Mentions:
1: Paragraph 9.68 states:“we have discussed with HM Treasury the rules’ likely effect on relevant - Link
2: A few instances of “have regard” are the examples in the Bill, just like the suggestion in the HMT consultation - Link
3: particularly in the allocation and co-ordination of responsibilities across the ‘tripartite’ institutions – HM - Link

Mentions:
1: It must be understood much better by HMT, as well as the role it can play in varying degrees across financial - Link

Found: from Catherine Little, Director General Public Spending and Head of the Government Finance Function HM

Found: Correspondence from Tom Scholar, Permanent Secretary, HM Treasury, re report on Funding for Scotland,

Found: Chief Executive and First Permanent Secretary HM Revenue & Customs and Tom Scholar, Permanent Secretary HM

Found: from Catherine Little, Director General Public Spending and Head of the Government Finance Function HM

Found: Correspondence from Tom Scholar, Permanent Secretary, HM Treasury & Chris Hemsley, Managing Director,

Found: Correspondence from RT Hon Jesse Norman MP, Financial Secretary, HM Treasury, re Civil Superannuation

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment he has made of the potential (a) economic and (b) cultural merits of introducing a Government-backed insurance underwriting scheme for live music events.

Answered by Caroline Dinenage - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)

We are aware of the concerns which have been raised about the challenge of securing indemnity for live events.

Understandably, the bar for considering Government intervention is set extremely high. Given the high costs involved in setting up a scheme we need to make sure it is the most effective use of funds at a time when we are looking at how best to support the sector.

The evidence of market failure must clearly demonstrate that such a scheme is the only barrier to staging events. At the moment, progress with the vaccine rollout and beating the virus is crucial in achieving the next stages for large events as set out in the roadmap. As such, HM Treasury does not believe that now is the right time for an insurance intervention.

We are working closely with the sector to determine the appropriate and most effective response within the public health context.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what (a) policies and (b) grant and funding programmes his Department has introduced to provide support to individuals and organisations in response to the covid-19 outbreak; and what funding has been allocated to each of those programmes in the 2020-21 financial year.

Answered by Victoria Prentis - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Since March the Government’s priority has been to save lives and protect jobs, businesses, and livelihoods. To support workers and businesses across all sectors the Government has provided an unprecedented package of support worth more than £280 billion.

My Department has introduced a number of support packages to avoid the loss of productive capacity, prevent disproportionate harm to the economy or society and to protect vulnerable groups against the effects of Covid-19. These are as follows:

1. Clinical Extremely Vulnerable individuals – in March 2020, Defra put in place £212m of packages to support individuals defined as Clinically Extremely Vulnerable. This included food boxes delivered to those that were shielding and the set-up of the National Shielding helpline.
2. Food for economically vulnerable individuals – In April 2020, Defra secured funding, via a DCMS managed scheme for the voluntary and charity sectors, to support the distribution of grants worth £16m to front line charities who were best placed to respond to the immediate needs of economically vulnerable people. The majority of this funding was provided to FareShare. In November 2020, building on the support given to the most vulnerable during the initial months of the pandemic, the Government announced a winter support package of interventions to support the economically vulnerable. The winter package included a further £16m of funding for Defra to support food charities with the purchasing and distribution of food to the vulnerable over a 16-week period starting from the beginning of December. This funding stream is being managed by the food redistributor FareShare.
3. The Local Authority Emergency Assistance Grant – a further scheme to support people struggling to afford food and other essential supplies was announced on 10 June 2020. The £63m package of support was distributed to Local Authorities to make discretionary one-off emergency payments to people in their communities in need.
4. Emergency surplus food grant – In April 2020, through the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), Defra launched a series of grant opportunities to support the redistribution of surplus food to those most in need. Defra made £3.25m available for this Covid-19 emergency grant. The primary focus of the fund is to enable not-for-profit organisations both large and small to overcome barriers to the distribution of surplus food that would otherwise be wasted in the wake of Covid-19.
5. Zoo Animals Fund – In May 2020 the Government launched the Zoo Support Fund. This initial £14 million envelope for zoos was increased to up to £100 million (with final expenditure subject to zoos’ submitting successful applications) in August 2020 when the Zoo Support Fund was replaced by the Zoo Animals Fund. These funds have been created for the purpose of providing for zoos which, due to a coronavirus-related drop in income, are experiencing severe financial difficulties and need support in caring for their animals. These funds were introduced to ensure the welfare of zoo animals, including when zoos are closing, downsizing or rehoming their collections.
6. Fisheries Response Fund (FRF) – The FRF provided up to £9 million in funding for catching and aquaculture businesses with payments to individual businesses capped at £10k. The FRF covered fixed costs for the period April to June 2020. A further £1 million was also made available for projects to encourage domestic selling through the Domestic Seafood Supply scheme.
7. Seafood Response Fund (SRF) – The SRF was announced on 21 February to support catching and shellfish aquaculture businesses across the UK which continue to be impacted by Covid-19. The scheme will be similar to the FRF, providing grants to eligible businesses to assist them in covering their fixed costs for the period January-March 2021. Further details are expected shortly, with the scheme opening to applications in early March.
8. Dairy Response Fund (DRF) – The DRF was a fund to provide support to eligible dairy farmers in England who have been significantly impacted by the Covid-19 outbreak. Eligible farmers were entitled to up to £10,000 each to cover 70% of their losses incurred across April and May as a result of a drop in price. The fund opened on 18 June 2020 and closed on 11 September 2020. The DRF paid 132 farmers a total of £1,017,250.
9. Changes to the Textile Grant Fund – Defra also worked with the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) to alter the requirements of the Textile Grant Fund so that the grant could be used for capital costs to reconfigure a business to comply with Covid-19 safety measures, where this forms an integral part of an innovative proposal/project; and to streamline the application process so that these funds could be allocated more quickly.
10. Arms length bodies – A number of Defra arms-length bodies including RGB Kew and the Forestry Commission have been seriously impacted by the pandemic, in particular through a significant reduction in revenue generating activity. We have worked closely with HMT to address this and provided additional budget cover of £19m to provide some protection and a viable operating model going into 21/22.
11. Green Recovery Challenge Fund – This fund enabled environmental charities and their partners to kick-start a range of nature projects that had been adversely affected by the pandemic. Funding was made available quickly in order to create and retain jobs in the nature sector. £40m was allocated to the fund in 20/21.
12. European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) – £800k was also made available in England through the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) to mitigate the impacts of Covid-19. This included £300k for improvements to health and safety on board fishing vessels and £500k for ports or harbour infrastructure projects which reduce the impact of Covid-19. This funding has now been committed and is no longer open to new applications.

