Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

The private sector has a vital role to play in delivering good value, innovative, and high quality public services. We continue to regularly monitor the financial health of suppliers, including all of our strategic suppliers. Throughout these unprecedented times, suppliers have worked with Government to protect the delivery of vital public services and aid the response to the pandemic.

The Outsourcing Playbook, which was updated in June 2020, includes 11 key policy reforms which help government and industry work better together to deliver quality public services.

The Government has developed a strong national campaign to provide information and reassurance to the public about COVID-19. As part of this, we have utilised advertising in over 600 national, regional and local titles across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The Cabinet Office is responsible for overseeing these advertising costs. Cabinet Office publishes expenditure, including on public information campaigns, on a rolling monthly basis on GOV.UK as part of routine government transparency arrangements.

The UK is committed to high standards, and has led the way in areas such as workers’ rights and environmental protection.

After the transition period, which ends on 31 December 2020, the UK will choose its own standards and regulations. This is a fundamental right of a sovereign nation; our Government will uphold our high standards, not because of obligations to European institutions and courts but through our own free will and that of our democratically elected Parliament.

The Prime Minister demonstrated his focus on climate action on Tuesday 4 February 2020 by launching the COP26 Climate Summit. The text of the speech is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/pm-speech-at-cop-26-launch-4-february-2020

Regarding meetings of the Cabinet, it is a long established precedent that information about the discussions that have taken place in Cabinet and its Committees, and how often they have met, is not shared publicly.

The negotiations timetable for COP26 will be set by the UK, as President of COP26, including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Secretariat. The timetable will be informed by the outcome of negotiations, including at the intersessional meeting in Bonn in June. Details of the timetable for high level and public events will be announced by the Government in due course.

The UK Government is working closely with the Scottish Government and with operational delivery partners, including Police Scotland and Glasgow City Council, to ensure the successful delivery of COP26 in Glasgow. The security plan for the COP26 venue will be jointly developed and agreed on by the United Nations security team and UK counterparts. Discussions with delivery partners regarding costs for COP26 are ongoing, and final budgets and details are yet to be confirmed.

The UK Government is committed to working with the Scottish Government, Welsh Government and Northern Ireland Executive to deliver an ambitious and successful summit for the whole of the UK. Details of Ministerial meetings are published quarterly on GOV.UK

The Prime Minister demonstrated his focus on climate action on Tuesday 4 February 2020 by launching the COP26 Climate Summit. The text of the speech is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/pm-speech-at-cop-26-launch-4-february-2020

Regarding meetings of the Cabinet, it is a long established precedent that information about the discussions that have taken place in Cabinet and its Committees, and how often they have met, is not shared publicly.

The negotiations timetable for COP26 will be set by the UK, as President of COP26, including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Secretariat. The timetable will be informed by the outcome of negotiations, including at the intersessional meeting in Bonn in June. Details of the timetable for high level and public events will be announced by the Government in due course.

The UK Government is working closely with the Scottish Government and with operational delivery partners, including Police Scotland and Glasgow City Council, to ensure the successful delivery of COP26 in Glasgow. The security plan for the COP26 venue will be jointly developed and agreed on by the United Nations security team and UK counterparts. Discussions with delivery partners regarding costs for COP26 are ongoing, and final budgets and details are yet to be confirmed.

The UK Government is committed to working with the Scottish Government, Welsh Government and Northern Ireland Executive to deliver an ambitious and successful summit for the whole of the UK. Details of Ministerial meetings are published quarterly on GOV.UK

The Prime Minister demonstrated his focus on climate action on Tuesday 4 February 2020 by launching the COP26 Climate Summit. The text of the speech is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/pm-speech-at-cop-26-launch-4-february-2020

Regarding meetings of the Cabinet, it is a long established precedent that information about the discussions that have taken place in Cabinet and its Committees, and how often they have met, is not shared publicly.

The negotiations timetable for COP26 will be set by the UK, as President of COP26, including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Secretariat. The timetable will be informed by the outcome of negotiations, including at the intersessional meeting in Bonn in June. Details of the timetable for high level and public events will be announced by the Government in due course.

The UK Government is working closely with the Scottish Government and with operational delivery partners, including Police Scotland and Glasgow City Council, to ensure the successful delivery of COP26 in Glasgow. The security plan for the COP26 venue will be jointly developed and agreed on by the United Nations security team and UK counterparts. Discussions with delivery partners regarding costs for COP26 are ongoing, and final budgets and details are yet to be confirmed.

The UK Government is committed to working with the Scottish Government, Welsh Government and Northern Ireland Executive to deliver an ambitious and successful summit for the whole of the UK. Details of Ministerial meetings are published quarterly on GOV.UK

The Prime Minister demonstrated his focus on climate action on Tuesday 4 February 2020 by launching the COP26 Climate Summit. The text of the speech is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/pm-speech-at-cop-26-launch-4-february-2020

Regarding meetings of the Cabinet, it is a long established precedent that information about the discussions that have taken place in Cabinet and its Committees, and how often they have met, is not shared publicly.

The negotiations timetable for COP26 will be set by the UK, as President of COP26, including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Secretariat. The timetable will be informed by the outcome of negotiations, including at the intersessional meeting in Bonn in June. Details of the timetable for high level and public events will be announced by the Government in due course.

The UK Government is working closely with the Scottish Government and with operational delivery partners, including Police Scotland and Glasgow City Council, to ensure the successful delivery of COP26 in Glasgow. The security plan for the COP26 venue will be jointly developed and agreed on by the United Nations security team and UK counterparts. Discussions with delivery partners regarding costs for COP26 are ongoing, and final budgets and details are yet to be confirmed.

The UK Government is committed to working with the Scottish Government, Welsh Government and Northern Ireland Executive to deliver an ambitious and successful summit for the whole of the UK. Details of Ministerial meetings are published quarterly on GOV.UK

I refer the noble Baroness to the answer I gave to PQ HL36 on 7 January 2020. Further details will be announced in due course.

I refer the noble Baroness to the answer I gave to PQ HL36 on 7 January 2020. Further details will be announced in due course.

I refer the noble Baroness to the answer I gave to PQ HL36 on 7 January 2020. Further details will be announced in due course.

The scheme administrator is prioritising the payment of the vouchers and we are continuing to see an increase in the number of vouchers being paid out to installers once work is complete.

Installer payment is a four stage process: I refer the noble Baroness to the answer I gave the noble Lord Stunell on 15th February 2021 to Question HL12862. The Scheme Administrator, ICF, will release payment once the process is complete including all required checks. ICF are currently prioritising the payment of installers.

BEIS officials are working with consumers and installers to ensure they are clear on the information and checks required as part of the payment process, so that installers can be paid as quickly as possible. We will continue to work closely with ICF to identify further process improvements, increase the number of vouchers issued, and payments released.

Artworks classified in Chapter 97 of the Harmonised System (Works of art, collectors’ pieces and antiques) are currently eligible for import at zero tariffs under both the UK Global Tariff and the EU Common External Tariff. This means that businesses who trade artwork between the UK and EU do not need to comply with Rules of Origin under the Trade and Cooperation Agreement to export or import under zero tariffs.

Traders should refer to the UK Global Tariff: (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/tariffs-on-goods-imported-into-the-uk)

and to the EU Common External Tariff: (https://ec.europa.eu/info/business-economy-euro/trade-non-eu-countries/import-eu_en)

If in the future the EU Common External Tariff changed to make artwork subject to tariffs, artwork produced in the UK would have to comply with Rules of Origin to export zero tariff to the EU under the Trade and Cooperation Agreement. In that scenario, UK producers should refer to the full Rules of Origin requirements set out in the text of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement. Detailed guidance is available on GOV.UK:
 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/rules-of-origin-for-goods-moving-between-the-uk-and-eu

The scheme administrator checks all applications to ensure that they are eligible for the scheme, and that the applications are value for money and reflective of typical market prices. These checks take account of factors such as different sizes of property, types of system and geographic area. This ensures that government funding is spent appropriately.

The Green Homes Grant scheme aims to ensure that households are given the best possible service when installing greener adaptations. All primary installers must be TrustMark registered, as well as Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) certified for heat and Publicly Available Specification (PAS) certified for energy efficiency. It is through this that it is ensured that installations are of the highest quality.

The Government is required by the Small Business, Enterprise, and Employment (SBEE) Act 2015 to set a Business Impact Target at the start of each Parliament, ensuring that we remain accountable and transparent to both business and the public for the decisions we make. As set out in the Manifesto, we “will strive to achieve the right regulatory balance between supporting excellent business practice and protecting workers, consumers and the environment” (p.33). The Government does not believe that the current methods for assessing regulatory impacts allow for this. Therefore, we will consult with civil society groups and the wider public to ensure the impact of regulations are reflected more effectively, so as to continue to provide the necessary protections without placing unnecessary burdens on business. The Government will set out the details of who we intend to consult when we come to announce proposals for the review of the Business Impact Target.

Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, all terms of written contracts must be fair and transparent. If terms in a consumer contract are assessed by a court as unfair, they will not be binding on the consumer, even if the consumer has “accepted” them.

The Government is working closely with Citizens Advice and the Consumer Protection Partnership, which brings together key partners within the consumer protection framework, to examine ways to make it easier for consumers to cancel unwanted subscriptions and avoid them facing unreasonable charges.

As of 16:22, 11 January 2021, 60,759 grant applications have been received, corresponding to 93,569 vouchers and a total cost of works of £464.3m applications received¹. Of these, 14,902 vouchers have been issued [reporting 12:19:59, 11.01.2021].

Grant applications², given by region, are as follows [reporting 16:22:00, 11.01.2021]:

• North East: 2,139
• Yorkshire and the Humber: 8,621
• North West: 10,481
• East Midlands: 6,032
• West Midlands: 7,243
• London: 5,894
• East of England: 6,083
• South East: 7,153
• South West: 6,831

Grant applications³ that have been issued vouchers, given by region, are as follows [reporting 16:22:00, 11.01.2021]:

• North East: 492
• Yorkshire and the Humber: 1,593
• North West: 1,601
• East Midlands: 1,491
• West Midlands: 1,640
• London: 1,373
• East of England: 1,727
• South East: 1,895
• South West: 1,359

The first vouchers have been redeemed, and more vouchers are being redeemed every day. BEIS will continue to monitor application data as the scheme progresses.

Homeowners and landlords submit grant applications for energy efficiency and clean heat measures they want to install in their properties, under the scheme. Once approved, vouchers are issued for each measure that has been applied for.

¹ This value has been derived by taking the sum of the cost of all works applied for within the scheme, for all applications to date.

² The total grant applications by region is 60,477. This differs from the headline total of 60,759 due to a slightly different reporting period.

³ The values provided for this figure describes the regional breakdown of grant applications that have been issued vouchers. This is different to the regional breakdown of vouchers, in that more one application may generate more than one voucher.

The International Union of Railways is one of a number of organisations and transport operators that are engaged as the COP26 Unit develops the transport plan. In order to enhance the take up of rail travel from Europe to Glasgow, a robust communications campaign that encourages those who can, to travel by rail to the UK, will be put in place.

The COP26 Unit is developing the Transport Plan alongside transport operators with the interests of user groups in consideration throughout. As with other large events, a public consultation on transport is not planned. The Transport Plan will include a comprehensive communications strategy that will engage with delegates and the public on transport options available and the potential impact of COP26 on the existing transport system.

We continue to encourage all delegates to consider low-carbon travel options, such as rail, particularly those arriving from Europe. We have had early engagement with the International Union of Railways to understand what may be done to enhance the take up of rail travel to Glasgow from Europe.

Rail travel within the UK will certainly be encouraged and we are in the process of developing a multifaceted transport plan that is ISO2012 compliant, supports the delegate experience and has sustainability at its core.

In the Queens’ Speech, we announced we will bring forward measures to deliver on a range of Manifesto commitments.

Our legislation will make workplaces fairer, by providing better support for working families, new protections for those in low-paid work, and by encouraging flexible working.

It it is important that we work closely with stakeholders to make sure we get the legislation right, and we e will bring forward details of the Employment Bill in due course.

The Green Homes Grant opened to applications on 30th September 2020. As of 6th November 2020, 34,027 grant applications have been received. The first vouchers have been issued, however will only become redeemable once scheduled works are completed. BEIS will continue to monitor application data as the scheme progresses.

Based on data from The Property Energy Professionals Association (PEPA), there are currently approximately 10-12,000 trained, and practicing, Domestic Energy Assessors (DEAs); this includes DEAs who have lodged assessments in the last 2 years.

PEPA is a trade body which represents companies that are engaged in the provision of Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) in the domestic sector and members of the Association are primarily composed of the accreditation companies that oversee energy assessors in the production of EPCs. They also cover energy assessors in the non-domestic sector for the provision of Display Energy Certificates (DECs).

The average time to secure an energy assessment is 5 working days unless there are property complexities where further evidence is required; the maximum time permitted then is 28 days. For sales and rentals, an energy assessment must be ordered within the first 7 days of a property going onto the market, however the vast majority are completed within 5 working days. The energy assessors routinely adapt to fluctuations in demand.

PAS 2030 is a technical standard for the installation of specific measures (such as solid wall and loft insulation) and does not cover energy assessments or assessors.

The Green Homes Grant scheme has been designed to help stimulate economic recovery and create and support tens of thousands of green jobs. As of 2nd November, there were 1,141 businesses that are TrustMark registered and hold the necessary certifications to install measures under the voucher scheme.

BEIS officials are working closely with the industry to increase the number of installers available and with TrustMark scheme providers and certification bodies to support installers to get certified as quickly as possible, including streamlining certification processes where possible. We are also supporting the growth of the industry through a £6.9m skills competition to provide training opportunities for energy efficiency and low carbon heating supply chains to deliver works and scale up to meet additional consumer demand.

The Department launched a £6.9m skills competition to provide training opportunities for energy efficiency and low carbon heating supply chains, to deliver works and scale up to meet additional consumer demand. This could deliver up to 5,000 training opportunities in support of the scheme, dependent on how the funding is allocated. The competition recently closed, and the bids are being assessed. The Department received bids from all regions in England (Midlands, North East, Yorkshire & Humber, North West, South East, South West) and for all work packages. Training will commence once successful applicants have been informed.

Funding will be provided to support training individuals with existing skills and those new to the sector, along with support for installation companies to gain PAS 2030 or MCS accreditation as required by the Green Homes Grant scheme. Training courses will be carried out against the following specific technology standards – National Occupational Standards (NOS), PAS 2030: 2017, 2019 or MCS standards or higher. The work packages within the competition cover retrofit assessor and retrofit coordinator, insulation, non-insulation fabric measures, heat pumps & solar thermal; heating and hot water controls.

Any extension to the Green Homes Grant Voucher Scheme would be subject to the outcome of the Spending Review.

The Government is committed to improving the building stock as part of reaching our net zero targets, up to £65bn investment will be needed in housing retrofit across the 2020s.

We have confirmed that the delivery dates for Green Homes Grant Local Authority Delivery scheme and the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund Demonstrator will extend into 2021/22 to provide assurance that work will be available. Outside of those schemes, we are creating the regulatory environment to drive retrofit and on 30^th September we published a consultation on further improving the energy performance of privately rented homes over the 2020s, which provides a clear signal on how Government is committed to improving the housing stock.

The Simple Energy Advice Service (SEA) was launched in 2018, in response to the Government-commissioned Each Home Counts Review, as a new digital and phoneline service to provide homeowners with impartial and tailored advice on how to cut their energy bills and make their homes greener. It also provides information on any available local and national financial support.

Softwire were, and remain, contracted to develop, and construct the website with content provided by BEIS Policy teams.

In order to feature on the website, businesses and tradespeople must be registered with TrustMark and appropriately certified to install energy efficiency and low carbon heat measures. TrustMark is the government-endorsed quality scheme covering work a consumer chooses to have carried out on their home.

The content of the site is regularly reviewed and updated by BEIS policy teams and we also gather feedback from external stakeholders. In addition, local authorities and NGO’s can also submit information on area specific projects to support consumers in their local area.

Last week, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister set out his determination for the UK to be at the forefront of the green industrial revolution, as we accelerate our progress towards net zero emissions by 2050. This year, the government has set out billions in support for addressing climate change, including over £3 billion to transform energy efficiency in homes and public buildings. We will be bringing forward sectoral decarbonisation plans, such as an Energy White Paper, as part of our leadership on global climate action through our COP26 and G7 Presidencies. We are also continuing to deliver our ambitious agenda for adapting to climate change, outlined in the second National Adaptation Programme (NAP). This includes £5.2 billion over six years from April 2021 in a major upgrade to flood and coastal protection.

Our 25 Year Environment Plan marked a step-change in ambition for wildlife and the natural environment. We announced new funding at Budget this year – up to £25m Nature Recovery Fund and £640m Nature for Climate Fund, of which £40m has been brought forward under the recently opened Green Recovery Challenge Fund. These funds will kick start a programme of nature-based projects to address the twin challenges of halting biodiversity loss and tackling climate change.

The Environment Bill will drive the long-term action nature needs to recover, through legally binding targets in at least four priority areas: air, water, biodiversity, and waste and resources. We are also developing a new Environmental Land Management scheme that will reward farmers and land managers for delivering environmental public goods as set out in the 25 Year Environment Plan, including thriving plants and wildlife.

We are working closely with TrustMark and wider actors in the supply chain to market the scheme and encourage suppliers who could become TrustMark registered and PAS or MCS certified to do so. We have recently launched the Green Homes Grant skills training competition to fund programmes which can deliver training and support towards becoming certified, among other things. This is scheduled to deliver 5,000 training opportunities in support of the scheme.

The Government is committed to improving the productivity and performance of the construction sector. For this reason, we published the Construction Sector Deal in 2018, which aims to transform the productivity of the sector.

One key element of the Sector Deal is £420 million of combined investment from industry and the Government in digital and offsite manufacturing technologies. Digital techniques deployed at all phases of design will deliver improved safety during the construction and operation of buildings, producing better, surer results. Offsite manufacturing technologies will help to minimise the wastage, inefficiencies, and delays that affect onsite construction.

As part of our incoming COP Presidency, in partnership with Italy, we are urging all countries to come forward with new NDCs representing their highest possible ambition as soon as possible – and noting the expectation in the Paris Agreement that NDCs are submitted in 2020. The UK will play its part and we are preparing to come forward with an enhanced NDC well ahead of COP26. It is our priority in doing so to contribute to the greatest possible momentum and ambition ahead of COP26.

