Written questions by Cross.

When she last (a) visited (i) Aberdeen and (ii) Aberdeenshire and (b) met an oil and gas company in (A) Aberdeen and (B) Aberdeenshire in relation to oil and gas activities.

The Chancellor engages with different stakeholders on a range of policy issues. Her last trip to Aberdeen was in August 2025 where she visited the St Fergus gas plant near Peterhead. Additionally, in March 2025, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury hosted a roundtable in Aberdeen with stakeholders from the oil and gas sector.Details of Ministerial meetings with external stakeholders are published regularly online. The most recent publication can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/csv-preview/68d50fe09ce370a7e0a0fca0/HMT_ministerial_meeting_Apr_to_Jun_25.csv

What estimate his Department has made of changes in the level of gas imports from (a) Norway, (b) USA, (c) Qatar and (d) the rest of the world relative to UK domestically produced gas from 2025 to 2030 by (i) volume and (ii) proportion.

The Government works with the Energy System operators to closely monitor and forecast the UK’s supply and demand for natural gas. The National Energy System Operator’s 2025 publication of Future Energy Scenarios contains a breakdown of gas supply sources, including imports to the UK.

Whether he has made an estimate of the change in the number of jobs in the North Sea oil and gas sector from (a) operator and (b) supply chain companies in each year between 2026 and 2030.

Robert Gordon University estimates that by the early 2030s, the UK oil and gas workforce will be between 57,000 and 71,000, down from 115,000 in 2024. The natural decline of North Sea oil and gas has seen more than 70,000 jobs lost in the last decade. The Government published its North Sea Future Plan (26 November), setting out how we will support our North Sea supply chains, protect current jobs, and secure the next generation of good jobs.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Energy Profits Levy remaining in place until 2030 on trends in the levels of employment in (a) operators and (b) supply chain companies in the North Sea oil and gas sector in each year inclusive between 2026 and 2030.

The Energy Profits Levy (EPL) was introduced in 2022 by the previous government. The government considered the impact of the extension to the EPL until 31 March 2030, announced at Autumn Budget 2024, on the economy, including investment. The summary of impacts for the extension and other EPL reforms announced at Autumn Budget 2024 can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/energy-profits-levy-reforms-2024. Employment levels in the oil and gas sector depend on a wide range of factors including global commodity prices, aggregate investment levels and exploration and development activity. The government is committed to supporting North Sea workers and communities to transition and take advantage of the growth opportunities in clean energy. That is why the North Sea Future Plan, published at Autumn Budget 2025, announced a new Jobs Brokerage Service offering end-to-end career transition support for oil and gas workers. Earlier in October the government also published the Clean Energy Jobs Plan which sets out cross-cutting actions to deliver the skilled workforce needed to make Britain a clean energy superpower, including delivering Clean Power 2030. As part of the Plan, £20 million of funding was announced for the Oil and Gas Transition Training Fund to support workers to retrain and access clean energy roles.

With reference to Budget 2025, what estimate she has made of the potential impact of the pay per mile charge for electric vehicles on the number of sales of new (a) battery electric cars and (b) plug-in hybrid cars in each of the next five years.

The Government intends to create a fair motoring tax system while supporting the automotive industry and ensuring EVs remain an attractive choice for consumers. As announced at Budget 2025, the Government is introducing Electric Vehicle Excise Duty (eVED) from April 2028, a new mileage charge for electric and plug-in hybrid cars, recognising that EVs contribute to congestion and wear and tear on the roads but pay no equivalent to fuel duty. While it is fair for EV drivers to contribute for their car usage, the government is also committed to ensuring that driving an electric vehicle is an attractive choice for consumers. Therefore, the rate of eVED paid by electric vehicle drivers will be half the fuel duty rate paid by the average petrol/diesel driver, ensuring that it will still be cheaper to own and run an EV for the majority of EV drivers. The Government is also providing generous additional support to incentivise the use of electric vehicles, including £1.3 billion of additional funding for the Electric Car Grant (ECG), £200 million for chargepoint rollout, and increasing the Expensive Car Supplement (ECS) threshold to £50,000 for EVs. This support will be introduced before the tax takes effect to support continued momentum in EV take-up. The Government has set out the expected impacts from eVED and other Budget measures in the Budget 2025 Policy Costings document at GOV.UK: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/692872fd2a37784b16ecf676/Budget_2025-Policy_Costings.pdf

When he last visited (a) Aberdeen and (b) Aberdeenshire; when he last met with representatives of an oil and gas company in (i) Aberdeen and (ii) Aberdeenshire to discuss their oil and gas activities; and if he will list what companies he met with.

Details of Ministers' and Permanent Secretaries' meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK.

