Written questions by Cooper.

How many fines have been (a) issued and (b) withdrawn on appeal by the Solicitors Regulation Authority in each of the last three years for which data is available.

According to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), 69 fines were issued during the period 2020/21, followed by 49 between 2021/22 and 73 between 2022/23. The SRA has confirmed that the data for the 2023/24 period is not currently available. Further information is set out by the SRA in its Upholding Professionals Standards (UPS) reports, the three most recent versions of which are available here:2022/23: https://www.sra.org.uk/sra/research-publications/upholding-professional-standards-2022-23/.2021/22: https://www.sra.org.uk/sra/research-publications/upholding-professional-standards-2021-22/#.2020/21: https://www.sra.org.uk/sra/research-publications/upholding-professional-standards-202021/. The SRA does not publish information regarding appeals.

Media and Sport, if she will require operators of generative AI models to seek approval from authors for using any published materials available online prior to using such materials for their own purposes.

The UK Copyright regime is clear about the rights holders’ intellectual property rights. Works can only be used where permission is granted or where there is an existing exception in copyright law. It is possible for rights holders to license the use of their copyright protected works for AI training at the moment, or to protect their works from being used, but we are aware that this can be difficult in practice for individual firms and creators. Responses to our consultation on the impact of AI on the copyright regime, which was published on Tuesday 17 December and closed on 25 February, will inform our approach to the design and delivery of a solution to this issue.We will now consider the full range of responses we have received through our consultation. Addressing this is an urgent priority for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, but no decisions will be taken until we are absolutely confident we have a practical plan that delivers each of our objectives.

Whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the abolition of NHS England on the planned national pandemic exercise in Autumn 2025.

In Autumn 2025, the Department and the UK Health Security Agency will conduct a national exercise to test our ability to respond to a pandemic, involving all regions and nations of the United Kingdom, and thousands of participants. Planning for the exercise is underway and consideration is being given to its design and the participation of NHS England officials.

Innovation and Technology, what routes of recourse exists for writers whose work has been uploaded as pirated material to a database without their consent or knowledge of the authors (a) against the database owners and (b) against any corporations or third parties that have used that database.

The Government is committed to ensuring a fair and balanced IP system and the protection of IP rights. The UK has a robust framework in place to protect IP rights, which includes both civil and criminal enforcement measures.Right owners can report IP crime by contacting Trading Standards. They may also consider alternative dispute resolution mechanisms, like mediation, or taking legal action before courts.With respect to online databases, the Electronic Commerce Regulations 2002 requires platforms to disable or remove IP infringing content that they become aware of or risk legal action.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the abolition of NHS on the capacity of ICBs to cut their running costs.

NHS England has asked the integrated care boards (ICBs) to act primarily as strategic commissioners of health and care services, and to reduce the duplication of responsibilities within their structures, to achieve a 50% cost reduction in their running cost allowance. NHS England provided additional guidance to ICBs, National Health Service trusts, and NHS foundation trusts on 1 April 2025. In this guidance, ICBs are tasked with developing plans by the end of May setting out how they will manage their resources to deliver across their priorities. NHS England will be working closely with ICBs to support the development of these plans, ensuring that their implementation reduces duplication and supports patient care. Further information is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/working-together-in-2025-26-to-lay-the-foundations-for-reform/In his letter to ICBs, Sir Jim Mackey committed to greater transparency and moving back to a fair shares allocation policy over time.As we progress with returning functions to the Department, a comprehensive assessment of any impacts and risks associated with the change will be conducted. We will ensure our decisions are guided by evidence and focused on improving patient care.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of levels of fines for fly-tipping.

We have committed to forcing fly-tippers and vandals to clean up the mess they have created. This will build on the sanctions already available which include fixed penalty notices of up to £1000, seizing and crushing of vehicles and prosecution which can lead to a significant fine, a community sentence or even imprisonment. We do not intend to carry out any further assessment of the adequacy of levels of fines for fly tipping. The Defra chaired National Fly-tipping Prevention Group has produced a guide on how local authorities, and others, can present robust cases to court. This is available at https://www.keepbritaintidy.org/national-fly-tipping-prevention-group. We encourage councils to make good use of their enforcement powers, and we are currently seeking powers to provide statutory guidance on fly-tipping enforcement. We have also announced a review of their powers to seize and crush the vehicles of suspected fly-tippers, to identify how we could help councils make better use of this tool.

