Harriet Cross MP: written questions 2025
161 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Inheritance Tax: Tax AllowancesTreasuryTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 80739More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has considered introducing a lifetime cap on gifts for Inheritance Tax purposes.
Answer: There is no lifetime cap on gifts for inheritance tax purposes. Information on the rules is available at www.gov.uk/inheritance-tax/gifts. The Chancellor of the Exchequer makes tax policy decisions at fiscal events and the Government does not comment on s...
Answered 16 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordGreat British Energy: FinanceTreasuryTabled 8 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 75852More
Question: 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 b
Answer: The £8.3bn allocated to Great British Energy and its nuclear body is not included in the Government's commitment announced in February to spend 2.6% of GDP on NATO qualifying defence expenditure by 2027.
Answered 11 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordDefence: ExpenditureMinistry of DefenceTabled 8 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 75851More
Question: 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.
Answer: Spend on energy infrastructure and energy security projects does not constitute NATO qualifying core defence spend.The Government has long argued that investment in things like energy security is vital to national security and this will be considered for ...
Answered 11 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordAgriculture and Business: Inheritance TaxDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 72086More
Question: 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
Answer: As agriculture is a devolved policy, this response only covers England. In England, no assessment has been made of the potential impact of changes to Agricultural and Business Property Relief on levels of investment on farms. Data on farm investment incom...
Answered 22 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordAgriculture: FinanceDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 72085More
Question: 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
Answer: No comparative assessments have been made on the level of investment on farms between the 4 UK nations as agriculture is a devolved policy. Data on farm investment income is available in the table 5 series of Farm Accounts in England – but these tables on...
Answered 5 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordWater: ScotlandScotland OfficeTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 72084More
Question: 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.
Answer: The Agri-Environment Climate Scheme is administered by the Scottish Government which could provide a more accurate assessment. However, I support any measures that protect our natural environment in Scotland.
Answered 5 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordWater: ScotlandScotland OfficeTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 72083More
Question: 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.
Answer: As you will be aware, I speak regularly with the Deputy First Minister, and my officials frequently engage with their Scottish Government counterparts. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) are keeping the weather situation under ...
Answered 5 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordWater: ScotlandScotland OfficeTabled 29 Aug 2025AnsweredUIN 72082More
Question: 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 Scotlan
Answer: I regularly engage with stakeholders across the food, drink and retail sectors. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) are keeping the weather situation under close review, including through the UK Agriculture Market Monitoring Gro...
Answered 5 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordCarbon Dioxide: ShippingDepartment for TransportTabled 22 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 70230More
Question: 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.
Answer: Officials within the department have engaged with their counterparts in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero on non-pipeline transport of carbon dioxide, including via rail and ship. This includes inputting into the Call for Evidence on Carbon ...
Answered 2 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordCarbon Capture and StorageDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 22 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 70227More
Question: 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 th
Answer: On 7th May 2025, the Secretary of State met with Minister Aasland, his Norwegian counterpart, on the occasion of signing a Green Industrial Partnership with the Norwegian Government. This recognised the importance of continued collaboration on Carbon Capt...
Answered 5 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordCarbon Capture and Storage: ShippingDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 22 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 70226More
Question: 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.
Answer: The Government recognises that non-pipeline methods of CO2 transportation (for example, road, rail, barge and ship) will play an integral role in achieving decarbonisation across multiple regions and sectors of the economy, to meet our carbon budget targe...
Answered 4 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordCarbon Capture and StorageDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 22 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 70224More
Question: 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.
Answer: The Government is working to create a CCUS industry and has provided increased support to UK CCUS by allocating £9.4 billion in capital budgets over the Spending Review period. The Government has announced its support for the Acorn (Scotland) and Viking (...
Answered 4 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordMingyang Smart Energy: Wind PowerDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 22 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 70209More
Question: 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) oth
Answer: The suppliers that offshore wind projects use are a commercial decision for the company involved. As an open economy, we welcome foreign trade and investment, including from China, where it supports growth and jobs in the UK, meets our stringent legal and...
Answered 4 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordOffshore Industry: North SeaDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 21 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 69654More
Question: 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.
Answer: Details of Ministers’ meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK.
Answered 4 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordOffshore IndustryDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 21 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 69653More
Question: 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.
Answer: The Government has committed to maintaining existing fields for their lifetime. Earlier this year, the Government consulted on ‘Building the North Sea’s energy future’, including proposals not to issue new licences to explore new fields and to partner wit...
Answered 4 Sept 2025
Original Parliament recordRedundancyDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 3 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 57058More
Question: 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.
Answer: In the period 1 November 2024 to 1 June 2025, 2,574 HR1 Advance Notification of Redundancies have been received.The Insolvency Service has released this Management Information (MI) to meet stakeholder needs for this data in a timely way. This MI is not cl...
Answered 9 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordPrisoners' ReleaseMinistry of JusticeTabled 3 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 57057More
Question: 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.
Answer: This Government inherited prisons days from collapse. We had no choice but to take decisive action to stop our prisons overflowing and keep the public safe.The HMPPS Victim Contact Scheme is a service for the victims of offenders who are convicted of spec...
Answered 12 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordFisheries: UK Trade with EUDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 3 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 57056More
Question: 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
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to PQ 52791. Most recently, the Secretary of State, the Fisheries Minister, or Defra officials spoke with key industry representatives, including from the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation, on 19 May.
Answered 12 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordElectricity: PricesDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 3 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 57055More
Question: 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.
Answer: The Low Carbon Contracts Company (LCCC) publishes this data. It is available here:https://dp.lowcarboncontracts.uk/dataset/imrp-actuals
Answered 11 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordWind Power: FinanceDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 3 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 57054More
Question: 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.
Answer: The National Energy System Operator (NESO) is responsible for operating Great Britain’s electricity system, which includes managing constraints. The NESO publishes daily constraint costs here: Constraint Breakdown Costs and Volume | National Energy System...
Answered 11 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordElectricity: ImportsDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 3 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 57053More
Question: 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.
Answer: The Department does not record daily electricity demand or import data. Half-hourly figures for electricity demand and import for Great Britain’s public distribution system are available from the National Energy System Operator (NESO) data portal. Quarter...
Answered 11 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordAgriculture: Inheritance TaxTreasuryTabled 3 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 57052More
Question: 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.
Answer: I refer the Honourable Member to the PQ referenced UIN 32333 published on 3rd March 2025 at: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2025-02-21/32333.
Answered 9 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordWinter Fuel PaymentDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 3 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 57051More
Question: 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.
Answer: It is estimated that 9.2 million pensioners who received a WFP in 2023/24 were not eligible for a WFP in 2024/25. This estimate was published in the OBR Economic and Fiscal Outlook.
Answered 9 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordFossil Fuels: PricesTreasuryTabled 3 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 57050More
Question: 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.
Answer: The consultation was open for 12 weeks and closed on 28 May. The government is now analysing stakeholder responses and will publish a summary of those responses in due course.
Answered 9 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordOffshore Industry: North SeaDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled 3 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 57049More
Question: 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.
Answer: The Department does not hold its own estimates for the offshore or onshore North Sea oil and gas sector workforce. According to ONS data[1], direct jobs in oil and gas extraction fell by around a third between 2014 and 2023, despite ongoing domestic licen...
Answered 9 Jun 2025
Original Parliament record
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