Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth

The Race Disparity Unit (RDU) continues to collate and publish data about ethnicity in the UK. The RDU also continues to publish reports on ethnicity, the most recent being on the Black Caribbean, Indian and Chinese ethnic groups. In addition to this, the RDU published 9 updates (https://www.ethnicity-facts-figures.service.gov.uk/dashboards/whats-new) to existing data in January 2020 across a range of topics including school teacher workforce, pupil exclusions, judges and non-legal members of the judiciary, Prison officer workforce, and NHS workforce

The Government recognise the potential for significant impact of underwater noise from unexploded ordnance (UXO) clearance on vulnerable marine species and is taking active steps to manage and reduce the risk. Two phases of a Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) funded project to characterize and contrast the acoustic fields generated by UXO clearance using high order detonation and using low-order deflagration have been completed and reported on.

A third phase has now been initiated to further improve the information base, allowing further assessment of the clearance options. A potential 4th phase of the work involving offshore field work is also being actively explored in which comparative noise measurements would be made during actual UXO clearance campaigns using both deflagration and high order detonations. This would require cooperation and active support from industry (windfarm developers) and the regulatory authorities.

The outcomes from the 3^rd and 4^th phases would allow an informed discussion and consideration of the adequacy of evidence by regulatory authorities and the statutory nature conservation bodies (SNCBs). It will be for the regulatory authorities and the SNCBs to consider the best available scientific evidence when providing advice on these matters.

UK Government Ministers and officials have been open to engaging with all devolved administrations following the publication of the UK Internal Market Bill on 9 September, with discussions held both before and after publication.

Draft Terms of Reference were discussed at the first meeting of the Hydrogen Advisory Council on 20 July. The terms of reference will be published on the GOV.UK website in due course.

UK Government Ministers and officials have been open to engaging with all devolved administrations following the publication of the UK Internal Market Bill on 9 September, with discussions held both before and after publication. Further discussions are planned at Ministerial and official-level with all three devolved administrations as the legislative Consent Motion process continues.

The Government has a number of policies and proposals to improve the energy performance of buildings, for example:

• 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 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 range of measures will be announced in the coming days, before the full launch.
• The Energy Company Obligation (ECO), which installs energy efficiency measures is funded at £640 million per year, is now entirely focused on providing support to low income, vulnerable and?fuel poor households.
• The Private Rented Sector Minimum standard regulations introduced on 1?April 2018 will improve the energy performance of rented properties. The regulations require landlords of domestic and non-domestic rental properties to bring their properties to EPC Band E or above. We recently consulted on raising the minimum energy standards for non-domestic privately rented properties to meet a preferred target of EPC B by 2030, and plan to publish the Government Response later this year. We will consult on tightening the minimum energy standards for domestic privately rented properties in due course.
• Public sector organisations can access the funding for decarbonisation projects, including certain retrofits through the Public Sector Energy?Efficiency?Loan Scheme. The capital pot for England stands £385 million by the end of 2020/21.
• The Government is planning to publish a Heat and Buildings Strategy in due course, which will set out the immediate actions we will take for reducing emissions from buildings.?These actions include the deployment of energy efficiency measures and low carbon heating as part of an ambitious programme of work required to enable key strategic decisions on how we achieve the mass transition to low-carbon heat and set us on a path to decarbonising all homes and buildings.

With the exception of the organisations covered in the Government guidance on closing non-essential shops and public spaces, the Government has not required any other businesses to close and indeed, it is important for business to carry on where this is possible.

Businesses and workplaces should make every possible effort to enable working from home as a first option. Employers and employees should discuss their working arrangements, and employers should take every possible step to facilitate their employees working from home, including providing suitable IT and equipment to enable remote working.

Where working from home is not possible, employers should follow Government guidance on working safely, including consulting with workers and trade union representatives.

It is the responsibility of companies and organisations to develop working practices in line with Government guidance and employers who have people in their offices or onsite should ensure that employees are able to follow Public Health England guidelines.

The Government, in consultation with industry, has published new guidance to help ensure workplaces are as safe as possible during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. These guides cover a range of working environments and are available at www.gov.uk/workingsafely.

The Government is seeking to lead the world in the decarbonisation of transport. We are consulting to bring forward the phaseout of petrol and diesel cars and hybrid models by 2035, or earlier.

Last October, the Government announced up to £1 billion of additional funding to support electric vehicle technologies in the UK. This funding will support research and development, as well as establish UK supply chains for the large-scale production of electric vehicles. This will be done through major investments in the manufacturing of batteries, electric motors, power electronics, and hydrogen fuel cells.

The UK’s Automotive Sector is innovative, productive, competitive, and well-placed to emerge successfully from these challenging times.

We have spoken with the Welsh Government about their idea for potential re-use of the Trawsfynydd site for energy generation and production of medical isotopes.

Government recognises the Retail Sector is changing. We are committed to helping communities adapt and also supporting all parts of the retail sector during this change.

The industry-led Retail Sector Council provides a single source of strategic liaison between BEIS, on behalf of all relevant government departments, and retailers. All retail activity in the UK, including small independent shops, is represented on the Council.

The Council aims to accelerate positive change, increase the productivity of the sector, and ensure the sector remains robust and sustainable to continue providing a beneficial service to consumers and the community.

We have announced a £3.6 billion Towns Fund, including an accelerated £1 billion Future High Streets Fund, which will support local areas in England to renew and reshape town centres and high streets in a way that improves experience, drives growth and ensures future sustainability. We are promoting small independent shops through initiatives such as the Great British High Street Awards, which has been won by Welsh High Streets for the past two years.

We are also supporting local leadership with a High Streets Task Force, giving high streets and town centres expert advice to adapt and thrive.

For one year from 1 April 2020, eligible small retailers will benefit from a 50% retail discount off their business rates bills. This is an increase on the one third off bills available through the retail discount scheme in 2019/20. In addition, the Government has doubled the threshold for 100% small business rates relief, meaning more than 675,000 of the smallest businesses, including many independent shops, pay no rates at all.

The UK is a world leader in cutting emissions while creating wealth. Between 1990 and 2017, the UK reduced its emissions by 42% while growing the economy by 73% – the best performance in the G7 on a per person basis.

The UK over-achieved against the first (2008-12) and second (2013-17) carbon budgets. We exceeded the required emissions reduction in the first carbon budget by 1.2%, and the second carbon budget by nearly 14%.

Since setting the 2050 net zero target, we have invested £2bn and will continue to build on the strong frameworks we have in place for driving decarbonisation across the UK economy.

2020 will be a vital year for climate action, and we will set out our ambitious plans in the run up to COP26 through a number of sectoral strategies, including the Transport Decarbonisation Plan, Energy White Paper and a policy roadmap for heat.

As hosts of COP 26 we aim to rally to bring forward ambitious 2030 emissions reductions targets (Nationally Determined Contributions), and to urge countries, businesses and organisations to bring credible plans to hit net zero by 2050. We will publish further details in due course.

Through Arts Council England (ACE) we are investing and promoting the arts and culture all around the country. ACE provides funding to a number of literary festivals including the Manchester Literature Festival and Ilkley Literature Festival, and in 2019/20 will provide over £3.7 million to a number of organisations and festivals that promote literature.

Hosting the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham will create long-term benefits for the city and the region, and DCMS is working closely with all Games Partners - including the Birmingham 2022 Organising Committee, Birmingham City Council and the West Midlands Combined Authority to maximise these. We are developing an evaluation methodology for the legacy, and this will be published in due course alongside a wider Games legacy plan. This legacy work will be informed by lessons from previous Games, including London 2012 and Glasgow 2014.

The ambitions for the Games are to improve health and wellbeing, bring people together, be a catalyst for change, put Britain on the map and help the region to grow and succeed. Hosting the Games is accelerating infrastructure and public transport improvements across the city and region, including new housing in Perry Barr and improvements to the University and Perry Barr railway stations.

The Games will also bring upgraded elite and community sport facilities to Alexander Stadium, and the creation of a brand new aquatics centre in Sandwell, creating more opportunities for people to get active. We will build on the lessons from Sport England’s £10m investment to tackle inactivity in underrepresented groups in Birmingham and Solihull to ensure as many people as possible access opportunities to get active as a result of the Games.

The Games is also a unique opportunity to drive economic growth in the region, create jobs and boost local skills. The Birmingham 2022 Organising Committee is expected to require around 41,000 staff, contractors and volunteers. The Commonwealth Games Village alone will support up to 400 new jobs, including 50 new apprenticeships. To boost skills, a Construction Training Hub has been established next to the Village site in Perry Barr offering bespoke training for local unemployed people to access these new construction opportunities being created in the region. A series of business engagement events has been hosted to support local businesses in bidding for Games contracts.

There are two major capital projects which are funded through the budget for the 2022 Commonwealth Games: the redevelopment of the Alexander Stadium, to be delivered by Birmingham City Council; and the new Sandwell Aquatics Centre, delivered by Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council.

In addition to the budget for staging the Games, there are a number of existing projects in the region that will also help deliver the Games. The Games village is being delivered by Birmingham City Council, with government housing funding support for infrastructure and land assembly costs. Transport for West Midlands is supporting two station upgrades, at Perry Barr and the University, and the development of three new rapid bus routes, to help provide improved transport access for the Games.

Racism or any form of discrimination has no place in football or society, and we must confront this vile behaviour.

The Government supports the steps the football authorities, including the English Football League, have taken for the current season to combat discrimination. This included actions targeted at and around football grounds such as: improving reporting systems; providing better training and support for referees and stewards; and improving the quality of CCTV around stadia.

However it is clear there is more to do. The Minister for Sport recently held meetings with both the English Football League and the Football Association in which he discussed their action on discrimination. He has asked the football authorities to report back with a more detailed update about their work on this important issue before considering future government support.

Local authorities in England have a statutory duty under the Public Libraries & Museums Act 1964 to provide a ‘comprehensive and efficient’ library service that meets local needs.

Public libraries have a number of services and facilities available to support visually impaired library users. These include access to e-books and e-audio books, and in some cases the loan of e-book readers and other technology to enlarge the print. Other services include specialist software and hardware to aid the use of computers and specific reading groups.

Libraries Connected has developed the Six Steps Promise with the Royal National Institute for the Blind and Share the Vision to ensure libraries can support people with reduced vision. The promise includes a commitment to:

? ensuring that all blind and partially sighted customers are connected to the most appropriate service for their reading needs and that they are able to make full use of an accessible public library service

? using Reading Sight, a free website supporting practitioners and blind and partially sighted people to access reading and reading services; and

? providing local collections of accessible reading materials and information in physical or digital formats, and the ability to signpost library users to a wider range of resources

Many public libraries will be taking part in the Share the Vision, HI VIS initiative over the two week period 1 – 14 June 2020. The initiative is a celebration of accessible library services and alternative formats and its aim is to champion and raise awareness of the range of library services and activities that are available to visually impaired people to access.

The Crown Commercial Service conducts software licensing audits on behalf of the public sector. Additionally, they operate an asset transfer system that allows unused software to be distributed across the public sector.

Libraries play an important role in giving everyone opportunities to improve their life chances and achieve their full potential. They serve a diverse range of people from all backgrounds and provide access to a variety of services. The regularly published Taking Part Survey provides details of the proportion of adults who have used a public library service at least once in the previous 12 months. This includes details of use by upper and lower socio-economic groups, as well as by index of multiple deprivation. The figures for 2018/19 indicate that 36.7% of respondents from the upper socio-economic group and 27.9% of respondents from the lower socio-economic group reported visiting a library in the last 12 months. We have no plans to conduct a review.

The Government is clear that racism has no place in sport or society at large, in line with the sport and physical activity strategy ‘Sporting Future: A New Strategy for an Active Nation’, which has diversity and inclusion at its heart. Government remains supportive of a number of anti-racism initiatives that work with sports bodies from grassroots to the elite, including Show Racism the Red Card and Kick it Out. With Kick It Out stats demonstrating that racism constitutes 65 per cent of reports made via them in the 18/19 season, government will continue to call governing bodies to account for actions in this space.

