Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.
e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.
If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.
If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).
These initiatives were driven by Adam Afriyie, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.
MPs who are act as Ministers or Shadow Ministers are generally restricted from performing Commons initiatives other than Urgent Questions.
Adam Afriyie has not been granted any Urgent Questions
Adam Afriyie has not been granted any Adjournment Debates
The Bill failed to complete its passage through Parliament before the end of the session. This means the Bill will make no further progress.
Adam Afriyie has not co-sponsored any Bills in the current parliamentary sitting
Government has taken steps to embed beauty, design and placemaking in the planning system in response to the recommendations of the Building Better Building Beautiful Commission. This includes revisions to national planning policy and guidance. The Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill also requires locally developed design codes, which set clear rules about what development must look like. The Office for Place will support communities in turning their visions of beautiful design into a reality.
Six months is the minimum period of sponsorship – and the Government will support sponsors including with ‘thank you’ payments for up to 12 months. We are considering how we can best support people beyond the Home For Ukraine scheme.
The agreement at COP26 made significant progress on adaptation, including the immediate launch of the Glasgow-Sharm el Sheikh work programme to deliver on the Global Goal on Adaptation. This is a significant step forward which will deliver action to reduce vulnerability, strengthen resilience and increase the capacity of people and the planet to adapt to the impacts of climate change.
Developed countries also agreed to at least double their collective provision of climate finance for adaptation to developing countries by 2025. Under our Presidency year we will work with Parties to make progress on both of these areas.
Environmental and social policy costs currently represent 8% of the average dual fuel bill, however, they have actually saved consumers money on their energy bills overall over the past 10 years.
The Government’s investments in renewables and energy efficiency have led to a 26% fall in UK demand for natural gas since 2010, helping to reduce our exposure to global price volatility.
Furthermore, the Government has announced a package of support measures, totalling over £37 billion this year, including a £400 grant to households to help with their energy bills when it will be needed most.
The Government’s £385m Advanced Nuclear Fund includes funding for an Advanced Modular Reactor Research, Development & Demonstration Programme which aims to enable a High Temperature Gas Reactor (HTGR) demonstration by the early 2030s to understand the potential of the technology. The Government’s decision to pursue HTGR technology was informed by publicly available reports and a technical assessment of advanced modular reactors.
The Government has also announced £210m of funding to support development of the Rolls-Royce Small Modular Reactor design. This has been matched by private investment. The work will further develop the design and enable it to undergo the first two of three stages of regulatory assessment.
In order to strengthen UK domestic vaccine capacity, as part of our response to COVID-19 and indeed potential future health emergencies, the Vaccine Taskforce (VTF) is actively working with industry to explore opportunities to build upon the £380 million the Government has already invested in UK vaccine manufacturing infrastructure and skills.
In the Autumn Budget, my Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer announced a further £354 million for UK life sciences manufacturing. This includes specific funding to increase the UK’s responsiveness and ability to manufacture vaccines, in particular mRNA capability following the success of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines. Funding has also been provided for the VTF to strengthen the resilience of the UK’s vaccine supply chains.
In England, cafes and restaurants can remain open for takeaway and deliveries. This means that customers can enter the premises to place and collect their order. COVID-secure businesses can continue to sell goods online or via click-and-collect. If a business is able to trade goods in a COVID-secure manner while following the new national restrictions, and all of the other trade requirements behind selling another good, they can. For example, a cafe could sell ceramic mugs to customers.
Off licenses and licensed shops selling alcohol, including breweries, are permitted to remain open during the new national restrictions in place from 5 November.
The Government recognises the contribution that horse racing makes to our sporting culture and in particular to the rural economy.
The Gambling Act Review is wide-ranging and aims to ensure that the regulation of gambling is fit for the digital age. We will publish a White Paper setting out our conclusions and next steps in the coming weeks, with appropriate consideration of impacts being made at all stages.
Wraysbury, Eton, Old Windsor and the Windsor constituency fall within areas that are commercially active. Currently 95.5% of the constituency of Windsor have access to Superfast broadband, which is only slightly below the UK average of 96.7%.
An Openreach Superfast contract has been completed to increase the provision of full-fibre broadband to residents and businesses in Windsor. A Gigaclear contract is also in progress and moving forwards, having previously been held up by a wayleave for Windsor Great Park.
Windsor constituents have made use of the national Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme too, having applied for 52 vouchers worth more than £102k. Up to £210 million is available through the new UK Gigabit Voucher, launched on 8 April for any eligible homes or businesses.
Following the launch of Project Gigabit in March, the government will begin the roll out of gigabit-capable broadband to hard-to-reach places in the UK. East Berkshire is part of Lot 26 in phase 2 and Building Digital UK will begin a rolling Open Market Review (OMR) process from June 2021 to give us a national view of commercial build plans for the following three years.
Telecoms providers will be asked to provide existing and planned coverage at an individual premise level and we will use this information, following appropriate due diligence, to create a complete picture of forecast gigabit-capable infrastructure coverage for the UK. The OMR process will validate and update existing maps to account for any amendments to existing coverage and/or plans for broadband infrastructure.
The OMR will be followed by a Public Review to ensure that the views of anyone involved in network building are captured and considered. This will be publicised via Gov.uk and the local authority website.
Wraysbury, Eton, Old Windsor and the Windsor constituency fall within areas that are commercially active. Currently 95.5% of the constituency of Windsor have access to Superfast broadband, which is only slightly below the UK average of 96.7%.
An Openreach Superfast contract has been completed to increase the provision of full-fibre broadband to residents and businesses in Windsor. A Gigaclear contract is also in progress and moving forwards, having previously been held up by a wayleave for Windsor Great Park.
Windsor constituents have made use of the national Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme too, having applied for 52 vouchers worth more than £102k. Up to £210 million is available through the new UK Gigabit Voucher, launched on 8 April for any eligible homes or businesses.
Following the launch of Project Gigabit in March, the government will begin the roll out of gigabit-capable broadband to hard-to-reach places in the UK. East Berkshire is part of Lot 26 in phase 2 and Building Digital UK will begin a rolling Open Market Review (OMR) process from June 2021 to give us a national view of commercial build plans for the following three years.
Telecoms providers will be asked to provide existing and planned coverage at an individual premise level and we will use this information, following appropriate due diligence, to create a complete picture of forecast gigabit-capable infrastructure coverage for the UK. The OMR process will validate and update existing maps to account for any amendments to existing coverage and/or plans for broadband infrastructure.
The OMR will be followed by a Public Review to ensure that the views of anyone involved in network building are captured and considered. This will be publicised via Gov.uk and the local authority website.
Sports and physical activity are incredibly important for our physical and mental health, and are a vital weapon against coronavirus. That’s why we made sure that people could exercise at least once a day even during the height of lockdown - and why we opened up grassroots sport and leisure facilities as soon as it was safe to do so.
Nobody wanted to be in the position of having to introduce further National Restrictions. However as the Prime Minister said, with the virus spreading faster than expected we cannot allow our health system to be overwhelmed. Therefore, from Thursday 5 November until Wednesday 2 December indoor and outdoor leisure will need to close. The National Restrictions are designed to get the R rate under control through limiting social contact and reducing transmissions.
In order for these measures to have the greatest impact, we will all need to sacrifice doing some things that we would otherwise like to do, for a short period of time. We have not introduced further exemptions because when you unpick at one activity the effectiveness of the whole package is compromised. As soon as we're in a position to start lifting restrictions, grassroots sports will be one of the first to return.
The government believes that freedom of speech and academic freedom are fundamental pillars of our higher education (HE) system and that protecting these principles should be a priority for universities.
The Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill, introduced on 12 May 2021, will strengthen existing freedom of speech duties and directly address gaps within the existing law. This includes the fact there is no clear way of enforcing the current law when an HE provider breaches it, as well as applying the duties directly to students’ unions and constituent colleges including those at the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge. The Bill introduces a role on the Office for Students board, with responsibility for overseeing its strengthened duties to promote freedom of speech and investigate where potential breaches of the duties occur.
The changes will introduce clear consequences for breaches of the new duties and ensure that these principles are upheld.
The Bill will reach report stage in the House of Commons shortly.
On Saturday 31 October 2020, my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister, announced new national restrictions from Thursday 5 November 2020 until Wednesday 2 December 2020 to control the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak. On 4 November 2020, the Department for Education published guidance for schools and nurseries regarding the impact of these restrictions. The guidance can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/education-and-childcare-settings-new-national-restrictions-from-5-november-2020.
The Government continues to prioritise the wellbeing and long-term futures of children and young people and will not be closing early years settings, schools, further education colleges or universities.
The Government is committed to all pupils receiving a high-quality education. Music, including one-to-one lessons, can be undertaken in school, college, or university so long as safety precautions are undertaken.
Advice is provided in the full opening guidance which sets out how teaching music can be conducted safely in schools. This includes visits by peripatetic teachers for the purposes of one-to-one music lessons, such as tutors from music education hubs.
Where provision is taking place before or after the school day, this should only operate where the provision is reasonably necessary to enable parents to work, search for work, or attend education or training, or where the provision is used for the purposes of respite care, including for vulnerable children.
Out-of-school activities that are primarily used by home educating parents as part of their arrangements for their child to receive a suitable full-time education (which could include, for example, private tutors, tuition centres, supplementary schools) may also continue to operate.
All other out of school activities, not being primarily used by parents for these purposes, should close for face to face provision but can offer remote education for the duration of the national restrictions.
The Department for Education's EdTech Strategy, 'Realising the potential of technology in education', aims to support educational providers to embed and use technology effectively to support teacher workload reductions, cost savings and improved student outcomes. This includes supporting schools and colleges to spread best practice in effective technology use through our Demonstrator Programme, which is due to launch in the Spring.
The Demonstrator Programme will help tech enabled schools and colleges to provide peer-to-peer support to other schools to help them use technology in the most effective way.
The Government is committed to ensuring our regulatory regime for wine and spirits supports innovation and growth in the market. This work sits alongside the Government's ambitious trade agenda that is opening up preferential market access and removing tariffs for our world-renowned products like Scotch whisky.
We have already rolled back unnecessary EU red tape by removing the requirement for VI-1 certification for wine imports, saving businesses money while ensuring high levels of consumer assurance. We are now working with the wine and spirits sectors to identify other legislative barriers to competitiveness and growth. We intend to continue the process of removing or reforming burdensome retained EU law over the coming months to further promote growth in the sector.
The Government also announced last year that we would boost the UK’s export capability by recruiting new agri-food and drink attachés. Their work will benefit the wine and spirit industry by maintaining and increasing lucrative access to high-potential overseas markets.
This Government will maintain the total investment in the farming sector throughout this parliament. In England, the budget of £2.4 billion per year is being re-purposed in a way that will support farmer’s resilience and food security for years to come.
By gradually phasing out the untargeted Basic Payments of the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy, and replacing them with a flexible range of targeted grants and ongoing payments for farmers, we are increasing the level of support available for delivering on the priorities of farm productivity, environment, climate and animal health and welfare. All the money coming out of Basic Payment Scheme will go back into the sector each year, there will be no gap in investment.
We are not fixing allocations of ring-fenced money for schemes, as happened under the EU, but will learn and respond to demand and developments from the sector – keeping the spread of investment under review over time.
We have already seen uptake and enthusiasm from farmers in certain areas and have been able to adapt flexibly to this demand. For example, the budget for the new Farming Equipment and Technology fund was increased to account for high demand. As a result, more than 4,000 farmers can invest in new equipment and technology, supporting and improving domestic food production.
Defra has recently released further information on the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) - designed to help farmers move to new alternative sustainable farming methods gradually, improving environmental conditions of the land, whilst building the long-term resilience of our food security and production.
The SFI is one of three new schemes under Environmental Land Management which will maintain productive land, delivering for both farmers and the environment.
Our schemes will ensure our long-term food security by investing in the foundations of food production: healthy soil; water; and biodiverse ecosystems.
The Government continues to monitor the wider context of global supplies that we know can impact farm income and productivity, as well as food security. The Secretary of State recently announced several other measures to support our farmers in the current uncertainty, notably regarding the use of urea fertiliser - helping farmers manage their costs better, as well as improving the statutory guidance for the use of slurry.
I recently launched and chaired the first session of a new industry fertiliser roundtable, aiming to work through issues regarding slurry to develop our understanding of current pressures on farmers and identify solutions. The Fertiliser Taskforce is just one example of where the Government is working with closely with industry to improve market confidence - providing farmers with the information needed to make business decisions, in these challenging times.
Defra regularly engages with farming stakeholders including representative organisations, such as the National Farmers Union and Nature Friendly Farming Network, as well as individual farmers and growers.
In 2021, the Government consulted on the draft National Action Plan for the sustainable use of pesticides (NAP) which sets out the ambition to further minimise the risks and impacts of pesticides to human health and the environment. We received 38,500 responses to this consultation. This included responses from a range of farming stakeholders.
We are planning further engagement with a wide range of key stakeholders, including those from the farming sector, as we prepare to finalise the NAP and in the development of future environmental land management schemes, including the Sustainable Farming Incentive.
Zoonotic infections threaten both human and animal health. For zoonotic diseases, we have systems in place to detect and manage outbreaks, for both endemic (those that are already found in the UK) and exotic infections, collaborating closely with the public health agencies.
For Salmonella for example, we have well established National Control Programmes in the poultry sector to protect public health. These mandate regular testing for Salmonella followed by appropriate measures to help control the risk where flocks are found to be positive.
The Animal and Plant Health Agency's scanning surveillance programme is set up to detect a wide range of animal-related disease threats through diagnostic service and the networks of expertise in its Species Expert Groups.
We also carry out horizon scanning for infections not yet in the UK. This helps us prepare for possible future incursions, through the Animal and Plant Health Agency's International Disease Monitoring programme and through collaborative work with UK public health bodies in the Human and Animal Infection and Risk Surveillance group. This group assesses new and emerging infections and advises on suitable mitigations and controls that may be necessary to protect public health.
Defra has an England Disease Contingency Plan for exotic notifiable diseases and our disease control plans are exercised regularly. The contingency plan outlines how we would work with other Government agencies and departments to control zoonotic diseases as well as those which only affect livestock. This is being put to use at the moment, through our response to avian influenza outbreaks.
We have also allocated £200 million to the Animal and Plant Health Agency science campus at Weybridge, as part of previously announced funding in these facilities. This substantial investment recognises the essential role of this government capability, as the first stage of a long term programme of work to safeguard and enhance facilities. This will enable its world-leading scientists to continue at the forefront of research and policy to protect people, the environment and the economy, by boosting our resilience and strengthening our understanding of health risks to, and from, animals and plants.
According to the regulations you may leave your home for the purpose of caring for or exercising your pet and other animals you own or keep. It is acceptable to leave your home where this is reasonably necessary for animal welfare reasons. Veterinary practices, pet shops and dog grooming salons are not on the list of businesses that are required to close.
Travelling to a boarding kennel or cattery to admit or collect your pet also meets the conditions whereby you are allowed to leave your home when reasonably necessary for animal welfare reasons. Equally, pet owners could ask if the boarding kennel or cattery could bring their pet back home to them.
