Asked by: Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if she will publish the attendance of each meeting of the AI and Copyright Code of Practice Working Group in (a) 2023 and (b) 2024.
Answered by Saqib Bhatti - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The working group on copyright and AI met under terms of reference available at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-governments-code-of-practice-on-copyright-and-ai. This information for 2023 has previously been disclosed pursuant to a Freedom of Information request, and is set out in the following table:
Date of meeting | Attendees, by organisation |
05/06/2023 (AI firms and research sector only) | The Entrepreneurs Network; IP Federation; Stability AI; Knowledge Rights 21; Google DeepMind; Tech UK; British Library; UK Research and Innovation (UKRI); Microsoft; Synthesia IPO; Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS); Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) |
06/06/2023 (right holders only) | RELX; Professional Publishers Association; British Association of Picture Library Agencies (BAPLA); News Media Association; Alliance for IP; UK Music; NLA Media Access; Association of Photographers; Financial Times; Copyright Licensing Agency; British Phonographic Industry (BPI); Equity; Publishers Association; Creators’ Rights Alliance; Music Publishers Association; British Screen Forum; Design and Artists Copyright Society (DACS); Copyright Clearance Center; British Copyright Council; British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC); Premier League IPO; DCMS; CMA |
13/06/2023 | RELX; Professional Publishers Association; The Entrepreneurs Network; IP Federation; Stability AI; Knowledge Rights 21; News Media Association; Alliance for IP; Council of Music Makers; UK Music; NLA Media Access; Association of Photographers; Copyright Licensing Agency; Financial Times; BAPLA; Google DeepMind; Tech UK; Equity; vAIsual; British Library; Creators’ Rights Alliance; Music Publishers Association; UKRI; British Screen Forum; DACS; Copyright Clearance Center; British Copyright Council; Microsoft; BPI; Innovate UK; BBC IPO; DCMS; Office for AI (OAI); CMA |
30/06/2023 | Professional Publishers Association; BAPLA; Knowledge Rights 21; Publishers Association; News Media Association; Alliance for IP; The Entrepreneurs Network; UK Music; NLA Media Access; Association of Photographers; Copyright Licensing Agency; Financial Times; Startup Coalition; Equity; vAIsual; British Library; Creators’ Rights Alliance; Music Publishers Association; UKRI; British Screen Forum; DACS; Copyright Clearance Center; British Copyright Council; Microsoft; BPI; Tech UK; Innovate UK; BBC; RELX; Council of Music Makers IPO; DCMS; OAI |
13/09/2023 (right holders only) | Professional Publishers Association; British Film Institute (BFI); Association of Photographers; Copyright Licensing Agency; Condé Nast; Guardian Media Group; Publishers Association; BPI; Equity IPO |
22/09/2023 | Association of Photographers; Getty Images; BBC; vAIsual; Microsoft; Music Publishers Association; Startup Coalition; British Copyright Council; Stability AI IPO |
26/09/2023 | RELX; Copyright Clearance Center; Copyright Licensing Agency; Alliance for IP; vAIsual; The Entrepreneurs Network; British Copyright Council; IP Federation; Synthesia; Publishers Association; WB Discovery; Council of Music Makers; Financial Times; Guardian Media Group; Startup Coalition |
29/09/2023 | Alliance for IP; British Copyright Council; Creators’ Rights Alliance; Equity; Stability AI; DACS; Microsoft; Innovate UK; BFI; British Screen Forum; Reading University; UK Music; Professional Publishers Association IPO |
04/10/2023 | Creators’ Rights Alliance; Equity; UK Music; Professional Publishers Association; Tech UK; News Media Association; Association of Photographers; Getty Images; The Entrepreneurs Network; BPI IPO |
05/10/2023 (AI firms only) | The Entrepreneurs Network; Startup Coalition; Microsoft; Stability AI; vAIsual IPO |
06/10/2023 | British Library; UKRI; BFI; Tech UK; Alliance for IP; Professional Publishers Association; RELX; Copyright Clearance Center; Turing Institute; Knowledge Rights 21 IPO |
12/10/2023 | Professional Publishers Association; BAPLA; The Entrepreneurs Network; Knowledge Rights 21; Publishers Association; News Media Association; Alliance for IP; Council of Music Makers; UK Music; NLA Media Access; Association of Photographers; Copyright Licensing Agency; Financial Times; BPI; Startup Coalition; Equity; vAIsual; Guardian Media Group; Creators’ Rights Alliance; Music Publishers Association; UKRI; British Screen Forum; BFI; Copyright Clearance Center; British Copyright Council; IP Federation; Microsoft; Innovate UK; BBC IPO; DCMS; OAI; Department for Science, Innovation and Technology; CMA |
The group did not meet in 2024.
Asked by: Matt Hancock (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many industry secondees worked in what departments of the Competition and Markets Authority in financial year 2022/23.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
In the financial year 2022 to 2023 there were a total of 23 industry secondees working at the Competition and Markets Authority. One was working in Enforcement, nine in the Office of the Chief Economic Adviser and thirteen in Legal Services.
Asked by: Matt Hancock (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how much funding the Competition and Markets Authority provided to the Digital Regulation Cooperation Forum in the 2022-23 financial year.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
For the financial year 2022 to 2023, the Competition and Markets Authority provided a contribution of £88,954 to the Digital Regulation Cooperation Forum.
