Baroness Altmann

The Minister for Women and Equalities and the Minister of State for Women and Equalities both have responsibility for ensuring that older people are protected from unlawful ageism (age discrimination) by maintaining the existing strong protections in the Equality Act 2010. These protections make it unlawful for an employer, service provider or someone exercising public functions to treat a person less favourably because of age, unless this can be objectively justified.

Unlawful age discrimination is unacceptable, whether occurring in employment, the provision of services or any other context covered by the Equality Act 2010. Any differential treatment based on age must be objectively justifiable, otherwise it will rightly be unlawful.

In a workplace context the abolition of the default retirement age has helped older workers and where unlawful treatment is alleged, the employee may take their case to an employment tribunal. As a first step in any dispute, the parties may consult Acas which operates a Government-funded helpline for people with employment disputes and early conciliation by Acas is required before a claim reaches a tribunal hearing.

The Government keeps all aspects of the Equality Act 2010 under review, to ensure they remain fit for purpose.

Overall staff figures for the Office for Equality and Opportunity total 133.8 Full Time Equivalents, of which the Race Equality Unit total 6 FTE, the Disability Unit total 19.8 FTE and the Women and Equalities Unit total 36.5 FTE. This excludes any temporary time limited resource from wider Cabinet Office.

The current SAFE Framework outlines four principles to ensure brand safety in government advertising: Safety and Suitability, Ads Context, Freedom of Speech, and Ethics and Enforcement.

Within the 'Safety and Suitability' principle, the framework emphasises that government advertising must not appear alongside content that:

• Endorses or promotes illegal activity
• Encourages harmful behaviours and attitudes
• Contains hate speech, extremist, or anti-democratic messaging
• Could be perceived as offensive to protected groups in society

Protected groups are defined under the Equality Act 2010 as age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation.

The Government Equalities Office is part of the Cabinet Office for management and staffing purposes. The EDI Expenditure Guidance published in May 2024 remains in place.

Data on the specific number of working hours used for network activity is not held centrally. The majority of staff time spent on diversity staff networks is voluntary and unpaid.

The Government Equalities Office is part of the Cabinet Office for management and staffing purposes. The EDI Expenditure Guidance published in May 2024 remains in place.

Data on the specific number of working hours used for network activity is not held centrally. The majority of staff time spent on diversity staff networks is voluntary and unpaid.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology has 19 colleague-run networks, 11 of which are diversity-related. Time taken on network activities is agreed between individuals and line managers- no formal facility time is allocated. No network holds a delegated budget, and there are currently no plans to revise this approach.

UKRI has 12 network co-chairs across 8 formally supported staff networks. Co-chairs are allocated 1 day per month to carry out network related activities which includes work on organisation-led EDI priorities and reporting on network activities to governance. All 8 networks receive funding for their activities (in financial year 2023/24 this was less than £5,000). There are no plans to alter these funding arrangements.

Clubs will be required to report on what action they are taking with regard to equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) as part of the corporate governance code included within the Football Governance Bill.

EDI is a key part of good corporate governance. Good EDI on boards and in clubs promotes better governance, decision-making and transparency, all of which links to improved financial sustainability.

The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) is responsible for collecting and publishing data on the UK’s higher education (HE) sector and specifies which data HE providers should collect from students. All HE providers with a statutory requirement to report data to HESA are asked to return data on students’ sex. HE providers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are asked to return data on students’ gender identity (whether their gender identity aligns with their sex registered at birth), and providers in Scotland may optionally return data on students’ transgender status.

Certain HE providers in England, which are registered with the Office for Students, are required to provide data on the number of applications, offers, acceptances and completion rates by gender, under an ongoing condition of registration in respect of transparency information.

HE providers are required under the Equality Act 2010 to eliminate unlawful discrimination and harassment, but also to actively advance equality. This may include collecting relevant data to monitor and improve their policies and delivery of services.

All HE providers must adhere to data protection legislation when processing students’ personal data, ensuring that it is collected and processed lawfully, fairly, and transparently, and are required to publish privacy notices setting out what types of personal data they collect and how they will process it.

The delivery of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Staff Network activity is agreed between networks and departments as the employer. This includes permitted time allocation and any funding arrangements. The majority of staff time spent on diversity staff networks is voluntary and unpaid.

