Written questions by Hanna.

How many applications for funding from the UK Infrastructure Bank for schemes in Northern Ireland were (a) awarded and (b) rejected.

The National Wealth Fund (NWF), formerly the UK Infrastructure Bank, has committed funding to three transactions that have benefited Northern Ireland (NI) with a total of £71m invested to date. Two of these deals are debt investments in the digital sector, supporting Fibrus and Netomnia, and the other is a guarantee deal for retrofitting social housing with Barclays. Due to commercial confidentiality, the NWF does not disclose details of deals that were not completed. However, it has a robust process in place to assess the suitability of deal enquires in line with its strategy. Further details on how NWF assess deals and additionality can be found in their Strategic Plan, and details on deals signed can be found in their Factsheets.

Whether she has made a comparative assessment of (a) boarding departments in state schools in England and (b) grant aided schools in Northern Ireland, in the context of the introduction of VAT on independent schools.

On 29 July, the Government announced that, as of 1 January 2025, all education services and vocational training provided by a private school in the UK for a charge will be subject to VAT at the standard rate of 20 per cent. This will also apply to boarding services provided by private schools. Boarding at state schools is provided to parents at cost and is closely related to the supply of state education. The government therefore believes it is right that state boarding should continue to be exempt. To ensure consistency in the VAT treatment of schools across the UK, as set out in the draft legislation published in July, where a school charges for the full-time education of children of compulsory school age and/or full-time education suitable for the requirements of 16-19 year olds, it will be within scope of this policy. All education, vocational training and boarding services provided by schools within scope of this policy will be subject to 20% VAT from January 2025. This is in line with the principles set out in the technical note published in July. The draft legislation and technical note can be found online here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/vat-on-private-school-fees-removing-the-charitable-rates-relief-for-private-schools HM Treasury have been engaging closely with the Northern Ireland Executive to understand how different schools in Northern Ireland will be impacted by this policy.

If she will take steps to include support for home owners struggling with mortgage commitments in the Budget.

This Government recognises that many households have been faced with higher mortgage rates in recent years. That is why we are committed to delivering economic stability to grow the economy and keep taxes, inflation and mortgage rates as low as possible. The pricing of mortgages is a commercial decision for lenders in which the Government does not intervene. However, there are significant measures in place to protect vulnerable mortgage borrowers. Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) rules require lenders to engage individually with their customers who are struggling or who are worried about their payments, and the Mortgage Charter also remains in place providing additional flexibilities to help customers manage their mortgage payments over a short period.