Written questions by Kyrke-Smith.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the treatment of crime‑prevention measures, including CCTV systems, within business rates valuations on levels of business investment in security; and whether she plans to reform the business rates system to help support crime prevention.

Please refer to the previous answers to UIN 84492 and UIN 49676.The Call for Evidence published at Budget sought further evidence on the role business rates and reliefs play in investment, including Improvement Relief. Transforming the business rates system is a multi-year process, and any reforms taken forward will be phased over the course of the Parliament. Moreover, the Government is providing up to £7m over the next 3-years to support the police in tackling retail crime, including continued funding for a specialist policing team to tackle organised retail crime gangs and identify more offenders. This money will also support police-led work to strengthen policing and retailers’ joint response to retail crime.

What steps she is taking to (a) support farmers with the cost of red diesel and (b) improve transparency and competitiveness in the red diesel market.

Farmers retained the entitlement to use red diesel for agricultural machinery after it was withdrawn from most sectors in 2022. Red diesel used in agriculture is subject to fuel duty at just 10.18p per litre compared to 52.95p for diesel used on roads, representing savings of almost £300m p.a. for the agricultural sector. At Budget 2025, the Government extended the temporary 5p fuel duty cut alongside extending the proportionate percentage cut for rebated fuels, which includes red diesel. This maintains the red diesel rate at the levels set in March 2022 at 10.18p per litre until the end of August 2026, with rates then gradually returning to March 2022 levels by March 2027, an increase of less than 1p a litre. The planned inflation increase for 2026-27 has also been cancelled.

What is the number of unclaimed matured HMRC-allocated Child Trust Funds (CTF) which have been automatically transferred into Individual Savings Accounts at the direction of their account provider and without positive acceptance by their young adult owners; and whether these accounts remain separately identified as such in order to be eligible for any automatic release scheme for unclaimed matured HMRC-allocated CTF accounts that may be introduced in the future.

Information on Child Trust Funds is available in HMRC’s Annual Savings Statistics.https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/annual-savings-statistics-2025We cannot answer each element of the 2 questions as HMRC does not receive a breakdown of unclaimed matured Child Trust Fund accounts from providers. This means we can’t identify which CTFs have been HMRC allocated and transferred into ISAs, nor breakdown the figures shared in the press release on the 30th September.

What is the number of unclaimed matured HMRC-allocated Child Trust Fund (CTF) accounts which are included within the total quoted in the HMRC press release on 30 September 2025 for all matured CTFs which have neither been claimed by their owners nor automatically transferred.

Information on Child Trust Funds is available in HMRC’s Annual Savings Statistics.https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/annual-savings-statistics-2025We cannot answer each element of the 2 questions as HMRC does not receive a breakdown of unclaimed matured Child Trust Fund accounts from providers. This means we can’t identify which CTFs have been HMRC allocated and transferred into ISAs, nor breakdown the figures shared in the press release on the 30th September.