Written questions by Onwurah.

What steps she is taking to ensure that national economic policy does not disproportionately impact the Oxford‑Cambridge growth corridor over regions with industrial, technology and energy capacity such as the North East.

The Government’s economic strategy aims to spread growth across Britain, supporting all regions by investing in transport, housing, skills, and key industrial sectors. The Chancellor has repeatedly emphasised that regional growth, including in the North and North East, is central to her plans, highlighted by ongoing work on the Northern Growth Strategy. These measures are part of a place-based approach to boost the UK’s productive capacity and living standards, ensuring national policy promotes growth in every region rather than focusing on a single area.

What proportion of Israeli goods imported to the UK are from the Occupied Territories.

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is responsible for the collection and publication of data on imports and exports of goods to and from the UK. HMRC releases this information monthly, as an accredited official statistic called the Overseas Trade in Goods Statistics (OTS), which is available via their dedicated website (www.uktradeinfo.com). From this website, it is possible to build your own data tables based upon bespoke search criteria.

Pursuant to the Answer of 17 July 2025 to Question 67326 on Taxation, what reforms to the tax system are being considered to support (a) job creation and (b) economic participation in regions with persistently lower employment levels.

The OBR will produce a new forecast for the annual Budget, and the Chancellor will make decisions in the round based on that forecast. The Government is focused on unleashing the potential of people across all nations and regions of the UK and growing the economy – a key priority in the Plan for Change.

If she will request that the Office for Budget Responsibility model an AI-accelerated productivity scenario alongside potential fiscal risks for (a) climate change, (b) demographic and (c) other trends.

The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) is the Government's official independent forecaster responsible for assessing the UK economic and fiscal outlook. All judgements underpinning these forecasts, including estimates of the impacts of Artificial Intelligence (AI), are for the OBR and the OBR has discretion over the contents of its publications.

Whether her Department has requested that the Office for Budget Responsibility assess the potential fiscal impacts of artificial intelligence.

The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) is the Government's official independent forecaster responsible for assessing the UK economic and fiscal outlook. All judgements underpinning these forecasts, including estimates of the impacts of Artificial Intelligence (AI), are for the OBR and the OBR has discretion over the contents of its publications.

What assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the levels of resilience in the UK tax system of a shift from labour-intensive to capital-intensive economic models.

It is vital the tax system supports our growth mission. The Government is focused on unleashing the potential of people across all nations and regions of the UK, with an ambition of an 80 per cent employment rate. The Government continues to keep all elements of the tax system under review.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of increases in employer National Insurance contributions on levels of youth employment in the North East.

A detailed assessment of the policy has been published by HMRC in their Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN). The TIIN sets out the impact of the policy on the exchequer, the economic impacts of the policy, and the impacts on individuals, businesses, and civil society organisations, as well as an overview of the equality impacts. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) also publishes Economic and Fiscal Outlooks (EFOs), which set out a detailed forecast of the economy and public finances. With all policies considered, the OBR's March 2025 EFO forecasts the employment level to increase from 33.6 million in 2024 to 34.8 million in 2029. This Government is committed to providing young people with the best start to their working lives. We have committed to deliver a Youth Guarantee so that all 18 to 21-year-olds in England have access to education, training or help to find a job or an apprenticeship. The Government is also expanding Sector-based Work Academy Programmes to provide 100,000 places in 2025/26, providing a work placement, training and a guaranteed interview that can kickstart a new career and support young people into work.

Whether her Department has issued guidance to the Office for Budget Responsibility on the potential inclusion of (a) technological disruption and (b) artificial intelligence in its long-term economic modelling.

The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) is the Government's official independent forecaster responsible for assessing the UK economic and fiscal outlook. All judgements underpinning these forecasts, including estimates of the impacts of Artificial Intelligence (AI), are for the OBR and the OBR has discretion over the contents of its publications.

How her Department plans to quantify the (a) costs and (b) savings associated with the adoption of artificial intelligence in (i) health, (ii) defence, (iii) education and (iv) other public services; and whether she considered including such an assessment in the recent Fiscal Risks and Sustainability report.

The government has committed to invest in upgrading essential digital infrastructure, modernise public services and drive a major overhaul in government productivity and efficiency by harnessing the power of Artificial Intelligence (AI). The Spending Review 2025 sets out plans for a step change in investment in digital and AI across public services, including an uplift of £1.2 billion for the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) to drive forward cross-cutting digital and AI priorities.HM Treasury has not made a central assessment of AI adoption costs and savings in each public service area. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) provides independent analysis of the UK's public finances and publishes the Fiscal Risk and Sustainability Report and, as such, determine the scope and details within the report. The OBR has full discretion over the judgements underpinning their forecasts.

