theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Solicitor General, for what purposes (a) Ministers and (b) officials in her Department have used AI in the last 12 months. \p Lucy Rigby: Artificial Intelligence (AI) is at the heart of the Government’s plan to kickstart an era of economic growth, transform how we deliver public services, and boost living standards for working people across the country

Ministers have not used AI in the Department in their roles as Law Officers.

A small number of officials within the Department have been piloting the use of a Microsoft 365 application ‘CoPilot’ which can be used to summarise content and meetings, assisting with drafting content and interrogating information. ChatGPT has also previously been used in this manner.
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Chi Onwurah:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 17 January 2024 to Question 23744 on UK Research and Innovation: Staff, whether Innovate UK has made an assessment of the value for money of business growth advisors funded by Innovate UK. \p Feryal Clark: UKRI continuously evaluates the impact of investments across its portfolio to ensure value for money and effectiveness. Innovate UK Business Growth, which includes the business growth advisors, has been independently evaluated multiple times since its inception in 2015, consistently demonstrating overall benefits. For example, the latest evaluation of the scaleup programme found a return on investment of 10:1. The overall remit, size and scope of the service has continued to evolve to respond to evolving demands and market conditions. We are reviewing all the support Innovate UK offers businesses to ensure it is as effective as possible at driving economic growth.
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to oblige generative AI developers to disclose detailed information on creative works used in AI training. \p Feryal Clark: The Government published a consultation on Copyright and AI in December 2024.

This consultation seeks views on a number of issues relating to copyright and AI. It sets a clear objective of achieving proportionate transparency from AI developers over the creative content that is used to train their models.

The consultation closes on 25 February.
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Helena Dollimore:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how much his Department spent on (a) media and (b) voice training for Ministers between 4 July 2022 and 4 July 2024. \p Feryal Clark: DSIT was created on 7 February 2023. Between 7 February 2023 and 5 July 2024, we have spent no money on (a) media or (b) voice training for Ministers.
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Josh MacAlister:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether (a) his Department and (b) each of its arms length bodies offers employees who are foster carers (i) flexible working, (ii) paid time off for (A) training and (B) settling a new child into their home and (iii) other support. \p Feryal Clark: There is no central cross-government wide policy for foster care leave.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) does offer employees who are foster carers flexible working, but not paid time off for training or settling a new child into their home. My Department provides a strong offer to all staff with respect to annual leave and hybrid working, as well as flexibility around taking unpaid time off, along with employee wellbeing support through the 24/7 service of our Employee Assistance Programme.

DSIT public bodies similarly exercise a range of flexible working policies that can support staff with caring and other responsibilities.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, for what purposes (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have used AI in the last 12 months. \p Feryal Clark: Artificial Intelligence (AI) is at the heart of the Government’s plan to kickstart an era of economic growth, transform how we deliver public services, and boost living standards for working people across the country. Officials in DSIT are trialling various AI tools, with appropriate safeguards, to evaluate their impact. For example, 1,500 licenses as part of the cross-government Microsoft 365 Copilot experiment, GitHub Copilot (AI for enhanced programming) and the Incubator for AI (who have moved to DSIT as part of the Machinery of Government change last year) are piloting several tools targeting Civil Service productivity and in support of the missions. We draw on a range of resources, published on GOV.UK, to inform our AI usage.
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Stuart Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether he plans to allocate additional funding towards projects that improve mobile connectivity in (a) rural and (b) hard to reach areas. \p Chris Bryant: We are working with telecoms companies to reduce poor mobile signal in rural areas. The Shared Rural Network is already delivering new 4G coverage to places where there is either limited or no 4G coverage at all. There are currently no plans to allocate additional funding beyond this.