We are deeply concerned by the reports of labour exploitation in the Leicester textiles industry. In light of these serious allegations, a multi-agency Taskforce, led by the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) has been set up in Leicester to enable the relevant enforcement bodies to work together at pace to take appropriate action against unscrupulous employers who exploit workers. The taskforce includes HMRC’s National Minimum Wage (NMW) team.

Since 2012/13, HMRC’s NMW team has investigated more than 150 garment trade employers, including multiple employers operating in Leicester. To date, HMRC has recovered over £215,000 in wage arrears for 411 textile workers and issued over £325,000 in corresponding penalties to employers. Since 2015, HMRC have facilitated 19 director disqualifications relating to the textile sector. HMRC are also exploring outreach activities with local groups in Leicester, such as holding community events, designed to promote HMRC NMW rights for workers, and support employers and agency partners.

The Government is committed to improving enforcement of employment rights. We have announced the intention to introduce a Single Enforcement Body, which will provide a clearer route for workers to raise a complaint and get support, enabling more coordinated enforcement action and the use of pooled intelligence to better target proactive enforcement. We are also extending state enforcement to cover holiday pay for vulnerable workers and umbrella companies operating in the agency worker market.

The White Paper sets out proposals for independent functions to support the smooth running of the Internal Market. These proposals are being consulted on, and we encourage the public to share their views on the White Paper proposals through the consultation, which will close on 13 August.

In the context of supporting employers during Coronavirus as the economy reopens, from 1 August Government will give employers more discretion on how their employees carry out their roles. We would expect employers and employees to discuss their working arrangements and the best way that roles can be carried out safely. Working from home is one way to do this, but workplaces can also be made COVID-secure using Government guidance if employers wish their workforce to return to the workplace.

Regarding wider support for new businesses who wish to start up, or existing businesses wishing to scale up, all advice, guidance – including employee support, tools to identify the right finance, and checklists for setting up the business in line with regulations – is provided nationally on the gov.uk website, via the government-backed British Business Bank (BBB) online Finance Hub and in England through the network of 38 government-backed growth hubs.

In England, small and medium-sized businesses that are adversely affected by coronavirus will have access to grants of between £1,000 - £5,000 (typical grant £3,000) to help them access new technology and other equipment as well as professional, legal, financial or other advice to help them get back on track. This will be available through the existing network of growth hubs, or where there is no growth hub in the area, via an existing ERDF business support provider.

The Government supports the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights - the authoritative, voluntary international framework, which encourages businesses to conduct due diligence as part of their approaches to protecting human rights. The Government also drives transparency from our businesses to hold them to account on human rights. UK listed companies cover relevant human rights issues as part of their annual corporate reporting and our large businesses publish supply chain transparency statements according to the Modern Slavery Act, including on due diligence approaches where these are followed. In May, the Government published two policy papers which provide an update on what the Government has done to implement the UN Guiding Principles and to give an overview of how each government department contributes to this work.

We will encourage all delegates to consider low-carbon travel options, such as rail, particularly those arriving from Europe. Rail travel within the UK will certainly be encouraged and we are in the process of developing a multifaceted transport plan that supports the delegate experience and has sustainability at the core.

Our ambition is for as many UK homes as possible to be EPC Band C by 2035, where practical, cost-effective and affordable. We have launched a Green Home Finance Innovation Fund, which will provide £1.8 million to support three organisations to produce new green lending products for owner-occupiers to install energy efficiency improvements. We have also committed to a consultation on the merits of setting requirements for lenders to help the households they lend to improve their energy performance. Finally, we are working closely with the Green Finance Institute’s Coalition for the Energy Efficiency of Buildings to further develop the green finance market.

We have had three independent reviews on aspects of audit: Sir Donald Brydon’s review, Sir John Kingman’s review of the Financial Reporting Council, and the CMA’s market study of statutory audit. The Government is committed to acting on their recommendations, including legislating to create a stronger regulator as soon as parliamentary time allows, and will publish proposals in the coming months.

PAS 2035 was published in June 2019 and is already being implemented under the Energy Company Obligation. Obligated energy suppliers currently have an incentive to install measures to PAS 2035 and all measures will have to be installed to the standard from 1 July 2021.

In his Summer Economic Update, my Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer announced a £2bn Green Home Grant scheme that will support homeowners and landlords of rented homes in England to improve the energy efficiency of their properties, reducing energy bills and carbon emissions, and supporting a green economic recovery.

The funding will be spent on paying for accredited tradespeople to install a range of measures, for example insulation, to improve the energy performance of their homes. Further detail on the eligibility for the scheme will be announced in due course before the scheme’s full launch in the Autumn.

Following my Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister’s announcement, from 4 July hairdressers and barbers in England will be able to reopen, to offer hairdressing services, once they are following the COVID-secure guidelines.

We are taking a phased, cautious approach to reopening our economy, and other close contact services, like massage plus wellbeing and holistic services, remain closed until further notice. There is often greater risk of transmission due to prolonged periods of face-to-face contact and close proximity between staff and customers.

We appreciate that this is difficult for businesses, and we are working with businesses, trade associations and medical experts on the safest way to reopen close contact services, such as massage plus wellbeing and holistic services, as it is safe to do so. Our approach is guided by the scientific and medical advice, and every step is weighed against the evidence.

The UK follows the agreed international approach for estimating and reporting greenhouse gas emissions under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol, which is for countries to report the emissions produced within their territories.

Nevertheless, as the CCC highlight, we recognise the importance of also monitoring emissions on a consumption basis i.e. including emissions embedded in imports, and we publish data on this annually. Our consumption emissions fell by 21 per cent between 2007 and 2017, and by 3 per cent between 2016 and 2017.

We will formally respond to the Committee on Climate Change’s detailed recommendations in October.

Since 1 April 2020, The Energy Efficiency (Private Rented Property) (England and wales) Regulations 2015 require that, subject to certain exemptions, all domestic private rented sector landlords in scope improve their properties to a minimum energy efficiency standard of Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) Band E.

An EPC Call for Evidence ran from 26 July 2018 to 19 October 2018 and sought evidence on how EPCs performed against three attributes: quality, availability, and encouraging action to improve energy efficiency. The forthcoming Summary of Responses will outline the evidence received, including on effectiveness of EPCs. Alongside this, we will publish an EPC Action Plan to maximise the effectiveness of EPCs as a tool for the future.

Additionally, BEIS is in the process of updating the Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) – the methodology used to generate EPC scores. SAP is updated in line with the updates to Part L of the Building Regulations, usually every 3-5 years. The next version of SAP (SAP 10), was consulted on in 2017 and is due to come into force with the updated version of Part L of the Building Regulations.

This SAP update together with the EPC Action Plan will help ensure home energy performance assessments are as accurate as possible.

The aim of the Clean Heat Grant scheme for heat pumps and biomass is to provide targeted support to households and small and medium-size enterprises, where upfront cost is a particular barrier in transitioning to low-carbon heat. The scheme is focussed on supporting the installer base that will be required to implement regulations to phase out the installation of high-carbon fossil fuel heating off the gas grid. The Government is committed to doing this during the 2020s, as set out in the Clean Growth Strategy.

While off-gas-grid areas are therefore the focus of the scheme, and BEIS expects uptake to be higher in such areas, we do not propose to exclude support for heat pumps on the gas grid. We are also proposing to support installations in non-domestic buildings up to a capacity of 45kW.

The Clean Heat Grant scheme has been designed as part of a broader package of measures to support the decarbonisation of heat in buildings and in heat networks. The Government intends to publish a Heat and Buildings Strategy later this year, which will set out the wider actions that we will take for reducing emissions from buildings.

We are currently examining Sunday trading laws in the light of covid-19, as we did with the 2012 Olympics. This work includes understanding the impact upon workers and other stakeholders.

We will keep measures like this under review as we find ways to support supermarkets and other large shops manage social distancing, and shoppers to buy food and goods more conveniently.

There are no plans to review the consent granted on 4 October 2019 for the Drax Power Station Re-Powering Project.

The health and wellbeing of our construction workforce is of the utmost importance. The Government welcomes the Chartered Institute of Building’s report on mental health in the sector, and will consider its recommendations.

The utilities are taking measures to support customers whose ability to pay their bills is being impacted.

In energy, all domestic energy suppliers have agreed to a set of principles to support energy customers impacted by Covid-19. These principles include the suspension of energy credit meter disconnections and support for prepayment meter customers to stay on supply.

All of the UK's major internet service and mobile providers have committed to working with customers who find it difficult to pay their bill as a result of Covid-19 to ensure that they are treated fairly and are appropriately supported.

In the water sector, existing legislation means water companies cannot disconnect household water supply if consumers are unable to pay their bills.

The UK is the world’s largest offshore wind market with 9.8GW installed, which is expected to rise to 14GW by 2023 and 19.5GW by 2026. On 23 July 2018, the Government announced the timetable for future Contracts for Difference auctions, which is the main mechanism for deploying new renewable technologies. The auctions have the potential to deliver up to 2GW of new offshore wind every year in the 2020s, which has given long term vision and clarity to the offshore wind sector.

The Offshore Wind Sector Deal, published on 7 March 2019, will build on the UK’s global leadership in offshore wind bringing a strategic approach to deliver increased capacity of offshore wind, while boosting the UK economy, enhancing growth in the regions while continuing to reduce costs.

Onshore wind has also deployed successfully to date in the UK, recently exceeding 14GW of installed operational capacity. Onshore wind continues to fall in cost and has resulted in several merchant onshore wind sites being deployed to date.

It is for developers to come forward with proposals for potential locations of generating stations including offshore windfarms.

The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change assessed an application for development consent for a wind farm on the Navitus Bay wind farm site in 2015. The Secretary of State issued a decision on 11 September 2015 refusing the grant of development consent for the proposed Navitus Bay offshore wind farm.

The decision was in line with the recommendation of the Planning Inspectorate, which examined a wide range of issues related to the potential benefits and impacts of the project in reaching its conclusion. The Secretary of State’s decision letter sets out her consideration of those issues.

It is for developers to come forward with proposals for potential locations of generating stations including offshore windfarms.

The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change assessed an application for development consent for a wind farm on the Navitus Bay wind farm site in 2015. The Secretary of State issued a decision on 11 September 2015 refusing the grant of development consent for the proposed Navitus Bay offshore wind farm.

The decision was in line with the recommendation of the Planning Inspectorate, which examined a wide range of issues related to the potential benefits and impacts of the project in reaching its conclusion. The Secretary of State’s decision letter sets out her consideration of those issues.

Under the Withdrawal Agreement negotiated with the EU, the UK will continue to participate fully in the 2014–20 Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps programmes. This means that the projects successfully bid for during the current programmes will continue to receive funding for the full duration of the project, including those where it runs beyond 2020 and the end of the transition period.

The government has decided that it is not in the UK's interests to seek continuing participation in the next Erasmus+ programme. Instead, we are introducing a new international educational exchange scheme which has a genuinely global reach. Under the Turing scheme, UK universities, colleges, and schools will be able to bid for funding to enable their students to travel abroad for study and work placements – for any of their students, regardless of nationality.

The government is committed to bringing all greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050 – being the first major economy in the world to pass laws to end its contribution to global warming in this way. In order to achieve this target, we are building on our Clean Growth Strategy and recognise the importance of considering the environmental impact across all policy areas, including the recently announced Turing Scheme. We also note the importance of academic and educational exchange in driving forward international work to combat this shared challenge.

The department recognises that there is a small group of students for whom there was not enough evidence for a grade to be awarded in the summer. These students will have the opportunity to sit exams in all subjects in the autumn. These candidates should be supported by their previous exam centre to enter the series, even if the student is no longer enrolled at that centre or where they are a private candidate. The department’s exam support service will help schools and colleges with any additional costs associated with running exams in the autumn, including fees charged by awarding organisations, sites and invigilation.

The government is committed to ensuring that students taking exams in 2021 receive the qualifications they deserve and that next year’s exam series proceeds fairly, efficiently and commands public confidence. We recognise that students due to sit exams and assessments next year will have experienced disruption to their education due to the COVID-19 outbreak. We have been working closely with Ofqual, the exam boards and groups representing teachers, schools and colleges to consider our approach to exams and other assessments next year. Although we are clear in our expectation that exams will go ahead in 2021, we are preparing for all eventualities and this includes considering arrangements for private candidates next year.

The Adoption Support Fund provides funds to local authorities and regional adoption agencies to pay for essential therapeutic services for children who have left the care system either through adoption or special guardianship order. Since its launch in 2015, the Adoption Support Fund has approved £168 million to deliver support, such as therapeutic parenting, creative therapies, and specialist assessments to 59,000 families.

The government acted quickly to establish the Adoption Support Fund COVID-19 Scheme in April 2020, and has provided over £6 million to local authorities and regional adoption agencies to support up to 61,000 families to meet needs arising from the COVID-19 outbreak. The funding included support for activities, such as couples counselling, which would normally be outside the scope of the standard Adoption Support Fund.

On 17 July 2020, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced the 2020 Comprehensive Spending Review, which will set out the government’s spending plans for the next three years. The Comprehensive Spending Review will be published in the autumn. We will consider future funding, scope and fair access limits for the Adoption Support Fund as part of the Comprehensive Spending Review discussions.

We expect that kitchens will be fully open from the start of the autumn term and normal legal requirements will apply about provision of food to all pupils who want it, including for those eligible for benefits-related free school meals or universal infant free school meals.

The Schools Food Standards provide the legislative framework to ensure schools provide children with healthy food and drink options, and to ensure that children get the energy and nutrition they need across the school day.

The standards define the foods and drinks that must be provided, which foods are restricted, and those, which must not be provided. They apply to all food and drink provided to pupils on and off school premises and during an extended school day (up to 6pm), including school trips, breakfast clubs, tuck shops, mid-morning break, vending and after school clubs.

The department's advice on school food standards is available here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/standards-for-school-food-in-england.

A summary of the standards and a practical guide are available from the school food plan website at:
http://www.schoolfoodplan.com/resources/.

We believe that the School Food Standards have been transformational in the way schools operate their meal services, but we know we must do more. We will be updating these standards to bring them into line with revised nutritional recommendations on sugar and fibre, and looking at how we can make the standards more consistent across the school day.

The COVID Summer Food Fund is available to provide support where needed to year 11 and year 13 pupils, who were confirmed as eligible and claiming benefits-related free school meals during the summer term, regardless of whether they remain registered with the school.

The government wants every child to be in a stable, loving home that is right for them.

One of the key principles of the legislation that underpins the UK’s child protection system is that children are best looked after within their families.

The government is funding several programmes that seek to reduce need and support more children to stay at home in stable family environments, where this is in the child’s best interests. We are investing £84 million over five years as part of the Strengthening Families, Protecting Children programme and over £17 million to support families through the Supporting Families: Investing in Practice programme. The government has also committed £1.085 billion to the Troubled Families Programme to achieve significant and sustained improvement for families with multiple, high-cost problems by 2021.

Good social work practice is key to helping families who need support to provide a safe and nurturing environment for their children. This is why we have invested over £100 million since 2017 on child and family social worker development programmes to ensure every social worker has the skills and knowledge they need.

Across the government, we are tackling the problems that cause children to be in need in the first place. This includes better supporting those with alcohol-dependent parents, the introduction of landmark legislation for those affected by domestic abuse, preventing young people being drawn into serious violence, and unprecedented investment in early years education and support for children and young people’s mental health.

Apprenticeships will have an important role to play in creating employment opportunities, particularly for young people, and supporting employers in all sectors to access the skilled workforce they need to recover and grow post COVID-19. We are looking to support employers of all sizes, and particularly smaller businesses, to take on new apprentices this year. We will set out further details in due course. We will also ensure that there is sufficient funding to support small businesses wanting to take on an apprentice this year.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Statutory Framework sets the regulatory standards for learning and development and safeguarding and welfare for all early years providers caring for children from birth to 5. The framework defines seven areas of learning and development, including physical development and personal, social and emotional development. The framework is clear that each area must be implemented through planned, purposeful play and through a mix of adult-led and child-initiated activity. The framework is available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-foundation-stage-framework--2.

The EYFS does not promote a particular pedagogical approach. It is for individual early years settings to determine how the areas of learning should be implemented to support children to meet the expected level of development by the end of the Reception year. The priorities at this time are helping young children to adapt to their new routines and supporting children to settle back into the setting, especially where there have been staffing changes. Continuing to support their early language and communication skills is essential. Children who have had limited opportunities for exercise should be encouraged to exert themselves physically.

We have been working closely with the Higher Education (HE) sector to monitor the likely impacts of COVID-19 on international student numbers. We understand that the COVID-19 outbreak and a possible reduction in the number of international students poses significant challenges.

On Monday 4 May my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, announced a package of measures to stabilise university admissions this autumn and ensure sustainability in HE at a time of unprecedented uncertainty.

We have introduced temporary student number controls for domestic and EU students for the academic year 2020/21 to ensure a fair, structured distribution of students across providers. These measures mean that providers will be able to recruit students up to a temporary set level, based on provider forecasts, which allows additional growth of up to 5% in the next academic year. The Secretary of State for Education, will also have the discretion to allocate an additional 10,000 places, of which 5,000 will be allocated to students studying nursing or allied health courses, to ensure growing numbers that will support our vital public services. This measure will only apply to full-time undergraduate UK/EU domiciled students, with certain specified exemptions. These controls will not apply to international (non-EU) students.

The government has been clear that the UK HE sector is ‘open for business’, remains world class and is looking forward to welcoming both domestic and international students in the future. To support international student recruitment, we are taking steps to further promote the new Graduate route (due to be launched in Summer 2021) which will provide an opportunity for international students who have been awarded their degree to stay and work in the UK at any skill level for 2 years. This represents a significant improvement in our offer to international students and will help ensure our HE sector remains competitive internationally.

The government has been in close communication with partners in the HE sector, who are considering educational provision for the academic year 2020/2021 and how to best reopen campuses. HE providers are autonomous institutions and will make their own judgements based on the latest public health guidance, taking account of the need to minimise risk to staff and students.

To help providers make informed decisions about their provision, the government has issued guidance, which is complemented by the Universities UK’s principles for reopening of campuses to students and staff. We anticipate HE providers will be open for the autumn term with a blend of online teaching and in-person tuition that they consider appropriate and which minimises risk. HE providers will be flexible in accommodating applicants’ circumstances where possible, including if they are unable to travel to the UK in time for the start of the academic year.

