Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.
These initiatives were driven by Lord Clement-Jones, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.
MPs who are act as Ministers or Shadow Ministers are generally restricted from performing Commons initiatives other than Urgent Questions.
Lord Clement-Jones has not been granted any Urgent Questions
Lord Clement-Jones has not been granted any Adjournment Debates
A Bill to amend the Licensing Act 2003 with respect to the performance of live music entertainment; and for connected purposes
This Bill received Royal Assent on Thursday 8th March 2012 and was enacted into law.
A bill to make provision about the categorisation and use of B2 gaming machines; and for connected purposes.
Second reading - the general debate on all aspects of the Bill - took place on 5 July.Committee stage - line by line examination of the Bill - is yet to be scheduled. The 2013-14 session of parliament has prorogued and this Bill will make no further progress. A Bill to amend the Environmental Protection Act 1990 with respect to the distribution of printed matter for events which involve small-scale performance of live music and other entertainment, and for connected purposes.
A Bill to regulate the use of automated decision-making in the public sector; to require a public authority to complete an algorithmic impact assessment in prescribed form where it procures or develops an automated decision-making system; to establish a Minister for standards in algorithm use; and for connected purposes
A bill to prohibit the use of automated facial recognition technology in public places and to provide for a review of its use
Lord Clement-Jones has not co-sponsored any Bills in the current parliamentary sitting
When procuring cloud services, departments should use the Technology Code of Practice principles and follow the government Cloud First policy. They should also follow NCSC security guidance and the Information Commissioner's Office’s guidance on adequacy of a country’s level of data protection. These policies and guidance provide clear guidelines of the things a department should consider, including security classification and best value for the taxpayer.
The reported SolarWinds compromise is a complex, global cyber incident, and the Government is working with international partners to understand its scale and assess any UK impact. This work is ongoing.
The National Cyber Security Centre has published guidance on their website.
The reported SolarWinds compromise is a complex, global cyber incident, and the Government is working with international partners to understand its scale and assess any UK impact. This work is ongoing.
The National Cyber Security Centre has published guidance on their website.
The reported SolarWinds compromise is a complex, global cyber incident, and the Government is working with international partners to understand its scale and assess any UK impact. This work is ongoing.
The National Cyber Security Centre has published guidance on their website.
The Government Digital Service (GDS) is currently reviewing cross government cloud policy and guidance, including the Cloud First policy. This includes reviewing the cloud hosting market and associated regulatory environment.
GDS is currently undertaking a risk assessment of all of its services and products (including GOV.UK) in relation to cross-border data flows. The new ECJ judgment will be considered as part of this assessment. The assessment will identify relevant data flows and make sure appropriate mitigation is implemented if necessary, following updates and guidance from the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) and the European Data Protection Board (EDPB). GDS has engaged with other government departments via data advisory groups and data protection networks to ensure consistent mitigation.
Ultimately, however, it is a decision for individual government organisations where and how to store their data, provided it is done in a secure way and offers good value for money.
The Government Digital Service (GDS) is currently reviewing cross government cloud policy and guidance, including the Cloud First policy. This includes reviewing the cloud hosting market and associated regulatory environment.
GDS is currently undertaking a risk assessment of all of its services and products (including GOV.UK) in relation to cross-border data flows. The new ECJ judgment will be considered as part of this assessment. The assessment will identify relevant data flows and make sure appropriate mitigation is implemented if necessary, following updates and guidance from the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) and the European Data Protection Board (EDPB). GDS has engaged with other government departments via data advisory groups and data protection networks to ensure consistent mitigation.
Ultimately, however, it is a decision for individual government organisations where and how to store their data, provided it is done in a secure way and offers good value for money.
The UK Government is a significant advertiser on Facebook. Social media platforms enable departments and agencies to connect with citizens and businesses to communicate about important policies and help drive behaviour change, including in the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The Government is in correspondence with Facebook seeking reassurances and action on various points. Individual departments are responsible for their own advertising expenditure delivered in line with a centrally agreed approach coordinated by the Cabinet Office.
The information requested is not held centrally by the Cabinet Office. This is the prerogative of individual departments.
The Government has no objections to digital media companies running political advertising, provided it is transparent, and we are bringing forward proposals to increase transparency in this area.
The information requested is not held centrally by the Cabinet Office. This is the prerogative of individual departments.
The Government has no objections to digital media companies running political advertising, provided it is transparent, and we are bringing forward proposals to increase transparency in this area.
The Government recently consulted on AI and its relationship with copyright and patents. Equity was among 88 organisations and individuals who responded to this consultation. The Government will publish its response in due course.
The UK’s intellectual property framework, which includes strong protections for performers’ rights, is consistently rated among the best in the world and the Government intends for this to continue. The law is kept under constant review to ensure it meets the challenges of modern technology as part of the usual policy process and as guided by the evidence.
The UK is a world leader in Mathematics. British mathematicians publish a large volume of highly regarded work. When compared to international colleagues, British mathematicians have the 5th largest share of publications in the world. When looking at the top 1% of most cited publications, UK mathematicians are responsible for the third largest share.
Between Financial Year 2015-2016 and September 2021, UK Research and Innovation’s (UKRI) council the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) committed £259.9m to research grants Mathematical Sciences. This includes commitment from the Additional Funding Programme.
Following the Government’s announcement in January 2020 to invest additional funding into Mathematical Sciences, UKRI has awarded around £104 million of additional funding to the discipline, over and above EPSRC’s core Mathematical Sciences Theme budget. The additional funding has covered institutes, small and large research grants, fellowships, doctoral studentships and postdoctoral awards.
On the 27 October 2021, the Government announced the outcome of the Comprehensive Spending Review. BEIS and UKRI will now set out how we meet the commitment to invest additional funding into Mathematical sciences in forthcoming years, as part of the allocations process.
Responsibility for investigating individual and market-wide competition issues, including breaches of competition law, falls to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) as the UK’s independent competition authority.
In July 2020, the CMA published the final report of its market study into online platforms and digital advertising. In the recent Government response to the market study, we agreed with the CMA’s findings that Google and Facebook are dominant in the search and social media markets and that this is leading to higher prices for goods and services, less innovation, and less choice for consumers.
We also announced the Government’s intention to establish and fund a Digital Markets Unit (DMU) within the CMA from April 2021, to operationalise a new pro-competition regime for digital markets. We will consult on the form and function of the DMU in early 2021, and legislate to put it on a statutory footing as soon as parliamentary time allows.
The Government supports Artist’s Resale Right (ARR), both domestically and internationally. It is provided for in UK law and after the transition period, the UK will continue to comply with its international obligations relating to ARR.
The final details of a future trade relationship between the UK and the EU will depend on the outcome of the ongoing negotiations.
The Office for National Statistics reports that 82% of businesses that responded to its latest COVID-19 business impacts survey stated that they were continuing to trade between 4 May and 17 May 2020; while 18% reported they had temporarily closed or paused trading.
Of the sectors that the Office for National Statistics’ survey covered, the ‘arts, entertainment and recreation’ and ‘accommodation and food service activities’ sectors had the largest proportion of businesses who were not currently trading.
We recognise the challenges faced by businesses across the country at this challenging time, which is why we have made a significant package of support available to businesses, including:
In addition, the Government has issued practical guidelines to make workplaces safe, and to give those people who cannot work from home during the coronavirus pandemic, confidence to go back to work. This guidance covers eight workplace settings, from outdoor environments and construction sites to factories and takeaways, which are allowed to be open.
