Lord Hay of Ballyore

Throughout the Covid-19 outbreak, we have engaged closely with manufacturing industry through sector roundtables and by talking directly to businesses. This has helped shape the Government’s unprecedented package of support which has included loan schemes, grant funding, tax deferrals and the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, all of which is designed to be accessible to businesses in most sectors including manufacturing.

We are also investing £147 million through a Manufacturing Made Smarter Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund programme and have invested £730 million in the seven High Value Manufacturing Catapult centres, supporting manufacturers in bringing new technologies to market.

We recently announced £8 million in new Government funding to help manufacturing SMEs increase productivity, competitiveness and drive up efficiency by adopting industrial digital technology, building on the success of our Made Smarter North West Pilot.

The Government has introduced an unprecedented and comprehensive package of business support measures to help as many individuals and businesses as possible during this difficult period.

As part of the Local Restrictions Support Grant (closed) (LRSG), business premises that are required by law to close during the current period of national restrictions since 5th January can access grants of up to £4,500 per 6 weeks of closure.

In addition to the LRSG, each closed business will be eligible for a one-off payment of up to £9,000 to help them through Spring.

Local Authorities in England have been allocated a further £500m in discretionary funding to support businesses that are significantly impacted by the restrictions even though not required to close. This is in addition to £1.1bn already allocated in November 2020. Local Authorities have discretion to use this funding to support businesses in the way they see fit.

Between March and September 2020, small businesses were supported through the Small Business Grant Fund (SBGF), the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund (RHLGF) and the Local Authority Discretionary Grants Fund (LADGF).  As of 30th September, more than £11.6 billion has been dispersed to more than a million business premises across the three schemes. These schemes are now closed.

Devolved Administrations have received funding according to the Barnett formula to develop and administer grant schemes to support small businesses.

In addition to grant support, the Government has announced further measures which build on the existing business support package, including extension of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme until the end of April 2021, extension of the Coronavirus Loan Guarantee schemes until 31 March 2021, and introduction of Pay As You Grow measures, meaning businesses now have the option to repay their Bounce Back Loans over a period of up to ten years.

As off 24 January 2021, BBLS has seen 1,471,001 loans approved worth £44.74 billion, and CBILS has seen 87,529 loans approved worth £20.84 billion.

The Government is working closely with Local Authorities in England to support the implementation of grants to support businesses during the Covid-19 pandemic and monitor the distribution of grant funds.

Where local authorities are in Tier 3 (Very High) funding will continue to be provided to support those businesses required to close, through the Local Restriction Support Grant (Closed), a grant up to £1,500 every 14 days.

Alongside those businesses who have been mandated to close, funding will also be provided to support those business who have had their trade adversely affected by restrictions. The Local Restrictions Support Grant (Open) provides further discretionary funding to Local Authorities whilst in Tier 2 and Tier 3 restrictions so they can support businesses that are impacted but not required to close.

The Additional Restrictions Grant was provided to Local Authorities as a one-off lump sum discretionary scheme, providing support to businesses severely impacted by restrictions as well as wider business support.

The Christmas support payment for ‘wet-led’ pubs is a one-off grant payment of £1,000 for wet-led pubs in Tier 2 and 3 who have had their trade effected due to localised restrictions during the Christmas period.

Local Restrictions Support Grant (Sector) will provide funding of grants of up to £1,500 every 14 days for businesses mandated to close on a sector basis, such as nightclubs.

This is in conjunction with the extension of the application deadline to the 31 January 2021 for three Coronavirus business interruption loan schemes – the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, the Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme and the Bounce Back Loan Scheme.

Eligible businesses will be able to ‘top up’ existing Bounce Back Loans should they need additional finance.

The government launched its Review of the Gambling Act 2005 on 8 December with the publication of a Call for Evidence. As part of the wide scope of that Review, we have called for evidence on the case for greater controls on the design of online gambling products, including pre-release testing.

We welcome steps taken by technology companies to support people who are experiencing problem gambling. This includes Google’s recently announced plans to allow its users to opt out of gambling advertising.