The Canine and Feline Sector Group has issued advice for pet businesses, including dog and other pet groomers, and animal boarding establishments, on how to operate safely within the new restrictions; this includes a protocol for the handover of pets. All admission and return of pets should be by appointment only to ensure social distancing can be applied. Some providers will operate a collection and drop-off service.
The Government is investing a record £5.2 billion of capital funding in the flood and coastal defence programme from 2021-27. As well as central Government funding there are a number of other funding sources for flood and coastal erosion risk management. Partnership funding can be secured from a range of sources including through local levy, local beneficiaries, partners and growth funds. The Environment Agency (EA) may issue levies to the lead local flood authority for an area (local levy) subject to approval of the relevant Regional Flood and Coastal Committee. In 2018/19, £35.5 million of local levy funding was raised by the EA in this way.
Coastal authorities may carry out coast protection work in accordance with a works scheme under the Coast Protection Act 1949. This Act provides coastal authorities with powers to levy coast protection charges from those with an interest in the land that would benefit from the coast protection works.
The Government published a long-term Policy Statement in July 2020 setting out our ambition to create a nation more resilient to future flood and coastal erosion risk. The Policy Statement includes more than 40 actions which we will take to?accelerate progress to?better protect and better prepare the country against flooding and coastal erosion in the face of more frequent extreme weather as a result of climate change.
As part of this, the Government has committed to consider options to expand and promote the use of local powers which local authorities can access to secure additional funding to manage flood and coastal erosion risk. We have also committed to explore the actions which the Government can take to support the right conditions for local investment where there is appetite to do so.
We recognise and appreciate our dedicated farmers who continue to work tirelessly during this challenging time to keep our nation fed.
Public health remains the UK's top priority, which is why we make changes to the Travel Corridor list as necessary.
Those arriving from countries not included on the flight corridor exemption list - except for those travellers exempt from UK border rules - must self-isolate for 14 days upon their return.
Farmers and farm workers are not included in this exemption list and must therefore self-isolate. However, there are special arrangements in place for seasonal horticultural workers that enables them to go straight to the farm where they are working and commence work immediately whilst self-isolating.
Relevant guidance outlining this advice can be found here:
Travel corridors:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-travel-corridors
Travellers exempt from border rules in the UK:
Government is continuing to work closely with the waste industry, including operators of incineration and EFW plants such as Lakeside, to understand the impact of Covid-19 on the sector and to provide the necessary and appropriate support to ensure the provision of services.
The Chancellor announced unprecedented support for businesses in general, including a Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, deferral of VAT payments for firms until the end of June and £330 billion of Government-backed and guaranteed loans including a Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme.
Early in the pandemic, Defra worked with the waste industry to develop an online platform to facilitate the sharing of resources between local authorities and commercial operators. The platform, WasteSupport, was launched on 16 April. In addition, the Environment Agency has been taking a proportionate approach to regulation and published a number of COVID-19 Regulatory Position Statements, to address specific concerns around compliance with permit conditions, for instance on exceeding waste storage limits at permitted sites. These can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/covid-19-regulatory-position-statements
Throughout the outbreak, we have worked closely with the NHS to monitor the position in relation to clinical waste. We have clear, sensible contingency plans in place and continue to keep the position under review.
Defra has worked with local government, other Government departments and the waste industry to produce and publish guidance to help local authorities manage their waste collection services and household waste recycling centres (HWRCs) during the Covid-19 outbreak. The guidance on reopening HWRCs was developed in conjunction with Public Health England and the Home Office and sets out how to operate HWRCs in a way that protects human health while?maintaining safe systems of working. The HWRC guidance is available at:
Since publication of our guidance nearly all local authorities are now able to offer a HWRC service and local householders can make trips to these sites as needed.?Weekly surveys indicate that, due to the hard work of those in the sector, nearly all English authorities are operating household waste collections as normal, with only a small percentage reporting minor disruption.
The Minister for Regional Growth and I wrote to local authorities on 5 May to thank those working to deliver waste services during the Covid-19 outbreak for the vital role they are playing in protecting the environment, public amenity and people’s health. We wrote a further letter on 28 June asking local authorities to ensure that as much access as possible is provided to HWRC services where this can be done safely.
The Government is investing a record £2.6 billion from 2015-2021 to better protect 300,000 homes in England from flooding, and £1bn to maintain existing defences. Since 2015 some 600 new schemes are already providing better protection to over 200,000 homes across the country. The level of funding for flood defences beyond 2021 will be decided as part of a future Budget settlement, and will be informed by a range of evidence and forecasts, including the Environment Agency’s Long Term Investment Scenarios report.
The Government is investing a record £2.6 billion from 2015-2021 to better protect 300,000 homes in England from flooding, and £1bn to maintain existing defences. Since 2015 some 600 new schemes are already providing better protection to over 200,000 homes across the country. The level of funding for flood defences beyond 2021 will be decided as part of a future Budget settlement, and will be informed by a range of evidence and forecasts, including the Environment Agency’s Long Term Investment Scenarios report.
Our trade agreements are unlocking new opportunities for our agriculture, food and drink sector. DIT recently launched an Export Support Service, where UK businesses can get answers to practical questions about exporting to Europe. Our ‘Open Doors’ campaign offers a wide range of support for businesses, including those in Windsor and Berkshire, who want to start exporting or expand into new markets. The campaign includes exporting masterclasses, a flagship agriculture mentoring programme and support to match producers with international buyers across the globe.
Our trade agreements are unlocking new opportunities for our agriculture, food and drink sector. DIT recently launched an Export Support Service, where UK businesses can get answers to practical questions about exporting to Europe. Our ‘Open Doors’ campaign offers a wide range of support for businesses, including those in Windsor and Berkshire, who want to start exporting or expand into new markets. The campaign includes exporting masterclasses, a flagship agriculture mentoring programme and support to match producers with international buyers across the globe.
The changes to The Highway Code to help improve road safety for people walking, cycling and horse riding are being communicated in two phases:
Both phases of the campaign include a significant media spend, utilising channels such as radio, digital audio and social media advertising.
The airspace modernisation programme is a critical national infrastructure project that aims to deliver quicker, quieter and cleaner journeys to the benefit of all airspace users and those impacted, including communities.
Engagement with all relevant stakeholders, including communities, is an important part of the airspace change process and is crucial to the success of the airspace modernisation programme. It is the responsibility of every airspace change sponsor (usually an airport or Air Navigation Service Provider (ANSP)) to ensure engagement meets the needs of local stakeholders.
CAP1616 - the Civil Aviation Authority’s airspace change approvals process - must be followed by all sponsors of airspace change proposals. This process gives communities the opportunity to comment on, and influence, airspace changes. Airport Consultative Committees should be consulted on all airspace change proposals where there is potential for a significant impact on the likely level of noise disturbance and are another way of engaging with communities.
The majority of sponsors in the programme are currently at Stage 2 of the CAP1616 process. At this stage, each sponsor develops and undertakes an initial appraisal of the impacts of a number of different airspace options. We expect all sponsors to submit initial airspace change options to the CAA for sign-off within the next 12 months.
Once approved by the CAA, each sponsor will move to Stage 3. It is at this stage that sponsors will undertake a full options appraisal before undertaking a formal public consultation with all interested stakeholders, including local communities. We expect that the majority of sponsors will be in a position to consult publicly from 2023 onwards.
To ensure that consultation is meaningful and accessible to all stakeholders, advice on engagement has been published, and consultation documents and engagement plans will need to be approved by the CAA before consultation can begin.
Through this and the CAP1616 requirements, there are suitable measures already in place to ensure communities are supported where appropriate.
The airspace modernisation programme is a critical national infrastructure project that aims to deliver quicker, quieter and cleaner journeys to the benefit of all airspace users and those impacted, including communities.