Our ambition is for all populated areas to have higher-quality standalone 5G by 2030, and we are working with the industry to deliver this. We are driving the adoption of standalone 5G across key sectors through our £36m 5G Innovation Regions programme.
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Sir Julian Lewis:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if he will take steps to ensure (a) social media companies and (b) website providers that have been found to have hosted illegal content viewed by people that have subsequently committed serious crimes face financial sanctions. \p Feryal Clark: The Online Safety Act 2023 places duties on social media companies and search services. These include duties to tackle illegal content on their services. These services will need to put systems and processes in place to reduce the risk that users post this illegal content. They will also need to take it down where it does appear. If companies fail to comply with any of these duties, Ofcom has a range of strong enforcement powers, including issuing fines and applying to the court to initiate business disruption measures.
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Laurence Turner:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 19 December 2024 to Question 19420 on Unemployment: Young People, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the ongoing data quality problems with the ONS Labour Force Survey on her Department's ability to monitor progress towards the 80 per cent employment target. \p Alison McGovern: The independent Office for National Statistics (ONS) are responsible for the LFS, which is an important source of labour market information for the Department. In order to monitor the department's progress towards an 80% employment rate we need a robust Labour Force Survey (LFS). As such, we are engaging regularly with the ONS on these data issues and supporting ONS to improve the quality of the LFS.

The Department for Work and Pensions also continues to make more use of statistics based on administrative data (for example, benefit caseloads or HMRC PAYE data) alongside LFS statistics to form the best labour market view.

The ONS are also working on the Transformed Labour Force Survey to replace the LFS. The Department are working closely with the ONS and other government to ensure it is fit for purpose and provides reliable estimates of labour market trends.

We remain focussed on getting more people into work to grow our economy and improve living standards across all parts of the country.
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Laurence Turner:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to paragraph 86 on page 31 of her Department's White Paper entitled Get Britain Working, published on 26 November 2024, whether the remit of the independent review into the role of UK employers in promoting healthy and inclusive workplaces will include data (a) quality and (b) collection methods. \p Alison McGovern: The scope of the review is set out in the Keep Britain Working Terms of Reference which will be published on Gov.Uk on 24 January 2025. The review will consider evidence from a variety of sources and it will be for the review lead, Sir Charlie Mayfield, to determine how any data informs the development of recommendations.
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Mr Joshua Reynolds:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of Personal Independence Payments in covering additional costs associated with disability. \p Sir Stephen Timms: Personal Independence Payment (PIP) provides a contribution to the extra costs that may arise from a long-term disability or health condition. PIP is a non-contributory, non-means-tested, additional cost benefit and can be worth over £9,500 a year, tax free. Individuals can choose how to use the benefit, in the light of their individual needs and preferences.

The benefit can also be paid in addition to any other financial or practical support someone may be entitled to such as Universal Credit, Employment and Support Allowance, NHS services, free prescriptions, help with travel costs to appointments. It can also act as a passport to additional support such as premiums and additional amounts paid within certain benefits, Carer’s Allowance for an informal carer or the Blue Badge scheme. The benefits have been consistently uprated in line with inflation since they were introduced and were, like other benefits, increased by 6.7% from 8 April 2024.
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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if her Department will take steps to support households with one-off unexpected costs including boiler repairs. \p Sir Stephen Timms: Budgeting Advances help Universal Credit customers meet intermittent miscellaneous expenses, such as buying essential items like furniture or household equipment. These advances ensure that low-income families that have an emergency financial need and do not have access to adequate savings or affordable loans can access funding to meet the emergency.

Only eligible customers are able to access Budgeting Advances and there are limits set out in regulation on the amount that can be awarded. Information on the eligibility criteria can be found in the House of Commons Library.
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Dr Andrew Murrison:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of deaths from contact with electricity via building and industrial cleaning activities were recorded by the Health and Safety Executive in the last 12 months for which information is available. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR) places duties on employers, the self-employed and people in control of work premises (the Responsible Person) to report work-related fatalities, certain injuries, occupational diseases and specified dangerous occurrences (near misses). Reports are made via a dedicated RIDDOR submission form.

An electrocution that occurred during window cleaning being carried out as a ‘work activity’ (as opposed to by the homeowner) would be reportable under RIDDOR as a work-related fatality.

HSE collects information on deaths from contact with electricity in the category of ‘building and industrial cleaning activities’. However, it does not collect specific information relating to electrocutions caused by the use of water-fed poles in window cleaning.
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Jacob Collier:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what information her Department holds on how many and what proportion of Universal Credit claimants under the age of 25 (a) live outside of their family home and (b) do not receive financial support from their families. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
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James Wild:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with (a) UEFA, (b) FIFA and (c) the International Olympic Committee on the publication of correspondence on the proposal to introduce a football regulator. \p Stephanie Peacock: This Government, and the previous one, has engaged extensively with a wide range of stakeholders as the policy set out in the Football Governance Bill has developed over the last 3 years. This includes engagement with UEFA and FIFA. These discussions have been constructive, and we continue to speak to the relevant football authorities on a regular basis.

