Lord Davies of Stamford

HM Government uses multiple communication channels to reach a wide range of businesses to discuss a range of issues, including on EU Exit and associated legislation. This includes regular meetings with businesses, such as Sector Councils, the EU Exit Business Readiness Forums, media campaigns, phone calls, emails, letters, press releases and social media.

I refer the noble Lord to my statement to the House on 31 October 2016, Official Report, Vol. 776.

The EU-28 automotive industries generated a combined turnover of around £730bn (€900bn) in 2014. However it is not possible to separate out the passenger car element of this. Source: EuroStat Structural Business Survey (NACE 29 Manufacture of motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers)

The table below shows the value of exports and imports of motor vehicles, and of these, passenger cars between a) UK and the EU-28 and b) UK and Germany.

The definitions for each category are based on HS commodity codes. The codes used for each category are shown below the table.

The number of state-funded secondary schools is available in the ‘Schools, pupils and their characteristics’ Statistical First Release published by Department for Education. Table 2a of the ‘National tables’ spreadsheet contains information for each year since 2003.

Detailed destinations information such as destinations to Oxford and Cambridge Universities is only compiled for students completing Key Stage 5 (A levels or other level 3 qualifications), and is published in the Department for Education “Destinations of Key stage 4 and key stage 5 pupils” experimental statistical first release. Figures are therefore only available for secondary schools where they have sixth forms. Data has only been published for four years up to the 2011/12 cohort and information for the previous five years cannot be provided. In the latest destinations data (published 27 January 2015), destinations for institutions are available in table IN1 of the ‘Key stage 5: institution level tables’ spreadsheet.

The table below summarises the published information. Data have only been published for four years up to the 2011/12 cohort so information for the previous five years cannot be provided.

[1] To be included in the destinations measure, young people have to show sustained participation in an education or employment destination in all of the first two terms of the year after they took an A level or other level 3 qualifications (October to March).

All departments are equipping themselves with the resources they need to get the best deal for the UK. The Department for Exiting the European Union now has just over 300 staff, and is growing fast. We are not in a position to give a final total as recruitment is ongoing. Overall size and scope of the new department, including staffing and budget, are regularly reviewed and we will ensure we are appropriately staffed to deal with the task at hand.

The Department for Exiting the European Union has used the services of a number of consulting firms to help with departmental set-up and planning. The Departmental budget will be published in due course.

We are concerned by reports of rising tensions in Gaza. We need to see a durable end to the current cycle of violence which addresses the underlying causes of the conflict and achieves a sustainable peace so Israelis and Palestinians can live without fear of violence. We stand ready to play our full part in supporting such a settlement. In the meantime, we are pleased to see that over 49,000 people have now been able to buy materials to repair their homes under the Gaza Reconstruction Mechanism (GRM). More needs to be done, but this is a step in the right direction.

No such estimate has been made.

Universal Credit promotes work as an effective route out of poverty and the single taper rate means people know they will always be better off in work or working more. The rate of the taper reflects the need to balance work incentives with fairness to taxpayers.

NHS Digital publishes Hospital and Community Health Services (HCHS) workforce statistics. These include staff working in hospital trusts and clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), but not staff working in primary care or in general practitioner surgeries, local authorities or other providers.

The following table shows those who have joined and those who have left National Health Service trusts and CCGs in England, by nationality, between 30 June 2017 and 30 June 2018, which is latest data available.

Source: NHS HCHS quarterly workforce statistics, NHS Digital

NHS Digital publishes Hospital and Community Health Services (HCHS) workforce statistics. These include staff working in hospital trusts and clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), but not staff working in primary care or in general practitioner surgeries, local authorities or other providers.

The following table shows those who have joined and those who have left National Health Service trusts and CCGs in England, by nationality, between 30 June 2017 and 30 June 2018, which is latest data available.

Source: NHS HCHS quarterly workforce statistics, NHS Digital

The United Kingdom adheres to the World Health Organization Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel. The UK Government has developed a list of developing countries, based on economic status and the availability of healthcare professionals that should not be targeted for recruitment without Government-to-Government agreement.

The list is based upon the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development’s Development Assistance Committee list of aid recipients and can be found in the attached table, due to the size of the data.

