To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make it her policy to expand the terms of reference of the Cost of public EV charging review, published on 9 June 2026, to include VAT levied on public EV charging.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make it her policy to expand the terms of reference of the Cost of public EV charging review, published on 9 June 2026, to include VAT levied on public EV charging.

A briefing on sources of funding - both public and private - for places of worship in the United Kingdom, often for repairs and renovation.

A briefing on sources of funding - both public and private - for places of worship in the United Kingdom, often for repairs and renovation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, does the government plan to review the impact of the introduction of VAT on private school fees on (a) pupil numbers (b) public finances and (c) state school capacity.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, does the government plan to review the impact of the introduction of VAT on private school fees on (a) pupil numbers (b) public finances and (c) state school capacity.

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the implications for electricity prices in Northern Ireland of the decision to disapply VAT on domestic electricity bills for six months.

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the implications for electricity prices in Northern Ireland of the decision to disapply VAT on domestic electricity bills for six months.

To ask His Majesty's Government how residents in Northern Ireland will receive the VAT cut on electricity bills announced by the Prime Minister on 21 July.

To ask His Majesty's Government how residents in Northern Ireland will receive the VAT cut on electricity bills announced by the Prime Minister on 21 July.

To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had, if any, with the EU to ensure that Northern Ireland can benefit from cuts to VAT in fuel, energy, or other utilities bills on the same basis as the rest of the UK.

To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had, if any, with the EU to ensure that Northern Ireland can benefit from cuts to VAT in fuel, energy, or other utilities bills on the same basis as the rest of the UK.

To ask His Majesty's Government, in light of the announcement by the Prime Minister's Office of 21 July, New PM cuts tax on household electricity bills to give breathing space on cost of living, what assessment they have made of how cutting VAT on electricity bills will be funded after this...

To ask His Majesty's Government, in light of the announcement by the Prime Minister's Office of 21 July, New PM cuts tax on household electricity bills to give breathing space on cost of living, what assessment they have made of how cutting VAT on electricity bills will be funded after this...

To ask His Majesty's Government, in light of the announcement by the Prime Minister's Office of 21 July, New PM cuts tax on household electricity bills to give breathing space on cost of living, whether the cut in VAT on electricity bills will last for one year.

To ask His Majesty's Government, in light of the announcement by the Prime Minister's Office of 21 July, New PM cuts tax on household electricity bills to give breathing space on cost of living, whether the cut in VAT on electricity bills will last for one year.

Andy Burnham has announced several policies to help people with the cost of living, with average prices having risen 30% since 2021.

Andy Burnham has announced several policies to help people with the cost of living, with average prices having risen 30% since 2021.

To ask His Majesty's Government what is the annual VAT loss from zero-rating rail fares.

To ask His Majesty's Government what is the annual VAT loss from zero-rating rail fares.

My Lords, may I take a moment to welcome the noble Baroness, Lady Curran, and thank the outgoing noble Lord, Lord Whitehead? We look forward to his continuing contributions. We support this measure. As a day-one action, it is welcome—it will save about £40 off a typical fuel bill for about six months—but as a policy lever of government, it is costly and ineffective. What further action will the new Administration take to remove policy costs from electricity bills to help support further energy market reforms? They are the real policy levers we need so that we can make progress on reducing bills and continuing the energy transition.

My Lords, may I take a moment to welcome the noble Baroness, Lady Curran, and thank the outgoing noble Lord, Lord Whitehead? We look forward to his continuing contributions. We support this measure. As a day-one action, it is welcome—it will save about £40 off a typical fuel bill for about six months—but as a policy lever of government, it is costly and ineffective. What further action will the new Administration take to remove policy costs from electricity bills to help support further energy market reforms? They are the real policy levers we need so that we can make progress on reducing bills and continuing the energy transition.