The Government does not share private correspondence provided to us by stakeholders including international organisations.
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Neil O'Brien:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department plans to set out the future of the Listed Places of Worship Grants Scheme before its current funding ends on 31 March 2025. \p Chris Bryant: On the 22nd of January, I was pleased to announce that the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme would continue from March 2025 to March 2026. Further details can be found here in the Written Statement.
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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of a transient visitor levy on the UK visitor economy. \p Chris Bryant: Tax policy is a matter for HM Treasury and there are no plans to introduce a visitor levy in England. Levies either have been or are being introduced in Scotland, Wales and some English cities and DCMS continues to monitor their impact on the visitor economy.
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Melanie Ward:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to support community radio. \p Stephanie Peacock: In December 2024, the Community Radio Order 2025 was laid in draft in Parliament. It enables Ofcom to extend community radio licences for a fourth time and to remove restrictions that limit the amount of income a community radio licence can receive from advertisements and sponsorship, except for community radio stations whose coverage area overlaps with small independent commercial stations. These changes are designed to secure the long-term success and financial sustainability of the UK’s community radio stations and, subject to Parliamentary approval, are due to come into force in April 2025.

The Ofcom-administered Community Radio Fund also allows community radio stations to bid for funding to meet their core costs and seeks to support the sector towards self-sustainability. The current annual budget for the Community Radio Fund was set at £400,000 in 2015. We are currently looking at whether there is scope to increase funding as part of the Spending Review.
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Euan Stainbank:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the jet zero taskforce plenary group have met. \p Mike Kane: The Inaugural Jet Zero Taskforce Plenary took place on 4 December 2024 chaired by the Secretary of State for Transport. Members discussed the Taskforce Terms of Reference and priorities for 2025. Meeting minutes will be published in due course.
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Euan Stainbank:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Jet Zero Taskforce has made an assessment of the potential merits of transitioning Grangemouth into a sustainable aviation fuel facility. \p Mike Kane: I refer the hon. Member to the Answer given to PQ [UIN 23039] on 17 January 2025.
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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to help reduce fatality rates of cyclists on rural roads. \p Lilian Greenwood: The Highway Code was updated in 2022 to improve road safety for cyclists and pedestrians, by strengthening pedestrian priority on pavements and at crossings and introducing the Hierarchy of Road Users, which places those road users most at risk in the event of a collision, at the top of the hierarchy. The Highway Code makes it clear that those in charge of vehicles that can cause the greatest harm in the event of a collision bear the greatest responsibility to reduce the danger they pose to others, and highlights the need to take care and be particularly aware of young cyclists and pedestrians.

The Department has awarded local authorities £185.8 million of funding between 2017 and 2024 through the Safer Roads Fund to improve the safety of England's most high risk 'A' roads. To date, it has funded 445.3 miles of rural roads which make up 62.4% of all funded routes.

Additionally, Active Travel England works with rural authorities to provide funding and to support the delivery of high-quality walking and cycling schemes, including segregated cycle lanes and junction improvements. This includes training for local authority staff, as well as design workshops and design assurance reviews of schemes under development.
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Alex Mayer:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to her Department's consultation entitled Ending the sale of new, non-zero emission buses, coaches and minibuses, what the end sale date is for diesel coaches. \p Simon Lightwood: In spring 2022 the Department held a call for evidence about the decarbonisation of coaches, alongside a consultation on ending the sale of new, non-zero emission buses. An end of sale date has not been set for coaches.
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Liz Jarvis:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of reducing the price of bus travel for people under the age of 25 via an equivalent scheme to the 16-25 railcard. \p Simon Lightwood: Bus services are predominantly run on a commercial basis, where private operators decide on the level at which fares are set. Many bus operators offer reduced fares for young people, and the Department for Transport’s latest concessionary travel statistics show that in the year ending March 2025, youth concessions are offered by at least one commercial bus operator in 73 out of 85 local authority areas in England outside London.

