Written questions by Bloore.

What steps she is taking through the Targeted Support initiative to encourage retail investment among first-time investors.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the Mansion House Reforms in mobilising household savings into growth assets.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of Full Expensing on private investment in national significant grid infrastructure.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of marginal electricity pricing on the Consumer Prices Index since July 2024.

Forecasting the economy, including the impact of Government policy decisions on inflation, is the responsibility of the independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR). The OBR has not published a specific estimate of the impact of marginal electricity pricing on Consumer Price Index inflation.The electricity market operates on the principle of marginal cost pricing, where gas-fired generation frequently sets the wholesale price, meaning electricity prices have closely tracked gas prices. This is link is already weakening as more renewable energy comes online. The Government is taking further steps to reduce this link: we will set out plans for legacy low-carbon generators to move onto fixed-price arrangements from 2027, and the Electricity Generator Levy's rate has been increased, and it will be extended beyond its scheduled end date. Further details on these measures will be provided in due course. As reliance on gas falls, electricity prices are expected to be set increasingly by lower-cost generation, including renewables.

What consideration she has given of the potential merits of establishing a mutual or pooled cyber-risk scheme to reduce fiscal exposure and protect local economies.

The government has no plans to establish a mutual or pooled cyber risk scheme at this time. Cyber insurance is widely offered in the UK insurance market and the government would encourage businesses to shop around, or employ the services of a broker, to find the most appropriate cover, at the best price. The government will continue to monitor the cyber insurance market and related developments to ensure the UK’s economic resilience remains robust.

What assessment she has made of the value for money of recent Government-backed support to companies affected by cyberattacks.

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) works round the clock to counter attacks, support victims and empower organisations to protect themselves from online threats. The NCSC makes its advice and guidance to organisations freely available. Where businesses do face disruption, and there is a risk of significant economic or social impacts, the government is prepared to act. In 2025, the government agreed to back JLR with a loan guarantee from UK Export Finance (UKEF). This decisive action helped JLR continue to support 154,000 UK jobs and protected a critical part of our automotive supply chain. JLR employs 34,000 people directly in the UK and supports 120,000 more jobs through its supply chain, many in small and medium-sized enterprises. The loan covered by the guarantee will be re-paid over 5 years. As with any government intervention to support businesses in distress, the government sets a high bar and keeps value for money under constant review to ensure taxpayer funds are spent wisely.

Whether she has assessed the potential merits of public equity investment in frontier artificial intelligence companies in encouraging those firms to list or dual-list on UK capital markets.

The British Business Bank’s Five Year Strategic Plan, published in November 2025, sets a clear focus on improving access to finance for smaller and high-growth businesses, helping crowd in private capital and ensuring more UK companies can reach scale and ultimately access public markets. A strong early‑stage and scale‑up ecosystem is essential to the long‑term depth and competitiveness of the UK’s public equity markets.In 2025, the Government increased the British Business Bank’s financial capacity to £25.6 billion, marking a major step change in its ability to support UK businesses to start and scale. The Government have also delivered an ambitious set of reforms to boost the UK’s capital markets and make it easier to IPO in the UK through an ambitious modernisation of the UK’s listings rules. Taken together, these reforms make it easier to start, scale and list in the UK.

What recent assessment she has made of the impact of Brexit on the economy.

The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has included assessments of the economic impacts of leaving the EU in its forecasts since 2016. In March 2020, the OBR estimated that GDP will be 4% lower in the long run than it would have been had the UK not withdrawn from the EU, and that imports and exports will eventually both be 15 per cent lower than had the UK stayed in the EU. As of November 2025, OBRs assumptions were unchanged from its previous assessment.

What the value is of outstanding (a) loans and (b) debts liable to the UK from lower-income countries.

The value of outstanding debt from Low Income Countries to the UK is approximately £2.1bn as of August 2024.This data is publicly available in the ‘Report on outstanding debt owed by other countries to His Majesty’s Government in 2024’, published on gov.uk in December 2024. Low Income Countries are defined in this response using the Development Assistance Committee list of Least Developed Countries from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Whether their Department offers (a) paid time off work and (b) other support to employees who become kinship carers.

HM Treasury recognises the importance of providing a supportive workplace for employees who have caring responsibilities. We do not have a policy which explicitly covers (a) paid time off work and (b) other support to employees who become kinship carers. Employees are able to take time off work to deal with an emergency involving a dependant or are able to request other leave, paid and unpaid, as well as annual and flexi leave as required to support them when they become a kinship carer. Employees are also able to request flexible working to support both short term and longer term care arrangements. Each case is considered on an individual basis.

Whether she plans to review the list price at which motorists are required to pay additional car tax.

The Expensive Car Supplement is an additional VED charge for new cars with a list price of £40,000 or more, which is payable in year 2 – 6 of a car’s lifecycle. As set out at Autumn Budget 2024, the government recognises the disproportionate impact of the current VED Expensive Car Supplement threshold for those purchasing zero emission cars and will consider raising the threshold for zero emission cars only at a future fiscal event, to make it easier to buy electric cars.