theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 4 February 2025 to Question 26697 on Local Government: Reorganisation, when she expects the Local Government Boundary Commission for England to become involved in reviewing electoral arrangements of the proposed new unitary councils; whether the role of the Commission will be (a) formal or (b) advisory; whether there will be public consultation on the electoral arrangements for the new councils; and whether the Commission will be involved in determining the (i) number of and (ii) external boundaries for the unitary councils. \p Jim McMahon: The Local Government Boundary Commission England (LGBCE) is responsible for electoral reviews for local government, reviewing wards, and setting the council size in terms of number of councillors. When a full electoral review of a newly established authority is carried out, the LGBCE will follow its guidance (which is available on its website), and the electoral review process includes a local consultation.

In terms of the number of and external boundaries of new unitary councils, the process set out in the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 is that following the receipt of proposals for a single tier of local government the Secretary of State may request the LGBCE to advise on any matter that relates to the proposal. The Secretary of State may by order implement the proposal, with or without modification; if she has received an alternative proposal from the LGBCE, by order implement that alternative proposal with or without modification; or decide to take no action.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of (a) empty home premiums on council tax, (b) second home premiums on council tax and (c) planning conditions against the use of new build homes as secondary residences on (i) house prices and (ii) housing markets in (A) England and (B) Wales. \p Jim McMahon: The use of council tax premiums is at local authorities’ discretion. The government does collect data on the use of premiums and number of empty and second homes, which is published in the government’s council taxbase statistics. However, it does not make housing market assessments based on premiums. The government does not monitor the number of planning permissions granted that are subject to conditions that restrict the use of a property. It is for local planning authorities to consider what planning conditions are appropriate for a development on a case-by-case basis.

These are devolved policy areas, and it would not be appropriate for me to comment on policy for Wales.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the English Devolution White Paper, CP 1218, published on 16 December 2024, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the abolition of district councils on (a) the size of town and parish councils and (b) parish precepts on council tax. \p Jim McMahon: What happens under new local government arrangements will depend on the proposals we receive from these areas. Plans to establish new parish councils in response to local government reorganisation should show how this will contribute to the goal of creating simpler structures that deliver high quality and efficient public services. Local authorities should ensure that new arrangements guarantee strong value for money for local taxpayers and precept payers alike. Central government is not involved in the establishment of new parish councils, as this is devolved to principal local authorities through the community governance review process.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what processes and procedures apply to town and parish councils who are unable to set a balanced budget; and what guidance has been issued on town and parish council finances. \p Jim McMahon: Town and parish councils are legally required to set a balanced budget each year. To do so, they charge a precept equalling the difference between their expected annual expenditure and income. All smaller authorities must undergo an annual external audit in the form of a limited assurance review to ensure transparency and compliance with the relevant procedures.

The National Association of Local Councils and its county associations support their members by publishing guidance and providing advice on effective financial management in town and parish councils.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, for what reason the consultations on establishing mayoral combined authorities, published on 17 February 2025, ask respondents for gender. \p Jim McMahon: Collecting demographic information in the consultation helps us to understand whether the responses we receive are representative of those who live and work in the areas involved in the consultations. This will also help MHCLG conduct an equality impact assessment to ensure compliance with the Public Sector Equality Duty. We are not asking for information that identifies individuals in consultation responses, and the demographic information provided is anonymous.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether (a) initial and (b) final proposals on local government restructuring should be agreed by consensus between local authorities within the two-tier area; and what steps she plans to take if proposals differ. \p Jim McMahon: We expect local leaders to engage their MPs and to ensure there is wide engagement with local partners and stakeholders, residents and businesses. This engagement should both inform the development of robust proposals and build a shared understanding of the improvements they expect to deliver through reorganisation. However, we understand that there will be some cases when it is not possible for all councils to jointly develop and submit a proposal, and this will not be a barrier to progress. Government will consider any suitable proposals submitted by the relevant local authorities.