In addition, Defra has worked with delivery bodies and partners to introduce a number of regulatory easements to ensure regulatory obligations remain proportionate in these challenging circumstances, including in the areas of veterinary medicines, environmental regulations and marketing standards inspections. Specific interventions were also made with key Departments to ease regulations to support food supply, including competition law exclusions and driver hours flexibilities.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to his article in the Financial Times, published on 25 November 2020, what recent steps he has taken to build greater in-house project management expertise.

Answered by Nigel Adams - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Foreign Secretary recently approved a pilot to inform decisions to bring services in-house where this will deliver improved outcomes and cost savings for HMG, drawing on the HM Treasury and Cabinet Office Outsourcing Playbook. My officials are working with HMT to establish an operating cost framework for future years which delivers value for money for the UK taxpayer and builds in-house capability. FCDO will introduce a new approach to programme management from April, building on previous experience in DFID and FCO and best practice from the Infrastructure and Projects Authority, with accompanying training to support staff in implementing the new approach.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will provide funding for a new health centre in Maghull in Sefton.

Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Following the November 2020 Spending Review, we are carefully considering how the next round of projects are prioritised within the Department’s settlement. Trusts, including Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust and North West Boroughs Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, should continue discussing their plans with NHS England and NHS Improvement to help consider the priority of their schemes and whether they should be further developed at this time.

Local health systems will shortly be receiving confirmation of their capital envelopes for 2021-22, and the settlement from HM Treasury has enabled us to protect the level of capital funding for trusts. This enables them to progress priority investments agreed with local health partners.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to implement an insurance underwriting model for live music events.

Answered by Caroline Dinenage - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)

We are aware of the concerns which have been raised about securing insurance for live events.

Understandably, the bar for considering Government intervention is set extremely high. Given the high costs involved in setting up a scheme HMT need to make sure it is the most effective use of funds at a time when we are looking at how best to support the sector.

The evidence of market failure must clearly demonstrate that such a scheme is the only barrier to staging events. At the moment, progress with the vaccine rollout and beating the virus is crucial in achieving the next stages for large events as set out in the roadmap. As such, we do not believe that now is the right time for an insurance intervention.

We are working closely with the sector to determine the appropriate and most effective response within the public health context.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions Ministers and officials in his Department have had with (a) the Food Standards Agency and (b) other Departments on the (i) award and (ii) operation of the current three-year contract for the provision of Official Veterinarians and Meat Hygiene Inspectors in England and Wales.

Answered by Jo Churchill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

No recent discussions have taken place between Departmental Ministers and the Food Standards Agency on either the award or the operation of the current contract for the provision of Official Veterinarians and Meat Hygiene Inspectors in England and Wales.

As a non-ministerial Government Department, Food Standards Agency discusses a range of issues with the Cabinet Office and HM Treasury directly.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how much Official Development Assistance his Department (a) was allocated in (i) 2019-20 and (ii) 2020-21 and (b) will be allocated in 2021-22.

Answered by John Whittingdale - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)

HM Treasury has published departmental allocations of Official Development Assistance (ODA) for 2019-20, here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-aid-tackling-global-challenges-in-the-national-interest/official-development-assistance-oda-allocation-by-department.

In this table, DCMS is included in the “Other Departments” group. In 2019-20, DCMS’s ODA allocation was £11m.

Outturn information of 2019 calendar year ODA spend is available in the Statistics of International Development publication: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-on-international-development.

The Government has committed to publishing departmental allocations of ODA for 2020/21 in due course.

Outturn information of 2020 calendar year ODA spend will be published later this year, as normal, in the Statistics of International Development publication: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-on-international-development.

The Foreign Secretary recently published departmental ODA allocations for 2021-22, including DCMS’s allocation, in a Written Ministerial Statement available online here: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2021-01-26/hcws735.

DCMS also manages ODA funding provided by the Prosperity Fund. This is reported separately by the Prosperity Fund.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how much funding has been made available through the Listed Places of Worship Grants Scheme in (a) 2016 - 2017, (b) 2017 - 2018, (c) 2018 - 2019, (d) 2019 - 2020 and (e) in the current financial year.

Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Assistant Whip

Between DCMS and HM Treasury, the funding available for the Listed Places of Worship Grant is up to £42m. The following figures show what was claimed for each of the financial years:

• 2016/2017 - £31,298,390.23

• 2017/2018 - £33,166,559.49

• 2018/2019 - £34,517,766.03

• 2019/2020 - £34,078,628.89

• Current Financial Year (up to 31/1/21) - £22,566,078.26

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what is the total amount of funding that has been made available through the Listed Places of Worship Grants Scheme since 2012.

Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Assistant Whip

In 2012, DCMS and HM Treasury became joint funders of the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme and annual funding was increased to up to £42m (to offset changes to the rate of VAT on alterations) with DCMS funding the first £17m with the further (up to) £25m coming from HMT reserves. In total, the amount available to the grant scheme amounts to £378m since 2012.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the NHS England budget was on (a) 23 June 2016 and (b) 1 January 2021.

Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

At the beginning of each financial year, the Mandate sets out NHS England’s total revenue resource limit and total capital resource limit which is then later revised towards the end of the same financial year for any in-year changes in funding.

For 2016-17, the total initial revenue resource limit was £106,496 million and the total capital resource limit was £305 million. This is the budget that was in effect on 23 June 2016. The totals were subsequently revised to £106,528 million for revenue and £260 million for capital.

For 2020-21 as per the opening Mandate, the total revenue resource limit is £129,681 million, including funding for pensions revaluation, and the total capital resource limit is £305 million. This is the budget that was in effect on 1 January 2021. These figures do not include additional COVID-19 support funding recently negotiated with HM Treasury through the Supplementary Estimates process and the Mandate will be revised in due course to reflect the final position.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has received (a) advice and (b) guidance on what constitutes exceptional circumstances for the purpose of considering recommendations by the Prison Service Pay Review Body; and if he will make a statement.

Answered by Lucy Frazer - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The 20/21 PSPRB report was received on 5 June 2020 and included a recommendation, recommendation 3, to uplift the pay of Band 3 prison staff on modernised terms and conditions by £3,000. This recommendation was ultimately not accepted by the government, on the basis of the exceptional costs associated with implementing the recommendation, the impact on the overall prison service pay structure, and the changing labour market conditions due to the exceptional economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The decision regarding this recommendation was announced on 10 December 2020 (https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2020-12-10/hcws638).

Ahead of the decision regarding this recommendation, extensive work was undertaken by the Ministry of Justice together with HM Treasury to understand the costs and impacts of it. This included considering whether any workforce reforms could be delivered alongside the recommendation which would create efficiencies and savings, and therefore deliver value for money by offsetting some of the cost of the recommendation. This was undertaken with a view to possible discussions with recognised trade unions, should an option for affordable delivery of the recommendation, which could offer value for money for taxpayers be identified. The conclusion was that sufficient savings required to offer value for money could not be achieved, meaning the recommendation remained unaffordable.

The Ministry of Justice also considered the possible impacts on recruitment, retention and morale, which in turn have an effect on prison safety and security. However, recruitment, retention and staff morale levels are all driven by a range of factors and an increase in pay alone cannot be assumed to be a fix for these issues. Furthermore, there are significant investments being made into prison safety and security, and financial pressures from elsewhere impact our ability to deliver these.

An Equalities Impact Assessment was conducted and considered in reaching the decision to reject recommendation 3. This considered the demographics of staff and how the decision to reject the recommendation would interact with eliminating unlawful discrimination and advancing quality of opportunity.

The Secretary of State’s policy is that PSPRB recommendations will only be departed from “in exceptional circumstances, one of which would be on the grounds of affordability”. Furthermore, all appropriate advice was taken by the Secretary of State for Justice as to the relevant facts and tests relevant to the decision on recommendation 3.

The decision of 10 December 2020 to ultimately reject recommendation 3 was taken by the Secretary of State. It was not subject to the Cabinet committee write round procedure but was, as is consistent with usual practice with respect to public sector pay awards, preceded by HM Treasury input.

The Department remains committed to working with the review body, within the boundaries of the pay restraint policy as set out by the Chancellor for the 2021/22 pay round, which includes targeted awards for those earning less than £24k per annum. We will also continue to work closely with recognised trade unions.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on prison safety of the decision to reject the Prison Service Pay Review Body’s recommendation 3.

Answered by Lucy Frazer - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The 20/21 PSPRB report was received on 5 June 2020 and included a recommendation, recommendation 3, to uplift the pay of Band 3 prison staff on modernised terms and conditions by £3,000. This recommendation was ultimately not accepted by the government, on the basis of the exceptional costs associated with implementing the recommendation, the impact on the overall prison service pay structure, and the changing labour market conditions due to the exceptional economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The decision regarding this recommendation was announced on 10 December 2020 (https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2020-12-10/hcws638).

Ahead of the decision regarding this recommendation, extensive work was undertaken by the Ministry of Justice together with HM Treasury to understand the costs and impacts of it. This included considering whether any workforce reforms could be delivered alongside the recommendation which would create efficiencies and savings, and therefore deliver value for money by offsetting some of the cost of the recommendation. This was undertaken with a view to possible discussions with recognised trade unions, should an option for affordable delivery of the recommendation, which could offer value for money for taxpayers be identified. The conclusion was that sufficient savings required to offer value for money could not be achieved, meaning the recommendation remained unaffordable.

The Ministry of Justice also considered the possible impacts on recruitment, retention and morale, which in turn have an effect on prison safety and security. However, recruitment, retention and staff morale levels are all driven by a range of factors and an increase in pay alone cannot be assumed to be a fix for these issues. Furthermore, there are significant investments being made into prison safety and security, and financial pressures from elsewhere impact our ability to deliver these.

An Equalities Impact Assessment was conducted and considered in reaching the decision to reject recommendation 3. This considered the demographics of staff and how the decision to reject the recommendation would interact with eliminating unlawful discrimination and advancing quality of opportunity.

The Secretary of State’s policy is that PSPRB recommendations will only be departed from “in exceptional circumstances, one of which would be on the grounds of affordability”. Furthermore, all appropriate advice was taken by the Secretary of State for Justice as to the relevant facts and tests relevant to the decision on recommendation 3.

The decision of 10 December 2020 to ultimately reject recommendation 3 was taken by the Secretary of State. It was not subject to the Cabinet committee write round procedure but was, as is consistent with usual practice with respect to public sector pay awards, preceded by HM Treasury input.

The Department remains committed to working with the review body, within the boundaries of the pay restraint policy as set out by the Chancellor for the 2021/22 pay round, which includes targeted awards for those earning less than £24k per annum. We will also continue to work closely with recognised trade unions.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what equality impact assessment his Department has undertaken on the decision to reject the Prison Service Pay Review Body’s recommendation 3.

