Written questions by Snowden.

Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the risk of skin gambling on young people.

Unlicensed skins gambling websites operate illegally outside of the video game ecosystem. Earlier this year, we commissioned independent research to better understand skins gambling and its impact on children and young people. The resulting rapid evidence review on skins gambling was published in September. This review and its conclusions will form part of our consideration when determining what future policy changes may be needed around how to best protect children and young people from skins gambling related harms.

What steps his Department is taking to prevent the fraudulent registration of companies using private residential addresses through Companies House.

The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 strengthened Companies House’s powers to query or reject inaccurate or suspicious addresses, enabling the Registrar to act swiftly and decisively against misuse of residential addresses.Many fraudulent or misused registered office addresses have been removed and replaced with default addresses and companies without appropriate addresses are struck off, protecting those whose details were used without permission.Companies House’s systems improve continuously to detect and prevent unauthorised address use. The Government is considering the Public Accounts Committee’s recommendation for increased powers to verify new and existing company addresses and will respond in November.

What discussions she has had with police forces on the adequacy of their capacity to investigate complex fraud cases.

The Home Office is leading cross-system efforts to tackle complex fraud, and improving law enforcement capability is a key part of this work.Having now completed recruitment of the new National Fraud Squad, we continue to work closely with key partners to ensure the delivery of a new, improved national reporting service and to enhance fraud training and skills. These measures will ensure a proactive, intelligence-based approach to investigating complex fraud cases.From 2026, we will monitor each force in England and Wales on their performance in tackling fraud through the His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) Police Efficiency Effectiveness and Legitimacy (PEEL) framework. This will provide valuable insight on investigative practices including capacity to investigate complex fraud cases.Further detail will be set out in the forthcoming Fraud Strategy.

How the independent review of stalking laws will engage with (a) survivors, (b) survivor organisations and (c) experts.

On Wednesday 22 October the Government announced that Richard Wright KC has been appointed to lead the independent Stalking Legislation Review.The review will consider whether the criminal law on stalking needs to change to ensure the police and wider criminal justice partners have the clearest possible framework for effective identification, management and prosecution of stalking cases.The views of victims and survivors will be at the heart of our approach. The review will engage with experts from specialist stalking charities, academia and across the criminal justice system alongside direct engagement with victims and survivors themselves.

Pursuant to the Answer of 22 September 2025 to Question 73115 on HM Courts and Tribunals Service: Data Protection, whether (a) financial penalties and (b) contract management actions were taken against any delivery partner.

We have no central record of any financial penalties against any supplier/delivery partner in relation to this issue.Contract management actions are undertaken as standard; HMCTS and the Ministry of Justice engage suppliers via frameworks managed by the Crown Commercial Service and did so over the course of the HMCTS Reform Programme (for example on the Digital Outcome and Specialists and G Cloud frameworks). These frameworks are designed to enable Government Departments to procure digital and technology services in a compliant, flexible, and value-for-money manner. Both frameworks operate under pre-approved terms and conditions that set clear expectations for supplier performance, financial management, and contract governance, providing Departments with consistent mechanisms to manage delivery risk and ensure accountability across multiple suppliers.

Pursuant to the Answer of 22 September 2025 to Question 73118 on Social Security and Child Support Tribunal: ICT, whether any (a) personal and (b) sensitive information was exposed.

No personal or sensitive information was exposed as a result of the IT system bug referenced.

Media and Sport, what criteria her Department used to select the delivery areas for the Know Your Neighbourhood Fund; and how often the list of delivery areas is reviewed.

The Know Your Neighbourhood (KYN) Fund was launched in January 2023 as an up to £30 million package of funding designed to widen participation in volunteering and tackle loneliness in 27 disadvantaged areas across England. In April 2025, the KYN Fund was extended until March 2026, with an additional up to £4.5m of government funding.The list of 27 areas eligible for KYN funding was identified using the English Index of Multiple Deprivation and the Community Needs Index. To ensure a balanced distribution between area types, the nine highest-need local authorities were selected from each of the three categories: large urban areas, medium urban areas, and rural and small urban areas. Further information on the selection methodology is publicly available on gov.uk under Annex A of the application guidance for the ‘KYN Fund Intermediary Grant Maker Competition’.The Department does not review the list of KYN Fund delivery areas at specific intervals. This is because organisations within the delivery areas were eligible for funding until the original Fund end date (31 March 2025). In April 2025, the Fund was extended until March 2026, specifically making available uplifts to existing grant awards to organisations in the original 27 eligible delivery areas that had previously received KYN funding between 2022 and 2025. We recognise that we are unable to reach every area in need of support with a fund of this size. A key objective of the Fund, therefore, is learning about what works in these areas. An evaluation of the Fund will therefore be published in due course.