My department will continue to work closely with the Local Government Association (LGA), the District Councils Network, the County Councils Network and other local government partners to plan how best to support councils through this process.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 21 February 2025 to Question 30629 on Unitary Councils, whether there will be an allowed (a) minimum and (b) maximum variance of the proposed 500,000 population size for the new unitaries; and whether there is an absolute population size that should not be exceeded. \p Jim McMahon: On 5 February, I wrote to all councils in two-tier areas and nearby smaller unitaries, inviting them to put forward proposals for reorganisation. This communication included guidance from the Secretary of State, highlighting that new councils should be appropriately sized to achieve efficiencies, improve capacity, and remain resilient to financial challenges. Ideally, new councils should aim for a population of 500,000 or more. However, it is recognised that there may be specific situations where this target may not apply, particularly in relation to devolution, and any such reasons should be clearly explained in each proposal. There are no set minimum or maximum population size requirements specified, and we expect a variety of proposals will follow.
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Margaret Mullane:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to take steps to support councils in London with temporary accommodation pressures. \p Rushanara Ali: Homelessness levels are far too high, and we are taking the first steps to get back on track to ending homelessness. As announced at the Budget, grant funding for homelessness services is increasing this year by £233 million compared to last year (2024/25). This increased spending will help to prevent rises in the number of families in temporary accommodation and help to prevent rough sleeping. This brings total funding to nearly £1 billion in 2025/26.

This Government has inherited record levels of temporary accommodation, and we recognise the pressure this has put on councils. The government regularly takes a wide range of evidence into account when determining the overall level of funding available for local government services, including expected temporary accommodation pressures in 202/26. The majority of funding provided through the Local Government Finance Settlement is un-ringfenced in recognition that local councils are best placed to understand the needs of their communities. The Government has confirmed there will be over £5 billion additional government grant funding available for local government services in 2025/26, over and above increases to council tax. Of this, over £2 billion is being made available through the Local Government Finance Settlement for 2025/26.

The Government is clear that, in the short-term, we must prioritise eliminating the worst forms of temporary accommodation such as families in Bed and Breakfast (B&B), other than in genuine emergencies. We have also launched Emergency Accommodation Reduction Pilots, backed by £8 million, to work with 20 local councils with the highest use of B&B accommodation for homeless families, including 11 London Boroughs. This will support LAs to move families into more suitable accommodation.

In addition, the £1.25 billion Local Authority Housing Fund will provide capital funding directly to English councils and is expected to around 7,700 homes by 2026. It will create a lasting asset for UK nationals by building a sustainable stock of affordable housing and better-quality temporary accommodation for local communities.
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Vikki Slade:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of recommendations of the National Audit Office's report entitled Local Government Financial Sustainability, published on 28 February 2025. \p Jim McMahon: The government recognises many of the themes identified by the National Audit Office in their recently published report entitled Local Government Financial Sustainability.

I refer the hon. Member to the written statement made by my rt. hon. Friend the Member for Ashton-under-Lyne on 3 February 2025 (HCWS413), which sets out the action the government is taking through the 2025-26 Local Government Finance Settlement to bring long-term stability and certainty to the local government sector.
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Robert Jenrick:To ask the Solicitor General, how many people are prosecuted under s21 of the Solicitors Act 1974 each year. \p Lucy Rigby: The Crown Prosecution Service holds data on the number of prosecutions where a charge has been authorised and reached a first hearing in the magistrates’ courts for specific offences.

The below table provides details of the number of offences charged under section 21 of the Solicitors Act 1974 in the last ten years.

2015

2016

2017

2018

2020

2021

2022

2023

2024  (up to end of September)

5

3

2

3

2

1

0

0

0
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Solicitor General, what recent steps she has taken to help ensure the effective prosecution of wildlife crime in (a) Lincolnshire and (b) other rural areas. \p Lucy Rigby: This Government is committed to working with the police and other partners to address the blight of wildlife crime in Lincolnshire and across the country.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has fourteen Areas (regional teams) across England and Wales – the CPS East Midlands Area serves the counties of Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, and Nottinghamshire including the cities of Nottingham, Derby, and Leicester, and the county of Rutland.

More broadly, we have announced that the CPS will receive an additional £49m to support victims of crime and transform the services they provide to the public.

