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1545986

registered interest
date	28/11/2022
answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept id	201
answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
hansard heading	Energy Bills Rebate: Meters
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 23 November 2022 to Question 88033 on Energy Bills Rebate: Meters, how many and what proportion of people on pre-payment meters have taken up support through the Energy Bill Support Scheme as of 28 November 2022.
tabling member constituency	Southampton, Itchen
tabling member printed	Royston Smith
uin	97708
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/12/2022 answer text <p>Figures were published on GOV.UK on 18 November 2023. As at 1 November, 2,053,580 vouchers were provided to traditional pre-payment customers. Of those, 1,205,337 (59%) had been redeemed.</p><p> </p><p>Energy Bill Support Scheme credit is applied automatically to smart prepayment meters. Customers who use a traditional prepayment meter are encouraged to make sure they have received their voucher from their supplier and should redeem them promptly, so they get the energy bill support to which they are entitled.</p> answering member constituency Beverley and Holderness answering member printed Graham Stuart question first answered 06/12/2022 17:20:51 answering member 1482 label Biography information for Graham Stuart
tabling member	4478 label Biography information for Royston Smith

1521226

registered interest
date	12/10/2022
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Dental Services: VAT
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of removing VAT on dental care products in the context of the rising cost of living.
tabling member constituency	Southampton, Itchen
tabling member printed	Royston Smith
uin	61984
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/10/2022 answer text <p>Under the current VAT rules, dental care products such as toothpaste, toothbrushes, and dental floss, are subject to the standard rate of VAT. However, when specified dental products such as dentures, crowns, and artificial teeth are supplied by a dentist or dental technician, they may be exempt from VAT, meaning no VAT is charged to the final consumer</p><p> </p><p>The Government has no plans to change the VAT treatment of dental care products. However, all taxes are kept under constant review and the Government welcomes representations to help inform future decisions on tax policy, as part of the tax policy making cycle and Budget process.</p><p> </p><p>The Government recognises the pressures that families across the UK are currently facing with the cost of living. The Government’s Energy Price Guarantee will reduce the unit cost of electricity and gas so that a typical household in Great Britain pays, on average, around £2,500 a year on their energy bill, for the next 2 years, from 1 October 2022. The consumer saving will be based on usage, but on average usage a household will save £1,000 a year (based on current prices from October). This comes in addition to the £37 billion cost of living support previously announced, which will provide millions of the most vulnerable households with £800 support through the £150 Council Tax rebate and one-off £650 Cost of Living Payment, with additional support for pensioners and those claiming disability benefits.</p> answering member constituency North East Bedfordshire answering member printed Richard Fuller question first answered 21/10/2022 12:11:58 answering member 3912 label Biography information for Richard Fuller
tabling member	4478 label Biography information for Royston Smith

1521228

registered interest
date	12/10/2022
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Dental Services: VAT
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what proportion of annual VAT income is derived from dental care products.
tabling member constituency	Southampton, Itchen
tabling member printed	Royston Smith
uin	61985
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/10/2022 answer text <p>The information is not available. HM Revenue and Customs does not hold information on VAT revenue from specific products or services, including VAT on dental care products or personal hygiene products. This is because businesses are not required to provide figures at a product level within their VAT returns, as this would impose an excessive administrative burden.</p> answering member constituency North East Bedfordshire answering member printed Richard Fuller grouped question UIN 61987 question first answered 21/10/2022 12:09:54 answering member 3912 label Biography information for Richard Fuller
tabling member	4478 label Biography information for Royston Smith

1521229

registered interest
date	12/10/2022
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Sanitary Products: VAT
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of removing VAT on personal hygiene products in the context of the rising cost of living.
tabling member constituency	Southampton, Itchen
tabling member printed	Royston Smith
uin	61986
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/10/2022 answer text <p>A zero rate of VAT has applied to women’s sanitary products since 1 January 2021. This applies to those products which were previously subject to the reduced rate of 5 per cent, for example, tampons and pads, and to reusable menstrual products, such as keepers.</p><p> </p><p>Although there are currently no plans to remove VAT on all personal hygiene products, the Government keeps all taxes under review and welcomes representations to help inform future decisions on tax policy, as part of the tax policy making cycle and Budget process.</p><p> </p><p>The Government recognises the pressures that families across the UK are currently facing with the cost of living. The Government’s Energy Price Guarantee will reduce the unit cost of electricity and gas so that a typical household in Great Britain pays, on average, around £2,500 a year on their energy bill, for the next 2 years, from 1 October 2022. The consumer saving will be based on usage, but on average usage a household will save £1,000 a year (based on current prices from October). This comes in addition to the £37 billion cost of living support previously announced, which will provide millions of the most vulnerable households with £800 support through the £150 Council Tax rebate and one-off £650 Cost of Living Payment, with additional support for pensioners and those claiming disability benefits.</p> answering member constituency North East Bedfordshire answering member printed Richard Fuller question first answered 21/10/2022 12:26:06 answering member 3912 label Biography information for Richard Fuller
tabling member	4478 label Biography information for Royston Smith

