Lord Cormack

The Government recognises the importance of the anniversary of the end of the First World War. The change proposed would require the introduction of new primary legislation and the Government has no current plans to introduce legislation to extend the restrictions applied to large retail premises’ trading hours on Easter Sunday to Sunday 11 November.

There will be many retailers large and small who choose to demonstrate their respect for this significant occasion and remain closed.

My department is in constant contact with sector bodies, museums and heritage sites directly to assess impacts and are working to develop support for the sector in response to COVID-19. We are also in close contact with counterparts in the devolved nations, as culture is a devolved matter. Significant support has been delivered at speed by DCMS arm’s-length bodies. Arts Council England have launched a £160m Emergency Funding Package, the National Lottery Heritage Fund a £50m Heritage Emergency Fund, and Historic England launched a £2m Emergency Fund. All of these are delivering much-needed support across the sector.

We are also pleased that there has already been support pledged for the sector including through the Job Retention Scheme and the availability of grants of up to £25,000 to leisure businesses, including museums operating from smaller premises through the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund. The Government continues to monitor the impact of these and other measures.

The UK Government continues to plan a programme to mark the 75th Anniversary of VJ Day on 15 August, commemorating the Victory Over Japan and the end of the Second World War.

In light of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, HM Government will continue to follow the advice issued by Public Health England closely and the VJ Day 75 programme will take account of the guidance in place at the time.

Information on what is planned to commemorate VE Day can be find online: https://ve-vjday75.gov.uk/

Her Majesty The Queen will send a message to the nation on Friday 8 May. His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales will read an extract from King George VI’s diary from 1945. Members of The Royal Family, the Prime Minister and the Culture Secretary will take part in video calls with Second World War veterans. Churchill’s famous victory speech will be broadcast and a national two minute silence will take place as the public are asked to mark the occasion at home.

The government has announced a UK-wide range of support, including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and various business support packages to assist businesses whose viability is threatened by the COVID-19 outbreak, including the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme and COVID Corporate Financing Facility. Higher education providers that meet the published criteria for the loan and financing schemes should approach their bank and begin to apply for the relevant scheme, if they think that they need that support.

We are working closely with higher education providers and the Office for Students (OfS), as the regulator for the higher education sector in England, to ensure that we maintain an up-to-date understanding of the financial risks and implications COVID-19 is bringing to bear on the sector. OfS has stated that one of its key priorities during the pandemic is to support the financial sustainability of the sector. Providers with concerns about their financial viability or sustainability have been encouraged to contact OfS at the earliest opportunity.

The Department for Transport does not hold official statistics on the number of passengers that have flown into the UK as their final destination since 1 April 2020. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) collects data relating to the movements of commercial flights occurring at UK airports, and this data is received from UK airports up to two months after the end of each month in adherence to statistical regulation (EC) 437/2003 on statistical returns in respect of the carriage of passengers, freight and mail by air. This data collection only contains information on the total number of passengers arriving into UK airports, without the capability to determine passengers arriving into the UK as their final destination.

Airlines and airports have already implemented additional measures in response to COVID-19 in line with advice from PHE, SAGE and the Chief Medical Officer. Airports are displaying posters and digital signage relaying Government information about COVID-19. Passengers arriving into UK airports are being given a leaflet with information about the measures in place in the UK, and announcements are made on aircraft an hour before landing.

Whilst there is community transmission within the UK, the role played by imported cases is less significant and so our focus in the current delay phase has not been on screening measures at the border.

Our approach is being kept under review as the pandemic develops. This may mean that measures and procedures change as we control the spread of, and understand more about, the virus. Any changes to our approach will be led by advice from SAGE and the Chief Medical Officer. Protecting the health of the UK public will always come first.

The UK is committed to defending freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all, including Hong Kongers, and promoting respect between different religious and non-religious communities. Promoting the right to FoRB is one of the UK's longstanding human rights priorities.

The Sino-British Joint Declaration is a legally binding treaty between the UK and China, and under this China committed to uphold Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy and protect the rights and freedoms of its people. This explicitly includes freedom of expression and freedom of religious belief.

However, the Hong Kong authorities have repeatedly used the National Security Law (NSL) to curtail freedoms, punish dissent and shrink the space for political opposition. We remain concerned about the growing use of the NSL to suppress freedom of expression and what this may mean for FoRB.

We remain concerned about the targeting of pro-democracy figures in Hong Kong, and are following these cases carefully. For data protection reasons I cannot share information about an individual without their permission.

Accredited diplomats at our Consulate-General in Hong Kong will continue to attend Mr Lai's court proceedings.

We continue to make clear to mainland Chinese and Hong Kong authorities our strong opposition to the National Security Law, which is being used to curtail freedoms, punish dissent and shrink the space for opposition, free press and civil society.

The Ministry of Justice and Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service policy framework ‘The Care and Management of Individuals who are Transgender’ sets out how decisions regarding transgender prisoners are taken.

Prisoners with a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC) are housed and managed in line with their legal gender. This is in line with the Equality Act 2010 which prohibits discrimination based on gender reassignment. If a prisoner presents risk that cannot be managed in the estate matching their legal gender, the individual is referred to a Complex Case Board, chaired by a senior prison manager. The board then decides the most appropriate location for the prisoner after thoroughly considering all relevant risks, including risk to others, risk from others and the risk of self-harm. Where a transgender woman with a GRC is placed in the women’s estate, we consider any risks she may pose to other women in the estate, with use of separate accommodation where appropriate.

We are committed to treating all prisoners fairly, lawfully and decently.

Ministers are currently considering Charlie Taylor’s review of the youth justice system. We intend to publish the final report and the government’s plans for reform of the youth justice system before the end of this year.