I echo the noble Earl’s comments about my noble friends Lady Curran and Lord Whitehead. I worked closely with them both. The issue of future help for the energy market et cetera is something we will have to wait for until we do the Budget next year. In the meantime, we will continue to help people with the cost of living. I want to point out the measures we have taken that will help people in the short term: we have frozen rail fares, cut energy bills by £150, cut VAT on electricity bills to zero and we are cutting business rates for 32,000 small venues, pubs and clubs. Obviously, that is not a silver bullet, but the intent is there to do everything we can to help people who are suffering.

I echo the noble Earl’s comments about my noble friends Lady Curran and Lord Whitehead. I worked closely with them both. The issue of future help for the energy market et cetera is something we will have to wait for until we do the Budget next year. In the meantime, we will continue to help people with the cost of living. I want to point out the measures we have taken that will help people in the short term: we have frozen rail fares, cut energy bills by £150, cut VAT on electricity bills to zero and we are cutting business rates for 32,000 small venues, pubs and clubs. Obviously, that is not a silver bullet, but the intent is there to do everything we can to help people who are suffering.

My Lords, the last Conservative Government, in their dying days, made a number of high-profile announcements on carbon capture, usage and storage, nuclear financing and hydrogen production. However, when the Treasury carried out its initial

spending audit, it found from the capital allocation maps that it did not possess the cash required to hit the legal and infrastructural targets and rollout timetables necessary to fulfil those commitments. Does the Minister agree with me that a little more self-reflection and humility on that side would not go amiss?

My Lords, the last Conservative Government, in their dying days, made a number of high-profile announcements on carbon capture, usage and storage, nuclear financing and hydrogen production. However, when the Treasury carried out its initial

spending audit, it found from the capital allocation maps that it did not possess the cash required to hit the legal and infrastructural targets and rollout timetables necessary to fulfil those commitments. Does the Minister agree with me that a little more self-reflection and humility on that side would not go amiss?

I remind my noble friend that they left us with a black hole of £22 billion. Among other matters, there was £2.6 billion of new unfunded policy announcements, £6.4 billion for asylum and illegal migration, which was not funded, and £9.4 billion for pay awards, which was not funded. We need to find a few hundred million pounds to help the people most in need. I think that they should reflect on what they did in government.

I remind my noble friend that they left us with a black hole of £22 billion. Among other matters, there was £2.6 billion of new unfunded policy announcements, £6.4 billion for asylum and illegal migration, which was not funded, and £9.4 billion for pay awards, which was not funded. We need to find a few hundred million pounds to help the people most in need. I think that they should reflect on what they did in government.

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My Lords, any easing of the cost of living is to be welcomed. However, the Minister will be aware that the VAT reduction cannot be directly applied to Northern Ireland because of the rules of the Windsor Framework and the arrangements with the European Union. At best, we will have a situation in which a convoluted alternative route will have to be found, which clearly will lead at least to delays for consumers in Northern Ireland receiving any level of help. As this points to the need for a much deeper and longer-term solution, what action are the Government taking in the short term at least to get a derogation from the EU, so that Northern Ireland consumers can enjoy the same benefits as those in the rest of the United Kingdom?

My Lords, any easing of the cost of living is to be welcomed. However, the Minister will be aware that the VAT reduction cannot be directly applied to Northern Ireland because of the rules of the Windsor Framework and the arrangements with the European Union. At best, we will have a situation in which a convoluted alternative route will have to be found, which clearly will lead at least to delays for consumers in Northern Ireland receiving any level of help. As this points to the need for a much deeper and longer-term solution, what action are the Government taking in the short term at least to get a derogation from the EU, so that Northern Ireland consumers can enjoy the same benefits as those in the rest of the United Kingdom?

We know the issues around VAT in Northern Ireland, for example on electricity bills. The Northern Ireland Executive will receive comparable funding to enable them to support NI households with the cost of living. We have taken into consideration all the issues around the Windsor Framework, and we will continue to help the people most in need who live in Northern Ireland.

We know the issues around VAT in Northern Ireland, for example on electricity bills. The Northern Ireland Executive will receive comparable funding to enable them to support NI households with the cost of living. We have taken into consideration all the issues around the Windsor Framework, and we will continue to help the people most in need who live in Northern Ireland.