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Harriet Cross
CON✓ Current MP
🏛️ Gordon and Buchan
📅 2024–2026
209 speeches on Hansard record
✅ Votes attended: 76.14% (#266 of 650 MPs)
🟢 Rebelled against party: 0.67%
📝 Topics: Agriculture: Inheritance Tax, Holiday Accommodation: Taxation, Energy: Meters
🤝 Member of 10 All-Party Parliamentary Groups
Written Answers
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Cabinet Office
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on future trade agreements.
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To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, on what dates the (a) Cabinet and (b) Cabinet committees have discussed the UK's negotiating position on fishing rights as part of preparations for the EU-UK summit on 19 May 2025; and whether any objections were raised to proposals for a multi-year…
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Department for Business and Trade
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if his Department will consider the potential merits of including electricity-intensive food and drink manufacturers, such as distillers, in the scope of the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many redundancy notifications his Department received between 1 November 2024 and the latest date for which information is available.
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Department for Culture, Media and Sport
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the contribution made by the terrestrial broadcasting sector to mobile phone coverage in (a) rural and (b) remote areas.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the expiry in 2034 of the licences for terrestrial (a) television and (b) radio on (i) all households (ii) households reliant on terrestrial signals in Scotland.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will publish minutes of the TV Distribution Stakeholder Forum's meetings to date.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology on ensuring broadcast network resilience is considered in potential decisions on the future of television broadcasting.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to ensure the availability of terrestrial television services in rural areas after the expiry of current broadcasting licences in the early 2030s.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the loss of terrestrial digital television services after current licences expire in the 2030s on (a) elderly people, (b) low-income households and (c) rural communities.
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Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department taking to support off-grid households to report (a) significant cost increases and (b) cancelled orders of domestic oil.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate his Department has made of changes in the level of gas imports from (a) Norway, (b) USA, (c) Qatar and (d) the rest of the world relative to UK domestically produced gas from 2025 to 2030 by (i) volume and (ii) proportion.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his department has made of the potential impact of unionisation within the renewables industry on energy bills.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has made an estimate of the change in the number of jobs in the North Sea oil and gas sector from (a) operator and (b) supply chain companies in each year between 2026 and 2030.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when he last visited (a) Aberdeen and (b) Aberdeenshire; when he last met with representatives of an oil and gas company in (i) Aberdeen and (ii) Aberdeenshire to discuss their oil and gas activities; and if he will list what companies…
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To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many times he has (a) visited Aberdeen, (b) visited Aberdeenshire and (c) met an oil and gas company in (i) Aberdeen and (ii) Aberdeenshire to discuss their activities; and if he will list what businesses he met with.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has had recent discussions with his Norwegian counterpart on (a) the Northern Lights project and (b) the viability of emulating their non-pipeline transport of carbon dioxide in the UK.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to future-proof the carbon capture and storage industry.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department plans to allow captured carbon to be delivered by ship to its final storage location.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what his Department's planned timetable is for (a) making and (b) announcing its decision on whether Mingyang Smart Energy will be permitted to supply turbines for (i) Green Volt and (ii) other wind projects.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent discussions he has had with the North Sea Transition Authority on its statutory duty to maximise the economic recovery of oil and gas in the UK Continental shelf.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to help ensure that levels of (a) oil and (b) gas production from existing fields are maintained.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, on how many days were wholesale electricity prices in excess of £150 per megawatt hour during winter 2024-25.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many days was more than 10 per cent of UK electricity demand imported between 1 November 2024 and 30 April 2025.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how much were constraint payments to wind farm operators in Great Britain (a) in total and (b) for each month between 1 April 2024 and 30 April 2025.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate his Department has made of gas storage capability in the UK in (a) cubic feet (or other appropriate unit of volume) and (b) days of average usage; what steps he is taking to increase storage capacity; and when this will…