Local authorities can also introduce fares initiatives in their local areas. The government has allocated £712 million to local authorities to support and improve bus services in 2025/26 including Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) and Bus Service Operators Grant funding. BSIP funding can be used in whichever way local authorities wish to improve services for passengers, which could include introducing fares initiatives for young people.

The government is exploring options for targeted fares measures that deliver value for money to the taxpayer, to ensure affordable bus travel is always available for the groups who need it most – such as young people.
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Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of working conditions for private hire drivers. \p Simon Lightwood: The Department for Transport discusses a range of issues with representatives from the taxi and private hire vehicle sector. Employment law and working practice policy, including working conditions, is outside of my Department’s remit and is owned by the Department for Business and Trade.
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Mr Gregory Campbell:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 3 December 2024 to Question 16707 on Electric Vehicles, what assessment she has made of whether there will be sufficient charging points for the number of electric vehicles that are estimated to be on the road by 2027. \p Lilian Greenwood: As of 1 January, there are over 73,000 public charging devices installed throughout the UK. In the past year, nearly 20,000 charging devices were added, making it a record-breaking year. This progress was recognised in a report published by the National Audit Office on 13th December 2024 which outlined that chargepoint roll out in the UK is on track to meet forecast demand out to 2030.

The fast pace of rollout is set to continue, with the Government’s £381m Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund alone delivering over 100,000 public chargepoints across England over the next few years.
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Chi Onwurah:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 13 January 2025 to Question 21309 on River Tyne: Bridges, what responsibilities the Port of Tyne has for (a) the navigability of the River Tyne and (b) the Swing Bridge. \p Mike Kane: The department has not engaged specifically with the Port of Tyne on this issue as it is a matter for the port and/or other local parties. The specific areas of responsibility of the Port of Tyne, and other parties, for navigational purposes and the Swing Bridge will be set out in the relevant local harbours act, or other local agreements. The specifics of these will be best understood and discussed with the Port of Tyne itself.
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Dr Neil Hudson:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to support the maintenance of highways in Essex. \p Lilian Greenwood: The Government takes the condition of our country’s roads very seriously and is committed to maintaining and renewing the local highway network. Essex County Council, as a local highway authority, is responsible for the condition and maintenance of its local road network.

The Government has a manifesto commitment to enable local highway authorities to fix up to a million extra potholes a year. As announced on 20 December 2024, the Government has allocated Essex County Council £45.8 million during 2025/26 to help them carry out their local highway maintenance responsibilities. This is an increase of around 36% over the current financial year and includes a share of the additional £500 million announced in Budget 2024. It is Essex County Council’s responsibility to decide how that funding is used, based on local needs and priorities.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the membership is of the motor insurance taskforce announced on 16 October 2024; and what progress the taskforce has made. \p Lilian Greenwood: The cross-government Motor Insurance Taskforce is comprised of ministers from relevant government departments and the Financial Conduct Authority and Competition and Markets Authority. The taskforce is supported by a separate stakeholder panel of industry experts representing the insurance, motor, and consumer sector. The Government is committed to tackling high costs as part of our Plan for Change to raise living standards across Britain and we will provide updates on the taskforce’s work in due course.
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Mike Martin:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the sale of Royal Mail on the protection of historic post boxes. \p Justin Madders: Royal Mail is an iconic part of the UK’s infrastructure, and the government has ensured that the takeover has been properly scrutinised. The government has secured a commitment from EP Group, the potential buyers, to ensure that Royal Mail retains control of assets necessary to deliver the universal service obligation and an additional commitment to ensure that Royal Mail continues to use the Royal Cypher in accordance with existing arrangements.

Specific operational arrangements and agreements for historic post boxes continue to be a matter for Royal Mail as an independent business.
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Alice Macdonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of seeking fertility treatment on women in the workplace. \p Justin Madders: Data from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) states that around 52,500 patients had in vitro fertilisation (IVF) and 3,000 had donor insemination (DI) treatment, at HFEA licensed fertility centres in the UK in 2022. The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) does not hold any additional data on how many of those individuals were working, either nationally or by region.