What assessment he has made of the implications of abolishing NHS England on the delivery of public health programmes described in the NHS Public Health Functions Agreements.

Ministers and senior Department officials will work with the new executive team at the top of NHS England, led by Sir Jim Mackey, to lead the formation of a new joint centre. As we work to bring the two organisations together, we will ensure that we continue to evaluate impacts of all kinds, including the delivery of public health functions currently delegated to NHS England. The abolition of NHS England will strip out the unnecessary bureaucracy and cut the duplication that comes from having two organisations doing the same job. We will empower staff to focus on delivering for the public and patients.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of the scope of the Loan Charge review.

The Government has commissioned an independent review of the Loan Charge. Ray McCann, a highly respected figure in the tax world, is leading the review. His name was suggested by one of the Loan Charge campaigners.To ensure transparency, the terms of reference make it clear that Mr McCann will be supported by a team of officials who have not previously worked on this policy area and will be based outside of HM Treasury and HMRC. Information provided by HMT and HMRC to the review team and factual comments provided on draft reports will be published after the review has concluded.The Government does not think it is right for people affected by the Loan Charge to have to wait years to bring this matter to a close and has therefore ensured that the review has a focused remit, allowing it to report by this summer. The Government will respond by Autumn Budget 2025.Alongside the review, the Government is consulting in 2025 on measures to tackle promoters of marketed tax avoidance and has already announced measures to tackle the significant tax avoidance and fraud in the umbrella company market.

Pursuant to the Answer of 10 March to Question 34653 on Royal Mail: Workplace Pensions, how many of the 906 retirees effected by tax free lump sum overpayments in 2024 have been offered (a) compensation or (b) a reduction in repayment.

The scheme administrator, Capita, has not compensated or agreed a reduction of payment figures for any of the 906 cases affected by overpayments.However, the scheme administrator has taken steps to support these members. This includes arranging monthly deductions to be taken from the member’s pension in payment where they were unable to repay their overpayment in full. Affected members are also able to contact Capita to discuss alternative repayment arrangements using the helpline number or dedicated email address.

Pursuant to the Answer of 10 March to Question 34653 on Royal Mail: Workplace Pensions, what the total value of the 906 tax free lump sum overpayments in 2024 was.

The total value of the overpayments in relation to the 906 lump sums miscalculated in 2024 is £1,325,340.78.The Cabinet Office has worked closely with the scheme administrator, Capita, to review all other processes in relation to the administration of the scheme, to ensure that they are documented and accurately reflect the contractual requirements and scheme rules, to deliver the best possible service to members and minimise errors.

Communities and Local Government, how leaseholders can challenge costs incurred for a Deed of Variation to leasehold agreements.

Leaseholders who are dissatisfied with costs incurred as part of a deed of variation should seek legal advice. Free initial legal advice is available through the Leasehold Advisory Service.

Pursuant to the Answer of 14 February 2025 to Question 29802 on Parking: Software, what recent discussions her Department has had with the parking industry on the future rollout of the National Parking Platform.

The Department for Transport continues to engage with the parking sector regarding alternative options for taking forward delivery of a national parking platform.

Pursuant to the Answer of 10 March to Question 34653 on Royal Mail: Workplace Pensions, how many of the 906 overpayments of tax free lump sums in 2024 have been resolved by (a) payment in full, (b) part payment as full settlement or (c) written off.

Out of the 906 miscalculated overpayments in 2024, in respect of the second bite overpayment (742 members) we can confirm that 248 overpayments have been recovered in full; 494 are in recovery by way of monthly deductions to their pension, and 4 members have yet to have their recovery method agreed, and there is ongoing correspondence to finalise this.In addition, all 160 duplicate pension increase members are in recovery. Where members were unable to return the overpayment in full, monthly deductions from their pension were put in place. There were no part payments or payments written off.

Whether she has had discussions with EngineeringUK on supporting engineering companies in providing T Level placements for engineering students in further education.

