Written questions by Coyle.

Whether she has made an assessment of the effectiveness of the pilot implementation of provisions relating to the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill by local authorities.

As a result of pre-legislative scrutiny, and extensive consultation in relation to proposals for the standard tier, the Government made significant changes to the Bill. This was to ensure public protection outcomes can be achieved whilst avoiding undue burdens on businesses and other organisations. This includes raising the standard tier threshold from 100 to 200.Lowering the minimum threshold for the standard tier back to 100 would result in significant changes to the coverage of the Bill and increased costs to business. Government believes a threshold of 200 achieves an appropriate balance between protecting the public from the risk of physical harm and imposing burden on business, whilst continuing to deliver the Bill’s overall aims of increasing protective security and organisational preparedness across the UK.We will continue to liaise with all relevant stakeholders as the Bill progresses.

If she will consult Pool Reinsurance Limited on the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill.

As a result of pre-legislative scrutiny, and extensive consultation in relation to proposals for the standard tier, the Government made significant changes to the Bill. This was to ensure public protection outcomes can be achieved whilst avoiding undue burdens on businesses and other organisations. This includes raising the standard tier threshold from 100 to 200.Lowering the minimum threshold for the standard tier back to 100 would result in significant changes to the coverage of the Bill and increased costs to business. Government believes a threshold of 200 achieves an appropriate balance between protecting the public from the risk of physical harm and imposing burden on business, whilst continuing to deliver the Bill’s overall aims of increasing protective security and organisational preparedness across the UK.We will continue to liaise with all relevant stakeholders as the Bill progresses.

With reference to clause 2 of the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill, for what reason venues with a 100 person capacity will be excluded from full risk assessments.

As a result of pre-legislative scrutiny, and extensive consultation in relation to proposals for the standard tier, the Government made significant changes to the Bill. This was to ensure public protection outcomes can be achieved whilst avoiding undue burdens on businesses and other organisations. This includes raising the standard tier threshold from 100 to 200.Lowering the minimum threshold for the standard tier back to 100 would result in significant changes to the coverage of the Bill and increased costs to business. Government believes a threshold of 200 achieves an appropriate balance between protecting the public from the risk of physical harm and imposing burden on business, whilst continuing to deliver the Bill’s overall aims of increasing protective security and organisational preparedness across the UK.We will continue to liaise with all relevant stakeholders as the Bill progresses.

How many assessments for destitution her Department has made for people subject to No Recourse to Public Funds conditions in each of the last ten years.

We do not routinely publish the information you have requested, and we are unable to provide this information, as it could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.When an individual goes through the process of assessment for Change of Conditions, various No Recourse to Public Funds conditions are checked, with ‘destitution’ being one of these conditions.

Pursuant to the Answer of 17 October 2024 to Question 8159 on Police: Training, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing protective security measures for people from Hong Kong with BNO status.

It is our long-standing policy not to provide detailed information on individuals’ security arrangements, as doing so could compromise their integrity and affect individuals’ security.We continually assess potential threats in the UK, and take protection of individuals’ rights, freedoms, and safety in the UK very seriously. Any attempt by any foreign power to intimidate, harass or harm individuals in the UK will not be tolerated and will be thoroughly investigated.Any individuals who believe they are a victim of a crime should report their concerns to the Police.Home Office officials work closely with the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, as well as other government departments, to ensure that the UK is a safe and welcoming place for both those who hold BN(O) (British National Overseas) status and other Hongkongers.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of sanctioning (a) Leonard Blavatnik and (b) other Russian people under sanction in Ukraine but not in the UK.

The UK remains steadfast in our support to Ukraine. Together with our international partners, we have implemented the most severe package of sanctions ever imposed on a major economy. The UK alone has sanctioned more than 2,000 individuals and entities under the Russia sanctions regime. Just this week, we launched our largest ever ship specification package targeting Putin's Shadow Fleet.We do not comment on future or individual designations. Furthermore, we do not comment on our partner's decisions on individual designations.