Her Majesty’s Government’s negotiation approach to intellectual property in the future UK-EU relationship has been discussed in many cross-departmental fora, both bilaterally and as part of multi-departmental groups. This includes but is not limited to engagement between: the Intellectual Property Office (the lead executive agency), the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Number 10 Taskforce Europe, Cabinet Office, the Ministry of Justice, the Department for International Trade, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, the Department of Health and Social Care, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and the Office for Life Sciences. Discussions have also taken place at ministerial committees considering the UK-EU future relationship negotiation approach.
The Minister for Intellectual Property will be meeting with the Chartered Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys and other IP stakeholders to discuss this and other topics later this month.
We welcome the Ada Lovelace Institute’s review of public attitudes to regulating data-driven technologies, and agree that this is a pressing issue. The findings reflect those of the Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation’s (CDEI’s) public engagement research and highlight key questions that the CDEI’s current and planned work addresses.
We agree that it is vital to understand people’s experiences and perspectives in order to align data policy and governance with societal values and needs: this is embedded at the CDEI through a dedicated Public Attitudes Insight team. The CDEI has shared its insights into public perceptions of data use in the recently-published, world-first Public Attitudes to Data and AI Tracker Survey which has already been widely used across the public and private sector.
The CDEI and the Cabinet Office’s Central Digital and Data Office have also been at the forefront of creating an algorithmic transparency standard for the public sector, which has the needs and expectations of the public at its core, and has since been adopted as a pilot with several public sector organisations. This is a key example of how public engagement can be translated into trustworthy data practices – a recommendation from the Ada Lovelace Institute’s review.
The CDEI will continue to work closely with the Ada Lovelace Institute to monitor the public’s attitudes towards data-driven technologies and data regulation, and consolidate and apply the findings to the Government’s work on data-sharing. Research into public attitudes is fundamental to the Government’s efforts to create a trustworthy data-driven technology ecosystem.
Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks are a well-known type of cyber attack, used by a range of attackers against a range of targets across the world. The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has published guidance to help organisations understand and mitigate this type of attack. The NCSC can also work with organisations affected by DDoS attacks to provide the necessary advice and support, and victims can refer incidents to the National Crime Agency for consideration of a criminal investigation.
More widely, the Government is committed to ensuring the security and resilience of the UK’s telecommunications networks and services. That is why we introduced the Telecommunications (Security) Bill which will establish a new telecoms security framework, including new duties and requirements on public telecommunications providers to identify and prevent the risk of a wide range of security compromises, such as those resulting from DDoS attacks. Small and medium-sized telecommunications providers will be subject to those duties and requirements.
The Advisory Group’s June 2021 final report made a number of recommendations aimed at Government, Ofcom, industry and trade bodies to encourage the take-up of gigabit broadband services. The Government welcomes the Advisory Group’s report.
Action is already planned by the respective bodies to whom some of the recommendations were directed at. Ofcom plans to work with industry to improve the consistency of broadband terminology in the market, and to develop information to help consumers understand the benefits of gigabit broadband. BDUK plans to develop a 'Gigabit toolkit' to support local bodies in raising awareness and understanding of the benefits of gigabit connectivity among local residents and businesses. BDUK plans to work closely with local bodies and other key sector stakeholders.
We are considering the wider recommendations in the report and will continue to look at what more can be done to best support take-up of gigabit services.
The British Board of Film Classification’s (BBFC) age ratings are used by a number of video on demand providers and although adoption is voluntary, we welcome their use. On 1 December 2020, we were pleased to see Netflix become the first video on demand platform to achieve complete coverage of their content under the BBFC’s ratings.
The UK’s Audiovisual Media Services Regulations 2020, which transposed the revised EU Audiovisual Media Services Directive, were made and laid in Parliament on 30 September 2020. Following Parliament’s approval, the video sharing platform regime, for which Ofcom is the regulator, came into force on 1 November 2020. UK-established video sharing platforms must now take appropriate measures to protect the public, including minors, from illegal and harmful material.
Under this regime, video sharing platforms are not currently mandated to adopt BBFC ratings, nor is it expected that they will be mandated to do so. However, in order to comply with the regime, age assurance measures and measures such as age ratings and parental controls, may be adopted by video sharing platforms. Age assurance measures comprise a broad range of technical measures which can be used by a service to establish the age of their users. The BBFC is engaging actively with both Ofcom and video sharing platforms to share their expertise and discuss the applicability of content ratings on those platforms.
In line with the government’s commitment to keep children safe online, the government is working at pace to prepare the Online Safety Bill, which will be ready this year.
On 22 February the Prime Minister set out the roadmap gradually ending the current lockdown for England.
Amateur activity will be permitted from Step 3 which will begin no earlier than 17 May. The performing arts guidance will be updated in advance of each step of the roadmap.
The timings outlined in the roadmap are indicative, and the Government will be led by data, rather than fixed dates. Before taking each step, the Government will review the latest data and will only ease restrictions further if it is safe to do so. The indicative, ‘no earlier than’ dates in the roadmap are all contingent on the data and subject to change.
Touring is a vital part of the careers of musicians, performers and their support staff, providing not only an important income stream, but also enriching opportunities for cultural exchange across the world. Being outside the European Union does not change this. It does, however, mean practical changes on both sides of the Channel that will require understanding and adaptation.
We are now working urgently across government and in collaboration with the music and wider creative industries, including through a new working group, to help understand and address these issues so that touring in Europe can resume with ease as soon as it is safe to do so.
As part of this work DCMS is working with the Foreign Office and others across government to consider how best to take forward engagement with EU Member States on these issues. It is within Member States’ gift to improve their arrangements and we will engage with bilateral partners to find ways to make life easier for those working in the creative industries in countries across the EU.
Touring is a vital part of the careers of musicians, performers and their support staff, providing not only an important income stream, but also enriching opportunities for cultural exchange across the world. Being outside the European Union does not change this. It does, however, mean practical changes on both sides of the Channel that will require understanding and adaptation.
We are now working urgently across government and in collaboration with the music and wider creative industries, including through a new working group, to help understand and address these issues so that touring in Europe can resume with ease as soon as it is safe to do so.
As part of this work DCMS is working with the Foreign Office and others across government to consider how best to take forward engagement with EU Member States on these issues. It is within Member States’ gift to improve their arrangements and we will engage with bilateral partners to find ways to make life easier for those working in the creative industries in countries across the EU.
Touring is a vital part of the careers of musicians, performers and their support staff, providing not only an important income stream, but also enriching opportunities for cultural exchange across the world. Being outside the European Union does not change this. It does, however, mean practical changes on both sides of the Channel that will require understanding and adaptation.
We are now working urgently across government and in collaboration with the music and wider creative industries, including through a new working group, to help understand and address these issues so that touring in Europe can resume with ease as soon as it is safe to do so.
As part of this work DCMS is working with the Foreign Office and others across government to consider how best to take forward engagement with EU Member States on these issues. It is within Member States’ gift to improve their arrangements and we will engage with bilateral partners to find ways to make life easier for those working in the creative industries in countries across the EU.
The retirement of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), and its replacement with Internet Protocol technology, is being led by Openreach and Virgin Media, as the relevant infrastructure owners. Openreach and Virgin Media have publicly set out their plans to withdraw these services by the end of 2025. The migration is likely to affect all fixed exchange lines, of which there are 31.3 million in the UK.
