Written Statements

Tuesday 11th February 2025 Written Statements

Tuesday 11 February 2025

Crown Prosecution Service: Contingencies Fund Advance

Tuesday 11th February 2025 Written Statements

[The Solicitor General (Lucy Rigby)]

The Crown Prosecution Service requires a Contingencies Fund advance of £60 million to cover urgent payments of resource departmental expenditure limit expenditures, such as February payroll, and to pay suppliers’ invoices. Due to the uplift in funding sought at the supplementary estimate, this has led to the CPS requiring a Contingencies Fund advance to ensure it has the cash required ahead of the parliamentary approval of the supplementary estimate.

Parliamentary approval for additional resource of £60 million will be sought in a supplementary estimate for the Crown Prosecution Service. Pending that approval, urgent expenditure estimated at £60 million will be met by repayable cash advances from the Contingencies Fund.

[HCWS433]

Growth Guarantee Scheme

Tuesday 11th February 2025 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business and Trade (Gareth Thomas)]

I wish to make Members aware of the details of a proposed variant of the existing growth guarantee scheme that is designed to increase uptake by businesses of green assets that facilitate the transition to a low-carbon economy.

The GGS was launched on 1 July 2024 and is facilitated by the Government-owned British Business Bank and delivered through its delivery partners. Under the scheme, lenders offer facilities of up to £2 million to support businesses that would otherwise be unable to access the finance they need, or would only be able to do so on worse terms.

Green GGS uses the infrastructure of the existing GGS programme to help increase the supply of affordable finance for businesses investing in green technologies. Lenders face uncertainty over the future value of these green assets in the instance of borrower default, due to the pace of technological advances and a lack of observable track record or data in the relevant second-hand markets. As a result, lenders raise the up-front cost of financing green assets to mitigate this uncertainty, or simply choose not to finance the green asset. This in turn dampens business demand for green investment.

The BBB’s GGS variant is designed to address this uncertainty by setting a floor on losses that a lender would take if a borrower defaulted on the loan. This would give lenders the confidence to support finance for green assets or lower the up-front cost of that finance, increasing the supply of finance available to small and medium-sized enterprises to invest in green assets. The terms of the programme ensure that the benefit of the guarantee is passed to the business.

Initially, the British Business Bank will reallocate funding from the existing GGS to pilot this scheme with a single lender, facilitating an initial portfolio of £30 million of investment in green assets. There will be no change to the maximum lending facilitated across both GGS variants, which will remain at £2.2 billion, as notified to Parliament by means of a written ministerial statement made on 24 May 2024. Any future proposed increase in the capacity of green GGS will be notified as applicable.

I will be laying a departmental minute today containing a description of the liability undertaken.

[HCWS432]

Public Service Pensions: Indexation and Revaluation 2025

Tuesday 11th February 2025 Written Statements

[The Chief Secretary to the Treasury (Darren Jones)]

Legislation governing public service pensions in payment requires them to be increased annually by the same percentage as additional pensions (state earnings related pension and state second pension). Public service pensions will therefore be increased from 7 April 2025 by 1.7%, in line with the annual increase in the consumer prices index up to September 2024, except for those public service pensions which have been in payment for less than a year, which will receive a pro rata increase. This will ensure that public service pensions take account of increases in the cost of living and their purchasing power is maintained.

Separately, in the career average revalued earnings public service pension schemes introduced in 2014 and 2015, pensions in accrual are revalued annually in relation to either prices or earnings depending on the terms specified in their scheme regulations. The Public Service Pensions Act 2013 requires the Treasury to specify a measure of prices and of earnings to be used for revaluation by these schemes.

The prices measure is the consumer prices index up to September 2024. Public service schemes which rely on a measure of prices, therefore, will use the figure of 1.7% for the prices element of revaluation.

The earnings measure is the whole economy year-on-year change in average weekly earnings (non-seasonally adjusted and including bonuses and arrears) up to September 2024. Public service schemes which rely on a measure of earnings, therefore, will use the figure of 4.5% for the earnings element of revaluation.