How many times he has (a) visited Aberdeen, (b) visited Aberdeenshire and (c) met an oil and gas company in (i) Aberdeen and (ii) Aberdeenshire to discuss their activities; and if he will list what businesses he met with.

Details of Ministers' and Permanent Secretaries' meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK.

If she will make an estimate of the number of jobs that will be lost from the North Sea oil and gas sector, from both operator and supply chain companies, in (a) 2026, (b) 2027, (c) 2028, (d) 2029 and (e) 2030 due to the Energy Profits Levy remaining in place until 2030.

The Energy Profits Levy (EPL) was introduced in 2022 by the previous government. The government considered the impact of the extension to the EPL until 31 March 2030, announced at Autumn Budget 2024, on the economy, including investment. The summary of impacts for the extension and other EPL reforms announced at Autumn Budget 2024 can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/energy-profits-levy-reforms-2024. Employment levels in the oil and gas sector depend on a wide range of factors including global commodity prices, aggregate investment levels and exploration and development activity. The government is committed to supporting North Sea workers and communities to transition and take advantage of the growth opportunities in clean energy. That is why the North Sea Future Plan, published at Autumn Budget 2025, announced a new Jobs Brokerage Service offering end-to-end career transition support for oil and gas workers. Earlier in October the government also published the Clean Energy Jobs Plan which sets out cross-cutting actions to deliver the skilled workforce needed to make Britain a clean energy superpower, including delivering Clean Power 2030. As part of the Plan, £20 million of funding was announced for the Oil and Gas Transition Training Fund to support workers to retrain and access clean energy roles.

When she last visited (a) Aberdeen and (b) Aberdeenshire; when she last met an oil and gas company in (i) Aberdeen and (ii) Aberdeenshire in relation to their oil and gas activities; and which businesses were met.

The Chancellor engages with different stakeholders on a range of policy issues. Her last trip to Aberdeen was in August 2025 where she visited the St Fergus gas plant near Peterhead. Additionally, in March 2025, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury hosted a roundtable in Aberdeen with stakeholders from the oil and gas sector.Details of Ministerial meetings with external stakeholders are published regularly online. The most recent publication can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/csv-preview/68d50fe09ce370a7e0a0fca0/HMT_ministerial_meeting_Apr_to_Jun_25.csv

If she will make an estimate of the cost per year for a full time worker who drives (a)) a battery electric car or (b) a plug-in hybrid car living in the town of Huntly in Aberdeenshire to commute to Aberdeen City from April 2028.

The Government intends to create a fair motoring tax system while supporting the automotive industry and ensuring EVs remain an attractive choice for consumers.As announced at Budget 2025, the Government is introducing Electric Vehicle Excise Duty (eVED) from April 2028, a new mileage charge for electric and plug-in hybrid cars, recognising that EVs contribute to congestion and wear and tear on the roads but pay no equivalent to fuel duty. When eVED takes effect in April 2028, eVED rates will be set at 3p per mile for electric vehicles, which is half the equivalent fuel duty rate paid by the average petrol/diesel driver, ensuring that driving an electric vehicle continues to be an attractive choice for consumers. The rate will be set at 1.5p per mile for plug-in hybrids, recognising that they will continue to pay fuel duty on miles driven in petrol mode. An average EV driver driving 8,000 miles per year will pay around £240 per year or £20 per month.

What the average waiting time is for the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority to (a) process and (b) determine claims for compensation.

The Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme 2012 (the 2012 Scheme) does not prescribe a time limit for applications to be decided.The majority of applications are decided within 12 months. Each case must be considered on its own facts. In most cases, CICA needs to get information from third parties such as the police and medical authorities.Some applications will by necessity take longer to decide. This could be where information is not available due to ongoing court proceedings, where CICA needs time to assess the long-term impact of complex injuries (e.g. brain injuries), or where there is an application for loss of earnings (which requires at least 28 weeks of loss).In the financial year 2024-25, the average time to make a decision was 370 days*.The following table** shows the number of applications awaiting a first decision for more than 12, 18 and 24 months as at 31 March 2025.MonthsApplications awaiting a first decision12-186,71118-244,87724+9,604* This figure is based on cases that were decided in 2024-25. The applications may have been received in earlier years.**The table does not include applications deferred under paragraph 98 of the 2012 Scheme.

When her Department plans to publish its response to proposals submitted by the fuels sector on the inclusion of refined oil products in the scope of the UK Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism.

