Online fake reviews are not within scope of the Online Safety Bill but are being addressed through separate legislation. The new Digital Markets and Consumers Competition Bill, which was introduced to Parliament on 25 April, includes a delegated power to amend the ‘blacklist’ of automatically unfair practices set out in the Bill.

The first intended use of this power is to add practices related to fake and misleading reviews following consultation during Bill passage. This will give greater clarity to business and consumers and, where fake reviews are posted, allow enforcers to take effective action quickly.

The Treasury did not formally review private equity in 2021, although it did consult in July 2021 on reforms to the UK’s regime for wholesale capital markets, including public equity markets, through the Wholesale Markets Review (WMR). The Government’s objective for the WMR is to deliver a framework that is fair, outcome-based and supports openness and competitiveness, whilst maintaining the highest regulatory standards.

The Government published its response to the WMR consultation on 1 March 2022 and is delivering the most urgent reforms that received strong support from industry as part of Financial Services and Markets Bill. Changes where respondents indicated that fast implementation is less paramount will be delivered via the Government’s wider programme to enact the repeal of retained EU law in financial services.

Local authorities have a legal duty to provide a comprehensive adoption service.

This specifically includes assistance, including mediation services, in relation to arrangements for contact between an adoptive child and a natural parent, natural sibling, former guardian or a related person of the adoptive child.

As set out in our recently published ‘Adoption Strategy: achieving excellence everywhere’ we will be working with local authorities and regional adoption agencies to improve support around contact with birth relatives, including letterbox contact. This will include working closely with birth parents and those with lived experiences. More details on how funding from the Spending Review will be used will be confirmed in due course.

I would firstly like to address the use of the term ‘hostile environment’ in the honourable Member’s question. This language does not reflect Government policy or our values.

The UK’s measures on access to work, benefits and services have been introduced by successive governments over many years, and these are consistent with legislative frameworks operated by most other comparable countries. The principle of No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) forms part of that framework and was established as far back as 1971 and is a condition that is applied to those staying here with a temporary immigration status.

Our review of the NRPF measure forms part of the Home Office’s full evaluation of its compliant environment policies and measures, both individually and cumulatively. This was set out in “Response to the Windrush Lessons Learned Review: a comprehensive improvement plan”, published in 2020. As part of our ongoing review, we also systematically revisit our Equality Impact Assessments, including relating to NRPF, to ensure that policies remain in accordance with our Public Sector Equality Duties.

The Home Office has also set up a national NRPF stakeholder forum to gather information on actual and potential impacts of its NRPF policy. The group meets on a quarterly basis and comprises representatives from central government, local government authorities across the four UK nations, the NRPF Network, and other third sector organisations with a specific interest in the subject. Where appropriate, the trends, emerging issues, and evidence gathered from this forum will be used to inform policy development in this area.

We continue to seek alternative means to secure more NRPF-related data in order to understand who might be impacted by the policy as well as looking at improving the quality and availability of data on protected characteristics.

On 31 August we provided the Home Affairs Select Committee (HASC) with an update on the progress of the review of the compliant environment. A copy of the letter can be found at:

https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/7162/documents/75657/default/

I refer the hon. Member for Hampstead and Kilburn to the answer I gave on 16 November 2021 to question 71508.

The Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Review has been making good progress, but the COVID-19 outbreak has materially altered the context for reform.

The SEND Review continues to work with system experts to make sure we are designing a SEND system fit for the future. We are drawing on the best evidence available to review the system, before publishing proposals for public consultation as soon as possible.

The UK unreservedly condemns the use of torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment as well as rendition. We do not participate in, solicit, encourage or condone such practices for any purpose. The UK supports torture prevention initiatives globally and partners with the Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) Association for the Prevention of Torture to fund projects such as monitoring the first hours of detention and police custody in Brazil, Mexico, Panama, the Philippines and Rwanda. More information can be found in the FCDO's Human Rights & Democracy report for 2020: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/999607/Human_Rights_and_Democracy_the_2020_Foreign__Commonwealth___Development_Office_report.pdf

In December 2019, the FCDO reviewed all of the 124 cases of torture and mistreatment which were open at that time. Annual reviews of all open torture and mistreatment cases include stakeholders from across the FCDO. These reviews provide feedback to staff managing cases, and identify broader themes and trends in reported torture and mistreatment cases. The reviews and summaries of the findings of those reviews contain sensitive personal data and are not published by the FCDO. The FCDO is committed to identifying what we do well and what we could do better in relation to supporting British nationals who have reported torture and mistreatment. We aim to provide effective assistance to victims of torture or mistreatment based on their individual circumstances and local conditions.