Answered by Lucy Frazer - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The 20/21 PSPRB report was received on 5 June 2020 and included a recommendation, recommendation 3, to uplift the pay of Band 3 prison staff on modernised terms and conditions by £3,000. This recommendation was ultimately not accepted by the government, on the basis of the exceptional costs associated with implementing the recommendation, the impact on the overall prison service pay structure, and the changing labour market conditions due to the exceptional economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The decision regarding this recommendation was announced on 10 December 2020 (https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2020-12-10/hcws638).

Ahead of the decision regarding this recommendation, extensive work was undertaken by the Ministry of Justice together with HM Treasury to understand the costs and impacts of it. This included considering whether any workforce reforms could be delivered alongside the recommendation which would create efficiencies and savings, and therefore deliver value for money by offsetting some of the cost of the recommendation. This was undertaken with a view to possible discussions with recognised trade unions, should an option for affordable delivery of the recommendation, which could offer value for money for taxpayers be identified. The conclusion was that sufficient savings required to offer value for money could not be achieved, meaning the recommendation remained unaffordable.

The Ministry of Justice also considered the possible impacts on recruitment, retention and morale, which in turn have an effect on prison safety and security. However, recruitment, retention and staff morale levels are all driven by a range of factors and an increase in pay alone cannot be assumed to be a fix for these issues. Furthermore, there are significant investments being made into prison safety and security, and financial pressures from elsewhere impact our ability to deliver these.

An Equalities Impact Assessment was conducted and considered in reaching the decision to reject recommendation 3. This considered the demographics of staff and how the decision to reject the recommendation would interact with eliminating unlawful discrimination and advancing quality of opportunity.

The Secretary of State’s policy is that PSPRB recommendations will only be departed from “in exceptional circumstances, one of which would be on the grounds of affordability”. Furthermore, all appropriate advice was taken by the Secretary of State for Justice as to the relevant facts and tests relevant to the decision on recommendation 3.

The decision of 10 December 2020 to ultimately reject recommendation 3 was taken by the Secretary of State. It was not subject to the Cabinet committee write round procedure but was, as is consistent with usual practice with respect to public sector pay awards, preceded by HM Treasury input.

The Department remains committed to working with the review body, within the boundaries of the pay restraint policy as set out by the Chancellor for the 2021/22 pay round, which includes targeted awards for those earning less than £24k per annum. We will also continue to work closely with recognised trade unions.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the decision to reject the Prison Service Pay Review Body’s recommendation 3.

Answered by Lucy Frazer - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The 20/21 PSPRB report was received on 5 June 2020 and included a recommendation, recommendation 3, to uplift the pay of Band 3 prison staff on modernised terms and conditions by £3,000. This recommendation was ultimately not accepted by the government, on the basis of the exceptional costs associated with implementing the recommendation, the impact on the overall prison service pay structure, and the changing labour market conditions due to the exceptional economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The decision regarding this recommendation was announced on 10 December 2020 (https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2020-12-10/hcws638).

Ahead of the decision regarding this recommendation, extensive work was undertaken by the Ministry of Justice together with HM Treasury to understand the costs and impacts of it. This included considering whether any workforce reforms could be delivered alongside the recommendation which would create efficiencies and savings, and therefore deliver value for money by offsetting some of the cost of the recommendation. This was undertaken with a view to possible discussions with recognised trade unions, should an option for affordable delivery of the recommendation, which could offer value for money for taxpayers be identified. The conclusion was that sufficient savings required to offer value for money could not be achieved, meaning the recommendation remained unaffordable.

The Ministry of Justice also considered the possible impacts on recruitment, retention and morale, which in turn have an effect on prison safety and security. However, recruitment, retention and staff morale levels are all driven by a range of factors and an increase in pay alone cannot be assumed to be a fix for these issues. Furthermore, there are significant investments being made into prison safety and security, and financial pressures from elsewhere impact our ability to deliver these.

An Equalities Impact Assessment was conducted and considered in reaching the decision to reject recommendation 3. This considered the demographics of staff and how the decision to reject the recommendation would interact with eliminating unlawful discrimination and advancing quality of opportunity.

The Secretary of State’s policy is that PSPRB recommendations will only be departed from “in exceptional circumstances, one of which would be on the grounds of affordability”. Furthermore, all appropriate advice was taken by the Secretary of State for Justice as to the relevant facts and tests relevant to the decision on recommendation 3.

The decision of 10 December 2020 to ultimately reject recommendation 3 was taken by the Secretary of State. It was not subject to the Cabinet committee write round procedure but was, as is consistent with usual practice with respect to public sector pay awards, preceded by HM Treasury input.

The Department remains committed to working with the review body, within the boundaries of the pay restraint policy as set out by the Chancellor for the 2021/22 pay round, which includes targeted awards for those earning less than £24k per annum. We will also continue to work closely with recognised trade unions.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what financial analysis his Department undertook prior to the decision to reject the Prison Service Pay Review Body’s recommendation 3.

Answered by Lucy Frazer - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The 20/21 PSPRB report was received on 5 June 2020 and included a recommendation, recommendation 3, to uplift the pay of Band 3 prison staff on modernised terms and conditions by £3,000. This recommendation was ultimately not accepted by the government, on the basis of the exceptional costs associated with implementing the recommendation, the impact on the overall prison service pay structure, and the changing labour market conditions due to the exceptional economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The decision regarding this recommendation was announced on 10 December 2020 (https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2020-12-10/hcws638).

Ahead of the decision regarding this recommendation, extensive work was undertaken by the Ministry of Justice together with HM Treasury to understand the costs and impacts of it. This included considering whether any workforce reforms could be delivered alongside the recommendation which would create efficiencies and savings, and therefore deliver value for money by offsetting some of the cost of the recommendation. This was undertaken with a view to possible discussions with recognised trade unions, should an option for affordable delivery of the recommendation, which could offer value for money for taxpayers be identified. The conclusion was that sufficient savings required to offer value for money could not be achieved, meaning the recommendation remained unaffordable.