Engagement with all relevant stakeholders, including communities, is an important part of the airspace change process and is crucial to the success of the airspace modernisation programme. It is the responsibility of every airspace change sponsor (usually an airport or Air Navigation Service Provider (ANSP)) to ensure engagement meets the needs of local stakeholders.
CAP1616 - the Civil Aviation Authority’s airspace change approvals process - must be followed by all sponsors of airspace change proposals. This process gives communities the opportunity to comment on, and influence, airspace changes. Airport Consultative Committees should be consulted on all airspace change proposals where there is potential for a significant impact on the likely level of noise disturbance and are another way of engaging with communities.
The majority of sponsors in the programme are currently at Stage 2 of the CAP1616 process. At this stage, each sponsor develops and undertakes an initial appraisal of the impacts of a number of different airspace options. We expect all sponsors to submit initial airspace change options to the CAA for sign-off within the next 12 months.
Once approved by the CAA, each sponsor will move to Stage 3. It is at this stage that sponsors will undertake a full options appraisal before undertaking a formal public consultation with all interested stakeholders, including local communities. We expect that the majority of sponsors will be in a position to consult publicly from 2023 onwards.
To ensure that consultation is meaningful and accessible to all stakeholders, advice on engagement has been published, and consultation documents and engagement plans will need to be approved by the CAA before consultation can begin.
Through this and the CAP1616 requirements, there are suitable measures already in place to ensure communities are supported where appropriate.
The airspace modernisation programme is a critical national infrastructure project that aims to deliver quicker, quieter and cleaner journeys to the benefit of all airspace users and those impacted, including communities.
Engagement with all relevant stakeholders, including communities, is an important part of the airspace change process and is crucial to the success of the airspace modernisation programme. It is the responsibility of every airspace change sponsor (usually an airport or Air Navigation Service Provider (ANSP)) to ensure engagement meets the needs of local stakeholders.
CAP1616 - the Civil Aviation Authority’s airspace change approvals process - must be followed by all sponsors of airspace change proposals. This process gives communities the opportunity to comment on, and influence, airspace changes. Airport Consultative Committees should be consulted on all airspace change proposals where there is potential for a significant impact on the likely level of noise disturbance and are another way of engaging with communities.
The majority of sponsors in the programme are currently at Stage 2 of the CAP1616 process. At this stage, each sponsor develops and undertakes an initial appraisal of the impacts of a number of different airspace options. We expect all sponsors to submit initial airspace change options to the CAA for sign-off within the next 12 months.
Once approved by the CAA, each sponsor will move to Stage 3. It is at this stage that sponsors will undertake a full options appraisal before undertaking a formal public consultation with all interested stakeholders, including local communities. We expect that the majority of sponsors will be in a position to consult publicly from 2023 onwards.
To ensure that consultation is meaningful and accessible to all stakeholders, advice on engagement has been published, and consultation documents and engagement plans will need to be approved by the CAA before consultation can begin.
Through this and the CAP1616 requirements, there are suitable measures already in place to ensure communities are supported where appropriate.
The airspace modernisation programme is a critical national infrastructure project that aims to deliver quicker, quieter and cleaner journeys to the benefit of all airspace users and those impacted, including communities.
Engagement with all relevant stakeholders, including communities, is an important part of the airspace change process and is crucial to the success of the airspace modernisation programme. It is the responsibility of every airspace change sponsor (usually an airport or Air Navigation Service Provider (ANSP)) to ensure engagement meets the needs of local stakeholders.
CAP1616 - the Civil Aviation Authority’s airspace change approvals process - must be followed by all sponsors of airspace change proposals. This process gives communities the opportunity to comment on, and influence, airspace changes. Airport Consultative Committees should be consulted on all airspace change proposals where there is potential for a significant impact on the likely level of noise disturbance and are another way of engaging with communities.
The majority of sponsors in the programme are currently at Stage 2 of the CAP1616 process. At this stage, each sponsor develops and undertakes an initial appraisal of the impacts of a number of different airspace options. We expect all sponsors to submit initial airspace change options to the CAA for sign-off within the next 12 months.
Once approved by the CAA, each sponsor will move to Stage 3. It is at this stage that sponsors will undertake a full options appraisal before undertaking a formal public consultation with all interested stakeholders, including local communities. We expect that the majority of sponsors will be in a position to consult publicly from 2023 onwards.
To ensure that consultation is meaningful and accessible to all stakeholders, advice on engagement has been published, and consultation documents and engagement plans will need to be approved by the CAA before consultation can begin.
Through this and the CAP1616 requirements, there are suitable measures already in place to ensure communities are supported where appropriate.
Following the closure of the Independent Commission on Civil Aviation Noise (ICCAN), my Department is working with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), for it to take on the majority of ICCAN's former functions. To help deliver these functions the CAA will be establishing a new environment panel that will provide it with independent expert guidance to support its environmental roles, including the consideration of carbon, air quality, as well as aviation noise.
The CAA is currently undertaking work to define both the purpose and remit of the environmental panel, before recruiting a diverse membership. The panel is expected to be operational from April 2022.
Over the last two years, the Department has been undertaking an extensive model development programme, engaging with industry on several occasions, to both improve and update various elements of the model. This model development is ongoing and an updated version will be used for the next set of published long term forecasts.
We will look to publish new long term aviation forecasts in due course. However, this is a period of great uncertainty and we need to observe a more settled recovery before we can begin to reflect this in any future forecasts.
We have put in place generous grant funding schemes to support chargepoint infrastructure on residential streets and across the wider roads network. The Government and industry have supported the installation of over 18,000 publicly available charging devices across the whole of the UK. This includes over 3,200 rapid devices – one of the largest networks in Europe.
There are over 370 rapid and ultra-rapid chargepoints across 97% of motorway service areas in England. Today, a driver is never more than 25 miles away from a rapid chargepoint anywhere along England's motorways and major A roads. By 2023, we aim to have at least six high powered, open access chargepoints at motorway service areas in England, with some larger sites having ten to twelve. By 2035, we expect the number to increase to around 6,000 high powered chargers across the network. To help achieve these ambitions, the Government announced the Rapid Charging Fund in March 2020, as part of a £500 million commitment to electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure in England. The Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) had a devolved authority (DA) roundtable in November 2019 with officials from all DAs, where we discussed progress and shared lessons, including around rapid chargepoint rollout. The OLEV are working with Welsh officials to organise a workshop in Wales, where local authorities can hear about and discuss best practice to supporting zero emission vehicle uptake in their areas.
The first £70 million investment through the £400 million public-private Chargepoint Infrastructure Investment Fund will create 3,000 new rapid chargepoints, more than doubling the number of rapid chargepoints across the UK by 2024.
The Department for Transport works closely with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and the National Cyber Security Centre to ensure that effectively mitigating cyber security risks is a core part of electric vehicle (EV) chargepoint policy. The Government has commissioned work assessing the cyber security risk associated with the emerging energy system, including electric vehicle chargepoints. The output from this work will inform policy, including the development of relevant standards or regulatory approaches to mitigate cyber security risks.
In 2019, the Government consulted on regulations under the Automated Electric Vehicles Act (AEVA) for private, smart EV chargepoints. We proposed that these regulations will require compliance with device-level standards, to help ensure devices are cyber secure. These regulations are due to be laid next year. The Government will also shortly be consulting on using other powers under the AEVA to improve the consumer experience of public chargepoints, including opening chargepoint data. Cyber security will be considered as part of any future regulatory framework.
No such estimate has been made. The Department believes that the market is often better placed to encourage the private sector to invest in and operate a self-sustaining public network supported by the right policy framework. The Automated and Electric Vehicles Act (AEVA) provides the Government with a range of powers to improve the charging experience for current and future users, including compelling fuel retailers to install chargepoints.
