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1685412

registered interest
date	29/01/2024
answering body	Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept id	211
answering dept short name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept sort name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
hansard heading	Business: Wind Power
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will review the eligibility criteria for businesses to install wind turbines.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	11783
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/02/2024 answer text <p>Planning is a devolved matter. In England there are no specific eligibility criteria for businesses in relation to wind turbines. Businesses seeking to install wind turbines for non-domestic purposes will need to apply for planning permission from their relevant local authority.</p> answering member constituency North East Derbyshire answering member printed Lee Rowley question first answered 05/02/2024 15:32:43 answering member 4652 label Biography information for Lee Rowley
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1685434

registered interest
date	29/01/2024
answering body	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
answering dept id	208
answering dept short name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
hansard heading	Jerusalem: Ethnic Groups
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had recent discussions with his Israeli counterpart on the (a) recent physical assault on Hagop Djernazian and (b) safety of Armenians in the Old City of Jerusalem.
tabling member constituency	Edinburgh East
tabling member printed	Tommy Sheppard
uin	11824
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/02/2024 answer text <p>We have not held discussions with Israeli counterparts on the situation in the Cow Garden site of the Armenian Quarter in the Old City of Jerusalem. The UK is monitoring the situation and is clear on the need to avoid any further rise in tensions. British Consulate General staff in Jerusalem met members of the community on 19 January, discussed the current situation and visited the Cow's Garden site. The UK's position on the status of Jerusalem is clear and long-standing: it should be determined in a negotiated settlement between the Israelis and the Palestinians, and Jerusalem should ultimately be the shared capital of the Israeli and Palestinian states. The UK is a strong supporter of Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) and an advocate for the integrity of cultural important areas to be respected. The UK continues to take a strong stance against settler violence and urges Israel to take stronger action to stop settler violence and hold the perpetrators accountable.</p> answering member constituency Sutton Coldfield answering member printed Mr Andrew Mitchell question first answered 07/02/2024 14:08:01 answering member 1211 label Biography information for Mr Andrew Mitchell
tabling member	4453 label Biography information for Tommy Sheppard

1685448

registered interest
date	29/01/2024
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Home Office: Vacancies
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many job vacancies there are in his Department as of 29 January 2024.
tabling member constituency	Ellesmere Port and Neston
tabling member printed	Justin Madders
uin	11812
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/02/2024 answer text <p>The number of vacancies is not held centrally and would require significant manual collation and manipulation of data, so could only be retrieved with disproportionate effort.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp question first answered 06/02/2024 17:55:02 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
tabling member	4418 label Biography information for Justin Madders

1685450

registered interest
date	29/01/2024
answering body	Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
answering dept id	216
answering dept short name	Science, Innovation and Technology
answering dept sort name	Science, Innovation and Technology
hansard heading	Broadband: Finance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of funding for the roll out of fibre broadband.
tabling member constituency	Ellesmere Port and Neston
tabling member printed	Justin Madders
uin	11814
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/02/2024 answer text <p>As of January 2024, ThinkBroadband reports that over 80% of premises in the UK can now access a gigabit capable connection. To date, most of this rollout has been achieved by the commercial market.</p><p> </p><p>Government acknowledges that there are premises that remain outside of the scope of the commercial build plans despite the commercial market going further than originally expected. These premises are some of the hardest and most expensive to reach in the UK and therefore require government subsidy if we are to achieve our ambition of nationwide gigabit coverage by 2030.</p><p> </p><p>Project Gigabit is the government’s £5 billion investment in ensuring the premises which would otherwise be left out of commercial plans, get access to a gigabit capable connection. As of December 2023, we have 16 Project Gigabit contracts in place worth approximately £667 million of government subsidy. This, combined with the ongoing procurements equals more than £2 billion of investment to support the deployment of gigabit-capable broadband. We expect more procurements to go live and further contracts to be awarded and signed within the coming months.</p><p> </p><p>For further updates on progress, including information on Project Gigabit procurements, Building Digital UK (BDUK) releases a quarterly update on progress towards our mission of nationwide coverage by 2030 with the latest being published in December 2023.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Hornchurch and Upminster answering member printed Julia Lopez question first answered 06/02/2024 09:52:09 answering member 4647 label Biography information for Julia Lopez
tabling member	4418 label Biography information for Justin Madders

1685466

registered interest
date	29/01/2024
answering body	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
answering dept id	208
answering dept short name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
hansard heading	UK Special Representative for Climate Change
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, for what reason the role of Special Representative on Climate Change was discontinued.
tabling member constituency	Liverpool, Walton
tabling member printed	Dan Carden
uin	11848
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/02/2024 answer text <p>Climate change remains an area of utmost importance to this government and is a central focus of our diplomatic relations on a daily basis.</p><p>Our senior representation on climate and environment has grown significantly since the creation of the FCDO, and expanded further since the UK's COP Presidency including two dedicated directors leading on climate and environment, and on energy security respectively.</p><p>Since 2011 we have directly supported over 100 million people in coping with the effects of climate change, provided just under 70 million people with improved access to clean energy, and reduced or avoided greenhouse gas emissions by 86 million tonnes.</p> answering member constituency Sutton Coldfield answering member printed Mr Andrew Mitchell question first answered 06/02/2024 09:48:56 answering member 1211 label Biography information for Mr Andrew Mitchell
tabling member	4651 label Biography information for Dan Carden