Ofcom estimates that 81% of UK households have a landline service, with 4% of UK adults living in a home with a landline and no mobile phone and 3% of UK households having only a landline without any broadband. The Government, Ofcom, and industry are working to ensure that the needs of vulnerable consumers are considered and Ofcom regularly monitors how communication providers are taking steps to ensure they identify and protect vulnerable customers.
In June 2020, the Broadband Stakeholder Group, a government advisory forum on telecoms policy, launched the ‘Future of Voice’ website. This consumer-facing website is designed to inform the public and businesses of the PSTN switchover process. The website has been developed with the support of telecoms companies, Ofcom and DCMS.
The Government will also continue to work closely with various stakeholders, including the telecoms industry, Ofcom, and other Government departments to ensure the country is prepared for the withdrawal of the PSTN, and will continue to consider the best course of action to prepare for the migration.
The retirement of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), and its replacement with Internet Protocol technology, is being led by Openreach and Virgin Media, as the relevant infrastructure owners. Openreach and Virgin Media have publicly set out their plans to withdraw these services by the end of 2025. The migration is likely to affect all fixed exchange lines, of which there are 31.3 million in the UK.
Ofcom estimates that 81% of UK households have a landline service, with 4% of UK adults living in a home with a landline and no mobile phone and 3% of UK households having only a landline without any broadband. The Government, Ofcom, and industry are working to ensure that the needs of vulnerable consumers are considered and Ofcom regularly monitors how communication providers are taking steps to ensure they identify and protect vulnerable customers.
In June 2020, the Broadband Stakeholder Group, a government advisory forum on telecoms policy, launched the ‘Future of Voice’ website. This consumer-facing website is designed to inform the public and businesses of the PSTN switchover process. The website has been developed with the support of telecoms companies, Ofcom and DCMS.
The Government will also continue to work closely with various stakeholders, including the telecoms industry, Ofcom, and other Government departments to ensure the country is prepared for the withdrawal of the PSTN, and will continue to consider the best course of action to prepare for the migration.
The retirement of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), and its replacement with Internet Protocol technology, is being led by Openreach and Virgin Media, as the relevant infrastructure owners. Openreach and Virgin Media have publicly set out their plans to withdraw these services by the end of 2025. The migration is likely to affect all fixed exchange lines, of which there are 31.3 million in the UK.
Ofcom estimates that 81% of UK households have a landline service, with 4% of UK adults living in a home with a landline and no mobile phone and 3% of UK households having only a landline without any broadband. The Government, Ofcom, and industry are working to ensure that the needs of vulnerable consumers are considered and Ofcom regularly monitors how communication providers are taking steps to ensure they identify and protect vulnerable customers.
In June 2020, the Broadband Stakeholder Group, a government advisory forum on telecoms policy, launched the ‘Future of Voice’ website. This consumer-facing website is designed to inform the public and businesses of the PSTN switchover process. The website has been developed with the support of telecoms companies, Ofcom and DCMS.
The Government will also continue to work closely with various stakeholders, including the telecoms industry, Ofcom, and other Government departments to ensure the country is prepared for the withdrawal of the PSTN, and will continue to consider the best course of action to prepare for the migration.
We are aware of Openreach’s plans to modernise its telecoms network to deliver telephone services over Internet Protocol technology and migrate customers from copper to fibre broadband. As part of this, it is undertaking trials in Salisbury and Mildenhall to test approaches to migration. Openreach has consulted on its plans for the trials and has publicly set out timings. In addition, Ofcom has consulted on changes to regulations in these areas to allow the trials to go ahead. Openreach hopes to complete full migrations in these areas by the end of 2022.
DCMS regularly engages with the telecoms industry, Ofcom, and other Government departments to discuss these upgrades, including Openreach’s trials. Discussions include the impact these upgrades will have on consumers, business and public services. In addition, DCMS has engaged with other Government departments to ensure they are aware of the trials and relevant local government services are prepared.
Her Majesty’s Government has no plans to amend Electronic Commerce (EC Directive) Regulations 2002 to require intermediaries providing commercial services for online businesses to undertake due diligence measures for the verification of the identities of those conducting digital business services.
Ministers and officials have regular meetings and discussions with organisations on a range of issues, including the challenge of fraud and anonymity online. Details of Ministerial meetings are published quarterly on the Gov.uk website.
The Full Government Response to the Online Harms White Paper consultation, published in December 2020, sets out expectations on companies to keep their users safe online. This includes a proposed legal duty of care on companies and the appointment of a new communications regulator, Ofcom, to ensure that new laws are enforced.
There are many legitimate reasons why an individual would not wish to identify themselves online. Whistleblowers, victims of modern slavery and survivors of domestic abuse may wish to stay anonymous, to protect their identity online. Our proposals strike the right balance between protecting users’ rights online, while preserving freedom of expression. The Online Safety Bill will be introduced next year.
The Government remains committed to delivering nationwide gigabit connectivity as soon as possible. Our programme for gigabit-capable broadband has made dramatic progress. More than a third of UK premises now have access to gigabit-capable connections, up from nine per cent when the government took office in July 2019. By next year, more than half of all premises will have access. We are working with industry to target a minimum of 85% gigabit-capable coverage by 2025 but will seek to accelerate rollout further to get as close to 100% as possible.
We remain committed to investing £5bn in bringing gigabit coverage to the hardest to reach areas and will continue to work with suppliers to accelerate this investment.
We are committed to taking action to protect businesses and users from the potential harms associated with substantial and enduring market power in digital platform markets.
Earlier this year, we accepted all the strategic recommendations of the Furman Review and established the cross-regulator Digital Markets Taskforce to advise on the design and implementation of a new pro-competition regime for digital markets.
On 27 November we confirmed the establishment of a new pro-competition regime for tech giants. A Digital Markets Unit (DMU), housed in the Competition and Markets Authority, will be set up to begin to operationalise the new regime. It will work closely with key regulators, including the ICO and Ofcom, to ensure that the new regime is effective and coherent. The Taskforce has advised us that the DMU should prioritise firms active in particular activities, including app stores. We will consider the expert advice and respond in due course. Government will legislate to put the DMU on a statutory footing as soon as parliamentary time allows, following consultation in early 2021.
Protecting children is at the heart of our online harms agenda, and wider government priorities. Our Online Harms proposals will deliver a higher level of protection for children than for the typical adult user.
Age assurance is the term used to describe the broad range of technical measures that can be used by a service to establish the age of their users. Age verification is a form of age assurance that provides the highest level of confidence in a user’s age. Currently age verification measures require a user's age to be established through a full identity verification process, for example through passport or credit card data..
We expect companies to use a proportionate range of tools, including both age assurance and age verification technologies, to prevent children accessing age-inappropriate content such as online pornography and to protect them from other harms.
We will be setting out further details on our approach for protecting children, including the use of age assurance, in the full government response to the Online Harms White Paper consultation, which will be published this year. We will follow this with legislation, which will be ready early next year.
While adoption of the British Board of Film Classification’s (BBFC) best practice age ratings by online platforms is currently voluntary, we welcome their adoption by Video on Demand platforms.
For example, Netflix has committed to work towards complete coverage of its content under the BBFC’s ratings and support the BBFC’s drive to encourage other Video On Demand platforms to follow suit. By doing so, industry will provide consumers with well recognised age ratings and consumer advice.
We will keep the evidence for legislation in this area under review and will continue to engage with industry on the issue.
Protecting children is at the heart of our online harms agenda, and wider government priorities. The government has worked hard to ensure content is filtered in public places where children are likely to be, as well as at home.