We are introducing tougher measures to clamp down on anti-social behaviour, stronger neighbourhood policing, and robust laws to prevent farm theft and fly-tippers.

We are recruiting 13,000 more neighbourhood police and police community support officers across England and Wales.

The National Police Chiefs’ Council Wildlife and Rural Crime Strategy 2022-2025 provides a framework through which policing, and its partners, can work together to tackle the most prevalent threats and emerging issues which predominantly affect rural communities.

CPS prosecutors also work closely with local police officers and officers from the National Wildlife Crime Unit to tackle all types of rural crime.

The CPS also provides legal guidance on wildlife, rural, and heritage crime, which is available to all its prosecutors to assist them in dealing with these cases. It also provides specialist training to ensure that its prosecutors have the expert knowledge needed to prosecute these crimes.
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Matt Bishop:To ask the Solicitor General, what recent steps she has taken to help ensure the effective prosecution of (a) environment, (b) heritage, and (c) wildlife crime in the Forest of Dean constituency. \p Lucy Rigby: This Government is committed to working with the police and other partners to protect the environment, including our wildlife and our heritage sites across the country. This includes the constituency of the Forest of Dean which is covered by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) Area South West.

Local CPS teams work alongside partner organisations in the three police force areas in the South West: Avon and Somerset, Devon and Cornwall, and Gloucestershire to tackle environment, heritage, and wildlife crime, including in the Forest of Dean constituency.

More broadly, this Government is introducing tougher measures to clamp down on anti-social behaviour, stronger neighbourhood policing, and robust laws to prevent farm theft and fly-tippers.

We have announced that the CPS will receive an additional £49m to support victims of crime and transform the services they provide to the public, and we are recruiting 13,000 more neighbourhood police and police community support officers across England and Wales.

The National Police Chiefs’ Council Wildlife and Rural Crime Strategy 2022-2025 provides a framework through which policing, and its partners, can work together to tackle the most prevalent threats and emerging issues which predominantly affect rural communities.

CPS prosecutors work closely with local police officers and officers from the National Wildlife Crime Unit to tackle all types of rural crime.

The CPS also provides legal guidance on wildlife, rural, and heritage crime, which is available to all its prosecutors to assist them in dealing with these cases. It also provides specialist training to ensure that its prosecutors have the expert knowledge needed to prosecute these crimes.
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Ellie Chowns:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the oral contribution by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office on 6 February 2025, Official Report, House of Lords, column 803, if he will make it his policy to review the Government's redactions of the Intelligence and Security Committee's report entitled Russia, Session 2019-21 HC 632, published on 21 July 2020. \p Ms Abena Oppong-Asare: ISC reports, including the Russia report, contain highly classified material which would damage the operational capabilities of UK intelligence agencies if published unredacted. All ISC reports go through a number of administrative stages and processes before publication. This includes security checks to make sure there is nothing in the report that would be prejudicial to the continued discharge of the functions of the security and intelligence services. Redactions to the Russia report were made on grounds of national security and still apply.
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Sir Julian Lewis:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 27 February 2025 to Question 32906 on Government Department: Telephone Services, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the removal of dedicated telephone numbers from the List of Ministerial Responsibilities on the ability of hon. Members to speak to staff in Ministers' private offices; and whether the default method of corresponding by email is the only option now available to hon. Members. \p Ms Abena Oppong-Asare: Departments publish email addresses as the first means of contacting Ministers. All departments have processes to ensure correspondence via email reaches the intended Minister or team in a rapid manner, meaning there should be no reduction in the ability of MPs to contact Ministers' private offices. MPs may, in any such email correspondence, request a phone call with a departmental official or a member of the Minister's private office.
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Sir Julian Lewis:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the oral contribution of the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, on 13 January 2025 on Artificial Intelligence Opportunities Action Plan, Official Report, column 61, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the (a) development and (b) deployment of AI tools to respond to emails sent to Ministers on the ability of hon. Members to hold Governments to account. \p Ms Abena Oppong-Asare: The Government continues to consider the use of artificial intelligence in all Government services. The potential impacts of using these tools in responding to correspondence from Parliamentarians and members of the public, and the implications for the function of correspondence to hold the Government to account, will form part of the Government’s ongoing considerations.
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Stephen Gethins:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps Government is taking to enhance cyber resilience across critical (a) national infrastructure and (b) public institutions. \p Ms Abena Oppong-Asare: We are committed to strengthening cyber security across the UK’s Critical National Infrastructure (CNI), and all aspects of the Government digital estate.