The Ministry of Justice also considered the possible impacts on recruitment, retention and morale, which in turn have an effect on prison safety and security. However, recruitment, retention and staff morale levels are all driven by a range of factors and an increase in pay alone cannot be assumed to be a fix for these issues. Furthermore, there are significant investments being made into prison safety and security, and financial pressures from elsewhere impact our ability to deliver these.

An Equalities Impact Assessment was conducted and considered in reaching the decision to reject recommendation 3. This considered the demographics of staff and how the decision to reject the recommendation would interact with eliminating unlawful discrimination and advancing quality of opportunity.

The Secretary of State’s policy is that PSPRB recommendations will only be departed from “in exceptional circumstances, one of which would be on the grounds of affordability”. Furthermore, all appropriate advice was taken by the Secretary of State for Justice as to the relevant facts and tests relevant to the decision on recommendation 3.

The decision of 10 December 2020 to ultimately reject recommendation 3 was taken by the Secretary of State. It was not subject to the Cabinet committee write round procedure but was, as is consistent with usual practice with respect to public sector pay awards, preceded by HM Treasury input.

The Department remains committed to working with the review body, within the boundaries of the pay restraint policy as set out by the Chancellor for the 2021/22 pay round, which includes targeted awards for those earning less than £24k per annum. We will also continue to work closely with recognised trade unions.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what (a) policies and (b) grant and funding programmes his Department has introduced to provide support to individuals and organisations in response to the covid-19 outbreak; and what funding has been allocated to each of those programmes in the 2020-21 financial year.

Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

As part of the 2020 Spending Review, HM Treasury announced that for 2020-21 agreed funding includes; £52 billion for frontline health services to tackle the pandemic including £22 billion for the Test and Trace programme; over £15 billion for the procurement of personal protective equipment; and £2.7 billion to support the development and procurement of vaccines. This also included £3 billion for a package of additional capacity initiatives to support the National Health Service through the winter, including keeping the Nightingale hospitals capacity available, accessing increased capacity from independent sector providers and supporting increased safe discharge of patients from NHS hospitals.

Additionally, we have implemented a temporary NHS finance regime for the first half of the year that ensured every penny spent in NHS systems was fully reimbursed and provided approximately £2.7 billion extra funding to cover the second half of this financial year, to support NHS organisations to manage ongoing COVID-19 pressures and resume routine activity. We have provided up to £1.46 billion for infection control and other grants, funding predominantly given to local authorities to help cover the costs of implementing measures to reduce transmission. This was first introduced in May 2020 and was then extended to March 2021.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much Official Development Assistance his Department was allocated in the financial years (a) 2019-20 and (b) 2020-21; and what estimate his Department has made of the amount of Official Development Assistance his Department will be allocated for the financial year 2021-22.

Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

HM Treasury has published departmental allocations of Official Development Assistance (ODA) for 2019-20, here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-aid-tackling-global-challenges-in-the-national-interest/official-development-assistance-oda-allocation-by-department. This table confirms Defra’s ODA allocation for financial year 2019/20 was £81m.

Outturn information of 2019 calendar year ODA spend are available in the Statistics of International Development publication: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-on-international-development.

The Government has committed to publishing departmental allocations of ODA for 2020/21 in due course. Outturn information of 2020 calendar year ODA spend will be published later this year, as normal, in the Statistics of International Development publication: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-on-international-development.

The Foreign Secretary recently published departmental ODA allocations for 2021-22, including HM Treasury’s allocation, in a Written Ministerial Statement available online here: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2021-01-26/hcws735. This statement confirms Defra’s £92m ODA allocation for financial year 2021/22.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on cutting VAT on the repair and maintenance of listed buildings.

Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Assistant Whip

My officials are in contact with Her Majesty's Treasury regarding cutting VAT to repairs and maintenance to Listed Buildings. I understand that many in the heritage sector regard the current system as a negative incentive to demolish existing buildings entirely and start again. As with all tax matters, this is something which HMT keeps under regular review. My officials and I will continue to engage with the heritage sector to build a robust evidence base and develop targeted interventions that might benefit listed buildings in this space.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the potential merits for (a) the heritage sector, (b) the Welsh economy and (c) rural jobs of lifting the cap on Sideways Loss Relief for heritage attractions for the 2020-21 financial year.

Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Assistant Whip

The UK’s heritage assets are important to tourism and are internationally admired, but any change in the current Sideways Loss Relief system, such as an increase in the cap to £100,000, must be thoroughly considered and protected against abuse.

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has been working hard to support our sectors through this period of uncertainty, including the heritage sector. DCMS will continue to explore this proposal with HMT as we move forward into future fiscal events.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the potential merits for (a) the heritage sector, (b) the Welsh economy and (c) rural jobs of lifting the cap on Sideways Loss Relief for heritage attractions for the 2020-21 financial year.

Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Assistant Whip

The UK’s heritage assets are important to tourism and are internationally admired, but any change in the current Sideways Loss Relief system, such as an increase in the cap to £100,000, must be thoroughly considered and protected against abuse.

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has been working hard to support our sectors through this period of uncertainty, including the heritage sector. DCMS will continue to explore this proposal with HMT as we move forward into future fiscal events.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the findings of the Jack Petchey report entitled, Shaping our Future - The Covid-19 Youth Survey.

Answered by John Whittingdale - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)

The Secretary of State has not had any discussions with Cabinet Colleagues on the findings of the Jack Petchey report, Shaping our Future - The Covid-19 Youth Survey.

The Government recognises the significant impact of Covid-19 on young people and the important role of youth services in supporting them. We have supported the development of specific Covid-19 guidance for the youth sector, which has helped tens of thousands of organisations feel confident in safely delivering vital services to young people.

