Neil Coyle

I refer the honourable member to the answer given to PQ 1251 on 31 July 2024.

The Online Safety Act gives online platforms new duties to put in place systems and processes to remove illegal content on their services. This includes illegal false communications and content which incites hatred. Platforms will also need to put in place systems and processes to protect children from accessing harmful and age-inappropriate content.

Ofcom is the regulator for this new regime, and it will have extensive enforcement powers to take action where companies do not comply with their new duties. The swift and effective implementation of the Act is a government priority, and we continue to keep online safety measures under review.

The Online Safety Act will require platforms to tackle false information where it is illegal or harmful to children. The Act will also hold Category 1 platforms to account over the enforcement of their terms of service, including terms relating to conspiracy theories. As the regulator, Ofcom will ensure companies comply with these duties. Section 178 of the Act requires the Secretary of State to carry out a review of the effectiveness of the regulatory framework and to lay a report in parliament. It is important to allow time for measures to be fully implemented before carrying out any review.

The removal of online content is not within my department’s powers.

I can confirm that this film has not been classified by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC).

It is for the courts to determine whether this content is in contempt of court and for the online sites hosting the content to remove content where it breaches their own standards or where instructed.

A person may be liable for contempt of court where they know of an injunction and do anything to help or permit the person to whom it applies to breach its terms. It is for the Attorney General to consider each particular case and determine the appropriate course of action. Bringing proceedings for contempt of court is a Law Officer function which is exercised independently of the government.

I refer the Honourable Member to the reply I gave to the Honourable Member for Romford for PQ 4519 on 16 September 2024.

The information requested for Universal Credit is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

The information requested for Housing Benefit may be found by using the Detailed Housing Type and the Payment Destination fields in the “Housing Benefit - Data from April 2018” dataset in Stat-Xplore (Stat-Xplore - Log in (dwp.gov.uk)). Guidance on how to use Stat-Xplore can be found here: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/index.html. An account is not required to use Stat- Xplore; the ‘Guest Login’ feature gives instant access to the main functions.

The Department is working towards developing these statistics internally so that we will be in a position to answer similar Parliamentary Questions in the future.

The department keeps its policies and procedures under regular review, including how it communicates with users of its services.

The information requested for Universal Credit is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

The information requested for Housing Benefit may be found by using the Detailed Housing Type and the Payment Destination fields in the “Housing Benefit - Data from April 2018” dataset in Stat-Xplore ((Stat-Xplore - Log in (dwp.gov.uk)). Guidance on how to use Stat-Xplore can be found here: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/index.html. An account is not required to use Stat- Xplore; the ‘Guest Login’ feature gives instant access to the main functions.

The Department is working towards developing these statistics internally so that we will be in a position to answer similar Parliamentary Questions in the future.

The primary aim of deductions in Universal Credit is to protect customers by providing a last resort repayment method for arrears of essential services, such as, housing, electricity and gas. The policy also enables social obligations, such as, paying Court Fines to be enforced when other repayment methods have failed, or are not cost effective, and ensures that benefit debt is recovered in a cost-effective manner.

The Department has an established process to support anyone experiencing financial hardship and encourages customers unable to afford the proposed rate of repayment to contact DWP Debt Management at the earliest opportunity. Departmental agents will, where applicable, negotiate an affordable and sustainable repayment plan.   Furthermore, there is no limit on the number of times a person can request a change to their repayment rate. In exceptional cases, based on individual circumstances, a temporary suspension of recovery may be agreed.

We are committed to reviewing Universal Credit, to make sure it is doing the job we want it to.

We are committed to tackling poverty and good quality work will be the foundation of our approach.

We know that good work can significantly reduce the chances of people falling into poverty, but too many people are being denied the security and dignity that comes with being in good work. The Get Britain Working White Paper, to be set out in the Autumn, will develop measures to reduce inactivity and help people to find better paid and more secure jobs.

Tackling child poverty is at the heart of this Government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity. The Child Poverty Taskforce has started urgent work to publish the Child Poverty Strategy in Spring 2025 and will explore all available levers to drive forward short and long-term actions across government to reduce child poverty. This will include listening to the voices of children living in poverty and their families.

We need a modern and effective social security system that is fit for purpose which is why we have committed to reviewing Universal Credit and listening to the full range of views on potential changes.

For those most in need, we have extended the Household Support Fund for a further 6 months, from 1 October 2024 until 31 March 2025. An additional £421 million will be provided to enable the extension of the Household Support Fund in England, plus funding for the Devolved Governments through the Barnett formula to be spent at their discretion, as usual. As has been done for previous schemes, the Fund is available to County Councils and Unitary Authorities in England to provide discretionary support to those most in need with the cost of essentials.

The HM Courts and Tribunals Service is funded primarily by the Ministry of Justice. Where the National Health Service is party to a tribunal where a fee is levied, for instance immigration and asylum, and other fee charging special tribunals, they will pay this in the usual way. We would not expect the NHS to be a significant source of income through these tribunal fees, however the HM Courts and Tribunals Service’s annual report and accounts do not provide the level of detail required to be able to provide a figure.

Our plans to update and improve mental healthcare will be shared in due course.

The King’s speech confirmed our intention to bring forward a Mental Health Bill to give patients greater choice, autonomy, enhanced rights and support, and ensure everyone is treated with dignity and respect throughout treatment.

We will also recruit 8,500 additional staff across children and adult mental health services and introduce a specialist mental health professional in every school.

UK aid is guided by UK Government priorities and we work closely with the Government of Sierra Leone to ensure effective implementation of Sierra Leone's own national development plans. The UK does not provide budget support to the Government of Sierra Leone.