1685474

registered interest
date	29/01/2024
answering body	Department for Business and Trade
answering dept id	214
answering dept short name	Business and Trade
answering dept sort name	Business and Trade
hansard heading	Sales: Minimum Wage
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make an estimate of the number and proportion of direct sales companies paying at least the minimum wage in (a) Cardiff Central, (b) England and (c) Wales.
tabling member constituency	Cardiff Central
tabling member printed	Jo Stevens
uin	11819
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/02/2024 answer text <p>All businesses – irrespective of their size or business sector – are responsible for paying the correct minimum wage to their staff. The government is clear that anyone entitled to be paid the minimum wage should receive it and takes robust enforcement action against employers who do not pay their staff correctly. HMRC enforces minimum wage regulations on behalf of DBT.</p><p>The government would urge any worker who believes they are being paid below their entitlement to contact either ACAS or HMRC directly. ACAS offer free, impartial, and confidential advice on rights and entitlements to both workers and employers. ACAS officers will pass on cases to HMRC for further consideration where appropriate. HMRC will look at every case that a worker brings to it directly.</p> answering member constituency Thirsk and Malton answering member printed Kevin Hollinrake question first answered 06/02/2024 17:58:42 answering member 4474 label Biography information for Kevin Hollinrake
tabling member	4425 label Biography information for Jo Stevens

1685503

registered interest
date	29/01/2024
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Knives: Prison Sentences
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of introducing mandatory jail terms for people caught in possession of (a) blades, (b) knives and (c) other pointed articles without authorisation.
tabling member constituency	Bournemouth East
tabling member printed	Mr Tobias Ellwood
uin	11728
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/02/2024 answer text <p>The maximum penalty for being in possession of a bladed or pointed article in public is 4 years imprisonment. In 2015, we introduced minimum custodial sentences for repeat knife possession, alongside the existing minimum sentence for threatening with a knife. Adults face a minimum of 6 months’ imprisonment whilst young people aged 16 or 17 face a minimum 4-month Detention and Training Order.</p><p>Measures in the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022, which came into force on 28 June 2022, strengthen existing provisions by ensuring that the courts pass at least the minimum sentence for certain offences, including threat and repeat possession of a knife or offensive weapon, unless there are exceptional circumstances.</p><p>Sentencing in individual cases is a matter for our independent courts. Parliament has provided the courts with a broad range of sentencing powers to deal effectively and appropriately with offenders, including discharges, fines, community sentences, suspended sentences and custodial sentences.</p><p>It is the function of the court to decide the sentence in each case subject to the maximum that Parliament has provided and any guidelines that may be laid down by the Sentencing Council or the Court of Appeal. Sentencing must also be proportionate to the offence committed, considering all the circumstances of each case. That is why our sentencing framework generally sets maximum penalties but not mandatory or minimum penalties.</p><p>Research shows that it is the certainty of apprehension and punishment which consistently has a deterrent effect. However, it is of course crucial that serious offenders serve sentences that truly reflect the severity of their crimes, helping to protect the public and giving victims confidence that justice has been served.</p><p>Where someone is actually harmed by a knife or offensive weapon, there are a range of serious offences that the person may be charged with, such as causing grievous bodily harm. These can result in lengthy sentences including life imprisonment.</p><p>The Criminal Justice Act 1988 (Offensive Weapons) (Amendment, Surrender and Compensation) Order 2024 was laid in Parliament on 25 January 2024.</p><p>Once the legislation has been approved by Parliament, a surrender scheme will come into effect on 26 August 2024 to remove zombie style machetes and knives from circulation. The manufacture, supply, sale and possession of zombie-style knives and machetes will be outlawed from 24 September, and this will be enforced by the Police, Trading Standards and Border Force. An impact assessment, supporting the Statutory Instrument, will be published very shortly.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp grouped question UIN 11729 question first answered 06/02/2024 17:54:31 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
tabling member	1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood

1685504

registered interest
date	29/01/2024
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Small Businesses: Fraud
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to support people running small and medium-sized enterprises impacted by banking fraud.
tabling member constituency	East Renfrewshire
tabling member printed	Kirsten Oswald
uin	11806
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/02/2024 answer text <p>In May 2023, Government published the Fraud Strategy setting out the aim of cutting fraud by 10% by the end of this Parliament. The strategy outlines three key elements:</p><p>▪ Pursue fraudsters, disrupting their activities and bringing them to justice more often and quicker.</p><p>▪ Block frauds at source by dramatically reducing the number of fraud and scam communications that get through to the public and businesses.</p><p>▪ Empower people to recognise, avoid and report frauds and equip them to deal with frauds that do get through.</p><p>The Strategy outlines how we will raise public awareness and safeguard victims through improved reporting pathways, more accessible victim support, and the provision of clear and consistent protect advice. This will ensure that everyone receives the support they need to feel safe again and prevent re-victimisation.</p><p>In February 2024, Government will launch a new national anti-fraud behaviour change campaign, for individuals and businesses. The campaign will help people spot and take action to avoid fraud.</p><p>Fraud has reduced 13% compared to last year (Sept 2022) and has continued to decrease since the Fraud Strategy was launched in May 2023.</p> answering member constituency Tonbridge and Malling answering member printed Tom Tugendhat question first answered 06/02/2024 14:33:28 answering member 4462 label Biography information for Tom Tugendhat
tabling member	4413 label Biography information for Kirsten Oswald

1685538

registered interest
date	29/01/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Apprentices: Training
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many companies have received training subsidies from the apprenticeship levy in each of the last three years.
tabling member constituency	Romford
tabling member printed	Andrew Rosindell
uin	11721
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/02/2024 answer text <p>The government introduced the apprenticeship levy to incentivise larger businesses to develop and invest in their own apprenticeship programmes whilst ensuring the availability of funding for smaller employers wanting to offer apprenticeships. The levy has supported the government to increase investment in the apprenticeships system in England to £2.7 billion in the 2024/25 financial year and supports employers of all sizes to boost the skills of their workforces.</p><p> </p><p>Employers in England who pay the apprenticeship levy can access funds for apprenticeship training and assessment by registering for an apprenticeship service account. Since April 2021, all non-levy paying employers hiring new apprentices have accessed funds through apprenticeship service accounts.</p><p> </p><p>The table below shows the number of employer accounts on the apprenticeship service that have accessed funds for apprenticeship training and assessment in each of the last three academic years.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Academic Year</p></td><td><p>2020/21</p></td><td><p>2021/22</p></td><td><p>2022/23</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Number of employer accounts accessing funds</p></td><td><p>64,410 *</p></td><td><p>106,786</p></td><td><p>118,516</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>*To note that this data does not include employers who started an apprenticeship prior to April 2021 with a training provider who held a contract with the Education and Skills Funding Agency. As non-levy paying employers started accessing funding via the Apprenticeship Service from January 2020, this means that the figure above for 2020/21 will significantly underrepresent the total number of employers accessing funding.</p> answering member constituency Harlow answering member printed Robert Halfon question first answered 06/02/2024 12:58:52 answering member 3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon
tabling member	1447 label Biography information for Andrew Rosindell

1685540

registered interest
date	29/01/2024
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Artificial Intelligence: Disinformation
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has plans to outlaw the use of artificial intelligence deepfake programmes.
tabling member constituency	Romford
tabling member printed	Andrew Rosindell
uin	11723
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/02/2024 answer text <p>Generative artificial intelligence services have made it easier to produce convincing deepfake content and, whilst there are legitimate use cases this is also impacting a range of crime types.</p><p>The Home Office is working closely with law enforcement, international partners, industry and across Government to address the risks associated with deepfakes. This includes reviewing the extent to which existing criminal law provides coverage of AI-enabled offending and harmful behaviour, including the production and distribution of deepfake material using generative AI. If the review suggests alterations to the criminal law are required to clarify its application to AI-generated synthetic and manipulated material then amendments will be considered in the usual way.</p><p>The Online Safety Act places new requirements on social media platforms to swiftly remove illegal content - including artificial intelligence-generated deepfakes - as soon as they become aware of it. The Act also updates Ofcom’s statutory media literacy duty to require it to take tangible steps to prioritise the public's awareness of and resilience to misinformation and disinformation online. This includes enabling users to establish the reliability, accuracy, and authenticity of content.</p><p>We have no current plans to ban services which generate deepfakes, however Government has been clear that companies providing AI services should take steps to ensure safety and reduce the risks of misuse. This was discussed at the Government’s AI Safety Summit in November 2023, reinforcing our commitment to international collaboration on this shared challenge.</p><p>Crime is recorded on the basis of the underlying offence, not whether a deepfake was involved, and we are therefore unable to provide a figure for deepfake-enabled crimes.</p><p>We are unable to provide figures for departmental spending as this is captured according to crime type, or broader work on artificial intelligence, and not broken down into activities specific to deepfakes.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Tonbridge and Malling answering member printed Tom Tugendhat grouped question UIN 11722 11724 11725 question first answered 06/02/2024 14:31:31 answering member 4462 label Biography information for Tom Tugendhat
tabling member	1447 label Biography information for Andrew Rosindell