Over the past year the Government has led debates in the House of Commons on tackling racism in sport (on 22nd May 2019 and 12th July 2019), and hosted an Anti-Racism Summit in February 2019. This led to clear commitments to tackle racism in football stadia from the three main English football organisations in July 2019. Ministers and officials continue to speak to the FA and relevant football bodies to explore what more can be done. Grassroots sport clubs also receive support in tackling racism from our national sport council, Sport England, who provide free support and learning in running a club through its "Club Matters" programme.

The closure of schools to all but our most vulnerable children, and those from keyworker families, was a regrettable but necessary measure. Now it is a national priority for all pupils to enjoy full-time education at school as this is the best place to improve their well-being and development. We have put in place a range of measures to help schools address the time lost; this is especially important for disadvantaged pupils who have been affected most by time away from school.

Our £100 million support for remote education distributed 220,000 laptops and 57,000 internet connections to disadvantaged pupils, to enable them to continue learning at home, as well as supporting the foundation of the popular Oak Academy. The £1 billion COVID catch-up package, announced in June, includes the National Tutoring Programme. This will provide up to £350 million of targeted support for disadvantaged pupils who are most at risk of falling further behind. From November, this investment will give schools in all regions access to subsidised tuition supplied by approved tuition partners. The programme will support schools in the most deprived areas to use in-house academic mentors to give small groups intensive catch-up tuition, small group tuition for 16-19-year olds and the improvement of early language skills in reception classes.

To complement the National Tutoring Programme, our £650million catch-up premium is enabling schools to target funding at specific pupil needs. The £1 billion package helps schools take immediate action to address the lost learning pupils are facing as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak and is in addition to the £14.4 billion 3-year investment for schools announced last year.

We continue to provide pupil premium funding, worth £2.4 billion, that allows school leaders to design support reflecting their disadvantaged pupils’ changing needs.

My hon. Friend, the Minister of State for Universities, has written directly to all Vice Chancellors and has set up a Higher Education Taskforce so that the government can work with the sector to build capacity, harness expert views and tackle challenges. Together, we have agreed that all students who achieved the required grades will be offered a place at their first-choice university, wherever possible.

We have taken a number of steps to support this commitment. We have announced that, subject to parliamentary approval, we will completely remove temporary student number controls to help ensure there are no additional barriers to students being able to progress to higher education.

We have announced that we will lift caps on domestic medicine and dentistry courses in the next academic year. We will support providers to offer places to as many students who have met the grades for their current offer as they have capacity for, and where there are clinical placements available, through additional grant funding to support the costs of this provision.

We will also provide additional teaching grant funding to increase capacity in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and other high-cost subjects, which are vital to the country’s social needs and economy. The Office for Students (OfS) will consult the sector on the details of how the allocations are made.

Providers will also be eligible to bid for a share of up to £10 million in funding to support capital expenditure. This funding will be used to support the infrastructure required to accommodate additional students recruited as a result of the changes to policy on A level grades.

The fund will be administered by the OfS, and providers will be eligible to bid for projects that support expansion in 2020/21.

We will continue to monitor the situation and to consider the effects that deferrals will have on future years. Funding decisions for future years will be taken at the Spending Review.

Ministers have had discussions throughout the year with their counterparts from the devolved administrations about the response to the COVID-19 outbreak, including about summer 2020 grading. In addition, officials and regulators have been in regular contact to discuss co-ordination of approaches on grading, taking into account the differing features of the educational systems across the UK. There are no plans to publish details of these discussions. The department will continue to work with the devolved administrations on plans for examinations in summer 2021.

Education recovery lies at the heart of our national mission as we emerge from the disruption caused by the COVID-19 outbreak. On 19 June we announced a £1 billion COVID-19 catch-up package to directly tackle the impact of lost teaching time.

£650 million will be shared across state primary, secondary and special schools over the 2020/21 academic year. This one-off grant to support pupils recognises that all young people have lost time in education as a result of the outbreak, regardless of their income or background.? School leaders will have discretion over how to use the funding, but we expect it to focus on the most effective approaches. The Education Endowment Foundation has published guidance to help schools make good decisions about how to use the money effectively.

Separately, a National Tutoring Programme worth £350 million will increase access to high-quality tuition for children and young people from deprived backgrounds. This will help to accelerate their academic progress and tackle the attainment gap between them and their peers.??We published guidance on both parts of the package on 20 July, which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-catch-up-premium.

This £1 billion package is on top of the £14.4 billion core funding increase over three years announced last year, and the £2.4 billion pupil premium funding which schools continue to receive to support their disadvantaged pupils.

The department engages regularly with representative bodies covering all types of higher education provider, encompassing all locations, as well as receiving representations in person and by correspondence from individual providers on a range of issues including the next academic year 2020-21.

The government announced a package of measures in May to protect students and the higher education sector from the impact of COVID-19. This has been discussed extensively with the sector, including through ministerial roundtables and letters. The package included a range of measures for next academic year. To ensure a fair, structured distribution of students across providers, temporary student number controls have been put in place for full-time, undergraduate domestic and EU students for academic year 2020/21 (with certain specific exemptions). The Government has also pulled forward tuition fee payments, expected to be worth £2.6 billion, for providers so that they receive more cash in the first term of academic year 2020/21. Through the proposals from the government and the sector, students will also benefit from a new proactive and personalised UCAS Clearing process this summer.

The government is working with higher education (HE) providers to make sure all reasonable efforts are being made to enable students to continue their studies to the best of their abilities this academic year and next.

Whilst recognising universities are autonomous institutions, we will shortly publish guidance to support them to make informed decisions on making university buildings and campuses accessible again, while minimising risks to students and staff

Furthermore, the HE sector is already working hard to prepare learning materials for the autumn term. This includes the government working with the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education, professional bodies and the Office for Students (OfS), the higher education regulator in England, to ensure students continue to leave university with qualifications that have real value. The OfS has published guidance for registered providers about how the OfS will approach the regulation of quality and standards during the COVID-19 outbreak. This guidance is clear that standards must be maintained - further details are available at https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/publications/guidance-for-providers-about-quality-and-standards-during-coronavirus-pandemic/. Actions that providers are taking now may continue to be required in the 2020- 21 academic year if the disruption as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak is prolonged.

In 2018-19, there were 2.38 million students studying at UK higher education providers. This includes 143,000 students from the EU and 343,000 students from other countries.

The total UK sector income in 2018/19 was £40.8 billion. Almost 50% of this income was from tuition fees, around 15% comes from research grants and contracts and around 6% comes from residences, catering and conferences.

The government recognises that the Covid-19 outbreak will have an unparalleled impact on all elements of the global and UK economy. The higher education sector, including student recruitment, is no exception.

On 4 May, my right honourable Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, announced a package of measures to stabilise university admissions this autumn and to ensure sustainability in higher education at a time of unprecedented uncertainty. My right hon. Friend, the Minister of State for Universities, wrote to all Honourable Members with full details of the package, details of which have also been published on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-support-package-for-universities-and-students.

The government is doing all that it can to keep staff and students at our universities safe in this unprecedented situation whilst mitigating the impact on education. In March, my right hon. Friend, the Minister of State for Universities, wrote to students at higher education institutions to outline the support available. We continue to work closely with the sector, putting student wellbeing at the heart of these discussions.

Our latest guidance on the impact of Covid-19 is set out below:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-for-schools-and-other-educational-settings.

Despite the significant disruption being felt across the higher education sector, students deserve appropriate support and recognition for their hard work and dedication. I welcome the way in which many universities and colleges have moved rapidly to develop new ways of delivering courses through online teaching and alternatives to traditional end-of-course exams.

We expect providers to consider how their response to the current situation will affect all students and those who might be most vulnerable to disruption. This includes students suffering from COVID-19 or who need to self-isolate, international students, and students unable or less able to access remote learning for whatever reason, together with care leavers, those estranged from their families, and students with disabilities.

The Office for Students (OfS) has recently published guidance setting out the actions it will take to support providers to maintain standards and teaching quality. The guidance highlights flexible models for teaching, learning, assessment that will most likely satisfy OfS quality and standards conditions. The clear expectation is that providers should make all reasonable efforts to enable students to complete their studies, for achievement to be reliably assessed, for qualifications to be awarded securely. Providers are already be making these arrangements. On 23 March, the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education published the first in a series of good practice guidance notes that are available to all UK higher education providers. We know higher education providers take their responsibilities seriously and are best placed to identify the needs of their student body, as well as how to develop the services needed to support it.

The government recognises the Open University plays an important role as the largest provider of part-time higher education in this country and has brought opportunities to engage in higher education to people across the country who would not have had that chance otherwise. The Higher Education and Research Act 2017 placed a duty on OfS to have regard for part time study, and to promote choice and opportunity in the provision of higher education. The OfS targets an element of the Teaching Grant to recognise the additional costs of part-time study and the Open University receives funding through this.

Despite the significant disruption being felt across the higher education sector, students deserve appropriate support and recognition for their hard work and dedication. I welcome the way in which many universities and colleges have moved rapidly to develop new ways of delivering courses through online teaching and alternatives to traditional end-of-course exams.

We expect providers to consider how their response to the current situation will affect all students and those who might be most vulnerable to disruption. This includes students suffering from COVID-19 or who need to self-isolate, international students, and students unable or less able to access remote learning for whatever reason, together with care leavers, those estranged from their families, and students with disabilities.

The Office for Students (OfS) has recently published guidance setting out the actions it will take to support providers to maintain standards and teaching quality. The guidance highlights flexible models for teaching, learning, assessment that will most likely satisfy OfS quality and standards conditions. The clear expectation is that providers should make all reasonable efforts to enable students to complete their studies, for achievement to be reliably assessed, for qualifications to be awarded securely. Providers are already be making these arrangements. On 23 March, the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education published the first in a series of good practice guidance notes that are available to all UK higher education providers. We know higher education providers take their responsibilities seriously and are best placed to identify the needs of their student body, as well as how to develop the services needed to support it.

The government recognises the Open University plays an important role as the largest provider of part-time higher education in this country and has brought opportunities to engage in higher education to people across the country who would not have had that chance otherwise. The Higher Education and Research Act 2017 placed a duty on OfS to have regard for part time study, and to promote choice and opportunity in the provision of higher education. The OfS targets an element of the Teaching Grant to recognise the additional costs of part-time study and the Open University receives funding through this.

The government has been working closely with the sector to ensure that international higher education students who have remained in the UK have continued accommodation and access to essential services for the duration of their stay. In addition to continuing to provide accommodation for those who cannot travel home or have no alternative residence, providers are also offering a range of other services to international higher education students, including support for catering and cleaning, and support for mental health. International higher education students are encouraged to speak to their provider if they have any specific concerns about financial hardship.

Before an international student considers returning to their home country, they should seek advice from their home country’s embassy or consulate in the UK. Students planning to travel should adhere to Public Health England advice while in the UK to ensure they are travelling safely. Students should not travel if they, or anyone else in their household, has symptoms of COVID-19.

The government is grateful for the huge amount of work being done across the higher education sector to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19 on our students and institutions.

There will be many students – international students, along with students estranged from their parents and care leavers, among others – who remain in university-owned, or private university accommodation at present, particularly now government advice is for students to remain in their current residence, and not to return home. Higher education (HE) providers should aim to ensure that sufficient institutional accommodation is available to these students

In addition, the government has reminded HE providers of their responsibility to support services for students who remain on campus. This includes practical support to ensure students can access sufficient food and medical and cleaning supplies. HE providers have been asked to ensure catering staff are available to support on halls management, even in the event of wider university closure.

