Written questions by Anderson.

What steps she is taking to support older people with the cost of utility bills.

We’re committed to helping pensioners with the cost of living and ensuring financial security in retirement. The State Pension is the foundation of that support. At Autumn Budget 2025 we announced that, in line with the Government’s commitment to the Triple Lock throughout this parliament, over 12 million pensioners will benefit from a 4.8% increase to their basic or new State Pension in April 2026, increasing their income by up to £575 a year. This follows a substantial increase in 2025/26. The Pension Credit Standard Minimum Guarantee will increase by 4.8% in April 2026, from £227.10 to £238 a week for a single pensioner and from £346.60 to £363.25 a week for a couple, protecting the income of the poorest pensioners. Those in receipt of Pension Credit will also automatically receive the Cold Weather Payment alongside other benefitsThe Winter Fuel Payment will benefit over three quarters of pensioners for the duration of this parliament, targeting help to those on lower and middle incomes while ensuring fairness for pensioners and taxpayersTo reduce cost of living pressures immediately, the Budget removed around £150 on average off household energy bills from April 2026 by ending the Energy Company Obligation and taking some of the expensive legacy levies off billsThe Government knows that more needs to be done to support vulnerable households struggling with their energy bills. That's why we are expanding the Warm Home Discount to around an additional 2.7 million households. From this winter, around 6 million low-income households will receive the £150 support to help with their energy bill costs. We are also providing support for low-income households through our Warm Homes Plan which will support investment in insulation and low carbon heating – upgrading millions of homes over this Parliament. At the recent Budget, we announced £1.5 billion in new funding to support households facing fuel poverty.

What recent estimate she has made of the number of older people unable to pay utility bills.

We’re committed to helping pensioners with the cost of living and ensuring financial security in retirement. The State Pension is the foundation of that support. At Autumn Budget 2025 we announced that, in line with the Government’s commitment to the Triple Lock throughout this parliament, over 12 million pensioners will benefit from a 4.8% increase to their basic or new State Pension in April 2026, increasing their income by up to £575 a year. This follows a substantial increase in 2025/26. The Pension Credit Standard Minimum Guarantee will increase by 4.8% in April 2026, from £227.10 to £238 a week for a single pensioner and from £346.60 to £363.25 a week for a couple, protecting the income of the poorest pensioners. Those in receipt of Pension Credit will also automatically receive the Cold Weather Payment alongside other benefitsThe Winter Fuel Payment will benefit over three quarters of pensioners for the duration of this parliament, targeting help to those on lower and middle incomes while ensuring fairness for pensioners and taxpayersTo reduce cost of living pressures immediately, the Budget removed around £150 on average off household energy bills from April 2026 by ending the Energy Company Obligation and taking some of the expensive legacy levies off billsThe Government knows that more needs to be done to support vulnerable households struggling with their energy bills. That's why we are expanding the Warm Home Discount to around an additional 2.7 million households. From this winter, around 6 million low-income households will receive the £150 support to help with their energy bill costs. We are also providing support for low-income households through our Warm Homes Plan which will support investment in insulation and low carbon heating – upgrading millions of homes over this Parliament. At the recent Budget, we announced £1.5 billion in new funding to support households facing fuel poverty.

What assessment she has made of the effectiveness of penalties for people engaged in the illegal trade of tobacco products.

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has a robust strategy to tackle the illicit tobacco trade which can be found here https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/stubbing-out-the-problem-a-new-strategy-to-tackle-illicit-tobacco/stubbing-out-the-problem-a-new-strategy-to-tackle-illicit-tobacco This strategy combines legislation, controls, operations and sanctions to penalise and deter those involved in the illegal trade of tobacco products. HMRC works together with partner agencies such as Border Force and Trading Standards in tackling illicit tobacco. Penalties provide a strong deterrent effect and play a key role in enforcement activity. Published data on seizures, criminal investigations and civil penalties related to tobacco can be found here https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/annual-outputs-for-tacking-tobacco-smuggling The scope, impact and effectiveness of penalties are continually reviewed as part of the wider tobacco strategy. Strong enforcement supported by robust penalties has contributed to a significant reduction in the estimated duty gap by around one third for cigarettes (from 16.9% in 2005 to 10.5% in 2023 to 2024) and by nearly two thirds for hand-rolling tobacco (from 65.2% to 22.9% over the same period).

Whether their Department has run any (a) recruitment and (b) internship schemes aimed to increase the number of people from underrepresented groups in the workforce in the last year.

