Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the rights of (a) authors and (b) other creators are upheld in relation to the use of their copyrighted works in the training of artificial intelligence systems; and whether he plans to introduce requirements for (i) transparency and (ii) compensation for historic use.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Copying protected material in the UK infringes copyright unless it is licensed, or a copyright exception applies. There are mechanisms for redress in cases of infringement.

The Government’s consultation on copyright and AI closed on 25 February. This sought views on giving authors and other creators greater control over use of their material to train AI models, supporting their ability to be remunerated, and requiring AI developers to be more transparent about the works used in AI training.

The Government’s priority now is to review all responses to the consultation. The Government will set out its proposals in due course.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 31 March 2025 to Question 41000 on Energy Supplies: Radio Frequencies, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of evidence gathered from (a) Germany, (b) Ireland, (c) Spain and (d) Brazil, who have already adopted radio spectrum access for the energy system.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Ofcom is responsible for allocating and authorising radio spectrum in the United Kingdom. As part of its ongoing work, Ofcom has undertaken preparatory steps to explore the potential need for spectrum to support private communications networks in the energy sector. This included publishing a Call for Input (CFI) to help identify suitable spectrum bands, should such a solution be required in the UK.

In assessing the options, Ofcom considered international spectrum harmonisation efforts as well as approaches taken by other national administrations. A brief evaluation of each identified spectrum band was also provided within the CFI.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of not uprating the Local Housing Allowance on (a) poverty and (b) homelessness; and whether she plans to increase rates in line with rental costs.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

No assessment has been made using current economic assumptions and methodological practices.

However, the department has previously produced a poverty impact assessment using OBR economic assumptions from 30th October 2024 on an outdated version of the model. Using this methodology, the department has estimated the poverty impact of uprating the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) to the 30th percentile of rents in a Local Authority compared to freezing it. Uprating the LHA has been estimated to decrease the number of individuals in relative poverty after housing costs by 50,000 (0.1%) individuals in 25/26 and 100,000 (0.1%) individuals in 28/29 compared to freezing it.

Estimates have been rounded to the nearest 50,000 and are on a UK basis. The poverty impacts are independent of the underlying trends in poverty so they are not an estimate of the total change in poverty over time.

Since this version of the model, the move to UC acceleration announced at Autumn Budget has been incorporated into the model and the economic assumptions have been updated to OBR's Spring Statement 2025 Round 2 assumptions.

The causes of homelessness are multi-faceted and often complex, they interact dynamically making it difficult to isolate the relative importance of individual factors. Therefore, no assessment has been made on this basis for the impact on homelessness.

At last year’s Autumn Budget, the Secretary of State’s decision to maintain Local Housing Allowance (LHA) at current levels for 2025/26 was taken after a range of factors were considered, including rental data, the impacts of LHA rates, the fact that rates were increased in April 2024, and the wider fiscal context. The April 2024 one-year LHA increase cost an additional £1.2bn in 2024/25, and approximately £7bn over 5 years.

Any future decisions on LHA policy will be taken in the context of the Government’s missions, goals on housing, and the fiscal context.

For those who need further support, Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) are available from local authorities. DHPs can be paid to those entitled to Housing Benefit or Universal Credit who face a shortfall in meeting their housing costs.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of funding for local authorities for the 2025-26 financial year.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Local Government Finance Settlement for 2025-26 makes available over £69 billion for local government, which is a 6.8% cash terms increase in councils’ Core Spending Power on 2024-25.

Taken together, the additional funding announced by the Chancellor at the Autumn Budget and through the 2025-26 Local Government Finance Settlement will provide over £5 billion of new funding for local services over and above local council tax. This includes: an additional £2 billion of grant through the Settlement; a guarantee that local authorities in England will receive at least £1.1 billion in total in 2025-26 from the new Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging (pEPR) scheme; and a further £233 million of additional funding for homelessness services.

We are also taking immediate action to begin addressing the significant challenges facing local government by ensuring that funding goes to the places that need it most in 2025-26.

The Ministry works closely with local government and other government departments to understand specific demand and cost pressures facing local government on an ongoing basis.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether there are provisions in the agreement on the future of the Chagos Islands for the United States government to contribute financially to the maintenance of the Diego Garcia military base.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The deal will be between the UK and Mauritius. The base is an essential part of the UK-US defence relationship, and the US contributes a great deal to the operating cost of the base. Once the treaty is signed it will be put before both Houses for scrutiny before ratification in the usual way. This will include costs.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the eligibility criteria for NHS-funded eye tests on people living with diabetes.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Everyone who has been diagnosed with diabetes is eligible for a free National Health Service eye test, as there is a higher prevalence of some eye conditions amongst people with diabetes. In addition, due to the risk of diabetic retinopathy, all people with diabetes, aged 12 years old and over, are offered Diabetic Eye Screening free of charge. It is offered every one or two years, depending on the level of risk. Those with sight-threatening diabetic retinopathy are offered more frequent surveillance.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the reduction in the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund budget for 2025–26 on (a) adoptive families and (b) the stability of adoption placements.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The overall budget for the adoption and special guardianship support fund (ASGSF) will be £50 million in the 2025/26 financial year, which has not been reduced from in the 2024/25 financial year. The changes made to the criteria for the ASGSF will enable the budget to be utilised by more children and families. This will ensure that each child can still access a significant package of support required for individual children and help to prevent breakdown of adoptive placements. Children who have previously been supported by the ASGSF can continue to access the fund under the new arrangements. The department always considers the impact of decisions on vulnerable children.

