Written Statements

Tuesday 28th March 2023 Written Statements

Tuesday 28 March 2023

Correction to Written Statement HLWS648

Tuesday 28th March 2023 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office (Alex Burghart)]

The Minister of State, Baroness Neville-Rolfe DBE CMG, has today made the following statement:

In order to take account of the Easter recess and the bank holiday for the celebration of the Coronation, the period of the consultation on the effectiveness of the Digital Economy Act 2017 Debt and Fraud Powers has been extended. It will now run until 11 May 2023.

Further to this change, the following text outlines the Government’s approach, updating the approach outlined in the written statement that I made on 22 March 2023:

I am pleased to announce the launch of a consultation on the effectiveness of the Digital Economy Act 2017 Debt and Fraud Powers.

The Debt and Fraud Powers, as contained in Chapter 3 and Chapter 4 of the Digital Economy Act 2017 respectively, allow specified public authorities to disclose information for the purpose of managing and reducing debt owed to a public authority or to the Crown and combating fraud against the public sector.

These powers must be reviewed, three years after their operation, for the purpose of deciding whether they should be retained, amended or repealed. As part of this review, I am required to consult certain persons and publish a report on the review’s outcomes.

As part of this consultation, I shall engage with:

the Information Commissioner,

the Scottish Ministers,

the Welsh Ministers,

the Department of Finance in Northern Ireland,

members of the Home Affairs Committee,

bodies which have used the Debt and Fraud Powers of the Digital Economy Act 2017; and members of the Digital Economy Act Debt and Fraud Information Sharing Review Board.

The Consultation is now open and will end on 11 May 2023.

[HCWS681]

Further Education Colleges

Tuesday 28th March 2023 Written Statements

[The Minister for Skills, Apprenticeships and Higher Education (Robert Halfon)]

I am today announcing a further investment of £286 million of capital funding in condition improvement of the FE college estate. An allocation of £286 million will be provided in financial years 2023-24 and 2024-25 to eligible FE colleges and designated institutions, as part of the FE Capital Transformation Programme which seeks to upgrade the FE college estate.

The allocation has been developed to prioritise and support FE colleges and designated institutions that have poor condition remaining, taking into account the investment FE colleges have secured through previous rounds of the programme. This will allow these colleges to invest in the condition improvement priorities across their estates.

The allocation is part of the FE Capital Transformation Programme, which delivers the Government’s £1.5 billion commitment to upgrade the FE college estate in England, promoting parity of esteem between FE and other routes. Improving the condition of FE colleges is important in ensuring students have the opportunity to develop their skills in high quality buildings and facilities, in order to meet skills gaps in local economies.

Through the FE Capital Transformation Programme we have already agreed approximately £1.2 billion of investment in FE colleges and designated institutions. All colleges received a share of an initial £200 million allocation provided in September 2020 to undertake immediate condition improvement works, at the same time providing a boost to the economy. We have awarded funding for 74 condition improvement projects through a competitive bidding round, with colleges now delivering these projects in their localities. The DfE is working in partnership with a further 16 colleges to address some of the worst condition college sites in England.

This funding is part of the Government’s investment of over £2.8 billion of capital investment in skills over this spending review period, ensuring our skills system can deliver the skills that the economy needs.

This investment is a key part of our skills reforms, which is providing a ladder of opportunity that enables young people and adults to get good jobs and progress in their careers. This begins with the opportunities and social justice needed to access excellent education and skills training, which lead to positive work outcomes.

Ultimately, we will help more people to achieve secure, sustained and well-paid employment, and provide opportunities for individuals to progress in their careers. This will help build the skilled workforce that businesses need, boost productivity and our economy, seize the opportunities of technological change and our net zero agenda, and level up across the country.

[HCWS677]

School System Update: Academies Regulatory and Commissioning Review

Tuesday 28th March 2023 Written Statements

[The Minister for Schools (Nick Gibb)]

Today my noble Friend, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the School System and Student Finance (Baroness Barran) has made the following statement.