HMT has not run any recruitment or internship schemes specifically aimed at increasing the number of people from underrepresented groups. HMT has participated in some cross-government internship schemes such as the Cabinet Office run Summer Intern Placement (SIP), Autism Exchange Internship Placement and the Department of Work and Pensions’ Movement to Work Scheme.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of illegal tobacco revenues on organised crime networks; and what discussions she has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the potential impact of the current tobacco excise regime on organised crime.

Strong enforcement is essential in tackling the illicit tobacco market. HM Revenue and Customs and Border Force have had illicit tobacco strategies in place since 2000. Our latest strategy, “Stubbing out the problem”, was published in January 2024. The Department continues to investigate how the illicit tobacco market is evolving, including through its compliance activity, and the extent to which that may affect overall tax receipts seen. The illicit tobacco market is dominated by organised crime groups that make money by smuggling and selling illicit tobacco products in the UK. Our latest estimate is that illicit tobacco costs the UK £1.8bn in lost revenue per year. HMRC recently published an updated version of their Measuring Tax Gaps publication which now includes tax gap estimates up to 2023/24. The illicit market volume for cigarettes is shown in Table 3.13 and the total consumption volume is shown in Table 3.12. The illicit market for hand rolling tobacco is shown in Table 3.17 and the total consumption volume is shown in Table 3.16. Whilst tobacco duty has been progressively increased over time, successive illicit tobacco strategies have proven effective in tackling the size of the illicit tobacco market, reducing the tobacco duty tax gap from 21.7% in 2005/6 to 13.8% in 2023/24. Tobacco duty raised almost £8 billion in 2024/25. High duty rates, making tobacco less affordable, have helped reduce smoking prevalence. ‘Cancer in the UK: Overview 2025’ published by Cancer Research cites an Office for National Statistics Adult Smoking Habits publication which shows that the percentage of adult smokers in the UK decreased from 20.2% in 2011 to 11.9% in 2023. The ONS smoking prevalence data shows the percentage of adults in the UK who smoke cigarettes but does not give any indication of how much or how often these adults smoke.

If she will make an assessment of the impact of the current tobacco excise duty regime on the levels of illegal tobacco consumption.

Strong enforcement is essential in tackling the illicit tobacco market. HM Revenue and Customs and Border Force have had illicit tobacco strategies in place since 2000. Our latest strategy, “Stubbing out the problem”, was published in January 2024. The Department continues to investigate how the illicit tobacco market is evolving, including through its compliance activity, and the extent to which that may affect overall tax receipts seen. The illicit tobacco market is dominated by organised crime groups that make money by smuggling and selling illicit tobacco products in the UK. Our latest estimate is that illicit tobacco costs the UK £1.8bn in lost revenue per year. HMRC recently published an updated version of their Measuring Tax Gaps publication which now includes tax gap estimates up to 2023/24. The illicit market volume for cigarettes is shown in Table 3.13 and the total consumption volume is shown in Table 3.12. The illicit market for hand rolling tobacco is shown in Table 3.17 and the total consumption volume is shown in Table 3.16. Whilst tobacco duty has been progressively increased over time, successive illicit tobacco strategies have proven effective in tackling the size of the illicit tobacco market, reducing the tobacco duty tax gap from 21.7% in 2005/6 to 13.8% in 2023/24. Tobacco duty raised almost £8 billion in 2024/25. High duty rates, making tobacco less affordable, have helped reduce smoking prevalence. ‘Cancer in the UK: Overview 2025’ published by Cancer Research cites an Office for National Statistics Adult Smoking Habits publication which shows that the percentage of adult smokers in the UK decreased from 20.2% in 2011 to 11.9% in 2023. The ONS smoking prevalence data shows the percentage of adults in the UK who smoke cigarettes but does not give any indication of how much or how often these adults smoke.

Whether he Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the current tobacco excise regime on the budgets of lower-income households.

At Autumn Budget 2024, the Government renewed the commitment to a tobacco duty escalator, which increases duty by 2 per cent above RPI inflation at each Budget, until the end of the current Parliament. This is part of the Government’s focus on health prevention and to continue our drive to reduce smoking prevalence. Tax changes are accompanied by a Tax Information and Impact Note which sets out the expected impacts on various groups. Changes to tobacco duty rates from 30 October 2024 - GOV.UK

With reference to the report by the Cancer Research UK and University College London entitled Cancer in the UK: Overview 2025, published in July 2025, and her Department's Tobacco statistics commentary, updated on 29 August 2025, what assessment she has made of the reason for the difference between the number of cigarettes (a) smoked and (b) cleared for sale in 2024.