The BBFC provides an independent framework for mobile network operators and defines content that is unsuitable for customers under the age of 18 based on their Classification Guidelines for film and video. Like current device level filters, and the filters used by every school in the country, filter software is provided to Internet Service Providers by well-established web filtering companies. There are no plans to require other providers of family friendly filters to use the BBFC’s framework.
Our forthcoming online harms proposals will deliver a higher level of protection for children than for the typical adult user. We expect companies to use a proportionate range of tools, including age assurance and age verification technologies, to prevent children accessing age-inappropriate adult content and to protect them from other harms.
Industry and Government engage regularly with a wide range of leading experts in the creative industries through the Creative Industries Council (CIC), a forum for Government and Industry to convene and share information, discuss concerns and opportunities and muster action. The CIC is formed of a broad range of representative bodies across the sub-sectors of the creative industries.
As outlined in our response to the above named report, we would need clear and robust evidence from the sector as to the purpose of the Creator’s Council and why it would be different from the existing CIC.
The Information Commissioner’s Office is an independent public body and is the UK’s independent regulator for data protection and freedom of information. The UK Government does not speak on its behalf.
Information on the powers available to the Information Commissioner and how they are used is available in the Regulatory Action Policy published on the Information Commissioner’s Office website. The ICO will consider any complaints from individuals that are concerned about their rights in connection with international transfers.
The UK Government’s statement on the Schrems II judgment is available on Gov.UK and the Information Commissioner’s Office have published their most recent statement on their website, which sets out the approach to be taken following the Schrems II judgement.
The Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, the Rt Hon Oliver Dowden CBE, announced the publication of the framework National Data Strategy and its accompanying consultation on the 9th September 2020. The consultation is on a UK-wide basis and we are keen to hear from a representative cross section of society, ensuring diversity, and inclusion. The consultation will be open to all on gov.uk until the 2nd December, with alternative methods of responding to the consultation provided.
The retirement of the public switched telephone network (PSTN), and its replacement with Internet Protocol technology, is being led by Openreach and Virgin Media, as the relevant infrastructure owners. As this process is being led by industry, the department has no current plans to regularly update parliament on their progress.
Openreach and Virgin Media have publicly set out their plans to withdraw these services by the end of 2025. On 14 July, the UK Government announced measures relating to Huawei following the additional US sanctions placed on the company by the US Department of Commerce. The Government advised full fibre operators to transition away from purchasing new Huawei equipment. It will be for the operators themselves to make the commercial decisions necessary to comply with the Government’s decision.
In June this year, the Broadband Stakeholder Group launched the ‘Future of Voice’, a consumer-facing website to inform the public of the PSTN switchover process. The website has been developed with the support of DCMS, Ofcom, and telecoms companies.
DCMS regularly engages with the telecoms industry, Ofcom, and other Government departments on PSTN withdrawal, to discuss the impact this will have on consumers, business and public services and plans for migration to Internet Protocol technology.
The retirement of the public switched telephone network (PSTN), and its replacement with Internet Protocol technology, is being led by Openreach and Virgin Media, as the relevant infrastructure owners. As this process is being led by industry, the department has no current plans to regularly update parliament on their progress.
Openreach and Virgin Media have publicly set out their plans to withdraw these services by the end of 2025. On 14 July, the UK Government announced measures relating to Huawei following the additional US sanctions placed on the company by the US Department of Commerce. The Government advised full fibre operators to transition away from purchasing new Huawei equipment. It will be for the operators themselves to make the commercial decisions necessary to comply with the Government’s decision.
In June this year, the Broadband Stakeholder Group launched the ‘Future of Voice’, a consumer-facing website to inform the public of the PSTN switchover process. The website has been developed with the support of DCMS, Ofcom, and telecoms companies.
DCMS regularly engages with the telecoms industry, Ofcom, and other Government departments on PSTN withdrawal, to discuss the impact this will have on consumers, business and public services and plans for migration to Internet Protocol technology.
The retirement of the public switched telephone network (PSTN), and its replacement with Internet Protocol technology, is being led by Openreach and Virgin Media, as the relevant infrastructure owners. As this process is being led by industry, the department has no current plans to regularly update parliament on their progress.
Openreach and Virgin Media have publicly set out their plans to withdraw these services by the end of 2025. On 14 July, the UK Government announced measures relating to Huawei following the additional US sanctions placed on the company by the US Department of Commerce. The Government advised full fibre operators to transition away from purchasing new Huawei equipment. It will be for the operators themselves to make the commercial decisions necessary to comply with the Government’s decision.
In June this year, the Broadband Stakeholder Group launched the ‘Future of Voice’, a consumer-facing website to inform the public of the PSTN switchover process. The website has been developed with the support of DCMS, Ofcom, and telecoms companies.
DCMS regularly engages with the telecoms industry, Ofcom, and other Government departments on PSTN withdrawal, to discuss the impact this will have on consumers, business and public services and plans for migration to Internet Protocol technology.
The retirement of the public switched telephone network (PSTN), and its replacement with Internet Protocol technology, is being led by Openreach and Virgin Media, as the relevant infrastructure owners. As this process is being led by industry, the department has no current plans to regularly update parliament on their progress.
Openreach and Virgin Media have publicly set out their plans to withdraw these services by the end of 2025. On 14 July, the UK Government announced measures relating to Huawei following the additional US sanctions placed on the company by the US Department of Commerce. The Government advised full fibre operators to transition away from purchasing new Huawei equipment. It will be for the operators themselves to make the commercial decisions necessary to comply with the Government’s decision.
In June this year, the Broadband Stakeholder Group launched the ‘Future of Voice’, a consumer-facing website to inform the public of the PSTN switchover process. The website has been developed with the support of DCMS, Ofcom, and telecoms companies.
DCMS regularly engages with the telecoms industry, Ofcom, and other Government departments on PSTN withdrawal, to discuss the impact this will have on consumers, business and public services and plans for migration to Internet Protocol technology.
The UK Government recognises the ongoing importance of the telecommunications industry at this critical time. Now, more than ever, the country is reliant on fixed line and mobile communications networks. DCMS has worked with the telecoms sector to ensure extensive plans are in place, including support and guidance during the pandemic to maintain the availability of networks.
In March, the government announced a £330bn package to support businesses, including the telecoms sector, during the coronavirus pandemic. This included among others, the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) and the Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS).
We recognise the crucial role that individuals play in making our arts and creative industries world-leading. As a result of these grants and loans, organisations will be more able to resume cultural activity, albeit in a socially distanced way, which will increase employment opportunities for freelancers, including visual artists.
We are working closely with the DCMS Arm’s Length Bodies to develop guidance indicating who can apply for the different elements of this funding, and we will publish detailed guidance as soon as possible in July.
Furthermore, this package complements the announcement made last week by the Arts Council England to reopen their project grants competition and make £59m funding available to support creativity, in particular from freelancers, creative practitioners and independent organisations.
Self-employed visual artists are among the millions of people who are able to benefit from the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme (SEISS). The SEISS has been extended, with applications opening in August, for a second and final grant. The grant will operate in the same way as the existing scheme, with self-employed workers eligible for a single payment covering three months, at a level of 70% of average monthly earnings up to a maximum of £6,570.
Alongside this, DCMS has worked closely with its arm’s-length bodies to deliver tailored support packages at speed, including the £160m Emergency Funding Package announced by Arts Council England (ACE) in March. This includes £20 million of financial support for individuals, including visual artists, so they can better sustain themselves, and their work, in the coming months. More than 9000 individuals and organisations have been successful in applying for this emergency funding.
