Alicia Kearns

The UK Government is working closely with all Overseas Territories, and UK officials regularly meet with representatives from the Overseas Territories to ensure that their perspectives are accurately represented. We are currently developing the policy for those who will be included under the COP26 UK delegation based on precedent and this will be communicated in due course.

We are following through with our commitment to end conversion therapy in the UK and will bring forward plans to do so shortly. We have undertaken research to understand practices, experiences and impacts associated with conversion therapy and will publish this in due course. Officials are also in discussion with international policy counterparts, to fully understand the detail and impact of other jurisdictions’ measures, in order to inform the UK’s next steps.

Alongside this work, officials are reviewing the current legislative framework and engaging a number of relevant departments across Whitehall. We have engaged experts and survivors to understand how Government action may impact them and continue to engage with key stakeholders.

The Government is working at pace on ending conversion therapy and will outline in due course how it intends to proceed with an effective response.

Places for Growth was established to contribute towards the government’s levelling up aims and commits to relocating 22,000 civil service roles from central London to the regions and nations of the UK by the end of the decade.

Departments will decide on their locations taking into account a range of factors including their specific operating models, workforce and location analysis. Departments will select places that they judge to have the skills, transport links and capacity to meet their needs and flourish in their chosen locations as well as ensuring locations are suitable for the long term success and sustainability of the civil service.

This information is not held centrally.

Records of central government contracts above £10,000 are published on Contracts Finder: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search

When we laid the Parental Bereavement Leave and Pay Regulations in January, the policy received extensive coverage across broadcast, print and digital media. This announcement will have reached thousands of parents.

Ahead of Parental Bereavement Leave and Pay coming into force, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy will publish guidance on GOV.UK to help parents and their employers to understand the new entitlement. We have ensured that employers are aware of Parental Bereavement Leave and Pay by including regular articles in the HM Revenue and Customs Employer Bulletin and Agent Update publications about this. We are also working closely with the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) to reflect the introduction of the new entitlement in their employer support guidance. We will also continue to work closely with bereavement support organisations such as Cruse Bereavement Care, Child Bereavement UK and SANDS to ensure that they are able to support bereaved parents to use the new entitlement.

The £45m Discover England Fund supports the development of internationally marketed tourism products, including food tourism experiences. The Gourmet Garden Trails project, for example, promotes a range of regional culinary-themed itineraries.

VisitBritain has created a number of Food and Drink Tourism Hubs to showcase food and drink experiences available across the UK. VisitBritain also includes the Melton Mowbray pork pie in its guide to English food and drink in the East Midlands.

The government has asked all English higher education (HE) providers registered with the Office for Students (OfS) to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism. The IHRA definition is an important tool in tackling antisemitism. Adopting this widely recognised definition sends a strong signal that HE providers take these issues seriously. My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, wrote to HE leaders most recently in October 2020 to reiterate the importance of the definition and to urge all providers to consider adopting it.

The government is pleased to report that at least 91 providers have now adopted the definition, of which 13 are further education colleges , with many more preparing to adopt the definition. The decision on adoption of the definition rests with individual providers. However, the government will continue to urge them to adopt the definition and will ensure that HE is a genuinely fulfilling and welcoming experience for everyone.

I am proud that so many providers have taken a positive step towards eradicating antisemitism by adopting the IHRA definition, but further progress is still needed to stamp it out. This is why, in the Secretary of State’s most recent strategic guidance letter to the OfS, the government asked the OfS to undertake a scoping exercise to identify providers who are reluctant to adopt the definition. The letter asked providers to consider introducing mandatory reporting of antisemitic incident numbers by providers, with the aim of ensuring a robust evidence base, which the OfS can then use to effectively regulate in this area.

The Secretary of State also asked the OfS to ensure that, if antisemitic incidents do occur at a provider, they should consider if it is relevant in a particular case whether the provider has adopted the IHRA definition when considering which sanctions, including monetary penalties, would be appropriate to apply.

We will continue to work across the government to ensure that racism and religious hatred of any kind is not tolerated anywhere, including in our world-leading universities.

During an emergency situation, responsibility and liability for school buildings remains with the responsible body, whether that be the local authority or academy trust. The local authority (no matter the governance of the school(s) impacted) also has the responsibility to ensure that sufficient pupil places are made available for children in the area.

Whilst responsibility sits with those bodies, the Department for Education has a clear interest in the safety of pupils and staff and ensuring that the education system functions appropriately. In emergency situations, the department works with responsible bodies to understand what support or advice is needed on an individual basis.