We recognise that the recent announcement from British Airways will be very distressing news for employees and their families.
The Department for Transport is engaging on a regular basis with airlines, unions and Public Health England on the application of public health measures in aviation
The Chancellor has set out unprecedented support for workers of airline companies. Measures such as the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme are being used across the aviation industry to protect the sector against the Covid-19 economic crisis.
These measures, alongside other Government support measures such as Coronavirus Large Business Loan Interruption Scheme and the Covid Corporate Financing Facility (CCFF), are helping airlines of all sizes get through this crisis and beyond. The Chancellor has noted that under exceptional circumstances bespoke support could be provided to airlines.
The Department is currently considering the recommendations made in the ‘The Khan review: making smoking obsolete’. This includes proposals related to e-cigarettes, heated tobacco and nicotine pouches and proposals to assist smokers to quit, such as through the introduction of pack inserts.
Our response to the review will be included in the forthcoming white paper on health disparities, which we plan to publish in summer 2022 and the Tobacco Control Plan, due to be published later this year.
The Department is currently considering the recommendations made in the ‘The Khan review: making smoking obsolete’. This includes proposals related to e-cigarettes, heated tobacco and nicotine pouches and proposals to assist smokers to quit, such as through the introduction of pack inserts.
Our response to the review will be included in the forthcoming white paper on health disparities, which we plan to publish in summer 2022 and the Tobacco Control Plan, due to be published later this year.
The Independent Review is due to be published shortly and we will consider its findings following publication. We will assess which recommendations will inform the forthcoming health disparities white paper and the new Tobacco Control Plan to be published later this year. This will include an assessment on any potential consultation.
The Independent Review is due to be published shortly and we will consider its findings following publication. We will assess which recommendations will inform the forthcoming health disparities white paper and the new Tobacco Control Plan to be published later this year. This will include an assessment on any potential consultation.
Information on backlog maintenance was not collected in the format requested prior to 2015/16. Since 2015/16, data has been categorised by site type, which allows an estimate of the level of backlog maintenance in the mental health estate. The attached table shows the level of backlog maintenance in total and by category of risk in sites categorised as ‘Mental Health’, ‘Mental Health (including Specialist services)’, ‘Learning Disabilities’ and ‘Mental Health and Learning Disabilities’.
NHS England and NHS Improvement’s guidance states that general practices should provide face to face appointments, alongside remote consultations. Patient input should be sought on the type of consultation with preferences for face to face care respected, unless there are good clinical reasons to the contrary. Excluding COVID-19 vaccinations, in February 2022 61.3% of appointments were conducted in person.
We have made £520 million available to improve access and expand general practice capacity during the pandemic. This is in addition to £1.5 billion announced in 2020 to create an additional 50 million general practice appointments by 2024 by increasing and diversifying the workforce.
The following table shows a count of finished admission episodes (FAEs) with a primary or secondary diagnosis of autism for those aged 0 to 17 years old and aged 18 years old and over in each year from 2016/17 to 2020/21.
Year | Age | Primary diagnosis | Secondary diagnosis |
2016/17 | 0 to 17 years old | 456 | 20,295 |
2016/17 | 18 years old and over | 165 | 11,975 |
2017/18 | 0 to 17 years old | 465 | 24,065 |
2017/18 | 18 years old and over | 230 | 14,766 |
2018/19 | 0 to 17 years old | 513 | 29,790 |
2018/19 | 18 years old and over | 234 | 19,652 |
2019/20 | 0 to 17 years old | 594 | 33,908 |
2019/20 | 18 years old and over | 242 | 24,105 |
2020/21 | 0 to 17 years old | 377 | 25,427 |
2020/21 | 18 years old and over | 215 | 23,607 |
Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), NHS Digital.
Notes:
Capital expenditure on National Health Service mental health and community trusts over the last ten years totals £5,109,000,000. The following table shows the information requested.
Financial year | Capital expenditure on NHS mental health and community trusts £ million | Proportion of total capital expenditure |
2011/12 | 373 | 15% |
2012/13 | 419 | 16% |
2013/14 | 495 | 16% |
2014/15 | 510 | 15% |
2015/16 | 514 | 17% |
2016/17 | 451 | 16% |
2017/18 | 336 | 11% |
2018/19 | 547 | 14% |
2019/20 | 674 | 15% |
2020/21 | 790 | 11% |
The information is not held in the format requested.
However, the attached table shows the number of children and young people waiting at intervals of up to one week, one to four weeks, four to 12 weeks and 12 weeks and over for eating disorder treatment since the first quarter of 2016/17.
‘Oral cancer in England’, published in May 2020, compared the incidence of oral cancer in Asian/Asian British people with other ethnic groups in the adult population, although it made no specific assessment of prevalence in South Asian women. We have no plans to make such an assessment.
No assessment of creating a product standard has been made. Products standards for tobacco are contained in The Tobacco and Related Products (Amendment) Regulations 2016. The Department is due to publish its post implementation review of the Regulations shortly.
No formal assessment has been made.
The Committees on Toxicity, Carcinogenicity and Mutagenicity’s statement on heat-not-burn tobacco products in 2017 was based on data provided by the manufacturers as well as the available independent data on these products. As this is not standard practice, the Department has not obtained independent confirmation of the data assessed by the Committee on Toxicity.
The Department is aware of the statement.
The Independent Review into Tobacco Control, led by Javed Khan OBE, is engaging with a range of stakeholders, including members of the public and Parliamentarians. Hon. Members and the public can contact the secretariat of the Independent Review on tobacco control at TobaccoIndependentReview@dhsc.gov.uk.
We are not aware of any proposals from other countries on the formation of an intersessional Working Group at the Ninth Conference of the Parties. Should any proposals be made, we will fully consider the details before making a decision as to whether to support them.
In support of our ambition for England to be smoke-free by 2030, we continue to take a pragmatic and evidence-based approach to e-cigarettes, promoting the important role they play in smoking cessation whilst preventing non-smokers and young people from using them. On other harm reduction products, we are clear that any products which contain tobacco are harmful to health.
We are not aware of any proposals from other countries on the formation of an intersessional Working Group at the Ninth Conference of the Parties. Should any proposals be made, we will fully consider the details before making a decision as to whether to support them.
In support of our ambition for England to be smoke-free by 2030, we continue to take a pragmatic and evidence-based approach to e-cigarettes, promoting the important role they play in smoking cessation whilst preventing non-smokers and young people from using them. On other harm reduction products, we are clear that any products which contain tobacco are harmful to health.
We are not aware of any proposals from other countries on the formation of an intersessional Working Group at the Ninth Conference of the Parties. Should any proposals be made, we will fully consider the details before making a decision as to whether to support them.
In support of our ambition for England to be smoke-free by 2030, we continue to take a pragmatic and evidence-based approach to e-cigarettes, promoting the important role they play in smoking cessation whilst preventing non-smokers and young people from using them. On other harm reduction products, we are clear that any products which contain tobacco are harmful to health.
The sale of oral tobacco is banned in the United Kingdom under the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016. The Department is undertaking a post implementation review of these regulations and is analysing the evidence base submitted through a public consultation and external research. This includes evidence on oral tobacco. The Department is due to publish its response later this year.
The Department has not been made aware of any proposals to hold a Western European Regional meeting.
The World Health Organisation hosts the Global Tobacco Regulators Forum meetings and does not make its papers publicly available. The meeting is attended by Department officials and we do not intend on publishing their notes from the meeting.