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To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what information his Department holds on the (a) onshore and (b) offshore workforce in the North Sea oil and gas sector in (i) July 2024 and (ii) March 2025.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 20 May 2025 to Question 52787 on Offshore Industry: Carbon Emissions, how many offshore oil and gas projects are awaiting the resumption of environmental impact assessment evaluations.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when he plans to publish the outcome of his Department's consultation on draft supplementary guidance for assessing the effects of scope 3 emissions on climate from offshore oil and gas projects, which closed on 8 January 2025.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps the he is taking to (a) accelerate Track-1 Expansion, (b) ensure additional emitters can connect to carbon capture, usage and storage transport and storage infrastructure in Scotland and (c) support UK supply chains in that…
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To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many people are employed by GB Energy; and how many full-time equivalent roles are filled at GB Energy.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the (a) Rosebank and (b) Jackdaw oil and gas fields not receiving consent to proceed on (i) the economy, (ii) tax revenue and (iii) employment.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has made an estimate of the proportion of UK North Sea (a) oil and (b) gas which would be produced by the (i) Rosebank and (ii) Jackdaw field.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what his Department's timetable is for announcing the Track 2 Cluster sequencing for carbon capture, usage and storage funding.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has (a) instructed or (b) provided guidance to Ofgem's Radio Teleswitch Service Taskforce on what steps it should take on the transition for households affected by the closure of the Radio Teleswitch Service in…
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To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of delays in smart meter replacements for households affected by the Radio Teleswitch Service (RTS) closure; and whether (a) penalties and (b) enforcement measures will be applied…
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To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what alternative (a) heating and (b) metering solutions he plans to provide to households that are unable to install a smart meter due to location or connectivity issues following the closure of the Radio Teleswitch Service.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate his Department has made of the average cost to consumers of replacing Total Heating Total Control systems following the closure of the Radio Teleswitch Service; and what discussions he has had with stakeholders on the…
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To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has taken steps to provide Ofgem with enforcement powers to help ensure that energy suppliers provide Radio Teleswitch Service-affected customers with a tariff closely equivalent to their existing arrangement; and what steps…
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To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 24 February 2025 to Question 31124 on Renewable Energy: Staff, whether the initial version of the Energy Skills Passport will support oil and gas workers into the (a) Carbon Capture, Utilisation, and Storage…
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To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to ensure (a) apprenticeships and (b) training programmes provide the requisite skills for the (i) the clean energy and (ii) Carbon Capture, Usage and Storage sectors.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to (a) prevent and (b) mitigate the potential impact of (i) offshore wind farm, (ii) solar farms and (ii) transmission infrastructure projects on (A) land disturbance, (B) scenery, (C) levels of…
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To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how much funding remains available in Phase 3 of the Energy Company Obligation 4 (ECO4) scheme.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether households with existing underfloor foam insulation are eligible for funding through the Energy Company Obligation 4 (ECO4) scheme.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what funding his Department plans to allocate to Phase 4 of the Energy Company Obligation 4 (ECO4) scheme.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to ensure that the skilled workforce can shift to (a) Carbon Capture, Utilisation, and Storage and (b) other low-carbon technologies in the Scottish Cluster.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many acres of agricultural land of (a) Grade 1, (b) Grade 2, (c) Grade 3a and (d) Grade 3b have had planning applications for energy projects, including related, incidental, or facilitative infrastructure, approved since 5 July…
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To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to help support households in rural areas in Scotland that do not have a (a) mobile and (b) radio signal and cannot install a smart meter in advance of the closure of the radio teleswitch service in…
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To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to help prepare households for the closure of the radio teleswitch service in June 2025.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department plans to provide funding to households that cannot afford to replace their total heating total control heating system when it stops working following the closure of the radio teleswitch service in June 2025.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what the potential cost to the public purse is of the Government’s international climate finance commitments since July 2024; and if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of this spending on the funding available for…
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To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the smart meter network in North East Scotland.
