Written Statements

Wednesday 19th July 2023 Written Statements

Wednesday 19 July 2023

Departmental Update

Wednesday 19th July 2023 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for Business and Trade (Kemi Badenoch)]

I am pleased to provide the House with the following updates from the Department for Business and Trade today.

Tata Group gigafactory investment

I am delighted that Tata Group, the owner of JLR, has today announced that it has chosen the UK as the site of its first gigafactory outside of India, creating thousands of jobs. This is one of the largest ever investments in the UK’s automotive sector and has been secured following in-depth engagement across Government and Tata over the last two years.

The multi-billion pound investment represents an historic moment for the UK’s growing electric vehicles industry and the new gigafactory will supply all JLR’s future battery electric models, including the Range Rover, Defender, Discovery and Jaguar brands, with the potential to also supply other car manufacturers.

The new gigafactory will create up to 4,000 highly skilled direct jobs and thousands of further jobs in the wider supply chain for battery materials and critical raw minerals, helping to grow the economy and moving the UK forward in the race to net zero.

The Government have engaged closely with Tata to demonstrate our commitment and support for this investment. The decision to build in the UK is a testament to this strong relationship and the new gigafactory secures a great future for our automotive sector, while supporting Tata’s ambitions to be a leader in zero emission vehicles.

The new gigafactory will be one of the largest in Europe and will be crucial to boosting the UK’s battery manufacturing capacity needed to support the electric vehicle industry in the long term. Initial production of 40GWh will mean it will provide almost half of the battery production that the Faraday Institution estimates the UK will need by 2030.

The location of the facility will be confirmed by Tata following the finalisation of due diligence, with battery production expected to start in 2026. When built, it will become one of the largest buildings in the UK at the size of almost 65 football pitches.

The automotive industry is a vital part of the UK economy, and it is integral to delivering on levelling up, net zero and helping to drive economic growth. The Government are committed to making the UK one of the best places in the world for automotive investment, evidenced by the automotive transformation fund, the British industry supercharger scheme and our strong programme of support for research and development.

We are working alongside industry to unlock private investment in our EV supply chain and have long-standing and comprehensive programmes of support for the automotive sector including the automotive transformation fund, the Advanced Propulsion Centre and the Faraday battery challenge. The automotive transformation fund was instrumental in securing this investment and supports the development of a high-value end-to-end electrified automotive supply chain and is enabling a UK-made transition to net zero.

The strength of the UK’s automotive R&D is also evidenced by the welcome decision by Tata that it will also create two R&D innovation hubs, one in India and one in the UK. Supported by leading academia, these hubs will focus on next-generation battery cell technologies.

The UK has a proud automotive heritage. Today’s investment is a major vote of confidence in its bright future too. I look forward to continuing to work closely with the automotive sector to ensure that we take the necessary steps to put the UK at the forefront in the transition to zero emission vehicles.

Statutory review of the Groceries Code Adjudicator

I am today publishing and laying before Parliament the report on the third statutory review of the Groceries Code Adjudicator (the GCA).

The GCA was established by the Groceries Code Adjudicator Act 2013 (the Act). Its role is to monitor and enforce the Groceries Supply Code of Practice (the code), which the UK’s designated large grocery retailers must comply with when dealing with their direct suppliers.

Section 15 of the Act requires the Government to review periodically the performance of the GCA. The first review covered the period from the creation of the GCA, in June 2013, to 31 March 2016 and the second review covered the period from 1 April 2016 to 31 March 2019.

The statutory review is not a review of the code or of the remit of the GCA. The code is a competition measure owned by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) as the UK’s independent competition authority.

The third review (the review) considered the effectiveness of the GCA in enforcing the code over the period 1 April 2019 to 31 March 2022. A public consultation was held from 19 July to 11 October 2022 to meet the requirements of the Act for the Secretary of State to consult those with an interest in the code. Responses to the consultation and evidence from the GCA annual supplier survey and annual reports enabled the Secretary of State to make an assessment of the performance of the GCA against the measures set out in the Act. These measures were explained in the terms of reference which are included in the report on the review and in the consultation document which was placed in the Libraries of both Houses of Parliament on 19 July 2022.

The review has found the GCA to be a highly effective regulator that made good use of its powers to take a balanced and collaborative approach that usually resolved issues before the need for an arbitration or investigation and was valued throughout the sector.