According to the 2016 Combined Health Survey, the rate of problem gambling among those who had gambled online during the past year was 3.5%. The 2018 Health Survey for England found a problem gambling rate of 4.2% among past-year online gamblers.

The government launched its Review of the Gambling Act 2005 on 8 December with the publication of a Call for Evidence. As part of the wide scope of that Review, we have called for evidence on the case for greater controls on the design of online gambling products, including pre-release testing.

We welcome steps taken by technology companies to support people who are experiencing problem gambling. This includes Google’s recently announced plans to allow its users to opt out of gambling advertising.

According to the 2016 Combined Health Survey, the rate of problem gambling among those who had gambled online during the past year was 3.5%. The 2018 Health Survey for England found a problem gambling rate of 4.2% among past-year online gamblers.

The government meets with the BBC on regular occasions to discuss a wide range of issues, including the over 75 concession. The Government has consistently made clear its disappointment with the BBC's decision to restrict the over 75 licence fee concession to only those in receipt of pension credit. We recognise the value of free TV licences for over-75s and believe they should be funded by the BBC.

The BBC remains responsible for the administration of the concession and it will be responsible for setting out what those affected will need to do. It must look urgently at how it can use its substantial licence fee income to support older people and deliver for UK audiences of all ages.

The department does not hold data to assess the impact of Ofsted ratings on the ability of a school to attract and recruit teachers. However, the number of teachers remains high, with over 453,000 working in schools across the country, which is over 12,000 more than in 2010. This academic year (2020/21), we have provisionally recruited over 41,000 new trainee teachers – 23% more than last year (2019/20). The proportion of schools now rated by Ofsted as Good or Outstanding has also risen from 68% in 2010 to 86% in 2020.

We are moving forward with implementation of the Teacher Recruitment and Retention Strategy which the government published in January 2019. This includes commitments to reduce teacher workload, improve continuing professional development, and provide greater opportunities for flexible working.

Whilst delivering on these commitments will support all schools, we recognise that some schools and local areas face greater challenges with recruitment and retention than others. To supplement the national strategy, we are delivering targeted programmes to support recruitment and retention in challenging areas, including funding a range of regionally targeted initiatives.

The government is also committed to supporting leadership development for schools in challenging contexts so that all pupils receive equal access to excellent teaching. Over £40 million of scholarships funding has been made available between 2017 and 2020 to support teachers and leaders in the areas of the greatest need to take up a National Professional Qualification (NPQ). This funding has successfully supported many more people to access NPQ courses than originally intended, including those in some of our most challenging schools.

Education is a devolved matter, and the response will outline the education reforms for England.

Since 2010, this government has been committed to raising educational standards in all schools across the country to ensure that all young people leave school with the knowledge, qualifications, and skills they need to succeed in life. The proportion of schools now rated by Ofsted as Good or Outstanding has risen from 68% in 2010 to 86% in 2020.

We know that the COVID-19 outbreak poses great challenges to the education system. That is why in June 2020, the Department announced a £1 billion catch-up package, which includes £350 million for the National Tutoring Programme. This will increase access to high-quality tuition for the most disadvantaged young people, helping to accelerate their academic progress and tackle the attainment gap between them and their peers. More recently, in February 2021, we committed a further £700 million of funding for the 2021/22 academic year. This package includes a new one off £302 million Recovery Premium for state primary and secondary schools, building on the Pupil Premium, to further support pupils who need it. The devolved administrations are receiving additional funding through the Barnett formula in the usual way. This funding enables the devolved administrations to deliver support where programmes do not apply across the whole of the UK.

The Government's assessment following the conclusions of all fisheries negotiations for 2021 was delivered in a written ministerial statement to both Houses on 10 June.

The UK looks forward to bilateral discussions with Norway this autumn with a view to concluding fisheries arrangements for 2022. We will develop our negotiation priorities based on the scientific advice and will be engaging stakeholders over the coming months.

In 2018, external purchases of all goods (including agrifood) into Northern Ireland totalled approximately £17 billion. Of that total, £10.4 billion (approximately 60%) came from Great Britain.

At present, the Government estimates that agrifood trade from Great Britain to Northern Ireland totals approximately £2.5–£3.4 billion per annum.

