Ofcom is reviewing the Code of Practice on Services, Public Functions and Associations guidance in detail following the commencement order which was made in parliament on 14 July 2025, in order to make the right decisions for Ofcom and its employees. Ofcom continues to take expert external legal advice on this.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 14 July 2026 to the hon. Member for North Devon, PQ UIN 17121.

The Hon Member has asked a large number of related questions on the Turks and Caicos Islands Government (TCIG), some of which we are unable to answer because they fall within the responsibility of the devolved government, and others because they relate to ongoing proceedings, on which it would not be appropriate to comment.

Among the devolved matters for which the TCIG are responsible are procurement and infrastructure development. In addition, decisions regarding land use - including applications, allocations, challenges and oversight - are all made by appropriate bodies within the TCIG. The Governor appoints agency heads but is independent of these entities' operations. Agency effectiveness is governed by established legal and regulatory frameworks and concerns can be raised with them as appropriate.

Establishing wider access to beneficial ownership data - even if limited to those with a legitimate interest - is a step forward towards enabling greater scrutiny of illicit finance. The UK welcomed TCI's Legitimate Interest Access (LIA) Register of Beneficial Ownership when it launched in 2025. But we are clear that there is more work to be done, and alongside other Overseas Territories (OTs), TCI has committed to improving their LIA. The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) is working closely with the OTs to ensure LIA registers provide the maximum possible degree of access and transparency, whilst protecting the right to privacy in line with each OT's respective constitutions. The UK's expectation remains for the OTs and Crown Dependencies to establish fully public registers of beneficial ownership.

The UK is committed to expanding economic cooperation with the OTs. Sustainable economic prosperity is important to the whole UK family. The FCDO co-convened an OT Trade and Investment Study Visit in March 2026 bringing together senior representatives from across the OTs - including from the TCIG - to strengthen awareness of UK capabilities, and give our support to commercial partnerships and economic development opportunities. The UK Government remains available to provide advice and technical support where requested.

We regularly raise our expectations on publicly accessible and legitimate interest access registers of beneficial ownership with Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies, and I most recently discussed this with OT leaders and representatives on 16 July.

The judicial review challenge relating to the legality of keeping fast-growing breeds of meat chickens was unanimously dismissed by the Court of Appeal. The Court made no declaration that the keeping of fast-growing breeds of meat chickens was unlawful and did not find Defra's policies or enforcement approach to be unlawful. The Government continues to keep animal welfare legislation and its implementation under review and remains committed to maintaining and improving animal welfare standards.

The Integrated Security Fund (ISF) uses terminology consistent with relevant legislation, such as the International Development (Gender Equality) Act 2014, and with the FCDO ODA and programme management guidance, such as its Rule 9 on gender equality, disability inclusion, and other equality considerations.

The Fund will continue to follow Cabinet Office and FCDO ODA guidance regarding the language used in its publications and programme documentation.

The Department’s priority is to safeguard vulnerable people and ensure their rights are protected. We are considering the Supreme Court’s judgment carefully, which sets out the factors to be applied when determining whether a person is deprived of their liberty within the meaning of Article 5(1) of the European Convention on Human Rights.

We remain committed to protecting the rights of disabled people. The judgment does not remove the need for robust safeguards where Article 5 is engaged, and existing legal frameworks, including the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards, the Mental Capacity Act 2005, and the Care Act 2014, continue to provide protections.

The Department published an update to the health and care sector on the implications of the judgment on 15 June 2026 and will publish additional interim guidance shortly. We are working with a range of stakeholder partners and charities to develop this guidance. It will include practical case studies to help people understand how they should apply the judgment to their work.

Money Claim Online (MCOL) is an online service that enables claimants to issue claims, to request judgment and to request a warrant of control. It does not provide an end-to-end online journey, and some actions must be undertaken using paper-based processes. Once a claim has dropped offline, claimants can still access the claim on MCOL, but it will not contain information on any further progress – this can be gained by contacting the local county court or Civil National Business Centre (CNBC). HMCTS’ newer digital platform, Online Civil Money Claims, offers a full end to end digital journey for defended cases to the point of judgment, with the ability to progress, respond and review case history 24/7.

Variation Orders can be applied for by someone with a judgment against them who wishes to vary the terms of that order. They are a post-judgment process, with the application and subsequent order being made on paper and sent to both parties by post. This action is not processed through or recorded on MCOL.

There is a limited number of documents that can be filed by defendants through MCOL. Similarly, the only applications that can be filed through MCOL are applications to set aside judgment. Any other documents or applications must be filed on paper to either the CNBC or local county court. HMCTS processes submissions and applications in order of receipt. They are not prioritised based on the party that filed them.

There are several different types of applications which can be made during a money claim, and they have different processing times. The term ‘submissions’ is broad and can refer to any number of documents submitted by either party. The weekly performance data for the CNBC can be found here: Weekly performance national business centre updated 17 June 2026 - GOV.UK.

The Government remains firmly committed to safeguarding and protecting the rights of people lacking capacity. The deprivation of liberty safeguards (DoLS) will continue to apply in line with changes required by the Supreme Court judgment. This includes the right to independent reviews and advocacy where appropriate.

The Department published an update on GOV.UK on 15 June in response to the judgement, a copy of which is attached. The update includes initial steers on what the judgment means, including for valid consent, for practitioners and all those involved in supporting individuals where is a deprivation of liberty. We are working with a range of stakeholder partners and charities to develop follow-up guidance as quickly as possible. The update is attached below.

Individuals receiving care and support who are not subject to DoLS can also access independent reviews and advocacy where appropriate under a range of other safeguards available, including the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and the Care Act 2014.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) undertakes independent oversight of these safeguards, including DoLS, and will continue to do so in light of the Supreme Court judgment. As part of their inspection regime, CQC checks that care settings and providers have effective systems to help keep adults safe from abuse and neglect, including those subject to DoLS and those not subject to DoLS.

The Government remains firmly committed to safeguarding and protecting the rights of people lacking capacity.

The deprivation of liberty safeguards (DoLS) system will continue to apply in line with changes required by the Supreme Court judgment. This includes the right to a legal advocate where appropriate. DoLS are only one of several protections in place. Additional safeguards include the Mental Capacity Act, local authority safeguarding duties required by the Care Act 2014, and common law duties of care, some of which also include the right to an advocate.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) undertakes independent oversight of these safeguards, including DoLS, and will continue to do so in light of the Supreme Court judgment. As part of their inspection regime, the CQC checks that care providers, including for-profit settings and providers, have effective systems to help keep adults safe from abuse and neglect.

The Department will produce guidance to assist with the implications of this ruling. We are working with a range of stakeholder partners and charities to develop the guidance as quickly as possible. Public bodies, including the National Health Service and local authorities, should be alert to emerging guidance and be prepared to update local practice promptly.

There are currently no plans to bring forward new legislation to restore independent oversight of care arrangements for people who lack mental capacity. Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards are one of several ways that United Kingdom legislation protects people’s rights. The Care Act 2014 provides explicit safeguards for adults with care and support needs. Section 5 of the Care Act 2014 states that local authorities must ensure that the services they commission are safe, effective, and of high quality.