The review also found no evidence to support the need to change the permitted maximum financial penalty the adjudicator can impose following an investigation into non-compliance. It also concluded that the information which the GCA may consider when deciding whether to launch a formal investigation into non-compliance should not be restricted.

The Government took the decision not to transfer the GCA functions to the CMA or another public body but that we should explore with the GCA and the CMA ways to work together to realise efficiencies around staffing and expertise. The review also concluded that there is not any evidence to suggest that the GCA should be abolished.

The report on the third statutory review of the GCA has today been placed in the Libraries of both Houses of Parliament.

[HCWS978]

LGBT Veterans Independent Review

Wednesday 19th July 2023 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for Defence (Mr Ben Wallace)]

In January 2022, as part of the veterans’ strategy action plan, the Ministry of Defence and Office for Veterans’ Affairs jointly commissioned an independent review to better understand the experiences, impacts and implications of the policy prohibiting homosexuality in HM armed forces between 1967 and 2000.

Led by the right hon. Lord Etherton KC, and supported by Cabinet Office and MOD officials, the independent review team received 1,128 testimonies. The Government were presented with the report in late May, and today, after taking time to agree an initial cross-Government response, we are pleased to be publishing the report today. I am placing a copy in the Library of the House.

The report contains shocking and emotive testimonies of experiences during the ban. It makes 49 recommendations for the Government, covering issues such as enhanced NHS care requirements for LGBT veterans and a financial award. The recommendations primarily concern the Ministry of Defence, but also affect the Home Office, the Department of Health and Social Care, the Cabinet Office and HM Treasury.

As the report highlights, those that suffered hurt as a result of this ban are keen for a light to be shone on their previously unheard experiences. We hope that today’s subsequent parliamentary activity will be the start of them receiving long overdue acknowledgement.

A summary of the key themes of the report can be found below.

Personal testimonies found between pages 52 to 140.

Key themes of the report

Institutional homophobia—The report suggests that defence policies at the time institutionalised homophobia due to the invasive powers available to commanding officers and Serious Investigation Branch officers when investigating suspected homosexuality. The suggestion of homophobia at all levels is supported by the testimonies from LGBT veterans and others that served at the time of the ban.

Lack of justification for the ban—The report questions the factuality of blackmail and “maintenance of operational effectiveness and efficiency” being used as justifications for the ban by defence in legal challenges in the 1990s.

Abusive SIB investigation and dismissal procedures—Intrusive practices reportedly used by the Serious Investigation Branch include public arrests and accommodation searches; searches of civilian addresses, essentially “outing” personnel to their families; long, aggressive interviews with water and bathroom breaks being denied; the use of homophobic and degrading language; covert surveillance on and off base; and pressuring personnel to report others for investigation. A number of disturbing medical interventions were reportedly used immediately prior to dismissal, including invasive internal investigations of both men and women; personnel being shown lewd images of men and women and having their reaction “measured”; and attempts to “cure” homosexuality through electroconvulsive therapy, chemical castration or strong sedatives.

The toxic culture created by the ban—Bullying in the form of psychological and physical abuse is reported to have been common through all ranks. Sexual assaults and blackmail were also common, with threats to report personnel to Serious Investigation Branch for being homosexual. Blackmail was used to pressure personnel into sexual acts, or in order to silence victims of sexual assault. Some that signed up at young ages did not know their sexuality or gender identity on joining and would only understand it after years of service. The homophobia they experienced while reaching this realisation embedded a feeling of shame and self-hatred that would stay with them for many years. Many testimonies report voluntarily leaving service early due to the stress of having to hide their true identities while surrounded by homophobia, or being pressured to leave early in order to avoid an intrusive investigation and dishonourable discharge.

The absence of pastoral care—Alongside being unable to discuss thoughts around sexuality or gender identity with commanding officers and fellow personnel due to the risk of investigation, chaplains and medical officers were instructed by policy not to follow the usual confidentiality rules when discussing homosexuality.

Impact on military career and future prospects—Testimonies report that being suspected of homosexuality was used to deny promotion or training opportunities, with non-LGBT veterans stating they had witnessed this. Many veterans report being demoted immediately prior to dismissal, with officers having commissions removed and destroyed, an adjustment that veterans were (possibly incorrectly) informed would reduce their pension. Many were denied medals or had medals physically removed from them solely based on their sexuality.

Those perceived to be LGB—Transgender veterans detail how their gender identity was not recognised, but instead they were considered to be LGB and in denial/confused and then subjected to the same poor treatment as their LGB counterparts. Non-LGBT personnel were investigated and discharged purely for having been in a social circle with someone that had already been dismissed for homosexuality.

