Asked by: Luke Taylor (Liberal Democrat - Sutton and Cheam)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which prisons offer the provision of braille transcription services for individuals with visual impairments.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Braille translation services are available in publicly operated prisons through the national translation and transcription contract, which is currently held by thebigword Group Limited. Privately managed prisons must have arrangements in place using either this national contract or equivalent arrangements.
Asked by: Luke Taylor (Liberal Democrat - Sutton and Cheam)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has considered the potential merits of introducing an interim access pathway in England for omaveloxolone.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 29 June in response to Question 11724.
Asked by: Luke Taylor (Liberal Democrat - Sutton and Cheam)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will meet Ataxia UK to discuss the potential merits of including omaveloxolone in the pilot scheme.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 29 June in response to Question 11724.
Asked by: Luke Taylor (Liberal Democrat - Sutton and Cheam)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help stop organised crime involving vehicle theft.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government recognises the severe impacts that vehicle theft has on individuals, businesses and industry.
The Government is determined to ensure that crimes such as these receive the response they deserve. A central aim of the Government’s police reforms is to protect and revitalise neighbourhood policing: by lifting national responsibilities from local forces, we will allow the police to focus on tackling local issues, such as vehicle crime. We have also strengthened neighbourhood policing capacity, with a further 3,000 police officers and police community support officers placed into neighbourhood roles in less than a year.
The Government is also ensuring that the police have the powers necessary to tackle vehicle crime. The Crime and Policing Act 2026 introduces two new offences criminalising the possession, importation, making, adapting and supply of electronic devices used in vehicle theft.
Since 2024, the Home Office has provided almost £1 million For the National Vehicle Crime Reduction Partnership, to strengthen the enforcement response to organised vehicle theft and export. This funding has supported enforcement activity inland and at ports, including funding additional staff, police training and specialist equipment. A further £300,000 has been committed this year.
Information on stolen vehicles is already shared across law enforcement and with relevant partners to support the prevention, detection and investigation of vehicle crime. Current arrangements also support the circulation of stolen vehicle information through national and international policing channels, including INTERPOL databases. Decisions on the wider public release of stolen vehicle data would need careful consideration of operational impacts, including whether publication could inadvertently assist criminal activity.
Asked by: Luke Taylor (Liberal Democrat - Sutton and Cheam)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will take steps to make data showing whether vehicles have been reported stolen publicly available free of charge.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government recognises the severe impacts that vehicle theft has on individuals, businesses and industry.
The Government is determined to ensure that crimes such as these receive the response they deserve. A central aim of the Government’s police reforms is to protect and revitalise neighbourhood policing: by lifting national responsibilities from local forces, we will allow the police to focus on tackling local issues, such as vehicle crime. We have also strengthened neighbourhood policing capacity, with a further 3,000 police officers and police community support officers placed into neighbourhood roles in less than a year.
The Government is also ensuring that the police have the powers necessary to tackle vehicle crime. The Crime and Policing Act 2026 introduces two new offences criminalising the possession, importation, making, adapting and supply of electronic devices used in vehicle theft.
Since 2024, the Home Office has provided almost £1 million For the National Vehicle Crime Reduction Partnership, to strengthen the enforcement response to organised vehicle theft and export. This funding has supported enforcement activity inland and at ports, including funding additional staff, police training and specialist equipment. A further £300,000 has been committed this year.
Information on stolen vehicles is already shared across law enforcement and with relevant partners to support the prevention, detection and investigation of vehicle crime. Current arrangements also support the circulation of stolen vehicle information through national and international policing channels, including INTERPOL databases. Decisions on the wider public release of stolen vehicle data would need careful consideration of operational impacts, including whether publication could inadvertently assist criminal activity.
Asked by: Luke Taylor (Liberal Democrat - Sutton and Cheam)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will use the Illicit Finance Summit to press the Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies to introduce publicly accessible registers of beneficial ownership without delay or dilution.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Tackling illicit finance at home and internationally remains a key priority for this Government. We recognise the role of those professional enablers who exploit the integrity of their professions to facilitate serious and organised crime and corruption. That is why the upcoming Illicit Finance Summit will focus on strengthening global enforcement against illicit finance, including forging new partnerships to disrupt such professional enablers and take the profit out of crime and corruption. By driving greater transparency, stronger enforcement and higher global standards, we will also make it harder to hide or misuse money, including through tax evasion. We will confirm details of attendance at the Illicit Finance Summit in the normal way in due course.
We regularly raise our expectations on publicly accessible and legitimate interest access registers of beneficial ownership with Overseas Territories (OTs) and Crown Dependencies, and I most recently discussed this with OT leaders and representatives on 16 July.
Asked by: Luke Taylor (Liberal Democrat - Sutton and Cheam)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to tackle the enablers of illicit finance in the financial and legal services sectors.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Tackling illicit finance at home and internationally remains a key priority for this Government. We recognise the role of those professional enablers who exploit the integrity of their professions to facilitate serious and organised crime and corruption. That is why the upcoming Illicit Finance Summit will focus on strengthening global enforcement against illicit finance, including forging new partnerships to disrupt such professional enablers and take the profit out of crime and corruption. By driving greater transparency, stronger enforcement and higher global standards, we will also make it harder to hide or misuse money, including through tax evasion. We will confirm details of attendance at the Illicit Finance Summit in the normal way in due course.
We regularly raise our expectations on publicly accessible and legitimate interest access registers of beneficial ownership with Overseas Territories (OTs) and Crown Dependencies, and I most recently discussed this with OT leaders and representatives on 16 July.
Asked by: Luke Taylor (Liberal Democrat - Sutton and Cheam)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will expand the remit of the Illicit Finance Summit to include tax abuse.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Tackling illicit finance at home and internationally remains a key priority for this Government. We recognise the role of those professional enablers who exploit the integrity of their professions to facilitate serious and organised crime and corruption. That is why the upcoming Illicit Finance Summit will focus on strengthening global enforcement against illicit finance, including forging new partnerships to disrupt such professional enablers and take the profit out of crime and corruption. By driving greater transparency, stronger enforcement and higher global standards, we will also make it harder to hide or misuse money, including through tax evasion. We will confirm details of attendance at the Illicit Finance Summit in the normal way in due course.
We regularly raise our expectations on publicly accessible and legitimate interest access registers of beneficial ownership with Overseas Territories (OTs) and Crown Dependencies, and I most recently discussed this with OT leaders and representatives on 16 July.
Asked by: Luke Taylor (Liberal Democrat - Sutton and Cheam)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what he is taking, as co-owner of the International Education Strategy, to ensure UK schools expanding overseas do not use non-disclosure agreements to silence harassment or discrimination in ways that would be unlawful in the UK.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government is committed to protecting workers from Non-Disclosure Agreement misuse. The Employment Rights Act 2025 includes a measure that void NDAs in cases of workplace harassment and discrimination.
We recently consulted on the measure and are currently analysing responses. A Government response will be issued in due course.
With regards to overseas franchises of UK schools, they must abide by the domestic laws of the host country.
Asked by: Luke Taylor (Liberal Democrat - Sutton and Cheam)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether the Government's response to the Make Work Pay consultation on non-disclosure agreements will address staff employed by the overseas franchises of UK schools.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government is committed to protecting workers from Non-Disclosure Agreement misuse. The Employment Rights Act 2025 includes a measure that void NDAs in cases of workplace harassment and discrimination.
We recently consulted on the measure and are currently analysing responses. A Government response will be issued in due course.
With regards to overseas franchises of UK schools, they must abide by the domestic laws of the host country.