Defra does not afford any protected time to network leads or co-chairs or anyone involved in network activity.

Time allocation

The Department for Transport Core (DfTc) and the Driver and Vehicle Licencing Agency (DVLA) do not allocate a specified amount of time for staff to spend on diversity-related network activities. Civil Service guidance for diversity-related networks requires that time being spent on EDI activities by volunteers, where it is not part of an individual’s core role, is appropriate, reasonable and proportionate.

Funding

At present none of the networks within Department for Transport Core (DfTc) and the Driver and Vehicle Licencing Agency (DVLA) are funded. We are currently reviewing our staff networks and any future funding will align with the guidance on EDI Expenditure published on 14th May 2024.

We remain committed to meeting the Chancellor’s commitment to bringing together the administration of Pension Credit and pensioner Housing Benefit. We are seeking to do this in a way that best meets the needs of current and future pensioners.

The Department is working closely with local authorities and undertaking detailed policy exploration to ensure that the best approach is identified.

Alongside this work, we are improving our use of established data streams to target new pensioner Housing Benefit customers to ensure that they are prompted to claim and receive any Pension Credit to which they are entitled. As part of this initiative, we have successfully sent out 1,000 letters to citizens, encouraging them to make a claim for Pension Credit.

For the 2024/25 financial year to date (1 April 2024 to 31 January 2025) the average processing time for Attendance Allowance is 19 working days (with Monday to Friday being defined as working days). There is a quick application process for people who have been diagnosed with a terminal illness and aren't expected to live more than 12 months. These claims are fast tracked.

Attendance Allowance is currently undergoing a significant modernisation reform through the piloting of an on-line digital claim process as a part of the department’s wider Service Modernisation plans.

Please note, the Average Actual Clearance Time figures shown is unpublished management information, collected and intended for internal departmental use and has not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard. It is rounded to the nearest working day.

Employers are responsible for choosing a workplace pension scheme for their qualifying employees under the automatic enrolment framework.

The Pensions Regulator provides guidance for employers about how to comply with their automatic enrolment duties, including the information they must share with eligible employees.

From October 2022, new requirements were introduced for schemes used for automatic enrolment to provide a simpler annual benefit statement. The Department continues to work with the Financial Conduct Authority and The Pensions Regulator to ensure compliance. Additionally, the Department plans to monitor/review the regulations within 5 years of being introduced as per the regulations (Occupational and Personal Pension Schemes (Disclosure of Information) (Statements of Benefits: Money Purchase Benefits) (Amendment) Regulations 2021)).

The Department publishes annual official statistics on workplace pension participation and saving trends. This provides estimates on the total amount saved into workplace pensions for those eligible for Automatic Enrolment, which was over £131bn in 2023. The table below holds the estimates of the total amount saved over the last 5 years, in 2023 earnings terms, which are also found in the official statistics noted above. As requested, the breakdowns by DB and DC schemes and other/unknown are also shown.

Notes: Estimates of amounts saved into workplace pensions are derived from ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) data. The saving attributed to ‘other/unknown’ is a result of respondents answering ‘unknown’ or failing to answer when asking what their workplace pension scheme type was, despite reporting a positive value of pension saving.

From October 2022, new requirements were introduced for schemes used for automatic enrolment to provide a simpler annual benefit statement. The Department continues to work with the Financial Conduct Authority and The Pensions Regulator to ensure compliance. Additionally, the Department plans to monitor/review the regulations within 5 years of being introduced as per the regulations (Occupational and Personal Pension Schemes (Disclosure of Information) (Statements of Benefits: Money Purchase Benefits) (Amendment) Regulations 2021)).

The Department publishes annual official statistics on workplace pension participation and saving trends. This provides estimates on the total amount saved into workplace pensions for those eligible for Automatic Enrolment, which was over £131bn in 2023. The table below holds the estimates of the total amount saved over the last 5 years, in 2023 earnings terms, which are also found in the official statistics noted above. As requested, the breakdowns by DB and DC schemes and other/unknown are also shown.

Notes: Estimates of amounts saved into workplace pensions are derived from ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) data. The saving attributed to ‘other/unknown’ is a result of respondents answering ‘unknown’ or failing to answer when asking what their workplace pension scheme type was, despite reporting a positive value of pension saving.

