Written Statements

Friday 29th October 2021 Written Statements

Friday 29 October 2021

Energy Default Tariff Cap: Effective Competition Decision

Friday 29th October 2021 Written Statements

[The Minister of State, Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (Greg Hands)]

The Domestic Gas and Electricity (Tariff Cap) Act 2018 enables the default tariff (price cap) on standard variable and default energy tariffs to be extended on an annual basis up to end of 2023 at the latest. These annual extensions are dependent on an assessment and statement that I make every year, by 31 October, on whether the conditions for effective competition are in place for domestic supply contracts.

I am confirming today that the price cap mechanism will remain in place for 2022 as the conditions for effective competition are not yet in place for domestic supply contracts.

As required by legislation, the independent energy regulator, Ofgem, has carried out an assessment into whether the conditions are in place for effective competition in domestic supply contracts this year. Ofgem has been transparent in how it made its assessment, and its report is clear and thorough. Ofgem assesses that these conditions have not been met and recommends that the price cap mechanism should be extended.

The level of the price cap is a separate matter for Ofgem to determine.

[HCWS356]

Project Gigabit Autumn Update

Friday 29th October 2021 Written Statements

[The Minister for Media, Data and Digital Infrastructure (Julia Lopez)]

Today we have published the third Project Gigabit quarterly update and, thanks to the work of industry and our record £5 billion investment, we are making phenomenal progress delivering the biggest broadband roll-out in UK history.

We are on track for 85% gigabit coverage by 2025 and we have now passed the connectivity milestone of more than 57% of UK homes and businesses that can now access the fastest broadband speeds available.

In this Project Gigabit autumn update, we report on a significant further expansion in commercial plans, including more telecom providers focused on building in under-served rural areas. Greater commercial investment is positive for the UK and shows strong market confidence in customer demand for gigabit infrastructure.

This delivery plan update also reports on:

progress with, and changes to, phase 1 roll-outs and phase 2 procurements;

sequencing and dates of English phase 3 rural projects, covering around 500,000 premises in Essex, Lincolnshire, Devon and Somerset, Herefordshire and Gloucestershire, Dorset, Cheshire, and North Yorkshire;

an update on how we are utilising gigabit voucher subsidy as part of our roll-out plans;

information on the evaluation of the benefits of our superfast broadband programme; and

details of an additional £8 million to deliver full-fibre to 3,600 premises in Scotland, as part of the Scottish Government’s R100 project, and c.£22.6 million to connect rural and remote parts of Northern Ireland, and information on the Welsh Government’s open market review and scheduled next steps.

Gigabit broadband will bring much faster and more reliable connectivity to rural and hard-to-reach communities. This will make them more attractive places for people to settle, raise families and start and grow businesses, improve education and healthcare services and increase accessibility.

This is how we level up and strengthen our Union—ensuring rural communities in every part of the UK have the same chances and opportunities as our urban towns and cities. That is why this is at the top of the Government’s agenda, and as Secretary of State, I am fully committed to doing everything I can to make Project Gigabit a UK success story.

I will place a copy of the “Project Gigabit Delivery Plan Autumn Update” in the Libraries of both Houses.

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Contingencies Fund Advance

Friday 29th October 2021 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for Scotland (Mr Alister Jack)]

I hereby give notice of the Scotland Office’s intention to seek a repayable cash advance from the Contingencies Fund of £12,000,000,000. The Department requires an advance to meet the Scottish Government’s cash requirements pending parliamentary approval of the 2021-22 supplementary estimate.

The Scottish Government is operating within its budgets so this does not represent additional spending. However, an increase in net cash requirement will be sought in the supplementary estimate so accessing the Contingencies Fund will allow the Scottish Government to fund this existing spending in the meantime.

The advance will be repaid immediately following approval of the supplementary estimate.

Parliamentary approval for additional non-budget expenditure of £12,000,000,000 will be sought in a supplementary estimate for the Scotland Office. Pending that approval, urgent expenditure estimated at £12,000,000,000 will be met by repayable cash advances from the Contingencies Fund.

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International Travel Update

Friday 29th October 2021 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for Transport (Grant Shapps)]

Red list review

The Government have conducted a further review of the red list under our new and simplified system of international travel. From 4am on Monday 1 November, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Haiti, Panama, Peru and Venezuela will be removed from the red list.

Delta is now the dominant variant in most countries around the world. This means the risk of known variants entering the UK has reduced and the Government can confidently remove these seven destinations from the red list, with decisions informed by the UK Health Security Agency’s assessment.

We will keep the red list in place as a precautionary measure to protect public health, and we are prepared to add countries and territories if needed as the UK’s first line of defence if the situation changes.

Expansion of the inbound vaccination policy

From 4 am on Monday 1 November, we will expand our inbound vaccination policy to include eligible fully vaccinated passengers who have not been in a red list country in the ten days before their arrival into the UK, to over 30 countries and territories:

Conversion Therapy: Consultation on Ban

Friday 29th October 2021 Written Statements

[The Minister for Women and Equalities (Elizabeth Truss)]

This Government are committed to building a society in which the abhorrent practice of so called “conversion therapy” no longer takes place. It is clear that, at present, gaps remain in the law that allow damaging practices to continue.

Today we take another step towards ending that, as we launch a public consultation on how we plan to ban these practices. The consultation will be open for six weeks, closing on Friday 10 December, and we encourage as many people as possible to contribute their views.

The consultation can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/banning-conversion-therapy

Conversion therapy does not work and can cause long lasting damage. The Government are determined to protect LGBT people from this harm.

I also want to reassure those who may have concerns about the impact of this ban on clinicians’ independence, as well as on freedom of speech. Core freedoms, such as freedom of choice, speech and belief, are central to these proposals. It is vitally important that no person is forced or coerced into conversion therapy, and that young people are supported in exploring their identity without being encouraged towards one particular path. We will continue to protect under-18s from being channelled into irreversible decisions. These proposals do not alter the existing clinical regulatory framework or the independence of regulated clinicians working within their professional obligations.

Equality Ministers and our officials have already heard views from a wide range of stakeholders, including victims of conversion therapy, LGBT organisations, faith groups, psychiatric and counselling bodies. Their experiences and advice have helped shape our proposals, and we now welcome the views of stakeholders and the wider public on our next steps.

The consultation seeks views on a comprehensive package of proposed measures. These include a new criminal offence as well as sentence uplifts for existing criminal offences. We will also introduce conversion therapy protection orders, remove revenue streams from organisations which offer these practices and restrict the promotion of conversion therapies online.

It is also vital that those who have been subject to or are at risk of these abhorrent practices receive the support they need. This Administration are the first UK Government to commit to providing such support. We will therefore be launching a competitive tendering process in November for a new Government-funded support service for victims and those at risk of conversion therapy.

After the consultation has closed, results will be analysed, for publication in due course, and will inform the Government’s next steps in preparing legislation for spring 2022.

I am laying the consultation document as a Command Paper today and it will be available on gov.uk for people to respond to.

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