Asked by: Matt Hancock (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many Competition and Markets Authority employees were seconded to the Digital Regulation Cooperation Forum in the 2022-23 financial year.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
In the financial year 2022 to 2023 five employees from the Competition and Markets Authority were seconded to the Digital Regulation Cooperation Forum.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to help tackle the sale of illegal drugs on (a) social media and (b) other websites.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
Drugs ruin lives and devastate communities. The Government is committed to driving down drugs supply in the UK through tough law enforcement against the sale of drugs online.
Our Online Safety Act will introduce measures requiring platforms, including social media sites, to remove content relating to the sale of illegal drugs online. Under this ground-breaking piece of legislation, tech companies must proactively tackle this type of content and prevent users from being exposed to it. If they fail to comply, they risk stiff financial penalties or in the most serious cases, having their sites blocked by the independent regulator, Ofcom. The Online Safety Act delivers the government’s manifesto commitment to make the UK the safest place in the world to be online.
We also recognise that social media, gaming sites and other online platforms are critical enablers in the targeting, grooming and facilitation of county lines exploitation. Through the County Lines Programme, we are developing a better understanding of how these platforms are being used and how to disrupt harmful activity.
Considering other websites, the National Crime Agency, along with policing colleagues across the UK and internationally, is mapping and targeting key offenders operating online. Dedicated teams use a range of tools and techniques generally unavailable to most investigators and we make sure they have the resources and powers they need to keep our country safe.
Law enforcement agencies work with internet service providers to shut down UK-based websites found to be committing offences such as selling controlled drugs. To support this, proposals are also being taken forward in the Criminal Justice Bill to create a new power enabling law enforcement to suspend IP addresses and/or domain names being used for criminal purposes. This new power will allow agencies to obtain a court order to formally request action by organisations both domestically and outside of the UK.
Furthermore, the Government has commissioned the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) to undertake a review into internet-facilitated drug markets. The ACMD ran a call for evidence which closed in January and expects to publish its findings later this year.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the announcement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 2 March concerning the requirement by 2027 for pension funds to disclose how much they invest in British businesses, what steps they are taking to assess the potential consequences on overall competitiveness and attractiveness of the UK as an investment destination.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Chancellor announced at Spring Budget that the government will introduce new requirements for Defined Contribution pension funds to disclose publicly their level of UK equity investments, working closely with the Financial Conduct Authority (the FCA) who share responsibility for setting requirements for the market. The FCA will consult in the Spring. The government will introduce equivalent requirements for Local Government Pension Scheme funds in England & Wales. The government will review what further action should be taken if the data does not demonstrate that UK equity allocations are increasing.
This complements the wider reforms that the Government and regulators are already undertaking to boost UK markets.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the systemic impact from the Financial Conduct Authority’s crackdown on wealth management services under the Consumer Duty; what estimate they have made of the likely total compensation that will need to be paid by wealth management firms; and what other areas of the financial sector they expect to be impacted by the Consumer Duty.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Requirements regarding financial adviser ongoing services started in 2013 following the Retail Distribution Review, with additional requirements resulting from the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive in 2018.
In February, the FCA wrote to a number of financial adviser firms requesting information about their delivery of ongoing services, for which their clients continue to be charged. The FCA is collecting this information to assess what, if any, further regulatory work it may undertake in this area.
The FCA’s new Consumer Duty seeks to set a higher and clearer standard of care that firms owe their customers. The FCA is an independent non-governmental body and is responsible for determining the application of the relevant rules. The Government will continue to monitor the effectiveness of Consumer Duty rules, as they bed in and as industry becomes more familiar with them.
Asked by: Lord Sharkey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what, if any, statutory powers the Bank of England has to issue binding directions to (1) the Prudential Regulation Authority, (2) the Financial Conduct Authority, and (3) the Payment Systems Regulator; and on how many occasions in each year since 2007 they have been exercised.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Treasury has statutory powers to issue directions to the Bank of England, which can only be used under specific conditions or circumstances. None of the powers outlined below have ever been used.
The Bank of England also has powers to direct the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA), Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and Payment Systems Regulator (PSR).
Asked by: Lord Sharkey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what, if any, statutory powers they have to issue binding directions to the Bank of England; and on how many occasions in each year since 2007 they have been exercised.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Treasury has statutory powers to issue directions to the Bank of England, which can only be used under specific conditions or circumstances. None of the powers outlined below have ever been used.
The Bank of England also has powers to direct the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA), Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and Payment Systems Regulator (PSR).
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to publish a report on the impact of Consumer Duty on consumer contact with financial services firms in the 12 months since it's establishment.
Answered by Bim Afolami - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government has no plans to publish a report on the impact of the Consumer Duty.
The Consumer Duty was introduced by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), which is operationally independent from Government and is directly accountable to Parliament for how it carries out its functions. The FCA has committed to monitoring the outcomes experienced by different consumer groups, including those in vulnerable circumstances, to check they are not being disadvantaged as a result of the Duty. It also publishes information about the implementation of the Consumer Duty by firms, including examples of good practice and areas for improvement, on its website: https://www.fca.org.uk/firms/consumer-duty
The Financial Services and Markets Act 2023 introduced a new requirement on the financial services regulators to keep their rules under review, and to publish a statement of policy for how they conduct rule reviews. The FCA’s rule review framework can be found at: https://www.fca.org.uk/publications/corporate-documents/our-rule-review-framework.