Jonathan Hinder

The Government is ensuring its Industrial Strategy supports industry in Lancashire by aligning national priorities with local strengths in advanced manufacturing, defence, digital and clean energy sectors. This includes targeted investment in skills, innovation and infrastructure, alongside support for business growth and exports through the Department for Business and Trade’s (DBT) integrated Business Growth Service. DBT is working with local partners to deliver the Lancashire Growth Plan, strengthen connectivity to city regions and support high-growth firms, including midsized businesses, complemented by programmes like Made Smarter helping SMEs adopt advanced digital technologies and improving productivity, competitiveness and long term regional growth outcomes.

The Government’s Modern Industrial Strategy is a 10-year, place-based plan supporting towns across the North to grow and attract investment. It aligns with the Northern Growth Strategy, realising the potential of the North’s £476 billion economy and 8.1 million jobs.

Through the industrial strategy eight priority sectors—including clean energy, advanced manufacturing and defence—we are targeting investment and innovation where the North has clear strengths. We are working with Mayoral Strategic Authorities and local authorities to deliver local priorities, while improving skills, infrastructure and access to finance so that growth benefits towns and communities across the North.

The 2023 Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act has strengthened the Registrar of Companies’ enforcement and investigative powers, enabling it to act as a more active gatekeeper over company registrations and directors.

As announced in the November Budget Statement, additional funding is now being provided for the Insolvency Service to set up a new Abusive Phoenixism Taskforce, specifically to deal with this type of director misconduct. The Insolvency Service is working closely with Companies House and HM Revenue and Customs to identify and tackle abusive phoenixism.

There is already a well-established director disqualification regime in the UK to prevent directors guilty of misconduct from taking part in the management of companies in the future.

Insolvency practitioners have a duty to report to the Government’s Insolvency Service on the directors’ conduct within three months of liquidation or administration. Where serious misconduct is identified, this can lead to disqualification or referral for criminal prosecution.

Since the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023, Companies House and The Insolvency Service have been developing a deeper enforcement partnership. Updates on implementation are included in the annual reports provided to Parliament.

It is important to remember that most companies do not become insolvent due to wrongdoing. Directors of an insolvent company can run similar businesses unless they are disqualified or subject to restrictions. Where directors abuse the system, the Secretary of State has powers to investigate and, if appropriate, pursue their disqualification or prosecution of the relevant directors.

Companies House and The Insolvency Service are currently strengthening their intelligence sharing to better identify rogue directors.

The Government continually reviews corporate and insolvency laws.

We are encouraging the train operator, Northern, and the trade union to continue discussions with a view to reaching agreement so that reliable Sunday services can be provided across the North of England, including between Clitheroe and Blackburn.

The findings of this work have been presented to all the Local Transport Authorities along the proposed route, Transport for the North, and the Skipton-East Lancashire Rail Action Partnership (SELRAP) campaign group.

All feasibility work relating to the proposed reinstatement of the Skipton-Colne line has been completed. While there is a strong strategic case for improving connectivity between East Lancashire and the Leeds city region, the scheme is currently unaffordable due to its high capital and operating costs. No DfT funding has been allocated for further development.

All feasibility work relating to the proposed reinstatement of the Skipton-Colne line has been completed. While there is a strong strategic case for improving connectivity between East Lancashire and the Leeds city region, the scheme is currently unaffordable due to its high capital and operating costs. No DfT funding has been allocated for further development.

Improving railway performance and delivering reform is my top priority. The Rail Minister and I continue to hold Train Operating Companies and Network Rail to account through the levers available to us, and will not hesitate to take action where there is a breach. I have also recently announced that performance information will be displayed at stations, demonstrating transparency and allowing passengers to hold us to account as we deliver change.

Whilst all National Health Service trusts in England are members of NHS Resolution’s indemnity schemes, not all specialist gender dysphoria services for children and young people clinics are services covered through their schemes.

NHS Resolution will not hold records of complaints as they will be managed locally by the service provider.

Where an individual National Health Service trust is a member or beneficiary of NHS Resolution’s indemnity schemes, NHS Resolution will keep records of claims or cases resolved through mediation or settlement.

As such, whether NHS Resolution holds relevant records will first be dependent on the individual trusts that host specialist gender services participating in these schemes.

The Government is continuing its work with the National Health Service to reform gender services, to ensure young people receive timely, holistic care and support, while reviewing the use of cross-sex hormones in line with recommendation eight of the Cass Review.

The Cass Review said that NHS England should review its policy on cross-sex hormones. The review noted that the option to provide cross-sex hormones is available for patients aged 16 years old and over, but that “extreme caution” was recommended along with a “strong clinical rationale for providing hormones before the age of 18”. In line with Dr Cass’s recommendations, every case for treatment is now discussed by a national multi-disciplinary team, and NHS England is reviewing its clinical commissioning policy on cross-sex hormones. A public consultation on the evidence is anticipated to take place this summer, and an updated policy is expected to be in place by April 2026.

