Lord German

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have, therefore, asked the Authority to respond.

Professor Sir Ian Diamond | National Statistician

The Lord German OBE

House of Lords

London

SW1A 0PW

15 February 2021

Dear Lord German,

As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking how many jobs have been lost in each parliamentary constituency in Wales so far in the 2020/21 financial year (HL13074).

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) produces labour market statistics for small areas from the Annual Population Survey (APS), which is a survey of people resident in households in the UK.

The APS cannot be used to measure the number of people who have lost their jobs, but instead can provide estimates of how the size of the workforce has changed over time. The survey provides level estimates for 12-month periods, based on interviews taking place throughout that time. Comparisons should only be made between non-overlapping survey periods.

Table 1 shows the employment levels for the 12-month period ending September 2020, the latest available period, and the previous non-overlapping period for the 12-months ending September 2019, along with the net change between the two periods, for each parliamentary constituency in Wales.

Estimates from the APS are from a sample survey and as such are subject to a certain level of uncertainty. As the information provided is quite extensive, a copy has been placed in the House of Lords library.

Yours sincerely,

Professor Sir Ian Diamond

The Insolvency Service publishes National Statistics on insolvency cases for England and Wales combined. It is not possible to identify accurately companies that trade in Wales specifically, or companies that operated within specific parliamentary constituencies before entering insolvency. The data used for insolvency statistics is compiled from information at Companies House. The registered office address for a company may not be representative of its trading location, and often it is changed upon insolvency to the address of the appointed Insolvency Practitioner dealing with the case.

Subject to these caveats, the table below sets out the data on all company insolvencies registered at Companies House during the three quarters of 2020/21 ending December 2020:

Estimated number of registered company insolvencies in Wales by parliamentary constituency of company registered office1

1 April to 31 December 2020

Source: Companies House, Insolvency Service

¹ Companies House supplies quarterly data on company insolvencies to the Insolvency Service.

The Insolvency Service also holds data on personal bankruptcies in Wales during 2020 where the individual concerned ran a business as a sole trader or partnership. This information will be available later this year following the summer release of the official statistics covering the location, age and gender of individuals that entered insolvency in 2020 (provisionally to be released in August 2020). The latest published statistics cover the period 2000 to 2019 and are available on the GOV.UK website.

The Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme is available to self-employed individuals with an eligible business entity. The scheme is open to sole traders, freelancers, body corporates, limited partnerships, limited liability partnerships or any other legal entity carrying out a business activity in the United Kingdom, with a turnover of less than £45m, operating in most sectors. The turnover of the business must generate more than 50% of its turnover from trading activity.

Lenders, such as banks, are responsible for providing loans supported by the guarantee. The exact terms of each loan and length of application will depend on the circumstances of the borrower: lenders are fully aware of the current urgency with which some businesses need to access finance to support cash-flow during this difficult time, so we would expect them to respond appropriately to their customers’ needs.

The list of participating lenders that provide Coronavirus Interruption Business Loan Scheme facilities published on the British Business Bank website.

The Government recognises the world-leading position of the UK performing arts sector and the rich breadth of artistic talent across the UK.

UK performers and artists are of course still able to tour and perform in the EU, and vice versa. However, we understand the concerns about the new arrangements and we are working with the creative and cultural sectors to help them get to grips with the changes to systems and processes.

We are looking closely at a range of options to support musicians and performers to resume touring with ease as soon as it is safe to do so, including proposals for an Export Office that could provide further practical help. We will set out next steps in due course.

The Government recognises the world-leading position of the UK performing arts sector and the rich breadth of artistic talent across the UK.

UK performers and artists are of course still able to tour and perform in the EU, and vice versa. However, we understand the concerns about the new arrangements and we are working with the creative and cultural sectors to help them get to grips with the changes to systems and processes.

We are looking closely at a range of options to support musicians and performers to resume touring with ease as soon as it is safe to do so, including proposals for an Export Office that could provide further practical help. We will set out next steps in due course.

Non-professional groups of up to six people can now sing indoors, and can perform or rehearse in groups of up to 30 outdoors. In addition, multiple groups of 30 can now sing outdoors, provided the groups are kept separate throughout the activity, in line with other large events that follow the organised events guidance for local authorities.

We know that the restrictions on singing are frustrating to large numbers of amateur choirs and performance groups across the country and that many people have made sacrifices in order to drive down infections and protect the NHS over the last year.

The Performing Arts Guidance makes reference to the relevant regulations and provides recommendations for performing arts venues and operators. We expect everyone to comply with the law and the underlying guidance when arranging events or carrying out performing arts related activities.