A comparative assessment of the scientific evidence on the impact on health of the use of smokeless tobacco products, such as Swedish snus, and smoking, is out of the scope of the Post Implementation Review (PIR) of the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016. The purpose of the PIR is to provide feedback on the effectiveness of the legislation in achieving its objectives along with any unintended consequences that may have occurred.
Oral tobacco products or snus are banned under The Tobacco and Related Product Regulations 2016.
The Department is currently undertaking a post implementation review of the Regulations which will consider if they have met their objectives or if any future regulatory changes should be considered. The report of the review will be published by the end of the year.
The Fifth meeting of Global Tobacco Regulators Forum (GTRF) took place virtually from 7 to 9 July. The World Health Organization’s (WHO) No Tobacco Unit in the Health Promotion Department hosts the GTRF meetings. Papers for the meetings are not publicly available from the WHO.
Officials from the Department’s tobacco control policy team attended to represent the United Kingdom as leads and experts in tobacco control policy. This year’s meeting was attended by civil servants from the Tobacco Control team. Officials will report back to senior officials and Ministers with any key outcomes. The Department holds notes on previous GTRF forums.
Officials updated the GTRF on the UK’s tobacco control work and evidence-based position on harm reduction alternatives to tobacco, such as e-cigarettes. We also presented global evidence about harm reduction alternatives, and tackle any misinformation. We recognise that they play a vital role in helping smokers to quit and we will continue to advocate for their use as part of a comprehensive approach.
The Fifth meeting of Global Tobacco Regulators Forum (GTRF) took place virtually from 7 to 9 July. The World Health Organization’s (WHO) No Tobacco Unit in the Health Promotion Department hosts the GTRF meetings. Papers for the meetings are not publicly available from the WHO.
Officials from the Department’s tobacco control policy team attended to represent the United Kingdom as leads and experts in tobacco control policy. This year’s meeting was attended by civil servants from the Tobacco Control team. Officials will report back to senior officials and Ministers with any key outcomes. The Department holds notes on previous GTRF forums.
Officials updated the GTRF on the UK’s tobacco control work and evidence-based position on harm reduction alternatives to tobacco, such as e-cigarettes. We also presented global evidence about harm reduction alternatives, and tackle any misinformation. We recognise that they play a vital role in helping smokers to quit and we will continue to advocate for their use as part of a comprehensive approach.
The Fifth meeting of Global Tobacco Regulators Forum (GTRF) took place virtually from 7 to 9 July. The World Health Organization’s (WHO) No Tobacco Unit in the Health Promotion Department hosts the GTRF meetings. Papers for the meetings are not publicly available from the WHO.
Officials from the Department’s tobacco control policy team attended to represent the United Kingdom as leads and experts in tobacco control policy. This year’s meeting was attended by civil servants from the Tobacco Control team. Officials will report back to senior officials and Ministers with any key outcomes. The Department holds notes on previous GTRF forums.
Officials updated the GTRF on the UK’s tobacco control work and evidence-based position on harm reduction alternatives to tobacco, such as e-cigarettes. We also presented global evidence about harm reduction alternatives, and tackle any misinformation. We recognise that they play a vital role in helping smokers to quit and we will continue to advocate for their use as part of a comprehensive approach.
The Fifth meeting of Global Tobacco Regulators Forum (GTRF) took place virtually from 7 to 9 July. The World Health Organization’s (WHO) No Tobacco Unit in the Health Promotion Department hosts the GTRF meetings. Papers for the meetings are not publicly available from the WHO.
Officials from the Department’s tobacco control policy team attended to represent the United Kingdom as leads and experts in tobacco control policy. This year’s meeting was attended by civil servants from the Tobacco Control team. Officials will report back to senior officials and Ministers with any key outcomes. The Department holds notes on previous GTRF forums.
Officials updated the GTRF on the UK’s tobacco control work and evidence-based position on harm reduction alternatives to tobacco, such as e-cigarettes. We also presented global evidence about harm reduction alternatives, and tackle any misinformation. We recognise that they play a vital role in helping smokers to quit and we will continue to advocate for their use as part of a comprehensive approach.
The Fifth meeting of Global Tobacco Regulators Forum (GTRF) took place virtually from 7 to 9 July. The World Health Organization’s (WHO) No Tobacco Unit in the Health Promotion Department hosts the GTRF meetings. Papers for the meetings are not publicly available from the WHO.
Officials from the Department’s tobacco control policy team attended to represent the United Kingdom as leads and experts in tobacco control policy. This year’s meeting was attended by civil servants from the Tobacco Control team. Officials will report back to senior officials and Ministers with any key outcomes. The Department holds notes on previous GTRF forums.
Officials updated the GTRF on the UK’s tobacco control work and evidence-based position on harm reduction alternatives to tobacco, such as e-cigarettes. We also presented global evidence about harm reduction alternatives, and tackle any misinformation. We recognise that they play a vital role in helping smokers to quit and we will continue to advocate for their use as part of a comprehensive approach.
The Fifth meeting of Global Tobacco Regulators Forum (GTRF) took place virtually from 7 to 9 July. The World Health Organization’s (WHO) No Tobacco Unit in the Health Promotion Department hosts the GTRF meetings. Papers for the meetings are not publicly available from the WHO.
Officials from the Department’s tobacco control policy team attended to represent the United Kingdom as leads and experts in tobacco control policy. This year’s meeting was attended by civil servants from the Tobacco Control team. Officials will report back to senior officials and Ministers with any key outcomes. The Department holds notes on previous GTRF forums.
Officials updated the GTRF on the UK’s tobacco control work and evidence-based position on harm reduction alternatives to tobacco, such as e-cigarettes. We also presented global evidence about harm reduction alternatives, and tackle any misinformation. We recognise that they play a vital role in helping smokers to quit and we will continue to advocate for their use as part of a comprehensive approach.
The Fifth meeting of Global Tobacco Regulators Forum (GTRF) took place virtually from 7 to 9 July. The World Health Organization’s (WHO) No Tobacco Unit in the Health Promotion Department hosts the GTRF meetings. Papers for the meetings are not publicly available from the WHO.
Officials from the Department’s tobacco control policy team attended to represent the United Kingdom as leads and experts in tobacco control policy. This year’s meeting was attended by civil servants from the Tobacco Control team. Officials will report back to senior officials and Ministers with any key outcomes. The Department holds notes on previous GTRF forums.
Officials updated the GTRF on the UK’s tobacco control work and evidence-based position on harm reduction alternatives to tobacco, such as e-cigarettes. We also presented global evidence about harm reduction alternatives, and tackle any misinformation. We recognise that they play a vital role in helping smokers to quit and we will continue to advocate for their use as part of a comprehensive approach.
We remain committed to providing assessed contributions to fund the work of the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and Protocol.
The Department has reviewed the report and agrees that e-cigarettes can play an important role in supporting smokers to quit.
We have made no such assessment. The discount rates applied by the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in its health technology assessments are specified in its methods guides. NICE is an independent body and is therefore responsible for its own methods and processes. NICE is currently carrying out a public consultation on the case for change to its methods, which is open until 18 December 2020.
Snus is banned in the United Kingdom under the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016. The Government will consider reviewing the position on snus in due course.
The Government has a legal commitment to undertake a Post Implementation Review (PIR) of the Tobacco and Related Product Regulations 2016 and The Standardised Packaging of Tobacco Products Regulations 2015 by May 2021. A response to the PIRs on tobacco legislation from 2010-2016 will be published later this year.
The Government is committed to achieving a smokefree England by 2030. Plans to achieve this will be set out at a later date. We will continue to monitor the evidence base on the latest developments in the reduced risk products market, including e-cigarettes, to assess their risks and evidence to help smokers quit smoking.