The Government works closely with CNI operators in both the private and public sector to ensure resilience and preparedness to cyber threats, working to better understand and manage cyber risk, and minimise the impact of cyber incidents when they occur. As well as work to develop a more sophisticated understanding of cyber risk across UK CNI, the Government is focussed on ensuring that CNI operators are prepared to respond to and recover from incidents through better planning and regular exercising.

The King's Speech in July 2024 set out the Government’s intention to bring forward a Cyber Security and Resilience Bill, which will strengthen the UK’s cyber defences, and ensure that critical infrastructure and the digital services that companies rely on are secure.

To enhance the cyber resilience of public institutions, the Government Cyber Security Strategy has set a clear target for all government organisations to be resilient to known vulnerabilities and common attack methods by 2030.
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James McMurdock:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to ensure the transparency of all spending related to the Government's response to the UK Covid-19 Inquiry. \p Nick Thomas-Symonds: The Government regularly publishes the cost to government in responding to the Inquiry. Most recently, costs for Quarter 3 2024/25 were published on 3 March 2025.
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Andrew Griffith:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many UK nationals emigrated from the UK for long-term purposes in the (a) third and (b) fourth quarter of 2024. \p Georgia Gould: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 4th March is attached.

Letter from the National Statistician (pdf, 114.6KB)
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Clive Lewis:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many members of the infected blood community were selected for the testing of compensation payments in Norwich South constituency. \p Nick Thomas-Symonds: As of 21 February 2025, IBCA has invited 204 people to start their compensation claim. IBCA claims managers are taking them through the process and 38 offers of compensation have been made, with a total value of £48.2 million. This information is not available for specific constituencies.
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Tom Morrison:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of replicating the EU’s Artificial Intelligence Act. \p Feryal Clark: The UK is committed to establishing a proportionate AI regulatory approach which is grounded in science and supports growth and innovation. As set out in the manifesto, the Government is developing legislative proposals which will establish targeted measures. This will complement work outlined in the government’s response to the AI Action Plan to support the UK's existing regulators who are responsible for governing the vast majority of AI systems at the point of use.

As we develop our approach to regulating AI, we recognise the need to engage with a range of international partners. This includes engaging with the EU, who are a key science and technology partner, to discuss our respective approaches, as well as working alongside them and other partners in the G7, OECD, UN, and other international fora. We take a close interest in how our trading partners are regulating in similar areas and have regular exchanges with the EU on regulatory developments.
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Tom Morrison:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that consumers can differentiate between AI-generated and human-created content in creative industries. \p Feryal Clark: Increasing transparency about the use of copyrighted works to train AI models and AI-generated content was one of the key issues explored in the Government’s recently closed Copyright and AI consultation.

The consultation also sought views on the protection for the outputs of generative AI, the labelling of AI outputs and digital replicas.

The consultation closed on 25 February and our priority now is to review the evidence from the consultation which will inform the Government response.
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Tom Morrison:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether his Department plans to introduce a mandatory labelling or watermarking system to identify AI-generated creative content. \p Feryal Clark: The Government’s consultation on Copyright and AI has just closed. This included questions about the protection and labelling of generative AI outputs. Various industry initiatives exist to label AI outputs, but it may need to happen more consistently.

Our priority now is to review the evidence from the consultation which will inform the Government response.
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Tom Morrison:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to require generative AI developers to (a) document and (b) disclose their use of copyrighted materials. \p Feryal Clark: The Government’s consultation on Copyright and AI has just closed. This included a proposal to require AI model developers to be more transparent about how they obtain and use copyright works in their training, whether from web crawlers or other forms of training for AI models.

