Daniel Zeichner corrected a written answer on Agriculture: Inheritance Tax

20 January 2025 · Commons written answer · Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Simon Hoare (Conservative, North Dorset) asked written question 23805 on 14 January 2025. Daniel Zeichner answered on 20 January 2025 for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and Daniel Zeichner corrected the answer on 20 January 2025. The figure 99.97 in the original became £5 billion in the correction. Altogether 325 words differ between the two versions.

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an estimate of the number of farms that will be affected by changes made to agricultural property relief and Inheritance Tax at the Autumn Budget 2024 in (a) North Dorset constituency, (b) Dorset and (c) the UK.

Original and corrected answer

Struck through: original only. Bold: correction only.

Original	Corrected
~~Drinking Water quality~~ in ~~England is regulated through~~ the ~~Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations. The Drinking Water Inspectorate is~~ the ~~enforcing regulator. The Regulations require a programme of random samples~~ to be taken from consumers’ taps, and the results are reported to the Inspectorate. Any breaches are investigated by the company and assessed by the Inspectorate and enforcement action taken as appropriate. 99.97% of samples complied with the standards in 2023, for public supplies in England. Thames performed better on the ~~compliance risk index compared~~ to the industry median. Thames is required to notify the Inspectorate of any unusual event which could be a ~~risk to consumers - each event is investigated by the Inspectorate,~~ and enforcement action taken as required. The Inspectorate assessed 61 events reported by Thames Water in 2024. Thames Water adopts a water safety planning approach to drinking water, in line with the WHO recommendations. This ensures risks are identified and mitigated before there is any impact on consumers. In 2024, the Inspectorate completed technical audits at seven sites and conducted a further desktop audit of bespoke network assets. There are currently 26 improvement notices issued by the Inspectorate to improve water quality across Thames’ asset base.	Assessing the impact of the new Inheritance Tax policy, which comes into force from 6 April 2026, relies on a number of factors such as ownership structure and debt levels. Without such information, which the Government does not hold at that level, area level assessments cannot be made. This Government is aware that each farm is different, and so we encourage farmers to speak to their tax advisors and agents to understand how these changes may impact their specific situation and how to plan for the future. As an outcome of the recent Spending Review, we have committed £5 billion in the agricultural budget over the next two years – the biggest ever budget for sustainable food production and nature recovery in this country’s history. This enables us to keep momentum on the path to a more resilient and sustainable farming sector.

Original

Corrected

~~Drinking Water quality~~ in ~~England is regulated through~~ the ~~Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations. The Drinking Water Inspectorate is~~ the ~~enforcing regulator. The Regulations require a programme of random samples~~ to be taken from consumers’ taps, and the results are reported to the Inspectorate. Any breaches are investigated by the company and assessed by the Inspectorate and enforcement action taken as appropriate.
99.97% of samples complied with the standards in 2023, for public supplies in England. Thames performed better on the ~~compliance risk index compared~~ to the industry median.
Thames is required to notify the Inspectorate of any unusual event which could be a ~~risk to consumers - each event is investigated by the Inspectorate,~~ and enforcement action taken as required. The Inspectorate assessed 61 events reported by Thames Water in 2024.
Thames Water adopts a water safety planning approach to drinking water, in line with the WHO recommendations. This ensures risks are identified and mitigated before there is any impact on consumers.
In 2024, the Inspectorate completed technical audits at seven sites and conducted a further desktop audit of bespoke network assets. There are currently 26 improvement notices issued by the Inspectorate to improve water quality across Thames’ asset base.

Assessing the impact of the new Inheritance Tax policy, which comes into force from 6 April 2026, relies on a number of factors such as ownership structure and debt levels. Without such information, which the Government does not hold at that level, area level assessments cannot be made.
This Government is aware that each farm is different, and so we encourage farmers to speak to their tax advisors and agents to understand how these changes may impact their specific situation and how to plan for the future.
As an outcome of the recent Spending Review, we have committed £5 billion in the agricultural budget over the next two years – the biggest ever budget for sustainable food production and nature recovery in this country’s history. This enables us to keep momentum on the path to a more resilient and sustainable farming sector.

The question and answer on the Parliament website.

Receipt

Read from	https://questions-statements-api.parliament.uk/api/writtenquestions/questions/1755260?expandMember=true
Date read	15 October 2026
SHA-256	`c077219ff0b9e65dc3b074f0ee53b79f9d7d77a81eb3c18718c5534befae6a5c`