The effective date of revaluation listed in the order is 1 April 2025, but some schemes have chosen to move their effective revaluation date to 6 April 2025 in order to manage interactions with the annual tax allowance.

Revaluation is one part of the amount of pension that members earn in a year and needs to be considered in conjunction with the amount of in-year accrual. Typically, schemes with lower revaluation will have faster accrual and therefore members will earn more pension per year. The following list shows how the main public service schemes will be affected by revaluation:

Ministry of Defence: 2025-26 Estimate

Tuesday 11th February 2025 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for Defence (John Healey)]

The Ministry of Defence Votes A Estimate 2025-26, has been laid before the House of Commons on 11 February 2025 as HC638. This outlines the maximum numbers of personnel to be maintained for each service in the armed forces during financial year 2025-26.

These numbers do not constitute the strength of the armed forces, which is published separately in the “UK Armed Forces Quarterly Service Personnel Statistics”.

[HCWS438]

National Apprenticeship Week

Tuesday 11th February 2025 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for Education (Bridget Phillipson)]

This is National Apprenticeship Week, when we celebrate the life-changing opportunities that apprenticeships offer people up and down this country. I want to update the House on a range of steps that this Government are taking to introduce the greater flexibility in our apprenticeships system that learn to break down barriers to opportunity and boost economic growth.

First, we have confirmed today that we will be changing the rules relating to achievement of English and maths qualifications as part of an apprenticeship for over-19s. Upskilling in English and maths will continue to remain a key feature of all apprenticeships, and from today we have listened to employers and will be offering more flexibility over when a stand-alone qualification is required in addition to this.

All apprentices will be required to secure, and will be assessed on, the job-specific skills—English and maths—that they need. But, moving forward, employers will have more flexibility over whether adult apprentices—over-19s—are required to achieve a stand-alone English and maths qualifications. In future, adult apprentices will be able to complete their apprenticeship if they have demonstrated that they have the skills—including relevant English and maths skills—to be effective in the role without undertaking a stand-alone English and maths qualification. All 16 to 18-year-old apprentices will continue to be required and funded to secure up to a level 2 qualification in English and maths if they do not hold one, consistent with our expectation that all young people should have a meaningful further opportunity to secure a level 2 qualification in English and maths post 16. This delivers the flexibility that employers have long called for, and we expect it to lead to thousands more qualified apprentices in a range of key sectors, including in social care and construction.

Secondly, we will reduce the minimum duration of apprenticeships to eight months from August 2025. This new flexibility will mean that employers can make greater use of apprenticeships and learners can be fully trained more quickly. We expect this new flexibility to particularly benefit learners with high levels of prior learning, where the current 12-month requirement means they are not eligible for an apprenticeship; and particular occupations that do not typically work in fixed 12-month training cycles. We will be working closely with Skills England to identify where this new flexibility will have the greatest impact. Today we are announcing that the first shorter apprenticeships to be available to all apprentices will be in priority occupations, including healthcare support workers, dual fuel smart meter installers, and production assistants in the creative industries. We will be setting out more details in due course.

Finally, in our next step towards establishing Skills England as the key driving force behind this Government’s growth plans, I am confirming that the new chair of Skills England will be Phil Smith CBE, with Sir David Bell serving as vice-chair.

This team will bring together extensive industry experience in digital, tech and innovation, with decades of experience in the education and skills sector. They will work with employers, with national, regional and local government, and with providers and unions, to identify skills shortages and provide strong strategic direction for the skills system, ensuring that we have the highly skilled workforce needed to deliver our industrial strategy and the Government’s plan for change. I look forward to working with them to deliver the dynamic skills system and economic growth that this country needs to thrive.

[HCWS436]

Telecare National Action Plan

Tuesday 11th February 2025 Written Statements

[The Minister for Care (Stephen Kinnock)]

The digital phone switchover is a necessary upgrade to our underlying national digital infrastructure as the old analogue landline network is becomingly increasingly unreliable. The safety of telecare users throughout the switchover is the Government’s utmost priority. That is why I am pleased to publish a joint telecare national action plan with the Minister for Data Protection and Telecoms, the hon. Member for Rhondda and Ogmore (Chris Bryant), setting out the steps that stakeholders need to take to safeguard telecare users during the digital phone switchover.