Our priority now is to review the evidence from the consultation which will inform the Government response, including any legislative proposals.
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the transfer of intellectual property for projects for which a catapult grant has been awarded to that catapult grant on (a) small businesses, (b) start-up businesses and (c) entrepreneurs. \p Feryal Clark: The intellectual property (IP) associated with any grants from Innovate UK is owned by the project participants. The sharing of IP between project participants in a collaborative R&D project is established through a collaboration agreement for that consortium. Innovate UK does not dictate the terms of those collaboration agreements. When a Catapult, which are set up as private businesses, is one of the collaborators they are subject to the same approach. Agreement would be reached across the consortium, and while a Catapult might take an IP stake it would only do so where this supported delivery of its strategic objectives to support innovation and the translation of R&D.
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Charlie Dewhirst:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 4 February 2025 to Question 26614 on Center for Countering Digital Hate, what the methodology is used to check whether (a) direct or (b) indirect funding has been provided previously, including by predecessor departments. \p Feryal Clark: The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology’s financial systems were checked for record of any payments to the Centre for Countering Digital Hate.

Other departments were not consulted.
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Kanishka Narayan:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to improve the UK's ability to (a) attract and (b) retain highly skilled professionals in the (a) AI and (b) life sciences sectors. \p Feryal Clark: The AI Opportunities Action Plan sets out the importance of creating a strong talent pipeline and addressing wider skills demands. We are focusing on collaborating with universities to increase AI courses, expanding educational pathways, and establishing a prestigious AI talent scholarship.

The Life Sciences sector plan, to be published later this year, will set out HMG support for Life Sciences skills. The Office for Life Sciences is working with stakeholder across the UK as well as Skills England – to inform this. The sector already benefits from targeted support via RESILIENCE, the Medicines Manufacturing Centre of Excellence.
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether he has had recent discussions with his international counterparts on working with international regulatory bodies to promote the uptake of human-specific technologies. \p Feryal Clark: The Government is committed to the uptake and development of alternative methods to the use of animals in science. We are engaging with regulators including the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and international medicines regulators such as the United States Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) as to how we will take this commitment forward.
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions his Department has had with regulators on supporting the uptake of human-specific technologies to replace the use of animals in the preclinical testing of new medicines. \p Feryal Clark: The Government is committed to the uptake and development of alternative methods to the use of animals in science. We are engaging with regulators including the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and international medicines regulators such as the United States Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) as to how we will take this commitment forward.

Government support for alternative methods includes human specific technologies such as organoids and organs-on-chips. The National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs) provides major funding for one of Europe’s largest organ-on-a-chip facilities at Queen Mary University.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions his Department has had with Swissmedic regarding the regulatory approval of New Approach Methods. \p Feryal Clark: The Labour Manifesto includes a commitment to “partner with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the phasing out of animal testing”. The Government is working to understand the international drivers and challenges to integrating non-animal methods into regulatory safety testing. This includes engaging with government scientists and regulators, including the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, Food Standards Agency and Environment Agency, as well as international medicines and chemicals regulators as to how we will take this commitment forward.
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Manuela Perteghella:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether he plans to take steps to ensure that visual artists with limited financial means and technical know-how can determine (a) whether and (b) how their works have been used by AI firms. \p Feryal Clark: The Government’s consultation on Copyright and AI has just closed. This included a proposal to require AI model developers to be more transparent about how they obtain their training material, whether from web crawlers and other forms of training for AI models.

Any new framework would need to work effectively for both individual creators, such as visual artists with limited financial means and technical know-how, and larger rights holders, as well as AI developers.

Our priority now is to review the evidence from the consultation which will inform the Government response.
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Manuela Perteghella:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether he plans to take steps to ensure that visual artists can identify (a) when and (b) from where their work has been ingested by operators of web crawlers and general-purpose artificial intelligence models. \p Feryal Clark: The Government’s consultation on Copyright and AI has just closed. This included a proposal to require AI model developers to be more transparent about how they obtain their training material, whether from web crawlers or other forms of training for AI models.

The proposals would enable right holders to reserve their rights, so they can prevent the use of their content to train AI models in the UK.

