Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent progress her Department has made on the national statutory inquiry into grooming gangs.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

We are working urgently to establish the national inquiry and appoint a suitable independent chair.

Baroness Casey is now actively supporting this process. We are also developing the Terms of Reference with partners across government and beyond, informed by early consultation with victims and survivors so that work on the inquiry can begin as soon as possible.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to tackle (a) racism and (b) racial discrimination in the NHS.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Any form of racism or discrimination is unacceptable and has no place in our National Health Service.

Action is being taken to address racism and discrimination in the NHS, including an urgent review of antisemitism, other forms of racism, and the oversight and regulation of healthcare professionals. The NHS is also strengthening mandatory anti-racism training across the NHS.

Additionally, as set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we will introduce a new set of staff standards for modern employment which will include reducing violence against staff and tackling racism and sexual harassment. They will underpin the NHS Oversight Framework and act as an early warning signal for the Care Quality Commission.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department is taking steps to help ensure that funding provided through the National Portfolio is distributed equally between (a) charities and (b) for-profit companies in (i) Wolverhampton, (ii) the West Midlands and (iii) England.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Arts Council England (ACE) makes decisions about which organisations and projects to fund in the National Portfolio independently of government and Ministers, which means there is no political involvement in arts funding decisions.

However, ACE ensures fair distribution of the National Portfolio, by using a place-based approach. It analyses data on regional cultural engagement, local needs, and economic conditions to address historic funding imbalances. Initiatives like Priority Places support underrepresented areas. The assessment process considers geographic diversity alongside artistic quality and public benefit. Funding also includes support for charities and non-profit organisations that deliver cultural, educational, and community outcomes. Regular monitoring and reporting ensure accountability, transparency, and that investment benefits audiences and artists nationwide, not just in major urban or historically well-funded regions. The current Portfolio delivers activity in every corner of England, with over £1 million going to Wolverhampton this year, and £88m going to the West Midlands more broadly each year.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent steps she has taken to assess the unregulated lending market.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The market for lending in the UK is diverse. Consumer credit is highly regulated, while business lending is largely a commercial matter save for regulatory protections that are afforded to the smallest businesses, requiring protections equivalent to those given to consumers. A number of different public bodies routinely make assessments of lending provision in the UK as a whole, its shape and character, including the British Business Bank and Bank of England. The Government takes an interest in this work, and engages with various stakeholders to understand the provision of finance in the UK and matters relating to business lending.

More widely, the Government recognises the importance of understanding private credit provision in the UK, as both banks and private markets play important roles in lending to the real economy, diversifying funding sources and supporting innovation. Globally, private markets have become an increasingly important source of finance for firms, and drove nearly all of the increase in lending to UK businesses between 2008 and 2023. The Government therefore supports the recent efforts of the Bank of England, FPC and domestic and international regulators to deepen their understanding of, and work to mitigate, any emerging risks in private markets, and better understand the connections between private credit and the wider banking system.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle pump and dump cryptocurrency schemes.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government intends to bring forward legislation this year to create a financial services regulatory regime for cryptoassets in the UK.

This regime will include the establishment of a market abuse framework for relevant qualifying cryptoassets that will prohibit insider dealing, the disclosure of insider information, and market manipulation.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of regulations allowing dormant companies to be appointed to (a) statutory and (b) regulatory roles.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

It may be appropriate for dormant companies to hold some statutory or regulatory roles. No recent assessment has been undertaken across all statutory and regulatory roles. The Government keeps company law, as a whole, under regular review and makes changes when issues arise. If there is evidence of an issue, the department is happy to look into it.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of including the music industry in the creative industries tax reliefs.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government supports the creative industries, including orchestras, through funding and through the tax system. Specifically in respect of orchestras, Orchestra Tax Relief provides tax relief on production costs and provided £33 million of support in 2022-23.

When considering changes to tax reliefs, the Government takes into account a wide range of factors including costs, complexity, and fairness.

Announcements on tax are made at fiscal events in the context of the overall public finances.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to impose penalties on NHS Trusts who fail to tackle (a) racism and (b) racial discrimination.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Any form of racism or discrimination is unacceptable and has no place in our National Health Service.

Action is being taken to address racism and discrimination in the NHS including an urgent review of antisemitism, other forms of racism and the oversight and regulation of healthcare professionals. The review will consider how regulators address complaints of antisemitism and other forms of racism from a complaint being raised, to investigation and fitness to practice proceedings. The review will also consider how greater transparency can be brought to regulatory processes, including General Medical Council investigations and Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service decision making on antisemitism and other racism complaints.

Additionally, as set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we will introduce a new set of staff standards for modern employment which will include reducing violence against staff and tackling racism and sexual harassment. They will underpin the NHS Oversight Framework and act as an early warning signal for the Care Quality Commission.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the UK's membership of the European Convention on Human Rights on the Good Friday Agreement.

Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

The UK is a proud signatory to the European Convention on Human Rights which underpins many international agreements on trade, security and migration, as well as the Good Friday Agreement.

That Agreement also required domestic incorporation of the ECHR into Northern Ireland law which was enacted through the Human Rights Act 1998.

Found: meeting Members present: Andy Slaughter (Chair); Pam Cox; Linsey Farnsworth; Sir Ashley Fox; Warinder Juss

Found: Members present: Andy Slaughter (Chair); Matt Bishop; Pam Cox; Linsey Farnsworth; Sir Ashley Fox; Warinder Juss