All UK development funding is subject to rigorous procurement protocols, due diligence and strong transparency standards. Our programmes are regularly and robustly monitored. The FCDO also works closely with the Independent Commission for Aid Impact to apply the highest standards to our aid spend. These measures ensure the effectiveness of UK aid in Sierra Leone throughout design, delivery and evaluation stages.

In his first conversation with Sierra Leone's Foreign Minister, Timothy Kabba, Lord Collins, Minister for Africa, highlighted the importance of implementing the Agreement for National Unity and recommendations of the Cross-Party Committee on Electoral Systems and Management Bodies in a bipartisan way. The UK remains committed to supporting a democratic Sierra Leone, and in this vein the British High Commission is currently exploring options to bolster support to governance processes that underpin the 2023-28 electoral cycle, in consultation with our diplomatic partners in Sierra Leone.

The UK is committed to promoting and protecting democratic institutions and human rights around the world. The decision to maintain or suspend diplomatic relations is made on a case-by-case basis.

The FCDO regularly reviews its sanctions policy and does not comment on any possible future sanctions designations. Exclusion orders are used to prevent a person from entering the UK. The Home Office lead on the policy of exclusion.

The humanitarian situation in Gaza is intolerable. The UK continues to provide significant funding to partners to support those most in need, including £5.5m in additional funding for UK-Med to run field hospitals in Gaza, and an additional £6m for UNICEF to provide lifesaving aid to vulnerable families in Gaza. In October and November 2023, we provided support to the Egyptian Red Crescent (ERCS) to strengthen their operations to get aid into Gaza. This included providing enabling equipment to support the international response at Al-Arish including mobile storage units, forklift trucks, pallet trucks and lighting generators. We continue to play a leading role in alleviating the suffering in Gaza, including by matching up to £10 million of public donations to the Disasters Emergency Committee's Middle East humanitarian appeal.

The Government keeps all tax policy and legislation under review.

To help customers make an informed decision on a worker’s status for tax, HMRC provides comprehensive online guidance that explains the relevant factors and tests and how to apply them.

HMRC also provides the Check Employment Status for Tax tool (CEST) for free to help customers determine the employment status for tax of an engagement. CEST was developed alongside tax specialists and HMRC will stand by a determination from CEST if the tool was used in accordance with HMRC guidance.

HMRC regularly engages with stakeholders and reviews its guidance products. HMRC will amend or add to guidance in response to stakeholder feedback where this improves the content or customer experience.

The Government keeps all tax policy and legislation under review.

To help customers make an informed decision on a worker’s status for tax, HMRC provides comprehensive online guidance that explains the relevant factors and tests and how to apply them.

HMRC also provides the Check Employment Status for Tax tool (CEST) for free to help customers determine the employment status for tax of an engagement. CEST was developed alongside tax specialists and HMRC will stand by a determination from CEST if the tool was used in accordance with HMRC guidance.

HMRC regularly engages with stakeholders and reviews its guidance products. HMRC will amend or add to guidance in response to stakeholder feedback where this improves the content or customer experience.

Section 684 of the Income Tax (Earnings and Pensions) Act (ITEPA) 2003 provides for the Pay As You Earn (PAYE) regulations. In 2022, the Court of Appeal considered HMRC’s use of section 684(7A)(b) in relation to a disguised remuneration scheme.

The Chancellor and I know that the loan charge is a very important matter for many members and their constituents. We have been considering this matter since taking office and will provide an update in due course.

The Home Office publishes statistics, as part of the department’s migration transparency data, setting out the number of Change of Conditions applications made by those seeking to have their No Recourse to Public Funds condition lifted. This data, for the period up until June 2024, can be found in tab CoC_05 of the immigration and protection data: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-and-protection-data-q2-2024.

The data includes statistics for other routes, including destitution consideration for fee waiver applications. Whilst the data can be filtered to provide a breakdown of age group; nationality; and gender it cannot be filtered in a way so as to determine how many applications were granted on the basis of destitution, and that information could only be obtained for the purposes of this question at a disproportionate cost.

We are unable to provide this information as it is not routinely published, and it can only be obtained at a disproportionate cost.

When an individual goes through the process of assessment for Change of Conditions, various No Recourse to Public Funds conditions are checked, with ‘destitution’ being one of these conditions.

We are unable to provide this information as it is not routinely published, and it can only be obtained at a disproportionate cost.

When an individual goes through the process of assessment for Change of Conditions, various No Recourse to Public Funds conditions are checked, with ‘destitution’ being one of these conditions.

The Home Office has no statutory power to require DNA evidence as part of an immigration application, but applicants are free to volunteer DNA evidence. Where applicants choose not to provide DNA evidence, no negative inference can be drawn from that and used in the decision-making process.

Where there is insufficient evidence of a biological relationship, applicants are given the opportunity to provide further supporting evidence. This can include DNA evidence, a declaration of parentage by the Family or High Court, or any other relevant evidence of the existence of the claimed biological relationship.

As the provision of DNA evidence is voluntary, officials must not send out letters only inviting applicants to offer DNA evidence and are unable to advise applicants on the relative merits of the evidence they may choose to provide.

The publicly available guidance is shown on gov.uk: DNA Policy Guidance.

The regulator function of the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill will be delivered as a new function of the Security Industry Authority and will be funded by the Home Office.

The Security Industry Authority has an existing licence fee-funded arrangement that will not be used to deliver its functions under this Bill.

Work is ongoing to design the new regulatory regime and to finalise costs.