Our priority now is to review the evidence from the consultation which will inform the Government response.
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Manuela Perteghella:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of an opt-out for AI and copyright on (a) visual artists sharing their works online and (b) museums and galleries displaying artists’ works. \p Feryal Clark: The Government’s consultation on Copyright and AI, which sought views on proposals to support the development and use of AI technology while continuing to reward human creators, has just closed

The Government published an assessment of options alongside the consultation. Further information and evidence on the economic impact of the use of AI models on visual artists and the wider creative and cultural heritage sector was welcomed as part of the consultation.

Our priority now is to review the evidence from the consultation which will inform the Government response.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-07)

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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions his Department has had with Faculty AI on the scope of their monitoring software. \p Feryal Clark: Faculty AI was contracted by DSIT following a procurement process. Details of the contract can be found here.

As part of that procurement process, all companies were required to provide a variety of information, including details of their expertise in managing technology projects and ensuring compliance with UK GDPR and security measures.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-07)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-07 conversation_304

Max Wilkinson:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Government's decision not to sign the declaration on inclusive and sustainable artificial intelligence on the UK's reputation internationally. \p Feryal Clark: We agreed with much of the Leaders’ Declaration and continue to work closely with our international partners. The UK worked hard to agree text in the Leaders’ Declaration that reflected our commitment to balance opportunity with security when it comes to AI, but unfortunately we were not able to reach agreement on all parts of the declaration. It is important to note that the UK worked closely with the French team throughout and signed other agreements at the Summit on sustainability, cybersecurity and the impact of AI on the workforce.

We remain a very close partner to France on all aspects of AI, and an active and eager participant in all future AI Summits which were started at Bletchley Park in November 2023.

The UK is also continuing to take an active role in international AI discussions – including working bilaterally and through fora such as the G7, G20, OECD-Global Partnership on AI (GPAI), the United Nations and Council of Europe.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-07)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-07 conversation_305

Chi Onwurah:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking with the Chancellor of the Exchequer to help ensure that tax incentives for science and technology are used to promote innovation. \p Feryal Clark: Research and development (R&D) tax reliefs are vital to economic growth, and will support an estimated £56 billion of business R&D expenditure a year by 2029-30.

In the Corporate Tax Roadmap, the Government committed to strengthening the administration of the reliefs by continuing to improve guidance, establishing an expert advisory panel, and publishing a consultation on widening the use of advance clearances. An R&D disclosure facility was launched at the end of 2024.

HMT is the lead department for taxation policy including R&D tax reliefs. The Secretary of State and the Chancellor of the Exchequer have regular discussions on a range of issues.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-07)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-07 conversation_306

Chi Onwurah:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether he plans to publish a written response to the recommendations of the independent report entitled What works to attract and retain people into R&D careers, published on 10 February 2025. \p Feryal Clark: The Government does not typically publish responses to independent research reports. The recommendations made by the Behavioural Insights Team in this report will be considered as part of the Department’s ongoing policy development to support our ambitions for the UK’s R&D workforce and to drive national and regional growth through R&D.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-07)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-07 conversation_307

Tom Morrison:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of reductions in the international development budget on his Department's programmes supporting persecuted Christians overseas. \p Catherine West: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) works to ensure that Official Development Assistance (ODA) is allocated to those who are most vulnerable and most in need of this assistance irrespective of race, religion, or ethnicity. This includes minority religious or belief communities, including Christians, who are assessed by our partners when determining those most in need of protection and assistance.

The reduced ODA settlement is for 2026/27 onwards and we will be taking a rigorous approach to ensuring all ODA delivers value for money. The impact on specific programmes will be informed by the ongoing Spending Review and departmental resource allocation processes.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-07)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-07 conversation_308

Tom Morrison:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will take steps to ensure that staff in his Department receive training on freedom of religion or belief. \p Catherine West: Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) is incorporated within FCDO's broader human rights training programme. This includes workshops on religious engagement for staff delivered in the UK and overseas. We also provide several additional tools for staff, particularly those based overseas, to support work on FoRB, including a FoRB Toolkit, scale of persecution and framework for FoRB reporting.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-07)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-07 conversation_309

Tom Morrison:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of UK aid in supporting Christian communities facing persecution. \p Catherine West: We are championing the right to freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) and promoting tolerance and mutual respect through our engagement in multilateral fora, our bilateral work and our programme funding. Including the FCDO John Bunyan Fund, a designated programme for FoRB-focused overseas projects.