These two metrics cannot be directly compared, but the Government believes that by value, the proportion of goods consignments from the rest of the United Kingdom to Northern Ireland that contain agri-food products could range from approximately one quarter to one third.

As an independent coastal state, the UK has full responsibility over how it ensures compliance in its fisheries. All fishing vessels in UK waters are required to fish in accordance with UK laws and the conditions of their licences. As control and enforcement is a devolved matter, Defra, the Scottish Government, Welsh Government and Northern Irish Executive work together to share information and ensure a coordinated approach to monitoring, compliance and enforcement across UK waters.

In England, the Government has undertaken a significant increase in the number of personnel and surveillance assets relating to fisheries protection with a sizeable increase in personnel, an increase in the number of planes available for aerial surveillance and an increase in the level of at-sea surveillance. This strong presence will deter against fisheries infringements, while also enabling our agencies to take robust action where they may occur. In addition, the Joint Maritime Security Centre has been established to enhance joint working between maritime agencies, increase information sharing across Government and maximise benefit from surveillance assets. This enables a more efficient, effective and prioritised maritime patrol enforcement.

Negotiations are ongoing for a fisheries framework agreement with the EU. To date there have been no direct discussions with the Netherlands or Sweden around future access to British fishing stocks.

In the negotiations, we have been clear throughout that we want a simple, separate fisheries framework agreement which reflects our rights under international law and which provides for annual negotiations over access and fishing opportunities. Any access negotiated with the EU will only cover the UK's exclusive economic zone and not the 0-12nm zone. This remains the case.

On 11 November, the UK signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Iceland to enhance cooperation on fisheries matters. The MoU, which will come into effect on 1 January 2021, establishes a UK-Iceland Fisheries Dialogue whereby both countries can share best practice and cooperate on a range of issues, including product innovation and the traceability and marketing of seafood products. This MoU does not provide for fishing opportunities or access to either party's waters.

As of 1 October 2020, Marine Management Organisation statistics show that there are 2,613 English registered and licenced fishing vessels.

The number of fatal casualties in reported accidents on motorways, dual carriageways, and single carriageways in Great Britain for each year since 2017 can be found in the table below.

There is no obligation for leisure craft owners to report accidents directly to the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) so the data provided to answer this question cannot be considered complete.

Further, unless the accident was fully investigated, it is only possible to state that alcohol was a factor in the accident, not that it was causal.

In the last three years, the MAIB have been notified of eight accidents where alcohol was a factor, none of these accidents required a full investigation.

The Government recognises the challenging circumstances facing the aviation industry as a result of Covid-19 and businesses across the sector can draw upon the unprecedented package of measures announced by the Chancellor. We continue to take a flexible approach and keep all impacts and policies under review.

In total, we estimate that by the end of April 2021 the air transport sector (airlines, airports and related services) will have benefited from around £7 billion of Government support since the start of the pandemic. This includes support through loan guarantees, support for exporters, the Bank of England’s Covid Corporate Financing Facility and the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. The extension of Government-backed loans and furlough payments announced at the budget build on this and will help ensure this vital and vibrant part of the UK economy is ready to bounce back in the wake of the pandemic.

The aviation sector is vital to our future as a global trading nation, playing a critical role in local economies, including in Northern Ireland. The national measures taken in response to COVID-19 have been unprecedented, enabling airlines, airports and ground handlers to benefit from a very significant amount of taxpayer support. This includes, but is not limited to, the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and financing facilities. The Government is also working on a strategic framework for the medium and long-term recovery of the aviation sector in the form of a recovery plan.

Airport policy is devolved to the Northern Ireland Executive (NIE). NIE has provided business rates relief to airports in Northern Ireland worth £2.2 million. NIE are continuing to consider appropriate support for airports in Northern Ireland.

The Government is in regular contact with the aviation sector to understand their passenger forecasts and financial projections, including regarding the impact of COVID-19 over the Christmas period. Airlines are putting in appropriate operations to meet any increase in demand over Christmas, during which the Government have has agreed to lift travel restrictions from 23 – 27 December.

Firms can also continue to draw upon the unprecedented package of measures announced by the Chancellor, including schemes to raise capital, tax deferrals, and the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS).