It is particularly important that universities who rely on outsourced staff, such as catering, who maintain the delivery of critical services and infrastructure, take appropriate measures to protect the health, safety and welfare of their staff.

The government is also working to improve joint continuity planning between HE providers and Local Resilience Forums to consider how to ensure availability of supply of food and medicines.

We stand ready to support HE providers in any discussion that is needed to ensure they have access to the right resources to care for their students. It is essential that students are reassured that their provider will continue to support them through these difficult and unsettling times.

The government believes that learning other languages is important in our globalised economy, as well as helping pupils to prepare for life. As part of this aim, we are funding an intensive language programme which aims to see at least 5,000 young people on track towards fluency in Mandarin Chinese by 2020.

The programme started in 14 secondary schools in 2016, building to 76 schools in the current academic year, with around 5,000 pupils now studying Mandarin. The Mandarin Excellence Programme is intellectually enriching for students and gives them a significant advantage when they enter the world of work. Pupils on the programme study Mandarin for eight hours a week, at least four hours of which are teacher-taught classroom lessons – a significant increase on the time pupils usually spend on the subject.

More widely, the department has introduced the English Baccalaureate performance measure, which includes languages, and has seen the proportion of GCSE entries from pupils in state-funded schools in a modern foreign language increase from 40% in 2010 to 47% in 2019. The reformed national curriculum now makes it compulsory for pupils in maintained schools to be taught a foreign language in key stage 2.

The government is committed to ensuring that all children taken into care have the best possible chances in life.

We have given looked after children top priority in school admissions to ensure they have access to the very best schools and their education is supported through the expertise and leadership of local authority Virtual School Heads (VSHs). VSHs are directly accountable for the educational outcomes of looked-after children and receive pupil premium plus funding to work with schools to support the education of individual children and the cohort as a whole. Pupil premium plus funding is £2,300 per child in 2019/20 rising to £2,345 in 2020/21. In addition, in recognition of the importance of ensuring that the mental health and wellbeing needs of looked-after children are identified, we are investing over £1 million to pilot high quality mental health assessments for children entering care.

The support does not stop when children leave care. Building on the measures already introduced through the cross-government care leaver strategy, in October 2019 we announced a further £19 million in 2020/21 to improve care leavers’ outcomes, including £10 million to expand Staying Put, so more care leavers can continue to live with their former foster carers until age 21 and £6 million to begin rolling out Staying Close, which provides extra support for young people leaving residential care. We are also providing £3 million to improve support for care leavers in further education.

The announcement also set out plans to establish a cross-government ministerial board to drive improved support for care leavers and a target to secure 1,000 public sector internships for care leavers by 2022.

The government also confirmed in February that it would carry out an independent review of the care system to make sure that all care placements and settings are providing children and young adults with the support they need so that they have the best possible chance to succeed in life.

It is important that young people are taught about climate change and sustainability. Topics related to this are included in both the science and geography curricula and qualifications.

For example, in primary science pupils are taught about how environments can change as a result of human actions. In secondary science, pupils are taught about the production of carbon dioxide by human activity and the effect this has on the climate. They will also learn about the efficacy of recycling. This is expanded on in GCSE science where pupils will consider the evidence for anthropogenic causes of climate change. They will study the impact of increased levels of carbon dioxide and methane and how this can be mitigated. Pupils will also learn about renewable and non-renewable energy sources.

As part of GCSE geography pupils will look at the causes, consequences of and responses to extreme weather conditions and natural weather hazards. In 2017, the Department also introduced a new environmental science A-Level. This will enable students to further study topics that will support their understanding of climate change and how it can be tackled.

In addition, sustainability content will be included in T-Levels, new post-16 technical study programmes. In setting outline content, the T-Level panels of employers and industry experts must consider the inclusion of sustainability as relevant to their sector. For example, in construction, T-Level students will be required to learn about renewable energy and emerging technologies to support energy efficiency.

Education plays a vital role in promoting integration and preparing our children and young people for life in a modern and diverse Britain.

All schools must promote community cohesion and are required to actively promote our shared values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance for those of different faiths and beliefs. Promotion of these values is part of Ofsted’s inspection framework and the department has published guidance to schools on promoting these important values as part of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Schools are also required to comply with the relevant provisions of the Equality Act 2010.

In 2016, the department also launched the Educate Against Hate website, through which we continue to provide free resources for teachers and school leaders to support their promotion of these values. This includes the department’s Respectful School Communities toolkit; a self-review and signposting tool to support schools to develop a whole-school approach which promotes respect and discipline, helping to combat bullying, harassment and prejudice of any kind.

The department also funds a number of specific initiatives to support schools in addressing these issues. This includes the provision of over £2.8 million of funding between September 2016 and March 2020 to four anti-bullying organisations, to support schools to tackle bullying – including projects focused on targeted bullying of particular groups, such as those who are victims of hate-related bullying, and projects which encourage children and young people to think about the importance of tackling prejudice and discrimination.

As part of our commitments in the Government’s Integrated Communities Action Plan, the department is also funding an expanded national school linking programme, which seeks to encourage meaningful social mixing between different types of schools and foster understanding of those with different backgrounds, faiths and beliefs. In the last year, the Linking Network has worked with over 540 schools, leading to over 22,500 pupils taking part in activities supporting integration.

As part of this same package, the department has also strengthened expectations for all new free schools on the promotion of community cohesion and integration, to make sure they are doing all that they can to ensure children and young people are able to participate fully in life in modern Britain.

The department is also introducing health education for pupils receiving state-funded primary and secondary education, alongside relationships education in all primary schools, and relationships and sex education (RSE) in all secondary schools. Mental wellbeing is a core component of the new health education curriculum, as well as being embedded in (RSE). Schools will be required to teach about a range of issues which will be relevant to wellbeing, including bullying, respectful relationships and online relationships.

Any incident of hate crime is unacceptable and we cannot tolerate staff and students being victims of it at our world-leading universities.

Higher education (HE) providers have clear responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010. They should discharge their responsibilities fully and have robust policies and procedures in place to comply with the law, and to investigate and swiftly address incidents reported to them.

In its guidance to the Office for Students (OfS), the government has tasked the OfS to tackle these important issues, including the implementation of Universities UK’s (UUK) Taskforce recommendations. The OfS and its predecessor body allocated £4.7 million for a safeguarding scheme to address harassment and hate crime in HE. On 9 January 2020, the OfS published a consultation on harassment and sexual misconduct in HE. This consultation, which concludes on 27 March 2020, asks for views on how the OfS will regulate harassment, including hate-based and sexual misconduct. The OfS expects providers to have policies, processes and systems in place to effectively address these issues.

Evaluation to date has shown that progress has been made but that there is still more to do. The government will continue to work closely with partners, including UUK and the OfS to support work to address hate crime and harassment in universities.

This government will ensure that our universities are places where free speech can thrive and will strengthen academic freedoms.

The freedom to express views openly, challenge ideas and engage in robust debate is crucial to the student experience and to democracy. Individuals should never be in a position where they can be stopped from, or are made to feel inhibited in, expressing an opinion perfectly lawfully.

The government worked alongside the Equalities and Human Rights Commission which published new guidance in February 2019 on freedom of speech in higher education to support higher education providers and students’ unions in delivering their duties.

The Office for Students (OfS) also has an important role to play in championing free speech and promoting good practice. A public interest principle relating to free speech is built into the OfS regulatory framework.

The government will be looking closely at how well higher education providers are meeting these obligations and will consider whether further action is needed, working with a range of partners.

While universities are autonomous institutions and responsible for setting the pay of their staff, they receive significant amounts of public funding and are rightly subject to public scrutiny.‎

Vice chancellor salaries must be justifiable and should not be excessive.‎ The process for setting pay must be transparent. The government agrees with the recommendation made by the Committee of University Chairs (CUC) in its senior staff remuneration code that vice chancellors should not sit on the committee that sets their pay.

The government set up the Office for Students (OfS) to regulate the higher education sector and to ensure the sector is delivering real value for money. The OfS has said that universities should, as a minimum, be following the CUC senior staff remuneration code. Where issues with senior staff pay lead to concerns, the OfS has the power to carry out independent reviews to ensure that a provider’s governance arrangements are fit for purpose.

The latest published data, including breakdowns for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) pupils, relates to 2019 at key stage 2 and 2018 at key stage 4. At both stages, the data showed a small improvement in headline attainment measures for this group compared to the previous year. At key stage 2, the percentage of GRT pupils attaining the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics rose from 19% in 2018 to 20% in 2019. At key stage 4, the percentage achieving grades 9-4 in English and mathematics rose from 11.8% in 2017 to 13.1% in 2018.

The government is taking significant steps forward to support attainment and progression for all pupils, including GRT pupils. Our education reforms, including those aimed at improving teaching; encouraging good attendance and behaviour; and strengthening the curriculum and examination system, are designed to improve opportunity and standards for all pupils. These reforms are underpinned by school accountability measures, which are intended to encourage schools to focus more closely on the attainment of all their pupils.

Through the pupil premium; we are addressing low economic circumstances. This is a key factor that predicts future educational outcomes, and affects a high proportion of GRT children. Since 2011, we have provided over £15 billion of this additional funding, with a further £2.4 billion being distributed in this financial year.

The pandemic is having a profound impact on the lives of everyone in the country and the Government’s focus has been on managing the immediate situation. As part of this, the Government continues to monitor behaviour in terms of working patterns, transport use and social distancing measures, and will continue to do so as the situation develops in the coming weeks.

Given the scale of this pandemic, it is likely that we will see some changes in the way people do things in the longer term and the Government is working to understand this. For example, to help understand future demand on transport, we are commissioning research to understand how the pandemic has impacted on people’s transport behaviours and the factors that will influence their behaviour as restrictions are lifted.

Budget 2017 included a commitment to “electrify 25% of cars in central Government department fleets by 2022” and, as part of the Road to Zero Strategy published in July 2018, the Government announced a further commitment to make 100% of the central Government car fleet ultra-low emission vehicles (zero emission or plug in hybrid) by 2030. Public sector organisations must use the product specifications set out in the Government Buying Standards (GBS) when procuring goods or services. For all vehicles the default is zero or ultra-low emission at the tailpipe. As a minimum, vehicles should meet Euro 6 emission standards.

We are investing nearly £2.5 billion?, with grants available for plug in cars, vans, lorries, buses, taxis and motorcycles, as well schemes to support charge point infrastructure at homes, workplaces and on residential streets. This includes extra funding announced at Budget 2020 of £532 million for consumer incentives for ultra-low emission vehicles, made up of £403 million for the plug-in car grant (PICG), extending it to 2022-23; and £129.5 million to extend the plug-in grants for vans, taxis and motorcycles to 2022-23. Central Government and the wider public sector are able to take advantage of these schemes.

On the 4 February the Prime Minister announced a consultation on bringing forward the end to the sale of new petrol, diesel and hybrid vehicles to 2035, or earlier if a faster transition appears feasible. The consultation was published on 20 February.

This follows our manifesto commitment and reflects the independent Committee on Climate Change advice that the phase out date should be 2035 or ideally 2030, and that only battery electric or other zero emission vehicles should be permitted to be sold after this point.

As part of this consultation, we are asking what the accompanying package of support will need to be to enable the transition and to minimise the impacts on businesses and consumers across the UK, building on the significant demand and supply side measures already in place. We are already engaging with stakeholders on this issue and plan to conclude the consultation in the summer.

Figures for new chargepoints for electric vehicles that have been introduced in the UK in each of the last three years are available in the table below:

We will invest £1 billion in charging infrastructure, ensuring that everyone is within 30 miles of a rapid charging station. Our jointly funded £400 million Chargepoint Infrastructure Investment Fund’s first investment round, worth a total of £70 million, will ensure the delivery of a further 3,000 rapid charging devices by 2024, more than doubling the current number of rapid charging devices. Last year work commenced to determine a vision for a core rapid charger network on England’s Strategic Road Network and we aim to report on this in Spring 2020.