Whether her Department's long-term fiscal modelling includes assumptions on the potential impact of artificial intelligence on levels of productivity.

The OBR is the government's official forecaster and is responsible for assessing the UK’s economic and fiscal outlook. Its annual publication of its Fiscal Risks and Sustainability (FRS) report includes biennial long-term projections and analysis of major potential fiscal risks. The OBR includes a long-run productivity assumption in its forecasts. In its July 2025 long-run report, it noted that if productivity grows faster than expected it could significantly improve the outlook for the public finances. One driver for stronger-than expected productivity growth is the rapid development and spread of artificial intelligence. However, the magnitude and timing of the potential boost to productivity remains highly uncertain.

Whether her Department has produced internal modelling on the potential fiscal impacts of artificial intelligence.

The OBR is the government's official forecaster and is responsible for assessing the UK’s economic and fiscal outlook. Its annual publication of its Fiscal Risks and Sustainability (FRS) report includes biennial long-term projections and analysis of major potential fiscal risks. The OBR includes a long-run productivity assumption in its forecasts. In its July 2025 long-run report, it noted that if productivity grows faster than expected it could significantly improve the outlook for the public finances. One driver for stronger-than expected productivity growth is the rapid development and spread of artificial intelligence. However, the magnitude and timing of the potential boost to productivity remains highly uncertain.

With reference to the correspondence to the Chair of the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee from the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State of 10 April 2025, for what reason the projected £45 billion in annual savings from the digitalisation of public services was not included in the Spending Review 2025, published on 11 June 2025.

The figure of £45 billion in annual savings and productivity gains, published in ‘A blueprint for modern digital government’, represents a long-term estimate of the potential benefits for the digital transformation of the public sector. Spending Review 2025 sets out plans for a step change in investment in digital and artificial intelligence (AI) across public services. Over the Spending Review period, the government will build strong digital and technology foundations, tackle urgent cybersecurity and technical resilience risks, modernise public service delivery, and drive a major overhaul in government productivity and efficiency. All departments will deliver at least 5% savings and efficiencies by 2028‑29. The Office for Value for Money has worked closely with departments to agree bespoke and stretching technical efficiency targets, underpinned by credible delivery plans.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential implications for her polices of recent trends in levels of capital provision by US venture capital firms in (a) UK and (b) other markets.

Venture capital (VC) investment from around the world is important to the UK economy, and US investors continue to play a significant role. In Q1 2025, UK innovation businesses raised over £3bn – this is an 8% increase on the same period last year and the highest Q1 total since 2022. The UK ranks third globally for VC investment and has raised more than France, Germany, and Spain combined so far this year.The Government is taking action to continue attracting international VC investment, including from the US, through the investor relationship work of the Office for Investment and by partnering with industry on international capital roadshows. We are also reviewing how to accelerate the growth of the UK’s domestic VC ecosystem through the public finance institution landscape review.In addition, the Government recognises the value in growing the UK’s domestic VC investment market and it is taking steps to support this, including through the British Growth Partnership (BGP). This is a commercially driven investment vehicle designed to attract UK pension fund and other institutional capital into venture capital funds and innovative businesses. Last September, the Chancellor also announced an extension of the UK’s generous venture capital tax reliefs, the Enterprise Investment Scheme and the Venture Capital Trust scheme which - alongside the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme - offer generous tax reliefs in return for investing in UK business.

Whether she has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of ending the entitlement of football clubs to claim research and development tax credits.

The Government recognises the importance of Research and Development (R&D) in driving innovation and the benefits it can bring for society, where the R&D tax reliefs play a vital role in the Government’s mission to boost economic growth.All sectors are able to claim R&D relief on projects that meet the definition of qualifying R&D set out in DSIT Guidelines. R&D claims from all sectors are checked and where risks are identified HMRC use a range of compliance approaches and powers to address them.There are currently no plans to exclude certain sectors from claiming R&D relief.

With reference to the Autumn Budget 2024, published on 30 October 2024, and his Department's press release entitled Pat McFadden vows to make the state more like a start up as he deploys reform teams across country, published on 9 December 2024, which Department’s budget allocation the £100m Innovation Fund will be drawn from.