Whether the Justice Transcribe tool was developed (a) in-house or (b) in partnership with external technology providers.

Justice Transcribe is an AI-powered note-taking tool that records and transcribes conversations between probation officers and people on probation. It was developed in-house.

Media and Sport, which towns will be eligible to bid for the UK Town of Culture; and what criteria will be used to define what a town is for the purposes of the competition.

The new UK Town of Culture competition aims to boost civic pride in our towns through recognising their cultural contributions to public life and actively supporting their continued development. Regarding eligibility criteria, we will advise small and medium size towns apply to this new competition, and refer larger towns to the UK City of Culture competition. This, however, will not be mandated and it will be for the places themselves to decide which competition they wish to apply for. We will provide further guidelines and support in due course to ensure all places can confidently engage with the competition.

Food and Rural Affairs, how many instances of water quality breaches have been reported by water suppliers in Lancashire in the last 12 months.

The Drinking Water Inspectorate does not compile water quality breach data by county. The figures provided relate to United Utilities' operations across its entire supply area, which serves Lancashire and the wider Northwest region. In the 12-month period from Q4 2024 to August 2025, there were 107 water quality breaches reported by United Utilities, which is the water supplier serving Lancashire. This data is reported as of 24 October 2025 and is subject to change as new data is reported. These figures are not yet final, as water companies have one month following a breach to investigate the cause and rectify any issues before completing their compliance reports. Data for September and October 2025 is not yet available. The Drinking Water Inspectorate does not compile water quality breach data by county. The figures provided relate to United Utilities' operations across its entire supply area, which serves Lancashire and the wider Northwest region.

How many private prosecutions were brought before magistrates’ courts and Crown Courts in each of the past ten years.

Private prosecutions are brought before the same courts in England and Wales as prosecutions commenced by criminal justice agencies. The prioritisation of cases in the criminal court caseload is a matter for the independent judiciary. The Ministry of Justice published a consultation “on the oversight and regulation of private prosecutors in the criminal justice system”, between 6 March and 8 May 2025 and will set out next steps shortly.The Ministry of Justice holds management information on private prosecutions brought before the magistrates’ courts and this is shown in the table below. The definition of private prosecutions is detailed in the Department’s consultation referenced above.Table One: Defendants dealt with in private prosecutions at the magistrates’ courts in England and Wales, annually 2014 – 2024Year Quarter Defendants dealt with in private prosecutions Proportion of total defendants dealt with at the magistrates’ courts 2015All397,93226%2016All400,64727%2017All384,03727%2018All401,76729%2019All408,61129%2020All180,05718%2021All167,31215%2022All235,04219%2023All326,39926%2024All352,27627% Information on private prosecutions at the Crown Court cannot be produced robustly within costs.Notes We have defined a private prosecution as any that have not been led by the Police, Crown Prosecution Service, or British Transport Police. This definition means that prosecutions by organisations like the TV Licencing Authority and other government agencies are included as private prosecutions. This data includes cases completed at the magistrates' courts during the specified time period, where no further action was required by the magistrates' courts, and cases sent to the Crown Court. Data differs from data in the 2023 published ‘Consultation on the oversight and regulation of private prosecutors in the criminal justice system’ due to data refreshes since that report.

Innovation and Technology, what criteria his Department is using to select locations for AI Growth Zones.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 24 October 2025 to Question UIN 82268.

Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the AI Growth Lab promotes (a) responsible and (b) ethical AI innovation.

The AI Growth Lab is designed to enable closely-supervised testing of innovative AI technologies in real-world settings, so that safe, beneficial AI can reach the market faster.Robust safeguards would be in place, including clear “red lines” - regulations which are strictly out of scope, such as consumer safety provisions, fundamental rights, workers’ protections, and intellectual property rights – to maintain safety and preserve public trust.The Call for Evidence, which is open until 2 January, seeks views from the public, Parliament and innovators to inform further development of proposals, helping to drive growth and responsible AI innovation.

Innovation and Technology, whether OpenAI’s UK data storage facilities will be subject to routine government security audits.

Data centres were designated as Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) in September 2024. In recognition of this, the government is expected to introduce proportionate regulatory oversight of this sector. The expected vehicle is the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill (CSRB). This will encapsulate OpenAI operations that use colocation services which are covered by the regulations in the CSRB.DSIT is actively considering options to further improve the cyber security and resilience of Data Centres, as outlined in the Cyber Security and Resilience Policy Statement that was published on 1 April 2025. This would apply to most UK based data centres, including those used by OpenAI.Specific questions in relation to contracts between OpenAI and relevant Government Departments are a matter for that Government Department. Departments must carry out cyber security assurance of their critical services through GovAssure, assessing key security outcomes against the National Cyber Security Centre's Cyber Assessment Framework. Government’s Public Procurement Note 014 directs all commercial suppliers holding government OFFICIAL, personnel or citizen data to have a minimum of NCSC’s Cyber Essentials certification.