The government is providing laptops and tablets to vulnerable and disadvantaged children who would otherwise not have access and are preparing for examinations in year 10, receiving support from a social worker, including pre-school children, or are a care leaver. The government is also providing over 50,000 4G wireless routers to care leavers, children with a social worker at secondary school and disadvantaged children in year 10 who do not have internet connections.

The department has also partnered with BT to give 10,000 young people free access to BT WiFi hotspots, who do not have access to good internet by other means.

Local authorities and academy trusts are best placed to identify and distribute the laptops and tablets to children and young people who need devices. The Department invited local authorities to order devices for the most vulnerable children first - children with a social worker and care leavers.

Devices are being delivered to local authorities daily and will continue to be distributed throughout June as planned.

We recognise that outdoor education can be beneficial for the health and wellbeing of children and young people, and that outdoor space offers additional benefits to allow for distance between people during the coronavirus outbreak. Our guidance to help schools and other education settings prepare for wider opening to more pupils from 1 June, explicitly encourages the use of outdoor space and outdoor education where possible. In particular, we are asking schools to consider which lessons or activities could take place outdoors as part of a range of approaches they can take to help reduce transmission. We are also asking schools to use their outside space for exercise and breaks.

The Government recognises that this is an extremely challenging time for staff in school and care settings.

In the current circumstances, it is right that routine Ofsted inspections in the school, further education, early years, local authority, and care sectors are suspended. Ofsted retains the power to inspect in all these areas and will use its powers if it has significant concerns. Ofsted also continues to register and regulate children’s social care, childminding and nurseries.

No date has been set for a return to routine inspection at this time. We will continue to work closely with HM Chief Inspector, and the sectors Ofsted inspects, in determining when it will be appropriate to re-start routine inspections.

We continue to keep the situation under review and will keep Parliament updated accordingly.

As both my right hon. Friends, the Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer have made clear, the government will do whatever it takes to support people affected by COVID-19.

Statistics on the numbers of further and higher education (HE) students resident in on-campus accommodation following 23 March’s lockdown are not held centrally.

However, Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) data show that approximately 360,000 students at UK higher education institutions in 2018/19 were resident in provider-maintained property, including some 117,000 international students, of which 31,000 were from the EU.

Levels of current occupancy of accommodation vary widely between different institutions with those students still resident likely to include care leavers, students estranged from their families and international students for whom there is no alternative accommodation easily available or who are not able to get home because of travel restrictions.

HE providers have been asked to aim to ensure staff (catering, cleaning and laundry staff, for instance) are available to support on halls management. Counselling staff should also be available to support on isolating students’ mental health. This support could be provided virtually.

We have worked to improve joint continuity planning between HE providers and Local Resilience Forums to consider how to ensure availability of supply of food and medicines.

College campus accommodation where children are resident is inspected by Ofsted against national minimum standards. The inspections are conducted on an age basis and include international students.

Ofsted holds a record of ratings for further education accommodation.

As my right hon. Friends, the Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer have both made clear, the government will do whatever it takes to support people affected by COVID-19.

My hon. Friend, the Minister of State for Universities, has written to all higher education (HE) providers to explain the importance of HE institutions operating a non-eviction policy so that no student is required to leave halls if their contract has ended, if their rental agreement does not cover holiday periods or if they are unable to pay their rent. This is particularly important in the case of international students, care leavers and students estranged from their families.

In her letters, my hon. Friend, the Minister of State for Universities, also emphasised the need for HE providers to consider practical support to ensure that students who remain on campus can access sufficient food, medical and cleaning supplies, along with mental health support.

Students will continue to receive scheduled payments of loans towards their living costs for the remainder of the current 2019/20 academic year.

We have worked closely with the Office for Students to enable providers to draw upon existing funding to increase hardship funds and support disadvantaged students impacted by COVID-19. As a result, providers will be able to use the funding, worth around £23 million per month for April and May, towards student hardship funds.

Students with a part-time employment contract should speak to their employer about the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, which has been set up to help pay staff wages and keep people in employment. This can be accessed from: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-to-employers-and-businesses-about-covid-19/covid-19-support-for-businesses.

We have also asked that HE providers pay particular attention to the additional financial hardships that are being faced by student staff who have been reliant on income from campus-based jobs at this time.

The government encourages universities and private hall providers to be fair in their decisions about rent charges for this period.

The government is applying discretion under current circumstances to ensure that international students are not negatively impacted due to COVID-19. We have published bespoke Tier 4 visa guidance for students and sponsors affected by changes to UK immigration and borders due to COVID-19. This guidance includes the latest information for those who might have questions around visa expiry, switching visa category within the UK and distance learning – it also specifically confirms that sponsors do not need to withdraw sponsorship if a student is unable to attend for more than 60 days due to COVID-19 but intends to resume their studies eventually.

We are working closely with universities and are pleased to see that the sector is making every effort to enable students to continue their studies – including moving learning online either in the UK or in student's home country – so that their teaching and assessment can proceed. Students experiencing financial hardship as a result of COVID-19 should contact their higher education provider. Many providers have hardship funds which students can apply to for assistance.

The Government welcomes the State of the UK’s Woods and Trees 2021 report which is the first to present important facts and trends focusing predominantly on native woods and trees, and trees in towns and cities within the UK.

We are working to increase tree production in our domestic nursery sector. This will build on current facilities and explore innovative ideas and technologies to improve production capacity. This is necessary to create a resilient, healthy, and genetically diverse planting stock, which is ready for our future climate. We have taken a number of steps to ensure domestically sourced and grown trees meet demand:

• Supporting activities to enhance production, processing and supply of UK tree seeds from a wider range of species and provenances.
• Transforming Forestry England seed processing and nursery facilities, at the same time providing capital grants to allow private nurseries to enhance productivity.
• Working with the industry to increase the uptake of the ‘Plant Healthy’ assurance scheme which helps improve biosecurity and reduce the risk of planting unhealthy stock.

Over the last three years, 100 percent of trees planted by Forestry England are UK grown, meaning all trees supplied to Natural Resources Wales and Forestry and Land Scotland are UK grown.

Agroforestry has a significant role in helping the Government commitment to increase tree planting across the UK to 30,000 hectares per year by 2025, in line with the annual rate recommended by the Committee on Climate Change in 2019 to help us meet net zero. We know our mechanisms for woodland creation must be more wide reaching and bold. This requires a transformative change for government and the sector. That is why the Nature for Climate Fund announced in the March 2020 Budget provides significant funding for tree planting, including agroforestry systems. The Committee on Climate Change has also recommended agroforestry on 10% of arable and grassland by 2050 to contribute to net zero emissions targets.

We know that agroforestry systems can play an important role in addressing some of the key issues of climate and land use change in England, through the wide range of ecosystem services it provides.

• Providing food, fuel, fodder, timber, shade
• Regulating soil, water, air quality and sequester carbon
• Improving animal health and welfare
• Supporting biodiversity and habitat creation

It is already against the law for the label to mislead consumers and this overriding principle, set out clearly in food information legislation, applies to each of the noble Baroness’s questions. Each label must be taken on its merits, including whether the origin declared for the food meets origin labelling rules, and if a label is found to be misleading then local enforcement authorities can issue improvement notices to the Food Business Operator to correct the misleading information.

It is completely unrealistic to require mandatory labelling as to the breed and age of an animal on meat, however if such information is provided on a voluntary basis for marketing reasons, as with any other information provided with food, it must not be misleading to consumers. There is already an age-based distinction between lamb and mutton, beef and veal and chicken and boiling fowl.

The use of the terms ‘natural’ and ‘traditional’ are not regulated but, again, when used, should not mislead consumers.

We are aware of the concerns around the use of glue traps, including the harm they can cause to captured animals and the capture of non-target species including birds. We are engaging with key stakeholders and exploring options to address these concerns.

This Government remains committed to high standards of animal welfare. We are in the process of developing a range of important animal welfare and animal-related measures to strengthen our position as a world leader in this field. This includes delivering our manifesto commitments to introduce new laws on animal sentience, to ban live exports, restrict the imports of trophies from endangered species and ban keeping primates as pets.

The emergency authorisation recently granted for a neonicotinoid seed treatment for sugar beet was for the thiamethoxam-based product Cruiser SB. Because the cold winter conditions have reduced the likely pest pressures in 2021, the product will not be used.

The Chan and Raine study did not find significant effects on the solitary bees from use of a thiamethoxam seed treatment although it did find effects from a product containing a different neonicotinoid called imidacloprid. It would be wrong to draw firm conclusions from the study, particularly as the bee species used (the hoary squash bee) is not a UK native.

The Government recognises the need to protect pollinators, including solitary bees, from the effects of pesticides. As we build our national pesticides regime, we will ensure that potential risks to bees are carefully assessed.

All consultation responses will be taken into account and analysed regardless of type. Free text responses will be analysed using well-established methodology from social sciences for the analysis of qualitative data, in line with standard practice for the analysis of public consultations. All views are being considered, whether or not they use technical language, and no weighting will be applied to more technical responses.

Prior to its publication, the Gene editing (GE) explainer document was reviewed by Defra’s Chief Scientific Adviser and Defra’s communications team. This ensured that the information was scientifically accurate and pitched so that a lay person could understand it.

We are gathering views and evidence on trade as part of the our consultation process. We will continue to monitor and respond to the approach taken in the EU to the regulation of GMOs.

Defra officials have regular ongoing discussions with Scottish and Welsh Government counterparts about the regulation of genetically modified organisms. These discussions are considering the impact of any potential changes to the regulation of genetic engineering in food and farming in England.

Owing to the application of Union law to Northern Ireland by virtue of the Northern Ireland Protocol, GE organisms will in Northern Ireland continue to be considered as GMOs and regulated as such.

All consultation responses will be taken into account and analysed regardless of type. Free text responses will be analysed using well-established methodology from social sciences for the analysis of qualitative data, in line with standard practice for the analysis of public consultations. All views are being considered, whether or not they use technical language, and no weighting will be applied to more technical responses.

Prior to its publication, the Gene editing (GE) explainer document was reviewed by Defra’s Chief Scientific Adviser and Defra’s communications team. This ensured that the information was scientifically accurate and pitched so that a lay person could understand it.

We are gathering views and evidence on trade as part of the our consultation process. We will continue to monitor and respond to the approach taken in the EU to the regulation of GMOs.

Defra officials have regular ongoing discussions with Scottish and Welsh Government counterparts about the regulation of genetically modified organisms. These discussions are considering the impact of any potential changes to the regulation of genetic engineering in food and farming in England.

Owing to the application of Union law to Northern Ireland by virtue of the Northern Ireland Protocol, GE organisms will in Northern Ireland continue to be considered as GMOs and regulated as such.

All consultation responses will be taken into account and analysed regardless of type. Free text responses will be analysed using well-established methodology from social sciences for the analysis of qualitative data, in line with standard practice for the analysis of public consultations. All views are being considered, whether or not they use technical language, and no weighting will be applied to more technical responses.

Prior to its publication, the Gene editing (GE) explainer document was reviewed by Defra’s Chief Scientific Adviser and Defra’s communications team. This ensured that the information was scientifically accurate and pitched so that a lay person could understand it.

We are gathering views and evidence on trade as part of the our consultation process. We will continue to monitor and respond to the approach taken in the EU to the regulation of GMOs.

Defra officials have regular ongoing discussions with Scottish and Welsh Government counterparts about the regulation of genetically modified organisms. These discussions are considering the impact of any potential changes to the regulation of genetic engineering in food and farming in England.

Owing to the application of Union law to Northern Ireland by virtue of the Northern Ireland Protocol, GE organisms will in Northern Ireland continue to be considered as GMOs and regulated as such.

All consultation responses will be taken into account and analysed regardless of type. Free text responses will be analysed using well-established methodology from social sciences for the analysis of qualitative data, in line with standard practice for the analysis of public consultations. All views are being considered, whether or not they use technical language, and no weighting will be applied to more technical responses.

Prior to its publication, the Gene editing (GE) explainer document was reviewed by Defra’s Chief Scientific Adviser and Defra’s communications team. This ensured that the information was scientifically accurate and pitched so that a lay person could understand it.

We are gathering views and evidence on trade as part of the our consultation process. We will continue to monitor and respond to the approach taken in the EU to the regulation of GMOs.

Defra officials have regular ongoing discussions with Scottish and Welsh Government counterparts about the regulation of genetically modified organisms. These discussions are considering the impact of any potential changes to the regulation of genetic engineering in food and farming in England.

Owing to the application of Union law to Northern Ireland by virtue of the Northern Ireland Protocol, GE organisms will in Northern Ireland continue to be considered as GMOs and regulated as such.

All wild birds are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, which provides a powerful framework for the conservation of wild birds, their eggs, nests and habitats. The Government is committed to ensuring the protection afforded to wild birds of prey is effectively enforced. There are strong penalties for offenders, including imprisonment.

We are also committed to securing the long-term future of the hen harrier as a breeding bird in England. The Hen Harrier Action Plan sets out what will be done to increase hen harrier populations in England and includes measures to stop illegal persecution. The long-term plan was published in January 2016 and we believe that it remains the best way to safeguard the hen harrier in England. A copy of the plan is attached.

Raptor persecution is one of six national wildlife crime priorities. Each wildlife crime priority has a delivery group to consider what action should be taken and develop a plan to prevent crime, gather intelligence on offences and enforce against it. The Raptor Persecution Priority Delivery Group focuses on the golden eagle, goshawk, hen harrier, peregrine and white-tailed eagle. The National Wildlife Crime Unit, which is part funded by Defra, monitors and gathers intelligence on illegal activities affecting birds of prey and provides assistance to police forces when required.

The process for considering emergency authorisation for a pesticide is derived from the legislation. This process was followed for the application to use the neonicotinoid seed treatment Cruiser SB on sugar beet in 2021. This included an assessment of the risks to people and to the environment that may result from use of the product. This assessment, which considers risks to people from pesticide residues associated with eating treated crops, did not identify any concerns about risks to human health. The assessment did not extend to consideration of the impacts of the crop, for example on obesity.

The process for considering emergency authorisation for a pesticide is derived from the legislation and includes consideration of potential risks to people and to the environment. This process was followed for application to use the neonicotinoid seed treatment Cruiser SB on sugar beet in 2021.

The assessment of risks included consideration of risks to bees, other insects, soil organisms, fish, aquatic invertebrates, birds and mammals. Risks to bees were identified arising from soil residues taken up by flowering weeds or following crops. Mitigation measures were therefore built into the requirements of the emergency authorisation. These included a reduced application rate, effective control of weeds and minimum periods set between the planting of treated sugar beet and a subsequent flowering crop. For most crops this period was set at 22 months but a longer period of 32 months was chosen for oilseed rape as it is particularly attractive to bees

The Environmental Land Management Scheme is being developed in partnership with farmers, other land managers and stakeholders from initial concept to full launch. We already have around 3000 farmers and other land managers involved in the Environmental Land Management Test and Trials and initial reports can be accessed on GOV.UK https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/environmental-land-management-tests-and-trials

Ahead of full launch of the new Environmental Scheme in 2024 there will be a National Pilot, starting later this year, where the focus is on learning from farmers and other land managers as they apply different scheme components and begin to deliver outcomes. The focus will be on sharing their feedback with them and with scheme designers, building on the co-design work started through our Test and Trials and wider evidence reviews.

We will use GOV.UK, open to all, to share comprehensive information about the purpose of the scheme and its components, how to apply and how best to deliver outcomes it pays for. There is already overview information published at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-environmental-land-management-scheme-an-overview, with more information following in the coming months. Using feedback from farmers, other land managers and their advisers the National Pilot will help us refine and improve the information on GOV.UK relating to the new Environmental Scheme.

On 1 January the Government issued three new general licences, GL40, GL41 and GL42. The new general licences set out when actions can be taken against certain wild bird species, and for what purpose.

Prior to this, Defra published drafts of the new licences on 9 November 2020 on GOV.UK and contacted key representatives of farming, shooting and pest control industry bodies to alert them to this. Defra also met with representatives from the farming and shooting industry to discuss the draft licences. This enabled these groups to inform their members of the changes to help them make any preparations necessary before the licences came into force.

As set out in the Government’s December 2018 Resources and Waste Strategy, we are presently reviewing the arrangements applying to batteries and their treatment at end of life. That review is considering all aspects, including requirements relating to when batteries are first placed on the market. We will consider carefully the proposals recently put forward by the European Commission in this area.

Defra, and the relevant departments of all administrations in the UK, have robust biosecurity measures in place to reduce the risk of spread of avian influenza and a strong track record of controlling and eliminating outbreaks.

The risk of incursion of avian influenza has been increased to very high for wild birds, medium for poultry with high biosecurity and high for poultry with poor biosecurity. In response to the risk we established an Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ) across the whole of England from 11 November 2020 and brought additional housing measures into force from the 14 December 2020.

The AIPZ means all bird keepers (whether they have pet birds, commercial flocks or just a few birds in a backyard flock) are required by law to take a range of biosecurity precautions including, from the 14 December 2020, keeping their birds indoors except in very specific circumstances. Similar measures were also introduced in Scotland and Wales. I refer the Noble Lady to my statement of 8 December 2020: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2020-12-08/hlws621

The decisions to implement the AIPZ and the additional housing measures followed scientific and ornithological evidence and veterinary advice. In particular a rapid risk assessment on the relative risks of incursion of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N8 into housed or not-housed flocks was undertaken and is available via the following web link:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/941150/rapid-risk-assessment-H5N8-HPAI-housing-poultry-flocks-captive-birds.pdf

Defra is clear that all operational livestock farms should implement strong biosecurity measures and report suspected disease immediately.

A joint investigation is currently underway involving the main agencies (Environment Agency, Natural England and Forestry Commission). This has included a recent site visit to establish the full detail and extent of recent work at the site. Further details will be made available in due course in line with the nature of the ongoing investigation.

Natural England, the Environment Agency and the Forestry Commission have respective regulatory powers to ensure the management of SSSIs, waterways and trees, providing advice to landowners and consents/licences where appropriate. They continue to monitor and investigate any incidences of damage to sites and rely on the support of the general public in reporting possible illegal activity and pollutions.

As part of the Government’s ambitious commitments to reforming producer responsibility systems across the UK, we have committed to introduce a deposit return scheme (DRS) for drinks containers.

Introducing a DRS for drinks containers will mean that some of the material local authorities currently collect via kerbside will instead be collected through the DRS. It is expected this will have an impact on the amount of waste collected by local authorities and the revenues they receive for selling that material on to waste reprocessors. However, the scheme is also expected to reduce the incidence of littering of the containers in scope of the scheme, and therefore to generate savings to local authorities.