Strong enforcement is essential in tackling the illicit tobacco market. HM Revenue and Customs and Border Force have had illicit tobacco strategies in place since 2000. Our latest strategy, “Stubbing out the problem”, was published in January 2024. The Department continues to investigate how the illicit tobacco market is evolving, including through its compliance activity, and the extent to which that may affect overall tax receipts seen. The illicit tobacco market is dominated by organised crime groups that make money by smuggling and selling illicit tobacco products in the UK. Our latest estimate is that illicit tobacco costs the UK £1.8bn in lost revenue per year. HMRC recently published an updated version of their Measuring Tax Gaps publication which now includes tax gap estimates up to 2023/24. The illicit market volume for cigarettes is shown in Table 3.13 and the total consumption volume is shown in Table 3.12. The illicit market for hand rolling tobacco is shown in Table 3.17 and the total consumption volume is shown in Table 3.16. Whilst tobacco duty has been progressively increased over time, successive illicit tobacco strategies have proven effective in tackling the size of the illicit tobacco market, reducing the tobacco duty tax gap from 21.7% in 2005/6 to 13.8% in 2023/24. Tobacco duty raised almost £8 billion in 2024/25. High duty rates, making tobacco less affordable, have helped reduce smoking prevalence. ‘Cancer in the UK: Overview 2025’ published by Cancer Research cites an Office for National Statistics Adult Smoking Habits publication which shows that the percentage of adult smokers in the UK decreased from 20.2% in 2011 to 11.9% in 2023. The ONS smoking prevalence data shows the percentage of adults in the UK who smoke cigarettes but does not give any indication of how much or how often these adults smoke.

For what purposes their Department has used artificial intelligence in the last year.

The tools available in HM Treasury include two secure Large Language Models (LLMs) which can be interacted with as you would a chatbot. There are a wide range of possible uses for these tools, including drafting, summarising and rewording text. The other available tool is a RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) tool, which retrieves information from a set of documents given to it. Clear guidance is given to staff that these tools are designed to assist with work, not to replace colleagues in decision making processes. The goal of these tools is to make work and processes more efficient. Further information about algorithmic tools that might be used to aid decisions can be found on the Algorithmic Transparency Reporting Standards page on gov.uk.

What information they hold on the number of workdays that were completed remotely in their Department in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025 to date.

The information requested is not available.

With reference to the Office for National Statistics’ dataset entitled Business demography quarterly, UK Quarter 2 April to June 2025 edition, if she will consider the effectiveness of the Family Farm Tax policy.

The Government believes its reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief from 6 April 2026 get the balance right between supporting farms and businesses, and fixing the public finances. The reforms reduce the inheritance tax advantages available to owners of agricultural and business assets, but still mean those assets will be taxed at a much lower effective rate than most other assets. Despite a tough fiscal context, the Government will maintain very significant levels of relief from inheritance tax beyond what is available to others and compared to the position before 1992. Where inheritance tax is due, those liable for a charge can pay any liability on the relevant assets over 10 annual instalments, interest-free. The Government has set out that the reforms are expected to result in up to 520 estates claiming agricultural property relief, including those also claiming business property relief, paying more inheritance tax in 2026-27. Almost three-quarters of estates claiming agricultural property relief, including those that also claim for business property relief, will not pay any more tax as a result of the changes in 2026-27, based on the latest available data. The reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief are forecast to raise a combined £520 million in 2029-30. The independent Office for Budget Responsibility certified this costing at Autumn Budget 2024 and it does not expect the reforms to have a significant macroeconomic impact.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of levels of borrowing to fund international climate finance on the debt to GDP ratio.

The UK’s current international climate finance commitment of £11.6bn from Financial Year 2021/22 to Financial Year 2025/26 (ICF3) is funded from the government’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget. The ODA budget is accounted for as part of the UK's overall fiscal plans which is moving to a position where day-to-day spending is met with tax revenues, so that the government is only borrowing for investment.

If she will make an estimate of the projected interest costs to the taxpayer of the £11.6 billion in overseas climate aid.

The UK has committed to deliver £11.6bn of International Climate Finance (ICF3) to support developing countries’ climate mitigation and adaptation action from Financial Year 2021/22 to Financial Year 2025/26. The Office for Budget Responsibility produces forecasts for interest costs in the round as part of its independent official forecast.

How much their Department has spent on translating documents into languages other than (a) English and (b) other native UK languages in each year since 2023; and what these languages were.

HMT cannot identify any costs relating to translating documents into languages other than (a) English and (b) other native UK languages in each year since 2023.

What steps she is taking to protect access to cash.