From 2027, the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) will apply to imported goods from the aluminium, cement, fertiliser, hydrogen, and iron & steel sectors. When considering which sectors should be included in the scope of the CBAM, the government looked primarily at three factors: inclusion in the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), carbon leakage risk, and feasibility and effectiveness of applying the CBAM. Whilst the refining of fuel is within scope of the UK ETS and is considered at risk of carbon leakage, there are concerns about the sector’s ability to ascertain the carbon content of imported goods at a product level due to high levels of co-production in the sector. Therefore, refined oil products will not be included in the scope of the CBAM from January 2027. The sectoral scope of the CBAM will be kept under review beyond 2027 as new evidence comes to light to reflect methodological and technological advances.

What progress her Department has made on considering the inclusion of refined oil products in the scope of the UK Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism.

From 2027, the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) will apply to imported goods from the aluminium, cement, fertiliser, hydrogen, and iron & steel sectors. When considering which sectors should be included in the scope of the CBAM, the government looked primarily at three factors: inclusion in the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), carbon leakage risk, and feasibility and effectiveness of applying the CBAM. Whilst the refining of fuel is within scope of the UK ETS and is considered at risk of carbon leakage, there are concerns about the sector’s ability to ascertain the carbon content of imported goods at a product level due to high levels of co-production in the sector. Therefore, refined oil products will not be included in the scope of the CBAM from January 2027. The sectoral scope of the CBAM will be kept under review beyond 2027 as new evidence comes to light to reflect methodological and technological advances.

How many applications to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority are outstanding for more than (a) 12 months, (b) 18 months and (c) two years.

The Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme 2012 (the 2012 Scheme) does not prescribe a time limit for applications to be decided.The majority of applications are decided within 12 months. Each case must be considered on its own facts. In most cases, CICA needs to get information from third parties such as the police and medical authorities.Some applications will by necessity take longer to decide. This could be where information is not available due to ongoing court proceedings, where CICA needs time to assess the long-term impact of complex injuries (e.g. brain injuries), or where there is an application for loss of earnings (which requires at least 28 weeks of loss).In the financial year 2024-25, the average time to make a decision was 370 days*.The following table** shows the number of applications awaiting a first decision for more than 12, 18 and 24 months as at 31 March 2025.MonthsApplications awaiting a first decision12-186,71118-244,87724+9,604* This figure is based on cases that were decided in 2024-25. The applications may have been received in earlier years.**The table does not include applications deferred under paragraph 98 of the 2012 Scheme.

Whether her Department has undertaken modelling on the potential impact of a lifetime cap on gifts for inheritance tax on (a) businesses and (b) individuals.

There is no lifetime cap on gifts for inheritance tax purposes. Information on the rules is available at www.gov.uk/inheritance-tax/gifts. The Chancellor of the Exchequer makes tax policy decisions at fiscal events and the Government does not comment on speculation around future changes to tax policy.

Whether organisations representing the (a) agricultural and (b) small business sectors have been consulted on the potential introduction of a lifetime cap on gifts for inheritance tax.

There is no lifetime cap on gifts for inheritance tax purposes. Information on the rules is available at www.gov.uk/inheritance-tax/gifts. The Chancellor of the Exchequer makes tax policy decisions at fiscal events and the Government does not comment on speculation around future changes to tax policy.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of a potential lifetime gift cap on (a) family (i) farm and (ii) business viability between generations, (b) productivity, (c) food security and (d) job numbers.

There is no lifetime cap on gifts for inheritance tax purposes. Information on the rules is available at www.gov.uk/inheritance-tax/gifts. The Chancellor of the Exchequer makes tax policy decisions at fiscal events and the Government does not comment on speculation around future changes to tax policy.

Whether her Department has considered introducing a lifetime cap on gifts for Inheritance Tax purposes.

There is no lifetime cap on gifts for inheritance tax purposes. Information on the rules is available at www.gov.uk/inheritance-tax/gifts. The Chancellor of the Exchequer makes tax policy decisions at fiscal events and the Government does not comment on speculation around future changes to tax policy.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of a lifetime gift cap on the ability of family (a) farms and (b) businesses to mitigate changes to (i) Agricultural and (ii) Business Property Relief.

There is no lifetime cap on gifts for inheritance tax purposes. Information on the rules is available at www.gov.uk/inheritance-tax/gifts. The Chancellor of the Exchequer makes tax policy decisions at fiscal events and the Government does not comment on speculation around future changes to tax policy.

Whether Scottish (a) venison and (b) venison products are eligible for the Brand Scotland initiative; and what process exists for (i) producers and (ii) sellers to engage with the Department on this matter.

The Brand Scotland programme supports Scottish industry to export to international markets across the world. This includes the food and drink industry. Available support includes conducting trade missions overseas and supporting projects to promote exports, inward investment and Scottish soft power. Scottish businesses can contact the Scotland Office, British diplomatic posts overseas and the Department of Business and Trade for more details.