The Government announced on 5 November that the CJRS will be extended until March 2021 and furloughed employees will continue to receive 80% of their current salary. This will continue to protect jobs across in the UK in the difficult winter months.

The national restrictions as a result of the pandemic have not changed the way we engage regularly with the sector. We continue an open dialogue as we work towards our shared ambition of getting aviation up and running again in a safe and secure way.

Existing powers to disregard redress payments for the purposes of means-tested benefits, which are provided for by the Historical Institutional Abuse Act (Northern Ireland) 2019, only cover claimants living within Northern Ireland.

The Government is currently considering how best to address this issue for those who happen to live elsewhere in the UK.

It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Dissolution. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Throughout Great Britain, the Department for Work and Pensions through the Rapid Response Service (RRS) gives support and advice to employers and their employees when faced with redundancy. This includes those in the retail and hospitality sector.

The range of support available from Jobcentre Plus and partners may include:

• Connecting people to jobs in the labour market.
• Help with job search including CV writing, interview skills, where to find jobs and how to apply for them.
• Help to identify transferable skills and skills gaps (linked to the local labour market)

Moreover, the Government has announced and implemented the Plan for Jobs measures to create, support and protect jobs, and help everyone to find a job, whoever they are and wherever they live in Great Britain.

The Plan for Jobs measures cover support for youth (Kickstart/DWP Youth Offer) including skills and apprenticeships, for individuals recently made unemployed (Job Entry Targeted Support Scheme), as well as support for those who maybe unemployed for over 12 months (Restart).

The package of measures is underpinned by the extra 13,500 work coaches who have been successfully recruited, who can provide personalised support at the point of need.

Employment support is transferred to Northern Ireland, so this support is provided by the Department for Communities in Northern Ireland.

Work is underway to input eligible British citizens’ overseas vaccination data into the existing NHS COVID Pass. The system will only record vaccines that we are confident to recognise. A solution is being launched in England as a pilot from the end of September.

We regularly engage with the devolved administrations to ensure NHS COVID Pass interoperability. Bi-directional live vaccine data flows have been established by NHS Digital with Wales and Scotland, which update both general practitioner records and NHS COVID Pass status. There is currently no data sharing process in place with Northern Ireland, although we are aiming to put this in place as soon as possible.

We have no plans to do so. However, we are exploring interoperability with third-party general practitioner apps which comply with our robust data protection and security commitments.

The first booster vaccine was administered on 16 September 2021 and in the week commencing 20 September 2021 over 1.5 million people were invited for their vaccine.

Booster vaccines will be offered to individuals who received vaccination in phase one of the vaccination programme in priority groups one to nine, including all those aged 16 to 49 years old with underlying health conditions that put them at higher risk of severe COVID-19. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation advises that the dose is offered no earlier than six months after completion of the primary vaccine course, and that the programme should as far as possible be deployed in the same order as phase one.

Information on total diabetes spend is not collected or held centrally as most services for people living with diabetes is commissioned locally.

To date NHS England has invested approximately £120 million of transformation funding into local services to target variation and improve performance in the treatment and care of people living with diabetes since 2017/18.

We maintain an open and regular dialogue with the Government of the United States of America about a range of issues, including diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia.

As well as addressing the immediate challenges of COVID-19, the Government recognises the importance of acting now to create the conditions for an investment-led recovery driven by private sector growth.

Stimulating private sector investment will create jobs, drive innovation, and revitalise local areas and regions across the UK. This is central to the Government’s plan to secure a strong recovery and the Budget announced a package of measures to achieve this, including the new super-deduction to support business investment.

The Office for National Statistics, as part of the Quarterly National Accounts, published revised outturn figures for business investment in Q1 2021. In real and seasonally-adjusted terms, business investment fell by 10.7 per cent (£5.4 billion) in Q1 2021 compared to the previous quarter, or by 16.9 per cent (£9.2 billion) compared to Q1 2020.

At Spring Budget 2021, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), which produces forecasts on the economy and public finances, revised upwardly the medium-term business investment outlook, expecting a return to its pre-crisis level in Q2 2022.