The Government is carefully considering the stakeholders responses we have received to the recent consultation on this matter and will respond in due course.

We are investing nearly £1.5bn? between April 2015 and March 2021, with grants available for plug in cars, vans, lorries, buses, taxis and motorcycles, and schemes to support charge point infrastructure at homes, workplaces and on residential streets. This adds up to one of the most comprehensive support packages in the world for the transition to zero emission vehicles.

On 4 February, the Prime Minister announced our intention to consult on bringing forward ending the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans from 2040 to 2035, or earlier if a faster transition appears feasible, as well as including hybrids for the first time. We will be asking what the accompanying package of support will need to be to enable the transition to zero emission motoring while minimising the impacts on businesses and consumers across the UK, and building on the significant demand and supply side measures already in place.

The Government is committed to improving the safety of all road users. Reducing the numbers of those needlessly killed and injured on our roads is a key priority for the Department. Our recent publication of the Road Safety Statement – ‘A Lifetime of Road Safety’ describes in some detail the Department’s intention to undertake a set of actions in the coming years aimed at improving road safety.

The effectiveness of these measures will be kept under review.

The Road to Zero strategy, published in July 2018, set out the Government’s mission to put the UK at the forefront of the design and manufacturing of zero emission vehicles, and for all new cars and vans to be effectively zero emission by 2040. Going beyond this, we will now consult on the earliest date we can phase out the sale of new conventional petrol and diesel cars, while minimising the impact on drivers and businesses.

We are investing nearly £1.5bn? between April 2015 and March 2021, with grants available for plug in cars, vans, lorries, buses, taxis and motorcycles. We also operate schemes to support charge point infrastructure at homes and workplaces and on residential streets. Our grant schemes and our £400m public-private Charging Infrastructure Investment Fund will see thousands more electric vehicle chargepoints installed across the UK. Along with the private sector Government will invest £1 billion in charging infrastructure – making sure that everyone is within 30 miles of a rapid charging station for electric vehicles.

We have consulted on proposals for chargepoints to be installed with all newly built homes in England, where appropriate, and will set out a vision in early 2020 for a core network of rapid and high powered chargepoints along England’s key road network. We have also consulted on the introduction of Green Number Plates for ultra low emission vehicles to raise awareness and help normalise cleaner vehicles and increase their uptake. The Go Ultra Low comms campaign is now into its fifth year. This joint government-industry campaign aims to inform vehicle purchasers about the benefits of ULEVs and to dispel widespread myths.

Government and industry have supported the installation of over 17,000 devices, providing over 24,000 publicly available chargepoints, of which over 2,400 are rapid chargepoints. We will invest £1 billion in completing a fast-charging network to ensure that everyone is within 30 miles of a rapid electric vehicle charging station. We will set out a vision by Spring 2020 for a core rapid charger network on England’s strategic road network. We will also consult on the earliest date we can phase out the sale of new conventional petrol and diesel cars, while minimising the impact on drivers and businesses. As detailed in our Manifesto last year, this Government’s first Budget will prioritise the environment, including electric vehicle infrastructure.

Our various grant schemes and the £400m Charging Infrastructure Investment Fund will see the installation of thousands more public chargepoints, with the first £70 million of investment adding 3,000 additional rapid chargepoints by 2024. On 21 January, we announced that Government has doubled the value of the On-street Residential Charging Scheme for 2020-2021 to £10 million to support the provision of up to 3,600 chargepoints for those that don’t have off-street parking.

We are confident that the grid will be able to cope with increased demand from electric vehicles. The electricity market is already set up to bring forward investment in generation capacity to meet demand. Ofgem, the independent energy regulator, ensures – through the RIIO regulatory framework – that there is sufficient investment in electricity networks to deliver our net zero target and enable the transition to electric vehicles. This is alongside numerous measures to ensure a smarter, more flexible energy system, to help increase the efficiency of the system to prepare for new sources of demand, including electric vehicles. For example, Government consulted last year on mandating that all chargepoints sold or installed in the UK have smart functionality. Smart charging during off-peak periods, when electricity demand is low, can help reduce electricity network constraints.

Public Health England (PHE) promotes a healthy balanced diet based on the United Kingdom’s national food model, the Eatwell Guide, through a variety of online channels. PHE has three public-facing campaigns that promote healthy eating: Better Health, Change4Life and Start4Life.

In summer 2020, PHE launched the Better Health marketing campaign. The campaign directs millions of people to a range of free evidence-based tools and advice on how to take simple steps to adopt healthier eating habits and lose weight. For example, the NHS 12 Week Weight Loss Plan app helps people to develop healthier eating habits, get more active and lose weight. The Change4Life and Start4Life campaigns support families with simple healthy eating messaging including recipes and healthy snacks.

Plans are on track to establish the National Institute for Health Protection (NIHP) in spring 2021, with staff and systems moving into the new organisation over the following months. The recruitment process for the NIHP Chief Executive and Chair are ongoing and the outcomes will be announced in due course.

We frequently engage with local authorities, faith leaders and black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) organisations to provide advice and information about COVID-19 vaccines and how they will be made available. Our communications include targeted information and advice via TV, radio and social media. This has been translated into 13 languages. Print and online material, including interviews and practical advice has appeared in hundreds of national, local and specialist titles including BAME media outlets. In addition, since February a number of mosques and other places of worship have been hosting pop-up COVID-19 vaccination centres.

Working with local community partners, it is for local systems to determine the appropriate vaccine delivery model for their populations. However, NHS England and NHS Improvement have been clear that they should consider pop-ups in community venues and mobile facilities. They have also highlighted the need for in-reach mobile delivery to hostels and hotels providing accommodation for people experiencing homelessness, as well as outreach delivery where clinically safe, to people who remain living on the streets and mobile delivery connected to places people access and feel safe including foodbanks and other community-based support. To support this, NHS England has developed COVID-19 vaccination programme: JCVI Cohort 6 - Homelessness and rough sleeping Mobilisation support pack. A copy is attached.

The Government committed to explore whether and how COVID-19 status certification might be used to reopen the economy, reduce restrictions on social contact and improve safety. COVID-19 status certification aims to provide reassurance that an individual is at reduced risk of transmission. This could allow some freedoms to be restored more safely, for example by allowing mass events to admit more participants, increased passenger numbers and reduced border restrictions for travellers and social distancing rules to be relaxed.

The Government believes that COVID-19 status certification could have an important role to play both domestically and internationally, as a temporary measure. Equally, we want to be sure that the benefits of any such approach is rigorously tested, along with analysis of the potential economic impacts that COVID-status certification would have across different settings. We will continue to gather evidence on the extent to which COVID-19 status certification is an effective measure to control the epidemic and reduce hospitalisations and deaths and continue to explore the equity and ethical concerns. The Government will set out its conclusions from the COVID-status certification review in advance of 21 June in order to inform the safe reopening of society and the economy.

Due to the increased risk of new variants entering the United Kingdom, we are introducing Managed Quarantine Facilities for those arriving from high-risk countries in order to safeguard public health and our vaccine programme.

As we have done throughout this global health emergency, we will continue to take all steps necessary to protect the public and help prevent the spread of the virus. We will keep all our measures under constant review.

We published Staying mentally well this winter in November 2020, in an online only format. This sets out the support being made available for people in the winter months. This plan includes advice on wellbeing, information on accessing mental health services, support in communities and support for frontline health and social care workers.

Talking therapies will continue to be made available remotely so people can access help safely from home and the National Health Service will work to ensure the option of face to face support is provided where it is clinically safe to do so. For those with severe needs or in crisis, all NHS mental health providers have established 24 hours a day, seven days a week urgent mental health helplines.

We have not made a formal assessment. However, the Department continues to monitor vaccine deployment programmes across the world, including Israel, to share learning and collaborate internationally on the role of deploying safe, effective vaccines in the response to COVID-19.

We are working with the Royal Voluntary Service and St John Ambulance to recruit and train thousands more volunteer vaccinators, who will have all the relevant clinical training, as well as supervision, to ensure they can vaccinate in a way that is safe for patients and for themselves. This includes drawing on the skills of those who have volunteered through the NHS Bring Back Scheme, considering the use of a wider range of medical professionals as well as those currently working outside of the National Health Service.

Ongoing recruitment for both the clinical and non-clinical volunteering roles is via the NHS Volunteer Responder GoodSAM app. Requests for volunteer support for the COVID-19 vaccination programme are being directed through the lead provider in each area.

University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust and Nottinghamshire's Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust have been piloting 24 hours a day vaccination services since 20 January.  NHS England will continue to test extended opening hours, including 24 hours a day provision and findings will be kept under review.

We are running a proactive communications campaign on face coverings to alert the public to the places where they now are required to wear a face covering, how to wear one correctly, and who is exempt from wearing one - exemptions for children under the age of 11 and those unable to wear a face covering, due to health, age, equality or disability reasons apply.

While the Government expects the vast majority of people will comply with the rules, as they have done throughout the pandemic, police and Transport for London officers have been given the powers they need to ensure the public comply with the regulations.

The police have been clear that they will follow the four-step escalation principles of engaging, explaining, encouraging, and enforcing, only issuing a fine as a last resort.

The National Health Service is working with Voluntary Community and Social Enterprise partners, inclusion health providers and others to develop an accessible model for delivery of the vaccine to people from communities such as Gypsy, Roma and Traveller. Through the Community Champions Scheme councils and voluntary organisations are delivering a wide range of measures to protect those most at risk - including communicating accurate health information. Champions have been drawn from these communities themselves to share accurate health information with their neighbours, networks and wider community.

Local vaccination services are playing a vital role in reaching vulnerable groups including those who are in the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities. These services mobilise general practice, working together in groups of Primary Care Networks plus large and small community pharmacy sites. These services provide the largest number of locations and are well placed to support our highest risk individuals, many of whom already have a trusted relationship with their local health services. They also coordinate and deliver vaccination to people who are unable to attend a vaccination site.

Guidance for businesses and other interested parties was published on 17 November online at GOV.UK setting out the practical effect of the changes to domestic and European Union legislation relating to nutrition-related labelling, composition and standards made by the Nutrition (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020.

Officials developed the guidance in consultation with industry representatives and trade bodies via the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy’s Business Expert Group to ensure it addressed all necessary aspects of the legislation.

The Department has heeded requests from industry to provide updates on this area at more frequent intervals. Officials meet with industry representatives on a more ad hoc basis providing updates on progress relevant to the Nutrition (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020, in addition to sharing written updates with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy’s Group in between the scheduled quarterly sessions.

A rapid review by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), published in June 2020, concluded there was no evidence to support taking vitamin D supplements, such as Calcifediol (a form of vitamin D), to reduce the risk or severity of COVID-19.

In addition, a rapid review by the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN), published in June 2020, concluded that evidence currently does not support vitamin D supplementation to prevent acute respiratory tract infections in the general population of the United Kingdom.

Both NICE and SACN reviews emphasised the existing advice that vitamin D is essential for musculoskeletal health.

In September 2020, NICE published a Medicines Evidence Commentary on the clinical trial of Calcifediol in the treatment of COVID-19 by Castillo et al (2020). The Commentary concluded that “the study has many confounders so the results should be interpreted with caution. The clinical management of patients with COVID-19 should not be changed based on the results of this study.” The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has asked NICE and Public Health England to re-review the evidence on vitamin D and COVID-19, due to be published mid-December 2020.

A rapid review by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), published in June 2020, concluded there was no evidence to support taking vitamin D supplements, such as Calcifediol (a form of vitamin D), to reduce the risk or severity of COVID-19.

In addition, a rapid review by the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN), published in June 2020, concluded that evidence currently does not support vitamin D supplementation to prevent acute respiratory tract infections in the general population of the United Kingdom.

