Question
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what information his Department holds on the number of matured Child Trust Fund accounts that are unclaimed by young people resident in (a) Portsmouth North constituency and (b) Portsmouth.
Answer
As published in HMRC’s 2026 annual savings statistics, approximately 22% of matured accounts are unclaimed. This is down from 25% in April 2025, 29% in April 2024 and 35% in April 2023. HMRC provides a free GOV.UK tracing service and works with providers and other organisations to raise awareness and help young people locate their accounts. HMRC undertakes regular communications activities and works with external partners such as the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service to raise awareness. Additionally, HMRC is planning to write to all 21 year olds with unclaimed accounts informing of their account provider and how to access their funds. HMRC is also undertaking research to better understand the barriers that prevent some young people from accessing their savings. The Government has also established a dedicated Child Trust Fund Taskforce, bringing together Government and industry to help reunite young people with their Child Trust Funds. As part of its work, the Taskforce will examine what is most effective in helping young adults understand how to access their Child Trust Funds and encouraging them to take action HMRC does not hold information on the geographical locations of Child Trust Fund account holders. Therefore, the requested regional breakdowns cannot be provided.
Verdict: GREEN (76/100) DATA NOT HELD
The reply does not give the Portsmouth North or Portsmouth figures the question asked for, because HMRC says it does not hold geographical data on Child Trust Fund account holders. It does state this directly, and it gives the national picture instead: about 22% of accounts are unclaimed, with the trend from 2023 to 2026. The answer is honest and clear about the gap, but it provides a national proportion rather than local counts, so the asker gets the explanation and context without the local numbers they requested.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| What information the Department holds on the number of matured Child Trust Fund accounts that are unclaimed by young people resident in Portsmouth North constituency. | Data Not Held | Direct | The reply gives the national unclaimed-account figure (about 22%) and its trend from 2023 to 2026, then states plainly that HMRC does not hold geographical data on CTF account holders, so no Portsmouth North breakdown exists. This is an honest gap alongside the closest relevant data, though it gives a proportion rather than the count the question asked for. |
| What information the Department holds on the number of matured Child Trust Fund accounts that are unclaimed by young people resident in Portsmouth. | Data Not Held | Direct | The same reasoning applies to the Portsmouth-wide item: the reply supplies the national figures and trend, and states that HMRC holds no geographical information, so the local breakdown cannot be provided. The gap is stated transparently, so this is a data_not_held answer rather than an evasion. |