DBT has not specifically assessed the potential impacts on women in the workplace of seeking fertility treatment, however, the Government recognises how important that treatment is to individuals and couples undertaking it. We have set out our immediate priorities for reforming employment law in the Plan to Make Work Pay, and while the Plan does not include any specific measures on fertility treatment, our plan aims to deliver change so that people are more able to balance working life with their personal circumstances.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with her international counterparts on tackling human trafficking. \p Jess Phillips: Responsibility for modern slavery and human trafficking sits within the Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls' portfolio in the Home Office.

Modern slavery is a global crime and the Government is committed to working with international partners to tackle it.

In September 2024, the Minister met the (now former) US Ambassador to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons to discuss the Government's modern slavery and humans trafficking priorities. The Minister has also met senior representatives from the Council of Europe's Group of Experts on Action Against Trafficking in Human Beings during their evaluation visit in December 2024.

The UK has close relationships with Governments from other countries, including Albania, Vietnam and Romania, to address shared priorities on modern slavery. Partnerships with these countries are maintained through regular senior official engagement and deliver initiatives to prevent modern slavery, improve law enforcement cooperation and support effective reintegration of victims so they can rebuild their lives.
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 17 January 2024 to Question 23051 on Offences against Children, whether this information is held by her Department. \p Jess Phillips: The information previously requested by the Rt Hon Member is not held by the Department. The Child Sexual Exploitation Police Taskforce currently holds the best data available on police-recorded child sexual abuse and exploitation crimes, including group-based offending. And the Government has committed to improving our understanding of this offending, including on the data collected and published.

The £10million funding announced by the Home Secretary in her 16 January statement to Parliament will contribute to taking forward our strengthened response to child sexual exploitation and abuse, as well as driving change at a local level. We are providing stronger national support for local inquiries, by providing £5million of funding to help local councils set up their own reviews. Funding will be made available to support Oldham and four other areas to pilot new approaches and conduct their own reviews. £2.5m will enable the increase of investigations, including through the Child Sexual Abuse Police Taskforce, and £2.5m will contribute to the implementation of the Home Secretary's other announcements, including the new Victims and Survivor Panel, and the Baroness Casey audit.

We will continue to work at pace to prioritise protecting more children, finding more criminals, and getting justice for more victims and survivors.
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what data her Department collects on child grooming activities online. \p Jess Phillips: The Home Office has access to a variety of data sources on child sexual abuse, which covers grooming both offline and online.

ONS publishes information on the number of notifiable offences recorded by the police in England and Wales, on a quarterly basis, which can be accessed here: Crime in England and Wales: Appendix tables - Office for National Statistics.

Police recorded crime covers a range of offences that are classed as child sexual abuse and exploitation. Child grooming offences could be recorded against several offence codes such as grooming; abuse of children through sexual exploitation; and obscene publications offences which include indecent images of children offences.
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Ruth Cadbury:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions her Department has had with the National Police Chief Councils on the effectiveness of powers to arrest people suspected of driving under the influence of drugs. \p Dame Diana Johnson: Ministers and officials meet with representatives of the NPCC on a regular basis and discuss a wide range of topics.

The police have the power under section 10 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 to arrest and detain an individual if they have provided a specimen of breath, blood or urine that exceeds the prescribed drink or drug driving limit or the individual’s ability to drive properly is impaired. How the police decide to use these powers is an operational matter for their discretion.

The Government will continue to support the police to ensure that they have the tools needed to enforce road traffic legislation.

The information requested on how many arrests there were for driving under the influence of drugs in each year since 2018 is not held centrally by the Home Office. Drug driving offences are not among the list of offences for which police forces are currently required to notify the Home Office of data on arrests, charges and outcomes.
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Mr Gregory Campbell:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of whether the first applications for UK passports under the British Nationality (Irish Citizens) Act 2024 will be available before the summer recess in 2025. \p Seema Malhotra: We continue to work on the operational changes for implementation of the British Nationality (Irish Citizens) Act 2024. The Home Office will notify interested Members once a prospective timeline for commencement has been agreed. Once the Act has commenced, applications for registration will be considered within normal processing times, and successful applicants will be able to apply for a British citizen passport.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-24)

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Ann Davies:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing the value of a primary residential property be included within Family Visa minimum financial requirement calculations. \p Seema Malhotra: Those using the family route to come to the UK must be capable of being independently supported by their sponsor. A couple’s income or cash savings are the most reliable and practicable indicator of their financial status and independence for the purposes of this requirement.