Today, 27 March, the Department for Education has published the “Academies Regulatory and Commissioning Review”. The report sets out a framework for how we move forward with growing the academies system to ensure that we continue to nurture the power of highly effective leadership for the benefit of all children. The review sets out how we aim to grow the number of effective trusts so that we can continue to raise educational standards, create more opportunities and support for staff and build a more resilient education system. Together with the publication of the review, we are also publishing trust development statements for each Education Investment Area (EIA) and to support the implementation of local priorities, the Trust Capacity Fund, worth £86 million in 2022-2025, will be open to new applications from 3 April. We are also confirming the allocations to priority education investment areas under the £42 million Local Needs Fund. Finally, we are publishing the content for a new MAT CEO leadership programme to help develop the pipeline of outstanding leaders required to lead a large trust effectively and support improvement in EIA and other areas of need across the country.

The academies programme has grown considerably since 2010, improving outcomes for children and unlocking the hard-earned expertise of teachers and school leaders. What started off as reforms designed to turn around a small number of the most challenging schools in England, has grown to the point where multi academy trusts (MATs) are now spreading excellence across every type of school, in every type of community. The review has considered the regulatory approach that the Department sets for trusts, the choices it makes about how the school landscape evolves, the support it provides to executive and non-executive trust leaders, and how it can best work with other actors in the system to ensure every pupil is receiving an excellent education.

The review sets out three key areas where the Department will work differently in future:

We will implement a simple, proportionate regulatory approach, which focuses on the right risks and the right level of accountability.

We will make better and more transparent commissioning decisions, informed by a clearer articulation of what it means to be a high-quality trust.

We will offer support which spreads sector expertise and increases overall capacity to keep improving schools and build a truly resilient educational system through multi academy trusts.

We want to develop a dynamic, self-improving system with the expertise of trust leaders at the centre of our approach. The report also recognises the important role of trusts in supporting all children to achieve their potential, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and in alternative provision (AP), in line with the approach outlined in the SEND and Alternative Provision Improvement Plan on gov.uk.

The review is centred on delivering practical change, focusing in the near-term on policies and programmes that will enable and embed best practice across the school system, and in the medium term on strategic direction. The review has benefitted greatly from the input of our Expert Advisory Group and the views of a wide range of stakeholders. We will keep working with executive and non-executive trust leaders, teachers, dioceses and others to shape this approach and ensure the changes are implemented successfully. The full review conclusions, “Academies Regulation and Commissioning Review”, can be found at gov.uk (publishing.service.gov.uk).

The review report’s findings will make a particularly strong impact in areas which face some of the biggest educational and social challenges. These have been identified as Education Investment Areas (EIA).

Today, for the first time, we have published trust development statements. These statements set out our priorities in each EIA for developing a trust landscape led by high-quality trusts to transform standards locally and turn around underperforming schools.

To support the implementation of trust development statements, I am delighted to confirm that the Trust Capacity Fund 2023-25, worth £86 million in 2022-2025, will be open to new applications from 3 April. This two year fund will prioritise EIAs and will provide funding to support high-quality trusts, and high-quality schools forming new trusts, to take on underperforming schools.

Growing great trusts is central to our strategy to improve schools. To do that we also need to develop the pipeline of outstanding leaders. We are therefore publishing today the content of new training for our MAT CEO development programme. This framework sets out the knowledge, skills and behaviours required to lead a large trust effectively to ensure that every pupil is receiving an excellent education. The programme will help build leadership capacity to support improvement in EIAs and other areas of need across the country.

Finally, as set out in our Schools White Paper, we are investing an additional £42 million through the new Local Needs Fund. Today we are confirming allocations to each of the 24 priority EIAs—EIAs with high rates of disadvantaged pupils and very low educational outcomes at Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 4—to help them to access evidence-based programmes that will boost literacy and numeracy.

