Baroness Meacher

Ofgem uses the price control framework to ensure that electricity network companies are provided with the necessary funding to deliver the required capacity to meet future demand on the grid, including to support the roll out of heat pumps. Government liaises regularly with Ofgem and industry, including network operators, on this issue.

The Government intends to publish the performance data from the Electrification of Heat Demonstration Project in due course, once quality assurance of the data has been completed.

The Government is committed to developing hydrogen as a decarbonised energy carrier, as confirmed in the Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution announced by my Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 18^th November.

The Ten Point Plan package aims to bring forward a combination of commercial-scale CCUS-enabled ‘blue’ hydrogen and smaller scale electrolytic ‘green’ hydrogen projects. Both these production methods – and other innovative techniques – will be needed to deliver UK hydrogen demand expected by 2050.

This twin-track approach will enable production to be brought forward at the necessary scale during the 2020s, to grow the supply chain and build confidence in the sector, whilst scaling up green hydrogen which is likely to dominate the global market in the long term.

The Plan set out that the Government, working with industry, is aiming for 5GW of low carbon hydrogen production capacity in the UK by 2030.

We will support our hydrogen ambition through a range of measures, including a £240m Net Zero Hydrogen Fund out to 2024/25 and bringing forward, next year, detail on hydrogen business models and the revenue mechanism to stimulate private investment in new low carbon hydrogen production facilities. We expect these measures to reflect our twin track approach to production. More detail on how we intend to work with industry towards the 5GW 2030 ambition will be set out in the hydrogen strategy in early 2021.

We are following international hydrogen developments from Germany, France and other countries, and participate in a range of international fora, including the Clean Energy Ministerial, the International Partnership for Hydrogen for Fuel Cells in the Economy and Mission Innovation. These offer opportunities to discuss other countries’ domestic hydrogen strategies in detail, their levels of investment, including in green hydrogen production and explore opportunities for collaboration.

We plan to publish a UK Hydrogen Strategy in early 2021; this will be informed in part by assessment of international activity and the opportunities and challenges that presents for the UK hydrogen economy.

The Government is committed to developing hydrogen as a decarbonised energy carrier, as confirmed in the Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution announced by my Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 18^th November.

The Ten Point Plan package aims to bring forward a combination of commercial-scale CCUS-enabled ‘blue’ hydrogen and smaller scale electrolytic ‘green’ hydrogen projects. Both these production methods – and other innovative techniques – will be needed to deliver UK hydrogen demand expected by 2050.

This twin-track approach will enable production to be brought forward at the necessary scale during the 2020s, to grow the supply chain and build confidence in the sector, whilst scaling up green hydrogen which is likely to dominate the global market in the long term.

The Plan set out that the Government, working with industry, is aiming for 5GW of low carbon hydrogen production capacity in the UK by 2030,

We will support our hydrogen ambition through a range of measures, including a £240m Net Zero Hydrogen Fund out to 2024/25 and bringing forward, next year, detail on hydrogen business models and the revenue mechanism to stimulate private investment in new low carbon hydrogen production facilities. We expect these measures to reflect our twin track approach to production.

The Government’s proposed changes are designed to make sure that the Schools Adjudicator can concentrate on parental complaints. We want to ensure that the Adjudicator is able to focus on any concerns which parents may have about the fairness of the admission arrangements of their local school and that the Adjudicator is not held up by the need to consider objections referred by interest groups from outside the area.

The changes are still subject to a full public consultation and the Department will give careful consideration to all the views expressed in that consultation.

On 25 January 2016, the Secretary of State announced changes to the school admissions code, in order to give parents more of a say in the school admissions process so they can be confident the system works for them.

The Government proposes that only local parents and local authorities should be able to refer objections about a school’s admissions arrangements to the Schools Adjudicator. The Government wants to ensure that the Adjudicator is able to focus on any concerns which parents may have about the fairness of the admission arrangements of their local school, and that adjudications are not held up by the need to consider large numbers of objections referred by interest groups from outside the area.

The Department will conduct a full public consultation in due course and will give careful consideration to all the views expressed in that consultation.

The Government’s proposed changes are intended to ensure that the Adjudicator is able to focus on any concerns which parents may have about the fairness of the admission arrangements of their local school, and that adjudications are not delayed by the need to consider large numbers of objections referred by interest groups from outside the area.

The Department does not believe that preventing other organisations from submitting objections will have a detrimental impact. The Government will be conducting a full public consultation in due course and will give careful consideration to all the views expressed in that consultation.

The Schools Adjudicator reports annually to the Secretary of State on fair access, and this report includes information on the objections referred to the Schools Adjudicator and the outcomes of those objections. The Department is carefully considering the findings contained in the report and will take these into account, along with other relevant information, as part of the current review of the School Admissions Code.

Since 2012, 87% of all objections submitted to the Office of the Schools Adjudicator by secularist campaign groups were upheld or partially upheld. The Office of the Schools Adjudicator Annual Report contains data about the objections referred to the OSA and the outcome of those objections.

All claimants, including those who are vulnerable or with mental health conditions, receive continuous tailored support through their personal work coaches, and all DWP staff working with claimants complete extensive training that prepares them for their role. Specific training is provided for working with different vulnerable groups, with guidance to signpost claimants to relevant support, and these circumstances will be recorded on a claimant’s online account.

We take a number of steps to identify individuals who will need support in making a claim to Universal Credit. For example, we identify claimants either prior to or at the initial claim stage, to discuss what support mechanisms need to be in place to make a claim. This can be through discussions with their Work Coach, the Universal Credit helpline and/or through home visits.

