Lord Harris of Haringey

The government takes the security and resilience of subsea cables very seriously, including their operation, supply chain and repair arrangements.

We regard subsea cables as critical to our national and international infrastructure and monitor a variety of risks they face. Subsea internet cables are specifically considered in the National Risk Assessment which is kept under review.

The government takes the security and resilience of subsea cables very seriously, including their operation, supply chain and repair arrangements.

We regard subsea cables as critical to our national and international infrastructure and monitor a variety of risks they face. Subsea internet cables are specifically considered in the National Risk Assessment which is kept under review.

The department is in the process of tendering for "an information and advice service for families including kinship carers of children at risk or involved in the care system”.

Our intention remains to award this contract in March 2020 for the service to start on 1 April 2020. It is not the responsibility of the department to determine whether Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations (TUPE) applies. However, it is the responsibility of the department to ensure that, where TUPE may apply, relevant information is made available to all suppliers.

Following a request by a potential bidder, the tendering deadline was extended to allow bidders time to factor TUPE information into their bids. The department will work with any winning bidder and the existing provider to ensure the service is not interrupted.

The department is in the process of tendering for "an information and advice service for families including kinship carers of children at risk or involved in the care system”.

Our intention remains to award this contract in March 2020 for the service to start on 1 April 2020. It is not the responsibility of the department to determine whether Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations (TUPE) applies. However, it is the responsibility of the department to ensure that, where TUPE may apply, relevant information is made available to all suppliers.

Following a request by a potential bidder, the tendering deadline was extended to allow bidders time to factor TUPE information into their bids. The department will work with any winning bidder and the existing provider to ensure the service is not interrupted.

The department is in the process of tendering for "an information and advice service for families including kinship carers of children at risk or involved in the care system”.

Our intention remains to award this contract in March 2020 for the service to start on 1 April 2020. It is not the responsibility of the department to determine whether Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations (TUPE) applies. However, it is the responsibility of the department to ensure that, where TUPE may apply, relevant information is made available to all suppliers.

Following a request by a potential bidder, the tendering deadline was extended to allow bidders time to factor TUPE information into their bids. The department will work with any winning bidder and the existing provider to ensure the service is not interrupted.

Whilst food labelling is a devolved matter, the same labelling rules currently apply across the UK. Under Article 30 of our Food Information to Consumers Regulations it is a requirement to provide a nutritional declaration on the label of pre-packed foods placed on the UK market. This declaration must include a range of information including details of sugar, fat and salt content. These regulations and requirements will continue to apply across the UK when the Transition Period ends on 31 December 2020. After the Transition Period we will work with the devolved administrations to ensure consumers remain well informed about their food.

We have been clear that in all of our trade negotiations we will not compromise on our high environmental, animal welfare and food safety standards. In trade negotiations we will ensure our right to regulate in this area is preserved, including the ability to set our own mandatory labelling requirements to be met for both food produced domestically and food which is imported. Of course, our rules will also continue to be in line with our international obligations. The Government has committed to a rapid review and consultation on the role of labelling to promote high standards and animal welfare, and remains committed to delivering informative food and drink labelling and marketing standards to protect consumer interests, ensuring that consumers can have confidence in the food and drink they buy.

The Government is committed to upholding our manifesto commitment that in all of our trade negotiations we will not compromise on our high environmental protection, animal welfare and food safety standards. We remain firmly committed to upholding our standards outside the EU, and at the end of the Transition Period the EU Withdrawal Act will transfer all existing EU provisions on environmental protection, animal welfare, and food safety, including existing import requirements, onto the UK statute book.

We have also been clear in our approach to negotiating new trade deals that the UK will decide how we set and maintain our own standards and regulations and operate our own autonomous sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) regime. Any future trade deal must work for consumers, farmers, and businesses in the UK, and as with all negotiations, we will be prepared to walk away if that is in the national interest.

HM Government has made it clear that any future trade deals must work for British consumers, farmers and companies. We are proud of our high standards in food safety and these will not be weakened.?High standards and high quality are what our domestic and global customers demand, and that is what we?will?provide.

It is vital that we explore new trading opportunities, but these should not mean a dilution of the standards for which British food is world-renowned. The EU Withdrawal Act transfers all existing EU food safety provisions on to the statute book and we remain firmly committed to upholding our high food safety standards.

Whilst the condition of the masts is not believed to have deteriorated seriously over time, the decision to explore reducing the height of the masts was informed by the regular surveys conducted by the Maritime & Coastguard Agency.

There is a dedicated page on Gov.uk for the SS Richard Montgomery where these surveys can be found.

The procurement process to appoint a contractor to remove the masts is still live and while commercial information on the tender cannot therefore be released, further updates on its progress will be given at the appropriate time. The work to remove these masts has not previously been put out to tender. Further details can be found online in the Official Journal of the EU.

The SS Richard Montgomery is not on the National Risk Register. The National Risk Register is managed by the Cabinet Office, who are currently updating this document.

The relevant local authorities and local resilience forums are aware of the wreck of the SS Richard Montgomery and routinely factor it into their regular planning work. We are in contact with these organisations regularly to ensure they have the information they need on risks to inform their planning.

Whilst the condition of the masts is not believed to have deteriorated seriously over time, the decision to explore reducing the height of the masts was informed by the regular surveys conducted by the Maritime & Coastguard Agency.

There is a dedicated page on Gov.uk for the SS Richard Montgomery where these surveys can be found.

The procurement process to appoint a contractor to remove the masts is still live and while commercial information on the tender cannot therefore be released, further updates on its progress will be given at the appropriate time. The work to remove these masts has not previously been put out to tender. Further details can be found online in the Official Journal of the EU.