[HCWS679]

Schools: Capital Funding

Tuesday 28th March 2023 Written Statements

[The Minister for Schools (Nick Gibb)]

Today the Minister for the School System and Student Finance, my noble Friend Baroness Barran, has made the following statement:

Today I am announcing capital funding to support the creation of new school places and improve the condition of the school estate. This investment will support the Government’s priority to ensure that every child has the opportunity of a place at a good school.

I am announcing £1.8 billion of capital funding for the 2023-24 financial year to improve school buildings. This will support local authorities, academy trusts and other bodies responsible for school buildings to ensure that the estate is safe and well-maintained. This includes:

£1.1 billion in school condition allocations (SCA) for local authorities, large multi-academy trusts and large voluntary-aided school bodies—such as dioceses—to invest in improving the condition of their schools.

£0.5 billion for the condition improvement fund (CIF) programme. This is an annual bidding round for essential maintenance projects at schools in small and stand-alone academy trusts, small voluntary-aided bodies and sixth-form colleges. Outcomes of the 2023-24 bidding round will be announced in due course.

£0.2 billion of devolved formula capital (DFC) funding allocated directly for schools to spend on their capital priorities.

This funding is part of the total £19.4 billion of capital funding announced at the 2021 spending review to support the education sector between 2022-23 and 2024-25.

I am also announcing £487 million for the 2025-26 financial year to fund local authorities to create school places needed for September 2026.

These funding allocations will allow local authorities and other responsible bodies to plan ahead with confidence, to invest strategically to ensure they deliver good school places for every child who needs one, and to maintain and improve the condition of the school estate to support effective education.

Full details have been published on the Department for Education section on the www.gov.uk website.

[HCWS680]

Crypto-assets: Codes of Practice Consultation

Tuesday 28th March 2023 Written Statements

[The Minister for Security (Tom Tugendhat)]

The Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) 2002 contains a comprehensive package of measures designed to make the recovery of unlawfully held assets more effective. The operation of certain powers within POCA are subject to guidance in various codes of practice issued by the Home Secretary, the Attorney General and the Advocate General for Northern Ireland, the Department of Justice Northern Ireland and Scottish Ministers.

Three existing codes of practice need to be updated and one new code of practice made, to reflect possible changes made to POCA by the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency (ECCT) Bill, which subject to being passed by Parliament and receiving Royal Assent will amend and insert new civil forfeiture powers into POCA, to increase the recovery of crypto-assets.

It is intended that the new civil forfeiture crypto-asset powers will be replicated in schedule 1 to the Anti-Terrorism Crime and Security Act 2001 (ATCSA) and Schedule 6 to the Terrorism Act 2000 (TACT). The equivalent code of practice also needs to be updated.

POCA and TACT provide that before a code of practice is issued, I must consider any representations made, modify the codes as appropriate, and subsequently lay the codes before Parliament for approval.

I intend to consult on changes to the following codes of practice:

Code of practice issued under section 47S of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002—Search, Seizure and Detention of Property (England and Wales).

Code of practice issued under section 195S of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002—Search, Seizure and Detention of Property (Northern Ireland).

Code of practice issued under the proposed section 303Z25 of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (as inserted by schedule 7 to the ECCT Bill) - Recovery of Crypto-assets and Related Items: Search Powers (NEW CODE).

Code of practice issued under section 377 of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002—Investigations.

Code of practice for officers acting under schedule 1 to the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and

Security Act 2001—amended through powers under Schedule 14 to TACT.

In tandem the Attorney General’s Office will also launch a consultation on its equivalent code of practice.

I will arrange for a copy of the consultation document and the five draft codes to be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Following this consultation, I intend to lay a statutory instrument to issue these updated codes of practice under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (POCA) to reflect changes as a result of both the Economic Crime, Transparency and Enforcement Act, and the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill.