With regard to private prescribing, a working group has been established by NHS England to provide advice to Government officials and the Chief Pharmaceutical Officer. The remit of the working group is to provide practical advice on the operational consequences of introducing any restrictions on private prescribing and advice on how to manage any risks to patients. The working group is made up of consultant endocrinologists, pharmacy and primary care leads, and national commissioners.

It is not the working group's role to decide whether restrictions on private prescribing should, or should not, be introduced. Neither is the group providing advice on the future use of cross-sex hormones by NHS clinicians. The Department will use the outputs of the working group to inform ongoing policy development.

Ensuring that women are healthy during their pregnancy is important for ensuring good outcomes for women and babies. This includes surrogates, also known as gestational carriers. We welcome additional research and evidence in this field, including reports such as the Queen’s University Ontario publication, which we will consider.

Inheritance tax on shares in companies in administration or the process of liquidation at the time of a transfer, such as a death, may qualify for payment in annual instalments if they meet the criteria in s228 of Inheritance Tax Act 1984.

When paying in annual instalments, the outstanding balance of tax only becomes payable in full immediately if an interest or part of an interest in a business is sold. A distribution in cash made to shareholders on a liquidation is the winding up of a company, rather than a sale, and so the facility to pay in instalments is not lost in those circumstances.

The Government’s response to the Economic Affairs Finance Bill Sub-Committee was published on 30 March 2026 and it is available at https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/52446/documents/291079/default/.

Due to significant changes in the structure of police funding and policing in England and Wales in the financial year ending March 2016, it is difficult to make a direct comparison of the proportion of total police funding that was derived from police precept over the requested period of time.

However, the overall level of police precept in 1996-97 was £832.8 million and in 2006-07 was £2,639.5 million.

Further historical information regarding police funding for England and Wales is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/central-government-police-funding

The Home Office conducted the Police Activity Survey over a one-week period in February 2023, with 35 of the 43 police forces in England and Wales participating. The survey was designed to improve understanding of how police time is allocated across different activities. A report presenting the results from the survey is being finalised within the department ahead of publication.

The department is currently considering the feasibility of conducting the survey again although this is in early stages. We will engage with police forces ahead of a decision to proceed.

The Home Office is investing £53 million to roll out the Drive Project over the next four years. The Drive Project is a multi-agency, intensive case management approach for the highest risk, highest harm serial perpetrators of domestic abuse perpetrators. This is a key measure in the Government's commitment to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG) in a decade.

The Drive Project pilot was the subject of a robust impact evaluation - between 2016 and 2019, the University of Bristol conducted evaluation to measure The Drive Project's effectiveness in reducing abuse, using a randomised control design.

We are working closely with The Drive Partnership to develop plans for monitoring and evaluation of the rollout, ensuring that the approach builds on what has come before.

The Police Federation of England and Wales has appointed an independent panel to review past failings and future governance of the organisation. That review is independent of Government; the progress of the review and the publication of its findings are matters for the independent panel and the Police Federation.

Defence is an engine for growth, as demonstrated by the recent deal this Government signed with Türkiye for 20 Eurofighter Typhoons, worth £8 billion to the UK economy and supporting a key NATO ally. This deal secures thousands of skilled jobs for the UK, including those workers in Warton and Samlesbury who I had the pleasure of meeting recently.

The government has already made changes to the tax system to reduce demand for housing as an investment opportunity for overseas investors.

Non-UK residents already pay a 2% surcharge on top of the residential rates of Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) when purchasing a dwelling in England or Northern Ireland.

At the Autumn Budget 2024, the government increased the higher rates of SDLT, which are also paid by non-UK residents purchasing additional property, by two percentage points from 3% to 5%.

Increasing the higher rates of SDLT helps to ensure that those looking to move home, or purchase their first property, have a greater advantage over second home buyers, landlords and companies purchasing residential property.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 80458 on 20 October 2025.

The Government recognises that the swift delivery of legal papers is fundamental to due process and in ensuring effective access to justice and procedural fairness.

In most circumstances, court procedure rules allow for the immediate service of documents by electronic means, such as email or uploading helping us to drive efficiencies through new technology. The Civil Auto File Share, for example, enables call handlers to access electronic court files in real time and provide informed responses instantly.

However, where other methods are used, manual administrative processes, incorrect contact information, and postal service delays can cause failure or delay in service. Our broader court reforms aim to tackle these kinds of inefficiencies. We are pulling every lever at our disposal – record financial investment, pragmatic structural reform, and a programme of efficiencies – to tackle the Crown Court backlog, reduce delays for victims, and modernise our criminal courts.

We are committed to building an efficient and dynamic system that is fit for the future.

A well-functioning probate system is essential to providing certainty for bereaved families and supporting the timely administration of estates.

The Government is continuing to modernise the probate service to improve efficiency and accessibility. This includes the digitisation of probate applications, enhancements to case management systems and wider operational improvements to support quicker and more reliable processing. The President of the Family Division has established a working group to look at the Non-Contentious Probate Rules 1987 with a view to identifying improvements.

HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) has improved processing times, with the majority of applications now completed within published service standards. Where cases take longer, this is often due to the complexity of the estate or the need for further information from personal representatives. The Government keeps the operation of the service under regular review to ensure it continues to meet users’ needs.