Responsible bodies will need to contact their own insurers to understand the financial support available to them in the first instance. The department also provides an alternative to commercial insurance via the Risk Protection Arrangement and we have been able to support many schools through this.

Risks to national security in the UK are a matter for the Home Office.

The department has made no assessment of the potential risk to radicalisation of the UK of the European Institute for Human Sciences. The department works with national and local partners to monitor risks of extremism and radicalisation in education. It has mechanisms in place to investigate extremism concerns linked to the sector and where substantiated, take appropriate action to safeguard children and young people from harm.

In regard to whether degrees or diplomas issued by the European Institute for Human Sciences are accredited:

a) With UCAS and higher education, the institute is not an Office for Students registered higher education provider. The government is therefore not able to answer questions regarding its accreditation.

b) The Institute is not a recognised awarding organisation, so would not be regulated by Ofqual. The government is therefore equally not able to answer questions regarding its accreditation.

c) We have no information as to whether the British Accreditation Council accredits the institutes’ degrees and diplomas, as the council is an independent accrediting body for independent further and higher education providers in the UK.

Risks to national security in the UK are a matter for the Home Office.

The department has made no assessment of the potential risk to radicalisation of the UK of the European Institute for Human Sciences. The department works with national and local partners to monitor risks of extremism and radicalisation in education. It has mechanisms in place to investigate extremism concerns linked to the sector and where substantiated, take appropriate action to safeguard children and young people from harm.

In regard to whether degrees or diplomas issued by the European Institute for Human Sciences are accredited:

a) With UCAS and higher education, the institute is not an Office for Students registered higher education provider. The government is therefore not able to answer questions regarding its accreditation.

b) The Institute is not a recognised awarding organisation, so would not be regulated by Ofqual. The government is therefore equally not able to answer questions regarding its accreditation.

c) We have no information as to whether the British Accreditation Council accredits the institutes’ degrees and diplomas, as the council is an independent accrediting body for independent further and higher education providers in the UK.

The government recognises that the COVID-19 outbreak is bringing significant financial challenges to the higher education (HE) sector, and we have been working closely with the sector to monitor the likely impacts including on short-term liquidity.

On 4 May 2020, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, announced a package of measures to ensure sustainability in HE at a time of unprecedented uncertainty.

We have stabilised the admissions system and will pull forward tuition fee payments, expected to be worth £2.6 billion, for providers so that they receive more cash in the first term of the 2020/21 academic year. This will have no impact on students but will allow providers to better manage financial risks over the autumn. This will be available to all providers across the UK. In reprofiling these payments, we are clear in our expectation that providers should use the cashflow benefits appropriately, taking significant steps to improve efficiencies and manage their finances in order to avoid cashflow problems in the future. Reprofiling in this way is a one-off intervention for the autumn term only, to help providers take all necessary steps now to prepare for the future.

In England, we will also be bringing forward £100 million of quality-related research funding for providers to the current academic year to help to address some of the immediate pressures faced by university research activities.

The department will consider purchasing land and buildings where they can be used for new or expanding schools and colleges in England. This will take place as part of existing programmes and using established procedures. This financial year (across purchases from all suitable vendors, including but not limited to HE providers), we have budgeted up to £100 million to acquire sites for planned projects in England. Details are available on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-support-package-for-universities-and-students.

The government has also confirmed that providers are eligible to apply for its support packages, including business loan support schemes. The Office for Students (OfS), the regulator in England, estimates that this could be worth at least £700 million to the sector. We will only intervene further where we believe there is a case to do so and where we believe intervention is possible and appropriate and as a last resort.

In such instances, we will work with providers to review their circumstances and assess the need for restructuring and any attached conditions. The department will be working with HM Treasury and other government departments to develop this restructuring regime, as well as with the devolved administrations.

The Government has committed to recycle 65% of municipal waste by 2035, with less than 10% municipal waste going to landfill. We set out measures to achieve this target in our 2019 Resources and Waste Strategy and the Environment Bill.

From the combined impacts of consistent recycling collection, Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging and a Deposit Return Scheme for drinks containers, we estimate that we will meet this commitment. These three reforms are estimated to deliver over 30 million tonnes of CO2 emissions savings between 2023-2035.

We have also published plans for monitoring and evaluating progress on the Resources and Waste Strategy and will publish annual statistics of recycling as now.

As set out in our Resources and Waste Strategy, we will continue to explore policies to work towards eliminating all biodegradable waste to landfill by 2030. Climate Change Committee advice is taken into account in policy development. We are also continuing to analyse expected future levels of municipal residual waste and infrastructure needs.