There are three important exceptions to this list. First, there is Memorandum of Understanding between the UK and Philippine Governments to enable the UK to recruit registered nurses and other healthcare professionals that are regulated by appropriate professional bodies in both countries. Second, the inclusion of India on this list is in relation to four states: Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and West Bengal. These states currently receive assistance from the Department for International Development. Finally, the Chinese Government has requested that China is removed from this list but that no recruitment should take place in small rural areas.

Specific agreements also exist for exchange programmes, or medical training initiatives, which enable health care professionals to come to the UK on a temporary basis to learn new skills before returning to their home country. For example, the Government announced such a scheme in partnership with the Jamaican Government in April this year.

The UK is deeply concerned about the welfare of Crimean Tatar Edem Bekirov. Mr Bekirov was detained re-entering illegally annexed Crimea on 12 December. We have seen reporting that Mr Bekirov has been denied critical medical assistance and access to his lawyers. On 20 December, the UK publicly called on Russia to provide urgent medical care and access to legal advice. We will continue to work closely with international partners in monitoring and raising awareness of his case, alongside other political prisoners currently detained in Russia and Crimea.

​The cost of the former Foreign Secretary's travel will be disclosed in the usual way and published as part of transparency data in accordance with Cabinet Office requirements.

Any UK export of strategic goods will require an export licence. All export licence applications for Ukraine are rigorously assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated EU and relevant national Arms Export Licensing Criteria.

The Government continues to closely monitor the situation.

The Government has made no public assessment of these figures.

Financial Conduct Authority analysis estimates that in 2013, 1.6 million customers took out 10 million payday loans, with a total value of £2.5bn.

FCA analysis of payday loans funded in 2013 from a sample of lenders indicates that 56% of these loans were entirely repaid (with no unpaid debt recorded) within 31 days of receipt of funds, and 76% within 365 days.

Competition and Markets Authority analysis of the prices of payday products shows a range in interest rates and finance charges from £20 to £36 per £100 per month, for 1 month loans. In addition to this some firms charge fees irrespective of loan size of up to £20. Penalty charges of up to £30 are levied on the first day after a payment is missed and, in addition to this some lenders charge over £40 if a customer has not repaid after a longer time period.

The FCA has now published final rules on its cap on the cost of payday loans. This cap will be in place by 2 January 2015.

The Government has made no public assessment of these figures.

Financial Conduct Authority analysis estimates that in 2013, 1.6 million customers took out 10 million payday loans, with a total value of £2.5bn.

FCA analysis of payday loans funded in 2013 from a sample of lenders indicates that 56% of these loans were entirely repaid (with no unpaid debt recorded) within 31 days of receipt of funds, and 76% within 365 days.

Competition and Markets Authority analysis of the prices of payday products shows a range in interest rates and finance charges from £20 to £36 per £100 per month, for 1 month loans. In addition to this some firms charge fees irrespective of loan size of up to £20. Penalty charges of up to £30 are levied on the first day after a payment is missed and, in addition to this some lenders charge over £40 if a customer has not repaid after a longer time period.

The FCA has now published final rules on its cap on the cost of payday loans. This cap will be in place by 2 January 2015.

The Government has made no public assessment of these figures.

Financial Conduct Authority analysis estimates that in 2013, 1.6 million customers took out 10 million payday loans, with a total value of £2.5bn.

FCA analysis of payday loans funded in 2013 from a sample of lenders indicates that 56% of these loans were entirely repaid (with no unpaid debt recorded) within 31 days of receipt of funds, and 76% within 365 days.

Competition and Markets Authority analysis of the prices of payday products shows a range in interest rates and finance charges from £20 to £36 per £100 per month, for 1 month loans. In addition to this some firms charge fees irrespective of loan size of up to £20. Penalty charges of up to £30 are levied on the first day after a payment is missed and, in addition to this some lenders charge over £40 if a customer has not repaid after a longer time period.

The FCA has now published final rules on its cap on the cost of payday loans. This cap will be in place by 2 January 2015.

Special Constables are not currently authorised to use Taser®. It would be for the National Police Chiefs Council to determine whether any changes to the current model were needed in the first instance. If so, their proposal would then need to be considered by the Home Secretary.

We are committed to giving the police the necessary tools to do their job and TASER®, a form of conducted energy device (CED), provides officers with an important less-lethal, tactical option when facing potentially physically violent situations

While its use must be in line with the Home Secretary’s authorisation of the device, the deployment of TASER® is an operational matter for Chief Officers. It is for them to determine the number of devices and specially trained officers based on their force assessment of threat and risk

The use of CEDs is currently limited to officers who have completed their probationary period and been confirmed in rank. Officers who wish to undertake CED training are also required to have the support of their supervisor and have to successfully pass the training. Any change to this model, including the eligibility of officers to apply for special training, would require formal consideration by the Home Secretary.