Equity in a property cannot be used to meet the MIR. Owning a capital asset does not in itself provide any means to support a partner. However, any income received from the rent of a property can be counted towards the requirement, provided the property is not, or will not be, the couple’s main residence in the UK.

On 10 September 2024, the Home Secretary commissioned the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to review the financial requirements in the Family Immigration Rules.

There will be no changes to the current threshold of £29,000, or the ways in which the Minimum Income Requirement can be met, until the MAC review is complete.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-24 conversation_115

Alicia Kearns:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has rejected any applications for UK visas by British National (Overseas) Hong Kong citizens due to confessions given in criminal trials in Hong Kong. \p Seema Malhotra: The Home Office considers all applications for UK visas on their individual merits. Suitability requirements apply to all routes and must be met in addition to validity and eligibility requirements.

The Immigration Rules part 9: grounds for refusal (Immigration Rules - Immigration Rules part 9: grounds for refusal - Guidance - GOV.UK) has further detail as to when an application for entry clearance, permission to enter or permission to stay must be refused on criminality grounds.

In addition, further information on how overseas convictions and offences not recognised in the UK are considered for applications submitted specifically under the Hong Kong British National (Overseas) route can be found in the published casework guidance - Hong Kong British National (Overseas) route. Guidance for caseworkers provides flexibility to ensure that overseas convictions and offences not recognised in the UK do not result in the automatic refusal of a HK BN(O) route application.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-24 conversation_116

Josh Babarinde:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of proposals to increase the maximum sentence for coercive control beyond five years. \p Jess Phillips: Controlling and coercive behaviour (CCB) is a particularly insidious form of domestic abuse and I recognise the devastating impact that it has on victims.

The Ministry of Justice has launched an Independent Review of Sentencing chaired by former Lord Chancellor, David Gauke, which is currently ongoing. The Review will specifically look at offences primarily committed against women and girls, and the Government is dedicated to ensuring that the harm caused by these devastating crimes is appropriately and proportionally reflected in the sentencing framework.

Separate to changes in sentencing, through the Victims and Prisoner Act 2024, offenders convicted of coercive or controlling behaviour, who are sentenced to 12 months or more, will soon be automatically managed under Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA). This change will place serious coercive or controlling behaviour offending on an equal footing with serious and/or violent offenders and create greater consistency in how these domestic abuse offenders are managed in the community. The extra monitoring of offenders, and restrictions which can be placed upon them, via MAPPA management will serve to reduce their risk of reoffending and give greater assurance of safety to previous victims in the coming months

Tackling VAWG in all its forms, including CCB, is a top priority for this Government.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-24 conversation_117

Llinos Medi:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 13 January 2025 to Question 22766 on Crown Estates: Wales and with reference to the Answer by the First Minister of Wales to the Question from Rhun ap Iorwerth MS of 21 January 2025, for what reason the First Minister said that there had been discussions on devolving the Crown Estate to Wales. \p Darren Jones: The UK Government has regular discussions with the Welsh Government at official and ministerial level on a range of issues. This has included a request from the Welsh Government that the UK Government considers devolution of the management of The Crown Estate in Wales.

As set out in the answer of 13 January 2025 to Question 22766: Crown Estates: Wales, the UK Government and Welsh Government have not entered discussions to take forward the devolution of The Crown Estate in Wales. However, the matter has been discussed at Ministerial level.

Whilst we acknowledge the policy position of the Welsh Government put forward during discussions, as previously set out, the UK Government does not believe devolution of the Crown Estate is currently in the best interests of Wales as it could fragment the energy market, complicate existing processes, and potentially delay grid connectivity reform as well as the further development of offshore energy. Together this gives rise to concerns it would delay progress towards net zero and undermine investment in Welsh waters.