Both NICE and SACN reviews emphasised the existing advice that vitamin D is essential for musculoskeletal health.

In September 2020, NICE published a Medicines Evidence Commentary on the clinical trial of Calcifediol in the treatment of COVID-19 by Castillo et al (2020). The Commentary concluded that “the study has many confounders so the results should be interpreted with caution. The clinical management of patients with COVID-19 should not be changed based on the results of this study.” The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has asked NICE and Public Health England to re-review the evidence on vitamin D and COVID-19, due to be published mid-December 2020.

The following table shows the number of tests processed on each day between 7 to 14 October 2020:

The following table shows the median time for pillar 2 testing from test to notification from 1 to 14 October 2020:

Since 28 September in England, those who test positive for COVID-19 – or who are identified by NHS Test and Trace or local public health teams as a close contact of someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 – have a legal duty to self-isolate. A fixed penalty notice may be issued to a person who contravenes this requirement without reasonable excuse.

Fixed penalty notices can be issued by police constables or police community support officers. Regulations permit fixed penalty notices to be issued by officers designated by local authorities or by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, but there is no current intention for the Secretary of State or local authorities to make any designations for this purpose.

We have been focused on improving test turnaround times alongside expanding capacity and these are getting significantly better. Three out of five people who were tested in-person received their test result the very next day. Between 29 October and 4 November, the median time taken to receive a test result for regional test sites decreased to 27 hours from 31 hours in the previous week. Similarly, the median time decreased for local test sites to 29 hours from 33 hours and for mobile testing units to 25 hours from 29 hours during the same period.

We know we need to do more and are committed to improve this even further. We are validating use of robotics and improving technology used in the supply chain to speed up the flow of samples from test sites to labs and uploading of results, as well as making improvements to our logistics. We are also trialling new rapid tests that will give results on the spot and allow us to test whole cities.

Obesity rates are far too high which represents a huge cost to the health and wellbeing of the individual, the National Health Service and the wider economy.

We published Tackling obesity: empowering adults and children to live healthier lives in July. The strategy demonstrates an overarching campaign to reduce obesity, takes forward actions from previous chapters of the childhood obesity plan and sets our measures to get the nation fit and healthy, protect against COVID-19 and protect the NHS.

In addition, Public Health England launched the Better Health campaign, which calls on people to embrace a healthier lifestyle and to lose weight if they need to, supported by a range of evidence-based tools and apps providing advice on how to reduce the waistline.

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

The NHS Counter Fraud Authority’s current strategy covers the period of 2017-20. The NHS Counter Fraud Authority will be publishing its new strategy later this year.

Lord Deighton is leading the Government’s effort to unleash the potential of British industry to manufacture personal protective equipment (PPE) for the health and social care sectors. This will maximise opportunities for United Kingdom-based companies to fulfil orders of PPE.

We are building up UK manufacturing with signed contracts to manufacture and supply over three billion items of PPE through UK-based manufacturers, including facemasks, visors, gowns and aprons.

The Government wants people to remain fit and active at all times. The Chief Medical Officer is clear that being physically active is very important to long-term health and crucial for keeping people healthy during the ongoing pandemic. Evidence suggests that regular physical activity can promote good physical health and help manage stress and anxiety.

Individuals were and are able to go outside for a walk, run, cycle or any other independent way they normally get active outside. The Government has published detailed guidance, in an online only format, for members of the public on how they can exercise outside and for outdoor facilities on re-opening, should they wish to do so.

Those who are identified as vulnerable, older people and those with existing health conditions, should make every effort to stay active. There are many things people can do indoors. People who recovering from feeling unwell with potential COVID-19 should avoid strenuous activity as they recover.

Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMPs) are an exciting technology with new therapies being developed all the time. Current ATMPs use tissues and cells taken from living donors. However, it is also becoming possible to use material from deceased donors. Such ATMPs would be novel and the Government wants to ensure that under the new deemed consent arrangements for organ donation, donation of cells for ATMPs cannot happen without express consent being in place.

The list of organs, tissues and cells excluded from deemed consent are set out in the Human Tissue (Permitted Material: Exceptions) (England) Regulations 2020. Any changes to the regulations would need to balance evidence, public acceptability and clinical need. Before making any changes, the Government will be guided by recommendations from NHS Blood and Transplant’s Research and Innovation in Transplant Advisory Group with advice from the Human Tissue Authority.

In April 2019, NHS Blood and Transplant started a two-year publicity campaign to highlight the change of law. The campaign has been using a number of platforms to raise awareness, including television and radio adverts, media and press releases, social media, partner and stakeholder communications channels and posters in public and community places such as general practitioner surgeries. The campaign also targets people with different backgrounds, faith and beliefs. NHS Blood and Transplant is also planning a further burst of communications activity later this year.

NHS Blood and Transplant works closely with each devolved administration to ensure there are fair and transparent allocation policies governing all types of organ transplant across the United Kingdom. These are based on factors such as clinical need and guaranteeing the best match between donor and recipient to help ensure the longest possible survival of the transplant. These arrangements will continue.

We have been in close contact with Gypsy and Traveller Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) organisations and are working hard to support these communities through the pandemic. VCS organisations have used existing Public Health England (PHE) guidance as a basis for producing targeted guidance and videos to inform and advise communities.

In collaboration with the Local Government Association, Association of Directors of Public Health and NHS England and NHS Improvement, PHE has collated a suite of resources ‘COVID-19: Place-based approach to reducing health inequalities’ to complement existing work being led at a local level.

On 11 April the Minister of State for Home Affairs and Housing, Communities and Local Government, the noble Lord Greenhalgh, wrote to all local authority chief executives to highlight that some Gypsies and Travellers may need specific support to enable them to access to essential basic amenities such as water, sanitation and waste disposal facilities. A copy of the letter is attached.

The Department is regularly in discussions with other countries on a wide range of issues of issues relating to COVID-19, including Germany, New Zealand and South Korea.

COVID-19 presents a global challenge which requires a collaborative response. The Department will continue to work with other countries throughout the crisis and beyond.

We are incredibly proud of all National Health Service staff and we are working hard to ensure that staff feel supported and safe to continue the fight against COVID-19 and their extraordinary commitment is recognised.

Pay for over one million Agenda for Change (AfC) staff is already set for 2020/21 as part of the agreed three year pay and contract reform deal and for doctors and dentists in training following a four-year pay and contract reform deal agreed in June 2019 (2019/20 – 2022/23).

The Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration will make pay recommendations for 2020/21 as usual for consultants and speciality doctors. Next year it will be for the NHS Pay Review Body to make recommendations for the pay of staff on AfC contracts from April 2021.

We want to ensure that the NHS employment offer continues to attract, retain and reward staff and this offer continues to be kept under review.

In December 2019, the Government announced that from September 2020, pre-registration nursing, midwifery and most allied health profession students studying at English universities would benefit from a new, non-repayable, training grant of at least £5,000 per academic year in addition to the funding available already through the Learning Support Fund.

The ‘We are the NHS’ campaign’ returned in September 2019 with a new televised advert and campaign to inspire the next generation of National Health Service nurses in England. The COVID-19 pandemic has increased interest in healthcare careers and the Department is working to make the most of this, for instance, looking to maximise the number of new nursing students starting degrees this autumn.

The Government’s Action Plan for Adult Social Care published last month sets out our aim to increase the social care workforce. This includes a national recruitment campaign in England, launched on 23 April, highlighting the vital role of the social care workforce during this pandemic and the longer-term opportunities for working in care.

We are also developing a new online recruitment platform which will give people wanting to work in social care the opportunity to be considered for multiple job opportunities and help employers to recruit people quickly. This includes access to free online induction training with training providers endorsed by Skills for Care and a fast-tracked Disclosure and Barring Service check to help accelerate the recruitment process.

Social care staff have played, and continue to play, a vital role in the national effort to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak. We value the contribution of the workforce on the frontline, alongside their National Heath Service colleagues.

The Department continues to work at pace to develop measures to ensure the workforce gets the recognition and parity of esteem it deserves. For example, we have recently introduced a £600 million Infection Prevention Fund. This helps providers pay for additional staff and/or maintain the normal wages of staff who are self-isolating or have reduced the number of hours they work to stop the spread of infection. This follows a previous £1.6 billion of financial support, which was also able to cover pay costs.

The Government has recently announced an additional £5 million grant to Mind and the Mental Health Consortia to administer a COVID-19 mental health response fund to mental health voluntary and community sector organisations across England. The aim is to promote mental health and wellbeing support, which complements National Health Service services, to those struggling with their mental health and will include peer support, telephone and online support.

We are also working to protect vital mental health services and support people with mental health issues particularly those shielding or self-isolating. We have published official guidance for the public on mental health and wellbeing and for parents and carers about supporting their children’s mental health and wellbeing and are promoting this through trusted online channels like GOV.UK and Every Mind Matters.

The Government takes the welfare of all our citizens seriously and we are working hard to ensure people who need help to do so are identified, supported and enabled to take necessary measures to reduce the spread of the virus.

All the latest information and guidance for the public is available on the GOV.UK website. The current general advice is that everyone should stay at home except in very limited circumstances, practise social distancing and follow handwashing guidance.

We are constantly evaluating what more we can do to support different groups in society that have particular needs or face particular challenges.

COVID-19 health guidance for members of Gypsy, Traveller and Boater communities is currently in development for dissemination in a range of formats.

Public Health England (PHE) promotes a healthy balanced diet based on the United Kingdom’s national food model, the Eatwell Guide, which underpins national policy relating to nutrition. The Eatwell Guide applies to most people from the age of five years.

The Eatwell Guide principles are communicated through a variety of channels, including the Government’s 5 A Day campaign, PHE’s healthier catering guidance and PHE social marketing campaigns including Change4Life and One You. Government dietary advice is also communicated online via NHS.uk. The Eatwell Guide, the 5 A Day logo licensing guidelines and Healthier and more sustainable catering: A toolkit for serving food to adults are attached.

PHE’s flagship social marketing campaign, Change4Life was launched in 2009 with the aim of inspiring a social movement, through which the Government, the National Health Service, local authorities, businesses, charities, schools, families and community leaders could all play a part in improving children’s diets and activity levels.

PHE also continues to work closely with local authorities to encourage use of our tools and resources on nutrition, as part of local initiatives.

Public Health England (PHE) has produced a range of evidence and guidance materials to promote the benefits of walking. PHE’s One You campaign launched the free Active 10 brisk walking app designed to encourage adults to undertake more physical activity by simply going for a brisk 10-minute walk. The app was relaunched in December 2019 to align with the new United Kingdom Chief Medical Officers’ guidelines that every minute of physical activity counts and provides health benefits.

The Government has been working to improve outcomes for Gyspy, Roma and Traveller communities especially improving access to primary care. The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government will also lead development of a cross-Government strategy to improve outcomes for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities, covering access to important services but also the wider determinants of health.

Confucius Institutes are affiliated to the Chinese Ministry of Education, and the programme is overseen by the Office of Chinese Language Council International (referred to as Hanban), which is a Chinese Government entity. Their stated aim is to promote Chinese language and culture and promote cultural exchanges internationally. Concerns have been raised in a number of countries about the impact of Confucius Institutes on academic freedom at host institutions.

UK higher education providers that host Confucius Institutes are responsible for ensuring their partnerships are managed appropriately with the right due diligence in place. The Government will continue to support the sector to promote mutually beneficial international partnerships in line with UK values. As the Minister for Asia, Nigel Adams MP, made clear in a Westminster Hall Debate on 7 October, we will not tolerate any attempts to interfere with academic freedom or freedom of speech and encourage any institutions concerned about their international collaborations to contact the Government.