The department works closely with a range of colleges, schools, employers and their representative bodies to ensure the availability and quality of T Level industry placements across the country. For the engineering and manufacturing sector this includes the Gatsby Charitable Foundation’s Engineering and Manufacturing working group, made up of organisations including EngineeringUK, Enginuity (and the National Manufacturing Skills Task Force), Make UK and the Royal Academy of Engineering. The group share resources, case studies and undertake employer awareness-raising campaigns to support the delivery of industry placements.The department also actively engages stakeholders via our T Level Ambassador Network which advocates for T Levels and plays a key role in bringing industry and education together across a range of sectors. The network has expanded to over 900 members, including large businesses, small and medium enterprises, colleges and schools, universities and students. Over 120 representatives from the engineering and manufacturing sector are part of this network.

Pursuant to the Answer of 10 March to Question 34653 on Royal Mail: Workplace Pensions, whether any of the 906 tax free lump sum overpayments in 2024 related to retirement in previous years.

Whilst all of the 906 overpayments happened in 2024, the impacted members retired across a number of years. Of the 906 cases, 163 retired in 2024, 597 in 2023; 5 in 2022), 3 in 2021, 4 in 2020, 2 in 2019, and 8 in 2018. The remaining 124 cases retired before 2018. The Cabinet Office has worked closely with the scheme administrator, to review all other processes in relation to the administration of the scheme, to ensure that they are documented and accurately reflect the contractual requirements and scheme rules, to deliver the best possible service to members and minimise errors.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure that train station car parks offer alternatives to online payment methods.

Decisions regarding car parking at stations, including charges and payment methods, are an operational matter for train operators and Network Rail to make based on their local knowledge of the passengers and communities they serve. We encourage train operators to consult local communities and to consider each station’s needs and customer base when making decisions on charging at the car parks they manage.

What steps she is taking to help support further education colleges to secure T Level placements for (a) engineering and (b) other subject students.

While schools and colleges are responsible for sourcing industry placements, the department offers a range of support. The department offers a range of resources, including our support website for schools and colleges with guidance and workshops to help colleges plan and design placements, which is available at the following address https://support.tlevels.gov.uk/hc/en-gb. Our employer website includes case studies and webinars for specific T Levels such as Engineering and Manufacturing and is available here: https://employers.tlevels.gov.uk/hc/en-gb/articles/13884064882194-Why-host-students-doing-engineering-and-manufacturing-T-Levels.We have a 900+ strong ambassador network, including representatives across different T Levels. Our Connect service helps colleges connect with local employers and we also provide continuing professional development to upskill colleges with employer engagement activities.In January 2025 we updated our industry placement delivery approaches, for example, allowing up to 20% of placements to take place remotely (and up to 50% for Digital). Further information can be accessed at the following link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/678a7a302080f65f988bd3a1/T_Level_industry_placement_delivery_guidance.pdf.Colleges also receive £550 per T Level student to source and monitor industry placements. A targeted employer support fund for the 2025/26 financial year will support all employers delivering Health T Level placements and small and medium enterprises delivering all other placements.

What recent discussions he has had with his European counterparts on missile production capacity.

The Secretary of State for Defence continues to discuss missile production capacity with our European Allies on a regular basis. For example, the Secretary of State discussed this with France in Paris on 11 March and at the E5 Defence Ministers meeting on 12 March. Missile production capacity is also a key element of NATO’s Defence Production Action Plan, which we continue to work on with allies to ensure its effective implementation. In addition, the UK continues to discuss NATO Alliance-wide missile production and capacity issues via the Conference of National Armaments Directors (CNAD) framework.

With reference to section five of the policy paper entitled New approach to ensure regulators and regulation support growth, updated on 31 March 2025, whether she made an assessment of the potential merits of seeking regulator pledges from the Advertising Standards Authority.

As published in March, New approach to ensure regulators and regulation support growth set out reforms across the regulatory landscape. These focused on tackling complexity and the burden of regulation, reducing uncertainty, and shifting excessive risk aversion in the regulatory system. Many of these reforms pertain to all UK regulators. This action plan also included specific, pro-growth commitments from a range of key regulators which operate across the economy and also support sectors in the Industrial Strategy. We will continue to work with all regulators to promote investment, accelerate innovation, and deliver better outcomes.

What recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the UK's cruise missile production capacity.

The UK will continue to maintain a close relationship with its domestic and international industry partners on all aspects of the adequacy of the defence industrial supply chain required to support our capabilities.