We will continue to engage constructively with the Welsh Government on a wide range of topics relevant to the operation of the devolution settlement, including how to ensure that The Crown Estate works in the interests of Wales.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-24 conversation_118

Dr Scott Arthur:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has made an estimate of the Barnett consequential funding for Scotland associated with investment in filling potholes in England's roads and footpaths. \p Darren Jones: The Block Grant Transparency publication breaks down all changes in the devolved governments’ block grant funding from the 2015 Spending Review up to and including Main Estimates 2023-24. The most recent report was published in July 2023 and the next report will be published in due course.

Barnett-based funding is not ringfenced for any one policy area and it is for the Scottish Government to allocate this funding in devolved areas as they see fit. They can therefore take their own decisions on managing and investing available resources, reflecting their own priorities and local circumstances, and they are accountable to the Scottish Parliament for these decisions.

The Scottish Government’s budget is growing in real terms in 2025-26 and its settlement for 2025-26 is the largest settlement in real terms of any Scottish Government settlement since devolution.  The Scottish Government is receiving at least 20% more per person than equivalent UK Government spending in the rest of the UK. That translates into over £8.5 billion more in 2025-26.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-24 conversation_119

Charlotte Nichols:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of the additional cost of the UK's debt interest following the downgrading of the AAA credit rating in each year since 2013. \p Darren Jones: Rising global interest rates and inflation have meant debt interest is at its second highest for a financial year since the 1980s. This shows why our fiscal rules – balancing the current budget and reducing net financial debt by 2029-30 – are the right thing to do to reduce the burden on future generations.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-24 conversation_120

Rupert Lowe:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of undertaking an analysis of the fiscal contribution of migrants by their country of origin. \p Darren Jones: The OBR produces economic and fiscal forecasts. Box 4.5 of the OBR’s published Economic and Fiscal Outlook in March 2024 sets out estimated impacts of migration on the fiscal forecast. This looks at the fiscal impact of migration scenarios and is a function of four components: specific fees and charges, general taxes, welfare benefits and public services spending.

OBR analysis does not break down fiscal implications of migration by nationality.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-24 conversation_121

Dr Roz Savage:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Autumn Budget 2024 on businesses in South Cotswolds constituency. \p James Murray: Consistent with past fiscal events, HMT has not produced a constituency-level breakdown of the impact of Autumn Budget 2024 (AB24).

At AB24, the government set out the first major steps in its approach to regional growth, and confirmed an extension of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, providing £900m to local authorities to invest in local growth.

The government also committed to continuing funding for key business support programmes in 2025-26, including Growth Hubs in England. The Gloucestershire Growth Hub is open to all businesses in South Cotswolds, providing free expert advice and signposting to various government support.

At Budget, the government announced that from 2026-27, it will permanently lower tax rates for high street retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) properties, with rateable values below £500,000.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-24 conversation_122

Mary Glindon:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to increase Real Household Disposable Income per person in Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend constituency. \p Emma Reynolds: Real Household Disposable Income (RHDI) per capita is a measure of UK living standards. The main route to higher living standards is through good, productive jobs, stable employment, and a thriving business environment. Growth must be felt in every nation and region. Through the growth mission, the government will deliver a milestone of higher living standards in every part of the United Kingdom by the end of the Parliament.

In its October 2024 Economic and Fiscal Outlook, the Office for Budget Responsibility forecasts living standards, as measured by RHDI per capita, to grow by an annual average of 0.5% over the parliament.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-24 conversation_123

Ben Lake:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of (a) the number of people eligible for compensation and (b) the total cash value of the compensation owed under the ruling by the Court of Appeal from October 2024 that certain commissions that lenders paid to car dealerships for arranging loans were unlawful. \p Emma Reynolds: This is a complicated issue and the government is working closely with the Financial Conduct Authority and Prudential Regulation Authority. The government is pleased that the Supreme Court will hear an appeal from 1-3 April and hopes that its judgment will provide clarity for firms and consumers.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-24 conversation_124

David Simmonds:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Government has a residual financial interest in the Royal Mint site near the Tower of London. \p Emma Reynolds: The Royal Mint site near the Tower of London was sold by the Crown Estate in 2010 and, as such, there is no residual financial interest to the Exchequer from The Crown Estate.

HM Treasury has not made specific representations to the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government on the proposed Chinese Embassy at the Royal Mint site in London. Information relating to HMT agencies is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.