As my Right Honourable Friend, the Home Secretary, said in her statement to the House on 14th January 2015 (Hansard columns 869-871); UK police and Security Services are working closely with their French counterparts to support them in the response and to draw out all the possible lessons for the UK following the terrible attacks that we saw in Paris. It would not be appropriate to comment in further detail on an ongoing investigation.

Following the attacks in Mumbai in 2008, the Government set up a programme to improve the UK’s ability to respond to this type of incident. As a result, there has been a step change in police firearms capability, speed of military response and the ability of emergency services specialists to save lives under higher risk conditions, as well as a range of other measures to enhance protective security.

We have improved joint working between the emergency services. Specialist joint police, ambulance and fire teams are now in place in key areas across England, with equivalents in Scotland and Wales, trained and equipped to respond and manage casualties in the event of a marauding gun attack. Regional and national response to firearms attacks are regularly tested and exercised. However, since the recent events in Paris, and to be absolutely sure we have the right numbers of officers, with the rights skills and equipment, in the right places, we are working with police to review these arrangements.

As a new class of warship the Type 45 has experienced some equipment reliability issues. Most of these have been resolved. Work is continuing to resolve the remaining issues. This is being funded from within existing Ministry of Defence (MOD) support budgets.

In addition, options to undertake a Diesel Generator upgrade are being considered. This would add greater resilience to the Power and Propulsion system by increasing electrical generation capacity. The feasibility phase for this work, which is being co-funded by BAE Systems and the MOD, will conclude at the end of March 2015. A decision on whether to proceed with the upgrade programme will then be considered against wider Defence priorities and would be funded by the MOD.

I am withholding information about the potential costs for the Diesel Generator upgrade as releasing such information at this stage would prejudice the commercial interests of the MOD.

We have six in service, and the Type 45 class has demonstrated its capability, supporting operations in the Gulf and the South Atlantic.

The F-35 Autonomic Logistics Information System (ALIS) has been designed to be resilient against cyber-attack and will be the subject of testing throughout the life of the programme. The ALIS capability has been used by the UK since 2012 to support the aircraft operating in the US and has not experienced any reliability issues and nor have the other partners.

In terms of resilience and business continuity, this is being ensured via the ALIS network architecture being installed at Main Operating Bases and deployed locations, which include the Queen Elizabeth Class Carriers.

Comparable figures for financial year 2010-11 are not available as the Government had not, at that time, introduced The Clear of Line Sight initiative, which precludes analysis on a near cash basis for that financial year.

In 2011-12 the Ministry of Defence (MOD) underspent by £300 million and there was no budget exchange.

In 2012-13 the MOD underspent by £2.3 billion; £590 million was rolled forward into 2013-14, £1,706 million into 2014-15 and £21 million in 2015-16.

In 2013-14 the MOD underspent by £900 million, £100 million was rolled forward into 2014-15 and £700 million in 2015-16.

The MOD's final outturn for 2014-15 will not be available until the end of the financial year.

Central government does not commission hostel provision directly. This is done at the local or mayoral authority level. For this reason we do not hold data on the total number of hostel spaces available in London, nor their occupancy rate.

However, the government does commission Homeless Link to conduct annual reviews on single homelessness support, which includes the number of hostel bed spaces (and void bed spaces) in the capital, and across the country. The latest of which is for 2017, and can be found (attached) at: https://www.homeless.org.uk/facts/our-research/annual-review-of-single-homelessness-support-in-england.

This Government is committed to reducing homelessness and rough sleeping. No one should ever have to sleep rough. That is why last summer we published the cross-government Rough Sleeping Strategy which sets out an ambitious £100 million package to help people who sleep rough now, but also puts in place the structures that will end rough sleeping once and for all. The Government has now committed over £1.2 billion to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping over the spending review period.

Central government does not commission hostel provision directly. This is done at the local or mayoral authority level. For this reason we do not hold data on the total number of hostel spaces available in London, nor specific data on those rough sleepers with dogs.

