Written questions by Shannon.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of stamp duty changes on housing market activity.

Awaiting answer.

What recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of freezing income tax thresholds on taxpayers.

Awaiting answer.

What steps her Department is taking to tackle tax avoidance and evasion through offshore financial arrangements.

Awaiting answer.

What the projected level of public sector net borrowing is for this financial year.

Awaiting answer.

What discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on improving value for money in public spending programmes.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of the long-term sustainability of public finances.

Awaiting answer.

What recent discussions she has had with mortgage lenders on support available for homeowners experiencing financial difficulty.

Awaiting answer.

What steps she is taking to increase productivity.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to fuel duty on households and businesses reliant on road transport.

Awaiting answer.

What discussions she has had with regulators on the affordability of consumer credit products.

Awaiting answer.

What steps she is taking to help support households facing increased mortgage costs.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of rising food prices on household finances in the past 12 months.

Awaiting answer.

What estimate her Department has made of the number of people paying the higher rate of income tax in the most recent tax year.

Awaiting answer.

How much revenue was generated from capital gains tax in the last financial year.

Awaiting answer.

How her Department monitors the impact of inflation on rural low-income families.

The Government recognises that rising household costs, driven by elevated inflation, continue to place pressure on many families, including those in rural areas. CPI inflation is measured by the Office for National Statistics. While it is not broken down by geographic region or by income level, the ONS does produce a wider range of measures that consider the cost pressures faced by different groups. This in part recognises that low-income households can be more exposed to price rises in essential goods and services, and may be disproportionately affected when these rise faster than average inflation. Tackling the cost of living is a top priority for the Government. At the Budget, the Government also took action to bear down on prices and support households, including by reducing household energy bills from April 2026, expanding the Warm Home Discount, freezing regulated rail fares and NHS prescription fees, and extending the 5p fuel duty cut. Alongside this, the Government is going even further to support those who need it most by removing the two-child limit, increasing the national living wage, and committing to the pensions Triple Lock for the duration of this Parliament. Since the beginning of the Iran conflict, the government has acted quickly to provide £53m in timely, targeted support to low-income households struggling with the rising price of heating oil and at risk of losing access to heating and hot water.

Whether her Department runs financial literacy programs for small charities.

HM Treasury does not directly deliver financial literacy programmes. The Government supports financial capability through a range of activity, including the work of the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS), an arm’s length body which provides, free impartial money guidance for every stage of people’s financial lives. MaPS runs the Money Guiders programme, which equips frontline staff – including those working in charities and community organisations – with the skills and confidence to have effect conversations about money with the people they support. As part of the Financial Inclusion Strategy, published on 5 November 2025, the Government announced that MaPS will expand and enhance Money Guiders to help deliver quality financial guidance across the UK. To date, Money Guiders has engaged over 18,000 practitioners and partnered with nearly 300 organisations. More detail on the Government’s broader approach to financial education and capability is set out in the Strategy. Wider policy on civil society and youth, including charities and the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VSCE) sector sits with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DMCS).

What fiscal steps her Department is taking to help encourage charitable donations.

To encourage charitable donations, the Government allows charities and their donors to claim tax reliefs across several different tax heads and exemptions, including VAT, Inheritance Tax, Stamp Duty, and Business Rates. Charities can also claim Gift Aid of 25p for every £1 of eligible donations made by UK taxpayers.

What recent discussions she has had with financial institutions on improving access to affordable credit for small businesses.

The Government is committed to ensuring that small businesses across the UK can access the finance they need to start, grow and thrive. Treasury ministers, including me in my capacity as Economic Secretary, regularly meet with both traditional and newer banks, and wider market actors across the financial services sector, to discuss a range of matters.The chief focus of this Government is growth, and the financial services sector clearly has an important role to play in supporting the real economy. The UK benefits here from a diverse range of high-street banks, specialist lenders and fintechs, supported by Government policies such as Commercial Credit Data Sharing and British Business Bank programmes, for example the Growth Guarantee Scheme and Community ENABLE Funding. In the Spending Review last year, the Treasury gave the British Business Bank a significant uplift of £6.6 billion, increasing the Bank’s total financial capacity to £25.6 billion. This settlement represents a major expansion of the Bank’s ability to support SME finance, crowd in private investment, and deliver new programmes such as Industrial Strategy Growth Capital and expanded regional and sectoral funds.

What recent assessment she has made of the impact of inflation on low-income households.

The Government recognises inflation can place particular pressure on low-income households. Analysis from the Office for National Statistics shows that lower-income households spend a larger share of their income on essentials such as food, energy and housing. The Government is committed to bearing down on inflationary pressures and cutting the cost of living. Alongside this, the Government is going further to support those who need it most by removing the two-child limit in Universal Credit, increasing the National Living Wage, and committing to the pensions Triple Lock for the duration of this Parliament. The Government has also expanded the £150 Warm Home Discount to a total of 6 million lower-income households, and is expanding free school meals to children in households receiving Universal Credit in England.

What estimate she has made of the potential economic benefits of increased investment in regional infrastructure projects.

The 10 Year Infrastructure Strategy is core to delivering the government’s mission to boost living standards in every part of the UK, by funding at least £725 billion for infrastructure over the next decade. This is creating and connecting people to good jobs, supporting new housing and neighbourhoods, ensuring people can depend on vital public services and providing resilience in response to a changing world.On Tuesday 17 March we announced new City Investment Funds which will provide up to £2.3 billion of new grant, loan, and patient capital funding, going directly into hands of mayors of the largest city regions in the North of England and the Midlands to deliver city densification at a local level, and to address viability gaps. City Investment Funds will bring together financing tools for five Mayoral Strategic Authorities in the North including West Yorkshire Combined Authority.The government is also rolling out targeted local growth funding across the UK. Northern Ireland will receive a total of £45.5m per year of local growth funding over the next three years to invest in key growth priorities.