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Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps are she is taking to implement a ban on the use of snares in England; and when she expects to publish a timeline for this policy.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of changes to Agricultural and Business Property Relief on levels on investment on farms in (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what comparative assessment he has made of the level of investment on farms in (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland between (i) 1 November 2024 and 1 July 2025 and (ii) the same periods in the last five…
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To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when (a) he, (b) Ministers and (c) officials in his Department last held discussions with (a) the Scottish Fishermen's Federation and (b) other fishing industry representatives before the UK-EU Summit 2025.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of fish caught in UK territorial waters was caught by (a) UK vessels and (b) EU vessels in each of the last three years for which data is available; what his Department's policy is on the application of the zonal…
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To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of freezing EU fishing quotas at current levels beyond 2026 on the (a) the economy, (b) UK seafood exports and (c) seafood processing facilities in North East Scotland;…
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To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what consultation his Department has undertaken with (a) the Scottish Fishermen's Federation, (b) the National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations and (c) other fishing industry representatives on the UK's negotiating…
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To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of changes in farm investment since the Autumn Budget 2024; and if he will provide detailed analysis and findings for (a) the agricultural sector overall and (b) specific farm types including (i)…
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To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to proactively screen for foot and mouth disease outbreaks in the UK.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 2 December 2024 to Question 15988 on Agriculture: Inheritance Tax, on what evidential basis his Department (a) determined that 73% of claims will be for less than £1 million and (b) used to…
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To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to ban the use of neonicotinoids in UK agriculture.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 3 February 2025 to Question 26353 on Tyres: Recycling, what assessment his Department has made of trends in the level of financial support available for increasing domestic tyre processing capacity.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what lessons his Department has learned from the (a) avian inflluenza outbreak in Scotland in 2022-23 and (b) other avian influenza outbreaks in the UK to help prevent the spread.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whetherhis Department plans to renew the licence for glyphosate for agricultural use in 2025.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what precautions his Department is taking regarding the ongoing avian influenza outbreak to prevent its spread among (a) commercially kept birds, (b) domestically kept birds and (c) wild birds.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether compensation will be available for commercial poultry farmers for flock losses due to avian influenza control measures.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to bring forward secondary legislation to permit gene editing by the end of March 2025.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of used tyre exports on the environment; and what steps his Department is taking to help mitigate these impacts.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 11 November 2024 to Question 12667 on African Swine Fever: Disease Control, whether his Department plans to continue to provide funding to Dover District Council beyond financial year 2024-25.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department is taking steps to (a) increase domestic recycling capacity for end-of-life vehicle tyres and (b) reduce reliance on exports.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help support the development of domestic (a) infrastructure and (b) technology for tyre recycling.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 11 November 2024 to Question 12669 on Animal Products: Smuggling, if he will make an assessment of the likelihood of (a) banned and (b) African swine fever infected meat entering the UK via commercial…
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To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 28 October 2024 to Question 10798 on African Swine Fever, what uncertainty is there around the human mediated pathways for African swine fever.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the UK's (a) biosecurity and (b) border control measures for imported goods.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the findings of the report entitled An impact analysis of APR reforms on commercial family farms, published by the National Farmers Union on 21…
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To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps to prevent (a) large corporations and (b) investment firms from acquiring agricultural land sold to meet inheritance tax liabilities.
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Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on support for the life sciences sector.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to support the development of the space industry in the UK.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment his Department has made of the broadcasting sector's contribution to telecoms resilience.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps the Government is taking to increase the uptake of broadband provision (a) across the country and (b) in rural areas.
