Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Home Ownership: Support

Monday 15 June 2020 · 1 question

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 0 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Rob Roberts inquired about the First Homes initiative and mentioned a friend's recent purchase in Wales where land transaction tax was 3,700, contrasting with no stamp duty in England.
  • The minister noted that land transaction tax in Wales is devolved and criticized the Welsh Government's record on house-building, particularly in social housing.
  • The minister praised England's stamp duty relief for first-time buyers.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Rob Roberts Con Delyn
Housing Wales
Context

First Homes programme for discounted home ownership, and the differences in land transaction tax between Wales and England.

Question

Inquires about the First Homes initiative which discounts homes by at least 30% for local people and first-time buyers, noting a friend's recent purchase in Wales where he paid £3,700 in land transaction tax while purchases across the border in England would incur no stamp duty. Asks for support to raise the Welsh threshold for first-time buyers to match England's at £300,000.

Answer from The Minister of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government (Christopher Pincher)

Acknowledges Delyn as a beautiful constituency; notes that land transaction tax in Wales is devolved. Criticizes the Welsh Government's house-building record, highlighting their lack of success especially in social housing with fewer than 140 built in five years. Praises England's stamp duty relief measures which mean no stamp duty for 80% of first-time buyers and significant reductions for others, benefiting over 500,000 people since its introduction.

Answered
Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)