A full new burdens assessment will be carried out once final policy decisions have been taken. Our Resources and Waste Strategy for England committed to fund any new burdens incurred by local authorities.

The costs and benefits of a DRS for drinks containers will be presented in our Impact Assessment published alongside our second consultation on the introduction of a deposit return scheme next year.

It is Defra policy to encourage research findings such as these to be published in a peer-reviewed journal. We elected to delay the publication of the final reports on our website to allow the researcher some time to do this without undermining the peer review process.

These data are being used to inform analysis of where there is a reservoir of disease in the Edge area.

The UK Government is committed to taking action for pollinators, globally and at home.

We have supported international action under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), including the “Plan of Action 2018-2030 for the International Initiative for the Conservation and Sustainable use of Pollinators” adopted at the CBD’s most recent Conference of the Parties in 2018. The UK is also a member of ‘Promote Pollinators’, an international coalition of the willing under which we have committed to take action to protect pollinators and their habitats, and with whom we share information on research, policy and practical activities.

We have supported and contributed to research which has underpinned such initiatives, including a major global review of the status and threats to insect pollinators, published in 2015 by the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES).

The UK is committed to playing a leading role in developing an ambitious post-2020 global framework for biodiversity under the CBD, expected to be adopted at COP-15 next year. In particular, we will promote ambitious and practical targets, including targets to enhance ecosystem resilience and species recovery, supported by strengthened implementation mechanisms that are commensurate with the scale of the challenge.

Domestically, biodiversity is a devolved issue and each country has its own pollinator strategy which includes objectives for ecosystem restoration and other action in line with these international commitments and initiatives. The four countries also collaborate on monitoring the status of pollinators across the UK.

Like all other Defra sponsored bodies, Natural England (NE) receives an appropriate budget to carry out its duties and responsibilities in line with what is affordable and the priorities set out by the Secretary of State.

NE is an important advisory and delivery partner in the Environmental Land Management (ELM) programme. For the current financial year, NE has been allocated approximately £3.6 million to support the development of ELM. This includes drafting ELM technical guidance, development of scheme design for the Pilot and associated policy advice.

We are currently assessing the budgets for our arm’s length bodies as part of the Spending Review process.

Defra and the Environment Agency (EA) jointly undertook communications on the announcement of the new 'farming rules for water' and the approach to their implementation. This included promotion of the rules on gov.uk, posters, banners, summary cards and questions and answer sheets distributed to a wide range of key farming and environmental stakeholders who also raised awareness via talks, press articles and their own websites. The EA continues to promote the rules via the Farming Advice Service (FAS) newsletter.

The EA is responsible for regulation of the rules. In the first year it took an advice led approach raising awareness of the rules with farmers and their advisers. It is now actively enforcing the rules, through advice, guidance and the possibility of both civil and criminal sanctions. The EA takes a risk-based approach to farm visits with the resources it has available for agriculture, targeting visits at the activities with high potential for pollution or where actual pollution has been reported. The EA also works with those producing materials off-farm that are spread on farmers' fields, such as anaerobic digestates and biosolids from the water industry to raise awareness of the rules and the limits on what can be spread.

Traditional orchards are listed as a habitat of principal importance for the conservation of biodiversity under section 41 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006. Government agri-environment grant schemes, including Countryside Stewardship (which replaced the Environmental Stewardship Scheme) provide financial support to improve the condition of traditional orchards and to establish more of them.

In England there are 1,952 hectares of traditional orchards being managed or established under agri-environment schemes.

The Government has not made an estimate of the number of batteries that are discarded into general waste each year. Nor do we hold information on the number of fires in waste disposal facilities caused by discarded batteries.

A UK-wide producer responsibility scheme is in place for batteries, placing certain responsibilities on producers for their goods, including at end-of-life.

As part of the Resources and Waste Strategy, published in December 2018, we committed to review the four existing producer responsibility schemes, including the requirements applying to batteries. That review is underway. and will consider the arrangements applying to the disposal and treatment of waste portable batteries Similarly, the arrangements applying to the disposal and treatment of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) are also under review, with such equipment often containing batteries.

We continue to work closely with the Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI) on researching and developing biological control methods for Japanese knotweed. Following extensive trials, we approved the release of the psyllid – Aphalara itadori in England to tackle Japanese Knotweed (Fallopia japonica).

We are also funding research into the fungal leaf-spot Mycosphaerella polygoni-cuspidatii, which has potential as a mycoherbicide for Japanese Knotweed.

The Countryside Stewardship Woodland Improvement Grant and the HS2 Woodland Fund currently provide support for the natural regeneration of native species on plantations, including conifer plantations, on ancient woodland sites.

Our recent consultation on the England Tree Strategy referred to making more use of natural regeneration as part of our approach to diversifying our treescapes and woodlands and to harnessing the power of natural processes such as natural colonisation to establish woodlands where appropriate. We will be considering the responses received during the consultation in due course. In parallel, we are considering how the Nature for Climate Fund might support natural colonisation.

In line with our Resources and Waste Strategy, we are considering the best approach to minimise the environmental impact of a range of products, including nappies. Policy measures under consideration include standards and consumer information. We are?seeking powers, through the Environment Bill, that will enable us, where appropriate and subject to consultation, to introduce ecodesign and consumer information requirements.

Work is taking place to commission an updated lifecycle assessment for washable and disposable?nappies which will look at the waste and energy impacts of washable products, disposal to landfill, and recycling options. This will help us decide on the best course of action for the future and in terms of Government support.

Officials are working with representatives of the nappy industry to help inform policy development in this area and last met with representatives from the Nappy Alliance on 26 October.

In line with our Resources and Waste Strategy, we are considering the best approach to minimise the environmental impact of a range of products, including nappies. Policy measures under consideration include standards and consumer information. We are?seeking powers, through the Environment Bill, that will enable us, where appropriate and subject to consultation, to introduce ecodesign and consumer information requirements.

Work is taking place to commission an updated lifecycle assessment for washable and disposable?nappies which will look at the waste and energy impacts of washable products, disposal to landfill, and recycling options. This will help us decide on the best course of action for the future and in terms of Government support.

Officials are working with representatives of the nappy industry to help inform policy development in this area and last met with representatives from the Nappy Alliance on 26 October.

In line with our Resources and Waste Strategy, we are considering the best approach to minimise the environmental impact of a range of products, including nappies. Policy measures under consideration include standards and consumer information. We are?seeking powers, through the Environment Bill, that will enable us, where appropriate and subject to consultation, to introduce ecodesign and consumer information requirements.

Work is taking place to commission an updated lifecycle assessment for washable and disposable?nappies which will look at the waste and energy impacts of washable products, disposal to landfill, and recycling options. This will help us decide on the best course of action for the future and in terms of Government support.

Officials are working with representatives of the nappy industry to help inform policy development in this area and last met with representatives from the Nappy Alliance on 26 October.

No assessment of the adequacy of Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) for fungi has been made.

The EIA process takes account of many important habitat types for fungi, such as the habitats of principal importance listed under section 41 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 as well as important fungi or species assemblages where impacts would result in a likely significant effect. Specific consideration is given to SSSIs notified for the fungi they support.

The effects of badger vaccination by injection have been evaluated in several captive experimental studies and during a four-year field study in Gloucestershire. Although vaccination with BCG will not guarantee protection from infection, meaning some badgers may still become infected, these studies provide evidence of beneficial effects. In particular, they provide evidence that vaccination reduces the likelihood of badgers developing lesions or excreting TB bacteria and the rate of new infections. The studies also indicate that vaccinating more than one third of adults in a badger social group reduces new infections in unvaccinated badger cubs. It is therefore reasonable to assume that badger vaccination will reduce transmission from badgers to cattle.

Government policy has enabled farmers and landowners to apply for licences to cull or to vaccinate badgers. In its response to the Godfray Review, the Government has set out its ambition to move from badger culling to wider deployment of vaccination, with culling only taking place where surveillance in badgers and cattle indicates re-emerging or persistent infection. In areas where culling has been successfully deployed to reduce the amount of TB infection, we are now proposing to increase deployment of badger vaccination.

I am aware of the recent judgement by the Supreme Court in Ireland in the case between the Revenue Commissioners and Bookfinders in respect of Subway in Ireland. I agree it is an interesting case, not about the general definition of bread or cake, but about specific VAT rates payable for different goods and services, in respect of exemptions to higher tax rates that rely on specific definitions of food. One of these is to define bread, for taxation purposes, as containing no more than 2% of any of a number of substances, including sugar. The court held that this was designated in order to avoid the exemption falling to the supply of food not considered a ‘staple’ for which the exemption was designed, but to ‘indulgences’, which for example might include cakes and pastries.

The Bread and Flour Regulations 1998 (BFR) define bread as a food of any size, shape or form which is usually known as bread and consists of a dough made from flour and water, with or without other ingredients, which has been fermented by yeast or otherwise leavened and subsequently baked or partially baked. This definition is intended for consumers rather than for tax purposes.

The BFR are in place primarily as a public health measure to support population intakes of four nutrients. They require therefore that flour sold in the UK (with a few exemptions) must be fortified with calcium, iron, niacin and thiamine, the latter three being simply restored after being lost in the milling process.

Defra has committed to reviewing the BFR, as they apply in England, after the Transition Period. This will take into consideration regulatory concerns raised by industry and any potential legislative changes that might arise from the joint UK Government and Devolved Administrations consultation on the proposed additional requirement to fortify flour with folic acid to help prevent neural tube defects in foetuses.

“Tackling obesity: empowering adults and children to live healthier lives”, published in July, confirmed that we will introduce legislation to require large out-of-home sector businesses, including restaurants, cafes and takeaways with 250 or more employees, to provide calorie labels on the food they sell. We will also encourage smaller businesses to provide calorie information voluntarily and will consider extending the requirement to include them in the future.

The Eatwell Guide, the UK’s healthy eating model, and associated messaging is promoted through a range of channels including the NHS.UK website, the GOV.UK website, and the Government’s national social marketing campaigns Change4Life and One You.

59% of woodland in England is managed, and we recognise the need to increase support for management–safeguarding our woods, supporting biodiversity and providing sustainable timber.

In addition to existing grant support for management, the Forestry Commission and Institute of Chartered Foresters are working to improve the quality of woodland management plans.

We are also exploring further ways in which we can drive up the levels of sustainable woodland management in the development of the upcoming England Tree Strategy.

Applicants for a licence to cull badgers to control the spread of bovine TB (bTB) must meet Natural England's strict licensing criteria, which specifically includes measures to guard against the potential risk of perturbation effects as a result of disturbed badger social groups.

The independent, peer-reviewed academic study into the effectiveness of badger culling (Downs et al. (2019) Nature Scientific Reports) which showed a decline in bTB incidence in the first two cull areas of Gloucestershire and Somerset, also showed a lack of evidence of a 'perturbation effect' in these areas, unlike the findings of the Randomised Badger Culling Trial, where culling led to an increase in bTB incidence rates outside of cull areas.

On the production of pesticides and herbicides, depending on the amounts produced, the manufacture of paraquat and 1,3 dichlorophene are regulated under the Control of Major Accident Hazards Regulations 2015 (COMAH) which implements an EU directive in this area. The COMAH Regulations will continue to apply to Great Britain after the Transition Period.

The export from the UK of paraquat and 1,3-dichloropropene is regulated under Regulation (EU) 649/2012 on the export and import of certain hazardous chemicals, known as the Prior Informed Consent (PIC) Regulation. Companies intending to export any of these chemicals from the UK must notify the importing country via the exporter’s Designated National Authority.

For the UK the Designated National Authority is The Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

Paraquat and 1,3-dichloropropene additionally require the explicit consent of the importing country before export can take place. The exchange of information that PIC provides allows the importing countries to make informed decisions on the import of those chemicals and on how to handle and use them safely.

Similar arrangements to PIC will come into force at the end of the Transition Period on 31 December.

The Government is committed to increasing the quantity and quality of waste materials that are recycled.

Following support in our 2019 consultation on ‘Consistency in household and business recycling collections in England’, we will introduce legislation through the Environment Bill that will require a core set of recyclable materials (paper and card, plastic, glass, metal, food waste, garden waste) to be collected from households and businesses by all waste collectors in England.

At consultation we also proposed additional materials that could be included into this core set of materials, including food and drink cartons. Food and drink cartons, such as Tetra Pak cartons, are widely collected by local authorities from households across England (60% of authorities offer kerbside collection).

We are currently engaging with the waste sector to develop detailed proposals for collection and recycling of cartons by all local authorities and will consult on these early in 2021.

We are committed to maintaining our position as world leaders in animal welfare and want to improve and build upon that record, working in partnership with farmers to support healthier, higher welfare animals. We are exploring options with all the industry sectors, including the gamebird industry, to see how welfare standards can be further enhanced and in a way that is sustainable.

The welfare of gamebirds is currently protected by the Animal Welfare Act 2006 which makes it an offence to cause unnecessary suffering. This is backed up by the statutory Code of Practice for the Welfare of Gamebirds Reared for Sporting Purposes, which encourages the adoption of high standards of husbandry.

There are measures in place to keep aminopyralid out of compost and manures. This is necessary because, as a herbicide, aminopyralid can harm broadleaved plants, leading to stunting and distortion (it is important to note that similar effects can result from nutritional deficiencies or diseases). The use of aminopyralid products is subject to strict conditions of use to ensure that plant material which may contain aminopyralid is not used in compost. These conditions have been in place for over ten years and, as a result, the number of reported incidents has declined to a very low level.

Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspectors and enforcement officers consider all reported cases of suspected aminopyralid contamination of compost. Decisions on possible compliance and enforcement action are taken on a case-by-case basis. In most cases it is not possible to establish whether or not residues of aminopyralid have damaged plants nor, if so, the source of the residues. HSE maintains close contact with the authorisation holder and continues to keep under review the effectiveness of measures put in place.

The Government has made no specific assessment of the environmental, health and visual impacts of chewing gum being deposited in urban environments.

We believe that businesses should try to reduce the amount of litter their products generate. The Litter Strategy for England, published in 2017, sets out how we intend to work with the relevant industries to tackle certain types of particularly problematic litter, including chewing gum.

Defra chairs the industry-funded Chewing Gum Action Group (CGAG), which brings together the main chewing gum producer, Keep Britain Tidy, local government, the Chartered Institute of Waste Management, the Food and Drink Federation and the devolved administrations. The aim of the CGAG is to find and implement sustainable solutions to stop the irresponsible disposal of chewing gum and focus on changing individual behaviour in the long term. The CGAG has run annual behaviour-change campaigns for over ten years. We remain open to exploring other means of securing contributions from the industry to tackle gum litter.

Mars Wrigley Confectionery, a member of the CGAG, has produced a free to use gum littering toolkit. Local authorities, businesses, transport providers or any other organisation interested in reducing gum littering can access readymade campaigns for free. This toolkit was promoted as part of Defra’s ‘Respect the Outdoors’ campaign that was launched this summer. More information can be found at: https://tacklegumlittering.co.uk/.

This is a devolved matter and the information provided therefore relates to England only.

Sewage sludge spread to land as fertiliser or soil improver can be a valuable source of nutrients. The recycling of sewage sludge to land remains a safe activity, provided it is carried out in accordance with the relevant regulatory controls and good practice guidance is followed.

Currently, water companies in the UK can spread sewage sludge under either the more commonly used Sludge (Use in Agriculture) Regulations (SUiAR) or the Environmental Permitting Regulations. Since the introduction of the SUiAR regulations in the 1980s, practices and treatment of sludge has changed considerably. To modernise this regime, in March 2020 the Environment Agency published a ‘Sludge Strategy’ which will review the safe use of sewage sludge. This strategy will enable better management of the environmental impacts of land spreading sludge, and modernise the regulatory framework surrounding the treatment, storage and use of sludge. Details on the strategy can be found via this link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/environment-agency-strategy-for-safe-and-sustainable-sludge-use/environment-agency-strategy-for-safe-and-sustainable-sludge-use

I have noted Henry Dimbleby’s comments about M&S’s use of the terms ‘with natural fruit juice’ and ‘no artificial colours or artificial flavourings’ on Percy Pigs. In terms of the application of the present EU law, it is the responsibility of local authority trading standards, who are responsible for enforcing food labelling, who consider the whole label when making a judgement as to whether or not it is misleading.

These statements do not constitute health claims as defined by current nutrition and health claims legislation. However, Mr Dimbleby’s comments used this product as an example of a wider issue where such claims may in some circumstances be viewed as confusing or misleading, in that they might present otherwise unhealthy food if not consumed according to recommended portion sizes with a degree of wholesomeness.

At the end of the Transition Period we will be able to determine how food on our shop shelves is labelled. We are committed to undertaking a wide ranging review of food labelling to ensure that consumers can continue to have confidence in the food they buy. We will ensure that in collaboration with DHSC the issues raised by Mr Dimbleby in his National Food Strategy are evaluated, along with the impact of potential policy options, as part of this labelling review.

We received an application from the Ilkley Clean River Group in October 2019 for a stretch of the River Wharfe to be designated as a bathing water area. After reviewing further evidence, we are now preparing to proceed to a public consultation. Given the ongoing situation with Covid-19, we will schedule a date to begin the consultation as soon as it is appropriate to do so. This was confirmed by Minister Pow in a letter to the Ilkley Clean River Group on 13 May, following a meeting with Robbie Moore MP to discuss the application.

We have considered the application in line with our usual process for applications for bathing water designation, the details of which are available on the GOV.UK website.

Records show that Natural England (NE) has issued 122 licences for the control of starlings since 2007. Licence returns indicate that 2,918 birds have been killed during this period, although the actual number will be higher as not all licensees have submitted returns. We do not have earlier data since NE was vested in 2006.

The following table presents the licensing information available for each year from 2007. To note, NE underwent a system change in 2013 meaning that return information for that year is not available.

Defra welcomes applications for designation as bathing waters for both coastal and inland waters such as rivers. Local authorities, groups and individuals can apply for sites to be designated. Defra encourages this by writing to the Chief Executive of every local authority in England, as well as by sending similar letters to other stakeholders like swimming associations. It is these local authorities and stakeholders who will best know which popular riverside bathing areas may be suitable for designation.

Providing information about access on public rights of way and open access land is a role usually performed by local highway authorities, as local access is their responsibility.