In the March 2021 Economic and Fiscal Outlook, the OBR highlighted the potential impact of the super deduction:

“As a temporary measure, it provides companies with a very strong incentive to bring forward investment from future periods to take advantage of the temporarily much more generous allowances. We assume that at its peak in 2022-23, this will raise the level of business investment by around 10 per cent (equivalent to around £20 billion a year) as spending is brought forward.”

The Northern Ireland Protocol is clear that Northern Ireland is fully part of the UK’s customs territory. As such, there should be no tariffs on internal UK trade and tariffs should only be charged if goods are destined for Ireland or the EU Single Market more broadly, or if there is a genuine and substantial risk of them ending up there. Traders are able to declare goods ‘not at risk’ and therefore face no duty if their goods are for sale to, or final use by, end consumers located in the UK that are brought into Northern Ireland by a trader authorised under the UK Trader Scheme.

The Government has also made full use of provisions in the Protocol to waive tariffs on goods moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, even where they are classified as ‘at risk’ of entering the EU market. In addition, the Government will establish a reimbursement scheme for goods that attract a tariff, but which can subsequently be shown to have remained in the UK customs territory.

In order to help traders moving goods, the Government has also provided £270 million to support businesses trading between Great Britain and Northern Ireland through the Trader Support Service. More than 39,000 traders have registered for this free to use service which provides education for traders and can complete customs declarations on their behalf.

The Government announced at Budget 2021 that the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) will continue until September, with a fourth and a final fifth grant. This provides certainty to business as the economy reopens and means the SEISS will continue to be one of the most generous schemes for the self-employed in the world.

The fourth SEISS grant was available to claim from late April to 1 June, and was worth 80% of average trading profits, paid out in a single instalment covering three months’ worth of annual profits, and capped at £7,500 in total.

The fifth and final SEISS grant, covering May to September, will include a turnover test  in order to ensure that the most generous support is targeted at those who need it most. This will determine whether individuals can continue to receive a grant worth 80% of three months’ average trading profits, capped at £7,500 or a 30% grant, capped at £2,850.

Further, the SEISS is just one element of a substantial package of support for the self-employed. At Budget, the temporary £20 per week increase to the Universal Credit standard allowance was extended for six months, and the Government also extended the suspension of the Minimum Income Floor for three months, to the end of July 2021, so that where self-employed claimants' earnings have fallen significantly, their Universal Credit award can continue to take into account their lower earnings. In addition to this, they may also have access to other elements of the package, including Restart Grants, the Recovery Loan scheme, business rates relief, and other business support schemes.

Following the Coronavirus outbreak, the Government worked quickly with lenders and financial regulators to give people access to payment holidays on their mortgages. This gives customers a much-needed respite period, where no repayments on these products are due. It was necessary to bring this temporary measure in, in order to give customers time to smooth out their finances that may have taken a hit by the pandemic. As borrowers still requiring assistance after 31 October could be in serious financial distress the FCA believe it is right that lenders are able to understand their financial position in order to lend responsibly

The FCA published guidance on mortgage payment holidays on 14 September setting out that firms should continue to provide support through tailored forbearance options for those borrowers that are facing ongoing financial difficulties. This could include granting new mortgage payment holidays. As part of this guidance any forbearance granted beyond 31 October will be reflected on the consumer’s credit file in the usual manner.

The Government also has support in place for qualifying borrowers that cannot afford their mortgage interest. Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) provides financial help to homeowners who qualify for an income related benefit. Claimants must be in receipt of Universal Credit for nine assessment periods (nine months), before receiving support through the SMI scheme. The loan is then repayable upon sale of the property. The primary purpose of SMI is to enable people to stay in their homes without fear of repossession.

The Home Office collects and publishes data on the size and composition of the police workforce in England and Wales on a biannual basis in the ‘Police workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin, available here: Police workforce England and Wales statistics - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

The latest officer numbers were released in the publication covering the situation as at 30 September 2020. Data covering the situation as at 31 March 2020 and previous years are available in open data format here: Police workforce open data tables - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

The number of police officers (full time-equivalent, FTE) in the 43 territorial England and Wales forces as at 30 September 2019 is provided in the table below.