The Government has a legal commitment to undertake a Post Implementation Review (PIR) of the Tobacco and Related Product Regulations 2016 and The Standardised Packaging of Tobacco Products Regulations 2015 by May 2021. A response to the PIRs on tobacco legislation from 2010-2016 will be published later this year.
The Government is committed to achieving a smokefree England by 2030. Plans to achieve this will be set out at a later date. We will continue to monitor the evidence base on the latest developments in the reduced risk products market, including e-cigarettes, to assess their risks and evidence to help smokers quit smoking.
We want to see more girls studying STEM subjects and are committed to improving the gender balance in computing, maths and physics, where uptake by girls is low. We are funding several interventions in this area. A-levels mathematics students are likely to earn on average 11 per cent more on their salary by the time they are 34, than students who choose not to study maths. Indeed, studying STEM can lead to a wide range of brilliant careers - from computer scientist to Minister for Women and Equalities.
NHS England is currently working nationally with 12 pilot sites to test the feasibility of delivering a four-week waiting time for access to National Health Service mental health support. Delivering and maintaining a waiting time across the large and complex children and young people’s mental health pathway is a challenge, and we are proceeding carefully so as not to establish any perverse incentives.
The pilots will test not only what it takes to achieve and maintain a four-week waiting time, but also how best to define and measure this access to specialist children and young people’s mental health services.
The agreed pilots end in 2020/21. Results will then be evaluated. The Department and NHS England will consider the results of the evaluation and will look at its implications for the development and rollout of access and waiting time standards for all children and young people who need specialist mental health services.
Individuals wanting to support the aid effort in Ukraine are encouraged to do so through donations to trusted charities or existing humanitarian appeals such as the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) and UN appeals, rather than donating goods. Cash can be transferred quickly to areas where it is needed and individuals and aid organisations can use it to buy the items they need the most. Unsolicited donations of goods, although well-meant, can obstruct supply chains and delay more urgent life-saving assistance from getting through. Reputable charities will be able to efficiently utilise existing supply chains and experienced aid workers to reach the people who are most in need. Advice on how individuals can support the Ukraine aid effort is available on: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/ukraine-what-you-can-do-to-help
It is the responsibility of the FCA to assess whether cryptoasset firms have appropriate anti-money laundering controls.
As part of this assessment, firms must demonstrate they have the necessary skills and qualifications. Firms must also demonstrate they have proper policies and procedures in place to deal with the specific nature of the cryptoasset ecosystem. Where either is assessed to be below the required standard, they may have their application rejected or refused.
The Money Laundering Regulations established a risk-based approach to the supervision of cryptoasset businesses. The assessment which each firm must undergo is therefore proportionate to the risks generated by the kind of activities firms engage in.
This means that whether the broker holds cryptoassets themselves or uses a registered cryptoasset firm, the skills & procedures required will likely be different from those that a large cryptoasset exchange is expected to demonstrate.
The Government is currently considering all feedback put forward to it through the alcohol duty review consultation, which closed on 30 January. The Government will respond to the consultation in due course.
Under the Money Laundering Regulations (MLRs), any firm operating as a cryptoasset exchange provider or custodian wallet provider must be registered with the FCA for anti-money laundering supervision as a cryptoasset business. It is the responsibility of the FCA, as the independent supervisor for these firms, to assess whether firms have appropriate anti-money laundering controls in place for the kinds of activity they carry out, prior to admitting them to the register. There is no statutory exemption to this requirement for firms that are already registered with the FCA for another activity.
It is necessary for firms dealing with cryptoassets to demonstrate that their controls are adequate to deal with the specific nature of the cryptoasset ecosystem. Having adequate AML controls for one type of business activity does not guarantee that these controls are suitable for another.
The government is committed to supporting the safe and sustainable growth of the cryptoasset sector. The MLRs established a risk-based approach to the supervision of cryptoasset businesses, and the assessment which each firm must undergo should therefore be proportionate to the risks generated by the kind of activities it engages in. The processes that a broker is expected to put in place will therefore likely be different from those that a large cryptoasset exchange is expected to demonstrate.
In January 2022 the government published a response to its consultation on a proposal to bring certain cryptoassets into the scope of the Financial Promotion Order to ensure that cryptoasset promotions are fair, clear, and not misleading.
The forthcoming legislation, and supportive FCA rules, will regulate in-scope cryptoasset financial promotions. This is aimed at improving consumers’ understanding of the risks and benefits associated with cryptoasset purchases and ensuring that cryptoasset promotions are held to the same standards as similar risk financial services products.
The FCA’s consultation on its rules closed in March 2022 and it is currently considering representations from firms.
Digital innovation is a major priority for the Government and the UK has a world leading tech sector valued at over $1 trillion. To foster cutting-edge innovation, at the 2021 Autumn Budget and Spending Review the Chancellor announced an increase in public research and development investment to £20bn by 2024/25, including £1.1bn for core Innovate UK programmes targeting business innovation. At Spring Statement 2022, the Chancellor went further in support of digital innovation by announcing reforms to R&D tax credits which will expand qualifying costs to include data and cloud computing.
The UK is well known internationally as a hub for high quality capital markets backed by strong and effective regulation. Last year, the Chancellor launched the Wholesale Markets Review (WMR) with the aim to deliver a rulebook that is fair, outcomes-based and supports competitiveness, whilst ensuring the UK maintains the highest regulatory standards.
In addition, a sweeping set of reforms to sharpen the UK’s competitive advantage in financial services is underway. As set out in the Queen's Speech, the upcoming Financial Services and Markets Bill will implement the outcomes of the Future Regulatory Framework (FRF) Review as well as a series of important initiatives underpinning the Government’s ambitious vision for the financial services sector.
Finally, innovation and technology are central to the Government’s vision for the future of the UK’s financial services sector. The Government and regulators are taking forward the recommendations of the recent Kalifa Review of how government, regulators and industry can maximise the future growth of the fintech sector across the UK. In particular, on 29 October 2021, the Government announced £5 million of seed funding for a new Centre for Finance, Innovation and Technology (CFIT) as part of the Spending Review.
Open Banking is a great UK success story that has brought significant benefits to the 5.5 million UK consumers and businesses who now use products and services enabled by this technology.
The government recently set out its plan for the future of UK Open Banking in a joint statement with the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), and the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR), including a cross-authority committee for oversight of a new entity to succeed the Open Banking Implementation Entity. Through this Joint Authority Oversight Committee the government and regulators will work closely together to maintain the UK’s leadership in Open Banking. The government is seeking to build on the initial success of UK Open Banking to help unlock and realise further benefits for consumers, businesses, and the wider economy. Open Banking should continue to support innovation and greater competition for consumers and businesses.
The Government is taking action to tackle waste and inefficiency across the public sector through a comprehensive efficiency agenda overseen by a Chancellor chaired Cabinet Committee on Efficiency and Value for Money. The Government has launched a new programme of Public Body Reviews. Reviews will examine the accountability, efficiency, efficacy and governance of bodies. Reviews will be asked to identify more than 5% recurring efficiencies in resource budgets and are expected to find at least £800m in savings.
The government recognises that cash is an important part of daily life for millions of people across the UK, and remains committed to legislating to protect access to cash.
As part of the Financial Services Act 2021, the government made legislative changes to support the widespread offering of cashback without a purchase by shops and other businesses. The government's view is that cashback without a purchase has the potential to be a valuable facility to cash users.
From 1 July to 23 September last year, the government held the Access to Cash Consultation on further proposals for new laws to make sure people only need to travel a reasonable distance to pay in or take out cash. The government’s proposals intend to support the continued use of cash in people’s daily lives and help to enable local businesses to continue accepting cash by ensuring they can access deposit facilities. The government has carefully considered responses to the consultation and will set out next steps in due course.