Our measures to introduce consistency in household and business recycling collections includes a requirement to collect separately food and garden waste from households that will, once implemented, help to achieve a reduction in the amount of biodegradable waste that is sent for disposal in landfill.

Defra is working with the Department for International Trade on supporting the development of more recycling infrastructure within the UK to reduce the need to export wastes to other countries.

Our Environment Bill will enable us to significantly change the way that we manage our waste. We have recently concluded consultations on using powers in the Bill such as for a Deposit Return Scheme for drinks containers, an Extended Producer Responsibility Scheme for packaging, and proposals for greater consistency in household and business recycling. These measures will increase the quality and quantity of wastes collected for recycling, drive up demand for recycled materials and provide an incentive for industry to invest in UK reprocessing infrastructure.

We are also taking action to reduce the volume of waste generated in the first place. Our approach is focused on encouraging greater uptake of reusable alternatives and increasing supply and demand for secondary materials to be recycled in the UK. The Resources and Waste Strategy also sets out the Government's plans to reduce, reuse, and recycle more than we do now.

Where the UK cannot currently recycle materials economically, exports can help ensure those materials are recycled rather than landfilled. Recycling one tonne of plastics reduces emissions by 1.1 - 3.0 tonnes of CO2e, compared to producing the same tonne of plastics from virgin fossil feedstock.

The UK Government is committed to banning the export of plastic waste for recycling or disposal to countries that are not members of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). We currently plan to consult before the end of 2022 on options to deliver the proposed ban.

We will consult this year on introducing regulations to make the public reporting of food waste volumes mandatory for certain businesses of an appropriate size. By ensuring businesses are measuring and publicly reporting their food waste, we expect to drive action to reduce it.

Due to the ongoing impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on food and drink businesses, we postponed the launch of this consultation. Some businesses will require time to embed measurement techniques and build confidence in their data. This needs to be balanced alongside the need to continue reducing our food waste, increasing redistribution of surplus and measuring more accurately to understand the scale of the problem. We therefore propose that reporting starts at least one year after regulations are passed. This will offer businesses time to seek guidance and implement measurement techniques within their operations.

Subject to the consultation responses we therefore would be requiring businesses to report food waste in 2024, for food waste measured in the 2023/2024 financial year. This will ensure data is readily available which in turn will allow for comparison and assessment against our national and international targets.

The National Lottery Heritage Fund provides grants through its National Lottery Grants for Heritage, which can support communities to protect, share and enjoy their local natural environment. Since 1994, the Fund has invested more than £1.5bn into projects focused on England’s natural heritage.

Defra’s Countryside Stewardship scheme provides financial incentives for farmers, woodland owners, foresters and land managers to look after and improve the environment through agricultural or woodland land management. It also provides funding for educational access, allowing groups such as school pupils to visit farms to learn, understand and engage with farming and the environment. Among agreement holders in the scheme are a number of charities and organisations who own and manage nature reserves for wildlife.

Defra’s £80m Green Recovery Challenge Fund has kick-started a pipeline of nature-based projects to restore nature, tackle climate change and connect people with the natural environment. For example, a project led by Gasworks Dock Partnership will deliver extensive habitat creation and restoration while establishing Cody Dock, in Newham, as a flagship centre for community led citizen science and academic ecology studies.

The UK is concerned about the food security outlook in 2020. At the end of last year, 135 million people were facing acute food insecurity in 55 countries. This is set to increase this year, driven in part by the COVID-19 pandemic and the desert locust outbreak. Fragile and conflict affected states (FCAS) will be amongst the most impacted.

We are working with international partners to closely monitor the situation and take action. As a leading donor to the COVID-19 response and one of the biggest humanitarian actors, we are ensuring essential supplies reach those who need it the most. We have also adapted our social protection, agriculture and food security programmes to support the most vulnerable.

The UK is committed to spending 0.7% of national income on development. Our work in FCAS is a vital part of this and we have consistently spent at least 50% of our Official Development Assistance in these contexts between 2015 to 2017. Figures for 2018 will be published in due course. We continue to look at how UK aid can be deployed most effectively in our national interest including through the Integrated Review, which will report in the Autumn and inform the new department’s priorities.