On 5 July, the government also announced a major £1.57 billion package to provide support for key organisations across the cultural, heritage and creative sectors. As a result of these grants and loans, organisations will be more able to resume cultural activity, thereby increasing work opportunities for freelancers and self-employed practitioners.
The government launched the Digital Identity Call for Evidence on 19th July 2019 and will shortly be publishing a response. The call for evidence provided the government with a wide evidence base in support of digital identity policy-making. We will continue to use a variety of ways to seek input from interested parties including formal engagement if the need arises.
The £160 million Arts Council England funding was allocated across three programmes as follows:
£20 million available for individual practitioners, including £4 million distributed by seven benevolent funds supporting individuals working in arts and culture
£50 million made available for organisations outside the Arts Council’s National Portfolio
£90 million made available for the Arts Council’s National Portfolio Organisations and Creative People and Places organisations.
Individuals and organisations outside the Arts Council’s National Portfolio, including those from the commercial music sector were eligible to apply for the first two programmes. Applicants were required to have a track record of working in the publicly-funded culture sector within the last three years, but were still eligible even if they did not have prior direct contact with Arts Council England.
Whilst we have not completed a specific survey for the music sector, we have analysed the wider Creative Industries sector through the DCMS Coronavirus Impact Business Survey, which provides information on the effects of the pandemic on DCMS’ sectors. Results for DCMS sectors as a whole are published on gov.uk and further analysis of the responses will be available in the coming weeks. As the music industry is a vital part of the UK’s creative economy, the Government has put in place an unprecedented support package for business and workers to protect them against the current economic emergency including:
The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme
The Self-Employed Income Support Scheme
The Bounceback Loan Scheme
Expanding eligibility for the business rates reliefs
We continue to speak with HM Treasury colleagues to ensure that the full spectrum of government support reaches the UK's world-leading music industry. To support the safe re-opening of cultural and creative sectors, DCMS has launched the Cultural Renewal taskforce. This includes several working groups to develop practical guidance on how the music production and performance sectors can operate safely with social distancing measures in place. As well as establishing these working groups, we will continue to work with the music industry to understand the difficulties they face and help them access support through these challenging times and through recovery.
DCMS has conducted a survey of businesses in relevant sectors. The survey aims to collect data on the impact of the Coronavirus outbreak on respondents, and their engagement with the available government support packages, including CLBILS and CBILS. Results will be published in due course. DCMS is also working with other government departments to access and analyse administrative data on the use of government support packages where appropriate.
We are aware of, and monitor, examples of support for the music industry in other countries. The UK Government has put in place an unprecedented support package for business and workers to protect them against the current economic emergency including:
The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme
The Self-Employed Income Support Scheme
The Bounceback Loan Scheme
Expanding eligibility for the business rates reliefs
As well as this, to support the safe re-opening of cultural and creative sectors, DCMS has launched the Cultural Renewal Taskforce. This includes several working groups to develop practical guidance on how the music production and performance sectors can operate safely with social distancing measures in place. As well as establishing these working groups, we will continue to work with the music industry to understand the difficulties they face and help them access support through these challenging times and recovery.
Last week, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced additional measures to support businesses and organisations that have been impacted by the pandemic. So long as they fulfil the criteria for these measures, businesses in the retail, leisure and hospitality sectors will benefit from these measures.
This includes the Government stepping in to help pay people’s wages – a scheme which is one of the most generous of any in the world – and paying grants to support as many jobs as necessary. Any employer in the country who promises to retain their staff can apply for a grant to cover most of the cost of paying people’s wages. Government grants will cover 80 per cent of the salary of retained workers up to a total of £2,500 a month, with this limit set well above the median income. The cost of wages will be backdated to 1st March and will be open for at least three months. The Government will consider extending the scheme for longer if necessary.
We are also deferring the next three months of VAT, a direct injection of £33 billion of cash to employers which means no business will pay any VAT in March, April or May; and they will have until the end of the financial year to repay those bills.
The Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme will now be interest free for twelve months, an extension from the initial announcement of six months. We have already introduced and announced an extension to the Business Interruption Loan Scheme, which is for small and medium-sized businesses. On 17 March, the Chancellor expanded the amount that can be borrowed from £1.2 million to £5 million.
The Chancellor has also announced measures to protect the self-employed. As long as they fulfil the necessary criteria, freelancers and the self-employed in the sectors in question will benefit from these measures. The Self-employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) will support self-employed individuals (including members of partnerships) whose income has been negatively impacted by COVID-19. The scheme will provide a grant to self-employed individuals or partnerships, worth 80% of their profits up to a cap of £2,500 per month.
The Chancellor has announced measures to protect the self-employed. So long as they fulfil the criteria for these measures, freelancers and the self employed in the music industry benefit from these measures.
The Self-employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) will support self-employed individuals (including members of partnerships) whose income has been negatively impacted by COVID-19. The scheme will provide a grant to self-employed individuals or partnerships, worth 80% of their profits up to a cap of £2,500 per month.
HMRC will use the average profits from tax returns in 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2018-19 to calculate the size of the grant.
Individuals should not contact HMRC now. HMRC will use existing information to check potential eligibility and invite applications once the scheme is operational. HMRC will then pay the grant directly to eligible claimants’ bank account. HMRC is urgently working to deliver the scheme; grants are expected to start to be paid out by beginning of June 2020.
In the Withdrawal Agreement the government and the EU have committed to use their best endeavours to negotiate a future relationship. The free flow of personal data is an important underpinning feature of this future relationship for both economic and security purposes and therefore it is in everyone’s interests that the exchange of personal data between EU Member States and the UK continues. The EU has an established mechanism to allow the free flow of personal data to countries outside the EU, called adequacy decisions.
The EU has committed in the Political Declaration to the Commission beginning its adequacy assessment of the UK as soon as possible after the UK’s withdrawal, endeavouring to adopt adequacy decisions by the end of December 2020 if the applicable conditions are met. The UK will in the same timeframe take steps to ensure the comparable facilitation of transfers of personal data to the EU. Data will be able to flow freely between the UK and the EU during the Implementation Period. The Political Declaration also states that the UK and the EU should make appropriate arrangements for cooperation between the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and EU Data Protection Authorities.
In the Withdrawal Agreement the government and the EU have committed to use their best endeavours to negotiate a future relationship. The free flow of personal data is an important underpinning feature of this future relationship for both economic and security purposes and therefore it is in everyone’s interests that the exchange of personal data between EU Member States and the UK continues. The EU has an established mechanism to allow the free flow of personal data to countries outside the EU, called adequacy decisions.
The EU has committed in the Political Declaration to the Commission beginning its adequacy assessment of the UK as soon as possible after the UK’s withdrawal, endeavouring to adopt adequacy decisions by the end of December 2020 if the applicable conditions are met. The UK will in the same timeframe take steps to ensure the comparable facilitation of transfers of personal data to the EU. Data will be able to flow freely between the UK and the EU during the Implementation Period. The Political Declaration also states that the UK and the EU should make appropriate arrangements for cooperation between the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and EU Data Protection Authorities.
The Government set out its plans for collaborating with the EU on issues relating to cyber security and data in the Political Declaration setting out the framework for the future relationship between the UK and EU. On cyber security, the UK is committed to cooperation with the EU to deepen our shared capabilities and uphold our shared values. The Declaration sets our agreement to continue to exchange information on a voluntary, timely and reciprocal basis to help protect the United Kingdom and the EU from common threats.