We are clear that everyone should follow the Countryside Code. A key part of Government strategy involves clear and consistent messaging to key stakeholders and the media. Our messaging seeks to promote better behaviour in the countryside and encourage a partnership response. Defra is working with Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs), National Park Authorities and other Government departments to promote a series of guidance videos to educate users about travelling to and spending time outdoors safely in the wider countryside. This includes an updated Countryside Code. This guidance is available at the following links:

Green space access:

www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-advice-on-accessing-green-spaces-safely

The Countryside Code:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-countryside-code/the-countryside-code

The UK has a high degree of food security built on access to a range of sources including robust supply chains across a range of countries, in addition to strong domestic production. Strong domestic food production is only one part of our food security. We supplement our produce with fruits, vegetables and other products that are difficult to grow and rear here.

The Government recognises the value of local food chains as over half of the food that the UK population consumes is domestically produced. Defra works with a range of local companies and regional food groups to champion local food and highlight the qualities of British food products, such as meat, dairy, and vegetables, as well as fish caught in UK waters. We are proud of our great British food and drink, and the farmers and other producers who provide us all with a reliable and sustainable food supply, renowned for its quality and underpinned by high standards of food safety, traceability and animal welfare.

The Government recognises the important role played by community shops and the vital part they play in many rural communities in supporting vulnerable groups. Defra has been in contact with local authorities and volunteer groups to help prioritise those individuals to access essential food by, among other things, being able to contact smaller food retailers. We recognise and are very grateful for all the work that community shops have done in recent weeks, helping to ensure that people have the food they need.

The Government has asked Henry Dimbleby to lead an Independent Review of the food chain, to develop recommendations to shape a National Food Strategy. It is the intention that this strategy should address major challenges including food security.

Environmental organisations make a valuable contribution to the Government's environmental agenda. They do this through conservation of the natural environment; engaging people in the natural world; and providing access to our beautiful landscapes and coastlines.

As we rebuild our economy in response to the coronavirus pandemic, we must continue to shape an economy and society that are cleaner, greener and more resilient. This Government remains committed to being a world leader on tackling the environmental crises we face. Our recently launched £40 million Green Recovery Challenge Fund will support up to 2000 jobs and lead to the creation of up to 3000 more in environmental space.

We welcome the range of proposals that have been shared by groups including environmental organisations to deliver a green recovery. We are reviewing these based upon the best use of public funds.

In the 25 Year Environment Plan, the Government committed to publishing an England Peat Strategy to create and deliver a new ambitious framework for peat restoration in England. It will set out a holistic plan for the management, protection and restoration of our upland and lowland peatlands so that they deliver benefits for climate and nature. We intend to publish the strategy later this year.

The Government has always been clear of the need to phase out burning of protected blanket bog to conserve these vulnerable habitats. We are currently looking at how legislation could achieve this and considering next steps. Real progress is being made in promoting sustainable alternatives. We have urged landowners to adopt these and continue to work with them constructively.

Burning on moorland may be carried out between 1 October and 15 April. No data is collected on the number of management fires that take place on blanket bog or other upland habitats. Natural England (NE) has recorded nine wildfires on upland sites during the 2019-20 burning season. Five of these affected blanket bog.

Voluntary Commitments to suspend burning were signed by 159 land managers (as of 24 September 2018). Of a total of 402 consents to burn, 187 have either expired or been surrendered since that time, equating to 47% of all consents.

NE does not monitor compliance with these Voluntary Commitments.

The Government has always been clear of the need to phase out burning of protected blanket bog to conserve these vulnerable habitats. We are currently looking at how legislation could achieve this and considering next steps. Real progress is being made in promoting sustainable alternatives. We have urged landowners to adopt these and continue to work with them constructively.

Burning on moorland may be carried out between 1 October and 15 April. No data is collected on the number of management fires that take place on blanket bog or other upland habitats. Natural England (NE) has recorded nine wildfires on upland sites during the 2019-20 burning season. Five of these affected blanket bog.

Voluntary Commitments to suspend burning were signed by 159 land managers (as of 24 September 2018). Of a total of 402 consents to burn, 187 have either expired or been surrendered since that time, equating to 47% of all consents.

NE does not monitor compliance with these Voluntary Commitments.

Natural England (NE) runs the Wildlife Incident Investigation Scheme (WIIS) in England. WIIS makes enquiries into reports of the death or illness of wildlife, pets and beneficial invertebrates that may have resulted from pesticide poisoning.

WIIS has continued to operate in England. Routine WIIS field work was suspended in late March in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, NE has continued to deal with reported cases through desk-based investigations supported by the police and other local agents. NE will recommence field visits when this can be done safely.

Biodiversity is a devolved matter in the UK, and each country has its own national biodiversity plan or strategy. The UK framework was established by the UK Government and Devolved Administrations to identify joint actions to complement country implementation, for example on reporting to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), evidence collation and sharing of best practice.

The UK Post-2010 Biodiversity Framework and its implementation plan are reviewed regularly by the four UK countries, alongside the Joint Nature Conservation Committee. It is our intention to continue working together to develop a new UK Biodiversity Framework and associated implementation plan, on which discussions are underway.

Our intention is also that the new Biodiversity Framework will set out shared priorities and areas for collaboration across the UK, primarily as a collective response to the post-2020 global framework of goals and targets, expected to be agreed at the CBD’s Fifteenth Conference of the Parties, COP15.

We had envisaged that publication of a new UK Framework would follow COP15, originally scheduled for October 2020, and therefore lead on directly from the existing implementation plan. As COP15 has been delayed to 2021 in light of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, we will ensure that our collaborative momentum continues, including to consider a further revised plan until the new global framework is announced.

The Government is aware of suggestions that there has been an increase in reports of wildlife crime, in particular associated with raptor persecution, during the COVID-19 lockdown. Raptor persecution is one of the UK's six wildlife crime priorities and we understand a number of criminal investigations are ongoing. However, it is not possible to confirm on available data whether there has been an increase in the incidents of wildlife crime, increased reporting, or a combination of both.

The current water supply issues in Wolverhampton and Shropshire are due to constraints in Severn Trent Water's distribution network, and not a lack of available water. Severn Trent Water has responded to the issue by asking customers to use water wisely to reduce demand. The CEO of Severn Trent Water attended the National Drought Group chaired by the Environment Agency on 5 June 2020 to discuss the current risks and approaches to the dry weather and water demand management.

If the company has issues with available water resources it will activate its statutory Drought Plan to manage the situation. In the long term, the water company will need to assess how it manages its supply and demand, including proactively reducing leakage and managing demand through its statutory Water Resources Management Plan. In addition, through its business plan that it submits to Ofwat it will need to assess whether it has the correct infrastructure to cope with future demands from customers.

The Government recognises the crucial role the UK's horticulture industry plays in both feeding the country and in promoting people's health and wellbeing. The UK has the climate, the landscape, and entrepreneurial farmers and growers to enable us to produce world-class fruit and vegetables.

We are proud of our growing food reputation. Protected Geographical Indications (PGIs), whether they be for beef from Scotland, lamb from Wales or asparagus from the Vale of Evesham in England, play an important role as exemplars of our quality produce. We are committed to celebrating the success of these regional and traditional products whose authenticity and origin can be guaranteed, along with driving further market access to make sure they are enjoyed here and around the world.

We will always champion our farmers and growers, supporting them to grow more of our great British food and to provide a reliable and sustainable food supply to the British public. This includes through using powers under our landmark Agriculture Bill, and through our work with the Food and Drink Sector Council, a formal industry partnership with the Government, helping to create a more productive and sustainable food and drink sector.

The UK has a high degree of food security, built on access to a range of sources including strong domestic production and imports from other countries. Half of the food we eat is produced in the UK. The rest of our food is imported, with 30% coming from the EU and 20% from other countries. The UK's current production to supply ratio is 75% for indigenous-type foods and 61% for all foods. We produce 61% - 75% of our food supply, but some of that is exported.

Under the current EU State Aid rules we have been unable to promote our home produced food and drink to the domestic market in Government sponsored campaigns nationally. However, we continue to work with regional food groups to showcase their top-quality produce locally; tying this up where we can with stakeholder initiatives (such as those of the AHDB), focussing on provenance and the UKs world-leading standards of food safety, animal welfare and environmental protection.

Biodiversity, including species reintroductions, is a devolved issue and this answer relates to England only. The Government remains committed to providing opportunities for the reintroduction of formerly native species, such as beaver, as set out in our 25 Year Environment Plan.

At the Government’s request and with the agreement of the Devon Wildlife Trust, Natural England has extended the River Otter Beaver Trial until 31 August 2020, and is analysing the results of this trial and a range of experience with beavers across the UK and in other countries.

This analysis will inform decisions on the future of River Otter beavers and the status of beaver in England, including our approach for future reintroductions, management and licensing.

The 25 Year Environment Plan commits us to restoring 75% of our 1 million hectares of terrestrial and freshwater protected sites to favourable condition by 2042. Defra and Natural England are working with land owners and managers and others to improve the condition of our protected sites as a core component of a Nature Recovery Network.

There is no universally agreed description for ultra-processed foods and therefore the Government cannot comment on the percentage of such in the food parcels. The contents of the emergency food parcels have, however, been reviewed by nutritionists as overall based on, and broadly in line with, the national food model, the Eatwell Guide.

Defra is working very closely with the dairy and other agricultural sectors through this period of disruption to manage the impact of Covid-9 on the dairy supply chain.

The Government encourages environmentally-friendly farming. Each farming method has its own benefits and it is a farmer’s commercial decision to choose the system that best suits their farm. Environmentally-friendly farming and food production can go hand in hand.

To support the dairy industry through impacts of Covid-19, we have introduced a wide range of measures, which will also benefit dairy farmers employing agro-ecological practices.

We have eased some elements of competition law to make it easier for dairy processors to come together to maximise production, processing and storage efficiency and ensure as much product as possible can be processed into high quality dairy products.

Moreover, in recognition of the unprecedented challenges facing this sector we announced on 7 May a new fund to support those dairy farmers who have seen decreased demand due to the loss of the food service sector. Eligible dairy farmers in England who have lost more than 25% of their income over April and May due to coronavirus disruptions will be eligible for funding of up to £10,000 each, to cover 70% of their lost income during this qualifying period. This will enable these producers to continue to operate and sustain production capacity without impacts on animal welfare.

AHDB together with Dairy UK have also launched a new £1m campaign to drive consumption of milk. Running over 12 weeks, the campaign will highlight the role that milk plays in supporting moments of personal connection during times of crisis. Defra and the devolved administrations are jointly contributing towards the financing of this campaign.

Alongside the Covid-19 Business Interruption Loans Scheme, HMT has announced the new Bounce Back Loan scheme which will also apply to businesses operating in agriculture. This will ensure that the smallest businesses can access up to £50,000 loans. The Government will provide lenders with a 100% guarantee on each loan, to give lenders the confidence they need to support the smallest businesses in the country. We will also cover the first 12 months of interest payments and fees charged to the business by the lender.

The existing public intervention scheme for skimmed milk powder and butter continues to be available. This provides a floor price for dairy products, supporting the dairy industry to sell skimmed milk powder and butter into public intervention when the price they would receive on the open market falls below the intervention price. In addition from 7 May, UK dairy processors are also eligible to apply for EU funded private storage aid in respect of skimmed milk powder, butter and cheese.

For organic dairy farmers whose milk is being sold as conventional milk, we offered a derogation to allow these farmers to provide their cows with conventional feed in order to reduce costs.

The new Environmental Land Management scheme will be the cornerstone of our future agricultural policy. It will reward farmers and land managers for the delivery of public goods with public money. The ELM scheme is being designed collaboratively with stakeholders. We are considering how more environmentally-sustainable farming approaches, including organic farming and agro-ecological approaches, may fit within ELM where these contribute towards the delivery of environmental public goods. Land managers will be paid for delivering the following public goods set out in the 25 Year Environment Plan: clean air; clean and plentiful water; thriving plants and wildlife; protection from and mitigation of environmental hazards; beauty, heritage and engagement with the environment; mitigation of and adaptation to climate change

Meanwhile, Countryside Stewardship (CS) provides a stepping stone to the future scheme, paying for environmental enhancements now as area-based payments are phased out. CS supports Defra’s Strategic Objective of ‘a cleaner, healthier environment, benefitting people and the economy’. Through the scheme, farmers can apply for funding to improve their local environment – from restoring wildlife habitats and creating woodlands to managing flood risk.

We will continue to offer Countryside Stewardship agreements in 2021, 2022 and 2023.

Defra is working very closely with both farmer and processor representatives through this period of disruption to manage the impact on the dairy supply chain of Covid-19. Farmers supplying milk to processors that sell into the food service sector have seen a significant reduction in demand and we have taken several steps to support those affected.

This includes by temporarily setting aside some elements of competition law to enable farmers and the wider dairy sector to work together to minimise milk being wasted and to ensure it is processed into longer life dairy products. This approach will allow the market for milk to adjust to the change in demand for milk while allowing production to be restored when shops, restaurants and pubs are able to open again.

The Government's Covid-19 Business Interruption Loans scheme is available to the dairy industry to support them in this difficult period. I urge those farm businesses for whom it is appropriate to consider accessing these loans. Defra has held urgent discussions with the major banks to ensure they understand that farmers, milk buyers and milk processors are eligible for this scheme and we are working to increase awareness across the dairy industry. HMT have also now announced the new Bounce Back Loan scheme which will apply to businesses operating in agriculture. This will ensure that the smallest businesses can access up to £50,000 loans. The government will provide lenders with a 100% guarantee on each loan, to give lenders the confidence they need to support the smallest businesses in the country. We will also cover the first 12 months of interest payments and fees charged to the business by the lender.

The Government also took a number of early emergency steps to support dairy farmers and the wider sector. These included designating employees in the food sector as key workers and temporarily relaxing the normal rules on drivers' hours, enabling the sector to keep supply chains running, including deliveries from farm gate to processors.

The Government values green spaces such as allotments and considers them to be an important community asset, particularly during the COVID-19 outbreak. Allotments play an important role in helping people to live a healthy and active lifestyle and in providing food.

Local councils have a statutory duty under Section 23 of the Small Holdings and Allotments Act 1908 to provide a sufficient number of allotments based on local demand in an area and to let them to people residing in that area who want them. The provision of allotment spaces is the responsibility of local councils as they are best placed to determine the demand in their area.

In 2012, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government published a best practice guide for community groups wanting to find land to grow fruit and vegetables. This is available on the GOV.UK website at:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/space-for-food-growing-a-guide.

The Local Government Association also provides guidance on allotments and community food growing schemes in its “Growing in the community” guidance, which is available online at: www.local.gov.uk/growing-community-second-edition.

Pesticides, including glyphosate and other herbicides, are strictly regulated and their use is only authorised if a scientific risk assessment shows that there will be no harmful effect on human health and no unacceptable effects on the environment. There are specific risk assessments for the use of pesticides in amenity areas, which includes local authority use. There are also controls on the use of pesticides, including training of users and testing of application equipment.

It is for local authorities to determine the need for pest and weed control in their operations and to decide how to deliver this effectively without harming people or the environment. There is a legal requirement to minimise the use of pesticides along roads and in areas used by the general public and a number of local authorities are exploring practices that help meet this requirement.

Local authorities are not required to report their use of chemical pesticides and no central record is kept. The Government does commission and publish surveys of pesticide use. These focus mainly on the use of pesticides in farming, but surveys of amenity use have been carried out from time to time, most recently in 2016.

The 25 Year Environment Plan (25YEP) commits the Government to safeguarding and enhancing the beauty of our natural scenery and improving its environmental value, while being sensitive to considerations of its heritage. We will continue this approach to improving the natural environment, both identifying the mutually positive impacts on the natural and historic environments our policies can have, as well as identifying potential trade-offs between them. Under the Environment Bill, to be reintroduced shortly, the 25YEP will be adopted as the first statutory Environment Improvement Plan.

The Agriculture Bill, recently laid before Parliament, will enable the Government to develop our ambitious new Environmental Land Management (ELM) scheme. Our scheme is the cornerstone of our new agricultural policy. Founded on the principle of “public money for public goods”, ELM will provide a powerful vehicle for achieving the goals of the 25YEP and commitment to net zero carbon emissions by 2050, while supporting our rural economy. Through the scheme, land managers will be paid to deliver public goods set out in the 25YEP, including beauty, heritage and engagement with the environment.

Our Environmental Land Management (ELM) scheme is the cornerstone of our new agricultural policy. Founded on the principle of “public money for public goods”, ELM is intended to provide a powerful vehicle for achieving the goals of the 25 Year Environment Plan and commitment to net zero carbon emissions by 2050, while supporting our rural economy.

ELM is looking into several options for sourcing advisors, considering both private and public sector options. The options we are considering allow flexibility to source experienced advisors in the short-term for the National Pilot, whilst building sufficient and high-quality advisor capacity to support the full roll out of ELM. The National Pilot provides an opportunity to co-design with stakeholders and land managers the most appropriate way to provide this capacity and whether it is provided from the public or private sector.

The Government is committed to phasing out the use of peat in horticulture in England by 2030. In 2011, we set a voluntary target to phase out the use of horticultural peat in the amateur sector by 2020, and the professional sector by 2030. While some progress has been made, we stated in the 25 Year Environment Plan that we would consider implementing further measures if there is insufficient movement to peat alternatives by 2020. We will set out plans to speed up progress on ending the use of horticultural peat in the England Peat Strategy, which we will publish this year.

The Department for Transport has recently commissioned an independent review into the safety of recreational General Aviation. The review showed a continuous downward trend in the number of accidents involving light aircrafts since the 1980s, and that the number of accidents in the UK is lower than in the US, Australia and New Zealand. The authors considered that the current safety level of recreational GA is acceptable but made a number of recommendations. We will work with the CAA to consider the implications, and will continue to keep all areas of safety policy under review.

Regarding third country registered aircraft based in the UK, the majority are non-complex aircraft registered in the US, used for recreational aviation. Both the General Aviation safety review and evidence from the CAA show there is no evidence that overall non-UK registered aircraft are maintained to a lower standard than UK registered aircraft, and that overall non-UK and European registered aircraft do not have a higher accident rate.

For these reasons, the Department for Transport does not consider there to be a safety case to change the regulation of third country registered aircrafts operating primarily in the UK. However, as highlighted above, we will continue to keep all areas of safety policy under review.

