Lord Goodlad

Regular communications are issued to members and staff to provide guidance in relation to Covid-19. The latest guidance, published on 5 April, states that from 25 April when the House returns from recess, the wearing of face masks is a matter of personal choice. All Covid-related measures are kept under review as appropriate.

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has laid 71 statutory instruments

(SI’s) in this year to date. The table below shows those that have been identified as

correcting errors in previous SI’s and the SI’s corrected.

The legal advisers in the Department for Business have this year reviewed and refreshed

both the processes for the checking of SI’s and the training given to lawyers on drafting

SI’s. This should reduce the incidence of drafting errors.

The table does not include drafts of affirmative instruments which were superseded by a further draft in identical form by reason of affirmative resolutions not having been obtained before the end of the 2013-2014 Parliamentary session and the identical draft being laid in the 2014-2015 session.

Since 1 January 2014, the Department of Energy and Climate Change has laid 31 statutory instruments. Two draft affirmative procedure instruments were re-laid in draft in order to correct errors, being 6% of all instruments laid. In the course of making two other instruments, the Department took the opportunity to correct errors in previous instruments; such correction was not the main purpose of the instrument which was made. The Department has endeavoured to prevent errors occurring in statutory instruments and it regrets that errors have occurred. The Department is committed to continuous improvement of the quality of drafting, in particular by means of training and quality assurance procedures and seeks to learn the lessons when errors do occur.

The Reshaping Government Communication Service programme will further strengthen and unify the Government Communication Service (GCS), making an effective and efficient service.

Cabinet Office is leading the programme and working closely with ministerial departments and other public sector bodies.

Government has noted the vote by the Shetland Islands Council, which was driven by funding cuts and centralised decision-making by the Scottish Government. This highlights the many problems with the Scottish Government’s position on the break up of the UK.

The Cabinet Office has not assessed or received any representations on the parity of conditions between employees of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Ministry of Defence.

Further to my response to the Noble Lord Goodlad on the 21 March (HL14735), the Government can confirm that terms and conditions for civil servants below the Senior Civil Service have been to a great extent, and within certain central parameters, in particular those set out in the Civil Service Management Code, formally ‘delegated’ to departments. Accordingly, inter-departmental differences in relation to terms and conditions exist.

The Diplomatic Service is a separate Civil Service from the main (UK) Civil Service and is managed by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs.

Pay for those below the Senior Civil Service is delegated to departments and requires departments to develop arrangements for remuneration of their own staff, in accordance with chapter 7 of the Civil Service Management Code.

For the Senior Civil Service pay the Government submits annual evidence to the Senior Salaries Review Body (SSRB) who make recommendations on the pay of the SCS. Pay is then set centrally for this group in accordance with chapter 7 of the Civil Service Management Code.

The Government is committed to engaging with the public and other interested parties as policies are developed through formal and informal consultation. Where possible the Government is keen to facilitate formal pre-legislative scrutiny of draft legislation. A revised set of consultation principles was published in 2016 to give clear guidance to Government Departments on consultations. A copy of these principles can be found in the attached document.

Three draft bills have already been published this session: the Draft Health Service Safety Investigations Bill, the Draft Domestic Gas and Electricity (Tariffs Cap) Bill and draft legislation on the Personal Injury Discount Rate. These draft bills are available for select committees to scrutinise as they see fit.

At the State Opening of Parliament on 21 June 2017, the Government announced two further bills would be published in draft this session: the draft Tenants’ Fees Bill and draft Domestic Violence and Abuse Bill. These will be published in due course. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has recently announced their intention to publish draft legislation on animal cruelty sentencing. Tax legislation is regularly published draft for technical consultations.

The Government announced in November that the fourth Contracts for Difference allocation round will feature a £20 million annual ringfenced budget for tidal stream energy.

The Government remains open to considering well-developed proposals for harnessing the tidal range energy in the bays and estuaries around the UK’s coastlines, including barrage schemes and other alternatives. Any proposal would need to demonstrate strong evidence of value for money before the Government could take a view on its potential.