Long-lasting impacts—Common impacts linked to the homophobic culture during the ban, the invasive nature of the investigations and the sudden and dishonourable nature of discharges are a lifetime of shame and lack of self-esteem; issues with mental health including PTSD for many; issues with employment, finances and homelessness; difficulty forming long-term relationships due to shame and trust issues; loss of family relationships; and alcohol and/or drug dependency. Additionally, due to the lack of transition support on leaving service, veterans were left feeling abandoned, isolated and without hope. The stress caused by the ban means that we have lost many LGBT veterans to suicide already, with many others having contemplated and attempted it.

Attachments can be viewed online at:

https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2023-07-19/HCWS977.

[HCWS977]

PE and School Sport

Wednesday 19th July 2023 Written Statements

[The Minister for Schools (Nick Gibb)]

Today the Government are publishing an update to the school sport and activity action plan to set out the next steps on a range of policies relating to increasing the amount of PE, sport and physical activity in schools and securing equal access to sporting opportunities for girls.

The school sport and activity action plan is a cross-government policy statement from the Department for Education, the Department of Health and Social Care and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. The action plan update has been developed alongside DCMS’s new sport strategy which will set the long-term strategy for sport in the UK and outline plans to achieve a step change in activity levels, particularly in children and young people. The action plan supports that aim by helping more children to have increased opportunities to play sport and take physical exercise during their time in school.

On 8 March 2023, the Government announced continued funding to support schools to provide high quality PE and sport to pupils and action to ensure girls and boys have equal access to sport in school. The action plan update builds on this announcement with further detail for school leaders and teachers on how Government will support them to improve the quality of PE and school sport, including:

Working with sector organisations to publish new non-statutory guidance by the end of 2023, with a particular focus on supporting schools to deliver two hours of PE a week and ensuring equal access to sport for boys and girls.

Publishing updated guidance for primary schools on the PE and sport premium in summer 2023, including the new digital reporting tool, which will be piloted in 2024 and become mandatory in 2025.

Refreshing the School Games kitemark to be made available to schools in autumn 2023 with new equality criteria included for girls’ access to sport. Schools’ successes will recognised each year through national school sport week.

[HCWS975]

Environmental Improvement Plan: Annual Progress Report

Wednesday 19th July 2023 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Dr Thérèse Coffey)]

In January 2023, we published the “Environmental Improvement Plan”, our five-year delivery plan to restore nature and improve the environmental quality of the air, our waters and our land. Since then, we have been hard at work making progress in delivering the ambitious goals set out in the plan.



We have:



Thriving plants and wildlife



Launched the £25 million species survival fund to drive action to halt the decline of species, tackle habitat loss and create nature-rich landscapes;

Made £14 million available for local authorities and community groups to invest in new tree planting projects, including in urban areas;

Awarded £40 million to over 80 conservation projects across the globe that boost biodiversity and support communities, from snow leopards to pangolins;

Opening a multimillion-pound grant scheme for projects to tackle biodiversity loss in the UK overseas territories through Darwin Plus;

Designated the first three highly protected marine areas in English waters;

Opened the second round of Landscape Recovery, which will support up to 25 projects led by farmers and land managers to create new habitats for wildlife;

Opened consultations for the first six fisheries management plans, which set out the proposed policies and measures to secure long-term sustainability of UK fish stocks;

Protected vital food for seabirds and marine mammals by deciding not to allow UK sand eel fishing for the third consecutive year, totalling 5,773 tonnes, and consulting on a wider ban across English waters;

Initiated a global roadmap, together with the French Government, for harnessing biodiversity credits, announcing an advisory panel of world-leading experts who will lead an open and inclusive international process to drive forward nature financing;

Published the green finance strategy and nature markets framework, setting out how the Government will support the growth of high-integrity nature markets to help meet our target to raise at least £500 million in private finance to support nature’s recovery every year by 2027 in England, rising to more than £1 billion per year by 2030;

Clean air

Banned the sale of traditional house coal and restricted the sale of wet wood;

Set out actions for local authorities to improve air quality and meet our ambitious PM2.5 targets through the “Air quality strategy: framework for local authority delivery”;

Clean and plentiful water

Published the comprehensive “Plan for Water” to deliver a healthy water environment and ensure a plentiful supply of water for the future;