Her Majesty’s Government employs a relevant, robust and trusted analytical process designed to assess the likely impacts of both individual strategic road schemes and our road investment strategy as a whole. The impacts of such schemes on, for example, carbon, employment, housing, air quality and environmental issues are all assessed by the Department in line with its Transport Analysis Guidance (TAG).

The Department keeps its appraisal and modelling methodologies which are set out in TAG, under constant review, commissioning research to improve the evidence base as well as improving methodologies. The recently published TAG route map sets out our plans to update our guidance over the next six months and includes plans to update carbon values once these are finalised by the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).

There are no planned changes to Northern’s off-peak travel requirements. In the current COVID-19 crisis, Northern has prioritised running a service for customers that is both resilient and reliable, rather than ramping up services too quickly or introducing measures that may lead to increased passenger demand and thereby exceed restrictions on social distancing.

International passenger rail services provide a number of benefits for passengers, businesses and the wider economy, including environmental benefits. The Government supports the future growth and success of international passenger rail and would welcome the development of potential sleeper services from across Great Britain to continental destinations, linking up with European services.

To that end, the Department for Transport has engaged with UK and European partners to encourage the future growth of international passenger rail services. Officials stand ready to further engage with any potential operators of new international services, including sleeper services, where they have a proposition they wish to explore.

The Government supports airports making best of their existing runways. Potential airport growth applications should be considered under the appropriate planning regime and should take careful account of all relevant considerations, particularly economic and environmental impacts and proposed mitigations.

Applications to increase existing planning caps by fewer than 10 million passengers per annum (mppa) as in the case of Leeds-Bradford, should be taken forward through local planning authorities under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.

Government works with all key partners across the country, including local authorities within Oxfordshire and with Network Rail, in ensuring consideration is given to appropriate sustainable transport modes, in particular, where there are planned housing developments. There is a requirement for local authorities to include any proposals in their local plans.

There is a requirement in the National Planning Policy Framework for local authorities to ensure that transport issues are considered from the earliest stages of plan-making and development proposals. In planning for new settlements this involves ensuring that opportunities to promote walking, cycling and public transport use are identified and pursued. Plans are also prepared with the active involvement of local highways authorities, other transport infrastructure providers and operators and neighbouring councils, so that strategies and investments for supporting sustainable transport and development patterns are aligned.

The responsibility for any assessment of levels of use and increases of carbon emissions for these proposals would lie with the local highway authority, Oxfordshire County Council.

A study of the rail corridors in Oxfordshire has been undertaken by Network Rail in partnership with the Department for Transport and local stakeholders led by the Oxfordshire Growth Board. The scope of the study has included the possibility of reopening the line between Oxford and Cowley for passenger services, with two new stations serving the Oxford Business and Science Park. The work undertaken to date has not included an assessment of the impact on carbon emissions.

The Oxfordshire Rail Corridor Study will be published this Spring, and further development work on reopening the Cowley line will be progressed in accordance with the Rail Network Enhancement Pipeline.

A study of the rail corridors in Oxfordshire has been undertaken by Network Rail in partnership with the Department for Transport and local stakeholders led by the Oxfordshire Growth Board. The scope of the study has included an assessment of the demand for train services to and from Oxfordshire stations, including Culham, taking account of planned housing growth contained within existing Local Plans.

The Oxfordshire Rail Corridor Study will be published this Spring, and the outcomes will be progressed in accordance with the Rail Network Enhancement Pipeline. The work undertaken to date has not included an assessment of the impact on carbon emissions of any proposals, which is because the limit of the study work was to produce a train service specification to meet forecast demand, understand the existing capacity shortfall and the infrastructure interventions that might be required in order to meet that specification.

Our priority throughout this health emergency continues to be to protect the public and staff, while ensuring people get the benefits they are entitled to quickly and safely. Reviews and reassessments will remain suspended while we review what activity we can gradually start reintroducing in line with the latest public health advice. We will confirm next steps as soon as possible.

The Citizens’ Basic Income does not target those most in need of support; it also has high costs and reduces work incentives. The Department for Work and Pensions believes the future lies in support that is increasingly tailored to the needs of the individual which Universal Credit underpins.

The Stevenson/Farmer review of mental health and employers, published in October 2017 set out recommendations for how employers can better support the mental health needs of all those in employment. The recommendations included some for the Government to implement and some that required leadership from outside government. The recommendations were accepted in full in November 2017 and progress is being overseen by the Work and Health Unit.

Our assessment is that of those that the Government is responsible for all are complete or progressing satisfactorily, subject to legislative or IT solutions.

Of those recommendations that sit outside Government, the Leadership Council, made up of key employer representatives was set up to take ownership for driving implementation by employers. We continue to actively work with them to support them in their progress.

Under the Health and Safety (First Aid) at Work Regulations 1981 employers have a responsibility to consider the physical and mental health needs of their staff regardless of whether the cause is work-related or not as part of their first aid needs assessment, and decide what support is necessary. HSE provides guidance to employers on what type of factors to consider, see link for more information. (https://www.hse.gov.uk/firstaid/needs-assessment.htm).

The Government have announced additional funding of up to £14 million has been made available to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to support their advice and regulatory activity as businesses implement the new guidance on working safely. HSE’s plans will develop as more businesses return to work and this will include checks that appropriate measures are in place to protect workers from COVID-19.

The Government has also announced a total of £3.2 billion of funding for councils to support their response to the pandemic. This is a significant package of support which responds to the range of pressures councils have told us they are facing and will support them to protect vital services.

Data for claimants on Universal Credit with a Removal of the Spare Room Subsidy deduction is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

The Government does not keep a record of which toilets are open and which are locked with a Radar key either pre or during the Covid-19 situation.

The Radar National Key Scheme offers disabled people independent access to over 9,000 locked public toilets around the country with one key. Toilets fitted with National Key Scheme locks can now be found in shopping centres, pubs, cafes, department stores, bus and train stations and many other locations in the country, and are operated by a wide range of organisations.

The information requested in not available.

Figures on the number of households receiving Housing Benefit affected by the Removal of the Spare Room Subsidy are publically available through the DWP Stat Xplore website:

https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/jsf/login.xhtml

Guidance for users is available at:

https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html

Figures on DWP Stat Xplore do not include claimants on Universal Credit with a Removal of the Spare Room Subsidy deduction, as this data is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

The information requested is not held centrally.

Additional food and drinks can be ordered and delivered to the hotel main reception. All deliveries are left outside the guest's room and staff should have no contact with the guest.

Ventilation requirements within the Managed Quarantine Service (MQS) hotels have been identified and agreed with Public Health England. Mechanical ventilation systems should be maintained in line with manufacturers’ instructions and should use a fresh air supply and not recirculating indoor air. This is to prevent airborne transmissibility and is an essential specification within hotel contracts. We ensure these are being met as part of the initial site visit undertaken by MQS staff and security. Each hotel should ensure that air-conditioning, ventilation, fire alarms and sprinkler systems are working properly. We are encouraging hotels to meet the guidance given by the Federation of European Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning Associations.

The Environmental Monitoring for Health Protection Programme is an innovative way to monitor community health and involves monitoring sewage for the presence of COVID-19, including variants of concern. It provides an understanding where the virus is circulating in the population and identify future potential spikes in infection, so action can be taken to stop transmission. The Programme is rapidly expanding its coverage to provide continuous monitoring at a local level and across England.

Wastewater testing has been used to support several local authorities to rapidly understand where local outbreaks are occurring and to detect the emergence of variants of concern in their areas. This involves working intensively with local authority and public health teams to identify areas for focused wastewater testing. It also provides reassurance to local communities who are impacted. The Programme is funded and delivered in England by the Joint Biosecurity Centre in partnership with the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs at no cost to local authorities.

We do not hold information on the ownership status of care homes therefore no such assessment has been made.

The infection prevention control principles within current National Health Service guidance are applicable to all healthcare settings. The key principle of ventilation is to dilute COVID-19 through air changes and both air extraction and fresh air supply can be used to achieve this.

The infection prevention control principles within current National Health Service guidance are applicable to all healthcare settings. The key principle of ventilation is to dilute COVID-19 through air changes and both air extraction and fresh air supply can be used to achieve this.

The information is not held in the format requested. All healthcare staff must undertake mandatory safeguarding training that enable staff to effectively safeguard, protect and promote the welfare of children and young people.

The Tobacco Advertising and Promotion Act 2002 covers the prohibition of tobacco advertising. The advertising of e-cigarettes is covered under the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016 (TRPR).

The Department expects social media platforms to comply with the above regulations in the United Kingdom. The Advertising Standards Authority are responsible for dealing with complaints around tobacco and e-cigarette advertising.

The Department is currently undertaking a post implementation review of TRPR to assess if the regulations have met their objectives. A public consultation is currently open for responses, and provides an opportunity for comments to be made on this legislation.

The Government has no plans to do so. However, for those facing significant financial hardship as a result of this charge, there is an opportunity to apply for a deferred repayment plan when booking.

In April 2020, we put in place a comprehensive package of wellbeing resources for National Health Service staff including counselling helplines, free access to wellbeing apps, virtual staff commons rooms, and specialist bereavement and psychological support. This was reinforced in the autumn with £30 million invested in enhanced occupational health support and the creation of mental health hubs which are focused on improving outreach, assessment and referrals to specialist services.

Taking leave is important to allow staff the opportunity to rest and recuperate. The NHS employment offer already includes annual leave arrangements beyond the statutory minimum and management of annual leave is a local matter for employing organisations. Where staff have been unable to take annual leave due to the pandemic, agreements can be reached to ensure that annual leave can be carried over into the next two years.

We are working closely with all 314 lower tier and unitary local authorities to collate information on how the Test and Trace Support Payment scheme is progressing and will release information on the number of applications, successful applications and amounts paid out in due course.

If a local authority has used all of its discretionary funding, it is for that authority to decide whether to accept further applications or whether to use other sources of funding. However, the funding made available to local authorities to make discretionary payments under the scheme has been increased to £20 million per month from March 2021.

This information is not currently held centrally. However, data on the scheme will be published in due course, subject to assuring the quality of the data submitted by local authorities.

Public health issues are being actively considered as part of the Government’s trade policy development. The Government has been clear that it will uphold the United Kingdom’s high levels of public, animal, and plant health.

The UK’s five-year national action plan for antimicrobial resistance includes ambitions to reduce antimicrobial use in human and animal medicine. Public Health England (PHE) works with the National Health Service to develop and maintain robust surveillance systems for monitoring and reporting trends in antimicrobial use. Local data on antibiotic prescribing is published by PHE in an online only format and can be used by healthcare staff, commissioners and directors of public health to benchmark performance and develop local action plans.

We have interpreted the noble Lady’s question as referring to the degradation of antibiotics in the environment. The United Kingdom is working with the pharmaceutical industry, water industry, research institutes and across Government to address the issue of antibiotics in the environment, as part of both the UK’s five year National Action Plan on antimicrobial resistance and response to the European Commission’s Strategic Approach to Pharmaceuticals in the Environment report. Work is still at the evidence-gathering stage but it is anticipated that research will include looking at occurrence and behaviour of antibiotics in the environment, which may include degradation. Findings will feed into evidence-based policy to inform potential solutions, which may include more prudent prescribing, better waste management and a drive towards greener manufacture and development of pharmaceuticals.

There are no plans to undertake a public consultation on the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines to different age groups and other district population groups.

There are no plans to make scabies a notifiable disease.

At present, only one ivermectin-containing product is approved in the United Kingdom (Soolantra 10 mg/g cream) but this is not indicated in the treatment of scabies in tablet form. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) are aware that Stromectol 3mg tablets, containing ivermectin, are approved in France and are used for the treatment of scabies but this is not licensed in the UK.

In order for the MHRA to approve a medicine for use in the UK, a manufacturer has to apply to obtain a marketing authorisation. The MHRA makes its decision to approve a licence for a product based on safety, quality and efficacy criteria, irrespective of the cost. Thus far, the MHRA has not received any application for tablets of ivermectin.

The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies’ subgroup the Scientific Pandemic Influenza group on Behaviour (SPI-B) offers insights into the behavioural and psychological impacts of the implementation of proposed interventions or responses to COVID-19. SPI-B is not asked to comment on the effectiveness of particular interventions, nor on when they should be triggered. The group is asked to provide advice aimed at anticipating and helping people adhere to interventions that are recommended by medical or epidemiological experts.

The Workforce Race Equality Standard (WRES) applies to all organisations providing National Health Service healthcare services under the full-length version of the NHS standard contract. The status and reporting by NHS trust subsidiary companies, outsourcing and subcontracting service providers is being reviewed by the WRES strategic advisory group. We anticipate the outcome of this review in the coming months and will apply recommendations to future data collections.

The Department has noted the concerns raised in the report by Medact False Positives: the Prevent counter-extremism policy in healthcare. Healthcare professionals have a duty of care to safeguard patients who may be vulnerable to being drawn into terrorism. Prevent is a statutory duty for National Health Service trusts and foundation trusts, whose staff may need to share personal information to ensure that a person at risk of radicalisation is given appropriate support. Information sharing is governed by legislation and assessed on a case-by-case basis, which considers whether the informed consent of the individual can be obtained and that the proposed sharing is necessary, proportionate and lawful.

We currently do not routinely collect data on the number of patients waiting and maximum waiting times for gender identity clinics.

Data in October 2019, which informed the work programme aimed at improving access to gender services, showed there were more than 9,500 individuals waiting for a first appointment. Of this, approximately 3,400 individuals had been waiting between 52 and 103 weeks; and circa 2,100 individuals had been waiting for over two years. The median waiting time for a first appointment is more than two years for patients who were referred in October 2019.

To address this rise in demand, three new services have been established in Cheshire and Merseyside, Manchester and London. These services will be evaluated as pilots for a new delivery model, with planning underway for further services to be establish nationwide.

The Department has worked with industry to ensure that alcohol labels reflect the United Kingdom CMOs’ Low Risk Drinking Guidelines for drinks produced after the 1 September 2019. The industry has committed to comply with this requirement. Local trading standards have powers to remove products produced after the 1 September 2019 that contain the old guidelines on the labels, remaining stock produced before then can be sold through.

Through Tackling obesity: empowering adults and children to live healthier lives, published in July, we are committed to consult before the end of the year on our intention to make companies provide calorie labelling on all pre-packaged alcohol they sell. The consultation will also cover introducing calorie labelling on alcoholic drinks sold in the out of home sector, for example bought on draught or by the glass.

A copy of Tackling obesity: empowering adults and children to live healthier lives is attached.

We have no plans to offer the influenza vaccination to the entire United Kingdom population. On 5 August 2020 we published the Annual Flu Letter Update 2020/21, which set out who will be eligible for flu vaccination this winter.

General practitioners and pharmacists are directly responsible for ordering flu vaccine from suppliers which are used to deliver the national flu programme to adults, and earlier this year they were asked to review their orders for flu vaccine to ensure they have sufficient vaccine for their eligible patients. We have also procured additional stock as part of our planning for this season.

Flu vaccination deliveries for those who are in at risk groups will start to be available in September and will continue in all areas in England throughout the winter months.

The NHS Community Pharmacist Consultation Service (CPCS) was launched by NHS England and NHS Improvement in October 2019. As for Pharmacy First Scotland, the CPCS encourages patients who might otherwise go elsewhere to visit a community pharmacy first. Under the CPCS, patients referred from 111 phone or online and who have a minor illness or have run out of a repeat medicine and need an urgent supply, can have a consultation with a pharmacist. The pharmacist will provide self-care advice and support for the patient and/or carer and the subsequent supply of medicines. For the emergency supply of previously prescribed medicines, these are supplied free on the National Health Service, subject to the payment of a prescription charge, as appropriate. In keeping with general NHS prescribing policy in England, the supply of ‘over the counter’ medicines are paid for by the patient.

The Eatwell Guide is a tool to demonstrate the different types of foods and drinks, and the proportions in which they should be consumed, that can contribute towards a healthy, balanced diet. There are a number of ways to eat a diet in line with the Eatwell Guide.

A 2016 study looking at the cost of achieving a diet in line with the Eatwell Guide concluded that although achieving this would require large changes to the current average diet, these changes would not lead to significant changes in the price of the diet. A copy of the paper Eatwell Guide: modelling the dietary and cost implications of incorporating new sugar and fibre guidelines is attached.

Public Health England has not assessed the affordability of the Eatwell Guide for particular population groups including recipients of Universal Credit, apprentices and those on minimum wage.

The United Kingdom Government is represented on Health Education England’s steering group to develop a competency framework for healthier weight. Health Education England’s Healthier Weight framework aims to describe the competencies that health and care staff working in any setting need to equip them to fulfil their role to promote a healthier weight. The Healthier Weight framework is attached.

The emphasis for this framework to help prevention of excess weight gain and can be applied across all groups of health and care staff working in any setting including frontline staff, managers, commissioners and leaders and relevant to charities that provide services around healthier weight. It may be used in other settings such as individual’s homes, care homes, nurseries, children’s centres, schools, colleges and workplaces and with any community or any group within the population.

We have just received the report by the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review, led by Baroness Cumberlege.

As we have advised this week, it is now time for us to consider this report and its recommendations carefully.

We will consider how this recommendation fits with the structures we already have in place.

To ensure United Kingdom labelling remains effective for consumers, we will consider a range of measures to build on the success of our current ‘traffic light’ nutritional labelling scheme.

All sectors of the drinks industry have been challenged to reduce sugar levels in juice-based drinks by 5% by 2021. The reductions can be achieved through reducing the number of calories and/or portion size of products and shifting consumer purchasing towards lower or no added sugar products.

Public Health England oversees the voluntary sugar reduction and wider reformulation programme on behalf of the Government, as set out in all chapters of the childhood obesity plan and the 2019 Prevention Green Paper. We have seen some important successes including the average sugar content of drinks subject to the soft drinks industry levy decreasing by 28% between 2015 and 2018.

We will be setting out our responses to the consultations on restricting promotions of products high in fat, sugar and salt by location and by price, and calorie labelling in the out-of-home sector as soon as we can.

To ensure United Kingdom labelling remains effective for consumers, we will consider a range of measures to build on the success of our current ‘traffic light’ nutritional labelling scheme.

All sectors of the drinks industry have been challenged to reduce sugar levels in juice-based drinks by 5% by 2021. The reductions can be achieved through reducing the number of calories and/or portion size of products and shifting consumer purchasing towards lower or no added sugar products.