We also recognise that young people have an important role to play in the nation’s recovery from the pandemic. Since the beginning of March, Government ministers have continued to engage directly with young people, through our youth engagement programme, on the impacts of Covid-19, from employment support to mental health and loneliness.

We are also engaging with young people as part of DCMS’ Youth Review, announced by HM Treasury as part of the 2020 Spending Review. Their views will help to set a clear direction for the out-of-school youth agenda.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the findings of the Jack Petchey report entitled, Shaping our Future - The Covid-19 Youth Survey.

Answered by John Whittingdale - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)

The Secretary of State has not had any discussions with Cabinet Colleagues on the findings of the Jack Petchey report, Shaping our Future - The Covid-19 Youth Survey.

The Government recognises the significant impact of Covid-19 on young people and the important role of youth services in supporting them. We have supported the development of specific Covid-19 guidance for the youth sector, which has helped tens of thousands of organisations feel confident in safely delivering vital services to young people.

We also recognise that young people have an important role to play in the nation’s recovery from the pandemic. Since the beginning of March, Government ministers have continued to engage directly with young people, through our youth engagement programme, on the impacts of Covid-19, from employment support to mental health and loneliness.

We are also engaging with young people as part of DCMS’ Youth Review, announced by HM Treasury as part of the 2020 Spending Review. Their views will help to set a clear direction for the out-of-school youth agenda.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies on improving the natural environment of the findings of the Final Report, The Economics of Biodiversity: The Dasgupta Review, published by HMT on 2 February 2021.

Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government thanks Professor Dasgupta for his independent Review on the Economics of Biodiversity, and its considerable contribution to the important issue of global biodiversity loss. Protecting and enhancing our natural assets, and the biodiversity that underpins them, is crucial to achieving a sustainable, resilient economy. The Government will draw on the strong intellectual basis provided by the Review to drive the ambitious change and investment needed to protect and enhance the natural environment.

The UK Government has recently taken numerous actions to address biodiversity loss including: announcing support for a global target to protect 30% of the world’s land and ocean by 2030; committing to protect 30% of the UK’s land by 2030; committing to invest at least £3 billion over five years in climate change solutions that protect and restore nature and biodiversity; launching the £640 million Nature for Climate Fund to plant more than 40 million trees and restore 35,000 hectares of peatland in England; legislating to prevent illegal deforestation in the supply chains of large UK companies; pioneering the Leaders Pledge for Nature, which has now been signed by 82 countries; and strengthening Government guidelines for policy appraisal to ensure environmental impacts are taken into account.

The Government will examine the Review’s findings closely and respond formally in due course on the ways in which the government intends to draw and build on the Review, both domestically and internationally.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how much of the £120 million budget for Festival UK 2022 he plans to allocate to (a) Scotland, (b) the Queen's Platinum celebrations, (c) the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and (d) Coventry City of Culture.

Answered by Caroline Dinenage - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)

£120 million has been announced for Festival UK 2022. There are Barnett allocations to Scotland and the other home nations from the £120 million budget, which is administered by HM Treasury. None of this funding has been allocated to The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations, the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, or Coventry City of Culture.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what fee changes she plans to propose for British Citizenship applications in the 2021-22 financial year.

Answered by Kevin Foster - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

We keep our fees for immigration and nationality applications under review and ensure they are within the parameters agreed with HM Treasury and Parliament, as set out in Section 68 (9) of the Immigration Act 2014.

Child citizenship registration fees are the subject of current litigation. While the court case is ongoing it would not be appropriate to comment on next steps.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what NHS facilities in the Durham county council area are under PFI contracts; and what the (a)(i) start and (ii) end date is and (b) other terms and conditions are of those contracts.

Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

HM Treasury and the Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA) publish a joint dataset listing all active Private Finance Initiative (PFI) projects, including those held by the National Health Service. This data includes the dates when each PFI contract was signed and began operations, the length of the contract and annual Unitary Charge payments.

NHS PFI contracts are held directly by individuals NHS trusts and foundation trusts, not the Department. The latest HM Treasury/IPA data on PFI contracts was published in May 2019 and is available on GOV.UK at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/private-finance-initiative-and-private-finance-2-projects-2018-summary-data

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assesment has been made of funding and creating extra capacity in (1) NHS, (2) private, and (3) other laboratories, before 31 March 2021.

Answered by Lord Bethell - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

HM Treasury approved £22 billion of spending this year for the NHS Test and Trace programme. This covers testing to meet demand over the winter. We are providing an additional £7 billion for NHS Test and Trace to support increased testing, including community testing and ongoing improvements to contact tracing. Eighty per cent of this will be directly spent on laboratories, tests and testing kits.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to improve flood defences in West Yorkshire.

Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Starting in April 2021, the Government will invest a record £5.2 billion in a six-year capital investment programme for flood defences. This investment will deliver around 2,000 flood schemes, benefiting every region of the country, and will better protect 336,000 properties from flooding.

In July 2020 we committed funding of up to £170 million to accelerate work on shovel-ready flood defence schemes that will begin construction before the end 2021/2022. This funding will provide an immediate boost to jobs supporting the local economy as communities recover from the impact of coronavirus. The Hebden Bridge Flood Alleviation Scheme has been awarded £12 million to contribute to this ambitious plan by better protecting approximately 4500 jobs and 1000 businesses.

In Leeds, the Government will provide up to £21 million for the Leeds Phase 2 Flood Alleviation Scheme which will protect more than 370 businesses and 3.300 jobs. This is subject to a satisfactory business case approved by Defra and HMT. The Government will also provide £1,320,000 for the Leeds Natural Flood Management Scheme. This brings the Government's total investment in Leeds to more than £100 million to help prevent a repeat of the 2015 Boxing Day floods.

Since 2015/16, there has been £158 million of investment in West Yorkshire better protecting homes, business and critical infrastructure against flooding. This includes areas in West Yorkshire that have suffered severe flooding in recent years, such as Mytholmroyd on the River Calder, where over 400 homes have been better protected, and Leeds on the River Aire, where over 3,000 homes and 500 businesses have been better protected. This investment has been made up of £107 million government funding and £51 million of other external contributions.