For those individuals identified as requiring support, Universal Support provides advice and assistance to help claimants manage their Universal Credit claim, with a focus on budgeting advice and digital support. Since 2017, Universal Support has been delivered by individual local authorities, funded by grants from DWP.

From April 2019 Citizens Advice (England and Wales) and Citizens Advice Scotland will take on the responsibility for delivering a strengthened Universal Support service, a move which will ensure a consistent and streamlined service for claimants across the country. This new partnership will ensure vulnerable claimants get the support they need to make a claim and manage their money.

The Universal Credit (Managed Migration) 2018 regulations which have been laid before Parliament for approval contain our proposed measures for the managed migration of claimants on legacy benefits to Universal Credit. These include:

• Notifying claimants that they need to move to Universal Credit, and giving them a minimum of three months to make their claim. They can submit their application at any point during this period and will receive reminders if they have not done so, as the end of this period approaches;
• Having unlimited flexibility to extend the period of time a claimant has to make a Universal Credit claim if there is a good reason;
• The automatic backdating of all claims made once the above period has ended, if a Universal Credit claim is made within one calendar month after this. Transitional protection will also be applied to the Universal Credit award.

Our objective is to ensure that all legacy benefit claimants migrate safely across to Universal Credit and to that end we will also:

• have a lengthy period of careful and robust testing before we move to scale;
• work closely with a large and diverse group of stakeholders to design the process so that we can draw on their insight and experience;
• be producing guidance for work coaches and case managers to identify and protect vulnerable claimants.

At Autumn Budget 2018 we announced a package worth £4.5 billion across the next five years, to support those on Universal Credit. These measures include:

• A £1000 annual increase in the Work Allowance from April 2019,which will provide a £630 boost for households with children, and for people with disabilities.
• Reducing, from October 2019, the maximum rate at which deductions can be made from a Universal Credit award from 40 per cent to 30 per cent of the standard allowance. Additionally, from October 2021, the recovery period for advances will increase from 12 to 16 months. This will help over 600,000 families to manage their debts at any one point when roll-out is complete, providing them with, on average, £295 extra a year as their debts are repaid over a longer period.
• Introducing, from July 2020 a two week transitional run on (similar to the Housing Benefit run-on introduced earlier this year) of income related legacy benefits (Income Support, income related Employment and Support Allowance and income based Jobseeker’s Allowance) for two weeks after a claim for Universal Credit has been made. This measure means that around 1.1 million households will see a one-off gain of approximately £200, between 2020/21 and 2023/24.
• Commencing from July 2020, supporting the transition to Universal Credit for all self-employed people, by extending the 12-month grace period (the period before the Minimum Income Floor applies) to all gainfully self-employed people; giving claimants time to grow their businesses to a sustainable level. This will be implemented fully from September 2020.
• An extension in the surplus earnings disregard exception for up to £2500 for another year from 2019 to 2020

The Department has no plans to change its clearance standard of 15 working days for Funeral Expenses Payments. The Department provides Funeral Expenses Payments to people who are arranging a funeral and who are in receipt of a qualifying income-related benefit. They make a significant contribution towards the cost of arranging a funeral, and are paid as swiftly as possible when all the necessary evidence has been provided. In most cases, payments are made directly to the funeral director who arranged the funeral.

Bereavement is a very distressing and difficult time. The Government is committed to working with local authorities, funeral directors and groups helping bereaved people to ensure that funeral services meet the needs of vulnerable people. It will continue to consider this issue in the context of discussions with these organisations.

The Minister of State for Health and Secondary Care (Will Quince MP) has overall responsibility for cell and gene therapies and the uptake of new treatments in the National Health Service.

The Department of Health and Social Care and the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy fund research into cell and gene therapies including through the Office for Life Sciences. The Department of Health and Social Care has recently announced the outcome of an open competition for designation and funding of the National Institute for Health and Care Research’s (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centres (BRCs). Of the 20 BRCs, 14 conduct research into cell and gene therapies, which has the potential to address complex diseases, such as motor neurone disease and rare disorders for which there are currently no effective treatments.

Since April 2017, the NIHR has provided £38,623,171 to fund 39 specific research projects. While the NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including cell and gene therapies, it is not usual practice to ring-fence funds for particular topics or conditions. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality.

The Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult, established by Innovate UK, develops the cell and gene therapy industry in the United Kingdom, working with academia and industry to ensure therapies can be used in health services globally. The Catapult has received £75.4 million from the Government in the current five-year funding period until March 2023. The Medical Research Council (MRC) funds the research and development of advanced therapies across its response mode funding schemes and through a number of strategic funding calls. In 2021/22, the MRC funded £33.9 million in research and infrastructure for advanced therapies from discovery research through to translation and clinical trials.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published a guideline Care of dying adults in the last days of life which makes recommendations on maintaining hydration, including taking into account the wishes of the person and discussing the risks and benefits of clinically assisted hydration. NICE has also published Shared decision making, which includes guidance on communicating risks, benefits and consequences. Additionally, NICE’s guideline Decision-making and mental capacity includes recommendations on advance care planning, including helping people to exercise their right to personal autonomy as far as possible. Copies of these guidelines are attached.

Amending the existing law on marriage to make provision for legally valid humanist ceremonies may involve a range of issues that the Government is carefully considering.

The Scottish legislative framework, among a range of other evidence, is being taken into account in developing burial and cremation policy in England and Wales.

The Government has not itself made any assessment of the level of support for a change in the law on assisted dying.