I recognise that many in the financial services sector have concerns about the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) proposed changes to its approach to enforcement.

This is why the Chancellor and I have been clear that we believe the FCA should reconsider its proposals, in light of responses to its consultation, and considering its new growth and competitiveness objective. The competitiveness of the UK’s world-leading financial services sector is one of the Government’s top priorities.

The legislative framework provides for the FCA to be operationally independent from the government. The independence of the FCA is vital to its role. The Government respects this operational independence, but takes holding it to account very seriously.

The specific concerns you have raised are a matter for the FCA, as the operationally independent regulator. The FCA will respond to the Honourable Member by letter on this matter, and a copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House of Commons.

The purpose of any consultation is to allow the regulators to test their proposals and understand their potential impact. It is therefore appropriate to suggest that the FCA reconsider its proposals in light of the feedback received. The Government will continue to engage closely with stakeholders, and with the FCA as they consider next steps.

The UK played a leading role in securing the passage of Security Council resolutions 2728 and 2720, which set out the urgent demand for expanded humanitarian access.

Since publishing our strategy, we have made excellent progress to grow our domestic sector, improve our supply chain resilience and protect our national security.

We have launched the Semiconductor Advisory Panel, an incubator pilot programme, ChipStart UK, joined the EU Chips Joint Undertaking, agreed an ambitious partnership with Japan and secured commitments to work more closely with the US and the Republic of Korea.

We are on track to invest £240 million by April 2025.

It should be further noted that this government has invested more into priority technologies like semiconductors than any government in history.

Work is ongoing to increase the Army's understanding of how uncrewed ground capabilities could assist in the challenges faced by last mile resupply, Unexploded Ordnance management and route assurance.

The Department does not publish the outcome of Investment Approvals Committee decisions or equipment programme business cases it has considered.

As part of the Plan for Drivers, the Government announced its intention to expand the Electric Vehicle Chargepoint Grant as a trial to support the installation of safe cross-pavement solutions. This measure would apply across the UK and is intended to make EV ownership a more practical option for those without off-street parking.

The Government will closely monitor this trial, once implemented, to determine the success of the rollout and decide on future policy accordingly.

I agree entirely and as part of our £381 million Local EV Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund, officials are working to deliver exactly this.

Attendance did decline through covid. It is now improving, but there is a lot more to do. We are expanding attendance hubs to support nearly 2,000 schools and we have launched the “moments matter” campaign to remind parents of the importance of every single day in school.

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for his question. Between 2010-11 and 2020-21, the overall proven reoffending rate decreased from 31.6% to 24.4%. The Government continue to take action to drive down the reoffending rate even further by investing in initiatives to get more offenders into work, stable accommodation and substance misuse treatment on their release.

As I said earlier, these are the last Transport oral questions before Christmas, and we are backing drivers with an easier Christmas getaway. From next Tuesday, National Highways is lifting over 1,000 miles of roadworks, which means that over 98% of motorways and major A roads will be roadwork-free until 2 January. We are also getting on with the job of resurfacing Britain’s roads, thanks to the record £8.3 billion uplift in funding. Earlier this month, highway authorities received the first tranche of that investment, which will mean smoother, safer journeys and save drivers hundreds of pounds in costly vehicle repairs. Local authorities also have new reporting requirements, so taxpayers will know how that money is being spent.

The Prime Minister made the right long-term decision to redirect money from HS2 towards the local journeys that matter most, ensuring that more people in more places will see benefits more quickly. That is what the British people want, it is what the country needs, and it is what we are delivering.

The Regulator of Social Housing recently completed a Fire Remediation Survey on the progress that Registered Providers of social housing are making towards identifying and fixing fire safety defects in their stock above 11 metres. We intend to publish findings by the end of the year. I would be happy to meet with my Hon Friend to discuss remediation in his Wimbledon constituency, should that be helpful.

Following Professor Sir Mike Richards’s review, it is now a national requirement for all paediatric cancer services to be co-located with a children’s intensive care unit. The current principal treatment centre for south London and the south-east does not meet those

requirements. NHS England has launched a reconfiguration process to identify a new location, which includes a public consultation. The future centre will achieve world class outcomes for children with cancer. I would be very happy to meet Members whose constituents may be affected to discuss that further.

I will make a short topical statement. The range of threats our country faces is ever evolving, so I want to set out what we are doing to get ahead of it. We have refreshed our counter-terrorism strategy, especially by overhauling the Prevent strand so that it recognises and can counter the driving force of ideology. Our

counter-terrorism operations centre is truly world class and fit for the 21st century. However, the security threat is wider than terrorism, and that is why we have passed the National Security Act 2023, which also addresses the evolving nature of the threat and contains several measures to modernise counter-espionage laws. Our comprehensive economic crime plan and legislation have cracked down hard on the Russian oligarchs upon whom Putin relies. We will give our courageous and capable intelligence and security services all the powers they need to keep us safe.