The FCO remains committed to the British Council, who are a key driver of our soft power overseas and a precious part of the FCO family. In order to help stabilise their immediate financial position following the impact of Covid-19 on their ability to operate, we agreed to provide the British Council with £26m of additional funding for the 2019-20 financial year. We have also provided some of their 2020-21 Grant-in-Aid funding upfront this month to further alleviate pressures.

The FCO have also supported the British Council in accessing wider government relief available through the COVID-19 Job Retention Scheme and similar schemes in other countries. This will help them support many of their workforce, and those employed through its partners, funded through the commercial side of their business. We will continue to work closely with the British Council in the coming days and weeks to seek to address the impact of COVID-19 on their ability to operate.

The UK is leading with partners and allies to: support an effective and co-ordinated global health response led by the World Health Organisation, reinforce the resilience of vulnerable countries, pursue a vaccine, support the global economy, and enable travelling nationals to return home where necessary. The UK is working together with international partners to achieve these objectives, including with the G7, G20 and European countries, and with the UN and other multilateral institutions, in order to galvanise a stronger global effort. The Prime Minister last spoke to the UN Secretary-General on 20 March and officials in Geneva and New York, are in regular contact with the UN Agencies, Funds and Programmes on their contributions to the crisis response. The Prime Minister, Foreign Secretary and other Cabinet Ministers are speaking regularly to their counterparts in Europe to discuss domestic and international actions.

The UK is leading with partners and allies to: support an effective and co-ordinated global health response led by the World Health Organisation, reinforce the resilience of vulnerable countries, pursue a vaccine, support the global economy, and enable travelling nationals to return home where necessary. The UK is working together with international partners to achieve these objectives, including with the G7, G20 and European countries, and with the UN and other multilateral institutions, in order to galvanise a stronger global effort. The Prime Minister last spoke to the UN Secretary-General on 20 March and officials in Geneva and New York, are in regular contact with the UN Agencies, Funds and Programmes on their contributions to the crisis response. The Prime Minister, Foreign Secretary and other Cabinet Ministers are speaking regularly to their counterparts in Europe to discuss domestic and international actions.

The Foreign Secretary announced on 30 March a new partnership between the Government and airlines to fly home more stranded British travelers, where commercial routes do not exist. The Government will provide up to £75 million financial support to enable special charter flights to priority countries, operated by airlines including Virgin, Easyjet, Jet 2, Titan and British Airways. This service has already begun, with flights from Peru, Senegal, UAE, Ecuador, Bolivia, Ghana, Algeria and Tunisia as of 6th April.

The British Government is working around the clock to support British Nationals as we respond to this global pandemic. The British High Commission in Wellington has established an online registration system, allowing High Commission staff to track and directly communicate with British Nationals in need of assistance, in particular the most vulnerable. This includes regular updates through email and on social media platforms. There has been an extensive drawdown of commercial flights out of New Zealand to regional hubs, reducing significantly the options for British Nationals to depart New Zealand. We are engaging commercial airlines and international governments, encouraging them to keep commercial routes open, in particular in transit hubs.

We have welcomed the International Court of Justice's decision on provisional measures, which was clear that Myanmar must do more to protect the Rohingya. On the 4 February, at the request of the UK and partners, the UN Security Council met to discuss the decision. In our statement to the Council, we urged Myanmar to abide by the provisional measures.

​Through our Embassy in Sarajevo, the British Government is in close touch with the different organisations and levels of government involved in commemorating the 25^th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide. Their plans are not confirmed at this stage, but we will ensure an active and prominent role for the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom remains committed to helping the region overcome the legacy of past conflict and build a more peaceful, prosperous and stable future for all.

In the United Kingdom, we are working closely with the group Remembering Srebrenica to commemorate and raise awareness of the Srebrenica genocide.

​The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has been working closely with the British Council to ensure that all recommendations from the 2019 Tailored Review are implemented by summer 2020.

There has been significant outreach and communication activity to publicise the Windrush Compensation Scheme. Evidence has shown the importance of face-to-face communications and prior to the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak, over 30 outreach events were delivered across the UK with community partners. These events have been promoted by stakeholders and on local and social media. We are now continuing events online: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/windrush-online-engagement-events. We also work with MPs, local councils and stakeholders to raise awareness, and materials on the scheme are available on Gov.uk and have been provided to community groups. In March, the Home Secretary announced a national advertising campaign to raise awareness, and a community fund to help organisations encourage applications among their communities. These will be complemented by new activity with specialist diverse media outlets and partnerships with community leaders.

To publicise the scheme overseas, we hosted an event for High Commissioners, and working with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, we provided materials and a briefing to British Embassies and High Commissions overseas to enable them to promote the scheme locally. Plans are in development for additional activity overseas in priority countries.

There has been significant outreach and communication activity to publicise the Windrush Compensation Scheme. Evidence has shown the importance of face-to-face communications and prior to the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak, over 30 outreach events were delivered across the UK with community partners. These events have been promoted by stakeholders and on local and social media. We are now continuing events online: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/windrush-online-engagement-events. We also work with MPs, local councils and stakeholders to raise awareness, and materials on the scheme are available on Gov.uk and have been provided to community groups. In March, the Home Secretary announced a national advertising campaign to raise awareness, and a community fund to help organisations encourage applications among their communities. These will be complemented by new activity with specialist diverse media outlets and partnerships with community leaders.

To publicise the scheme overseas, we hosted an event for High Commissioners, and working with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, we provided materials and a briefing to British Embassies and High Commissions overseas to enable them to promote the scheme locally. Plans are in development for additional activity overseas in priority countries.

The Government is committed to tackling the heinous crime of modern slavery and bringing those individuals responsible both in the UK and overseas to justice. There has been a significant increase in operational law enforcement activity to tackle modern slavery over the last few years and we are seeing an increase in the number of prosecutions brought and convictions secured.

However as modern slavery is a complex and multi-faceted crime, some modern slavery offenders may be prosecuted for offences that are not specifically modern slavery offences. We continue to work closely with criminal justice partners to improve the effectiveness of modern slavery investigations to help increase the overall number of prosecutions.

The UK also participates in Joint Investigation Teams which bring together judicial and law enforcement partners in relevant countries, where possible, to investigate and prosecute modern slavery cases.

The Government is committed to tackling the heinous crime of modern slavery and bringing those individuals responsible both in the UK and overseas to justice. There has been a significant increase in operational law enforcement activity to tackle modern slavery over the last few years and we are seeing an increase in the number of prosecutions brought and convictions secured.

However as modern slavery is a complex and multi-faceted crime, some modern slavery offenders may be prosecuted for offences that are not specifically modern slavery offences. We continue to work closely with criminal justice partners to improve the effectiveness of modern slavery investigations to help increase the overall number of prosecutions.

The UK also participates in Joint Investigation Teams which bring together judicial and law enforcement partners in relevant countries, where possible, to investigate and prosecute modern slavery cases.

The Government is clear that all forms of hate crime are unacceptable. The Government’s Hate Crime Action Plan 2016, and the refresh in 2018, contains a number of commitments to tackle hate crime on public transport. These include:

• The Department for Transport committing, in the July 2018 Inclusive Transport Strategy, to run a public awareness raising campaign to increase disability awareness amongst all transport passengers; and
• Working with local transport providers to ensure that bus drivers across England and Wales are fully equipped to challenge hate, including new guidance to support them.

The 2018 Hate Crime Action Plan refresh also includes a number of broader actions addressing all forms of hate crime, including hate crime on public transport. These include:

• A review by the Law Commission into the coverage and approach of current hate crime legislation; and
• A wide-ranging national hate crime communications campaign to publicly address hate crime and make clear that it is unacceptable to target people on the basis of their identity.

More widely, the British Transport Police (BTP) provides a policing service that meets the needs of all passengers and people who use or work on the railways. BTP has a firm commitment to responding to all reports of hate crime and it actively works with train operating companies and Network Rail to improve awareness, vigilance and reporting of information on hate crime incidents.

Since the start of the?COVID-19?pandemic, we have ensured that nearly 15,000 vulnerable people experiencing or at risk of rough sleeping have been housed in emergency accommodation.?We must now ensure that as few individuals as possible return to the streets following this initial period of accommodation.

The Next Steps Accommodation Programme makes available the financial resources needed to support local authorities and their partners to prevent these people from returning to the streets. £161 million will deliver 3,300 units of?longer-term move-on accommodation?in 2020/2021; and £91.5 million?has been allocated to pay for immediate support and interim accommodation.

Every year we honour the memory of the Roma and Sinti population murdered by the Nazi's at the annual Holocaust Memorial Day commemorations on 27 January. The 2nd of August marks the liquidation of the Gypsy Family camp' at Auschwitz-Birkenau and this year due to the restrictions on gatherings brought about by the Covid -19 pandemic we will be honouring the memory of the Roma and Sinti men, women and children murdered by the Nazi's on social media.

Property guardians are typically offered licences to occupy rather than tenancies. Anyone entering into such an arrangement should be aware that their rights may be more limited than on a standard tenancy agreement. We have published a property guardian factsheet to enable potential or current property guardians to understand their rights.

If a property guardian is concerned about the condition of their property, they should contact their local authority, which has a duty to take action if serious hazards are present.

A local authority can inspect a property even when they haven’t been contacted by tenants, if they think that there may be serious risks to the health and safety of those living in a guardian property - whether or not it is let on an tenancy or a licence. The Housing Act 2004 gives local authorities powers of entry in these cases.

The Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) applies across all tenures; it can be used to assess hazards in all residential premises including those let to property guardians and applies to all parts of a building that are occupied as a dwelling. If a local authority identifies a serious ‘category 1’ hazard, they have a duty to take action.

In regards to protections during COVID 19, all tenants and licensees who benefit from protection from eviction anyway under the Protection from Eviction Act 1977 will be protected from possession proceedings by the suspension of ongoing proceedings until 23 August 2020. If property guardians do not know whether they have a licence or a tenancy they should seek independent advice.

The Government has put in place an unprecedented support package to help prevent people getting into financial hardship or rent arrears and property guardian licence agreements are a valid proof of housing costs for entitlement to the housing element of Universal Credit.

All property guardians, whether they are on a tenancy or licence agreement, should contact their local authority if they are concerned about property conditions, unlawful eviction or harassment. In some cases, property guardians may in fact have a tenancy even when the agreement is labelled as a licence. If property guardians do not know whether they have a licence or a tenancy they should seek independent advice.

If a local authority thinks that there may be serious risks to the health and safety of those living in a guardian property, they can inspect a property even when they haven’t been contacted by tenants - whether or not it is let on an a tenancy or a licence. The Housing Act 2004 gives local authorities powers of entry in these cases.

The Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) applies across all tenures; it can be used to assess hazards in all residential premises including those let to property guardians and applies to all parts of a building that are occupied as a dwelling. If a local authority identifies a serious ‘category 1’ hazard, they have a duty to take action.

Local authorities have strong enforcement powers and the Department published consolidated enforcement guidance for local authorities in April 2019 which sets out their duties when dealing with property guardian properties, including those on a licence agreement. This was accompanied by guidance for renters. We have also published a property guardian factsheet to help potential or current property guardians to understand their rights.

For the removal of unsafe ACM cladding from high-rise residential buildings the Government has provided £600 million in funding. We have made progress, and as a result of our action, across all sectors, 209 buildings have either completed remediation or have had their ACM cladding systems removed. It is our ambition that all remaining building owners have works on site by the end of 2020, with completion of remedial works by the end of 2021.

The Government has committed £1.6 billion to fund the remediation of high rise residential buildings with unsafe cladding. This includes the removal of aluminium composite material (ACM). In these cases the work is guaranteed and leaseholders are protected from costs.

In cases where there is a costed plan, a timetable to deliver and mitigating measures in place in the meantime, there should be little barrier to mortgage valuations and lending.

The Government’s top priority over recent months has been to respond to the unprecedented challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic.