We will continue to keep guidance and restrictions under review, in line with the changing situation. Further detail on step 4 will be set out as soon as possible.

The Government recognises the world-leading position of the UK creative and cultural sectors and the rich breadth of talent across the UK.

We understand the concerns about the new arrangements for touring following the end of the transition period, and we are committed to supporting the sectors as they get to grips with the changes to systems and processes. We are now working urgently across government and in collaboration with the music and wider creative industries, including through the DCMS-led working group, to help address these issues.

The first working group meeting was held on 5 February, and was chaired by the Minister of State for Digital and Culture. Further working group meetings took place on 15 February and 5 March. DCMS is looking at a range of options to ensure we can provide individuals and businesses with access to the right support, at the right time, so that touring in Europe can resume with ease as soon as it is safe to do so

The Government recognises the world-leading position of the UK creative and cultural sectors and the rich breadth of talent across the UK.

We understand the concerns about the new arrangements for touring following the end of the transition period, and we are committed to supporting the sectors as they get to grips with the changes to systems and processes. We are now working urgently across government and in collaboration with the music and wider creative industries, including through the DCMS-led working group, to help address these issues.

The first working group meeting was held on 5 February, and was chaired by the Minister of State for Digital and Culture. Further working group meetings took place on 15 February and 5 March. DCMS is looking at a range of options to ensure we can provide individuals and businesses with access to the right support, at the right time, so that touring in Europe can resume with ease as soon as it is safe to do so

The Strategic Priorities Grant, formerly referred to as the Teaching Grant, plays an important role in supporting providers and students to develop the skills and knowledge needed locally, regionally and nationally to support the economy.

We have asked the Office for Students (OfS) to reform the Grant for 2021-22. These reforms include the reallocation of high-cost subject funding towards the provision of high-cost subjects that support the NHS and wider healthcare policy, high-cost science, technology, and engineering subjects, and subjects meeting specific labour market needs.

One of our proposals is for a 50% reduction in the rate of high-cost subject funding, which is one element of the wider Strategic Priorities Grant, for some subjects in order to enable this reprioritisation.

Under current proposals, outlined in the OfS’ consultation on recurrent funding for 2021/22, the high-cost subject funding rate for students on music courses (CAH25-02-02) will be set at £121.50 in 2021/22, down from £243 in 2020/21. This fall is equivalent to a reduction of around 1% in combined funding from a £9,250 tuition fee and OfS funding. Music students will also attract other elements of OfS funding, such as funding for student access and success, which is unrelated to the subject they study.

The OfS’ methodology for calculating funding allocations, which are done at subject price group-level rather than on an individual subject basis, means that the total amount of high-cost subject funding cannot be calculated for individual subjects such as music. However, illustrative modelling performed by the OfS on funding allocations, which accompanied their consultation, calculated that the total amount of funding for C1.2 subjects, which includes performing arts, creative arts, media studies and archaeology, decreased from £36 million in academic year 2020/21 to £19 million in academic year 2021/22. We have asked the OfS to invest an additional £10 million in our world-leading specialist providers. Many of these specialise in arts provision such as the Royal College of Music or the Royal Academy of Music which are both world-leading institutions for music education. We want to ensure that our specialist providers receive additional support, and that grant funding is used to effectively support students.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency’s (DVLA) online services have been available throughout the pandemic and are the quickest and easiest way to renew a driving licence. There are no delays in successful online applications and customers should receive their driving licence within a few days.

However, many people still choose or have to make a paper application for a driving licence. The DVLA receives around 60,000 items of mail every day which must be dealt with in person. Ongoing industrial action by members of the Public and Commercial Services union, along with fewer operational staff being on site to allow for social distancing in line with Welsh Government requirements has led to delays in dealing with paper applications. The DVLA has leased an additional building to accommodate more operational staff.

The number of paper applications awaiting processing fluctuates daily as driving licences are issued and new applications received. The latest information on turnaround times for paper driving licence applications can be found on GOV.UK.

Drivers who need to hire a vehicle and have sent their licence to the DVLA for renewal, can view and share their driving licence information with a car hire company by generating a share code online at GOV.UK.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency’s (DVLA) online services have been available throughout the pandemic and are the quickest and easiest way to renew a driving licence. There are no delays in successful online applications and customers should receive their driving licence within a few days.

However, many people still choose or have to make a paper application for a driving licence. The DVLA receives around 60,000 items of mail every day which must be dealt with in person. Ongoing industrial action by members of the Public and Commercial Services union, along with fewer operational staff being on site to allow for social distancing in line with Welsh Government requirements has led to delays in dealing with paper applications. The DVLA has leased an additional building to accommodate more operational staff.

