Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth

The Race Disparity Unit (RDU) publishes data and analysis on the Ethnicity Facts and Figures website about variances in treatment or outcome affecting people of different ethnicities in relation to health and education.

Changes to Government policy will be announced by departments in the usual way.

The Race Disparity Unit publishes data and analysis on the Ethnicity Facts and Figures website (https://www.ethnicity-facts-figures.service.gov.uk/). This is consistent with our commitment to improve the quality of evidence and data on the barriers faced by different groups.

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

It is for Ofcom, as the independent regulator of postal services, to set and monitor Royal Mail’s service standards and decide how to use its powers to investigate and take enforcement action should Royal Mail fail to achieve its obligations without good justification. The Government has no role in Ofcom’s regulatory investigations.

The Government engages with a range of Welsh stakeholders, including the Welsh Government and Welsh Government-funded bodies, on nuclear issues including small modular reactors (SMRs).

The UK Government has discussions with governments of other countries on a range of issues. The Department publishes comparisons between the UK and European countries from Eurostat price data.

Differences in prices across countries are influenced by many factors, including differences in fuel mixes, market structures, regulation, and taxation strategies within each country. This means that while all countries have been affected by the rise in global energy prices, the impact on households and businesses will vary between countries. The Government has announced a package of measures to support people and businesses with their energy bills and tackle the root causes of the issues in the UK energy market through increased supply.

Ofgem only holds data for smart meters in prepayment mode that have disconnected, it is not possible to collect this data for traditional prepayment meters. One of the benefits of smart prepayment over traditional prepayment meters is the ability for energy suppliers to know when customers have gone off supply, and so offer timely support.

Ofgem hold data for Q1 – Q3 2022. The number of electricity smart meters in GB that disconnected at least once across this period are provided in the table below. Not all disconnections will be due to affordability issues.

The Government continually monitors the status of the labour market, which is strong by historical standards and is close to record levels of (high) employment, (low) unemployment, and (low) inactivity rates.

The Government is investing an additional £3.8 billion into skills and further education over this Parliament to ensure workers can develop the skills businesses need.

Where low pay is a barrier, the Government is supporting better pay by ensuring that all tips go to staff and increasing the National Living Wage to £10.42 an hour.

The 2019 manifesto pledged changes to enhance workers’ rights and support people to stay in work. The Government is backing five Private Members’ Bills which will deliver on these commitments - helping new parents, unpaid carers, hospitality workers, and giving employees better access to flexible working.

The Government consultation on making flexible working the default closed in December 2021, with over 1,600 responses received. These have been carefully considered, and we will publish our response in due course.

As set out in the 10 Point Plan, Government ambition is to establish four CCS clusters by 2030 at the latest. As later set out in the Net Zero Strategy, Government’s aim is to use CCUS technology to capture and store 20-30 MtCO2 per year by 2030.

In the Net Zero Strategy, we committed to consulting on phasing in higher minimum performance standards to ensure all homes meet EPC Band C by 2035, where cost-effective, practical and affordable.

The Government is investing over £6.6 billion over this parliament to improve energy efficiency and decarbonise heating. We will deliver upgrades to over half a million homes in the coming years through our Social Housing Decarbonisation, Home Upgrade Grant Schemes and Energy Company Obligation Scheme, delivering average bill savings of £500, based on recent price cap estimates.

We have also launched a digital service providing impartial, tailored advice on energy efficiency. This will be supported by the launch of additional support for homeowners through telephone advice and specific local area advice for energy consumers.

The Government has committed to decarbonising heat and buildings, with support targeted at lower-income households through schemes such as the Home Upgrade Grant, Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund, Local Authority Delivery Scheme, and the Energy Company Obligation. We are also supporting industry to reduce energy use, including through the Industrial Energy Transformation Fund supporting investments in energy efficiency.