If she will make an assessment of the adequacy of current mechanisms monitoring the potential receipt of funding by hon. Members from (a) companies and (b) individuals sanctioned by (i) Ukraine and (ii) other allies.

The rules governing the receipt of benefits by members are a matter for the House of Commons. The Commons ‘Code of Conduct’, together with ‘The Guide to the Rules’, contain specific provisions regarding the registration of interests as well as gifts and benefits received from sources outside of the UK. Both of these can be found on the parliament website (available at: https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/commons/hoc-code-of-conduct/). Any alleged breaches of these rules are investigated by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards with the oversight of the House's Committee on Standards.In addition, there are parliamentary rules which require All-Party Parliamentary Groups (APPGs) to refrain from accepting secretariats provided by foreign governments. These can be found within the ‘Guide to the Rules on APPGs’ on the parliament website (available at: https://www.parliament.uk/about/mps-and-lords/members/apg/rules-on-appgs/).Separately, the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 contains clear rules on donations, with members obliged to carry out permissibility checks on the donations they receive and report to the Electoral Commission eligible donations they receive in connection with their political activities.These mechanisms ensure transparency is at the centre of the parliamentary standards system and reduce the possibility of undue foreign influence in our democratic institutions.

How much (a) housing benefit and (b) equivalent benefit as part of Universal Credit was paid to housing associations in each of the last three years.

The information requested for Universal Credit is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost. The information requested for Housing Benefit may be found by using the Detailed Housing Type and the Payment Destination fields in the “Housing Benefit - Data from April 2018” dataset in Stat-Xplore (Stat-Xplore - Log in (dwp.gov.uk)). Guidance on how to use Stat-Xplore can be found here: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/index.html. An account is not required to use Stat- Xplore; the ‘Guest Login’ feature gives instant access to the main functions. The Department is working towards developing these statistics internally so that we will be in a position to answer similar Parliamentary Questions in the future.

What financial contribution the NHS makes to the tribunal service.

The HM Courts and Tribunals Service is funded primarily by the Ministry of Justice. Where the National Health Service is party to a tribunal where a fee is levied, for instance immigration and asylum, and other fee charging special tribunals, they will pay this in the usual way. We would not expect the NHS to be a significant source of income through these tribunal fees, however the HM Courts and Tribunals Service’s annual report and accounts do not provide the level of detail required to be able to provide a figure.

Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of Housing Revenue Account borrowing on investment in council homes.

We recognise the importance of borrowing for investment in new council homes. Local authorities have access to a preferential rate from the Public Works Loans Board to support housebuilding in the Housing Revenue Account. The preferential rate of gilts +0.4% is available until June 2025. The Government is committed to supporting councils to build their capacity and invest in new social rented homes.

Whether the Ethics and Integrity Commission will examine donations to MPs from any individual or company that is sanctioned either by the UK or by any other state.

I refer the honourable member to the answer given to PQ 1251 on 31 July 2024.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 14 October 2024 to Question 8157 on Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of removing consular status from the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in the context of Hong Kong no longer being an independent territory.

The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office Act 1996 provides the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office with certain privileges and immunities in line with the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations for the purposes of furthering economic and trade interests. There are no current plans to replace this legislation.

Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of allocating a proportion of new-build homes to (a) teachers, (b) police officers, (c) NHS staff and (d) other key workers in (i) London and (ii) England.

The affordability challenges facing prospective first-time buyers mean that too many people, including key workers, are now locked out of homeownership.In addition to increasing the supply of homes of all tenures, the Government has committed to introducing a permanent, comprehensive mortgage guarantee scheme and to giving first-time buyers the first chance to buy homes.Local authorities are delivering First Homes which can be targeted towards key workers. These are homes which are sold to first-time buyers with a discount of at least 30% from full market value.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of using Nightingale Courts to tackle (a) mobile phone thefts, (b) other robberies at knifepoint and (c) other knife crime.

