Written questions by Dewhirst.

With reference to the National Audit Office report, Lessons learned: the government’s use of external consultants, HC: 1381, 21 November 2025, Figure 10, what specific data is collected on Government spending by (a) Oxygen Finance and (b) Jaggaer Spend.

Since 2010, Central Government departments publish expenditure above £25,000 on a monthly basis. Oxygen Finance aggregates this transparency data to provide reports on spending by a particular department or category. Jaggaer Spend relies on data generated by payments processed through public sector procurement systems, as opposed to published invoice data.

Whether she has determined the source of the leak of the policies within the Autumn Budget 2025 to the media.

As the Chancellor set out to the Treasury Select Committee on 10/12/25, a leak inquiry is underway. In addition, the Permanent Secretary of the Treasury is conducting a wider review of Budget security, which he aims to conclude in advance of the Spring Statement..

Pursuant to the Answer of 8 December 2025, to Question 96894, on Treasury: Public Appointments, if she will publish the annual remuneration of each of the direct ministerial appointments listed.

Further to the Answer of 8 December 2025 to Question 96894, the annual remuneration of the paid direct ministerial appointments is: Alex Depledge, Entrepreneurship Adviser to the Chancellor of the Exchequer – a daily rate of £565.50 for two days per week.David Sturrock, Economic Adviser to the Chancellor of the Exchequer and member of the Council of Economic Advisers – £117,362 per annum, full time. All other direct ministerial appointments listed are unpaid. Direct ministerial appointments are temporary appointments made to provide time limited advice and support to Ministers.

Pursuant to the answer of 20 October 2025 to Question 78296 on Public Sector: Pay, which departments or public bodies had senior pay cases rejected outright.

Between July 2024 and October 2025, three cases were rejected through the senior pay approvals process. Individual salaries of senior civil servants are available through the annual reports and accounts of their employing body.

How many people subscribed to (a) cash and (b) stocks and shares ISAs; and how many subscribed the maximum £20,000 in the latest year for which data is available.

In the 2022 to 2023 tax year, 7.12 million people subscribed to a Cash ISA only, and 3.07 million people subscribed to a Stocks and Shares ISA only. 1.46 million individuals subscribed the full £20,000 to Cash ISAs, while 0.84 million individuals subscribed the maximum £20,000 to Stocks and Shares ISAs. In 2022 to 2023, there were 0.74 million people who subscribed to both Cash and S&S ISAs, and 0.19 million of these dual‑subscribers subscribed the maximum £20,000.

Whether the Spending Review has allocated funds for new payments to the European Union, over and above those commitments in treaties from the last Parliament.

Payments into the EU budget are governed by two treaties signed during the last Parliament, the Withdrawal Agreement (WA) and Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA).Payments under the Withdrawal Agreement (WA) are as classified as Annually Managed Expenditure and are therefore beyond the scope of Spending Review 2025 (SR25).On 17 December 2025 the government announced the UK would join the Erasmus+ programme in 2027. As usual, any changes to Departmental Expenditure Limits will be included in a future OBR fiscal forecast.

Pursuant to the answer of 9 December 2025 to Question 95649 on Inflation, whether any public body undertakes assessments of the adequacy of GDP deflator forecasts.

Forecasts for the UK economy, including assessments of the impact of policy decisions, are the responsibility of the independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR). The OBR publishes its forecast in the Economic and Fiscal Outlook (EFO). The OBR’s latest EFO can be found here: Economic and fiscal outlook – November 2025 - Office for Budget Responsibility. The OBR’s EFO includes a forecast of the GDP deflator. The OBR is required to produce a Forecast Evaluation Report (FER) each year under the Budget Responsibility and National Audit Act (2011). The OBR is required to explain reasons for divergence between its forecasts and subsequent outturns, to support future forecast improvements. The latest Forecast Evaluation Report can be found here: Forecast evaluation report 2025 - Office for Budget Responsibility . Evaluation of the GDP deflator can be found on pages 29-30.

Further to Table A.7 of the OBR, Economic and Fiscal Outlook, November 2025, CP1439, 26 November 2025, what is HM Treasury’s estimate of the cost of the EU financial settlement in each year from 2024-25 to 2030-31; and whether this includes any fiscal consequences of recent changes to the EU-UK relationship.

Please refer to The European Union Finances Statement 2024 (EUFS) for the most complete analysis of the Financial Settlement. The EUFS figures are prepared on a different basis to those published by the OBR. These differences are explained in Annexes A.4 and A.5 of the EUFS.

If she will publish the names of the members of the Council of Economic Advisers, and state whether they are (a) civil servants, (b) special advisers or (c) direct ministerial appointments; and which are (i) paid and (ii) unpaid.

The Chancellor’s Council of Economic Advisers consists of three paid Special Advisers — Neil Amin-Smith, Spencer Thompson and Emily Fry — and one paid direct ministerial appointee, David Sturrock.

With reference to the Business appointment rules return - September 2025, published on 16 December 2025, for what reason the former Director of Financial Services was given a six month lobbying ban.

The Business Appointment rules are designed to uphold the core values in the Civil Service Code. The aim of the rules is that when a civil servant takes up an outside appointment or employment there should be no cause for justified public concern, criticism, or misinterpretation. These aims were considered in this case, and appropriate mitigations were put in place in line with standard HM Treasury practice and in accordance with the Business Appointment rules.