The Government set out in the British Energy Security Strategy its approach to building a secure, clean and affordable energy system, including additional measures to support consumers to cut their energy consumption and reduce dependence on fossil fuels, making homes warmer and more energy efficient while helping to reduce bills.

There are rules requiring transparency of petrol and diesel prices, including at motorway service stations so that prices are displayed before fuelling commences. Consumers can then make an informed purchase decision.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has recently stated that it stands ready to take action should there be evidence that competition or consumer protection law has been broken in the fuel retail market, and is monitoring the evidence closely. The CMA will continue to work with BEIS to analyse developments. This work will build on the knowledge base the CMA has accumulated during some of the recent mergers it has intervened on in this sector.

Ukrainian refugees will have the right to work as soon as they arrive in the UK. The Government will provide refugees with resources to help them find a job, for example ‘Find a Job’ and Jobcentre Plus work coaches for those awarded Universal Credit.

The Department for Work and Pensions is working with employers and partners to support refugees with employment opportunities, including working alongside the Refugee Employment Network to support Ukrainian refugees to offer employment opportunities and training.

The Government remains confident that Great Britain’s energy security will be maintained. The Government works closely with Ofgem, National Grid Gas and other key industry organisations to monitor gas supply and demand, and the National Grid Electricity System Operator has the tools it needs to operate the electricity system reliably.

In the past 5 years the UK has met nearly half of its annual gas supply through domestic production, with most imports coming from reliable suppliers such as Norway. Less than 4% of our gas was sourced directly from Russia in 2021.

The Government has experienced gas prices at historic highs reflecting a number of market fundamentals, but also the current uncertain geopolitical situation. The Government is working closely with key international and industry partners to monitor gas supply and demand, and remains confident that Great Britain’s energy security will be maintained.

The Government recognises the importance of a reliable universal postal service to customers, businesses, and local communities across the UK, and we know postal workers have been working exceptionally hard to meet demand over the recent peak period and in light of Covid-19 related absences.

Royal Mail has publicly stated that it is aware of the reduction in service levels in some areas and is taking action to reduce delays to deliveries. Its contingency plans to mitigate disruption to postal services are overseen by Ofcom, the independent regulator responsible for monitoring the delivery of the universal postal service.

Ofcom continues to monitor Royal Mail’s performance to ensure it is providing the best service it can to customers and has powers to investigate and take enforcement action if Royal Mail fails to achieve its performance targets.

Great Britain benefits from a diverse electricity mix, meaning the Government is not dependent on any one supplier or market participant for ensuring security of supply.

The Capacity Market is the Government’s policy tool to maintain secure electricity supplies in Great Britain. It secures the capacity needed to meet likely peak demand for future years. When determining the capacity needed, the National Grid Electricity System Operator considers what capacity will be available from interconnected countries, including France, in their advice.

The Government moved to Plan B in England as it was necessary to control the spread of transmission of the new threat posed by the Omicron variant and the potential impact on businesses. In order to support all businesses across the UK economy throughout the COVID-19 pandemic we have provided businesses with an unprecedented support package of £400 billion, including grants, loans, business rates relief, VAT cuts and the job retention scheme. This includes a total of over £26bn in business grants.  The Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG) fund is open until March 2022.

We are also engaging closely with the hospitality sector to listen to their concerns and help them in their recovery. Additionally, we are working closely with the sector through the Hospitality Sector Council to implement the hospitality strategy which was launched in July. The strategy sets out how the UK government will work with the hospitality sector, as it reopens and recovers from COVID-19, to build the sector’s longer-term resilience. It includes a dedicated recovery working group, made of sector organisations, businesses and government officials, looking at solutions to manage urgent Covid 19 impacts on the sector.

The Vaccine Manufacturing Innovation Centre (VMIC) UK is a private company, limited by guarantee, and as such the UK Government does not exercise any ownership rights. Grant funding has been provided initially to support vaccine manufacturing innovation in the UK and latterly in response to Covid-19.

