Written questions by McMurdock.

With reference to HM Treasury’s press release entitled Chancellor commits to new anti-profiteering powers and fights back on rising bills, published on 20 May 2026, what mechanisms will be used to measure the effectiveness of the proposed anti-profiteering powers in reducing household costs.

Awaiting answer.

With reference to HM Treasury’s press release entitled Chancellor commits to new anti-profiteering powers and fights back on rising bills, published on 20 May 2026, what the timetable is for legislation and implementation of the proposed anti-profiteering powers.

Awaiting answer.

With reference to HM Treasury’s press release entitled Chancellor commits to new anti-profiteering powers and fights back on rising bills, published on 20 May 2026, what assessment she has made of the sectors of the economy most vulnerable to profiteering during periods of economic disruption.

Awaiting answer.

With reference to HM Treasury’s press release entitled Chancellor commits to new anti-profiteering powers and fights back on rising bills, published on 20 May 2026, what role Trading Standards bodies will have in supporting the enforcement of the proposed measures.

Awaiting answer.

With reference to HM Treasury’s press release entitled Chancellor commits to new anti-profiteering powers and fights back on rising bills, published on 20 May 2026, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the proposed powers on business confidence.

Awaiting answer.

With reference to HM Treasury’s press release entitled Fairer taxes for high value homes, published on 20 May 2026, what estimate she has made of the number of households in (a) Basildon, (b) Thurrock, and (c) Essex expected to pay higher taxes as a result of the proposed reforms.

Awaiting answer.

With reference to HM Treasury’s press release entitled Chancellor commits to new anti-profiteering powers and fights back on rising bills, published on 20 May 2026, what estimate she has made of the administrative cost of implementing the proposed measures.

Awaiting answer.

With reference to HM Treasury’s press release entitled Chancellor commits to new anti-profiteering powers and fights back on rising bills, published on 20 May 2026, what discussions she has had with the Competition and Markets Authority on the enforcement of the proposed powers.

Awaiting answer.

With reference to HM Treasury’s press release entitled Chancellor commits to new anti-profiteering powers and fights back on rising bills, published on 20 May 2026, whether she plans to introduce financial penalties for firms found to have engaged in profiteering practices.

Awaiting answer.

With reference to HM Treasury’s press release entitled Chancellor commits to new anti-profiteering powers and fights back on rising bills, published on 20 May 2026, what safeguards will be in place to help ensure that legitimate price increases caused by higher operating costs are not incorrectly classified as profiteering.

Awaiting answer.

With reference to HM Treasury’s press release entitled Fairer taxes for high value homes, published on 20 May 2026, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the proposed reforms on pensioners living in high value properties with low disposable incomes.

Awaiting answer.

With reference to HM Treasury’s press release entitled Chancellor commits to new anti-profiteering powers and fights back on rising bills, published on 20 May 2026, what criteria will be used to determine whether price increases are deemed unjustified profiteering.

Awaiting answer.

With reference to HM Treasury’s press release entitled Chancellor commits to new anti-profiteering powers and fights back on rising bills, published on 20 May 2026, what the new investigatory powers of consumer watchdogs will be.

Awaiting answer.

With reference to HM Treasury’s press release entitled Fairer taxes for high value homes, published on 20 May 2026, what safeguards she will put in place to ensure accurate valuation of properties..

Awaiting answer.

What assessment she has made of the level of money laundering through high street cash-intensive businesses.

The 2025 National Risk Assessment of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing highlighted that cash‑based money laundering remains a risk in the UK, including through cash‑intensive businesses. As announced at Autumn Budget 2025, the Government is strengthening its response to suspected illegal activity on the high street, including in premises such as mini‑marts, barber shops, vape shops, nail bars and car washes. The Government has provided an additional £10 million per year over the next three years to support stronger enforcement, building on the success of Operation Machinize, which resulted in over £1 million in frozen assets, the seizure of £40,000 in cash and 35 arrests. This week, the Government launched the High Streets Organised Crime Unit: a cross‑government taskforce which will develop interventions to disrupt money laundering and related criminality on the high street.

With reference to her Department’s press release entitled Decisive action to break influence of gas on electricity prices, published on 21 April 2026, what assessment her has made of the potential impact of the (a) increase of the rate and (b) the duration of the Electricity Generator Levy on household bills.

The government does not expect the increase in the Electricity Generator Levy (EGL) rate from 1 July to increase bills for consumers. The EGL applies only to existing, older renewable generators when wholesale prices are above a benchmark price of £82.61 per MWh. These generators receive larger revenues when wholesale prices rise with gas prices, without commensurate increased costs. Increasing the EGL will ensure a proportion of any exceptional revenue that generators receive because of the conflict in the Middle East is available to Government to support businesses and households with their cost of living.

What assessment she has made of the impact of High Income Child Benefit Charge on labour supply including decisions to (a) accept pay increases, (b) increase working hours and (c) return to work.

The High Income Child Benefit Charge is currently the best way to manage Child Benefit expenditure. By withdrawing Child Benefit from high-income families, it helps to ensure the sustainability of the public finances and protect our vital public services. As with all tax policy, the government will keep this under review.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the High Income Child Benefit Charge on individual income.

The High Income Child Benefit Charge is currently the best way to manage Child Benefit expenditure. By withdrawing Child Benefit from high-income families, it helps to ensure the sustainability of the public finances and protect our vital public services. As with all tax policy, the government will keep this under review.

What discussions she has had with road haulage providers on the potential impact of fuel duty on their sector.

The Government is taking action to ensure that fuel at the pump remains affordable. At Budget 2025, the Government extended the 5p-per-litre cut for a further five months, until the end of August this year. The Government has also cancelled the increase in line with inflation for 2026/27; instead, rates will only gradually return to early 2022 levels by March 2027. The Government's action on fuel duty will save an average heavy goods vehicle more than £800 in 2026/27 compared to previous plans, and follows an extended period where freezes to fuel duty have resulted in substantial savings for the haulage industry. The Government regularly engages with industry representatives, and as with all taxes, keeps fuel duty under review.

Pursuant to her Department’s press release entitled Government to Improve Support for Affordable Debt Repayments, published on 20 March 2026, what assessment she has made of the risk that improved repayment terms may incentivise delayed payment or strategic non-payment.

The press release entitled ‘Government to Improve Support for Affordable Debt Repayments’, published on 20 March 2026, publicised the Government Debt Management Strategy 2026–2030. The strategy sets out the Government Debt Management Function’s (GDMF) vision and principles for good debt management across central government. It does not introduce a single new, cross-government “affordable repayment plan” policy with uniform terms; repayment arrangements continue to be set by individual departments and arm’s-length bodies (ALBs) in line with their specific legislation, policies and the circumstances of the individual. This includes consideration of interest rates, repayment incentives / disincentives, repayment period length, specific performance metrics and associated costs. Affordability is assessed with an income and expenditure statement, discussion and regular reviews. All repayment plans should be affordable, so requested data on the proportion of repayment plans that are affordable, as well as metrics to assess this in the future, does not exist. The ability for an individual to challenge or seek a review of an affordability assessment depends on the type of debt, the individual’s circumstances and the department or ALB to which the debt is owed. Individuals can contact the relevant organisation to discuss their circumstances and any review or appeal routes available for that debt type. Information about the government’s plan to identify individuals at risk of falling into debt at an earlier stage and how the government has taken consideration of differences in repayment practices is available at Prevent Resolve Improve 26-30 Government Debt Management Strategy - GOV.UK.