Lord Lipsey

We want all LGBT people to be free to be themselves and remain committed to banning conversion therapy. The ban on conversion therapy will protect everyone and will apply to attempts to change a person to or from being transgender.

Under our proposals, people who are transgender or are exploring their transgender status, including under 18s, will remain able to access the support they need from qualified health professionals without change. Parents and teachers will, of course, continue to be able to have conversations with young people or others about whether they are transgender or not. It is important that people are able to have open and explorative conversations that allow them to come to the right decision for themselves.

We will work with the relevant authorities to ensure that our legislative interventions operate effectively.

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

Dear Lord Lipsey,

As Head of the Office for Statistics Regulation and Director General for Regulation at the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking what requests for assessment of compliance with the Code of Practice for Statistics have been made under section 12(1) of the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 in respect of statistics relating to the COVID-19 pandemic (HL8482).

?To date, no requests for assessment have been made under section 12(1) of the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 relating to COVID-19 statistics[1]. The Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) established a short series of rapid reviews to provide timely, independent reassurance and challenge on some key statistics that were developed in response to the pandemic. The outcomes of those 12 reviews are available on the OSR website[2].

Yours sincerely

Ed Humpherson

[1]A formal request for assessment made under section 12(1) of the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 is just one way for the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) to exercise its statutory powers. Re-assessments of existing National Statistics are carried out proactively by OSR under section 14(1) of the Act. In addition, for example, OSR carries out larger-scale reviews of systemic issues, shorter compliance checks and responds to correspondence about official statistics. OSR received three section 12(1) requests for assessment in 2019, and has received two requests to date in 2020, none of which related to COVID-19 statistics.

[2]https://osr.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/covid-19-changes-to-statistics/#osr-endorsements-of-new-statistical-outputs-during-covid-19-outbreak

Ahead of the Bill’s introduction, the Government engaged with parliamentary parties, and electoral administrator representatives, and there was general acceptance of an 8-year cycle.

The Official Receiver is a statutory office holder whose role is set out in legislation, primarily the Insolvency Act 1986. The operational practice of the Official Receiver, with regard to all matters in which an Official Receiver is appointed, is kept under review to reflect developments in legislation and case law.

On 29 December, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education announced that primary schools in 50 local authorities across London and the South East would remain closed to all but children of critical workers and vulnerable children for the first two weeks of term. 23 of London’s 33 boroughs were included in this initial decision. On 1 January, in light of the rapidly changing situation, we extended these restrictions to cover all 33 London Boroughs.

In considering which areas may be suitable for primary restrictions under our contingency framework, the department worked closely with Public Health England, the Joint Biosecurity Centre, NHS Test & Trace and the Department for Health and Social Care using the most recent data available. We used a balanced approach rather than simple threshold cut-offs and took all factors into account, but with particular focus on: very high rates of infection; particularly high increases in seven-day case rates; and intelligence about pressure on the NHS.

These were not easy decisions to make, but they were made according to the best clinical advice and the criteria set out in the COVID-19 Winter Plan, which are:

- Case detection rates in all age groups;

- Case detection rates in all the over 60s;

- The rate at which cases are rising or falling;

- Positivity rate; and

- Pressure on the NHS.

The national lockdown announced on 4 January replaced the restrictions that had been active in some primary schools under the contingency framework. We will be continually reviewing the restrictions on schools, colleges and universities to ensure that children can return to school when the pressures are easing on the NHS.

These decisions do not suggest that schools and colleges are no longer safe places. Instead, limiting attendance is about reducing the number of contacts that all of us have with people in other households.

The Government currently has no plans to introduce number plates for cyclists. The absence of a number plate does not prevent a cyclist from being liable for their actions. For those who do not adopt a responsible attitude, or if their use of the highway creates an unsafe environment, there are laws in place that can make them liable for prosecution. Enforcement of cycling offences is a matter for the police.

It is a long-standing requirement to return the previous driving licence to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) when a new licence has been issued. This helps to reduce the number of previous driving licences in circulation and to ensure that drivers only have one licence at any time. This requirement is currently under consideration.

No specific estimate has been made of the annual cost to customers to return their previous driving licence.

Entitlement to a Winter Fuel Payment is based on the circumstances of the household which the claimant has reported as their permanent address. Claimants of benefits, pensions and Winter Fuel Payments have an obligation to report relevant changes to the Department, including changes of address and (where material to entitlement) changes to their household make-up.

Lowering the cap from £86,000 to £35,000, while all other parameters remain unchanged, would double the estimated additional state spend for reform on older adults in 2027/28, when modelled in 2021/22 prices.

This information is not collected in the format requested. NHS Digital collects data on recipients of long-term care aged 65 years old and over who are supported by local authorities. However, its data collection does not differentiate between those who are funded in whole and those who are funded in part by their local authority.

The data is not available in the format requested. From 2015 NHS Digital collected data the number of new Deferred Payment Agreements (DPAs) agreed during the year and the total number of outstanding DPAs at the end of the year on a voluntary basis. In 2016-17 the collection became part mandatory and later fully mandatory in 2017-18. However, this data does not include the total number of DPAs concluded, therefore does not confirm how many people used a DPA on an annual basis.

Approximately half of all older adults receive some state support for their personal care costs under the current system. This will rise to nearly two-thirds of adults following the implementation of the reforms announced on 7 September. An impact assessment setting out the costs and benefits of social care charging reform will be published in due course.

Nursing services provided or funded by the National Health Service are not subject to a financial assessment and contribution by the individual. NHS-funded nursing care will not count towards the £86,000 cap on social care costs due to be introduced in October 2023.

No assessment has been made on the impact on receipts of the Gambling Commission’s proposals, which are currently subject to consultation.

As is the case with all taxes, the revenue from gambling taxation is subject to constant evaluation.