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Department for Transport
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to help ensure that data belonging to motorists who have incorrectly received a parking fine, either from a Council, Private Parking Companies, or any other parking provider, is not retained by any such parking provider or the…
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To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment has here department made of the adequacy of safeguards governing the release of motorists’ personal data by the DVLA to private parking companies; and what steps she is taking to ensure that data belonging to motorists who have not…
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To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average waiting time has been for the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency to process medical driving licence applications in each of the past three years; and what steps are being taken to reduce delays.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many medical driving licence applications are currently outstanding for more than (a) 3 months, (b) 6 months and (c) 12 months.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reason the DVLA continues to rely on postal correspondence for medical driving licence assessments; and whether there are plans to modernise communication methods to allow applicants to communicate with the DVLA electronically, including through…
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To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero on the transport of carbon dioxide by ship.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether recyclable waste wood will be eligible via the sustainable aviation fuel mandate.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to ensure (a) forestry timber, and (b) recyclable waste wood remain ineligible as feedstocks for the manufacture of sustainable aviation fuel.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of a guaranteed strike price for sustainable aviation fuel on the (a) costs (i) of air fares and (ii) for (A) manufacturers and (B) the wood panel industry and (b) market for feedstock…
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To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to monitor pricing practices by airline operators on routes where there is (a) limited and (b) no competition (i) generally and (ii) at (A) Aberdeen International Airport and (B) other airports serving (1) remote and…
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To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to protect consumers on routes where a single airline operates the only available service.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department is taking steps to tackle changes in the (a) number of flight services and (b) level of fares at Aberdeen International Airport.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has made an assessment of the economic impact of seasonal flight reductions at Aberdeen International Airport; and whether he is taking steps to encourage year-round services.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the policy paper entitled Jet Zero strategy: one year on, published on 20 July 2023, whether it is his policy to have five commercial-scale Sustainable Aviation Fuel plants under construction in the UK by 2025.
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Department for Work and Pensions
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reason the application of inflationary increases on pre-1997 defined benefit pension entitlements is limited to schemes within the Pension Protection Fund and Financial Assistance Scheme; and whether he plans to extend this policy to…
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To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many pensioners in receipt of a Winter Fuel Payment in 2023-24 were no longer eligible in 2024-25.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Health and Safety Executive plans to create a dedicated department within the Energy Division of the Hazardous Industries Directorate to take responsibility for battery energy storage system safety.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to her Department's White Paper entitled Get Britain Working, published in November 2024, when she plans to publish details of the planned public consultation; and what the timeline will be for different mechanisms of stakeholder…
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To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to Chapter three of the Government's Get Britain Working White Paper, published on 26 November 2024, if she will publish an outline of the scope of the Government's planned health and disability benefit reforms; what her planned…
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To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending the time frame in which bereavement support can be claimed.
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Department of Health and Social Care
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the Government plans to publish its full response to the Law Commission’s report Building Families Through Surrogacy: A New Law, published in March 2023, following its interim response on 8 November 2023.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his Department has had with the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority on the proposal for it to be designated as the regulator for surrogacy, as recommended in the Law Commission’s report Building Families…
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To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of developing a dedicated national brain tumour strategy within the Major Conditions Strategy framework to help improve (a) early diagnosis rates, (b) research funding allocation, (c)…
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To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of current shortages in the supply of Salbutamol nebules on patients with respiratory conditions; and what steps his Department is taking to tackle procurement and supply chain issues to…
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Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations he has received from EU member states on conditions for UK participation in the EU's Security Action for Europe defence fund; and whether access to UK fishing waters forms part of those conditions.
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Ministry of Defence
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department's assessment of what constitutes NATO qualifying defence expenditure includes investment in (a) energy infrastructure and (b) energy security projects such as Great British Energy.
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Ministry of Justice
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Public Office (Accountability) Bill on the intelligence services.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average waiting time is for the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority to (a) process and (b) determine claims for compensation.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many applications to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority are outstanding for more than (a) 12 months, (b) 18 months and (c) two years.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people were not notified before prisoners who perpetrated crimes against them were released early under the SDS40 scheme.