As set out in the Written Ministerial Statement I made on 2^nd November 2021, the Government remains committed to establishing a new beneficial ownership register of overseas entities that own UK property. The register will not include the details of the properties owned by the overseas entities, which are recorded at HM Land Registry. This register will help combat money laundering and achieve greater transparency in the UK property market. We will legislate when parliamentary time allows.

The National Security and Investment Act received Royal Assent on 29 April and will commence fully on 4 January 2022. In advance of commencement, the Government is publishing extensive guidance on the Act and is working closely with investors and businesses to help them understand the legislation. In addition, the Government is laying in Parliament the secondary legislation that is required for commencement.

The Government publishes individual impact assessments in relation to both primary and secondary legislation for all measures where a significant impact on business has been identified and, where applicable, the RPC opinion, alongside either the relevant consultation document on GOV.UK or the relevant legislation on www.legislation.gov.uk.

For regulatory measures without an impact assessment, the relevant explanatory memorandum should set out the key impacts and include the rationale for not providing an impact assessment.

The current requirement for publication of impact assessments is part of the administrative process in the Better Regulation Framework as agreed across Government.

The Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry was set up in September 2020. My Hon. friend the Minister for Small Business, Consumers and Labour Markets announced to the House on 19 May that the government will put the ongoing Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry to a statutory footing on 1 June. This will ensure that the Chair, Sir Wyn Williams, has all the powers he needs to get to the bottom of what happened.

Following the change to a statutory Inquiry, the final report will now be delivered by Autumn 2022, so that Sir Wyn will have more time to determine what went wrong at the Post Office during this period to ensure the right lessons have been learnt and avoid the situation being repeated in the future.

We expect the Cairncross Review's report to be published in early 2019.

The UK government’s White Paper, ‘The Future Relationship Between the United Kingdom and the European Union’ set out an ambitious future relationship with the EU on data protection that builds on standard EU adequacy arrangements to provide for ongoing regulatory cooperation between the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and the EU Data Protection Authorities that make up the European Data Protection Board (EDPB). The White Paper can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-future-relationship-between-the-united-kingdom-and-the-european-union.

The Political Declaration sets out that the UK and the EU should make arrangements for cooperation between the ICO and the EU Data Protection Authorities.

The UK will continue to have high standards of data protection and there will be no immediate change in the UK’s data protection standards. GDPR standards (as incorporated into UK law) will still apply in the UK and the Information Commissioner will remain the UK’s independent supervisory authority on data protection.

The Government is committed to ensuring that the principles that govern advertising in traditional media also apply and are enforced online. We recognise the highly complex nature of the online advertising industry and as part of the Digital Charter’s work programme we are gathering more evidence on the sector as a whole.

To support this work we are engaging with regulators, online platforms and advertising companies, to understand the impact of online advertising on society and the economy.

As an independent authority, the CMA has complete discretion to investigate consumer and competition cases which, according to its prioritisation principles, it considers most appropriate. The CMA’s case selection is entirely independent and cannot be influenced by government.

The Code of Non-broadcast Advertising and Direct & Promotional Marketing is drawn up the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP), an independent body comprised of advertising industry representatives, and enforced by the Advertising Standards Authority through a system of self-regulation. The Code applies to advertising in non-broadcast media including online, as well as print, outdoors, video-on-demand, direct marketing and cinema. It is regularly reviewed and updated by CAP to ensure it remains effective, and proposed changes to the Code are routinely subject to public consultation. This process is conducted independently of Government.

The Government is committed to ensuring that the principles that govern advertising in traditional media also apply and are enforced online. We recognise the highly complex nature of the online advertising industry and as part of the Digital Charter’s work programme we are gathering more evidence on the sector as a whole.

To support this work we are engaging with regulators, online platforms and advertising companies, to understand the impact of online advertising on society and the economy.

As an independent authority, the CMA has complete discretion to investigate consumer and competition cases which, according to its prioritisation principles, it considers most appropriate. The CMA’s case selection is entirely independent and cannot be influenced by government.