The FCDO works to ensure that Official Development Assistance (ODA) is allocated to those who are most vulnerable and most in need of this assistance irrespective of race, religion, or ethnicity. This includes minority religious or belief communities, including Christians, who are assessed by our partners when determining those most in need of protection and assistance.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-07)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-07 conversation_310

Tom Morrison:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has taken steps to ensure that UK (a) embassies and (b) high commissions report on violations of freedom of religion or belief. \p Catherine West: The UK remains strongly committed to freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all abroad. It is our firm opinion that no one should live in fear because of what they do or do not believe in.

We continue to monitor human rights, including FoRB, across the globe through our overseas network of embassies and high commissions, who report on developments. We draw on a range of resources to support our monitoring, including the annual Open Doors report on Christian persecution.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-07)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-07 conversation_311

Tom Morrison:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the recommendations in the Rt. Rev. Philip Mounstephen's report entitled Bishop of Truro’s Independent Review for the Foreign Secretary of FCO Support for Persecuted Christians, Final Report and Recommendations, published in 2019, what steps his Department has taken to incorporate the protection of Christian communities into its international development strategy. \p Catherine West: An independent review of the FCDO's implementation of the Truro recommendations in 2022 was largely positive. This has now been concluded, and we are focused on the looking to the future, as we continue to champion the right to freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) and promoting tolerance and mutual respect through our engagement in multilateral fora, our bilateral work and our programme funding, including the FCDO John Bunyan Fund, a designated programme for FoRB-focused overseas projects. We will continue to monitor and respond to the issue of persecution of Christians globally on account of their faith, alongside the persecution of other groups.

The appointment of David Smith MP as the Special Envoy for FoRB is a clear signal of the UK's ongoing commitment to these efforts.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-07)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-07 conversation_312

Brendan O'Hara:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking with international partners to support (a) individuals and (b) communities facing religious persecution in China. \p Catherine West: The environment for freedom of religion or belief in China is restrictive, which includes the persecution of Uyghur Muslims, Tibetan Buddhists, Falun Gong practitioners, and Christians. This Government stands firm on human rights, including the right to freedom of religion or belief. We raise our concerns at the highest levels: the Prime Minister, Foreign Secretary and Chancellor have all raised human rights recently with their counterparts.

More broadly, this Government champions freedom of religion or belief for all abroad. We work to uphold the right to freedom of religion or belief through our position at the UN, G7 and other multilateral fora.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-07)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-07 conversation_313

Sir Iain Duncan Smith:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make representations to his Hong Kong counterpart on Russian sanction evasion through Hong Kong. \p Catherine West: In his recent meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs spoke about global stability, including in Ukraine, where Russia continues its illegal war. The UK has already sanctioned a range of entities operating in third countries over military supply to Russia. This includes 31 entities based in China and Hong Kong under the Russia sanctions regulations. The UK is continuously working to strengthen our sanctions regime. We will continue to close loopholes, come down hard on sanctions evaders, crack down on sanctions circumvention and work with our international partners to undermine Russia's attempts to build global resilience to Western sanctions.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-07)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-07 conversation_314

Sir Iain Duncan Smith:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if his Department will impose secondary sanctions on Hong Kong financial institutions found to be supporting sanction evasion. \p Catherine West: UK sanctions bind UK nationals and entities everywhere. This is different to 'secondary sanctions' which are enforced outside of the sanctioning country's jurisdiction. The UK is committed to curtail Russia's use of the international financial system to support its war efforts and have powers to target foreign financial institutions facilitating this. On 24 February we designated a Kyrgyz based bank using these powers. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) continues to keep potential sanctions designations under close review. It is not appropriate to speculate on future designations, as to do so could reduce their impact.