Public Health England oversees the voluntary sugar reduction and wider reformulation programme on behalf of the Government, as set out in all chapters of the childhood obesity plan and the 2019 Prevention Green Paper. We have seen some important successes including the average sugar content of drinks subject to the soft drinks industry levy decreasing by 28% between 2015 and 2018.

We will be setting out our responses to the consultations on restricting promotions of products high in fat, sugar and salt by location and by price, and calorie labelling in the out-of-home sector as soon as we can.

To ensure United Kingdom labelling remains effective for consumers, we will consider a range of measures to build on the success of our current ‘traffic light’ nutritional labelling scheme.

All sectors of the drinks industry have been challenged to reduce sugar levels in juice-based drinks by 5% by 2021. The reductions can be achieved through reducing the number of calories and/or portion size of products and shifting consumer purchasing towards lower or no added sugar products.

Public Health England oversees the voluntary sugar reduction and wider reformulation programme on behalf of the Government, as set out in all chapters of the childhood obesity plan and the 2019 Prevention Green Paper. We have seen some important successes including the average sugar content of drinks subject to the soft drinks industry levy decreasing by 28% between 2015 and 2018.

We will be setting out our responses to the consultations on restricting promotions of products high in fat, sugar and salt by location and by price, and calorie labelling in the out-of-home sector as soon as we can.

Sweeteners permitted for use in the United Kingdom, are strictly regulated and undergo a mandatory robust safety assessment prior to being authorised for the market. Maximum use levels are set to help ensure that consumers do not exceed the acceptable intake levels which apply to all population groups over 12 weeks of age.

Latest data on fruit and vegetable intakes for children aged 18 months upwards are available from the National Diet and Nutrition Survey (2014/15 to 2015/16) and for infants and young children aged 4-18 months available from the Diet and Nutrition Survey of Infants and Young Children 2011. Mean intake by age group ranges from 170 grams per day at 12-18 months old to 168 grams per day at 11-18 year olds. The National Diet and Nutrition Survey Results from Years 7 and 8 (combined) of the Rolling Programme (2014/2015 to 2015/2016) report and the Diet and Nutrition Survey of Infants and Young Children, 2011 are attached.

Advertising in the United Kingdom is overseen by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), the industry’s independent regulator, who enforce the Advertising Codes through a system of self-regulation and co-regulation with Ofcom. The Codes apply to all media, including broadcast and online, and set standards for accuracy and honesty to which advertisers must adhere, including specific conditions on advertising to children, causing offence and social responsibility. The Codes also include specific rules on alcohol advertising, with the underlying aim of ensuring that marketing communications do not imply, condone or encourage immoderate, irresponsible or anti-social drinking. The Codes are regularly reviewed and updated by the ASA to ensure they remain effective.

COVID-19 is a new disease and therefore it is not yet clear what the medical, psychological and rehabilitation needs will be for those experiencing long-term effects, to enable them to make as full a recovery as possible.

The UK Research and Innovation-National Institute for Health Research Rapid Response Rolling Call has funded a large post-hospitalisation study. The study, announced in July, will establish a national consortium and a research platform embedded within clinical care to better understand and improve long-term outcomes for survivors following hospitalisation with COVID-19. It will also help to ensure future treatment can be tailored as much as possible to the person.

The new ‘Your COVID Recovery’ service, forms part of National Health Service plans to expand access to COVID-19 rehabilitation treatments for those who have survived the virus but still have problems with breathing, mental health problems or other complications.

The National Health Service and the wider scientific community are currently working to better understand the disease course of the COVID-19 virus, including the severity and duration of symptoms. The UK Research and Innovation-National Institute for Health Research Rapid Response Rolling Call has funded a large post-hospitalisation study. The study, announced in July, will establish a national consortium and a research platform embedded within clinical care to understand and improve long-term outcomes for survivors following hospitalisation with COVID-19.

NHS England and NHS Improvement have worked with the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust to develop a digital, interactive, personalised recovery programme for people recovering from COVID-19. The new ‘Your COVID Recovery’ service, which was announced on 5 July, forms part of NHS plans to expand access to COVID-19 rehabilitation treatments for those who have survived the virus but still have problems with breathing, mental health problems or other complications.

The Government continues to monitor and assess data from a wide variety of sources on COVID-19 as it emerges. The Government is aware of the ZOE ‘COVID-19 Symptom Study’ and has included the data on symptom duration as part of its considerations.

The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies recently re-evaluated length of self-isolation for symptomatic individuals and did not recommend a change to current advice.

The Department of Health and Social Care and the Home Office are working at pace to deliver the exemption. Any National Health Service or care workers that have paid the surcharge since the Prime Minister’s announcement on 21 May will receive a refund and further announcements will be made shortly.

To provide a more comprehensive response to a number of outstanding Written Questions, this has been answered by an information factsheet Science of Covid-19 note for House of Lords, which is attached due to the size of the data. A copy has also been placed in the Library.

To provide a more comprehensive response to a number of outstanding Written Questions, this has been answered by an information factsheet Testing – note for House of Lords which is attached, due to the size of the data. A copy has also been placed in the Library

We do not collect or publish data in the form requested. We are working to increase access to both assisted and self-administered testing, but it is important to note that the range of testing routes are designed to be complementary and reach the right people at the right time. We are providing a range of options to be as accessible as possible to people wherever they live and whatever their circumstances.

COVID-19 is a new virus and the Government guidance is regularly updated as scientific advice and Government policy evolves. All relevant pieces of guidance were updated to include anosmia (loss or change in sense of smell or taste) when this policy change was announced on 18 May 2020.

Local authorities are responsible for assessing local needs and commissioning alcohol services to meet these needs, including during the COVID-19 pandemic. Public Health England supports local authorities in this work by providing advice, guidance and data.

In support of COVID-19, NHS England and NHS Improvement have published a specialty guide for alcohol dependence to support clinicians in acute and mental health trusts treating patients with alcohol dependence. Additionally, a national alcohol clinical expert network has been established to provide advice and support.

Universities and practice learning partners are working together to try and ensure students' learning outcomes are met and competencies are signed off to complete the programme at the expected time. However, as in usual circumstances, some students may need to extend beyond three years if they cannot meet the required learning outcomes or minimum clinical hour requirements.

Work is ongoing across Government with key partners to agree the arrangements for final year students who may need to extend beyond three years, the outcomes of which will be communicated as soon as possible.

To provide a more comprehensive response to a number of outstanding Written Questions, this has been answered by an information factsheet Testing – note for House of Lords which is attached, due to the size of the data. A copy has also been placed in the Library

Regional Test Sites are overseen by the Department as part of the COVID-19 National Testing Programme. These sites have been commissioned by the Department and operated by a range of commercial organisations. As of 29 April, 43 regional tests were open across the United Kingdom. Of these, 11 deliver assisted testing, 14 sites operate the self-administered approach and 18 operate a hybrid model where both options are offered.

The test is reliable and effective. There are different tests in use under this programme and all have been assessed as performing to manufacturers specifications before being used.

Final year nursing, midwifery and many allied health profession students are beginning to be deployed into the National Health Service and social care sector. Information on the overall numbers deployed is being collected by Health Education England and will be made available from early May 2020.

We have guaranteed that all nursing, midwifery and allied health students who do opt in to paid clinical placements to support the COVID-19 response will be rewarded fairly for their hard work. Students who opt in will be getting a salary and automatic NHS pension entitlement at the appropriate band. They will also still receive their student maintenance loan and Learning Support Fund payments too.

Universities will also continue to provide pastoral support to students throughout this time too.

We have set out a comprehensive action plan to support the adult social care sector in England throughout the COVID-19 outbreak, including ramping up testing, overhauling the way personal protective equipment is being delivered to care homes and helping to minimise the spread of the virus to keep people safe.

On 19 March we announced £1.6 billion to help local authorities deal with the immediate impacts of COVID-19, which many councils will have directed towards adult social care services. On 18 April we announced an additional £1.6 billion of funding to support councils delivering essential frontline services. We do not collect centrally the breakdown of local authority support for different types of care providers.

This funding is part of the Government’s commitment to ensure the National Health Service and social care system, and other public services, have the resources required to tackle COVID-19. The Government will continue to monitor pressures in the NHS and local government and will keep future funding under review.

From 25 February to 23 April we have delivered over 950 million items of personal protective equipment (PPE) across the health and social care system within England. This includes 140 million masks, 150 million aprons, 1.5 million gowns and 518 million gloves. Tens of millions more items of PPE will have been distributed by the devolved administrations. Additionally, in the week commencing 20 April, we released 29 million items of PPE to designated wholesalers for onward sale to social care providers.

We are working closely with the devolved administrations to co-ordinate the distribution of PPE across the United Kingdom.

NHS England is working with its professional leads, the respective regulators, NHS Employers and the Department to determine how best to engage with retirees / leavers who are willing to return to work for a period of time to provide the extra capacity needed to meet the demands of COVID-19.

NHS England has been developing with stakeholders a clear and straightforward re-registration process and simplified employment checks. NHS England will identify what training is required to support returners and will develop guidance to help employers to engage with these staff and provide advice and support to all staff over this period.

The United Kingdom is open to exploring cooperation between the UK and the European Union on matters of health security, as well as on commitments on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) prevention, in future relationship negotiations with the EU. The Government is committed to establishing a future relationship that benefits the whole of the UK. There are strong existing relationships between the UK's four public health agencies and their counterparts in EU Member States and we work closely with them to protect our citizens from cross-border threats to health, such as the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. The UK remains committed to working with countries and partners from across the world, both bilaterally and in multilateral fora, such as the World Health Organization, G7 and the Global Health Security Initiative and we will continue to uphold all of our commitments under the International Health Regulations.

As of 1 January 2020, we are in the transition period during which the United Kingdom will continue to follow European legislation and European Medicines Agency (EMA) processes and decisions until 31 December 2020. We continue to receive public safety information from the EMA and have firm links with the World Health Organization and other key international public health organisations working on this issue. The Government has set out its negotiation approach with the European Union, which includes commitments for cooperation and information sharing to enable regulators to act promptly to safeguard patient safety and public health.

The UK is a world leader in preparing for and managing public health incidents and on 3 March the Government published its action plan to tackle the spread of coronavirus. A copy of Coronavirus: action plan. A guide to what you can expect across the UK is attached.

Since the changes to the bursary system in 2017 midwifery places are no longer directly commissioned. The Department makes funding available for clinical placements, with places filled via the normal university application process. The Government has committed to expand midwifery training places by 3,650 over a four year period with an increase of 650 in September 2019 and 1,000 in each of the subsequent years.

Data from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) in the following table shows acceptances to midwifery courses increased by 425 in the academic year 2019-20. The table also shows the number of acceptances in each of the three preceding academic years.

Source: UCAS end of cycle data, 2019

Since the changes to the bursary system in 2017 midwifery places are no longer directly commissioned. The Department makes funding available for clinical placements, with places filled via the normal university application process. The Government has committed to expand midwifery training places by 3,650 over a four year period with an increase of 650 in September 2019 and 1,000 in each of the subsequent years.

Data from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) in the following table shows acceptances to midwifery courses increased by 425 in the academic year 2019-20. The table also shows the number of acceptances in each of the three preceding academic years.

Source: UCAS end of cycle data, 2019

We have committed to 50,000 more nurses in the National Health Service by 2025 and our new financial support package is crucial to delivering this.

Eligible pre-registration students on nursing, midwifery and many allied health students’ courses at English universities from September 2020 will benefit from additional support of at least £5,000 of non-repayable funding, with up to £3,000 additional funding for some students, who choose to study in regions or specialisms struggling to recruit, or to help with childcare costs, which they will not have to pay back.

The Government has no plans to introduce a scheme that will backdate the offer for students who completed courses in earlier years.

The Gulf Strategy Fund allocation for 2021/22 is £10m. Individual country allocations are under consideration. Projects will be delivered through Government Departments and Agencies, commercial contracts and staff recruited on local contracts.

Due diligence around human rights considerations is considered through the use of Overseas Security and Justice Assistance (OSJA) assessments.

The objectives of the Bahrain projects are a) to support local oversight bodies to develop a complaints management system to ensure greater police accountability and enhance public confidence in Bahrain's transparency procedures, b) to contribute towards the Bahraini-led reform programme which includes promoting evidence-based police investigations in line with best international standards and c) to help develop Bahrain's thinking and capability around the prevention of extremist violence.

We are aware that the Hong Kong SAR Government recently wrote to several foreign Consulates urging them not to accept BN(O) passports for visa applications. The Hong Kong Government has no authority to dictate which passports foreign governments recognise as valid. We will continue to issue BN(O) passports, which remain valid travel documents. We are in contact with relevant Government authorities, including the German authorities, on this issue.

As outlined in the recently-published Integrated Review, the UK will support strong, transparent and accountable political processes and institutions overseas. The Government will continue to use its development budget to champion and strengthen democratic institutions, human rights, free media and effective governance. Supporting open societies is a priority in Africa, the way we act to promote democracy and defend democratic freedoms in each country is dependent on the context and needs of the country concerned. The Westminster Foundation for Democracy is an important partner in delivering this work in many African contexts.

The impact of the global pandemic on the UK economy has forced us to take the tough but necessary decision to temporarily reduce how much we spend on Official Development Assistance (ODA). We will temporarily move to a target of spending 0.5 per cent of Gross National Income (GNI) on ODA, rather than 0.7 per cent. This is a temporary measure and we will return to 0.7 per cent when the fiscal situation allows. We are now working through the implications of these changes for individual programmes. No decisions have yet been made on individual budget allocations.

The UK Government is committed to supporting the agricultural sector in developing countries. In 2018 the UK Government spent £322 million in Official Development Assistance on agriculture projects and provided significant additional funding for agriculture through its core funding of multilateral institutions working in the sector. This makes us a middle-ranking donor in the sector.

Whilst the UK Government does not break down expenditure on agroecological approaches or small farms, we are supporting a wide range of programmes in both these areas. For example, we have been supporting smallholder farmers and their agriculture systems in 47 countries through our bilateral agriculture programmes as well as the multilateral flagships Adaptation for Smallholder Agriculture Programme and Global Agriculture and Food Security Programme.

The Government has no plans to establish such an enquiry.

We are in close contact with a wide range of businesses in Hong Kong, but it is for businesses themselves to make their own judgement calls. We are concerned that a number of recent decisions by the authorities in Hong Kong are further evidence of a determined campaign to stifle opposition and silence dissent. As a signatory to the Sino-British Joint Declaration, China must abide by the legally binding commitments it made to uphold fundamental rights and freedoms, and respect Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy for at least 50 years from 1997. The UK will continue to pursue an approach in Hong Kong that is rooted in our values, defends the rights of the people of Hong Kong and respects the provisions of the Joint Declaration.

Our close relationship with Saudi Arabia allows us to raise our concerns about human rights, including on political detainees and use of the death penalty, in private and in public. The Prime Minister addressed the issue of women's rights and further developments needed in that area in his recent discussions with the Crown Prince.

The UK strongly opposes the death penalty in all countries and in all circumstances, as a matter of principle. This is especially the case for juveniles and for crimes other than the most serious. The Minister for the Middle East and North Africa raised the death penalty with Dr Awwad al Awwad, President of Saudi Arabia's Human Rights Commission, during his virtual visit in July. I raised the death penalty in a call with Dr Awwad in June.

We have consistently raised concerns over the continued detention of women's rights defenders at senior levels with the Saudi authorities. The UK signed a statement at the UN Human Rights Council on 15 September, calling for the release of women's rights defenders. I raised women's rights defenders during my call with Dr Awwad in June. The Minister for the Middle East most recently raised the women's rights defenders' cases with the Saudi Ambassador to the UK on 16 November.

We remain deeply concerned about the human rights situation in Yemen, which is a human rights priority country for the UK. We call on all parties to facilitate unhindered access for humanitarian actors and agencies and ensure that humanitarian workers are able to conduct their work safely and without harm.

The UK Government welcomes the fourth iteration of Corporate Human Rights Benchmark report. It is disappointing to see that only a minority of companies demonstrate a willingness to take human rights seriously and go beyond creating policies and commitments, to taking practical steps in addressing human rights violations.

The UK Government is already taking action to advance this agenda, ensuring that companies comply with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. The UK Government has also been a founding supporter of the World Benchmarking Alliance and continues to support their work.

We are not aware of a "United Nations Framework on Reparations", and can find no reference to such a framework in the UN's document database. There is a framework called: "Basic Principles and Guidelines on the Right to a Remedy and Reparation for Victims of Gross Violations of International Human Rights Law and Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law". As implied by its title, this addresses reparation for individuals for gross or serious violations of human rights law or international humanitarian law. These bodies of law are not retroactive. If a UK citizen's rights are violated, they have recourse to remedy and reparation through the Human Rights Act 1998 (HRA), which gives further effect to the European Convention on Human Rights. In particular, section 8 HRA states that "In relation to any act (or proposed act) of a public authority which the court finds is unlawful, may grant such relief or remedy, or make such order within its powers as it considers just and appropriate". There are no plans to establish an inquiry into section 8 HRA.

The UK remains committed to the promotion of universal freedoms and human rights. The UK regularly raises human rights concerns with the UAE at senior levels and continues to encourage the UAE to uphold international human rights obligations.

The Withdrawal Agreement ensures that UK nationals living in the EU can stay in their host country and continue living broadly as they do now. This includes children of UK nationals. It is not possible to track precisely the number of UK nationals in the EU, nor the number of children. However, the latest analysis from the Office of National Statistics from April 2018 estimated that 59,600 were aged under 15 years.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is responsible for policy relating to the rights of UK nationals living in the EU. Member States also have an obligation to ensure that UK nationals in scope of the Withdrawal Agreement living in their country are protected. When providing Consular assistance, the safety and welfare of children is paramount. It is the primary concern of FCDO when providing consular assistance to young people. The FCDO will provide assistance to vulnerable UK nationals in the EU, including children, after 31 December, in line with FCDO consular policy. We consider that someone is vulnerable when they cannot protect themselves from significant physical or emotional harm, or be protected by others.

The Government is supporting UK nationals, including families with children, to exercise their rights under the Withdrawal Agreement. This includes support through the UK National Support Fund (UKNSF), which has allocated £3 million to external organisations to provide practical support to UK nationals who may have difficulty completing their residency applications.

On 6 July the UK Government established the Global Human Rights ('Magnitsky') sanctions regime by laying regulations in Parliament under the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018. This sanctions regime enables the UK to hold to account those involved in serious human rights violations or abuses.

