Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the finding by the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Intellectual Property that the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit is operating below optimal capacity, in part due to high staff vacancy levels.

The Government recognises the important role of the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit in tackling serious and organised intellectual property crime. We work closely with policing and other partners to understand operational needs and ensure that our approach to IP enforcement remains effective, sustainable and delivers value for money. The findings of the APPG for IP are under consideration in the development of the next Counter Infringement Strategy.