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is responsible for blood services in England. NHSBT Logistics plays a key role in planning for, collecting, and delivering lifesaving and life changing donated blood products to hospitals across England. However, NHS England owns and manages the contract with Octapharma to fractionate and produce medicines, including immunoglobulin and albumin. These medicines have been approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to reflect the priorities of the National Health Service.

No blood is discarded by NHSBT due to MHRA authorisations. If there are any discarded fractions by Octapharma, NHSBT does not hold this information. All of the plasma that meets the requirements for use in medicines is forwarded to Octapharma for fractionation, and the specific manufacturing arrangements are subject to commercial confidentiality.

We remain committed to rolling out Fracture Liaison Services (FLS) across every part of the country by 2030. That is what my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care promised before the election, and what he is delivering.

In the meantime, we are investing in 14 high-tech bone density DEXA scanners, which are expected to provide an extra 29,000 scans, to ensure that people with bone conditions get diagnosed earlier

FLS are a globally recognised care model and can reduce the risk of refracture for people at risk of osteoporosis by up to 40%. They can play a vital role in improving quality of life and increasing the number of years that can be lived in good health.

The Government and NHS England support the clinical case for services which help to prevent fragility fractures and support the patients who sustain them. Officials continue to work closely with NHS England to explore a range of options to provide better quality and access to these important preventative services. Impacts will be assessed, as these options are considered, taking into consideration the evidence gathered from the 60 services already in operation in England.

The Government is committed to expanding access to Fracture Liaison Services. The Department is working closely with NHS England to develop rollout plans to ensure better quality and access to these important preventative services, to fill the current gaps in coverage.

More than 500,000 fragility fractures occur every year, and up to 40% of fracture patients will suffer another fracture.

This Government and NHS England support the clinical case for services which help to prevent fragility fractures and support the patients who sustain them. That is why this Government is committed to the expansion of Fracture Liaison Services and is working closely with NHS England to develop rollout plans to end the postcode lottery.

The FCDO's flag flying policy is that all our buildings should fly the Union flag, as appropriate, throughout the year on working days during office hours. In addition, the FCDO continues to fly the Ukrainian flag from the secondary flagpole at King Charles Street. Any other flags flown on the estate are considered on a case-by-case basis and must have a compelling reason for inclusion. The FCDO does not advertise in advance which additional flags it will be flying and when.

Following the independent review by Catherine Colonna the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) set out an action plan with detailed management reforms including stronger independent oversight, better detection systems, improved screening procedures, mandatory training for staff on humanitarian principles and more proactive donor engagement. As a result, we are assured that UNRWA is taking action to ensure it meets the highest standards of neutrality.

£1 million of the UK's £21 million support to UNRWA this financial year will support implementation of these reforms. The FCDO will also continue to conduct its own annual assessment of UK funding to UNRWA.

When the Foreign Secretary announced the resumption of funding on 19 July 2024, he said that UNRWA has taken serious action in response to the appalling allegations that UNRWA staff were involved in the 7 October attack against Israel. The government is confident that UNRWA is taking action to ensure it meets the highest standards of neutrality and is strengthening its procedures. £1 million of the £21 million of new UK funding will be earmarked to support UNRWA implement the management reforms recommended by the Colonna review. Together with other donors, we will continue to monitor UNRWA's progress on implementation of its action plan. The FCDO will also continue to conduct our own annual assessment of UK funding to UNRWA.

The Government consults primary dealers and gilt investors regularly to understand their needs, taking that feedback into account when designing the gilt financing programme. The gilt market is deep and liquid and enjoys strong demand from a well-diversified investor base.

Issuing new types of gilts risks fragmenting the market, which would not be consistent with the government’s debt management objective to minimise the long-term cost of financing. Long-dated and index-linked gilts are already very effective assets for defined benefit pension funds and insurers and allow them to hedge long-term liabilities. This is reflected by the high levels of demand for these products from those sectors.

The government keeps the introduction of new debt instruments under regular review. Any new instrument would need to meet value-for-money criteria, enjoy strong and sustained demand in the long term, and be consistent with wider fiscal objectives.

The volume of government gilt issuance is determined by the Office for Budget Responsibility forecast for cash borrowing, adjusted for redeeming gilts, any unanticipated under/over-financing in the previous financial year, and financing via other sources (such as National Savings & Investments).