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Scotland Office
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether Scottish (a) venison and (b) venison products are eligible for the Brand Scotland initiative; and what process exists for (i) producers and (ii) sellers to engage with the Department on this matter.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Agri-Environment Climate Scheme on (a) supporting water resilience in Scotland and (b) posing risks to the internal market.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on mitigating potential risks to (a) food production and (b) the internal market posed by water scarcity in North East Scotland.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what discussions he has had with representatives of the (a) food, (b) drink and (c) retail sectors on potential measures to help secure supply chains in the context of summer water scarcity in North East Scotland.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many (a) Ministers, (b) special advisers and (c) officials from his Department attended New York's Tartan Week in (i) 2023, (ii) 2024 and (iii) 2025.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what the total cost to his Department was for sending a delegation to New York's Tartan Week in (a) 2023, (b) 2024 and (c) 2025.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the long-term future of free-to-air terrestrial TV and radio services in Scotland.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what steps his Department is taking to help North Sea workers to transition to green economy jobs in Scotland.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what discussions she has had with the Scottish Government on regional-specific skills development funds for workers transitioning from the oil and gas industry.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether her Department is taking steps to increase the level of research and development funding offshore green energy projects in Scotland.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what recent discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on (a) the use of the Barnett consequential funding provided in the 2021-22 financial year for cladding remediation, (b) the identification of buildings requiring cladding remediation work in…
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Treasury
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate her Department has made of the compliance costs incurred by businesses to meet Making Tax Digital requirements to date for which the latest data is available.
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To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much public money has been spent to date on the development and roll-out of Making Tax Digital; and what the projected total cost is for completing the programme.
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To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what is HM Revenue and Customs' average time for processing income tax rebate claims.
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To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many outstanding income tax rebate claims does HM Revenue and Customs have; and how many of these claims have been outstanding for more than (a) one month, (b) three months, (c) six months and (d) 12 months.
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To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of HM Revenue and Customs' processes for ensuring income tax rebate claims are processed on time; and what steps she has taken to reduce the backlog of unprocessed income tax rebate claims.
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To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether rural proofing was applied to the development of proposals for Electric Vehicle Excise Duty.
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To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she considered the Transport Committee's report of January 2022 on Road Pricing in the course of developing proposals for Electric Vehicle Excise Duty.
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To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she considered the recommendation on assessing the potential effect of Electric Vehicle Excise Duty on high-mileage drivers, including those in rural communities from the Transport Committee's report of January 2022 on Road Pricing when developing…
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To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has made a comparative assessment of the impact of Electric Vehicle Excise Duty on (a) rural and (b) urban motorists.
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To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an estimate of the cost per year for a full time worker who drives (a)) a battery electric car or (b) a plug-in hybrid car living in the town of Huntly in Aberdeenshire to commute to Aberdeen City from April 2028.
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To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions she has had with oil and gas companies, industry representatives, supply chains and the energy sector on the impact of the Energy Profits Levy on the availability of investment and skilled workforce to deliver clean power projects.
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To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to Budget 2025, what estimate she has made of the potential impact of the pay per mile charge for electric vehicles on the number of sales of new (a) battery electric cars and (b) plug-in hybrid cars in each of the next five years.
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To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the pay per mile charge for electric vehicles on sales of new i) battery electric cars and ii) plug-in hybrid cars.
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To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when she last visited (a) Aberdeen and (b) Aberdeenshire; when she last met an oil and gas company in (i) Aberdeen and (ii) Aberdeenshire in relation to their oil and gas activities; and which businesses were met.
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To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when she last (a) visited (i) Aberdeen and (ii) Aberdeenshire and (b) met an oil and gas company in (A) Aberdeen and (B) Aberdeenshire in relation to oil and gas activities.
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To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Energy Profits Levy remaining in place until 2030 on trends in the levels of employment in (a) operators and (b) supply chain companies in the North Sea oil and gas sector in each year inclusive…
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To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an estimate of the number of jobs that will be lost from the North Sea oil and gas sector, from both operator and supply chain companies, in (a) 2026, (b) 2027, (c) 2028, (d) 2029 and (e) 2030 due to the Energy Profits Levy remaining in place…
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To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress her Department has made on considering the inclusion of refined oil products in the scope of the UK Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism.
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To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when her Department plans to publish its response to proposals submitted by the fuels sector on the inclusion of refined oil products in the scope of the UK Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism.
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To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has considered introducing a lifetime cap on gifts for Inheritance Tax purposes.