Regarding data transfers, the Declaration commits the European Commission to beginning its adequacy assessment of the UK as soon as possible after the UK’s withdrawal, endeavouring to adopt Adequacy Decisions by the end of December 2020 if the applicable conditions are met. The UK will in the same timeframe take steps to ensure the comparable facilitation of transfers of personal data to the EU. It also states that the UK and the EU should make appropriate arrangements for cooperation between the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and EU Data Protection Authorities. The UK remains committed to working with international partners to promote the free flow of data across borders where it is adequately protected.
The Government’s Online Harms White Paper set out comprehensive proposals on a range of topics, including countering ‘fake news’ or disinformation. These proposals will make companies more responsible for their users’ safety online, especially children and other vulnerable groups, and will help to build trust in digital markets. The Government will seek to work with international partners to build consensus, and identify common approaches to keep citizens safe online, including on countering disinformation.
It is in everyone’s interests that the unrestricted exchange of personal data between EU Member States and the UK continues. The EU has an established mechanism to allow the free flow of personal data to countries outside the EU, called adequacy decisions. The EU has committed in the Political Declaration to the Commission beginning its adequacy assessment of the UK as soon as possible after the UK leaves the EU, endeavouring to adopt adequacy decisions by the end of December 2020 if the applicable conditions are met.
The UK has already taken steps to ensure that, if adequacy is not secured, there will be no additional restrictions on transfers of personal data from the UK to the EU.
In addition to adequacy decisions, there are a number of alternative mechanisms which allow the legal transfer of personal data from the EU to a third country. The most common alternative transfer mechanism for companies is standard contractual clauses (SCCs). SCCs are pre-approved by the European Commission and can be inserted into contracts to provide a legal basis for transferring personal data from the EU to a third country.
We are working with the Information Commissioner Office (ICO) to raise awareness and help businesses comply with the rules when we leave the EU. The ICO has produced guidance and resources for organisations, which can be found on the ICO's website at www.ico.org.uk.
The government strongly supports mathematical sciences in higher education. Ensuring that there is high-quality provision in a range of subjects is critical in order to build our workforce and support our public services.
We are pleased many students chose to take up courses in mathematical sciences (39,210 students in England in the 2019/20 academic year). Our student loan system supports students who have the qualifications to access higher education, including a range of mathematics courses. In the 2019/20 academic year, a total of £300 million was made available as tuition fee and maintenance loans for students doing maths courses. Breakdowns of higher education enrolments in England can be found here: https://www.hesa.ac.uk/data-and-analysis/students/table-49.
The UK continues to be a world leader in mathematics. Following the government’s announcement in January 2020 to invest additional funding into Mathematical Sciences, UK Research and Innovation has awarded £104 million of additional funding to the discipline, over and above the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council’s core Mathematical Sciences Theme budget. The additional investment has funded institutes, small and large research grants, fellowships, doctoral studentships and postdoctoral awards.
Furthermore, the department has funded the Advanced Maths Support Programme (AMSP) since 2018, providing support to schools and colleges to improve the effectiveness of level 3 maths teaching and increase participation, providing tailored support to schools and colleges. To ensure that the programme is targeted at those students, teachers, schools and colleges most in need, the AMSP provides support through a priority area programme and a national programme.
The AMSP delivers high quality teacher professional development as well as focused support and enrichment for students and institutions across A level mathematics, further mathematics and core maths to improve participation and provision in level 3 mathematics through targeted support.
The AMSP provides targeted support for students preparing for study at higher education. Over summer 2021 the AMSP ran a 4 to 6 week supported self-study programme of approximately 30 learning hours for year 13 students to support transition to higher education.
The AMSP also provides regular higher level problem solving classes and other support and information for students considering studying maths and maths-rich subjects at university and helps them to prepare for university admission tests.
Universities are autonomous bodies, independent from government, and they have control over decisions about who to admit to their courses. However, overall numbers of students studying science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) are rising. We are encouraging more students into STEM, at all stages of their education, and in 2019 there were 54,000 more entries to STEM A levels than in 2010 – a 26% increase. Data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) also shows that the share of students studying science subjects at English higher education institutions has increased from 41% in 2010/11 to 46% in 2018/19.
In 2018/19, there were 3,020 full-time undergraduate enrolments to pharmacy, up from 2,715 in 2010/11[1].
Despite rising STEM student numbers, we are far from complacent and we know that employer groups continue to point to an unmet demand for higher level STEM skills. Effective careers guidance and advice is key to supporting young people in their education and career choices to undertake learning and develop skills in the areas employers are looking for. The government’s Careers Strategy sets out a long-term plan to build a world class careers system to achieve this ambition. We are increasing the information available to students to ensure they can make informed choices about what and where to study. The delivery of the Careers Strategy also ensures that STEM encounters, such as with employers and apprenticeships, are built into school career programmes.
[1] Department for Education's analysis of HESA student record
The implementation of the Ivory Act 2018 is a priority for the Government. We are working to implement the Act as soon as practicable, including the preparation of the secondary legislation required to commence the Act.
The implementation of the Ivory Act 2018 is a priority for the Government. We are working to implement the Act as soon as practicable, including the preparation of the secondary legislation required to commence the Act.
The EU (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill makes clear that it is a matter for UK courts to determine UK law, and provides for legal clarity after the implementation period. It also provides for how UK courts must interpret relevant separation agreement law under our international obligations.
Companies will be subject to the court systems of the jurisdictions in which they operate, as normal.
The UK Government has put forward no amendments to the proposal contained in WTO document IP/C/W/669 ‘Waiver from certain provisions of the TRIPS Agreement for the prevention, containment and treatment of COVID-19’
The UK has engaged in debates at the WTO TRIPS Council to promote affordable and equitable global access to COVID-19 vaccines. We respect that proceedings from informal WTO sessions are not published. However, at the 4 February session the UK sought further clarification on the parameters of the proposed waiver from waiver proponents. This remains consistent with the Government’s approach to encourage evidence-based discussions on the waiver proposal.
The UK Government has put forward no amendments to the proposal contained in WTO document IP/C/W/669 ‘Waiver from certain provisions of the TRIPS Agreement for the prevention, containment and treatment of COVID-19’
The UK has engaged in debates at the WTO TRIPS Council to promote affordable and equitable global access to COVID-19 vaccines. We respect that proceedings from informal WTO sessions are not published. However, at the 4 February session the UK sought further clarification on the parameters of the proposed waiver from waiver proponents. This remains consistent with the Government’s approach to encourage evidence-based discussions on the waiver proposal.
The Department for International Trade consistently champions the British music industry and the incredible talent which makes the sector such a great success story for the UK.
The Government has put in place unprecedented support for businesses and workers to protect them against the economic impact of COVID-19. In 2020/21, the Government is providing export support of around £1 million to UK music companies. Most of this is grant support offered to the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the UK’s music sector through the International Showcase Fund and the Music Export Growth Scheme.
During the pandemic, the Government has provided support for digital events so music companies can continue to do business with international customers. The Government is working closely with the Creative Industries Trade and Investment Board, which includes music representatives, to develop a creative industries trade and investment recovery strategy which will enable the UK music sector to maintain its strong international position.
No specific assessment has been made as the General Medical Council (GMC) is the independent regulator responsible for operational matters. On the registration of new identities, the GMC states that it follows an established process for doctors who are transitioning and wish to change their gender identity. This ensures there is a maintained internal link between a doctor’s previous and new identity on the medical register.
No formal assessment has been made.