The UK takes all allegations and concerns about torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment very seriously. The Torture and Mistreatment Reporting Guidance of 2011 sets out the process for FCDO staff and other staff working in Her Majesty's diplomatic missions and offices for reporting information about torture and mistreatment.

Both Reviews are taking a holistic response to the issues that these 2 systems face.

The Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Review has listened carefully to children, young people, families and partners across education, health and care, and will be publishing proposals for consultation focused on identifying and addressing issues earlier and preparing for fulfilled adulthood through every stage. These measures will not only improve children and young people’s outcomes, and put them and their families at the heart of the SEND system, but they should deliver a SEND system fit for the future – high quality support, delivered affordably, and sustainable for the long term.

The Care Review is independent of the government with freedom to make recommendations based on the Reviewer’s findings. The scope is broad and will look at the whole system of support, safeguarding, protection and care, and the child’s journey into and out of that system. This will include children throughout their interaction with children’s social care, from referral, Child in Need and Child Protection Plans, through to becoming Looked After. The review terms of reference set out the questions and themes the review will consider. The terms of reference can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/952624/terms_of_reference_independent_childrens_social_care_review.pdf.

Almost half of children in need within the children’s social care system are children with SEND, so there is a significant overlap between these Reviews, but there will be opportunities for the 2 reviews to feed into each other’s work.

The review of children’s social care will take a fundamental look across children’s social care, with the aim of better supporting, protecting, and improving the outcomes of vulnerable children and young people. The urgent local and national response to the COVID-19 outbreak has delayed launching the review, but we are making preparations to launch as soon as possible and will set out further details at that point.

The review is a fundamental part of the government’s manifesto. The urgent local and national response to the COVID-19 outbreak has delayed the launch of the Review of Children’s Social Care, but the department is making preparations to launch as soon as possible and will set out further details at that point. The review will be bold, broad and independently led, taking a fundamental look across children’s social care, with the aim of better supporting, protecting and improving the outcomes of vulnerable children and young people.

The review is a fundamental part of the government’s manifesto. The urgent local and national response to the COVID-19 outbreak has delayed the launch of the Review of Children’s Social Care, but the department is making preparations to launch as soon as possible and will set out further details at that point. The review will be bold, broad and independently led, taking a fundamental look across children’s social care, with the aim of better supporting, protecting and improving the outcomes of vulnerable children and young people.

The review is a fundamental part of the government’s manifesto. The urgent local and national response to the COVID-19 outbreak has delayed the launch of the Review of Children’s Social Care, but the department is making preparations to launch as soon as possible and will set out further details at that point. The review will be bold, broad and independently led, taking a fundamental look across children’s social care, with the aim of better supporting, protecting and improving the outcomes of vulnerable children and young people.

As part of our ongoing commitment to improving our consular services, Dame Judith Macgregor conducted a review of how we handle complex consular cases last year. I wrote to the Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee earlier this week to let him know that a copy of Dame Judith's review has been placed in the Libraries of both Houses of Parliament.

We exercise diplomatic protection very rarely and at the discretion of the Foreign Secretary. While this elevates a case to a formal State-to-State issue, it does not dictate any particular form of diplomatic or legal action. Whether diplomatic protection is exercised or not, all our consular cases are kept under review.

The government announced that it would review the care system in its 2019 manifesto. The urgent local and national response to the COVID-19 outbreak has delayed launching the Care Review, but we are making preparations to launch as soon as possible and will set out further details at that point. This review will be broad and bold, taking a fundamental look across children’s social care, with the aim of better supporting, protecting and improving the outcomes of vulnerable children and young people.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 17 September 2020 to Question 87715.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) regularly seeks feedback to consider where it might do more to support British citizens in particularly difficult circumstances. With this in mind, the former Foreign Secretary asked Dame Judith MacGregor to carry out a review of how the FCO handles complex consular cases. This was completed last year, and focused on policy rather than the detail of specific cases, although Dame Judith did meet a number of families to hear about their experience.

Section 40(4B) of the British Nationality Act provides for a review after 12 months from the legislation coming into force, and then after a further three years. The next review period does not conclude until the end of July 2018.
The Secretary of State will consider the conclusions of the review after its completion.