As the Foreign Secretary announced to the House, work is underway to consider how a corruption regime could be added to our armoury. Sanctions are powerful tools, capable of having a significant impact, and complex to design. We are taking the time to ensure we get them right.

We intend to publish the next Six-Monthly report on Hong Kong covering the period from January-June 2020 during the autumn, in line with usual practice.

The UK judiciary is independent of the UK Government. Lord Reed, the President of the UK Supreme Court said in a statement on 17 July, that continued service of UK judges needed to be compatible with judicial independence and the rule of law. The Supreme Court will continue to assess the position in Hong Kong as it develops.

The UK judiciary is independent of the UK Government. Lord Reed, the President of the UK Supreme Court said in a statement on 17 July, that continued service of UK judges needed to be compatible with judicial independence and the rule of law The Supreme Court will continue to assess the position in Hong Kong as it develops.

HMG supports the G20's commitment on phasing out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies and encourages countries with such subsidies to end them. We are in touch with our G20 partners and the Presidency about the topics to be discussed at forthcoming G20 meetings.

We are concerned about the arrests of a number of political figures in Hong Kong, and are following these cases closely. We expect any arrests and judicial processes to be conducted in a fair and transparent manner.

The right to peaceful protest is fundamental to Hong Kong's way of life and as such is protected in both the Joint Declaration and the Basic Law. It is essential that any protests are conducted peacefully, and that the authorities avoid actions that inflame tensions. The authorities should focus on rebuilding trust through a process of meaningful political dialogue.

The UK remains committed to upholding the rights and freedoms underpinned by the Joint Declaration, the Basic Law and enshrined in Hong Kong's Bill of Rights, and we expect the Chinese authorities to respect and preserve Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy. We have made this position clear to the Hong Kong and Chinese authorities, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing and the Chinese Embassy in London, and will continue to do so, publicly and privately.

Corporation tax is charged on profits that businesses generate from the activities they undertake in the UK.

Significant measures have been put in place to counter arrangements designed to shift profits derived from UK activities overseas.

Furthermore, the UK is actively involved in continuing OECD discussions which aim to deliver a fairer and more sustainable approach to the taxation of highly digital businesses.

The Government is committed to ensuring that people are able to return to work in a manner that is sustainable and adjustable to the reopening of the economy.

The Government therefore introduced flexible furloughing from 1 July. Firms can now bring back employees that have been furloughed for any amount of time and any shift pattern, while still being able to claim Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme grants for the hours not worked, with no minimum furlough period.

It is right that state support is slowly reduced and the focus shifts to getting furloughed employees back to work. As such, from August 2020, the level of the grant will be slowly tapered to reflect that people will be returning to work. Employees will continue to receive 80% of wages up to a cap of £2,500 when furloughed.

While other countries have announced similar schemes, the UK response remains among the most comprehensive.

Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) has been extended to those told to self-isolate due to whole household quarantine, or due to the Test and Trace programme. The Government has taken additional measures to make SSP payable from day 1, not day 4 for these cases. SSP should only be paid to those unable to work, and those able to work from home should receive their normal wage. These changes apply in areas under local lockdown.

In addition to the changes to SSP, those living in areas of local lockdown can benefit from the unprecedented set of measures introduced by the Chancellor to help individuals affected by COVID-19. This includes the introduction of the Coronavirus Job Retention and Self-Employment Income Support Schemes, as well as the injection of an additional £9.3bn into the welfare system according to OBR estimates.

On accommodation, the Government recognises the challenges faced by many who are sleeping rough and it is committed to helping them. So far, over 90 per cent of those on the streets at the beginning of the crisis and known to local authorities have been offered safe accommodation.

The Government has provided £221m of additional funding for rough sleepers during the crisis, including £3.2m specifically to help those who need to self-isolate. This brings total support for rough sleepers in 2020/21 to over half a billion pounds. All local authorities in England will be able to benefit from these measures, including those under local lockdown.

The Government recognises that widespread access to cash is extremely important to the daily lives of millions of people across the UK. The Government is engaging with the financial regulators, including through the Joint Authorities Cash Strategy Group, to monitor the impact of COVID-19 on the UK’s cash infrastructure and remains committed to protecting access to cash for those who need it, while supporting digital payments.

At the March 2020 Budget, the Chancellor announced that the Government will bring forward legislation to protect access to cash. This will ensure that those who continue to rely on cash can continue to do so in the long-term.

The Financial Conduct Authority and Payment Systems Regulator are developing a comprehensive picture of cash access infrastructure across the UK in relation to social economic factors that reflect consumer needs, building upon their mapping work carried out during the COVID-19 crisis.

Her Majesty’s Government is deeply concerned about the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on low-income developing countries. It is vital that all creditors work together to ensure that countries especially vulnerable to the pandemic are able to protect their citizens and economies.

The Chancellor and his G20 counterparts called on commercial creditors to participate in the G20 Debt Service Suspension Initiative, which suspends payments due from the 77 poorest countries, on comparable terms to the official sector.

Her Majesty’s Government is working closely with the Paris Club of official creditors and Institute of International Finance (IIF) to facilitate private sector participation. On 28 May, the IIF published a Terms of Reference to guide its members’ responses to DSSI-eligible requests for commercial forbearance.

The Government has undertaken detailed work on COVID-19 with four strands: contain, delay, research and mitigate. Should there be a need to implement restrictions on movement then the Government, in consultation with the Usual Channels, will update the House on the next steps in relation to parliamentary business if there is a need to do so. While COVID-19 has the potential to spread extensively there is no reason to change parliamentary business at this stage. The Government is monitoring the situation closely and providing regular updates to parliament and the general public.

(i) Young Victims

We recently published an updated version of ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018’. The guidance specifically references teenage relationship abuse as part of the statutory definition of domestic abuse. It also outlines the ‘assessment of risk outside the home’ which ensures that practitioners are alert to the risk of abuse for young people within their own intimate relationships.

Further to this, the draft guidance that will accompany the Domestic Abuse bill covers abuse in teenage relationships. The guidance has been seen in draft by a wide range of sector representatives, who have provided feedback. The guidance is being finalised ahead of a formal consultation period in the spring.

(ii) Perpetrators

The Criminal Justice Act 2003 (“CJA 2003”) provides for the establishment of Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (“MAPPA”) in each of the 42 criminal justice areas in England and Wales. These are designed to protect the public, including previous victims of crime, from serious harm by sexual and violent offenders. They require the local criminal justice agencies and other bodies dealing with offenders to work together in partnership in dealing with these offenders.

MAPPA guidance states that under the Children Act 2004, the Responsible Authority and DTC agencies have a statutory duty to make arrangements for ensuring that ‘their functions are discharged having regard to the need to safeguard and promote the welfare of children’ and that ‘children should not be treated by MAPPA as ‘mini-adults’’.

The draft Domestic Abuse Statutory Guidance which is due to be published following royal assent of the Bill also includes young people who perpetrate abuse.

Young people perpetrating abuse in their relationships must be supported in an appropriate way that places emphasis on tackling the drivers of their behaviour. Court and responding agencies must take into account youth justice guidelines when responding to cases of teenage relationship abuse, avoid unnecessarily criminalising young people, and identify appropriate interventions to address behaviours that might constitute or lead to abuse. Relevant youth justice guidelines include:

• Case management guidance for Youth Offending Teams
• Standards for children in the Youth Justice System
• Crown Prosecution Service guidance on youth offenders
• Sentencing Council guidelines on sentencing children and young people

We are not aware of any applications for British Citizenship being refused purely based on the requirement for Comprehensive Sickness Insurance under EEA Regulations.

Holding Comprehensive Sickness Insurance is not a mandatory requirement for the award of British citizenship or for being awarded Settled Status under the EU Settlement Scheme.

The end of the transition period at 11 pm on 31 December 2020 remains the point by which EU citizens need to have been resident in the UK to be eligible for pre- settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS). There are no plans to extend this deadline for those who wished to travel to the UK for the first time in order to apply to the EUSS, but did not do so.

EU citizens and their family members who were resident in the UK before 31 December and are outside the UK on that date are eligible to apply to the EUSS, including from overseas, by the deadline of 30 June 2021.

Published guidance for EUSS applicants on the impact of COVID-19 is available at:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-eu-settlement-scheme-guidance-for-applicants

The new Immigration Rule which makes provision for the refusal or cancellation of permission to stay in the UK on the basis of rough sleeping will be used sparingly, and only where individuals have refused support offers such as accommodation and are engaged in persistent anti-social behaviour.

The Home Office and the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government are working together to encourage local authorities and approved charities to resolve the immigration status of eligible rough sleepers and unlock access to any benefits and entitlements that rough sleepers may be eligible for.

Napier and Penally Barracks are accommodation centres and not detention centres. The people who are supported there are able to leave the site and complete a register when leaving or entering.

The Home Office has established absconder policies and procedures for use across the asylum accommodation estate which we will apply in Napier and Penally.

If applicants leave the site on their own accord, for more than one day, without having obtained agreement, the Provider shall notify the Home Office with written confirmation of the unauthorised absence using the relevant part of the Service Commission Form.

The Home Office will look into the unauthorised absence by contacting the applicant or their representatives by telephone to determine whether they have moved to an alternative address.

If no contact is made the absconder’s details will be circulated on the Police National Computer (PNC) database by the PNC team. The PNC team will forward details of absconder notifications to the National Absconder Tracing Team (NATT)

The NATT is responsible for initiating tracing action on all absconders, with the exception of Criminal Casework (CC) absconders. Absconder tracing will be prioritised for removable cases, highest harm cases, vulnerable adults and missing children. On identifying a new address, NATT will make a tasking referral to the relevant Immigration Compliance and Enforcement (ICE) team for further action

The majority of the people we house abide by the conditions of their support and life in the United Kingdom and significant incidents are rare.

All asylum seekers moving to Napier and Penally will have security checks on arrival in the United Kingdom, and health screening. In addition, further checks will be conducted prior to arrival on site to ensure that they are suitable for transfer from their previous accommodation. Anyone arriving at this site will have already been in quarantine for 14 days, as per public health guidance.

The safety and wellbeing of those we support, and the local communities are paramount. The Home Office will continue to work closely with the police and other authorities in preparing for and managing the impacts of these processes, with a clear focus on the welfare and wellbeing of both those on sites and local residents.

It is not currently possible to undertake resettlement activity due to the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. However, we are working on detailed plans to recommence resettlement arrivals as soon as it is safe and operationally viable to do so.

The resumption of refugee resettlement arrivals, including community sponsorship, remains dependent on a number of factors including: the lifting of restrictions imposed by the governments of those countries and in the UK; the ability of our international partners to operate; the reopening of the UK’s visa application centres; local authority and central government capacity in light of COVID-19; and recovery of the asylum system from the impact of COVID-19.

We continue to closely monitor the situation and remain in regular dialogue with our international and domestic stakeholders.

Local areas and police forces are in the best position to identify and respond to issues around sex work and prostitution in their area. We know that issues around sex work and prostitution are complex, which can impact on individuals and communities in different ways. Police forces and others are able to adapt their approach to take account of these complexities and are supported in doing so by national NPCC guidance on sex work and prostitution.

Since 2016 we have provided over £2.5m of funding through the Tampon Tax Fund and VAWG Transformation Fund to specialist organisations and projects in a number of local areas supporting sex workers.

As UK Visas and Immigration begins to reopen its Visa Application Centres both in the UK and overseas, we are working closely with our partners to maximise the available capacity to service applicants in line with social distancing rules in each location.

For those applicants who are due to start work in the NHS but who are unable to make their application from overseas due to the temporary closure of the Visa Application Centres, they should contact the UKVI NHS Team by emailing UKVINHSTeam@homeoffice.gov.uk and the team will seek to assist them.

Applicants sponsored by the NHS who lodge an application in the UK under Tier 2 can begin work immediately while their application is under consideration.

The Home Office has put in place a range of measures to support those affected by the covid-19 outbreak, full details of which are published on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-advice-for-uk-visa-applicants-and-temporary-uk-residents. The department continues to monitor the situation closely and takes these exceptional circumstances into account.

These are unprecedented times and further adjustments may be made to requirements where necessary and appropriate, to ensure people are not unduly affected by circumstances beyond their control.

The tragic death of Shukri Abdi is the subject of ongoing legal proceedings and it would therefore be inappropriate to comment at this time. Our thoughts remain with her family and friends at this difficult time.

The Government strongly refutes the inaccurate reporting in relation to the food available at Urban House in Wakefield and the Home Office is in regular dialogue with its service providers around the services provided in Initial Accommodation.

Residents at Urban House in Wakefield are provided with three meals a day and the menu in use has been approved by a dietician and aligns with the NHS Eatwell guidance. The menu presents a list of options from which residents can choose.

The menu has been checked to ensure it aligns with medical, cultural and religious requirements as is required under the Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts. In addition to the main meals provided, additional food is available throughout the course of the day for the residents.

The Government strongly refutes the inaccurate reporting in relation to the food available at Urban House in Wakefield and the Home Office is in regular dialogue with its service providers around the services provided in Initial Accommodation.

Residents at Urban House in Wakefield are provided with three meals a day and the menu in use has been approved by a dietician and aligns with the NHS Eatwell guidance. The menu presents a list of options from which residents can choose.

The menu has been checked to ensure it aligns with medical, cultural and religious requirements as is required under the Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts. In addition to the main meals provided, additional food is available throughout the course of the day for the residents.

During the pandemic the Home Office has collaborated with the National Fire Chiefs Council through the Fire Kills campaign to raise awareness of pertinent fire safety messages. This has included messaging on outdoor and barbecue safety. Campaign material has been developed and made available online and to fire and rescue services to support local interventions.

The Department of Food and Rural Affairs has engaged with the National Park Authorities and has been analysing their wildfire preparations to understand National Park Authorities capacity for dealing with the current challenges. It will consider what further actions are needed and review the current guidance on handling of wildfire risks from portable barbecues.

The Home Office has put in place a range of measures to support those affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. We continue to monitor the situation closely and take these exceptional circumstances into account.

To ensure a spouse or partner and relevant dependent children applying for entry clearance, leave to remain or indefinite leave are not unduly affected by circumstances beyond their control, for the purpose of the minimum income requirement:

• A temporary loss of employment income between 1 March and 31 July 2020 due to COVID-19, will be disregarded provided the requirement was met for at least six months up to March 2020.
• An applicant or sponsor furloughed under the Government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme will be deemed as earning 100% of their salary.
• A temporary loss of annual income due to COVID-19 between 1 March 2020 and 31 July 2020 will generally be disregarded for self-employment income, along with the impact on employment income from the same period for future applications. Income received via the Coronavirus Self-Employment Income Support Scheme will also be taken into account.
• Evidential flexibility may be applied where an applicant or sponsor experiences difficulty accessing specified evidence due to COVID-19 restrictions.

The minimum income requirement can also be met in several ways in addition to or instead of income from employment or self-employment. For example, income from investments, property rental or pension may also be taken into account, together with cash savings.

As part of the Government’s response to the pandemic, newly recognised refugees are not currently being asked to leave asylum accommodation. We will be reviewing the policy before the end of June, but there are no plans to make the arrangement permanent. When normal arrangements resume, the refugees will receive notice that they are no longer eligible to receive asylum support after a 28 days “grace period” and assisted to transition to mainstream benefits and housing services if they wish to apply for them.

Meals provided in all catered asylum accommodation facilities meet the NHS Eatwell guide.

The UK does not return those refugees who have been granted refugee status in the UK to France or elsewhere. We do, however, return asylum seekers who are yet to have a decision on their asylum claim in the UK to ensure their claim is considered in the right place. This may be to France or other states who participate in the Dublin Regulation.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, we continue to comply with the Dublin Regulation and remain committed to ensuring transfers continue to and from the UK. This is a fast-changing situation and we, along with other countries across Europe, will be subject to wider Government decisions and travel restrictions.

The identification and relocation of vulnerable migrants on French territory remains the domestic responsibility of the French government, who are currently working to transfer those residing in camps into reception centres. At these centres, asylum claims can be lodged and any other welfare needs assessed. Since the start of the Covid-19 lockdown in France, over 600 migrants have been moved to accommodation centres to aid with social distancing measures. Within these centres, individuals are provided with medical and administrative support.

The UK is also committed to meeting our obligations to transfer unaccompanied children to the UK where they have eligible family here and where transfer is in their best interests under the Dublin Regulation. An unaccompanied child must first claim asylum in the EU Member State in which they are present, and the Member State must then raise a Take Charge Request with the UK Government.

Additionally, specialist trained officers are present at all of our Juxtaposed controls, who assist in supporting those identified as vulnerable. We work closely with both French and Belgian partners to ensure that these individuals receive the support they need. All officers receive regular training on safeguarding and when to seek support from a specialist trained officer. Special arrangements are in place at the Juxtaposed controls to refer cases with vulnerability elements to the French and Belgian Police.

Short term holding rooms in Northern France are still in operation. High-risk individuals displaying symptoms of COVID-19 are referred to the French authorities in the first instance. All Border Force staff continue to adhere to Public Health England guidance to ensure we follow the latest scientific advice and seek specific guidance for our frontline operations.

We’ve conducted a thorough assessment of Urban House with local health partners and have put in place steps in accordance with all of their recommendations. These steps include staggering meal times, increasing staff numbers, providing information and guidance in a variety of languages, stopping all new arrivals into Urban House.

Although room sharing is in place, no one is forced to share rooms with anyone displaying COVID 19 symptoms. Those with underlying health conditions and people over 70 years of age should also be moved to the appropriate hotel accommodation following PHE guidance

We do not hold he information requested. However, although room sharing is in place, no one is forced to share rooms with anyone displaying COVID 19 symptoms.

PHE Guidance recommends that separate rooms should be provided for symptomatic people, or they should be moved to hotels. Those with underlying health conditions and people over 70 years of age should also be moved to the appropriate hotel accommodation following PHE guidance, unless individuals do not wish to be moved. We are reviewing each case on an individual basis and continue to work with our providers to ensure the guidance is followed.

The Home Office does not record the basis of claims in a way that can be easily aggregated so cannot provide figures on how many asylum claims have been made by (1) women and girls at risk of female genital mutilation (FGM), and (2) anti-FGM campaigners, in each of the last 10 years; and how many such claims (a) have been accepted, (b) have been rejected, and (c) are awaiting a decision.

However, the Home Office does publish data on the number of cases concluded by gender. This data can be found at Asy_05/06/06q/07, of the published Transparency data: August 2019: www.gov.uk/government/publications/asylum-transparency-data-august-2019