For the next 6 years, there is planned investment of £255 million. This is made up of £146 million government funding with £109 million of external contributions required. Some of this additional funding has already been secured or identified and the Environment Agency will continue to work with partners to secure the remaining funding. This programme aims to better protect almost 7,000 more homes across West Yorkshire and deliver wider economic benefits of over £2.5 billion.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many meetings his Department has held with HM Treasury regarding funding for zoo licence holders in 2021.

Answered by Victoria Prentis - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

We have ongoing communication with HM Treasury about the funding being provided for zoo licence holders.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to financially support local authorities in repairing substandard bridges to their full carrying capacity within the next five years.

Answered by Rachel Maclean - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department will allocate over £1.1 billion capital funding for local highways maintenance, including bridge repair, to local highway authorities in England, outside London, during 2021/21. The Department will work with HM Treasury on a multi-year settlement for areas, including local highways maintenance, at the next Comprehensive Spending Review.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to increase the level of financial support available for hospices to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Answered by Lord Bethell - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

We have provided over £150million in additional funding to the hospice sector to date during the pandemic and have made up to £200 million available to the sector for additional capacity between April and July, and we continue to work closely with hospices to support their essential work. alongside this, hospices have benefited from the financial support offered by HM Treasury to all charities, such as paying no business rates for their shops next year and applying for a Business Interruption Loan. Charities, alongside other sectors, can also access the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and the replacement Job Support Scheme and charity shops, which are already eligible for 80% charitable rate relief, will benefit from the new enhanced retail rate relief at 100%. We continue to keep the financial impact of COVID-19 on hospices under review.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bethell on 22 January (HL12047), what steps they are taking to improve the collection of data in relation to the level of (1) extreme anxiety, (2) self-harm, and (3) suicide, amongst young and adolescent boys.

Answered by Lord Bethell - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

We are working with NHS Digital, mental health providers and partner organisations to improve the collection of data in the mental health services data set on people referred to secondary mental health services for anxiety and those who self-harm whilst an inpatient. We also fund the Multicentre for Self-Harm to provide representative and reliable data on self-harm in England.

Data on suicide registrations by coroners is collected by the Office for National Statistics and there is a time lag due to the length of time it can take to hold an inquest. Public Health England is piloting a national real-time surveillance system to monitor suspected suicide, by collecting early real time data which can be used to identify patterns of risk and causal factors, to inform national and local responses. HM Treasury has announced £1.2million funding to help support the development of the national system.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the need to mitigate the effect of covid-19 quarantine measures on the (a) aviation industry and (b) regional airports.

Answered by Robert Courts - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department for Transport works closely with HM Treasury on matters related to aviation. The Secretary of State meets regularly with his Cabinet colleagues including the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in addition to the many more meetings attended by Junior Ministers or DfT Officials to discuss and achieve the goals to mitigate the effect of COVID-19.

The Government recognises the impact COVID has had on the aviation sector, particularly in light of the continuing restrictions. Firms can continue to draw upon the unprecedented package of measures announced by the Chancellor, including a Bank of England scheme for firms to raise capital, the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, Time to Pay flexibilities with tax bills, financial support for employees and VAT deferrals or the new Airport and Ground Operator Support Scheme (AGOSS).

In total, we estimate the support we have committed to provide to the air transport sector (airlines, airports and related services) through the coronavirus support package, the new AGOSS scheme and through export development guarantees, will benefit the sector by around £6.5bn.

If businesses find themselves in severe and urgent financial difficulties, even following these unprecedented support measures, then we remain open to discussion about bespoke financial support, but only as a last resort. Any intervention would need to be on terms to protect the interests of taxpayers.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the challenges facing the British pig industry; and what steps the Government is taking to support pig farmers in the Torridge and West Devon constituency.

Answered by Victoria Prentis - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

I am very much aware that the pig sector is currently facing a number of challenges due to Covid-19 and global trading conditions. I will be hosting a roundtable with key industry stakeholders to discuss these challenges and will continue to work with the pig industry to address them.

The Government has made available financial assistance via a number of Covid-19 HM Treasury schemes. These can be accessed by the pig sector and we encourage companies impacted by Covid-19, including those in Torridge and West Devon, to investigate if any of these schemes are appropriate for their needs.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the timetable is for the publication of details on the Levelling Up Fund.

Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Levelling Up Fund will invest in local infrastructure that has a visible impact on people and their communities and will support economic recovery.

The Fund will be jointly managed by HM Treasury, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, and the Department for Transport.

We will publish a prospectus for the fund early this year.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the need to mitigate the effect of covid-19 quarantine measures on the aviation industry; and if he will make a statement.

Answered by Robert Courts - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Government recognises that the aviation sector has been significantly impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. Firms can continue to draw upon the unprecedented package of measures announced by the Chancellor, including a Bank of England scheme for firms to raise capital, the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, Time to Pay flexibilities with tax bills, financial support for employees and VAT deferrals.

If businesses find themselves in severe and urgent financial difficulties, even following these unprecedented support measures, then we remain open to discussion about bespoke financial support, but only as a last resort. Any intervention would need to be on terms to protect the interests of taxpayers.

The Department for Transport works closely with HM Treasury on matters related to aviation.

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what effect the 30 per cent reduction in his Department’s Official Development Assistance allocation will have on the Government’s ringfenced climate change and R&D funding commitments.

Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy) (Energy and Clean Growth)

The difficult finance situation we face due to the Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in a temporary reduction in the UK’s aid spending target from 0.7% of GNI to 0.5%.

ODA allocations for all departments were determined in light of this by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, in consultation with HM Treasury, and with regard to wider commitments including the R&D ringfence. The Government’s commitment to research and innovation is clearly demonstrated through the recently published R&D Roadmap, and the £400m uplift in R&D spending announced in the Spending Review.