The SS Richard Montgomery is not on the National Risk Register. The National Risk Register is managed by the Cabinet Office, who are currently updating this document.

The relevant local authorities and local resilience forums are aware of the wreck of the SS Richard Montgomery and routinely factor it into their regular planning work. We are in contact with these organisations regularly to ensure they have the information they need on risks to inform their planning.

Whilst the condition of the masts is not believed to have deteriorated seriously over time, the decision to explore reducing the height of the masts was informed by the regular surveys conducted by the Maritime & Coastguard Agency.

There is a dedicated page on Gov.uk for the SS Richard Montgomery where these surveys can be found.

The procurement process to appoint a contractor to remove the masts is still live and while commercial information on the tender cannot therefore be released, further updates on its progress will be given at the appropriate time. The work to remove these masts has not previously been put out to tender. Further details can be found online in the Official Journal of the EU.

The SS Richard Montgomery is not on the National Risk Register. The National Risk Register is managed by the Cabinet Office, who are currently updating this document.

The relevant local authorities and local resilience forums are aware of the wreck of the SS Richard Montgomery and routinely factor it into their regular planning work. We are in contact with these organisations regularly to ensure they have the information they need on risks to inform their planning.

I can only reiterate that Written Answers are drafted by teams who are experienced in their area of work and provide the best available information.

Written Parliamentary Questions are drafted by policy teams specialised in the subject and cleared at Senior Civil Servant level. As per Departmental guidance, answers must aim to be clear, relevant and informative; answer all aspects of the question; be accurate and not misleading; and phrased in a simple and logical way.

At a time of unprecedented pressure on the Department and a marked increase in the number of Written Questions, I am proud of my officials’ efforts to keep Parliament informed while tackling this immense national challenge.

The Government published Coronavirus (COVID-19): personal protective equipment (PPE) plan on 10 April. It incorporates guidance on who needs PPE and when they need it, routes to ensure those who need it can get it at the right time and sets out actions to secure enough PPE to last through the crisis. A copy is attached.

We have built models which forecast demand. These models cover a range of possible scenarios and have developed over time as additional information on the prevalence and impact of COVID-19 became available and as guidance on PPE has been updated. We work closely with the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies to ensure they are underpinned by the latest science.

We are working around the clock to give the social care sector and wider National Health Service the equipment and support they need to tackle this outbreak.

To provide a more comprehensive response to a number of outstanding Written Questions, this has been answered by an information factsheet Testing – note for House of Lords which is attached, due to the size of the data. A copy has also been placed in the Library

Demand for personal protective equipment (PPE) is currently exceptionally high across these sectors, and the Government is working hard to source new supply to meet that need. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, we have delivered over one billion items of PPE to ensure our frontline is protected. We have also extended our PPE supply route to local resilience forums to help local government distribute stock to social care providers and other vital services where they have been unable to obtain PPE through their usual routes and have an urgent need.

We are not reliant on Turkey for gowns and many more orders are lined up and expected from suppliers in the United Kingdom and overseas.

The Places of Worship Protective Security Funding Scheme is available in England and Wales. For the 2021/2022 round, £3.5 million was announced. Applications closed on 16^th July, and applicants will be informed of the outcome of their application in due course.

For the first three years of the scheme £2.4 million was announced over three years; with £800,000 available each year.

For the 2016/2017 round we received 286 eligible applications for funding, of which 53 were successful, and we allocated £435,466.

For the 2017/2018 round we received 57 eligible applications for funding, of which 36 were successful, and we allocated £440,203.

For the 2018/2019 round we received 88 eligible applications for funding, of which 45 were successful, and we allocated £806,281.

For the 2019/2020 round, £1.6 million was announced. We received 376 eligible applications, of which 49 were successful, and we allocated £1,718,763.

For the 2020/2021 round, £3.2 million was announced. We received 243 eligible applications, of which 58 were successful, and we allocated £1,704,237.

All successful applicants to the scheme are deemed as successful in full.

The Government recognises the importance of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for all of those on the frontline, including police.

The Home Secretary and Minister for Policing have regular conversations with police forces about a range of matters including supply of PPE, ensuring a sufficient daily supply is available. The National Police Co-ordination Centre is co-ordinating police PPE procurement and distribution across the whole country and confirm that police currently have a good supply of PPE.

The amount of PPE in stock and used by each force is not held centrally. That is an operational matter for forces.

The Government is working closely with its partners including the emergency services on a range of issues including the availability of suitable PPE. The National Police Chiefs’ Council have confirmed that police currently have a good supply of PPE and they are working to oversee its distribution to forces. We will continue to work with them to ensure this continues.

The Prevent Oversight Board is currently in existence. The Board membership includes Ministerial and Director-level representatives and their equivalents across the following Whitehall departments:

Home Office, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Defence, Department for Education, Department of Health and Social Care, Counter Terrorism Police Headquarters (CTPHQ), Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre (JTAC), Welsh Government, Scottish Government, Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), Department for Digital, Culture Media and Sport, Foreign & Commonwealth Office, the Security Services, Cabinet Office, and Charity Commission.

Departments and agencies which are not listed as standing members can be invited as required.

The Board last convened in November 2018.

Individual Ministers are responsible to the House for the answers they provide. As Leader of the House I regularly remind Ministers of the importance of their obligations to the House and will continue to do so.

The supply of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) required by the prison service is kept under regular review by the department. These requirements will fluctuate according to the changing situation in individual prisons and we will continue to monitor the situation closely.

Typical PPE items for tasks involving a confirmed or suspected case of Covid-19 include fluid resistant surgical masks; aprons; gloves; hand sanitisers; and eye protection.