We are working closely with VMIC and other third parties to ensure the UK retains a strong domestic vaccine manufacturing capability to contribute to the UK’s resilience against COVID-19 and other future health emergencies. At present, these discussions are commercially sensitive.

The smart meter rollout is making good progress, with 26.4 million smart and advanced meters in homes and small businesses across Great Britain by end September 2021, including 24.8 million smart meters in domestic premises. Nearly half (47%) of meters in households are smart meters.

The Government has confirmed that a new four-year policy framework with fixed minimum annual installation targets for energy suppliers will commence on 1 January 2022 to drive the consistent, long-term investment needed to deliver the rollout.

The Government is working with listed and unlisted companies to encourage ambitious action on climate change.

Listed

• From 6 April 2022 the UK will become the first G20 country to enshrine in law mandatory Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD)-aligned requirements for Britain’s largest companies and financial institutions to report on climate-related risks and opportunities, subject to Parliamentary approval of regulation laid on 28th October 2021.
• Over 1,300 of the largest UK-registered companies and financial institutions will have to disclose climate-related financial information on a mandatory basis – in line with recommendations from the TCFD. This will include many of the UK’s largest traded companies, banks and insurers, as well as private companies with over 500 employees and £500 million in turnover.
• We are requiring more disclosure and transparency in the markets on climate risks and opportunities through the introduction of Sustainability Disclosure Requirements, as outlined in Greening Finance: A Roadmap to Sustainable Investing. These bring together and streamline UK sustainability reporting requirements, including reporting aligned with the Taskforce for Climate-Related Financial Disclosures recommendations.
• As announced by my Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer at COP26, listed companies will also be required to publish transition plans that consider the Government’s net zero commitment or provide an explanation if they have not done so. As standards for transition plans emerge, the Government and regulators will take steps to incorporate these into the UK’s Sustainability Disclosure Requirements and strengthen requirements to encourage consistency in published plans and increased adoption by 2023.

Unlisted

Ahead of COP 26, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister launched the Together for our Planet Business Climate Leaders’ campaign. The aim of the campaign is to encourage small businesses to make a net zero commitment via the UK Business Climate Hub and get help and advice on reducing their emissions. Tens of thousands of small and micro businesses were reached through this initiative and over 2,400 UK small businesses have pledged to go green and reduce their emissions.

Various sources suggest a rebound in emissions in 2021, along with the economic recovery after the pandemic, to just below 2019 levels.

The United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) Gap report 2021 estimated total global emissions of 58.1Gt CO2 for 2019 (the latest year available for all greenhouse gases). Fossil fuel CO₂ made up 37.9Gt, but fell 5.4% to 36Gt CO₂ in 2020. The International Energy Agency (IEA) and Global Carbon Project suggest a rebound in 2021 with an increase on 2020 levels of 4.8-4.9% in CO₂.

Various projections from UNEP, IEA, BloombergNEF and others suggest plateauing or slowly growing emissions beyond 2021 if we don’t increase global action. This underscores the need to urgently increase both ambition and action to deliver the commitments made at Glasgow, and go further to continue closing the gap to 1.5°C.

The Glasgow Climate Pact, combined with increased ambition across adaptation, finance and mitigation means that 1.5°C remains in sight, but only with concerted and immediate global efforts.

The pact will speed up the pace of climate action this decade, with all countries agreeing to revisit their emissions targets in 2022, as well as developed countries agreeing to double support for action on adapting to climate change by 2025.

Following the outcome of Spending Review 2021, the Government is currently considering the resourcing level needed for the Insolvency Service to undertake its statutory functions which includes the additional proposed enforcement requirement contained in the Ratings and Director Disqualification Bill should that be passed by the House. That process is on-going, with budgets set to be finalised ahead of the next financial year.

The UK benefits from diverse sources of gas supply, including domestic production, pipeline imports from reliable suppliers like Norway, and Liquified Natural Gas (LNG). BEIS has held no discussions with Russia on gas.