I refer the hon Friend to the answer given to Question UIN 11936 on 8 November 2024. The Public Sector Reform and Innovation Fund allocates £165 million to a range of projects in 2025-26, including support for foster care, delivering apprenticeships and planning reforms. Partnering with Mayors and local leaders, the Autumn Budget 2024 allocated a further £100 million over the next three years to public service reform with a focus on experimentation and learning. This will complement and inform ongoing reform programmes being delivered by departments. The Government will announce more details on this in due course.

Pursuant to the Answer of 8 November 2024 to Question 12054 on Department for Business and Trade: Finance, whether the figures referenced are included in the £20.4 billion mentioned on page 65 of the Autumn Budget 2024, published on 30 October.

The £20.4bn referenced on page 65 of the Budget document refers to all departmental research and development budgets for 2025/2026.This includes a research and development allocation for the Department for Business and Trade for 2025/2026 of £329m. This includes part of the over £2bn for the automotive sector and £975m for the aerospace sector announced over the next 5 years to 2029/2030 at Budget. The £520m announced for life sciences is not included in the overall figure as it is not research and development.The overall allocations for the automotive and aerospace sectors in the Budget are multi-year commitments, with detail to be agreed through the second phase of the Spending Review. This multi-year allocation includes R&D and Capital funding.

Pursuant to the answer of 4 November 2024 to Question 11881 on Research Finance, if her Department will publish a tabular summary of Capital DEL allocated in the Budget to research and development by Department for 2024-25.

The departmental research and development (R&D) allocations for 2024-25 are set out in the table below. The numbers represent departmental plans as of Autumn Budget 2024, which reflect underspends identified through the Public Spending Audit 2024-25, including as a result of lower Horizon association costs than previously budgeted for.In 2025-26, the government has allocated £20.4 billion for investment in R&D – more than ever before which reflects its focus on growth. This includes the protection of £6.1 billion for core research.Department24-25 R&D (£m)DSIT£ 12,500m*DHSC£ 2,000m*MOD£ 1,800m*DESNZ£ 1,000m*DEFRA£ 400m*SIA£ 400m*FCDO£ 500m*DBT£ 300m*DfT£ 300m*DCMS£ 50m**DfE£ 50m**HO£ 30m**DWP£ 40m**MHCLG£ <10mFSA£ <10mMOJ£ <10mHMRC£ <10mHMT£ <10mTOTAL£ 19,524m *rounded to nearest £100m**rounded to nearest £10m Individual departments have been rounded to reflect the possibility that allocations can change as a result of in-year inter-department budget transfers.

With reference to paragraph 3.19 of Autumn Budget 2024, HC 295, whether the funding for growth-driving sectors will be allocated to the Department for Business and Trade.

This government is committed to delivering a modern Industrial Strategy. The Budget took a first step towards supporting our growth driving sectors, by providing funding in 2025-26 for life sciences manufacturing, allocated to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, and to automotive and aerospace manufacturing, allocated to the Department for Business and Trade. The Budget also confirmed long-term funding for these sectors - £975m for aerospace, over £2bn for automotive, and up to £520m for life sciences supporting the development of new technology, further details of this funding will be set out through the Spending Review and publication of the full Industrial Strategy in Spring 2025.

With reference to Autumn Budget 2024, HC 295, published on 30 October 2024, if her Department will publish a tabular summary of Capital DEL allocated in the Budget to research and development by Department.

To fully harness the potential of the UK's excellent science base and to foster a dynamic investment economy, the Budget protects record levels of government research and development (R&D) investment with £20.4 billion allocated in 2025-26. This is allocated as per the table below. Department25-26 R&D*DSIT£13,936mDHSC£2,036mMOD£1,685mDESNZ£730mDEFRA£512mSIA£439mFCDO£335mDBT£329mDfT£154mDCMS£63mDfE£50mHO£45mDWP£39mMHCLG£9mFSA£8mMOJ£3mHMRC£2mHMT£1mTOTAL£20,376m

With reference to paragraph 3.19 of the Autumn Budget 2024, HC 295, published on 30 October 2024, if she will publish an allocation breakdown of the £20.4 billion spending on research and development for 2025-26.

To fully harness the potential of the UK's excellent science base and to foster a dynamic investment economy, the Budget protects record levels of government research and development (R&D) investment with £20.4 billion allocated in 2025-26. This is allocated as per the table below. Department25-26 R&D*DSIT£13,936mDHSC£2,036mMOD£1,685mDESNZ£730mDEFRA£512mSIA£439mFCDO£335mDBT£329mDfT£154mDCMS£63mDfE£50mHO£45mDWP£39mMHCLG£9mFSA£8mMOJ£3mHMRC£2mHMT£1mTOTAL£20,376m