The Gender Identity Toolkit for General Practice provides guidance on the process for creating a new patient record when a person requests a change to their recorded gender. It supports general practice teams to continue to provide inclusive and equitable care to trans and non-binary patients when their records change, such as the need to transfer medical records and recalling patients for appropriate sex-specific screening programmes. A copy of the toolkit is attached. The treating medical professional is responsible for the individual’s clinical outcomes.
The cloud security suite of documents is currently being reviewed as part of NHS Digital’s regular management cycle and is due for re-issue before the end of the year. NHS Digital is currently awaiting updated guidance following the judgement by the European Court of Justice from the Information Commissioner's Office. Once received it will be incorporated into its guidance for the health and social care sector.
No assessment has been made.
On 8 June 2020, the National Cancer Director and the National Clinical Director for Cancer issued a further letter of guidance to National Health Service cancer services on Second phase of NHS response to COVID-19 for cancer services. The letter notes that the work for local systems and Cancer Alliances to identify ring-fenced diagnostic and surgical capacity for cancer should now be well advanced, so that referrals, diagnostics and treatment can be brought back to pre-pandemic levels at the earliest opportunity to minimise potential harm, and to reduce the scale of the post-pandemic surge in demand. The new guidance is based on three key principles: capacity, fairness and confidence. Cancer Alliances should work with their regional teams to provide such services.
The majority of personal protective equipment (PPE) continues to be sourced by care providers themselves from wholesalers and as part of our commitment to ensure that the sector receives the PPE it needs, we are ensuring that wholesalers are equipped with the PPE needed for onward sale.
As part of our PPE distribution strategy we are exploring the most effective distribution routes for each provider type, including the potential expansion of the portal’s coverage to other sectors and types of provider.
The PPE Portal acts as an emergency top-up route for providers that cannot obtain sufficient PPE through their usual wholesaler routes. The Department has now invited around 21,000 general practitioners and small social care providers to register and order through the PPE Portal, delivering more than 13 million items of PPE.
The advice and expertise of the Ethics Advisory Board (EAB) is crucial to everything we do and will continue to guide development of the app by identifying, defining, and examining the key ethical considerations, including consideration of the interests of citizens. Their advice will extend to policies and other documents under development by NHSX on the contact tracing application. This will be provided regularly and formally to the App Oversight Board. Advice may be both on questions set by the App Oversight Board, as well as issues which the EAB has proactively identified. This may include verbal advice as well as tabled papers. Minutes from EAB meetings will be published periodically and board members originating from the Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation are providing direct and ongoing policy support to the App Probity Team.
The Ethics Advisory Board has met seven times since Thursday 2 April and minutes from these meetings will shortly be made publicly available - subject to being agreed by the App Oversight Board.
The NHSX COVID-19 contract tracing application is considered Class IIa under the Medical Devices Regulations (2002).
The legal requirements relating to clinical investigations are set out in the Medical Devices Regulations 2002 (section 16 and section 29) and the Medical Devices Directive (Annexes VIII and X).
A clinical investigation of a non-CE-marked device must be designed to establish that the performance claimed by the manufacturer can be adequately demonstrated, and that the device is judged to be safe to use on patients taking into account any risks associated with the use of the device when weighed against the expected benefits.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency reviewed an application made by NHSX and authorised the supply of the non-CE-marked NHSX COVID-19 contact tracing app for a pilot on the Isle of Wight in the interests of the protection of public health under Regulation 12(5) of the Medical Devices Regulations 2002.
The Ethics Advisory Board (EAB) is an advisory body and does not approve documentation. Notwithstanding, and in the interests of transparency, an early draft of the Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) was shared with the EAB on 29 April and subsequently developed.
Further DPIAs will meet the best practice guidance set out by the Information Commissioner’s Office and will be iterated for every stage of the rollout.
The Isle of Wight phase is intended to improve our understanding of how the different components of our COVID-19 response fit together and how parts of the healthcare system interact with each other. It is also an opportunity to test that the underlying technologies and systems work. Our evaluation of the Isle of Wight phase is designed to provide us with answers on the health behaviours of people who use the app and those who do not, the attitude of individuals to the contact tracing app and their experience of using it, how successfully the app fits in to the wider health service processes, and the app’s influence on wider health seeking behaviours. The Ethics Advisory Board is an advisory body and does not approve documentation. Notwithstanding, and in the interests of transparency, an early version of our evaluation questions was shared with them for advice and constructive challenge.
The Ethics Advisory Board (EAB) of the National Health Service COVID-19 app published a letter to the Secretary of State on 24 April which sets out its thinking on the COVID-19 contact tracing application.
In its letter, the EAB sets out six principles that must be upheld to ensure the NHS COVID-19 app achieves that balance. Given the importance of securing and maintaining public trust around this issue, these principles are based around maintaining public trust in the use of data; they include ensuring value, impact, security, accountability, transparency and control.
These principles have been accepted by the Secretary of State and the Board will continue to meet regularly to provide its advice on the app’s progress.
On 23 March the Government stepped up measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and save lives. To reduce social contact, the Government has ordered businesses and venues to close, except those with exemptions. With regard to music venue exemptions, small group performances for the purposes of live streaming could be permissible where Public Health England guidelines are observed, and no audience members attend the venue.
Further social distancing measures have also been enacted with the banning of all mass gatherings.
The earliest date by which applicants can expect to receive funding from the SME Brexit Support Fund, following a successful application, is within 30 days of the valid claim for reimbursement being accepted.
The maximum gross amount available through the SME Brexit Support Fund is £2,000 per applicant.
Small and medium-sized enterprises that were trading with the EU prior to 1 January are eligible for the SME Brexit Support Fund if they were only trading with the EU and so need to adjust to new customs, rules of origin, and VAT rules.
If a small or medium-sized enterprise traded with the EU prior to 1 January and trades with other countries (i.e., non-EU countries), then they are not eligible for the SME Brexit Support Fund as they have no need to adjust to new customs, rules of origin, and VAT rules.
The UK is a signatory to the Customs Convention on the ATA Carnet and the Istanbul Convention on Temporary Admission. Approximately 80 countries around the world (including all EU member states) accept ATA Carnets. ATA Carnets are an option for moving goods temporarily between the UK and EU. During negotiations on the Trade and Cooperation Agreement between the UK and the EU, both parties proposed text on temporary admission of goods which reflect practices set out in the ATA Carnet and Istanbul Conventions. These proposals are closely reflected in the final Trade and Cooperation Agreement text.
It is possible for individuals to benefit from both the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) and the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) if they meet the individual criteria for both schemes. For the CJRS, this will depend on furloughing decisions by the employer. For the SEISS, it will depend on whether an individual has at least 50% of their total income from trading profits in either 2018/19, or an average of the (up to) three years between 2016/17 and 2018/19. Further details can be found on GOV.UK.
The new Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) will help those adversely affected by COVID-19. It means the UK will have one of the most generous self-employed COVID-19 support schemes in the world. Full guidance on how HMRC work out trading profits and non-trading income for the SEISS can be found on GOV.UK.
Individuals who receive a grant through the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme can continue to work, start a new trade or take on other employment including voluntary work, or duties as an armed forces reservist. Full guidance on the SEISS can be found on GOV.UK.
The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) is only open to individuals who were employed on 19 March 2020 and on their employer’s PAYE payroll on or before 19 March 2020. Individuals who are not eligible for the CJRS may be able to access the other support the Government is providing.
The new Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) will allow eligible individuals to claim a grant worth 80% of their average monthly trading profits, paid in a single instalment covering 3 months, and capped at £7,500 altogether. Self-employed individuals, including members of partnerships, are eligible if they have submitted their Income Tax Self Assessment tax return for the tax year 2018-19, continued to trade and have been adversely affected by COVID-19. Full details can be found on GOV.UK.