1521230

registered interest
date	12/10/2022
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Hygiene: VAT
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what proportion of total annual VAT income is derived from personal hygiene products.
tabling member constituency	Southampton, Itchen
tabling member printed	Royston Smith
uin	61987
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/10/2022 answer text <p>The information is not available. HM Revenue and Customs does not hold information on VAT revenue from specific products or services, including VAT on dental care products or personal hygiene products. This is because businesses are not required to provide figures at a product level within their VAT returns, as this would impose an excessive administrative burden.</p> answering member constituency North East Bedfordshire answering member printed Richard Fuller grouped question UIN 61985 question first answered 21/10/2022 12:09:54 answering member 3912 label Biography information for Richard Fuller
tabling member	4478 label Biography information for Royston Smith

1521442

registered interest
date	12/10/2022
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Sewage: Southampton
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps to help prevent the discharge of raw sewage into (a) the River Itchen and (b) other waters near Southampton.
tabling member constituency	Southampton, Itchen
tabling member printed	Royston Smith
uin	61988
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/11/2022 answer text <p>We have been clear that the failure of water companies to adequately reduce sewage discharges is totally unacceptable. Our recently launched Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan will require water companies to deliver the largest infrastructure programme in water company history - £56 billion capital investment over 25 years. Our plan will protect biodiversity, the ecology of our rivers and seas, and the public health of our water users for generations to come.</p><p> </p><p>Robust enforcement action against illegal breaches of storm overflow permits is taken. Since 2015, the Environment Agency has brought 54 prosecutions against water companies, securing fines of almost £140million. This includes a £90million fine imposed on Southern Water last year.</p><p> </p><p>Following regulatory intervention by the Environment Agency, Southern Water were required to commission and construct a new sewage treatment works at Woolston. This sewage treatment works became operational in June 2018 and serves almost 70,000 people in and around Southampton. The sewage treatment works has successfully improved water quality in the lower river Itchen, and Southampton.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 02/11/2022 19:14:47 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4478 label Biography information for Royston Smith

1521443

registered interest
date	12/10/2022
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Southern Water: Sewage
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions his Department has had with Southern Water on tackling the illegal discharge of untreated sewage into waterways.
tabling member constituency	Southampton, Itchen
tabling member printed	Royston Smith
uin	61989
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/11/2022 answer text <p>HM Government has been repeatedly clear that the current frequency of sewage discharges is unacceptable, and water companies must do much more to protect our environment. We will continue to work with water companies including Southern Water in the coming months to explore the acceleration of infrastructure projects to deliver the environmental improvements that we want to see.</p><p> </p><p>Southern were handed a record £90 million fine after pleading guilty to thousands of illegal discharges of sewage which polluted rivers and coastal waters in Kent, Hampshire and Sussex. The regulators (the Environment Agency and Ofwat) have also recently launched the largest criminal and civil investigations into water company sewage discharges ever, at over 2200 treatment works, following new data coming to light as a result of increased monitoring.  ​HM Government will not hesitate to use all options for robust enforcement action against breaches of storm overflow permits.</p><p> </p><p>We have also recently announced that we will bring forward plans to consult on increasing the amount the Environment Agency can directly fine water companies who pollute the environment by 1000-fold, from £250,000 up to £250million.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 02/11/2022 18:09:12 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4478 label Biography information for Royston Smith