The number of paper applications awaiting processing fluctuates daily as driving licences are issued and new applications received. The latest information on turnaround times for paper driving licence applications can be found on GOV.UK.

Drivers who need to hire a vehicle and have sent their licence to the DVLA for renewal, can view and share their driving licence information with a car hire company by generating a share code online at GOV.UK.

New motorcycles are required to meet strict noise limits in a range of driving conditions before being placed on the market. The current limit within the approval test is between 73 and 77 decibels (dBA) depending on the power to weight ratio of the machine and is not specific to types of roads.

Once on the road, regulations require that exhausts and silencers shall not be altered to increase noise above the level the motorcycle was originally approved to. The police also have powers to take action if they believe excessive vehicle noise could have been avoided through reasonable driver care.

The annual vehicle MOT test requires an inspection of the state of repair of the exhaust and the tester uses their experience to make a subjective assessment of the noise levels. A vehicle should fail the MOT if the silencer has been altered to increase noise above the level expected from a standard system.

New motorcycles are required to meet strict noise limits in a range of driving conditions before being placed on the market. The current limit within the approval test is between 73 and 77 decibels (dBA) depending on the power to weight ratio of the machine and is not specific to types of roads.

Once on the road, regulations require that exhausts and silencers shall not be altered to increase noise above the level the motorcycle was originally approved to. The police also have powers to take action if they believe excessive vehicle noise could have been avoided through reasonable driver care.

The annual vehicle MOT test requires an inspection of the state of repair of the exhaust and the tester uses their experience to make a subjective assessment of the noise levels. A vehicle should fail the MOT if the silencer has been altered to increase noise above the level expected from a standard system.

New motorcycles are required to meet strict noise limits in a range of driving conditions before being placed on the market. The current limit within the approval test is between 73 and 77 decibels (dBA) depending on the power to weight ratio of the machine and is not specific to types of roads.

Once on the road, regulations require that exhausts and silencers shall not be altered to increase noise above the level the motorcycle was originally approved to. The police also have powers to take action if they believe excessive vehicle noise could have been avoided through reasonable driver care.

The annual vehicle MOT test requires an inspection of the state of repair of the exhaust and the tester uses their experience to make a subjective assessment of the noise levels. A vehicle should fail the MOT if the silencer has been altered to increase noise above the level expected from a standard system.

The information is not currently held centrally in the format requested.

Following the conclusion of the Spending Review, the Government is actively considering nutrition programming within the business planning process. No decisions on individual programmes have yet been made.

Tackling malnutrition remains a core focus of our work on global health, humanitarian response and in support of UK goals on girls' education and climate.  It is critical for reducing preventable deaths and ensuring children get the best start in life in the poorest countries of the world.

FCDO is working closely with the Government of Japan to make sure the 2021 Tokyo Nutrition for Growth Summit supports meaningful action by governments, donors, businesses, the UN and civil society.

Following the conclusion of the Spending Review, the Government is actively considering its approach to the Tokyo Nutrition for Growth Summit and will set this out as early as possible as part of the business planning process.

Information about our nutrition spend in financial year 2021 and 2022 will be publicly available through Statistics for International Development (SIDS) in due course. Following the conclusion of the Spending Review, the Government is actively considering its approach to nutrition programming and will set this out as early as possible as part of the business planning process.

Information about our nutrition spend in financial year 2021 and 2022 will be publicly available through Statistics for International Development (SIDS) in due course.

The value of claims split by Parliamentary Constituency is not available. The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme provides funds to PAYE schemes to support employers to pay a proportion of the wages of furloughed staff. The registered address for PAYE schemes can be in a different area to that where their employees live and work. In addition, for PAYE schemes claiming for between 1 and 99 employments there has been no requirement to specify the amount claimed for each employment. As a consequence, it is not possible to provide reliable figures for the monetary value of the support provided by geographical area.

The Government works closely with the Money and Pensions Service to monitor financial difficulty through an annual survey and notes the Financial Conduct Authority’s biennial Financial Lives Survey.

The Government recognises that some people are struggling with their finances at this challenging time. To help people in problem debt get their finances back on track, an extra £37.8 million support package has been made available to debt advice providers this financial year, bringing this year's budget for free debt advice in England to over £100 million.

In May 2020, the Government announced the immediate release of £65 million of dormant assets funding to Fair4All Finance, an independent organisation that has been founded to support the financial wellbeing of people in vulnerable circumstances. The funding is used to increase access to fair, affordable and appropriate financial products and services for those in financial difficulties.