Underlying demand for the UK’s debt remains robust, with a well-diversified investor base and the Debt Management Office’s gilt sales operations continue to see strong demand.

Insurance companies have fewer incentives to invest in gilts than Defined Benefit schemes, so insurance buyouts are expected to reduce demand from the sector over the longer term. This is well understood by the market. Gilts continue to offer benefits to insurance companies, though, and there are limits to the pace at which insurers can buy out pension funds.

Historically, we have seen changes in demand patterns from across the investor base. Overall demand has however remained resilient throughout these periods of changing investor patterns as a result of our policy of supporting a strong and diversified market. More generally, gilt yields are determined by a wide range of both domestic and international factors.

The Government consults primary dealers and gilt investors regularly to understand their needs, taking that feedback into account when designing the gilt financing programme. The gilt market is deep and liquid and enjoys strong demand from a well-diversified investor base.

Historically, we have seen changes in demand patterns from across the investor base. Overall demand has however remained resilient throughout these periods of changing investor patterns as a result of our policy of supporting a strong and diversified market.

In carrying out quantitative tightening, the Bank of England is liaising with the Debt Management Office to ensure that its gilt sales minimise disruption to market functioning.

The Mansion House Accord is an industry-led agreement and information about the assets in scope is available on the websites of Pensions UK (formerly the PLSA) and the Association of British Insurers (ABI).

The Long-Term Asset Fund (LTAF) was introduced by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The structure was designed to fulfil the need for investment products that can provide funding for long-term projects, such as venture capital, private equity and debt, real estate and infrastructure while offering investors the potential for higher returns in exchange for limited liquidity.

Pension schemes are subject to liquidity requirements as set out in law and in Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) rules and are subject to the oversight of the FCA and The Pensions Regulator (TPR).

The government keeps the availability and cost of start-up and scale-up capital under close review. The government is taking action to ensure that UK businesses can access the capital they need to grow, and that the financial system supports innovation and economic growth.

The Chancellor’s remit letters put the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority firmly at the heart of the Growth Mission, challenging them to go further to support growth and competitiveness. The letters made clear that there is an opportunity for more responsible and informed risk taking across the economy, and the government will support the regulators to enable this, including by facilitating innovation across the financial services sector.

Similarly, following a request in the Chancellor’s November 2024 remit letter to the Bank of England’s Financial Policy Committee, the BoE is working with HM Treasury and other authorities to assess how the financial system can better support sustainable economic growth, including by improving access to finance for high-potential small and medium-sized enterprises and for long-term investment.

The British Business Bank plays a key role in supporting start-ups and scale-ups, working with over 200 delivery partners (including banks and venture capital firms) to channel funding to SMEs that might otherwise struggle to access finance. Following the June Spending Review, the Bank’s financial capacity has increased to £25.6 billion, including the new £4 billion Industrial Strategy Growth Capital initiative, which will help address the scale-up financing gap for priority sectors.

The government is also working with private sector investors to enable more institutional investment into productive UK assets. This includes initiatives like the Pensions Investment Review and the Mansion House Accord. The British Business Bank is also supporting this effort through programmes such as the British Growth Partnership. Together, these actions will help address funding gaps in the market, including the availability and cost of start-up and scale-up capital.

This Government will always take threats to the UK incredibly seriously. On 4 March, the Government announced a concerted package of measures to counter the threat from the Iranian Intelligence Services. This includes our decision to specify Iran on the Enhanced Tier of the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme (FIRS), which will require individuals and organisations directed by Iran to conduct activity in the UK to register with the Home Office. Failure to do so will be a criminal offence.

Peaceful protest is a vital part of our democratic society. However, the right to peacefully protest does not extend to behaviour that is violent or causes harassment, alarm or distress to others. Should a protest contravene the law, the police have the powers to respond.

The Metropolitan Police Service had a significant policing plan in place – including conditions under sections 12 and 14 of the Public Order Act – during the Al Quds Day march on 23 March. The use of these powers and the management of demonstrations are an operational matter for the police, and Government Ministers are unable to intervene in individual cases or in operational decisions.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) recognises a comprehensive range of diversity networks which are listed below.