1521444

registered interest
date	12/10/2022
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Sewage: Waste Disposal
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the requirements under sections 141A to 141D of the Environment Act 2021 for annual reports on storm overflows, when he expects the next reports to be published.
tabling member constituency	Southampton, Itchen
tabling member printed	Royston Smith
uin	61990
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/11/2022 answer text <p>Section 80 of the Environment Act 2021, which came into force in January this year, inserted sections 141A to 141E into the Water Industry Act 1991. Section 141A places a duty on HM Government to publish a plan to reduce sewage discharges and their impact. This plan has now been published, setting strict new targets for water companies that will make sure the ecology of our waterbodies is protected for generations to come. Our plan will require water companies to deliver the largest infrastructure programme in water company history - £56 billion capital investment over 25 years. Under Section 141B HM Government must publish a progress report 3 years following the publication of the Plan, and every 5 years thereafter. The first progress report will be published in 2025.</p><p> </p><p>Section 141C sets out a duty on water companies to publish annual reports on discharges from storm overflows. Water companies are required to publish their annual reports relating to sewage discharge data from 2022 by 1<sup>st</sup> April 2023. Under Section 141D the Environment Agency is also required to publish annual reports in relation to the operation of storm overflows in England, by 1<sup>st</sup> April each year. The most recent report was published on 31<sup>st</sup> March 2022, and updated on the 14<sup>th</sup> May 2022. The next report relating to discharge data from 2022 will be published by 1<sup>st</sup> April 2023.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 02/11/2022 19:30:32 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4478 label Biography information for Royston Smith

1521445

registered interest
date	12/10/2022
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Water: Southampton
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to improve water quality near Southampton.
tabling member constituency	Southampton, Itchen
tabling member printed	Royston Smith
uin	61991
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/11/2022 answer text <p>Protecting our rivers and water bodies is a top priority for HM Government. We are taking action to address pollution from a variety of sources to improve water quality.</p><p>To tackle pollution to waterbodies from agriculture we have almost doubled the funding available for our Catchment Sensitive Farming programme over the next three years. Our new £30 million budget will expand the programme to cover 100% of farmland. We have also made extra budget available this year to the Environment Agency (EA) for 50 extra inspectors to be recruited in this financial year to visit farms posing a risk of water pollution and ensure action is taken.</p><p>The EA is working specifically across Hampshire catchments with farmers and landowners to ensure they are compliant with Environmental Regulations. This includes work via the Agriculture Regulatory Taskforce (ART), funded by Defra, to tackle diffuse pollution. On farm visits, EA officers issue actions for farmers to reduce pollution risk and improve the environment.</p><p>Chalk streams are both incredibly rare and a hugely important part of our environmental heritage. To protect the iconic chalk streams of the Test &amp; Itchen, the EA is working with regional water resource planning groups to make sure these habitats are rightly prioritised, while delivering a resilient water supply to this growing area.</p><p>To tackle water pollution from sewage discharges, we have recently published our Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan. Our Plan sets new strict targets on water companies to reduce sewage spills and will secure the largest infrastructure programme in water company history - £56 billion capital investment over 25 years.  Water companies are also required under the Environment Act to monitor the water quality impact up and downstream of all their assets. This monitoring data will be used by the EA to assess compliance with permits.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow grouped question UIN 61992 question first answered 02/11/2022 18:32:08 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4478 label Biography information for Royston Smith

1521446

registered interest
date	12/10/2022
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	River Itchen: Pollution Control
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to improve water quality in the River Itchen.
tabling member constituency	Southampton, Itchen
tabling member printed	Royston Smith
uin	61992
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/11/2022 answer text <p>Protecting our rivers and water bodies is a top priority for HM Government. We are taking action to address pollution from a variety of sources to improve water quality.</p><p>To tackle pollution to waterbodies from agriculture we have almost doubled the funding available for our Catchment Sensitive Farming programme over the next three years. Our new £30 million budget will expand the programme to cover 100% of farmland. We have also made extra budget available this year to the Environment Agency (EA) for 50 extra inspectors to be recruited in this financial year to visit farms posing a risk of water pollution and ensure action is taken.</p><p>The EA is working specifically across Hampshire catchments with farmers and landowners to ensure they are compliant with Environmental Regulations. This includes work via the Agriculture Regulatory Taskforce (ART), funded by Defra, to tackle diffuse pollution. On farm visits, EA officers issue actions for farmers to reduce pollution risk and improve the environment.</p><p>Chalk streams are both incredibly rare and a hugely important part of our environmental heritage. To protect the iconic chalk streams of the Test &amp; Itchen, the EA is working with regional water resource planning groups to make sure these habitats are rightly prioritised, while delivering a resilient water supply to this growing area.</p><p>To tackle water pollution from sewage discharges, we have recently published our Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan. Our Plan sets new strict targets on water companies to reduce sewage spills and will secure the largest infrastructure programme in water company history - £56 billion capital investment over 25 years.  Water companies are also required under the Environment Act to monitor the water quality impact up and downstream of all their assets. This monitoring data will be used by the EA to assess compliance with permits.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow grouped question UIN 61991 question first answered 02/11/2022 18:32:09 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4478 label Biography information for Royston Smith