My department?has been supporting?the?co-ordination of?cross Government work in?response to the impact of Covid-19 on Gypsy, Roma and Traveller?communities, to ensure their needs are reflected in response and recovery planning.

We?expect to?shortly resume?our?scoping?work on?the?Government's June 2019?commitment to develop a?GRT Strategy?to tackle inequalities in these communities.

Building safety is the responsibility of the building owner. Where a building is found to have unsafe ACM cladding, the building owner should inform all leaseholders and residents of this. Building owners should also inform leaseholders and residents of the nature of the remedial works they intend to carry out, and provide regular updates on progress.

The Government has worked closely with local authorities and Fire and Rescue Services to ensure that interim safety measures, where needed, are in place in all buildings until the cladding is replaced. The Responsible Person for the building, who may be building owner or managing agent, should inform residents of these measures.

Working with the Home Office, the Local Government Association and the National Fire Chiefs Council, government has established a Protection Board to provide greater assurance to central government of Fire and Rescue Service protection activity. This work included ensuring that the interim measures in place in ACM-clad high-rise residential buildings are well-maintained and providing assurance that fire safety risks are being managed effectively.

The Department has been clear that some buildings are being remediated too slowly. To maintain the pace of remediation the department publishes the names of corporate entities which do not yet have a plan to remediate dangerous ACM.

We have written to the relevant local authorities, making sure they are aware of insufficient progress. The Joint Inspection Team, a team set up and funded by Government and hosted by the Local Government Association, is providing support to local authorities to take enforcement action under the Housing Act 2004. Action is currently being taken by a local authority for one of these buildings, and enforcement action has previously been taken by a Fire and Rescue Service for another of the buildings.

I would like to reflect on the success of Windrush Day, which was marked on June 22. This was the second annual National Windrush Day, and the third year that Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has supported celebrations since the 70th anniversary. I would like to thank my Noble friend for his role in initiating these earlier celebrations.

The day was well recognised in national and international media, with hundreds of broadcast features, including a piece on BBC’s The One Show and CNN broadcasting live from Brixton. There were tens of thousands of tweets, instagram and facebook posts shared to celebrate the Windrush Generation and their descendants. This was illustrative of the way in which communities and individuals led the way in marking the day.Supportive messages were delivered by His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, His Excellency the Jamaican High Commissioner and the Most Reverend Primate, the Archbishop of Canterbury.

In the midst of challenging circumstances, most of the 49 organisations which received funding from MHCLG’s Windrush Day Grant have demonstrated admirable willingness, aptitude and innovation to deliver their events through online or virtual means. Celebrations were mostly digital, but there were still plenty of them taking place across the country. From Bristol to Birmingham and Leicester to Leeds, grant recipients hosted online exhibitions, radio documentaries and educational workshops and lectures over zoom.

I was pleased to take part in the day myself by being hosted on a tour of Reading Museum's online exhibition The Enigma of Arrival . The exhibition was part-funded by MHCLG's Windrush Day Grant and was developed in partnership with the University of the West Indies as well as the Barbados Museum and Historical Society and members of the town's Caribbean community. I was particularly moved by images of men working at the town's Huntley and Palmers Biscuit factory and took a moment to reflect upon the truly vast scope of the Windrush Generation's contribution to all aspects of our national life in the aftermath of the Second World War.

I would finally like to reiterate my gratitude to the Windrush Day Advisory Panel, originally convened by my Noble friend, in supporting the funding's delivery and helping ensure that the day is marked appropriately year-on-year.

The Department publishes data on the number of high-rise residential and publicly owned buildings in England with ACM cladding systems unlikely to meet building regulations. The latest data is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/building-safety-programme-monthly-data-release-may-2020. This shows that there are 300 high-rise residential and publicly owned buildings with ACM cladding systems unlikely to meet Building Regulations yet to be remediated in England. Of these, 140 buildings have started remediation, including 54 buildings that have had their ACM cladding systems removed.

The Department has a policy of not publicly disclosing information which could reveal the identity of buildings which have failed or are inferred to have failed cladding tests. This is because there are concerns that this information could be used by those with malicious intent to attack or otherwise compromise the safety of these buildings and their residents.

However, in February 2020, the Department published a list of corporate entities that have indicated that they are taking on the responsibility for the remediation of unsafe ACM cladding, but where at least one of their buildings does not yet have a plan in place. This can be (attached) found here , and the list will be updated periodically. Entities are excluded from this list if it would lead to the identification of a specific building with unsafe ACM cladding .

We have been in close contact with Gypsy and Traveller Voluntary and Community Sector organisations and are doing everything we can to support them through the pandemic.

We have provided £3.2 billion to local authorities to help them respond to the immediate impact of COVID-19. It is for local authorities to determine how best to support vulnerable groups, in line with their public health responsibilities. To enable compliance with COVID-19 public health guidance, access to basic amenities, including water, sanitation and waste disposal facilities is essential.

On 11 April I wrote to all local authority chief executives to highlight that some Gypsies and Travellers may need specific support, including access to basic services such as water, sanitation and waste disposal (attached): https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-mitigating-impacts-on-gypsy-and-traveller-communities.

The Government is determined to ensure everyone gets the support they need to look after themselves and their families during the COVID-19 outbreak and are enabled to take the necessary measures to reduce the spread of the virus. We are holding regular discussions with representatives from Gypsy and Traveller communities to understand the issues they are facing, including what guidance and support is needed locally.

Faith leaders and communities have a critical role to play during the Covid-19 response and we recognise their contribution, as well as the significant importance of respecting different faith groups, religious practices and personal preference. As the Department responsible for Faith, MHCLG has played a facilitative role in ensuring Government understands the needs of faith communities and the challenges they are facing due to the pandemic. We have consulted widely with key faith and belief stakeholders through ministerial and official level engagement.

We are committed to ensuring faith and belief communities have access to the latest public health advice to support them to adapt their practices to meet the governments Covid-19 guidance. We will continue to engage with national and local faith and belief communities to ensure that any needs arising are understood.

We worked closely with faith and belief groups throughout the passage of the Coronavirus Act to ensure that the religious practices of the deceased are taken into account by local authorities as far as possible. Local authorities are now under an obligation to have regard to the deceased’s wishes, religion and belief, as to their final committal, where known, in accordance with Section 58 and Schedule 28 to the Coronavirus Act 2020.

Local authorities have a responsibility to look after vulnerable groups in their area, including Gypsy and Traveller communities. That is why I wrote to local authority Chief Executives on 11 April highlighting the need to mitigate potential impacts of COVID-19 amongst Gypsy and Traveller communities. In this letter, I noted that some Gypsies and Travellers may need assistance in accessing basic facilities such as water, sanitation and waste disposal, to enable them to adhere to public health guidelines around self-isolation and social distancing.

The Government is determined to ensure everyone gets the support they need to look after themselves and their families during the COVID-19 outbreak and are enabled to take the necessary measures to reduce the spread of the virus. We are holding regular discussions with representatives from Gypsy and Traveller communities to understand the issues they are facing, and to understand what guidance and support is needed, including for local authorities. On 18 April, the Local Government Secretary announced that councils across England will receive a further £1.6 billion to help them to deal with the immediate impacts of coronavirus. This takes the total funding to support councils to respond to the pandemic to over £3.2 billion.

The government issued guidance on closure of business and venues on 23 March: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/further-businesses-and-premises-to-close/further-businesses-and-premises-to-close-guidance. This sets out that funerals may continue to take place in places of worship and crematoria. On 31 March, Public Health England (PHE) published further guidance to ensure funerals are conducted safely, consistent with social distancing principles: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-advice-for-safe-funerals-after-discussions-with-faith-leaders. Faith leaders were consulted and worked with PHE to ensure that communities, the funeral industry and the NHS are protected.

Government is working with partners, including leaders and members of faith and belief communities, to communicate relevant guidance and to understand the issues faith communities are facing at this difficult time. We continue to value the input of our faith and belief communities.

The Government has issued guidance on social distancing on 16 March: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/covid-19-guidance-for-mass-gatherings. In line with this guidance, large gatherings should not take place. Further guidance was published on 23 March on the closure of businesses and venues, including places of worship: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/further-businesses-and-premises-to-close/further-businesses-and-premises-to-close-guidance.

The guidance is clear that all places of worship should be closed. This includes for the holding of faith and secular gatherings and solitary prayer. However, services are encouraged to take place with congregations online.

Government continues to have regular discussions with faith and belief groups to ensure that guidance relating to the COVID-19 pandemic is communicated clearly and effectively.

The Government takes the welfare of all citizens seriously and we are working hard to ensure those most at risk are identified and supported including those in GRT communities who will be receiving support alongside others.

The Government is also holding regular discussions with community representatives to understand issues faced and are looking into what guidance and support is required for Local authorities, who have a responsibility to look after vulnerable groups.

We are sending a clear message to landlords that they should do everything possible to avoid evictions – particularly where households are facing hardship as a result of coronavirus.

Where a person’s main home is on a camp site or caravan park, those sites can stay open.

We are urgently introducing emergency legislation to protect tenants in social and private accommodation from an eviction process being started and are considering what further action may be appropriate. In the meantime, we are urging the landlords of those on licences to follow the same guidance to work with renters who may be facing hardship as a result of Covid-19.

Since 2001, the Government has supported and promoted Holocaust Memorial Day which commemorates the six million Jewish men, women and children murdered during the Holocaust as well as all victims of Nazi persecution, and victims of the genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur.

The Government continues to support the Remembering Srebrenica charity in all that it does to commemorate the victims of the Srebrenica genocide, particularly as this year marks the 25^th anniversary of the tragedy. Our plans for a new Memorial next to Parliament will provide a powerful focal point for national Holocaust remembrance and education, and the learning centre will educate visitors about the Holocaust and subsequent genocides.

The Government announced at the Budget on 11 March that agreement had been reached on an ambitious devolution deal with West Yorkshire. On 12 March the agreement was formally signed in Leeds by the Chancellor and the Minister for Regional Growth and Local Government on behalf of the Government, and by the Leaders of the West Yorkshire Councils.

This devolution deal will provide over £1.1 billion of investment funding for the area together with other funding streams including £25 million Heritage funding. Implementation of the deal is subject to the statutory requirements for the necessary secondary legislation being met, including the consent of the West Yorkshire Councils to, and Parliamentary approval of, that legislation.

Information on the number of high-rise (over 18m) residential and publicly owned buildings in England with Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding systems, unlikely to meet building regulations and yet to be remediated, is published in the building safety programme monthly data release, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/building-safety-programme-monthly-data-release-january-2020.

At 31 January 2020, there are 141 high-rise residential and publicly owned buildings in England that have completed remediation works to remove and replace ACM cladding systems – an increase of six since the end of December.

This leaves a total of 310 high-rise residential and publicly owned buildings with ACM cladding systems unlikely to meet Building Regulations yet to be remediated in England. Of the 86 social sector residential buildings with ACM cladding systems unlikely to meet Building Regulations yet to be remediated:

• 75 have started remediation;

• 10 have a remediation plan in place but works have not started; and

• 1 building has reported an intent to remediate and is developing plans.

Of the 175 private sector residential buildings with ACM cladding systems unlikely to meet Building Regulations yet to be remediated:

• 32 have started remediation;

• 100 have a remediation plan in place but works have not started; and

• 43 have responded with an intent to remediate and are developing plans.

This Government remains committed to stamping out anti-Muslim hatred and all forms of hate crime. It is unacceptable for anyone to feel unsafe while practicing their religion and we continue to take a zero-tolerance approach to Islamophobia.

The definition proposed by the APPG is not in line with the Equality Act 2010 and could have consequences for freedom of speech. We recognise the importance of this matter and will interrogate the issue in further detail.

The Government has provided funding aimed at improving the life chances of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) communities.

The Department for Education has provided over £15 billion of pupil premium funding since 2011 and a further £2.4 billion in the current financial year, which will have benefited children from GRT communities.