Accelerated over £2.2 billion for infrastructure to tackle storm overflows, strengthen drought resilience, increase water supply and protect natural ecosystems;

Introduced laws to scrap the cap on variable monetary penalties and speed up enforcement methods to hold water companies and others who pollute the environment to account;

Increased funding for round one of the slurry infrastructure grant, from £13.2 million to £33.9 million, following strong interest in the scheme since its launch in December;

Written to wet wipe producers to ask them to set out how they will address concerns about so-called “flushable” wipes that cause blockages and water pollution;

Committed to consult to end the sale of wet wipes containing plastic;

Committed to putting our target to tackle storm overflows on a legal footing through the Environment Act 2021;

Designated four new bathing waters, bringing the total across the country to 424, the highest number ever;

Hosted local farmers, councillors, environmental groups, MPs and the Welsh Government at a summit to discuss actions to improve the state of the River Wye;

Managing exposure to chemicals and pesticides



Accepted recommendations to protect people and the environment from the potential impacts of PFAS chemicals;

Made £3 million of investment available to develop more sustainable fertilisers at the

Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate summit in Washington DC;

Maximise our resources, minimise our waste



Confirmed our ban on single-use plastics such as plates, trays, bowls and cutlery from October;

Agreed a far-reaching statement with 52 other countries supporting the development of an ambitious, international, legally binding treaty to tackle plastic pollution, and using resources from nature sustainably;



Opened up the improved countryside stewardship scheme to reward farmers and land managers for actions to protect and improve the environment;

Accelerated the roll-out of the sustainable farming incentive by bringing forward actions this summer to manage hedgerows, plant nectar-rich wildflowers and manage crop pests without the use of insecticides;

Sought views on how we improve hedgerow protections as part of the agricultural transition, building on the 50,000 miles of hedgerows already supported by farming scheme investment;

Hosted the first ever Nature for Finance event in No. 10 Downing Street, bringing together farmers, land managers and investors to identify new investment opportunities to drive forward nature recovery;

Published the first six fisheries management plans to deliver sustainable fisheries for current and future generations;

Mitigating and adapting to climate change



Set out our ambition to reduce DEFRA sector emissions in the “Net Zero Growth Plan”;

Planted 3,627 hectares—approximately 4 million trees—in the 2022-23 planting season, which is a 40% increase on last year;

Funding over 7,000 hectares of peatland for restoration under the Nature for Climate Peatland Grant Scheme;

Taking forward action on all recommendations of the lowland agricultural peat task force, with over £7.5 million of new funding for innovative water management pilots and £5 million to support wetter farming projects;

Published the third national adaptation programme, setting out our comprehensive plan to adapt to the risks and opportunities of climate change over the next five years;

Funding six landscape-scale nature restoration projects to trial carbon capture and climate change mitigation;

Launched a £40 million grant programme to help put nature at the forefront of the fight against climate change and poverty, as part of a new global centre on biodiversity for climate;

Reduced risk of harm from environmental hazards



Better protected over 26,000 properties in 2022-23;

Funding £26 million from the £100 million frequently flooded allowance to better protect more than 2,300 households and businesses;

Enhancing biosecurity



Updated our invasive non-native species strategy to tackle the existing and growing threat posed to species and the wider economy;

Published the “Plant biosecurity strategy for Great Britain”, positioning the UK as a global leader in plant health;

Published the draft “The Border Target Operating Model” to deliver a suite of new digital improvements and digital systems which will strengthen our biosecurity at the border and improve efficiencies across border processes;

Enhancing beauty, heritage and engagement with the natural environment



Published England’s first ever national marine and coastal wildlife code;

Opened a further 21 miles of the King Charles III England coast path, creating 208 miles of continuous national coastal trail in north Yorkshire, and over 850 miles in total;

The 25-year Environment Plan annual progress report



I have also today published the fifth and final annual progress report against the 25-year Environment Plan that was published in 2018. This is our second statutory report under the Environment Act 2021;



The publication of this year’s report reasserts the Government’s commitment to delivering the goals of the 25-year Environment Plan and progress we have made to deliver the Environment Act since this achieved Royal Assent in November 2021. We are now firmly in the delivery phase of meeting both existing targets and the additional goals set out in this year’s Environmental Improvement Plan.



The annual progress report is available on www.gov.uk.

[HCWS974]

Immigration Rule Changes

Wednesday 19th July 2023 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for the Home Department (Suella Braverman)]

I am today laying before the House a statement of changes in immigration rules.