The Department remains committed to supporting my Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister’s pledge to double the UK’s International Climate Finance to £11.6bn between 2021/22 and 2025/26, and we will deliver ambitious programmes to support both this commitment and the Prime Minister’s recent pledge to spend £3bn of our climate finance on nature. This significant uplift of our climate finance sets a clear benchmark for the international community towards COP26 and beyond.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Written Statement of 26 January 2021, Official Report, HCWS735, what the (a) percentage change and (b) real-terms change is in the allocation of Official Development Assistance to each Department for financial year 2021-22 compared to 2020-21.

Answered by James Cleverly - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

HM Treasury are committed to publishing the 2020-21 allocations in due course. This will provide a comparison to 2021-22 allocations as set out in the Foreign Secretary's Written Statement.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to (a) make an assessment of the effectiveness of the NHS Cancer Recovery Plan and (b) provide additional funding to improve capacity in cancer services to tackle the covid-19-outbreak-induced cancer treatment and diagnostic backlogs.

Answered by Jo Churchill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Cancer Recovery Plan aims to restore urgent referrals at least to pre-pandemic levels, to reduce the number of people waiting over 62 days from urgent referral and ensure sufficient capacity to meet demand. The latest published data for November 2020 showed urgent referrals 2% above pre-pandemic levels, the number of people waiting over 62 days 24% above pre-pandemic levels and the number of people starting a first cancer treatment within 31 days at 95% of pre-pandemic levels.

In August 2020, the National Health Service announced a £160 million initiative to extend access to ‘COVID-friendly’ cancer treatments, in October, issued £150 million in funding to expand diagnostic capacity. A further £325 million funding of diagnostics equipment was announced in November’s Spending Review and cancer patients will continue to be prioritised within the NHS and will benefit from the additional £1 billion to begin tackling the elective backlog. Departmental officials regularly engage with their counterparts at HM Treasury regarding upcoming fiscal events.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions officials of his Department have had with officials of the Treasury on ensuring that the 2021 Spring Budget includes sufficient funding for cancer (a) diagnostic and (b) treatment services to help tackle the increasing backlogs in those areas that have accrued as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.

Answered by Jo Churchill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Cancer Recovery Plan aims to restore urgent referrals at least to pre-pandemic levels, to reduce the number of people waiting over 62 days from urgent referral and ensure sufficient capacity to meet demand. The latest published data for November 2020 showed urgent referrals 2% above pre-pandemic levels, the number of people waiting over 62 days 24% above pre-pandemic levels and the number of people starting a first cancer treatment within 31 days at 95% of pre-pandemic levels.

In August 2020, the National Health Service announced a £160 million initiative to extend access to ‘COVID-friendly’ cancer treatments, in October, issued £150 million in funding to expand diagnostic capacity. A further £325 million funding of diagnostics equipment was announced in November’s Spending Review and cancer patients will continue to be prioritised within the NHS and will benefit from the additional £1 billion to begin tackling the elective backlog. Departmental officials regularly engage with their counterparts at HM Treasury regarding upcoming fiscal events.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions his Department has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on increasing funding for vocational education.

Answered by Gillian Keegan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department has regular engagement with my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and HM Treasury in respect of technical and vocational education.

The government has made major investments in technical education and announced on 31 August 2019 that it would invest an extra £400 million in 16-19 education in 2020-21. This is the largest injection of money in a single year since 2010. As part of this, the base rate of 16-19 funding increased by 4.7% in academic year 2020/21, from £4,000 to £4,188. Extra funding was been made available for more expensive and high value subjects, boosting funding for vocational areas such as construction, engineering, manufacturing and ICT.

A further £291 million was made available in the 2020 Spending Review, enabling these higher rates and additional funding elements to be maintained in 2021/22 allocations.

New T Levels will transform technical education in this country, and we announced in 2017 that these new programme would be backed by an additional £500 million of investment every year when fully rolled out, supporting the extra hours of delivery and high quality industry placements that these programmes incorporate.

We are continuing to invest in education and skills training for adults through the Adult Education Budget (AEB) (£1.34 billion in 2020/21).

My right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced £375 million for the National Skills Fund at the Spending Review in November 2020. This includes £95 million funding for a new level 3 adult offer and £43 million for Skills Bootcamps. Investment in skills through the National Skills Fund is vital, ensuring adults have the opportunity to progress into higher wage employment and to support those who need to, the opportunity to retrain at different points throughout their lives.

From April 2021, we will be supporting any adult aged 24 and over who wants to achieve their first full level 3 qualification – equivalent to two A levels, or a technical certificate or diploma – to access nearly 400 fully funded courses. Complementing the Level 3 adult offer, the Skills Bootcamps offer free, flexible courses of up to 16 weeks, giving people the opportunity to build up sector-specific skills and fast-track to an interview with a local employer. Skills Bootcamps have the potential to transform the skills landscape for adults and employers.

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@GavinBarwell I suspect the Secretary of State will step in and take the Urgent Question if the jun minister is in Wolverhampton or vice versa. Trains are 2hrs; we get more notice of UQs now under the new Speaker, which is good. The system would work up north if / when HMT move, in part, too - Tweet Link

@romisavova @pensionbee Thanks Romi. The challenge is that if HMT go ahead as planned, any new pension opened after yesterday will presumably lock in 57, so my assumption is that the warnings need to be there now. - Tweet Link

I know you agree with me @naomi_long that the establishment of the Independent Fiscal Council is long long long overdue and would help make a case to HMT. Let’s get the IFC up and running https://t.co/iZEDfaDV8Z - Tweet Link

@robertashton1 @SaveOurSwan @wallgardenshop V V Surprised to hear it. I’ll get onto it. Could you email me Robert and I’ll pick up w HMT - Tweet Link

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