However, the government does commission Homeless Link to conduct annual reviews on single homelessness support, which includes the number of hostel bed spaces (and void bed spaces) in the capital, and across the country. The latest of which is for 2017 and can be found (attached) at: https://www.homeless.org.uk/facts/our-research/annual-review-of-single-homelessness-support-in-england.

We appreciate that those rough sleeping with dogs have specific needs and do fund, through the Rough Sleeping Initiative (RSI) and other programmes provision that accounts for this. For example, the new St Mungo’s RSI hostel in Bristol takes clients with dogs, as does emergency accommodation in St Edmundsbury and Nottingham. The RSI funded floating London hub – that moves between boroughs and is currently in Westminster – also accepts dogs into their service. Moreover, as a result of RSI funding, Birmingham has linked closely with Dogs On the Streets (DOTS). This organisation has significantly helped in working with entrenched rough sleepers who have dogs and other pets. As with the complex needs of any rough sleeper, we try and ensure someone having a dog, or any pet, is not a barrier to them getting the help they require.

This Government is committed to reducing homelessness and rough sleeping. No one should ever have to sleep rough. That is why last summer we published the cross-government Rough Sleeping Strategy which sets out an ambitious £100 million package to help people who sleep rough now, but also puts in place the structures that will end rough sleeping once and for all. The Government has now committed over £1.2 billion to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping over the spending review period.

This Government is committed to halting rough sleeping by 2022 and eliminating it altogether by 2027. No one should ever have to sleep rough. That is why last summer we published the cross-government Rough Sleeping Strategy which sets out an ambitious £100 million package to help people who sleep rough now, but also puts in place the structures that will end rough sleeping once and for all. The Government has now committed over £1.2 billion to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping over the spending review period.

National street counts and intelligence driven estimates of people sleeping rough are conducted every autumn. The next publication will be released on 31 January 2019 at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/homelessness-statistics#rough-sleeping

The Greater London Authority (GLA) also commission the CHAIN database which holds information on the number of people rough sleeping in London. This is published quarterly, and the next data release will be available on 31 January 2019 at: https://data.london.gov.uk/dataset/chain-reports

The annual Rough Sleeping Statistics for England reports rough sleeping counts and estimates provided by local authorities and represent single night snapshots of the number of people sleeping rough in their area between 1 October and 30 November. In 2014 there were 742 rough sleepers in local authority areas in London:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/rough-sleeping-in-england-autumn-2014

The Department does not hold information regarding the number of places in hostels for rough sleepers in London.

This Government has increased investment in homelessness services over the lifetime of this Parliament. We have invested over £500 million to support local authorities and voluntary sector agencies help the most vulnerable in our society. This includes £34 million to the Greater London Authority to tackle rough sleeping across London.

We have recently put in place funding and support to prevent single homelessness and help those at risk of rough sleeping. The £8 million Help for Single Homeless Fund will help 22,000 people with multiple needs across 168 local authorities and the innovative £15 million Fair Chance Fund programme will change the lives of around 1,600 homeless young people with high needs and at risk of falling through the net of existing services. We have also supported Crisis with nearly £14 million in funding that by 2016 will have helped around 10,000 vulnerable single people to access and sustain accommodation in the private rented sector.

Thousands of vulnerable people who have slept rough or faced with the prospect of doing so have been given the help they need through No Second Night Out and StreetLink initiatives.

The No Second Night Out initiative has actively sought to identify and then help more rough sleepers, uncovering rough sleeping which was previously hidden or under-reported. This is in contrast to the counts under the last Administration which systematically under-estimated or ignored the true level of rough sleeping.

By using StreetLink, the national telephone, digital and app service, the public can help connect rough sleepers to the local services available so they can get the help they need to get them off the streets. This has already resulted in 23,000 referrals of rough sleepers to local authorities for investigation. We have also supported No Second Night Out schemes nationally through the £20 million Homelessness Transition Fund for the voluntary sector ensuring rough sleepers are found quickly and that they do not spend more than one night on the street.

According to CHAIN (Combined Homeless and Information Network) data, the majority of rough sleepers in London are foreign nationals. My Department's activities have included education campaigns led by the voluntary sector warning those coming here without appropriate support about the dangers of ending up destitute and sleeping rough on our streets. European Economic Area nationals who are begging or sleeping rough will be administratively removed. From the beginning of the year they will then be barred from re-entry for 12 months, unless they can prove they have a proper reason to be here, such as a job.