Following the government’s commitment to legislate, firms are working together through the Cash Action Group to develop new initiatives to provide shared services. The government welcomes the direction set by industry’s commitments at the end of last year and looks forward to seeing what results they deliver in protecting cash facilities for local communities across the UK.
Under the Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing (Information on the Payer) Regulations 2017, a cryptoasset business will be required to register with the Financial Conduct Authority if it is a firm or sole practitioner that provides cryptoasset exchange or custodian wallet services by way of business.
Securities are financial instruments giving rise to claims against the issuer, and are not businesses in and of themselves. Therefore, although a cryptoasset business may issue securities on the blockchain that confer an ownership interest in the business, these securities would be legally distinct from the business itself.
The Government is committed to a global leadership in fintech and to creating a regulatory environment for digital assets in which firms can innovate, while allowing people to use new technologies both reliably and safely. The Cryptoassets Taskforce, consisting of HM Treasury, the Bank of England and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is exploring the impact of cryptoassets, the potential benefits and challenges of Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) in financial services; as well as assessing what, if any, regulation is required in response.
Businesses trading in or using digital assets are taxed on their trading profits. Where a person realises chargeable gains from increases in value of digital assets, capital gains tax (CGT) or Corporation Tax on Chargeable Gains may be due. If CGT applies, only chargeable gains above the Annual Exempt Amount are taxed.
In December, Government announced a £1bn package of support for businesses impacted by the Omicron variant, including grants worth up to £6,000 for businesses in the hospitality and leisure sectors.
These measures are just the latest action taken to safeguard businesses and jobs and is in addition to:
Thanks to our decisive action to implement balanced and proportionate measures in response to the Omicron variant, Cabinet has decided to return to Plan A in England.
At Budget, the Government announced that, from April 2023, it will introduce a new reduced domestic band of Air Passenger Duty (APD), covering flights between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, in order to support connectivity across the UK. In addition, the Government will introduce a new ultra long-haul band, which will ensure that those who fly furthest, and have the greatest environmental impact, will pay the most. Domestic aviation accounted for less than 1% of the UK’s total emissions in 2019.
Fuel duty is levied on the producers or importers of fuel, and is generally included in the price most drivers pay for petrol and diesel at the pump. Therefore, the more fuel that is consumed, the more fuel duty is paid. As noted in the Autumn Budget and Spending Review 2021 Policy Costings, there are uncertainties around the behavioural response of the fuel duty freeze.
Transport is a major cost for families and businesses, and to help with the cost of living, the government has frozen fuel duty rates, saving a cumulative £1900 for the average UK car driver, compared to the pre-2010 escalator.
The government’s recent consultation on aviation tax reform sought views on the government’s initial position regarding a frequent flyer levy. Having carefully considered the responses to the consultation, the government has confirmed that it remains minded to retain Air Passenger Duty as the principal tax on the aviation sector, noting in particular continuing concerns around the possible administrative complexity and data processing, handling and privacy of a frequent flyer levy.
Full details of the consultation can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/consultation-on-aviation-tax-reform
The Winter Economy Plan set out a package of targeted measures in response to the current economic context, which will enable businesses, including new businesses, to protect jobs, and manage their finances in the face of reduced or uncertain demand. This includes the extension of the temporary VAT reduced rate for hospitality and tourism, extending the application window of the access to finance schemes, and further support for employees and the self-employed, through the Coronavirus Job Retentions Scheme (CJRS) and the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) Grant Extension. Although it has not been possible to include those who have started trading since the start of the COVID outbreak in the SEISS, the SEISS is just one element of a comprehensive package of support for individuals and businesses. This package includes Bounce Back loans, tax deferrals, rental support, mortgage holidays, and other business support grants. On 8 July, the Government also introduced the new Plan for Jobs which will make available up to £30 billion to assist in creating, supporting and protecting jobs.
More information about the full range of business support measures is available at www.gov.uk/government/collections/financial-support-for-businesses-during-coronavirus-covid-19.
The UK is home to a world-leading Fintech sector and an impressive amount of talent and expertise in this area. The government knows that Fintech firms play an important role in the lending market, especially for smaller businesses.
I am grateful for the way the sector has responded to the current crisis by identifying opportunities where technology may support the Government’s response.
The British Business Bank (BBB) has so far accredited 28 Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS) lenders, including several non-banks and alternative lenders. In addition, the BBB has in excess of 100 accredited lenders for the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) and this includes several UK Fintechs.
The UK’s approach to cryptoassets was outlined in the 2018 Cryptoassets Taskforce report, and in July last year the FCA set out its position in relation to the regulatory perimeter in this space. The government and regulators have since taken steps to continue encouraging responsible innovation in this area, while also mitigating risks to consumers and markets.
For instance, this January the Treasury transposed the cryptoasset provisions set out in the EU Fifth Anti-Money Laundering Directive (5MLD). This will combat the risk of cryptoassets being used for illicit activity, in support of the government’s aims for the sector.
More broadly, the government is committed to creating an environment where tech businesses can thrive by investing in areas such as talent, cutting-edge research and growth finance. Venture capital investment in the UK tech sector grew by 44 per cent in 2019, from £7.1bn to £10.1bn. This was a faster growth rate than both the US and China.
The financial regulators continue to provide a platform that facilitates innovation in this space. For example, the Financial Conduct Authority has accepted a significant number of DLT-based projects into its Regulatory Sandbox to help enable the adoption of this technology to deliver better financial services with appropriate consumer safeguards.
The Government has set an ambitious, legally binding target to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions from the UK by 2050.
Although there are no plans at present to reduce the VAT charge on electric vehicles, the Government keeps all taxes under review and assesses them against a range of fiscal and environmental considerations. The Government already makes available an incentive for the public to purchase electric vehicles over conventional vehicles: the Plug-in Car Grant (PiCG) provides grants of up to £3,500 for the purchase of a new battery electric vehicle. PiCG was launched in 2011 and has supported the purchase of around 170,000 Ultra Low Emission Vehicles.
Performance and efficiency of visa and sponsor licence processing is continually reviewed to ensure performance is as strong as possible.
Information on our immigration routes with service standards and whether they have been processed against these standards is available as part of our transparency data, at: Migration transparency data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
We are, however, currently flexing resources across all routes to ensure a robust response to the Ukrainian crisis while still processing standard applications and sponsor licences within service standard wherever possible. As a result, customers with standard applications in study, work, and family routes may experience some temporary impacts to the processing of their application.
UK Visas and Immigration have received thousands of applications for the Ukraine Family Scheme and Homes for Ukraine Scheme. UKVI are processing the paperwork as quickly as possible, and additional caseworkers have been brought in to manage this demand. UKVI staff are carrying out vital security checks for each application, and these checks are important to keep people safe in the UK, and protect people making journeys from Ukraine
Applications are normally processed in date order from when documents were uploaded, or after an appointment at a Visa Application Centre (VAC). We are working seven days a week to process applications, and where we have applications from family groups we would look to group these decisions together so families receive decisions wherever possible at the same time.
Ahead of unrestricted international travel returning, HM Passport Office prepared extensively to serve an unprecedented number of customers, with 9.5 million British passport applications forecasted throughout 2022.
These preparations have ensured that passport applications can be processed in higher numbers than ever before. This was demonstrated in March and April 2022 when HM Passport Office achieved record outputs by completing the processing of two million applications.
Ministers continue to meet regularly with officials to monitor performance, and to explore further options which will help to ensure people receive their passports in good time
I refer the Hon member to the previous answer given to UIN 153861 on 26 April 2022.
The Home Office collects and publishes information on the number of hate crime offences recorded by the police in England and Wales. Information is not collected on non-hate crime incidents.