The Government recognises that cash continues to be used by millions of people across the UK, including those in vulnerable groups, and is committed to protecting access to cash for individuals and businesses. The Financial Services and Markets Act 2023 granted the FCA the responsibility and powers to seek to ensure the reasonable provision of cash withdrawal and deposit facilities. In September 2024, the FCA introduced regulatory rules for access to cash. Its rules require the reasonable provision of cash withdrawal and deposit facilities, including free services for personal current accounts. In the UK, LINK, the operator of the UK’s largest ATM network, has committed to protect the broad geographic spread of ATMs. Data on UK ATM coverage can be found on its website. Where a resident, community organisation or other interested party feels access to cash in their community is insufficient, they can submit a request for a cash access assessment to LINK. In circumstances where LINK considers that a community requires additional cash services, the financial services sector will provide a suitable shared solution, such as an ATM, cash deposit service, or shared Banking Hub, for cash users in that community. Further information about submitting a cash access request can be found on LINK’s website.

What information her Department holds on the number of banks that have removed access to ATM’s from rural communities in each of the last five years.

The Government recognises that cash continues to be used by millions of people across the UK, including those in vulnerable groups, and is committed to protecting access to cash for individuals and businesses. The Financial Services and Markets Act 2023 granted the FCA the responsibility and powers to seek to ensure the reasonable provision of cash withdrawal and deposit facilities. In September 2024, the FCA introduced regulatory rules for access to cash. Its rules require the reasonable provision of cash withdrawal and deposit facilities, including free services for personal current accounts. In the UK, LINK, the operator of the UK’s largest ATM network, has committed to protect the broad geographic spread of ATMs. Data on UK ATM coverage can be found on its website. Where a resident, community organisation or other interested party feels access to cash in their community is insufficient, they can submit a request for a cash access assessment to LINK. In circumstances where LINK considers that a community requires additional cash services, the financial services sector will provide a suitable shared solution, such as an ATM, cash deposit service, or shared Banking Hub, for cash users in that community. Further information about submitting a cash access request can be found on LINK’s website.

If she will make an assessment of the (a) reasons for trends in and (b) potential impact of smoking rates on the level of duty paid on tobacco sales in the 2023-24 financial year.

The Office for Budget Responsibility discusses drivers of tobacco duty receipts in relation to the tobacco duty forecast on their webpage - Tobacco duties - Office for Budget Responsibility.Receipts are driven by inflation (CPI and RPI), real household consumption and underlying trends in tobacco consumption.The downward trend in tobacco consumption has accelerated in recent years, partly reflecting changing attitudes and the increasing popularity of e-cigarettes. HMRC publishes commentary on tobacco duty receipts with the Tobacco Bulletin - Tobacco statistics commentary April 2025 - GOV.UK. The 12% decrease in tobacco duty receipts between 2022/23 and 2023/24 was primarily driven by falling cigarette receipts (£7,568 million to £6,535 million). The Office for National Statistics publishes commentary on adult smoking habits in the UK where they have reported a reduction in the estimated proportion of current smokers in the UK from 12.9% in 2022 down to 11.9% in 2023.

What information her Department holds on the reasons for the Office for Budget Responsibility's projected fall in tobacco revenue between (a) 2022-23 and (b) 2023-24; and if she will review the tobacco excise model.

HMRC publishes commentary on tobacco duty receipts with the Tobacco Bulletin - Tobacco statistics commentary April 2025 - GOV.UK. The 12% decrease in tobacco duty receipts between 2022/23 and 2023/24 was primarily driven by falling cigarette receipts (£7,568 million to £6,535 million). The Office for Budget Responsibility discusses drivers of tobacco duty receipts in relation to the tobacco duty forecast on their webpage - Tobacco duties - Office for Budget Responsibility.Receipts are driven by inflation (CPI and RPI), real household consumption and underlying trends in tobacco consumption.The downward trend in tobacco consumption has accelerated in recent years, partly reflecting changing attitudes and the increasing popularity of e-cigarettes. The Office for Budget Responsibility regularly reviews its forecasting methodology.

What estimate her Department has made with the Office for National Statistics of the potential impact of tobacco excise duty on the level of the Consumer Prices Index in (a) October 2024 and (b) June 2025.

The independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) are responsible for estimating the impact of Government policies on inflation. The OBR did not include an assessment on the contribution of tobacco excise duty to inflation in either the October 2024 or March 2025 Economic and Fiscal Outlook.

What information her Department holds on the number of tobacco products bought in (a) 2023 and (b) 2024.

The table below states the estimated tobacco clearances for the calendar years 2023 and 2024:YearCigarette Sticks Non-cigarette Tobacco Products 202317,045 million6,497 thousand kg202413,965 million5,210 thousand kgThe totals above are composed of clearances from cigarettes, cigars, hand-rolling tobacco (HRT), other smoking tobacco (also known as pipe tobacco), chewing tobacco, herbal smoking products, and tobacco for heating (TfH).