Written questions by Gill.

What evidence her Department submitted to the Office for National Statistics' review of the ethnicity harmonised standard, including in relation to the recording of Sikhs and Jewish people as ethnic groups.

A review of the harmonised standard for ethnicity data collection is underway by the Government Statistical Service Harmonisation team. A public consultation between October 2025 and February 2026 sought views from a wide range of users, including Government Departments and public bodies, to understand user needs for ethnic group data. This was supplemented by a programme of engagement activity, including with representatives of all government departments. ONS have committed to providing an initial response to the public consultation in April, and a full report on the consultation in late summer 2026 will include more detailed information on the departments that responded to the consultation.

Her Department was invited by the Office for National Statistics to provide evidence or input into its review of the ethnicity harmonised standard.

A review of the harmonised standard for ethnicity data collection is underway by the Government Statistical Service Harmonisation team. A public consultation between October 2025 and February 2026 sought views from a wide range of users, including Government Departments and public bodies, to understand user needs for ethnic group data. This was supplemented by a programme of engagement activity, including with representatives of all government departments. ONS have committed to providing an initial response to the public consultation in April, and a full report on the consultation in late summer 2026 will include more detailed information on the departments that responded to the consultation.

What recent progress she has made with the banking industry on the roll out of banking hubs in Birmingham Edgbaston constituency.

The Government recognises the importance of face-to-face banking to communities and high streets in Birmingham Edgbaston, and across the country. This is why the Government is working closely with industry to roll out 350 banking hubs across the UK. The UK banking sector has committed to deliver these hubs by the end of this Parliament.   Over 230 hubs have been announced so far, and over 170 are already open.The location of these hubs is determined independently by LINK, the industry coordinating body responsible for making access to cash assessments. When a cash service such as a bank branch closes, or if LINK receives a request directly from a community, LINK assesses a community’s access to cash needs. This assessment may lead to a recommendation for the establishment of a banking hub in that community.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing specific (a) Sikh and (b) Jewish options for a person’s ethnic group in data collection conducted by her Department.

HM Treasury follows guidance from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and Government Statistical Service (GSS) on data collection using harmonised standards to ensure comparability across government. The current ethnicity standard is based on 2011 Census questions, which were reviewed and updated for the 2021 Census. The GSS has been conducting a comprehensive review of the ethnicity standard since March 2022, considering a range of user needs. HM Treasury also collects staff data on ethnic group, national identity and religion, which helps capture fuller cultural identity beyond ethnicity alone. The ONS recognises that ethnic group membership is self-defined and subjectively meaningful to individuals, and there is no universal consensus on what constitutes an ethnic group. The religion harmonised standard includes Sikh and Jewish response options, and any changes to data collection categories, including ethnicity, would follow the updated GSS harmonised standard once their review concludes. We continue to monitor this review closely and will implement any revised standards that emerge from the GSS process. The timing for any changes will depend on when the GSS completes its review and issues updated guidance to departments.

What estimate she has made of the contribution of the Sikh population to the UK tax intake.

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) does not hold information on tax intake from the Sikh population.

What estimate she has made of the contribution of the Sikh population to GDP.

The Office for National Statistics is responsible for producing estimates of Gross Domestic Product. However, GDP data do not allow conclusions to be drawn on the impact of specific religious or ethnic demographics, and it is not therefore possible to observe the contribution of the Sikh population to GDP from this data.

What steps she is taking to help tackle the practice of landlords repeatedly occupying properties for short periods of time in order to claim further Empty Property Relief.

This government will not tolerate tax avoidance. We are committed to ensuring that every person and every business pays their fair share. Most businesses pay the rates that are due, but a minority abuse the system, through either avoidance or evasion, to reduce their bills or avoid paying rates altogether. This imposes an unfair burden on the majority and prevents funding from reaching local services. In its response to the 2023 Business Rates Avoidance and Evasion consultation, the government noted that abuse of Empty Property Relief (EPR) through repeated artificial occupation was a significant avoidance challenge. To tackle this the government extended the reset period (the period of occupation required to be eligible for further EPR) from six weeks to thirteen weeks from 1 April 2024 in England. The government will keep this change and the treatment of empty properties under review.

What recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of practices of landlords repeatedly occupying properties for short periods of time in order to claim further Empty Property Relief on local government finances.

This government will not tolerate tax avoidance. We are committed to ensuring that every person and every business pays their fair share. Most businesses pay the rates that are due, but a minority abuse the system, through either avoidance or evasion, to reduce their bills or avoid paying rates altogether. This imposes an unfair burden on the majority and prevents funding from reaching local services. In its response to the 2023 Business Rates Avoidance and Evasion consultation, the government noted that abuse of Empty Property Relief (EPR) through repeated artificial occupation was a significant avoidance challenge. To tackle this the government extended the reset period (the period of occupation required to be eligible for further EPR) from six weeks to thirteen weeks from 1 April 2024 in England. The government will keep this change and the treatment of empty properties under review.

What proportion of funding from the UK Infrastructure Bank went to female-led (a) projects and (b) businesses in the last 10 years.

The National Wealth Fund does not record the gender of the leadership teams of the projects and businesses, in which it invests. The National Wealth Fund makes investment decisions in line with its investment principles, which can be found on its website. The UK Infrastructure Bank operated from 2021-24.