The department is committed to ensuring value for money and continuously evaluates contracts. Regular reviews are conducted to assess effectiveness. The ASGSF management contract has undergone open re-procurement during its term of operation. The department assess all its tenders on their merits, with the sourcing strategy for this service following Green Book guidance. We will also be reviewing the most effective and efficient way of managing the fund in future years.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that children previously supported by the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund continue to have access to therapeutic services following the reduction in the fund’s budget for 2025–26.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The overall budget for the adoption and special guardianship support fund (ASGSF) will be £50 million in the 2025/26 financial year, which has not been reduced from in the 2024/25 financial year. The changes made to the criteria for the ASGSF will enable the budget to be utilised by more children and families. This will ensure that each child can still access a significant package of support required for individual children and help to prevent breakdown of adoptive placements. Children who have previously been supported by the ASGSF can continue to access the fund under the new arrangements. The department always considers the impact of decisions on vulnerable children.

The department is committed to ensuring value for money and continuously evaluates contracts. Regular reviews are conducted to assess effectiveness. The ASGSF management contract has undergone open re-procurement during its term of operation. The department assess all its tenders on their merits, with the sourcing strategy for this service following Green Book guidance. We will also be reviewing the most effective and efficient way of managing the fund in future years.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the (a) effectiveness and (b) value for money of the administration of the (i) Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund and (ii) the role of private contractors.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The overall budget for the adoption and special guardianship support fund (ASGSF) will be £50 million in the 2025/26 financial year, which has not been reduced from in the 2024/25 financial year. The changes made to the criteria for the ASGSF will enable the budget to be utilised by more children and families. This will ensure that each child can still access a significant package of support required for individual children and help to prevent breakdown of adoptive placements. Children who have previously been supported by the ASGSF can continue to access the fund under the new arrangements. The department always considers the impact of decisions on vulnerable children.

The department is committed to ensuring value for money and continuously evaluates contracts. Regular reviews are conducted to assess effectiveness. The ASGSF management contract has undergone open re-procurement during its term of operation. The department assess all its tenders on their merits, with the sourcing strategy for this service following Green Book guidance. We will also be reviewing the most effective and efficient way of managing the fund in future years.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department is taking steps to encourage bus companies to install cycle racks on their vehicles in (a) rural and (b) other areas.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The government is committed to delivering better bus services that meet passengers’ needs, including in rural areas, and has set out ambitious plans to reform bus services, including through the Bus Services (No.2) Bill and investing over £1 billion to support and improve bus services. The majority of bus services operate on a commercial basis, and decisions about the management and design of their bus fleet are for bus operators to make, including whether to install cycle racks.

The government recognises that bus services are part of a wider transport ecosystem, and it is vital to view them in the context of an integrated transport network designed with passengers as the priority. We have announced plans to develop an Integrated National Transport Strategy to set the long-term vision for transport in England. This will focus on how transport should be designed, built and operated to better serve the people who use it and ensure that the transport network is complementary, including the interaction between different modes of travel.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to help support the sustainability of independent hair salons on high streets; and whether she has made a recent assessment of the contribution of such businesses to local communities.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

This Government recognises the important economic and social value of the hair and beauty industry to high streets and local communities, and we want to support these businesses that help make our town centres successful.

That is why we have committed to reforming business rates from 2026-27 with a permanently lower multiplier for retail, leisure and hospitality properties, including hair and beauty salons.

The Government will also protect the smallest businesses by increasing the Employment Allowance to £10,500, meaning that 865,000 employers will pay no NICs at all and employers will be able to employ up to four full-time workers on the National Living Wage and pay no employer NICs.

We have also introduced new powers to help fill persistently vacant properties and make town centre tenancies more accessible and affordable through High Street Rental Auctions, supporting independent hair salons to access commercial property opportunities.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of the VAT threshold on the financial sustainability of small hair salons; and what steps she is taking to help ensure the consistency of the (a) tax and (b) regulatory environment for hair salons.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

At £90,000, the UK has a higher VAT registration threshold than any EU Member State and the second highest in the OECD. This keeps the majority of UK businesses out of VAT altogether. The Government will continue to bear in mind businesses’ views of this threshold.

In March the Chancellor published a regulation action plan, this set out this Government's approach to ensure regulators and regulation support growth. We are continuing to look at the regulatory environment for all businesses in the round as we implement the actions in the plan.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate her Department has made of the number of apprenticeship starts in the hairdressing sector in Leeds since 2024; and what steps she is taking to support salons to provide apprenticeships.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Apprenticeships are a great way for individuals to begin or progress a successful career in the hairdressing industry.

There have been over 135 starts in hairdressing and barbering apprenticeships within the Leeds local authority across the 2023/24 academic year and the 2024/25 academic year, up until January 2025.

To support smaller employers access apprenticeships, the government pays full training costs for young apprentices aged 16 to 21, and for apprentices aged 22 to 24 who have an education, health and care (EHC) plan, or have been in local authority care. Employers can benefit from £1,000 payments when they take on apprentices aged 16 to 18, or apprentices aged 19 to 24 who have an EHC plan or have been in local authority care.

Employers also benefit from not being required to pay anything towards employees’ National Insurance contributions for all apprentices aged up to age 25 where they earn less than £50,270 a year.