Written questions by Goldman.

Innovation and Technology, what steps the Government is taking to ensure AI training models are subject to existing copyright laws; and what assessment he has made of the impact of the proposed exemption for text and data mining on (a) artists, (b) small businesses and (c) other creative industries.

Copying protected material in the UK will infringe copyright unless it is licensed, or an exception to copyright applies. The Government published a consultation on Copyright and AI in December 2024 seeking views on proposals for a new regulatory model for text and data mining. An initial assessment of the options under consideration and their impacts can be found in the summary assessment published alongside the consultation. The Government intends to update its assessment in light of evidence received through the consultation process. The consultation closed on 25 February and the Government will respond in due course.

What assessment his Department has made of recent trends in Royal Mail’s postal service deliveries times; and what steps the Government is taking to ensure that customers receive a reliable and timely service.

It is for Ofcom, as the independent regulator of postal services, to set and monitor Royal Mail’s service standards, and to decide how to use its powers to investigate and take enforcement action. In December 2024, following its investigation of Royal Mail’s performance in the 2023-24 financial year, Ofcom fined the company £10.5m because of its failure to significantly improve service levels. Ofcom is currently considering the future of the universal postal service and published a consultation in January proposing a package of reforms to better reflect people’s usage of postal services and support financial sustainability.

If the Government will make an assessment of the adequacy of existing health checks for retired firefighters; and if she will work with (a) NHS Trusts and (b) local healthcare providers in Essex to improve healthcare for firefighters.

The health and safety of firefighters is of paramount importance.We will continue to engage with the Department of Health and Social Care, the Health and Safety Executive and the National Fire Chiefs Council on the development of policy in this area, including examining the potential benefits of health screening programmes for current and retired firefighters.Fire and rescue authorities, as the employers, are responsible for the health and wellbeing of firefighters, and so it is for those authorities to take the appropriate action to protect their workforces.

With reference to the Select Committee on Work and Pensions letter on the Pension Protection Fund and Financial Assistance Scheme payments of 17 December 2024, what progress she has made on implementing the recommendations on inflation protection for pre-1997 pensions.

The PPF and FAS rules on indexation have been the subject of much discussion. I am aware of the concerns surrounding the matter and understand the problems experienced by Defined Benefit pension scheme members adjusting to an income in retirement which may be less than they were expecting. I will continue to consider this issue over the coming months. The Government is considering the Select Committee’s valuable report and will respond fully to the report and recommendations later this year.

Whether she plans to review the (a) Ebbsfleet and (b) Ashford services of the Eurostar line.

Whilst it is a commercial decision for Eurostar to make on the reinstatement of these services, I recognise the continued disappointment felt by local communities and businesses and I too am keen to see the reinstatement of these services. Officials regularly engage with Kent stakeholders, including MPs, councillors and representatives to discuss this and are committed to continue explore potential solutions.

Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of the availability of fire safety risk assessors who are able to carry out fire risk assessments of external wall systems.

The Department conducts regular capacity surveys and supplier engagement to ensure we have enough assessors to meet the expected requirement, in line with our objective in the Department’s Remediation Acceleration plan to ensure capacity in the remediation supply chain. Our research to date demonstrates sufficient assessor capacity to meet expected demand, though with some local supply pinch points. Where this is the case, we support applicants in sourcing assessors.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a new public inquiry into the Windrush scandal.

This government is determined to put right the appalling injustices caused by the Home Office’s treatment of members of the Windrush community, making sure that those affected receive the compensation they rightly deserve, and ensuring cultural change is ...

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of standardising of NHS IT systems to help increase levels of efficiency.

Interoperability between IT systems would improve the quality of care and safety for patients, as well as enabling better informed clinical and care decision-making, by allowing for information to be shared easily, in real time, between organisations that...

What steps she is taking to ensure the safety of British Pakistanis speaking out about human rights violations in Pakistan.

The Government regularly assesses potential threats to the UK, and takes the protection of individuals' rights, freedoms, and safety in the UK very seriously.As you would expect, Home Office officials work closely with the FCDO and MHCLG as well as other ...

Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of (a) providing support for victims to recover investments and (b) holding perpetrators accountable in cases of fraudulent

HM Land Registry provides a state guarantee which in appropriate circumstances financially compensates victims of property registration fraud.HM Land Registry has the power to seek recovery of indemnity payments from perpetrators of fraud and conveyancers...

Whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a hardship fund for parents of children who have been diagnosed with chronic illnesses and have been hospitalised for more t

The Building the Right Support Action Plan, published in 2022, contains commitments which have not yet passed their delivery dates, including the commitment to reform the Mental Health Act.We do not plan to create new actions in a new action plan while th...

Whether she plans to extend the flexible fund beyond February 2025.

The Government is committed to supporting victims of domestic abuse.At the beginning of October, we launched a £1.96m investment into the Flexible Fund. The Flexible Fund, administered by Women’s Aid Federation of England, can be accessed through over 470...

Communities and Local Government, if she will legislate to cap annual service charge rises at consumer price index inflation rates.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer to Question UIN 7465 on 15 October 2024

What steps her Department is taking to help ensure problems arising from menstrual health conditions, such as endometriosis, are accepted by employers as justified workplace absences.

Officials from the Department for Work and Pensions and the Office for Equality and Opportunity met with Endometriosis UK to discuss the development of Equality Action Plans on 13th November 2024. On 18th October 2024 the Government appointed Mariella Fro...

If she will make an assessment of the adequacy of levels of carers pay.

Adult social care is a historically low paid sector, as most care workers are paid at or just above the National Living Wage. The recently introduced Employment Rights Bill aims to address this by establishing a framework for Fair Pay Agreements, through ...

What steps she is taking to tackle the asylum case backlog.

Mr Speaker, this government inherited an asylum system in crisis, with decision-making on cases at its lowest level for years, £8 million per day being spent on asylum hotels, and a £6 billion in-year overspend on asylum and illegal migration costs.We hav...

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the (a) reduction to the National Insurance threshold and (b) costs for employing part-time (i) teaching assistants and (ii) school support staff on (A)

The government has agreed that the department will be compensated for the increase in National Insurance Contributions (NICs) paid by state-funding schools. Work is underway to determine how much the department will receive for those employers within its ...

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of proposed changes to alcohol duty on the wine industry.

At the recent Budget, the Chancellor announced that she would uprate alcohol duty in line with RPI inflation on 1 February 2025, except on qualifying draught products. This decision weighed the impacts on businesses, cost-of-living pressures on people who...

Food and Rural Affairs, what his Department's timetable is for (a) introducing and (b) implementing a ban on wet wipes that contain plastic.

The Government is working together with the devolved Governments to understand the issue, with a view to legislate to ban wet wipes containing plastic across the UK.

How many (a) promoters and (b) operators of schemes now subject to the Loan Charge have been prosecuted.

I refer the hon. Member for Chelmsford to the answer I gave on 16 October 2024 to Question UIN 7747.