Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the performance of the Financial Conduct Authority in balancing its confidentiality obligations with the need to provide transparency and effective communication to individuals who report potential financial misconduct.

Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The government meets regularly with the FCA to discuss a range of topics. The government is content that the legislative framework, set by parliament, which gives the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) powers to supervise the financial services sector and enforce rules, is appropriate, and that the FCA has the correct tools available to enable it to investigate and act on evidence of malpractice and criminality.

The FCA is required by legislation to have regard to the principle that regulators should exercise their functions as transparently as possible. The FCA is also required not to disclose confidential information it receives in the course of carrying out its functions, with limited exceptions including where required to carry out its functions or otherwise required by law.

The government expects the FCA to act in accordance with high standards of transparency and operational efficiency, and will continue to hold the FCA to account for how it exercises its functions.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions she has had with the Financial Conduct Authority' on it's ability to act evidence of (a) malpractice and (b) criminality.

Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The government meets regularly with the FCA to discuss a range of topics. The government is content that the legislative framework, set by parliament, which gives the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) powers to supervise the financial services sector and enforce rules, is appropriate, and that the FCA has the correct tools available to enable it to investigate and act on evidence of malpractice and criminality.

The FCA is required by legislation to have regard to the principle that regulators should exercise their functions as transparently as possible. The FCA is also required not to disclose confidential information it receives in the course of carrying out its functions, with limited exceptions including where required to carry out its functions or otherwise required by law.

The government expects the FCA to act in accordance with high standards of transparency and operational efficiency, and will continue to hold the FCA to account for how it exercises its functions.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of non-compliant number plates on levels revenue to traffic enforcement forces.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office has not made an assessment of the potential impact of non-compliant number plates on the levels of revenue to traffic enforcement forces.

The Government is working closely with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) and the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC), Trading Standards, local authorities and other government departments to improve the identification and enforcement of number plate crime.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the Financial Conduct Authority's powers to seek redress for the victims of financial fraud.

Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government takes the issue of fraud very seriously and is dedicated to protecting the public from this devastating crime.

In October 2024, the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) introduced a mandatory reimbursement regime for authorised push payment (APP) scams which take place over the Faster Payments system, as required by the Financial Services and Markets Act (FSMA) 2023. The PSR’s regime requires payment service providers to reimburse victims for losses up to £85,000 for scams which took place after 7 October 2024.

In cases where consumers have been impacted by financial fraud and are not covered by these rules, they should contact their bank in the first instance. Victims may have access to recourse through the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS), which can consider individual complaints between consumers and financial firms. This includes on fraud providing the activity is within the FOS’s jurisdiction, which is set by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The FOS can consider whether or not the firm has acted fairly, however, any criminal investigation would be a matter for the police.

HM Treasury is working with colleagues in the Home Office as they develop a new, expanded Fraud Strategy. This will be published in due course as part of the Government’s Plan for Change and in line with our manifesto commitments.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help ensure that the Automatic Number Plate Recognition network is able to identify (a) false and (b) cloned number plates.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

ANPR is a valuable tool to help the police tackle crime and keep the road safe. We keep the effectiveness of police and law enforcement use of ANPR under regular review, to ensure it remains a robust tool for identifying vehicles of interest to the police and drivers who break the law.

Non-compliant and mis-represented plates are a significant concern to policing and law enforcement agencies. The DVLA and the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) are working closely with Trading Standards, local authorities and other government departments to improve the identification and enforcement of number plate crime.

The law requires anyone who supplies number plates for road use in the UK to be registered with the DVLA and for suppliers to carry out checks to ensure that number plates are only sold to those who are entitled to the registration number. Number plate suppliers must also keep records of the number plates they have supplied. Those found to have committed number plate offences can be prosecuted by the police.

I met the National Police Chief’s Council (NPCC) lead on ANPR in April to discuss the challenges associated with cloned licence plates and the potential role for ANPR in helping to tackle them.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the potential impact of the Future Homes Standard on air pollution emissions from domestic wood burning.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Future Homes Standard (FHS) will require new-build homes to use heat pumps or other low-carbon technologies as their primary heating source, ensuring that almost all the home’s heating needs will be met with low-emission systems. This shift away from fossil fuels will significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and support improved air quality. The consultation on the FHS did not focus on secondary heating systems or support solid fuel systems, such as wood-burning stoves, as primary heating.

The FHS will update Part L of the Building Regulations. While air quality falls outside the scope of Part L and the FHS, my officials and I work closely with our colleagues at DEFRA to align with broader efforts to tackle air pollution.

Found: supported by Claire Hanna, Colum Eastwood, Deirdre Costigan, Lola McEvoy, Damien Egan, Uma Kumaran, Sarah Coombes