No specific assessment has been made about the use of Nightingdale Courts for these specific offences ; 20 of which remain open and will continue to be used by judges until at least March 2025.This Government is committed to halving knife crime over 10 years. Knife enabled robbery accounts for 42% of all police recorded knife crime, so tackling it is a key focus. We are convening a Knife Enabled Robbery Taskforce with policing leaders to take immediate action to halt its rise.We have implemented a ban on zombie-style knives and zombie-style machetes and will act to ban Ninja swords. We are also introducing the Young Futures programme to stop young people being drawn into a life of violent crime in the first place.As part of our Safer Streets mission, this government is also determined to crack down on theft and other crimes that make people feel unsafe in our communities.Set against soaring levels of snatch thefts and pickpocketing in the last year of the previous government, and the demand for stolen mobile phones increasing, we have announced a Home Office Mobile Phone Theft Summit, drawing together the tech companies and law enforcement to see what more can be done to break the business model of mobile phone thieves.

If she will review her Department's use of the term customer for claimants.

The department keeps its policies and procedures under regular review, including how it communicates with users of its services.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to hold discussions with his Chinese counterpart on the (a) arrest of (i) Jimmy Lai and (ii) other democracy activists in Hong Kong and (b) targeting of activists in the UK during his visit to that country.

The Foreign Secretary raised Jimmy Lai's case in his first meeting with China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the ASEAN Summit on 26 July and his case remains a priority for this Government. We will continue to call on the Hong Kong authorities to end their politically motivated prosecutions of all democracy activists, including Jimmy Lai. I met with Sebastien Lai and Jimmy Lai's international legal team on Tuesday 8 October.Attempts by foreign Governments to coerce, intimidate or harm critics overseas, are unacceptable. Freedom of speech and other fundamental rights of all people in the UK are protected under domestic law, regardless of nationality.

If she will take steps to ensure that deductions from social security payments do not leave people in relative poverty.

The primary aim of deductions in Universal Credit is to protect customers by providing a last resort repayment method for arrears of essential services, such as, housing, electricity and gas. The policy also enables social obligations, such as, paying Court Fines to be enforced when other repayment methods have failed, or are not cost effective, and ensures that benefit debt is recovered in a cost-effective manner. The Department has an established process to support anyone experiencing financial hardship and encourages customers unable to afford the proposed rate of repayment to contact DWP Debt Management at the earliest opportunity. Departmental agents will, where applicable, negotiate an affordable and sustainable repayment plan.   Furthermore, there is no limit on the number of times a person can request a change to their repayment rate. In exceptional cases, based on individual circumstances, a temporary suspension of recovery may be agreed. We are committed to reviewing Universal Credit, to make sure it is doing the job we want it to.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when he last reviewed the status of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office; when he plans next to review it;, and for what reason it has diplomatic status.

The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office Act 1996 provides the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office with certain privileges and immunities in line with the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, for the purposes of furthering economic and trade interests. There are no current plans to replace this legislation.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the China Audit will cover potential targeting of Hong Kong BNO status holders in the UK by Chinese representatives.

This Government will take a consistent, long term and strategic approach to managing the UK's relations with China, rooted in UK and global interests. We will co-operate where we can, compete where we need to, and challenge where we must. We will carry out an audit of the UK's relationship with China as a bilateral and global actor, to improve our ability to understand and respond to the challenges and opportunities China poses. As a Special Autonomous Region of China, Hong Kong will form part of this audit.Attempts by foreign Governments to coerce, intimidate or harm critics overseas, are unacceptable. Freedom of speech and other fundamental rights of all people in the UK are protected under domestic law, regardless of nationality.

If her Department will consult stakeholders on the adequacy of its guidance on the status determination statement process.

The Government keeps all tax policy and legislation under review. To help customers make an informed decision on a worker’s status for tax, HMRC provides comprehensive online guidance that explains the relevant factors and tests and how to apply them. HMRC also provides the Check Employment Status for Tax tool (CEST) for free to help customers determine the employment status for tax of an engagement. CEST was developed alongside tax specialists and HMRC will stand by a determination from CEST if the tool was used in accordance with HMRC guidance. HMRC regularly engages with stakeholders and reviews its guidance products. HMRC will amend or add to guidance in response to stakeholder feedback where this improves the content or customer experience.