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To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of a potential lifetime gift cap on (a) family (i) farm and (ii) business viability between generations, (b) productivity, (c) food security and (d) job numbers.
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To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether organisations representing the (a) agricultural and (b) small business sectors have been consulted on the potential introduction of a lifetime cap on gifts for inheritance tax.
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To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has undertaken modelling on the potential impact of a lifetime cap on gifts for inheritance tax on (a) businesses and (b) individuals.
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To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of a lifetime gift cap on the ability of family (a) farms and (b) businesses to mitigate changes to (i) Agricultural and (ii) Business Property Relief.
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To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the £8.3 billion allocated to Great British Energy and its nuclear body will be classified separately from defence expenditure in meeting the Government's commitment to spend 2.5 per cent of GDP on defence by 2027.
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To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many farms in (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland will become liable for inheritance tax based on current agricultural land values from April 2026.
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To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when she plans to publish a response to the oil and gas price mechanism consultation, published on 5 March 2025.
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To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to prevent companies from de-listing from the London Stock Exchange.
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To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what meetings her Department has had with industry stakeholders on supporting the long-term growth of small and mid-sized quoted companies.
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To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to encourage UK investors to invest in small and mid-sized companies.
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To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of changes to employers' National Insurance contributions on (a) small and mid-sized quoted companies and (b) the (i) staffing costs and (ii) long-term investment decisions made by those companies.
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To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 5 February 2025 to Question 27456 on Holiday Accommodation: Tax Allowances, if she will hold discussions with the Scottish Government on sharing data from the Short-term Let Licensing Scheme to (a) identify the number of Furnished…
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To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to ensure an independent appointment process is in place for the Loan Charge review.
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To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has plans to consult affected stakeholders when establishing the terms of reference for the Loan Charge review.
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To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has considered including the role of promoters and intermediaries within the scope of the Loan Charge review.
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To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to ensure transparency in the conduct of the Loan Charge review.
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To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of expanding the scope of the Loan Charge review to examine the wider contracting sector.
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To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 5 February 2025 to Question 27456 on Holiday Accommodation: Tax Allowances, what estimate her Department has made of the total tax receipts from properties operating under the Furnished Holiday Lettings tax regime in 2023-24.
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To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 10 February 2025 to Question 27711 on Holiday Accommodation: Taxation, what quantitative information her Department holds on (a) the number of properties converting between longer-term rentals and short-term holiday lets, (b)…
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To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when the £1.8 billion allocated in the National Wealth Fund for the upgrade of port infrastructure and supply chain facilities will be open for applications.
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To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how companies can access the £1.8 billion allocated in the National Wealth Fund for the upgrade of port infrastructure and supply chain facilities.
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To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the criteria are for harbours and ports to access the £1.8 billion allocated in the National Wealth Fund for the upgrade of port infrastructure and supply chain facilities.
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To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether business planning development work will be a qualifying activity to access the £1.8 billion allocated in the National Wealth Fund for the upgrade of port infrastructure and supply chain facilities.
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To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent analysis her Department has undertaken on the regional distribution of revenues from the abolition of the Furnished Holiday Lettings tax regime; and what proportion of this revenue is expected to be raised in Scotland.’
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To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the planned funding allocations for International Climate Finance in (a) 2024-25 and (b) 2025-26; and via which Departmental budgets will this be distributed.
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To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress she has made on implementing the McCloud remedy since July 2024; and what steps she is taking to ensure (a) full and (b) timely delivery.
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To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to ensure that people impacted by the McCloud remedy receive their entitlements promptly.
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To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she has taken to improve communications with people affected by the McCloud remedy; and what further steps she plans to take to ensure transparency.
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To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she plans to take to communicate with people affected by the McCloud remedy to ensure that they are (a) informed of changes to their pensions and (b) provided with regular updates on when they will receive any monies owed.
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To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of the total cost of implementing the McCloud remedy; and how she plans to fund this.