Imposition of a visa regime on Dominica, Honduras, Namibia, Timor-Leste, and Vanuatu

We are today imposing a visa requirement on all visitors from Dominica, Honduras, Namibia, Timor-Leste and Vanuatu. Nationals of these countries will also be required to obtain a direct airside transit visa if they intend to transit via the UK having booked travel to another country.

Careful consideration of Dominica’s and Vanuatu’s operation of a citizenship by investment scheme has shown clear and evident abuse of the scheme, including the granting of citizenship to individuals known to pose a risk to the UK. From Honduras and Namibia there has been a sustained and significant increase in the number of UK asylum applications being made by these nationals, who have abused the provision to visit the UK for a limited period as non-visa nationals in order to claim asylum. As such, Namibians and Hondurans rank first among non-visa nationals for asylum claims. These high numbers are unsustainable, contributing significantly to operational pressures which have resulted in frontline resource being diverted from other operational priorities. Lastly, there has been a sustained increase in the number of Timorese nationals arriving at the UK border as non-genuine visitors, often with the intention to fraudulently claim EU settlement scheme status as dependants or to work illegally in the UK.

Arrangements are in place so that the nationals of these countries can apply for visas. We are also publicising the changes so travellers are aware and can plan accordingly. There will be a four-week, visa-free transition period for those who hold confirmed bookings to the UK made on or before 1500 BST 19 July 2023 where arrival in the UK is no later than 16 August 2023. We have arrangements in hand to provide visas for diplomats from these countries currently working at the embassy in London.

The decision to impose these visa requirements has been taken solely for migration and border security reasons and is not a sign of poor relations with these countries. Any decision to change a visa regime is not taken lightly and we keep our border and immigration system under regular review to ensure it continues to work in the UK national interest.

The changes to the immigration rules will come into force at 3 pm today.

[HCWS979]

National Space Strategy in Action

Wednesday 19th July 2023 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology (Chloe Smith)]

Since the new Department for Science, Innovation and Technology was created, we have been clear on its mission to make the UK a science and technology superpower and grow the economy.

Today we are taking further decisive steps towards that objective, by publishing the Government’s “National Space Strategy in Action”.

Since the publication of “National Space Strategy” in September 2021, jointly with the MOD, we have made significant progress to deliver our ambition to build one of the most innovative and attractive space economies in the world. We have announced more than £10 billion of funding for space activities stretching across a decade, including more than £1.75 billion to our key delivery agency the UK Space Agency (UKSA) in this spending review period.

We have appointed a new CEO, Paul Bate, and chair, Lord Willetts, to UKSA; matured UK Space Command and published the first defence space strategy; convened the National Space Council to provide ministerial co-ordination and leadership; and the creation of DSIT has brought together space policy and spectrum and space communications regulatory policy into one Department. We are demonstrating that regulatory leadership in creating an industry-led space sustainability standard; a framework of standards for measuring and managing debris, improving satellite repair and retrieval and benchmarking genuinely sustainable supply chains with strong support from the space sector in the UK and internationally.

We have delivered on the licensing and first launch from the UK’s first spaceport; we remain committed to becoming the leading provider of commercial small satellite launches in Europe by 2030, with a horizontal spaceport now established in Newquay, and more launches planned from Scotland at SaxaVord and Sutherland spaceports. And we have made a major investment of £1.84 billion into the European Space Agency in November 2022, securing three new British astronauts alongside major commercial opportunities for UK SMEs in hugely important international collaborations.

The global space race for commercial investment is only speeding up. Our nearest competitor nations are significantly increasing their investment in space activities and, despite the long-term nature of space exploration, the speed at which the new commercial space economy is evolving requires much more agile and innovative responses from Government, if we are to avoid falling behind, from small satellite design, manufacturing and launch, to space traffic management, satellite communications, earth observation and the lunar economy.

This publication sets out just the first part of our response to that challenge and the concrete steps needed to deliver on the national space strategy ambition in the short term.

It defines the next steps we will take in delivering the national space strategy, moving from the “ignition” phase into the “thrust” phase. It sets out some concrete policy steps we are taking now and sets the direction for the work of Government over the next 18 months—giving space sector businesses and innovators a clarity and confidence of where Government are intervening, and where we will intervene in the future. And it sets out the key metrics we will use to track our progress.

I will be placing copies of this publication in the Libraries of both Houses, and it will also be made available on gov.uk.

[HCWS976]