The digital phone switchover means that traditional analogue devices, such as telephone handsets and telecare units that are currently connected to the analogue landline network, will need to be reconnected to the digital network. There is a risk that the process of migrating telecare users to digital landlines will disrupt their telecare services. Telecare users must be protected during the digital phone switchover and every effort must be taken to avoid these risks.

Our action plan is predominantly aimed at communication providers, local authorities, housing providers, third sector organisations and commercial providers. It demonstrates the Government’s commitment to working with the telecare and telecommunications industries and ensuring that telecare users’ safety is put first during the switchover. Officials have worked closely with stakeholders to develop and agree the actions set out in this plan.

This telecare national action plan sets out the actions that the Government expect to see delivered. The actions are set out against the following outcomes:

No telecare user will be migrated to digital landline services without the communication provider, the user or the telecare service provider confirming that the user has a compatible and functioning telecare solution in place;

Use of analogue telecare devices is phased out to ensure that only digital devices are being used. DHSC will be working with stakeholders over the coming months to set a deadline for this;

Telecare users, their support networks and their service providers understand what actions they need to take to ensure a safe migration to digital phone lines; and

Stakeholders identified within the plan collaborate to safeguard telecare users through the digital phone switchover.

The Government are committed to improving adult social care for those who draw on it, helping people to stay independent in their own homes, joining up services and improving the quality of care. The Government recently announced an independent commission into adult social care led by Baroness Louise Casey as part of their critical first step towards a national care service. While the Casey commission carries out its work, the Government are getting on with the job of reforming the system and have announced immediate actions to improve adult social care services. This includes the development of new national standards and trusted guidance for technology in social care. The new standards and guidance will make it easier for providers, commissioners and people who draw on care and support to identify the technologies that will work best for them.

The transition to digital telephone networks will lay the foundations for a next generation of telecare services that will support more personalised and early preventive interventions, and support the Government’s reforms to adult social care. The plan includes examples of where local areas have utilised the opportunities presented by the digital phone switchover to advance the use of technology within their social care provision.

Given the complexity of the issue, it is possible that additional necessary actions might be identified. We will review progress against the telecare nation action plan every six months and identify new actions as needed. A copy of the telecare national action plan will be deposited in the Libraries of both Houses and will also be published on www.gov.uk.

[HCWS434]

Designated Vendor Directions: Enforcement

Tuesday 11th February 2025 Written Statements

[The Minister for Data Protection and Telecoms (Chris Bryant)]

Today the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology has published guidelines on how the Secretary of State will approach compliance and enforcement of designated vendor directions (DVDs) issued under the Communications Act 2003, as amended by the Telecommunications (Security) Act 2021.

The 2003 Act introduced powers for the Secretary of State to issue designation notices to vendors whose presence in UK networks poses national security risks and DVDs to public communications providers (PCPs), placing controls on their use of goods and services provided by a designated vendor. The Secretary of State can issue a DVD to a PCP if they consider that it is necessary in the interests of national security and the requirements imposed by the DVD are proportionate to what is sought to be achieved by the DVD.

The Act also provides the Secretary of State with powers to ascertain whether PCPs are complying with the requirements imposed by a DVD and to enforce against a PCP where they are found to be non-compliant with the requirements in a DVD.

This guidelines cover:

the background to DVDs and the powers available;

the approach to enforcement action;

how to establish whether there has been a contravention of a DVD requirement;

how to determine whether to enforce against a contravention;

the process for coming to a proposed penalty;

issuing formal enforcement action;

issuing a confirmation decision; and

the governance for how decisions on enforcement are made and communicated.

This document acts as a guiding framework for His Majesty’s Government when considering enforcement and imposing penalties in relation to non-compliance with requirements in a DVD.

[HCWS435]