While the ‘Police workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin remains the key measure of the size of the police workforce, as part of the Police Officer Uplift Programme, the Home Office also publishes a quarterly update on the number of officers (headcount) in England and Wales. Data are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-officer-uplift-statistics

The Home Office collects and publishes data on the size and composition of the police workforce in England and Wales on a biannual basis in the ‘Police workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin, available here: Police workforce England and Wales statistics - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

The latest officer numbers were released in the publication covering the situation as at 30 September 2020. Data covering the situation as at 31 March 2020 and previous years are available in open data format here: Police workforce open data tables - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

The number of police officers (full time-equivalent, FTE) in the 43 territorial England and Wales forces as at 30 September 2020 is provided in the table below:

While the ‘Police workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin remains the key measure of the size of the police workforce, as part of the Police Officer Uplift Programme, the Home Office also publishes a quarterly update on the number of officers (headcount) in England and Wales. Data are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-officer-uplift-statistics

The Home Office collects and publishes data on the size and composition of the police workforce in England and Wales on a biannual basis in the ‘Police workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin, available here: Police workforce England and Wales statistics - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

The latest police community support officer numbers were released in the publication covering the situation as at 30 September 2020. Data covering the situation as at 31 March 2020 and previous years are available in open data format here: Police workforce open data tables - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

The number of police community support officers (full time-equivalent, FTE) in the 43 territorial England and Wales forces as at 30 September 2020 is provided in the table below:

While the ‘Police workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin remains the key measure of the size of the police workforce, as part of the Police Officer Uplift Programme, the Home Office also publishes a quarterly update on the number of officers (headcount) in England and Wales. Data are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-officer-uplift-statistics

The Home Office collects and publishes data on the size and composition of the police workforce in England and Wales on a biannual basis in the ‘Police workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin, available here: Police workforce England and Wales statistics - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

The latest officer numbers were released in the publication covering the situation as at 30 September 2020. Data covering the situation as at 31 March 2020 and previous years are available in open data format here: Police workforce open data tables - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Total officer numbers are collected and published twice each year covering the situation as at 31 March and 30 September. Data covering officer rank, however, is collected only once and covers the situation as at 31 March.

The number of police constables (full time-equivalent, FTE) in the 43 territorial England and Wales forces as at 31 March 2020 is provided in the table below:

While the ‘Police workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin remains the key measure of the size of the police workforce, as part of the Police Officer Uplift Programme, the Home Office also publishes a quarterly update on the number of officers (headcount) in England and Wales. Data are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-officer-uplift-statistics

I refer the noble Lord to the reply I gave on 2 September 2021 to Question HL2389 to the noble Lord, Lord Taylor of Warwick.

As at 10 September 2021, 87% of UK Armed Forces personnel had received at least one COVID vaccination and 67% were fully vaccinated. Given the age profile of our personnel, these rates are slightly ahead of comparable statistics for the general population. Defence continues to work to improve COVID vaccine uptake for all eligible personnel.

We are committed to the mental health and wellbeing of our Service personnel and recognise that Service life can cause stress. All Regular Service personnel are supported by dedicated medical services including mental health support. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) also provides a 24-hour mental health helpline for Serving personnel and their families to provide support for any mental health problems anytime, anywhere.

The available evidence indicates that the mental health of the Armed Forces is broadly comparable to that of the general population and we are working with the single Services, Defence Medical Services, and others to promote good mental fitness and breakdown stigma. As a supplement to existing provision, in April 2020 the MOD, in partnership with The Royal Foundation, launched HeadFIT, a mental fitness tool to support the Armed Forces community.

A copy of the list showing the land and buildings that are in the process of being disposed of by the Ministry of Defence has been placed in the Library of the House. The majority of these sites are still occupied whilst being prepared for disposal. However, 25 part or whole sites are currently vacant and have been physically handed over to Defence Infrastructure Organisation for disposal.

Whilst the Ministry of Defence records the medical employability and deployability of Service personnel, more specific information about the level of sickness absence in the Armed Forces is not held centrally. As at 1 June 2020, medical employability for the trained UK Armed Forces was 98 per cent.