Written questions by Mohamed.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure that Gift Aid is not given to charities linked to illegal activity.

The Government implements safeguards to prevent payments to charities associated with illegal activity. Most charities are required to be registered with their local regulator such as the Charity Commission for England and Wales (CCEW), Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR), and Charity Commission for Northern Ireland (CCNI). In order to claim Gift Aid, they must also be registered with HMRC. This ensures that only organisations subject to regulatory oversight, trustee accountability and enforcement powers can access tax reliefs such as Gift Aid. HMRC conducts validation and risk-based checks at registration and thereafter. These checks involve reviewing Gift Aid claims supplied by the charity. Charities must also obtain valid Gift Aid declarations from all donors in respect of whom Gift Aid is claimed. They must maintain records linking each donation to a valid declaration, including donor identity and donation details. HMRC monitors charities through risk assessments and sector trends to ensure funds are used appropriately and reliefs are granted only where entitled. The government introduced legislation, enacted in Finance Act 2026, which strengthens HMRC’s ability to challenge illegal and abusive arrangements.

How much funding her Department has provided for management apprenticeships for its own staff in each of the last three financial years.

HM Treasury has spent the following on management apprenticeships:2023-24 – £195,1032024-25 - £749,3752025-26 - £615,591 HMRC has spent the following on management apprenticeships:2023-24 – £113,3432024-25 - £95,8112025-26 - £118,859 HM Treasury is reviewing its approach to apprenticeships and is looking to offer staff more opportunities in areas such as AI and digital.

What advice or guidance her Department provides on compliance with sanctions imposed by the United States against judges, lawyers, and officials of the International Criminal Court to banks and firms providing financial services.

The Government has not issued specific advice or guidance to banks or financial services firms on complying with United States sanctions imposed on individuals associated with the International Criminal Court. The action taken by the United States under Executive Order 14203 is limited to the jurisdiction of the United States and does not reflect any legal action or domestic sanction taken by the UK. The UK respects the independence of the International Criminal Court and does not support sanctioning individuals or organisations associated with the Court.

If she will make it her policy to introduce (a) fiscal and (b) regulatory measures to mitigate the potential impact of the adoption of AI on employment.

The Government is implementing all the recommendations from the AI Opportunities Action Plan to ensure we shape AI to deliver productivity gains, rising living standards, and improved worker wellbeing, while mitigating the risks. By becoming the best place in Europe to start and grow a tech company—powered by our leadership in AI—we are unlocking new opportunities for innovation, investment, and workforce development. This means helping people build world-class skills and rewarding careers in a thriving, future-facing economy. As part of this, we have secured a partnership with leading tech firms to deliver AI skills training to 7.5 million UK workers by 2030, to help workers transition into new roles created by AI and automation.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of HMRC’s capacity to monitor the importation of goods from (a) countries and (b) territories subject to (i) arms embargoes, (ii) trade sanctions and (iii) other trade restrictions.

HMRC operates a risk-based model for customs compliance which is designed to support the flow of compliant international trade, while maintaining effective controls to collect revenue, protect the UK economy and wider society from harm and uphold the UK’s reputation as a trusted trading partner. Imported and exported goods must be declared to HMRC and are subject to risk-based controls and verification. There are additional controls and restrictions on goods imported from and exported to certain countries, including those subject to arms embargoes and sanctions. The controls and verification are tailored to the underlying risks but may include physical examinations of goods at the time of import or export and/or documentary checks. HMRC collects the UK’s international trade in goods data and publishes this as two accredited official statistics series on gov.uk.