Pursuant to the Answer of 8 December 2025, to Question 96894, on Treasury: Public Appointments, and pursuant to the Answer of 9 December 2025, to Question 94701, on Baroness Shafik, in relation to the publication of remuneration details, if she will publish the remuneration of each of the seven direct ministerial appointments.

Further to the Answer of 8 December 2025 to Question 96894, the annual remuneration of the paid direct ministerial appointments is: Alex Depledge, Entrepreneurship Adviser to the Chancellor of the Exchequer – a daily rate of £565.50 for two days per week.David Sturrock, Economic Adviser to the Chancellor of the Exchequer and member of the Council of Economic Advisers – £117,362 per annum, full time. All other direct ministerial appointments listed are unpaid. Direct ministerial appointments are temporary appointments made to provide time limited advice and support to Ministers.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure a regular supply of tomatoes in the UK.

The UK has a highly resilient food supply chain that is well equipped to deal with any potential disruption. Our high degree of food security is built on supply from diverse sources including strong domestic production and imports through stable trade routes. Defra works with industry and across Government to monitor risks that may arise. This includes extensive, regular and ongoing engagement in preparedness for, and response to, issues with the potential to cause disruption to food supply chains. The UK Agriculture Market Monitoring Group monitors UK agricultural markets including price, supply, inputs, trade, and recent developments.

What steps she is taking to tackle vulnerabilities in property transactions, particularly in the handling and movement of large sums during settlement, in the Economic Crime Plan.

The government’s Economic Crime Plan 2 has strengthened the UK’s defences against property‑related money laundering by enhancing transparency of land and overseas property ownership, improving data‑sharing and enforcement, and targeting higher‑risk activity in the property sector to better detect, disrupt and recover illicit assets. The government’s Money Laundering Regulations ensure that those sectors most at risk of being abused for money laundering have appropriate risk-based controls in place. The regulations apply to all financial, legal and estate agency firms involved in property transactions, whether directly with the purchase, securing the funds, or setting up structures to hold property. The government intends to develop a new public-private strategy focused on anti-money laundering and asset recovery in the coming months.

What discussions she has had with regulators and industry on updating the financial infrastructure that underpins the movement of funds during property transactions.

The Government regularly engages with lenders and regulators to discuss the housing market, including lenders’ mortgage lending practices which support property transactions. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is currently consulting on reforms to the home buying and selling process. The Government has made clear its objectives that reform should support faster, more reliable transactions and reduced fall throughs and risks.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of fragmented payment processes in property transactions on levels of fraud risk.

The Government regularly engages with lenders and regulators to discuss the housing market, including lenders’ mortgage lending practices which support property transactions. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is currently consulting on reforms to the home buying and selling process. The Government has made clear its objectives that reform should support faster, more reliable transactions and reduced fall throughs and risks.

What discussions her Department has had with regulators and industry on modernising the financial infrastructure related to property transactions.

The Government regularly engages with lenders and regulators to discuss the housing market, including lenders’ mortgage lending practices which support property transactions. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is currently consulting on reforms to the home buying and selling process. The Government has made clear its objectives that reform should support faster, more reliable transactions and reduced fall throughs and risks.

Media and Sport, with reference to the Voluntary Code for Prize Draws, updated on 17 December 2025, what steps his Department is taking to monitor compliance among operators.

The Voluntary Code for prize draw operators was launched on 20 November 2025. The Code aims to raise standards in the sector in the distinct areas of player protections, transparency, and accountability. Signatories have until 20 May 2026 to comply with the Code.The Government’s focus is on the successful implementation and adoption of the Voluntary Code, with operator signatories required to regularly review their compliance and swiftly rectify any issues if necessary. The Department will work closely with the sector on this during the implementation phase and periodically review the effectiveness of the Code and compliance to ensure that it is fit for purpose.

Media and Sport, what recent assessment she has made of the Problem Gambling Severity Index score for players of (a) The National Lottery, (b) Society Lotteries, and (c) instant win scratch cards.

The Government is committed to tackling gambling-related harm. DCMS regularly reviews the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) from the Gambling Commission’s Gambling Survey of Great Britain and uses it as one of a range of sources of evidence.In 2024, the proportion of National Lottery players who experienced ‘problem gambling’ (a PGSI score of 8+) is 3.9% for draw games, 9.5% for instant win games, and 7.9% for scratchcards.The rate of Society Lottery PGSI 8+ scores is 4.9%.The rate of non-National Lottery scratchcards PGSI 8+ is 14.5%.

Communities and Local Government, whether his Department plans to establish accreditation for digital platforms in the property market that are capable of providing verified property data, secure settlement and automated registration of home sales and purchases.

On 6 October, my Department published two consultations outlining reform proposals to transform home buying and selling. They can be found on gov.uk here and here. As part of those consultations, we made clear our interest in ensuring digital data from trustworthy sources could be shared securely between professionals using data standards and trust frameworks. The consultations closed on 29 December 2025. We are currently analysing the feedback received and will publish our response shortly including any plans for trials or testing with the sector.

Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure home buyers and sellers are protected through the expansion of digital conveyancing, particularly in terms of data verification, property information and the security of settlement funds.

On 6 October, my Department published two consultations outlining reform proposals to transform home buying and selling. They can be found on gov.uk here and here. As part of those consultations, we made clear our interest in ensuring digital data from trustworthy sources could be shared securely between professionals using data standards and trust frameworks. The consultations closed on 29 December 2025. We are currently analysing the feedback received and will publish our response shortly including any plans for trials or testing with the sector.