In addition, the MOD recognises five main Trade Unions, (Prospect, PCS, FDA, GMB and Unite). The MOD’s Trade Unions have Diversity and Inclusion networks aimed at supporting their members however the MOD does not recognise nor engage directly with those networks.

Race Networks

• MOD Race Network
• Army Multicultural Network
• RAF Ethnic Minorities Network
• Royal Navy Commonwealth Network
• MDP REACH (Race, Ethnicity and Cultural Heritage) Network
• MOD Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic (BAME) Women’s network
• Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) Race Network
• Defence Fiji Support Network
• Defence African and Caribbean Network
• Royal Navy Race Diversity Network
• Armed Forces Hong Kong Network
• DE&S Race and Culture Network

Disability and Carers Networks

• MOD Defence Disability and Carers Network (DDCN)
• Chronic Conditions and Disabilities in Defence (CanDiD) Tri-Service Network
• Defence Epilepsy Network
• Defence Dyslexia Network
• Defence Stammering Network
• Defence Visual Network
• DE&S Disability Network
• MOD Neuro-Inclusivity Network
• DE&S Fibromyalgia and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (FME) Network
• DE&S Cancer Network
• DIO Disability Network
• London Disability Network
• Defence Medical Services Disability Network
• Royal Navy Infinite Network
• Royal Navy Enabled Network
• Defence Hearing and Visions Network
• RAF Disability & Carers Network
• MDP Disability & Wellbeing Network – DAWN
• MOD Fibromyalgia and ME Network
• Defence Digital Accessibility Network
• UKStratCom Disability Network

Gender Networks

• MOD Women’s Inclusive Network
• MOD Gender Network
• MOD Menopause Network
• Defence Women’s Network
• Army Servicewomen’s Network
• Navy Servicewomen’s Network
• RAF Gender Network
• MDP Gender Network
• DIO Gender Forum

LGBT Networks

• shOUT MOD Civilian LGBT+ Network
• Army LGBT+ Network
• Navy Compass Network
• RAF LGBTQ+ Network
• MDP LGBT+ Network
• MOD Pride Network
• DE&S Pride Network
• DIO LGBT+ Network
• Strat Comm Intelligence Corps LGBT+ Network

Families Networks

• Tri-Service Couples Network
• Army Parents Network
• RAF Parents Network
• Defence Breastfeeding Network
• Defence Fertility Network
• Defence Child Bereavement Network
• Royal Navy Parents Network
• MOD Flexible Working Network

Faith and Belief Networks

• Defence Buddhist Network
• Defence Christian Network
• Defence Civilian Muslim Network
• DE&S Christian Network
• Defence Hindu Network
• Defence Pagan Network
• Defence Rastafari Network
• Defence Sikh Network
• Humanist and Non-Religious in Defence (HAND)
• Armed Forces Jewish Community
• Armed Forces Muslim Association
• DIO Faith & Belief Forum
• The Defence Secular Society
• MOD Vegan and Vegetarian Network

Social Mobility Networks

• RAF Social Mobility Network
• DIO Social Mobility Network
• DE&S Social Mobility Network
• Defence Commercial Social Mobility Network
• UKSC Social Mobility Network

Wellbeing and Support

• DE&S Time to Change Network
• Defence Mental Health Network
• RAF Mental Health Network
• RAF Diversity Allies Network
• Veterans in Defence Network
• Defence Next Generation Network
• DE&S Volunteers Network
• DBS Diversity & Inclusion Networks
• DIO STEM Network
• DNO Diversity & Inclusion Network
• MOD Fast Stream Network
• Defence Domestic Abuse Survivor Community & Awareness Network (DDASCAN)

Information is not held concerning the number of staff, both civilian and military, who are permitted to undertake diversity related network time, nor the percentage of overall working time or total hours they are permitted to spend on such network activity.

We align with Government guidance in supporting Civil Service staff in engaging in Network duties. The Armed Forces who form the vast majority of the workforce do not receive any facilitated time and carry out Network duties in their own time, as do many of our Civil Servants.

All staff networks working in support of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (ED&I) outcomes are eligible to apply for funding in accordance with Government Guidance on ED&I expenditure dated 14 May 2024.

Until the Government Guidance on ED&I expenditure dated is superseded, this policy will be applied to all applications for network funding.