[HCWS682]

Northern Ireland Security

Tuesday 28th March 2023 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (Chris Heaton-Harris)]

The threat level to Northern Ireland from Northern Ireland-related terrorism is constantly monitored and is subject to a regular, formal review. This is a systematic, comprehensive and rigorous process, based on the very latest intelligence and analysis of factors which drive the threat. The threat level review takes into account a range of factors and analysis of recent incidents.

The decision to change the threat level is taken by MI5, independently of Ministers.

MI5 has increased the threat to Northern Ireland from Northern Ireland-related terrorism from “substantial”, an attack is likely, to “severe”, an attack is highly likely.

The public should remain vigilant, but not be alarmed, and continue to report any concerns they have to the Police Service of Northern Ireland.

Over the last 25 years, Northern Ireland has transformed into a peaceful society. The Belfast/Good Friday agreement demonstrates how peaceful and democratic politics improve society. However, a small number of people remain determined to cause harm to our communities through acts of politically motivated violence.

In recent months, we have seen an increase in levels of activity relating to Northern Ireland-related terrorism, which has targeted police officers serving their communities and also put at risk the lives of children and other members of the public. These attacks have no support, as demonstrated by the reaction to the abhorrent attempted murder of DCI Caldwell.

I pay tribute to the tremendous efforts of the Police Service of Northern Ireland and security partners, and the determination and resilience of the Northern Ireland people, who are making Northern Ireland a safer place to live and work. The political future of Northern Ireland rests with the democratic will of the people and not the violent actions of the few. Together we will ensure there is no return to the violence of the past.

[HCWS683]

Universal Credit

Tuesday 28th March 2023 Written Statements

[The Minister for Employment (Guy Opperman)]

Since its introduction in 2013, universal credit has protected the most vulnerable in society, supported households through periods of financial uncertainty, and helped people progress in work and move into better-paid jobs. A dynamic benefit that reflects people’s needs from month to month, universal credit successfully supports millions of people, and ensures that individuals are provided with the support they need to increase their earnings and move into better-paid, quality jobs.

In April 2022, the Government set out their plan to complete the move to universal credit and published “Completing the move to Universal Credit”, learning from the pilot that was paused in 2020.

In May 2022, we commenced our discovery phase. Initially, we issued 500 migration notices to households in Bolton and Medway. This notification letter sets out the requirement to make a claim to universal credit in order to continue to receive financial support from the Government. It advises that they have a minimum of three months to make their claim and provides details of the support available.

Following these initial notifications, we expanded the discovery phase to Truro and Falmouth in July 2022, Harrow in August 2022, Northumberland in September 2022, and more recently all postcodes in Cornwall during February 2023.

In January 2023, we published our learning from the earliest testable service, which set out our initial learnings from the discovery phase. It also set out the Department’s plans for the move to universal credit in 2023-24 and 2024-25.

We are now preparing to increase the numbers of migration notices issued and will expand into additional areas, bringing in the whole of Great Britain during 2023-24—social security is a transferred matter in Northern Ireland.

Through 2023-24, our focus will be on notifying households that receive tax credits only, increasing volumes incrementally each month. As we move into 2024-25, all cases with tax credits—including those on both employment support allowance and tax credits—all cases on income support and jobseeker’s allowance (income-based) and all housing benefit cases, including combinations of these benefits, will be required to move to universal credit.

At the point of moving over to universal credit—for those claimants moving through the managed migration process—legacy benefit claimants will be assessed for transitional protection and paid where appropriate. The aim of this temporary payment is to maintain benefit entitlement at the point of transition so that claimants will have time to adjust to the new benefit system.

In line with the 2022 autumn statement, the Government are delaying the managed migration of claimants on income-related employment support allowance—except for those receiving child tax credit—to universal credit. Employment support allowance claimants, however, are still able to make a claim for universal credit if they believe that they will be better off.

This Government remain committed to making this a smooth and safe transition. As we move to the next phase of the move to universal credit, we will continue to build on our learning to ensure that the service continues to meet the needs of those required to make the move to universal credit.

[HCWS678]