How many whistleblowing reports relating to HM Courts & Tribunals Service's digital systems have been received in each of the past five years.

There have been two whistleblowing reports over the last five years (reported 2024-25) that relate to HM Courts & Tribunals Service’s digital systems.

Whether he is taking steps to ensure that private prosecutions do not contribute to existing court backlogs.

Private prosecutions are brought before the same courts in England and Wales as prosecutions commenced by criminal justice agencies. The prioritisation of cases in the criminal court caseload is a matter for the independent judiciary. The Ministry of Justice published a consultation “on the oversight and regulation of private prosecutors in the criminal justice system”, between 6 March and 8 May 2025 and will set out next steps shortly.The Ministry of Justice holds management information on private prosecutions brought before the magistrates’ courts and this is shown in the table below. The definition of private prosecutions is detailed in the Department’s consultation referenced above.Table One: Defendants dealt with in private prosecutions at the magistrates’ courts in England and Wales, annually 2014 – 2024Year Quarter Defendants dealt with in private prosecutions Proportion of total defendants dealt with at the magistrates’ courts 2015All397,93226%2016All400,64727%2017All384,03727%2018All401,76729%2019All408,61129%2020All180,05718%2021All167,31215%2022All235,04219%2023All326,39926%2024All352,27627% Information on private prosecutions at the Crown Court cannot be produced robustly within costs.Notes We have defined a private prosecution as any that have not been led by the Police, Crown Prosecution Service, or British Transport Police. This definition means that prosecutions by organisations like the TV Licencing Authority and other government agencies are included as private prosecutions. This data includes cases completed at the magistrates' courts during the specified time period, where no further action was required by the magistrates' courts, and cases sent to the Crown Court. Data differs from data in the 2023 published ‘Consultation on the oversight and regulation of private prosecutors in the criminal justice system’ due to data refreshes since that report.

What steps she is taking to ensure that reports of fraudulent company registrations made to Action Fraud are treated as criminal matters.

The Government is working with City of London Police to replace Action Fraud with a new and improved national police reporting service for fraud and cyber crime. The new service (called Report Fraud) is nearing completion with full transition expected in early December 2025. The new service will support tackling fraudulent company registrations by providing law enforcement with better intelligence for investigations and other disruption activity.The new service will also improve the support services and reporting tools for victims. In addition, the Government has launched a National Fraud Squad (NFS) of specialist posts, led by the NCA and City of London Police. The NFS will help to combat fraudulent company registrations by taking a proactive, intelligence-led approach to identifying and disrupting the most serious fraudsters.

What recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the income thresholds for eligibility for free school meals.

This government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity and tackling child poverty, that is why the department is introducing a new eligibility threshold for free school meals. This ensures that all children from households in receipt of Universal Credit will be eligible from September 2026. This change will lift 100,000 children across England out of poverty and put £500 back into families’ pockets.

What recent estimate she has made of the proportion of pupils in Fylde constituency who are eligible for free school meals but do not take them.

The department publishes data on free school meals (FSM) in our annual ‘Schools, pupils and their characteristics’ publication, which is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics/2024-25. The most recent data was published on 5 June, and the next publication is planned for summer 2026.The department does not hold information on the proportion of pupils who are known to be eligible for FSM but do not take them. However, we collect data on the proportion of pupils who are eligible for FSM and the number and proportion of pupils who had taken lunch recorded as taking a FSM on census day.To access data from previous academic years, visit the 'Releases in this series' section on the publication website. Then, locate the 'School level underlying data' file under 'Additional supporting files'.

How many children in Lancashire were eligible for free school meals in each of the last five years.

The department publishes data on free school meals (FSM) in our annual ‘Schools, pupils and their characteristics’ publication, which is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics/2024-25. The most recent data was published on 5 June, and the next publication is planned for summer 2026.The department does not hold information on the proportion of pupils who are known to be eligible for FSM but do not take them. However, we collect data on the proportion of pupils who are eligible for FSM and the number and proportion of pupils who had taken lunch recorded as taking a FSM on census day.To access data from previous academic years, visit the 'Releases in this series' section on the publication website. Then, locate the 'School level underlying data' file under 'Additional supporting files'.