The Code of Non-broadcast Advertising and Direct & Promotional Marketing is drawn up the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP), an independent body comprised of advertising industry representatives, and enforced by the Advertising Standards Authority through a system of self-regulation. The Code applies to advertising in non-broadcast media including online, as well as print, outdoors, video-on-demand, direct marketing and cinema. It is regularly reviewed and updated by CAP to ensure it remains effective, and proposed changes to the Code are routinely subject to public consultation. This process is conducted independently of Government.

The Government is committed to ensuring that the principles that govern advertising in traditional media also apply and are enforced online. We recognise the highly complex nature of the online advertising industry and as part of the Digital Charter’s work programme we are gathering more evidence on the sector as a whole.

To support this work we are engaging with regulators, online platforms and advertising companies, to understand the impact of online advertising on society and the economy.

As an independent authority, the CMA has complete discretion to investigate consumer and competition cases which, according to its prioritisation principles, it considers most appropriate. The CMA’s case selection is entirely independent and cannot be influenced by government.

The Code of Non-broadcast Advertising and Direct & Promotional Marketing is drawn up the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP), an independent body comprised of advertising industry representatives, and enforced by the Advertising Standards Authority through a system of self-regulation. The Code applies to advertising in non-broadcast media including online, as well as print, outdoors, video-on-demand, direct marketing and cinema. It is regularly reviewed and updated by CAP to ensure it remains effective, and proposed changes to the Code are routinely subject to public consultation. This process is conducted independently of Government.

The government welcomes our responsibility to those who have worked for the British forces in conflict zones. Many have served with distinction and at great personal risk, working in dangerous and challenging situations. We would not have been able to carry out our work there without them.

We are doing what is right to honour their service by providing generous support that properly reflects their work and the risks involved, especially to interpreters and translators who worked alongside us in frontline roles; through the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP), details of which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/afghan-relocations-and-assistance-policy/afghan-relocations-and-assistance-policy-information-and-guidance .

In addition to the ARAP, the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme will welcome up to an additional 20,000 vulnerable Afghans to the UK, including women, children, LGBT and religious minorities, details of which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/afghan-citizens-resettlement-scheme.

A significant cross-government effort is under way, dubbed ‘Operation Warm Welcome’, to ensure Afghans arriving in the UK receive the vital support they need to rebuild their lives, find work, pursue education, and integrate into their local communities.

As part of Operation Warm Welcome, we announced there would be further funding for up to 300 undergraduate and postgraduate scholarships for Afghans at UK universities. The department will update with further details of this programme in due course.

To qualify for home fee status in England, a person must have settled status or a recognised connection to the UK. This includes people who are covered by the EU Withdrawal Agreement, who have long residence in this country, or who have been granted international protection by the Home Office. There are also requirements associated with ordinary residence in the UK. Subject to meeting the normal eligibility requirements, people with Hong Kong British National (Overseas) status will be able to qualify for home fees once they have acquired settled status in the UK.

A number of UK higher education providers host Confucius Institutes and are responsible for ensuring their partnerships are managed appropriately with the right due diligence in place.

The government has received queries regarding Confucius Institutes and Confucius Classrooms, and it takes seriously any concerns regarding the operation of international organisations at UK schools and universities. The government will continue to support the higher education sector and other related bodies to promote mutually beneficial international partnerships and UK values.

We encourage providers (including schools), if they have any concerns, to contact the Department for Education with any queries regarding their international collaborations.

The Review of Post-18 Education and Funding is being informed by independent advice from an expert panel, chaired by Philip Augar.

The panel have undertaken an extensive programme of stakeholder engagement and evidence gathering. They will report in 2019 before government concludes the overall review.

The government will want to move swiftly to improve the post-18 system once the review has concluded. Implementation timetables will depend on the review’s findings and recommendations and the legislative and operational requirements.

The latest UK Employer Skills Survey was conducted in 2017 and the results were published in August 2018. The main report is included as an attachment to this response. Further findings and information can be found on the Employer Skills Survey page of GOV.UK at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/uk-employer-skills-survey-2017.