Asked by: David Davis (Conservative - Goole and Pocklington)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of compensation schemes for people wrongly identified by live facial recognition technology used by the police.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office has not assessed the potential merits of a specific compensation scheme for people wrongly identified by live facial recognition used by police.
The Home Office has not set a threshold for an acceptable proportion of misidentifications arising from police use of live facial recognition. However, police use of live facial recognition is subject to safeguards that are designed to minimise the risk of misidentifications. These are set out in the Authorised Professional Practice guidance by the College of Policing found here: Live facial recognition | College of Policing]. They must also comply with data protection, equality, and human rights laws and are subject to the Information Commissioner’s and Equality and Human Rights Commission’s oversight.
Following a possible live facial recognition alert, it is always a police officer on the ground who will decide what action, if any, to take. Facial recognition technology is not automated decision making – police officers and trained operators will always make the decisions about whether and how to use any suggested matches.
In November we launched a 10 public consultation, ending on 12 February to help shape a new framework on biometrics, facial recognition and similar technologies. We want to hear views on when and how the technologies should be used, and what safeguards and oversight are needed. We are aware there have been concerns with the existing laws governing the use of facial recognition, and the consultation has been designed to explore these concerns by asking questions on additional safeguards around transparency, oversight and proportionality
Asked by: David Davis (Conservative - Goole and Pocklington)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has set a threshold for an acceptable proportion of misidentifications arising from police use of live facial recognition.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office has not assessed the potential merits of a specific compensation scheme for people wrongly identified by live facial recognition used by police.
The Home Office has not set a threshold for an acceptable proportion of misidentifications arising from police use of live facial recognition. However, police use of live facial recognition is subject to safeguards that are designed to minimise the risk of misidentifications. These are set out in the Authorised Professional Practice guidance by the College of Policing found here: Live facial recognition | College of Policing]. They must also comply with data protection, equality, and human rights laws and are subject to the Information Commissioner’s and Equality and Human Rights Commission’s oversight.
Following a possible live facial recognition alert, it is always a police officer on the ground who will decide what action, if any, to take. Facial recognition technology is not automated decision making – police officers and trained operators will always make the decisions about whether and how to use any suggested matches.
In November we launched a 10 public consultation, ending on 12 February to help shape a new framework on biometrics, facial recognition and similar technologies. We want to hear views on when and how the technologies should be used, and what safeguards and oversight are needed. We are aware there have been concerns with the existing laws governing the use of facial recognition, and the consultation has been designed to explore these concerns by asking questions on additional safeguards around transparency, oversight and proportionality
Asked by: David Davis (Conservative - Goole and Pocklington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS hospital trust chief executives are on multi-year contracts.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not hold information on the number of trust chief executives who hold multi-year contracts. National Health Service trust chief executives, like other NHS staff, will typically be employed on permanent contracts.
Asked by: David Davis (Conservative - Goole and Pocklington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS hospital trust chief executives have been appointed after being dismissed from other NHS hospital trusts.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not hold information on the number of trust chief executives appointed after previous dismissal from another National Health Service trust.
Asked by: David Davis (Conservative - Goole and Pocklington)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, by how much they plan to reduce their Department's budget to help fund the digital ID scheme.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Digital Identity policy is in development, with a dedicated team inside the Cabinet Office working to develop the proposals.
We are inviting the public to have their say in the upcoming consultation as we develop a safe, secure, and inclusive system for the UK. No final decisions will be made until after the consultation.
Asked by: David Davis (Conservative - Goole and Pocklington)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what analysis was carried out of the potential impact of deprivation on the cost of service delivery for local authorities.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Following extensive consultation and engagement, we are realigning funding distributed through the Local Government Finance Settlement with need and deprivation. We will target a greater proportion of grant funding towards the most deprived places which need it most, ensuring the best value for money for government and taxpayers.
These updates will account for local circumstances, including for different ability to raise income locally from council tax, and the variation in the cost of delivering services, including between rural and urban areas. By using the most up to date data available, the government will be able to assess local authorities' relative demand for services more effectively. This includes using the most up-to-date 2025 Indices of Multiple Deprivation in our assessment of need.