In 2018/19, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government provided £200,000 of ring-fenced funding to Voluntary and Community Sector organisations for six pilot projects aimed at improving outcomes for GRT in the areas of educational attainment, health and social integration. Two of these pilot projects received further ring-fenced funding totalling £95,000 in 2019/20.

The Controlling Migration Fund (2016 – 2020) has provided £102 million of non-ringfenced funding for local authorities under section 31 of the Local Government Act 2003. This funding is designed to help ease the pressures on local services caused by recent migration. These projects aid in helping migrant communities to access services, improve health outcomes, raising educational outcomes for children and young adults and English language provision. Roma communities are the beneficiaries, but not the sole focus of several of the projects funded through the Controlling Migration Fund.

The Government takes hate crime against all communities very seriously, which is why we published the hate crime action plan (Action Against Hate: The UK Government’s plan for tackling hate crime) in July 2016. This plan was refreshed in October 2018.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is supporting Herts GATE (Gypsy and Traveller Empowerment) with over £75,000 of funding in 2019/20 to encourage reporting and support Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) victims of hate crime.

In November 2019 the Crown Prosecution Service held its second National Scrutiny Panel on hate crime affecting GRT communities. The Panel considered issues relating to the investigation and prosecution of GRT hate crime and subsequently produced an Action Plan of commitments, including working with key departments across Government to raise awareness of the issues. This followed a first Action Plan that was published in February 2017.

Dame Louise Casey has been appointed to undertake a review into rough sleeping that will provide the Government with advice on additional action required to end rough sleeping within this Parliament. Dame Louise’s recommendations will inform the Government’s approach to meeting this manifesto commitment and will support the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to develop their Comprehensive Spending Review bid in summer 2020.

Dame Louise will report to the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government. She will consider as part of the urgent review the links between 24-hour street activity and rough sleeping and how best we can support this group. It will also look into those struggling with drug and alcohol misuse, and those with physical and mental health issues.

Design quality is emphasised within the National Planning Policy Framework and the National Design Guide. We have committed to producing a National Model Design Code this year, which will set detailed standards for key elements of successful design.

We convened the Building Better, Building Beautiful Commission in 2019 to advise on the promotion of high-quality design for new build homes, whose final report and recommendations were published on 30 January to which we will respond in due course. In addition, we have hosted two national design quality conferences, with a third planned this year.

The Government wants to see more devolution across the country, and we welcome locally backed proposals. Government is committed to completing the Sheffield City Region devolution deal and are in formal negotiations for a devolution deal for West Yorkshire. The English Devolution White Paper will provide further information on our plans for full devolution across England, increasing the number of mayors and doing more devolution deals.

The Government is committed to ensuring an effective funding model for Mayoral Combined Authorities, including gainshare investment funds. We will publish an English Devolution White Paper in 2020. It will consider the future role of local growth funding and will provide further information on our plans for full devolution across England, whilst levelling up powers between Mayoral Combined Authorities.

Government has put in place a range of measures to encourage self and custom housebuilding including the Self & Custom Housebuilding legislation. The legislation is focussed on bringing forward more suitable land, providing access to developer finance through the £2.5 billion Home Building Fund and working with finance providers to increase mortgage availability. We have allocated £95,000 of new burdens funding to each relevant authority to support them to fulfil their duties under the legislation to maintain a register of people who want to acquire serviced plots of land in their area; and permission serviced land to satisfy demand on the register. Additionally, we strengthened the National Planning Policy Framework to state that self and custom build properties can provide affordable housing and that demand must be taken into account when determining housing need and reflected in planning policies. The Department also supports the National Custom and Self Build Association’s ‘Right to Build Task Force’ which helps local authorities, community groups and other organisations to deliver affordable self and custom build housing across the UK.

It is unacceptable for anyone to feel unsafe while practising their religion, and this government will never allow prejudice and discrimination of any kind against the Muslim community.

We will continue to take a zero-tolerance approach to anti-Muslim hatred and recognise the importance of this matter. We will continue to explore and interrogate the issue of publishing a definition of Islamophobia in further detail.

The work of civil society partners is integral to the positive work my department leads to build thriving, integrated communities in places across the country. Listening to, and acting on, what local voices can tell us about their place and their lives is at the heart of this government’s approach to tackling the complex reasons why some groups do less well at school, earn less at work, or are more likely to be victims of crime. MHCLG’s Integration Area programme is a good example of this. Each Integration Area has created a Local Integration Partnership, with membership drawn from local businesses, charities, faith organisations and many others who possess the experience, expertise and understanding of the whole community in their place. This enables the areas to build in representation from all communities and sectors – including across the civil society landscape - and ensure everyone who wants to, is able to input on the ambitious local integration strategies and other work being developed through this innovative programme.

It is unacceptable for anyone to feel unsafe while practising their religion, and this government will never allow prejudice and discrimination of any kind against the Muslim community.

We will continue to take a zero-tolerance approach to anti-Muslim hatred and recognise the importance of this matter. We will continue to explore and interrogate the issue of publishing a definition of Islamophobia in further detail.

Building owners are responsible for building safety. The Government has worked closely with local authorities and Fire and Rescue Services to ensure that interim safety measures are in place in all high-rise student accommodation buildings with unsafe ACM cladding, until the cladding is replaced. We have regular engagement with a named contact from each building to ensure progress with remediation is being made. Further delay from building owners is unacceptable and their buildings must be made safe as soon as possible . Where building owners are failing to make acceptable progress, those responsible should expect further action to be taken – including naming and shaming and enforcement.

The Government has been working closely with interested parties across the UK whilst developing the fund. Government officials have held 25 engagement events across the UK, attended by over five hundred representatives from a breadth of sectors, which has helped inform progress on policy design

The Government intends to bring forward plans on the UK Shared Prosperity Fund shortly.

Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (the “Fire Safety Order”), responsible persons for hotels must ensure that they have completed a fire risk assessment and that it is regularly reviewed to ensure that the fire safety measures in place remain appropriate and are being adequately maintained. This includes assessing and where appropriate, taking the necessary steps to reduce the risk on the external walls which may include cladding.

All hotels that have confirmed ACM cladding have been visited by the local fire and rescue service to ensure that the appropriate risk mitigation measures are in place. Hotels will have a range of comprehensive fire safety measures which may include a 24-hour concierge, simultaneous fire evacuation strategy and a fully functioning alarm system. If hotels do not have sufficient mitigating measures, the fire and rescue service has the power to take appropriate enforcement action.

The Department continues to work with the Home Office and National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) to ensure correct fire safety arrangements are in place on all high-rise hotels to mitigate risks and to ensure remediation is taking place.

It is important to recognise remediation work cannot be done overnight – and it must be done properly. The time to complete works varies considerably depending on factors such as structure, extent of cladding, and existing fire safety systems. For many buildings this is a complex job involving major construction work.

The £600 million which the Government has committed to remediate high-rise buildings with unsafe ACM cladding removes the biggest blocker to pace of remediation. Further delay from building owners is unacceptable and their buildings must be made safe as soon as possible. From next month, those responsible for buildings will be named where remediation has not started, and only be removed from the public list when it has. The Department will also be working with the relevant local authorities to support enforcement where necessary.

As the Prime Minister said at his speech in the Convention of the North ‘we are going to do devolution properly…with more Mayors across the North’. In Yorkshire we are pleased to see recent progress the Mayor and leaders of the Sheffield City Region are making towards getting their devolution deal over the line with the benefits that will bring for people across South Yorkshire, including £30 million annually of investment funds. We are also proceeding with negotiations for a devolution deal with a Mayor for Leeds and West Yorkshire, and other areas of Yorkshire are discussing devolution with us.

The Government takes all forms of hate crime, including that directed towards Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities, very seriously. We have one the strongest legislative frameworks in the world to protect all communities from hostility, violence and bigotry, and to deal with the perpetrators of hate crime. We have asked the Law Commission to undertake a full review of the coverage and approach of current hate crime legislative provisions. This will include a review of the existing range of protected characteristics, including race. The commission is due to open a public consultation in early 2020.

Information on the number of buildings with Aluminium Composite Material cladding systems unlikely to meet building regulations that are yet to be remediated is available by local authority in Table 2 (attached) of the monthly Building Safety Programme data release. The latest information is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/851774/Table_2_Building_Safety_Data_Release_November_2019.csv/preview

The Government’s priority is to ensure that unsafe Aluminium Composite Material cladding(ACM) is removed and replaced swiftly. The time to complete works varies considerably depending on factors such as structure, extent of cladding and existing fire safety systems. While we accept that for many buildings, this is a complex job involving major construction work we have taken steps to support building owners undertake the work and are continuing to monitor progress. We have made £600 million of public money available for remediation. We are working closely with a named contact for each building to ensure progress is being made. We have written to all building owners in December 2019 emphasising the need for pace. Where building owners are failing to make acceptable progress, those responsible should expect further action to be taken – including naming and shaming and enforcement.

The Government’s priority is to ensure that unsafe Aluminium Composite Material cladding(ACM) is removed and replaced swiftly. The time to complete works varies considerably depending on factors such as structure, extent of cladding and existing fire safety systems. While we accept that for many buildings, this is a complex job involving major construction work we have taken steps to support building owners undertake the work and are continuing to monitor progress. We have made £600 million of public money available for remediation. We are working closely with a named contact for each building to ensure progress is being made. We have written to all building owners in December 2019 emphasising the need for pace. Where building owners are failing to make acceptable progress, those responsible should expect further action to be taken – including naming and shaming and enforcement.

We have set up a comprehensive programme to oversee Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) remediation. We have pushed building owners and local authorities hard to identify and remediate unsafe buildings. When we are notified about additional buildings these are reflected in the published data.

We have also worked closely with local authorities and Fire and Rescue Services to ensure that interim measures are in place in all buildings until the cladding is replaced. Working with the Home Office, the Local Government Association and the National Fire Chiefs Council government has established a protection board to provide greater assurance to central government of Fire and Rescue Service protection activity. This work includes ensuring that the interim measures in place in ACM-clad high-rise residential buildings are well-maintained and providing assurance that fire safety risks are being managed effectively.

We have set up a comprehensive programme to oversee Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) remediation. We have pushed building owners and local authorities hard to identify and remediate unsafe buildings. When we are notified about additional buildings these are reflected in the published data.

We have also worked closely with local authorities and Fire and Rescue Services to ensure that interim measures are in place in all buildings until the cladding is replaced. Working with the Home Office, the Local Government Association and the National Fire Chiefs Council government has established a protection board to provide greater assurance to central government of Fire and Rescue Service protection activity. This work includes ensuring that the interim measures in place in ACM-clad high-rise residential buildings are well-maintained and providing assurance that fire safety risks are being managed effectively.

In June 2019, the Government announced that MHCLG would lead development of a cross-government strategy to improve outcomes for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities. In developing the strategy, the Government will consider how best to encourage participation in civic and public institutions by members of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities.

Information on progress to remove Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding from student accommodation and publicly-owned schools can be found in the Building Safety Programme monthly data release. This can be found (attached) at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/building-safety-programme-monthly-data-release-november-2019

The Law Commission were invited to review the law on hate crime and to make recommendations for its reform. The review began in March 2019 and will also consider which characteristics (for example gender, age, disability) deserve enhanced protection by the criminal law and on what basis.

The Law Commission plan to issue a consultation on this matter in early 2020. Further information on the review can be found on the Law Commission webpage at: https://www.lawcom.gov.uk/project/hate-crime/

The Government has made no assessment of University Cum Court Annexed Arbitration. However, the Government supports early dispute resolution and it is playing a key role in the HMCTS court reform programme. For example, the Online Civil Money Claims Service has recently started piloting a new approach where claims up to £500 are automatically referred to mediation, unless both parties ‘opt out’. The results of the pilot and the impact of this approach will be evaluated.