Individuals who are not eligible for the CJRS or the SEISS may be able to access other support the Government is providing to support individuals through the outbreak, including an increase to the Universal Credit (UC) standard allowance and Working Tax Credit basic element, and a relaxation of the UC minimum income floor for all self-employed UC claimants affected by the economic impacts of COVID-19.
Some 95% of people who receive the majority of their income from self-employment could be eligible for the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS), based on 2017-18 data. The scheme, including the £50,000 threshold, is designed to be targeted at those who need it the most, and who are most reliant on their self-employment income. The self-employed are a very diverse population. They have a wide mix of turnover and profits, with monthly and annual variations even in normal times. Some may see their profits unaffected by the current situation, while others have substantial alternative forms of income: for example, those who had more than £50,000 from self-employment profits in 2017-18 had an average total income of more than £200,000. The self-employed can also offset losses against profits in other years and other forms of income.
Income from dividends is a return on investment in the company, rather than wages, and is not eligible for support. Under current reporting mechanisms it is not possible for HM Revenue and Customs to distinguish between dividends derived from an individual’s own company and dividends from other sources, and between dividends in lieu of employment income and as returns from other corporate activity. Expanding the scope would require HMRC to collect and verify new information. This would take longer to deliver and put at risk the other schemes which the Government is committed to delivering as quickly as possible.
Individuals who are not eligible for the SEISS may be able to access other support Government is providing, including the Bounce Back Loans Scheme for small businesses, the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, and the deferral of tax payments. More information about the full range of business support measures is available on GOV.UK.
The Government is aware of the harms caused by identity theft and that criminals will use this to commit and enable a range of offences.
Existing legislation is in place to protect people’s personal data and prosecute those that commit crimes enabled by identity theft. These include the Fraud Act 2006, the Identity Documents Act 2010 and the Data Protection Act 2018.
Separately, the Government is firmly committed to making the UK the safest place to be online, and we will bring forward legislation to do so as soon as possible
The High Court found in September 2019 that there is a clear and sufficient legal framework for police use of live facial recognition technology. The framework includes police common law powers to protect the public, data protection and human rights legislation and the Surveillance Camera Code of Practice.
The Government has no plans to formally respond to the Information Commissioner’s Office’s report.
The High Court found in September 2019 that there is a clear and sufficient legal framework for police use of live facial recognition technology. The framework includes police common law powers to protect the public, data protection and human rights legislation and the Surveillance Camera Code of Practice.
The Government has no plans to formally respond to the Information Commissioner’s Office’s report.
We regularly engage with a wide range of stakeholders on lethal autonomous weapon systems (LAWS), including those - such as the International Committee of the Red Cross - that believe a new legally binding instrument on LAWS is necessary. The UK does not support calls for a legally binding instrument on LAWS. Our view remains that International Humanitarian Law (IHL) provides a robust, principle-based framework for the regulation of weapons development and use, and we will continue to engage at the UN Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons seeking to clarify the prohibitions and positive obligations around the use of autonomous weapon systems under IHL.
The deployment in armed conflict of any weapon system - including one with autonomous functions - which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians would be contrary to International Humanitarian LAW (IHL) and therefore unlawful. We strongly believe that AI and autonomy within weapon systems can and must be used lawfully and ethically. Autonomous systems have the potential to support the better application of IHL by improving the evidence, analysis and timeliness of decision making.
Our position on fully autonomous weapon systems is clear and unchanged. The UK does not possess fully autonomous weapon systems and has no intention of developing them.
When deploying autonomous weapon systems we will always ensure meaningful and context-appropriate human involvement across the system lifecycle from development to deployment, ensuring human responsibility for outcomes.
The Ministry of Defence is committed to developing and deploying AI-enabled systems responsibly and promoting responsible use worldwide.
The UK will work with allies and partners to address the issue of proliferation of advanced military technologies such as AI-enabled autonomous capabilities. This will include reinforcement of the disarmament and export control regimes, treaties and organisations; development of the means of preventing AI proliferation or misuse; and monitoring the risks of AI exacerbating existing counter-proliferation and arms control challenges. This will ensure that the opportunities gained from the development and integration of new technologies are balanced with appropriate controls.
The Defence AI Strategy is in the final stages of review. We expect to publish the strategy in spring 2022. This Strategy has been informed by consultations with key AI industry leaders, UK academia, and our Allies.
The government continues to recognise the importance of the legal support services and the essential role that they play in helping people resolve their legal problems.
Following our 2019 review of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 reforms, the Ministry of Justice published the Legal Support Action Plan, which set out our vision for resolving legal problems earlier by ensuring that people can access the right legal support services at the right time, and in the right way for them. Whilst we do not intend to move to a fully grants based system for funding legal services, there are elements of the Legal Support Action Plan that drew on the recommendations of the Low Commission report.
COVID-19 interrupted significant elements of some of this work, as we reprioritised our focus on considering the impact of the pandemic on the legal support sector who support individuals in need of help.
As a result of this, the Ministry of Justice has secured emergency funding for the not-for-profit legal advice sector, including £5.4 million for providers of special legal advice. £3 million of this funding will go to Law Centres and this will be distributed through the Law Centres Network. The remainder of the funding, £2.4 million, will be contributed to the Community Justice Fund, administrated by the Access to Justice Foundation (ATJF), in order to provide funding for other non-specialist advice and support providers.
This funding will be additional to the £370 million of funding administrated by the National Lottery Communities Fund which qualifying third sector organisations, including those in the advice sector, will be able to bid for directly.
We have also continued existing work with the specialist advice sector and launched a new £3.1 million grant in partnership with the ATJF to enhance legal support for litigants in person over the next two years. This new grant is in addition to nearly £8m invested by the Ministry of Justice in support of litigants in person in the civil and family courts since 2015 through the Litigants in Person Support Strategy.
Data on legal aid expenditure is released quarterly by the Legal Aid Agency, with the next release scheduled for September.
MoJ is continuing to work closely with the Legal Aid Agency and HMCTS to assess the impact of Covid-19 on legal aid provision, and we are working closely with the sector to identify whether further support is required.
We have already introduced measures to support the sector, such as paying for virtual hearings in the same way as in-person hearings, halting pursuit of outstanding debts, relaxing some evidence requirements, and encouraging legal practitioners to use existing avenues of financial help, such as the ability to apply for early payment for work already done on a case. We have already put in place measures to bring forward funding by expanding the scope and evidence requirements for payment for work in progress in Crown Court cases.
We have recently announced that we will be providing £5.4m in funding to not-for-profit providers of specialist legal advice, including Law Centres, which should go some way to helping them address immediate cashflow problems and ensure they remain able to provide support for the communities they serve.
We recognise the valuable role that Law Centres, and the wider not-for-profit advice sector, play in local communities across the country, and we support them in this vital work.
We are aware that Law Centres may experience financial issues due to the Covid-19 pandemic and have been working at pace to implement options to support them and other not-for-profits who provide this important service.
I am pleased to say that the Government is allocating £5.4 million in funding to the not for profit providers of specialist legal advice. £3 million of this has been earmarked specifically for Law Centres.
The £5.4m Government is allocating to advice providers will go some way to help them address their immediate cashflow problems. This will help protect these vital organisations from collapse, ensuring they remain able to provide support to the communities they serve.
It will also enable them to continue to act as hubs for volunteer pro bono lawyers.