From May 2021, the Breathing Space scheme will offer people in problem debt a pause of up to 60 days on most enforcement action, interest, fees and charges, and will encourage them to seek professional debt advice.

The Government has delivered unprecedented support for living standards during this challenging time, protecting livelihoods with the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS), the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), and temporary welfare measures.

The Government has extended the CJRS until 31 March 2021. Eligible employees will continue to receive 80% of their usual salary for hours not worked, up to a maximum of £2,500 per month.

The Government has increased the overall level of the third grant under the SEISS to 80% of average trading profits, meaning that the maximum grant available has now increased to £7,500.

The Government has provided local authorities with £500 million to support people who may struggle to meet their council tax payments this year. The Government expects that this will provide all recipients of working age local council tax support with a further reduction in their annual council tax bill of £150 this financial year.

These measures are in addition to the changes this Government has made to make the welfare system more generous, worth over £7 billion according to recent estimates by the Office for Budget Responsibility.

The Government has worked with mortgage lenders, credit providers and the Financial Conduct Authority to ensure the financial sector provides support for people across the UK to manage their finances by providing payment holidays on mortgages and consumer credit products.

The Government has also delivered protections for renters, including an extension to the ban on bailiff evictions for all but the most egregious cases until at least 21 February 2021, with measures kept under review.

Following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, on 20 and 26 March 2020 the Chancellor announced numerous easements to help businesses through this difficult time. This included the option for all Self-Assessment (SA) taxpayers, including the self-employed, to defer paying their second Payment on Account (POA) for the tax year 2019-20, ordinarily payable by 31 July 2020, for 6 months. All SA taxpayers, including self-employed freelance musicians, have until 31 January 2021 to make that payment without it incurring any late payment interest.

Furthermore, the Government understands that many SA taxpayers may have difficulty in paying their SA payments becoming due on 31 January 2021. To help them, HMRC have enhanced their automated online Time to Pay service, enabling taxpayers to clear their January 2021 SA liabilities in up to 12 monthly instalments.

Prior to October 2020, that service could only be used to pay tax liabilities of up to £10,000. However, HMRC increased the threshold to £30,000, to ensure it is now available to far more SA taxpayers than before. SA taxpayers eligible to use this service can set up a direct debit payment arrangement online without having to contact HMRC directly. HMRC estimate that up to 95% of SA taxpayers owing SA payments on 31 January 2021 will be able to use this online payment service.

Taxpayers with SA tax liabilities over £30,000 may still agree a Time to Pay arrangement with HMRC by contacting them directly. Further information is available on GOV.UK.

The powers under Schedule 7 to the Terrorism Act 2000 or Schedule 3 to the Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Act 2019 may only be used to examine goods at the following locations: a port (as defined at paragraph 1(3) of Schedule 7); at premises operated by a sea cargo agent or an air cargo agent; at a temporary storage facility; or at a location designated by the Secretary of State. The government consultation on Freeports closed on Monday 13th July. Any UK Freeport model will ensure that the UK’s high standards with respect to security will not be compromised.

The Government is aware of the harms caused by identity crime and that criminals use false identities to commit and enable a range of offences. We are deeply concerned by the growth in scale and complexity of scams and fraudulent activity online. Victims can suffer both financial and emotional harm, and we are conscious that criminals exploit social relationships to achieve their objectives.

Where a person:

• dishonestly makes a false representation knowing that it is untrue or misleading, or knowing that it might be, and

• they intend to make a gain, to cause loss to another, or to expose another to a risk of loss

then they will be committing an offence under section 2 of the Fraud Act 2006 of fraud by false representation.

The Government is firmly committed to making the UK the safest place to be online, and we are looking to bring forward legislation to do so as soon as possible.

The Government is aware of the harms caused by identity crime and that criminals use false identities to commit and enable a range of offences. We are deeply concerned by the growth in scale and complexity of scams and fraudulent activity online. Victims can suffer both financial and emotional harm, and we are conscious that criminals exploit social relationships to achieve their objectives.

Where a person:

• dishonestly makes a false representation knowing that it is untrue or misleading, or knowing that it might be, and

• they intend to make a gain, to cause loss to another, or to expose another to a risk of loss

then they will be committing an offence under section 2 of the Fraud Act 2006 of fraud by false representation.

The Government is firmly committed to making the UK the safest place to be online, and we are looking to bring forward legislation to do so as soon as possible.

