Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of (a) imposing fines on companies that do not register beneficial owners under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 and (b) hypothecating those revenues for local authorities.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Economic Crime Acts 2022 and 2023 established and enhanced the Register of Overseas Entities. Financial penalties are used where entities fail to comply. Alongside restrictions on property transactions, this helps protect the integrity of the UK property market by enhancing transparency about who owns and controls overseas entities.
As with other fines, revenues are paid into the Consolidated Fund. Government does not generally support the hypothecation of fine revenue, as this can reduce flexibility in public finances and risk weakening the deterrent purpose of penalties. Core funding for local authorities is set through the Local Government Finance Settlement.
Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Economic Crime and Transparency Act 2023 on the number of properties owned by offshore companies.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Department has not made a specific assessment of the impact of the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 on the number of properties owned by offshore companies. The Register of Overseas Entities was established and further strengthened through the Economic Crime Acts 2022 and 2023. It was designed to tackle the misuse of overseas corporate structures to own UK property anonymously, rather than legitimate overseas investment. Companies House's strategic intelligence assessment indicates that the register has significantly reduced anonymity and increased transparency around higher risk ownership. The Government will keep the effectiveness of the regime under review.
Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to make it a requirement for local planning authorities to take into account the need to replace or upgrade existing rooftop telecommunications equipment when determining planning applications.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Between 18 December 2025 and 26 February 2026, the government undertook a call for evidence in respect of reforming planning rules to accelerate deployment of digital infrastructure. It can be found on gov.uk here.
We are currently analysing the feedback received with a view to determining next steps, which may include consulting on draft measures and, where appropriate, bringing forward necessary legislation.
Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she is considering using perceptual and cryptographic hash matching to prevent the spread of mis- and disinformation.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The government is not considering hash matching to address the spread of mis- and disinformation. We recognise concerns and continue to explore options, but there is no single solution. Tackling such content requires a mix of regulation, law enforcement, education and technical solutions, balanced with freedom of expression – a fundamental right.