We introduced the £600 million Recovery Grant in 2025-26 to support the most deprived local authorities which are least able to fund their own services through income raised locally. After years of funding cuts to local government, in which the most deprived places suffered the most, the recovery is not over. Following a large number of representations on the importance of Recovery Grant funding, the government has consulted on its plans to maintain the Recovery Grant across the multi-year Settlement, to enable these places to continue their recovery.
The government is considering the responses received following the consultation of the Provisional Local Government Finance Settlement 2026 to 2027 and will set out a position when the final Settlement is published in early February.
Asked by: David Davis (Conservative - Goole and Pocklington)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of continuing the Recovery Grant on local government finances.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Following extensive consultation and engagement, we are realigning funding distributed through the Local Government Finance Settlement with need and deprivation. We will target a greater proportion of grant funding towards the most deprived places which need it most, ensuring the best value for money for government and taxpayers.
These updates will account for local circumstances, including for different ability to raise income locally from council tax, and the variation in the cost of delivering services, including between rural and urban areas. By using the most up to date data available, the government will be able to assess local authorities' relative demand for services more effectively. This includes using the most up-to-date 2025 Indices of Multiple Deprivation in our assessment of need.
We introduced the £600 million Recovery Grant in 2025-26 to support the most deprived local authorities which are least able to fund their own services through income raised locally. After years of funding cuts to local government, in which the most deprived places suffered the most, the recovery is not over. Following a large number of representations on the importance of Recovery Grant funding, the government has consulted on its plans to maintain the Recovery Grant across the multi-year Settlement, to enable these places to continue their recovery.
The government is considering the responses received following the consultation of the Provisional Local Government Finance Settlement 2026 to 2027 and will set out a position when the final Settlement is published in early February.
Asked by: David Davis (Conservative - Goole and Pocklington)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will publish a list of methodological changes made to the Fair Funding Allocation following the Government's consultation.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Details on how the various formulae were calculated, including data and variables, were published in the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement 2026-2027 to 2028-2029 here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/provisional-local-government-finance-settlement-2026-2027-to-2028-29 These can be found in the supporting documents, in the ‘Methodology for the Fair Funding Review reforms’ section.
The provisional Settlement confirmed that the Recovery Grant, used to target funding at the most deprived places that suffered the most from historic funding cuts, will continue over the multi-year period. The method used to distribute the Recovery Grant to Local Authorities remains the same as last year and can be found in the published Technical note on Recovery Grant Methodology 2025- 2026, found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/technical-note-on-recovery-grant-methodology-2025-to-2026
The government will consider all responses to the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement consultation and set out the details of any changes in the response that will be published alongside at the final Settlement.
Asked by: David Davis (Conservative - Goole and Pocklington)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, If he will publish the datasets used to determine the Relative Needs of local authorities in the Fair Funding Review.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Details on how the various formulae were calculated, including data and variables, were published in the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement 2026-2027 to 2028-2029 here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/provisional-local-government-finance-settlement-2026-2027-to-2028-29 These can be found in the supporting documents, in the ‘Methodology for the Fair Funding Review reforms’ section.
The provisional Settlement confirmed that the Recovery Grant, used to target funding at the most deprived places that suffered the most from historic funding cuts, will continue over the multi-year period. The method used to distribute the Recovery Grant to Local Authorities remains the same as last year and can be found in the published Technical note on Recovery Grant Methodology 2025- 2026, found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/technical-note-on-recovery-grant-methodology-2025-to-2026
The government will consider all responses to the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement consultation and set out the details of any changes in the response that will be published alongside at the final Settlement.
Asked by: David Davis (Conservative - Goole and Pocklington)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will publish a complete list of definitions for all variables and data used in the Fair Funding Review.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Details on how the various formulae were calculated, including data and variables, were published in the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement 2026-2027 to 2028-2029 here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/provisional-local-government-finance-settlement-2026-2027-to-2028-29 These can be found in the supporting documents, in the ‘Methodology for the Fair Funding Review reforms’ section.
The provisional Settlement confirmed that the Recovery Grant, used to target funding at the most deprived places that suffered the most from historic funding cuts, will continue over the multi-year period. The method used to distribute the Recovery Grant to Local Authorities remains the same as last year and can be found in the published Technical note on Recovery Grant Methodology 2025- 2026, found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/technical-note-on-recovery-grant-methodology-2025-to-2026
The government will consider all responses to the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement consultation and set out the details of any changes in the response that will be published alongside at the final Settlement.