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To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of changes to (a) Agricultural Property Relief and (b) Business Property Relief on trends in (a) employment levels, (b) business succession arrangements and (c) gross value added in (i)…
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To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has issued new impact assessments on (a) Agricultural Property Relief and (b) Business Property Relief since Autumn Budget 2024; what schedule her Department has for publishing future impact assessments; and what data sources her…
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To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of proposed changes to the Energy Profits Levy on inward investment in the United Kingdom Continental Shelf.
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To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of proposed changes to the Energy Profits Levy on inward investment in the United Kingdom Continental Shelf.
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To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many farms impacted by changes to (a) Agricultural Property Relief and (b) Business Property Relief she expects to have previously claimed solely for Business Property Relief.
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To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assumptions on marital status were used in forecasts of farms impacted by changes to (a) Agricultural Property Relief and (b) Business Property Relief.
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To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assumptions on the timing of intergenerational farm transfers were used in forecasts of farms affected by changes to (a) Agricultural Property Relief and (b) Business Property Relief.
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To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what criteria on (a) total acreage, (b) agricultural land usage, (c) livestock numbers and (d) Rural Payments Agency claim data were used to define an agricultural holding for impact assessments of changes to (i) Agricultural Property Relief and (ii) Business…
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To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to (a) Agricultural Property Relief and (b) Business Property Relief on (i) food security, (ii) agricultural investment and (iii) the viability of family-run farms.
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To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of (a) changes to (i) Agricultural Property Relief and (ii) Business Property Relief and (b) interest rates on (A) family farm succession planning and (B) food security.
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To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of changes in tax liabilities and reliefs on small-scale furnished holiday let operators transitioning to long-term residential letting; and what the difference in tax relief will be between (a)…
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To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the policy paper entitled Abolition of the furnished holiday lettings tax regime, updated on 7 November 2024, on what evidential basis her Department determined that the furnished holiday let tax regime created market distortions in relation…
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To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of planned changes to the furnished holiday let tax regime on tourism accommodation capacity in (a) rural Scotland and (b) the UK.
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To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions she has had with (a) VisitScotland, (b) the Scottish Tourism Alliance and (c) other tourism sector representatives on the planned changes to the furnished holiday let tax regime.
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To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has had discussions with (a) the Scottish Government and (b) local authorities in Scotland on the abolition of the Furnished Holiday Let tax regime.
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To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to the Furnished Holiday Let tax regime on rural tourism businesses.
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To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will publish an updated impact assessment of changes to Business Property Relief; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of those changes on family-owned businesses in (a) Scotland and (b) the United Kingdom.
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To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what sectoral impact assessments her Department has conducted on changes to Business Property Relief since the Autumn Budget 2024; and whether she has made an estimate of the number of businesses at risk of closure following the introduction of those changes.
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To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what data her Department holds on the number of furnished holiday let properties registered for tax purposes in (a) Scotland and (b) the UK as of January 2025.
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To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what information her Department holds on the total value of tax relief claimed under the furnished holiday let tax regime in (a) Scotland and (b) the UK in the 2023-24 financial year.
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To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the new carbon capture clusters on the economy in (a) Teesside and (b) Merseyside.
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To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she had discussions with industry stakeholders at the International Investment Summit on investment in the UK’s strategic energy infrastructure.
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To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the evidential basis on which her Department's estimate of the total number of farms affected by proposed changes to Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief included agricultural properties for which (a) only Agricultural Property…
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To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether an impact assessment has been undertaken of the proposed changes to Agricultural Property Relief on (a) the agricultural rental market and (b) the sale of agricultural land.
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To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to agricultural property relief in the Autumn Budget 2024 on (a) patterns of agricultural land ownership, (b) rural employment, (c) agricultural supply chains and (d) food production.
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To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of removing VAT from defibrillator sales on (a) public access to defibrillators and (b) survival rates for cardiac arrest patients in areas where fewer than half of postcodes have access to a…
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Women and Equalities
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what discussions she has had with the Equality and Human Rights Commission on guidance to schools on children who are questioning their gender.
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