRS extension, unemployment would have been about 300,000 higher in the fourth quarter of this year than the 2.2 million in the central forecast.
The Government recognises the particular challenges that the travel industry has faced as a result of COVID-19. In England travel agents have recently benefited from Restart Grants worth up to £6,000, and can continue to benefit from the £2 billion of discretionary grant funding that has been made available to local authorities in England through the Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG). Furthermore, the travel sector is being supported with over £12 billion that has been made available through loan guarantees and support for exporters. In addition, airports continue to benefit from the renewed Airport and Ground Operations Support Scheme announced at Budget.
The Global Travel Taskforce (GTT) report sets out a clear framework for the Government’s objective of establishing a safe and sustainable return to international travel, which is key to enabling the sector’s recovery. It has been created following extensive engagement with the international travel and tourism industries, and changes following the recent checkpoint review of the GTT are a vital step in enabling the recovery of travel operators and those whose jobs rely on the travel industry.
The Government has shown throughout the pandemic that it is prepared to adapt support if the path of the virus changes. It continues to engage closely with sectors across the economy, including the travel industry, in order to understand their recovery horizons as the vaccine is rolled out and restrictions ease.