The Home Office publishes data on people in detention in the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release’. https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release

Data on the number of people detained under immigration powers at the end of each quarter are published in table Det_D02 of the immigration detention detailed datasets. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/returns-and-detention-datasets#immigration-detention

Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data relates to those in detention as at 31 December 2019. Additionally, the Home Office publishes a high-level overview of the data in the 'summary tables'. The ‘contents’ sheet contains an overview of all available data on detention.

Figures covering the first quarter of 2020, including those detained as at 31 March 2020 will be released on 21^st May 2020. Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/returns-and-detention-datasets#immigration-detention

The contract with Leonardo and BAE Systems is the latest critical step in the development of a European Common Radar System (ECRS) Mk2 for the RAF's Typhoon fleet.

The intent is to install ECRS Mk2 on all 40 of the RAF's Tranche 3 Typhoon aircraft and a small number of Ministry of Defence and industry test assets.

PAVA is presently in 80 HMPPS prisons *, the below tables provide population figures across those 80 prisons firstly by ethnicity and secondly by religion. We are unable to provide this breakdown for disability as data is not available.

Note* The 80 prisons comprises 26 live sites which have issued to over 50% of their staff and the remainder have only issued to a small number of staff as part of an exceptional deployment.

Data sources and quality
The figures in these tables have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Source: Prison NOMIS System

PQ HL3793 (Ministry of Justice; DASD-DES)

We ensure all our prison officers are trained in how to use PAVA professionally, safely and lawfully and that it is only used when necessary and proportionate.

The data provided for this response is collected as internal management information and reflects the data held at the date of extraction. It is not quality assured in the same way as data prepared for publication and is subject to change.

Note* The above prisons comprise both those which have been through full rollout and deployed to over 50% of their eligible staff, and also prisons that have only issued as part of an exceptional deployment to a very small number of staff.

We ensure all our prison officers are trained in how to use PAVA professionally, safely and lawfully and that it is only used when necessary and proportionate.

The data provided for this response is collected as internal management information and reflects the data held at the date of extraction. It is not quality assured in the same way as data prepared for publication and is subject to change.

There haves been a total of 279 incidents involving PAVA since 1^st April 2019, of those incidentsin 187 incidents PAVA was drawn and deployed and in 92 PAVA were as drawn only.

We are unable to provide this for disability as data for this is not available.

Work to establish a Royal Commission was slowed down last year to prioritise the safe operation of the Criminal Justice System in response to the impact of Covid. As we continue to recover and build back the CJS, it is right that we now pause work on the Royal Commission to allow space for the recovery work before revisiting where a Commission might add most value. As work on the Commission has paused, officials have been redeployed to other roles in government.

We are investing more than £20m in supporting prison leavers at risk of homelessness into temporary accommodation. Individuals released from prison will be provided up to 12 weeks of temporary accommodation and will be supported into long-term settled accommodation before the end of that 12-week period. Initially launching in five national probation regions, the service will support around 3,000 offenders in its first year and will be commencing this Summer. It will be in operation during the financial year 2021-22, with a view to scaling up and rolling out nationally.

The service will take account of the needs of women, including those with complex needs and accommodation provision will be dedicated to single gender usage as required. Community Probation Practitioners, working together with local partners, will be responsible for ensuring that vulnerable female prison leavers receive appropriate support and are provided with housing beyond the 12 weeks’ emergency accommodation.

In 2020, Hestia Battersea was changed from a male to female Approved Premises to give better geographic spread of AP provision for women, becoming the first AP for women in London since 2008.

In addition, Eden House, the first new AP in over thirty years, will open in this month supporting female offenders.

HMPPS will work in conjunction with MHCLG’s announced funding to support both male and female prison leavers at risk of homelessness into private rental tenancies. Funded schemes to support women will be developed to recognise their specific needs and will be part of plans to secure settled accommodation by the end of the 12 weeks’ temporary accommodation provided by HMPPS.

Wales has received more than £4 billion in European structural fund support since 2000, almost half of which will have accrued in the current spending round. The UK Government recognises the vital role that European structural funds have played in Wales over the past two decades, and has committed, at a minimum, to matching current levels of funding for each nation. We are determined that Wales will not be out of pocket now that we have left the EU, and the UK Shared Prosperity Fund will be instrumental in making good on this.

In terms of the powers that the Welsh Government will have over these funds, the UK Government is fully committed to respecting devolution and the devolved institutions. We want to ensure that the UK Shared Prosperity Fund can deliver for the people of Wales, and the Secretary of State for Wales has had positive discussions with colleagues in the Welsh Government on how our two Governments can work together to make a success of the Fund.