The UK Government is committed to supporting people in conflict settings and displaced persons. The UK played a leading role in the development of the G20 Action Plan – ‘Supporting the Global Economy through the Covid-19 Pandemic’. This includes ensuring the Plan has a strong emphasis and clear commitments on helping the poorest countries - many of which are conflict settings with high numbers of displaced people. We will continue to work closely with G20 members and other partners to ensure robust implementation of the Plan’s commitments and to support people and countries most vulnerable to the economic impact of COVID-19.

Following the UK’s calls for international action, an EU sponsored independent review of Palestinian textbooks is currently underway. The EU has contracted the Georg Eckert Institute, a specialist textbook analysis centre, to lead this review.

To ensure the review could begin immediately on the signing of the contract, the UK commissioned the Georg Eckert Institute to produce an inception report to establish its methodology in advance.

We understand from the EU that an interim report covering grade 8 – 10 books will be completed in Spring 2020, with the full report covering all the books due later in the year. DFID is part of the steering committee for this review, and we will continue to engage with the EU to press for this timetable to be met.

The Department for International Trade (DIT) recognises that higher education is a significant export for the United Kingdom, bringing value in the collaboration and partnerships they foster, and helping to forge deep global relationships. These underpin opportunities for the United Kingdom and our international partners to develop, trade and work together.

HM Government is exploring to what extent our trade negotiations could support trade in education services. This may include collaboration in science, research and innovation as appropriate. DIT will continue to work across government and with other interested parties to make sure our trade negotiations represent the sector’s interests.

Of the 32 “RIS3 Pipeline” projects listed in the second Road Investment Strategy (RIS2), 31 are each at a different stage of development by Highways England. We expect to receive Highways England’s advice on the options for each project over the next two years, helping to inform our investment decisions for the third Road Investment Strategy that will cover the Road Period starting in 2025. Only those projects that are affordable, deliverable and secure strategic objectives will be funded for construction.

The remaining Pipeline project listed in RIS2, the A21 Safety Package, has been accelerated for delivery in the current Road Period (2020-25). Candidates for further Pipeline projects will be considered on their merits as they emerge, taking account of resources available for their development.

Safety is the Department and Highways England’s main priority on all sections of the Strategic Road Network (SRN), comprised of England’s motorways and principal A-roads, and this is addressed through public information campaigns and infrastructure solutions where necessary. No specific policy assessment has been undertaken on safety on the A1 as distinct from other roads.

The number of reported personal injury road accidents that included at least one motor vehicle in 2019 on the A1 and A1(M) was 802, with 326 being reported in the same year on the A1 and A1(M) between the M25 and M62. The proportion of journeys travelled by Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) on the A1 is not available. HGVs accounted for 11% of all motor vehicle traffic on the SRN in 2019, but this is not available to be broken down by road number. Data on productivity losses due to vehicle collisions is not routinely collected and monitored but is taken into account when assessing the need for specific policy responses such as infrastructure schemes.

Ministers and officials from DfT and HMT meet regularly to discuss a wide range of issues. The Government’s £220 million Better Deal for Bus Users package provides new funding to transform bus services and includes a National Bus Strategy, which will detail measures to improve bus services. £20 million of this is to support demand responsive services in rural and suburban areas. The package also includes an extra £30 million for local authorities in 2020/21.

If Leicestershire County Council complete statements of intent demonstrating how they will meet the funding requirements, it will be provided with an additional allocation of £556,627. This would be in addition to the £534,721 Leicestershire County Council received in 2018/19 from the annual Bus Service Operators Grant

More widely, the Government also announced £5billion of new funding on 11^th February to overhaul bus and cycle links outside London. This investment will support measures to boost bus services including higher frequency services, new priority schemes to make routes more efficient, more affordable simpler fares and at least 4,000 new Zero Emission Buses. Leicestershire may be open to benefit from this.

Furthermore, East Midland Railway’s (EMR) December 2020 timetable consultation, which has just closed, sought passenger and stakeholders view on changes to services. The changes focussed on EMR’s Midland Main Line services with proposals for Leicester which included more services, faster journey times and at consistent departure times throughout the day to and from London St Pancras International. EMR is now in the process of reviewing the feedback to help to form their December 2020 timetable. The majority of changes on EMRs Regional services which serve Leicester will happen in December 2021, and EMR plan to consult with passengers and stakeholders later this year on those changes.

The Government keeps the evidence on vaccination, under careful review, including whether clinically vulnerable children and young people should be offered a COVID-19 vaccination. At this stage, no decisions on the routine vaccination of children and young people. Following the approval of a vaccine for use in those aged 12 to 15 years old, we will be carefully reviewing the relative risks and benefits alongside expert advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation.

The NHS Long Term Plan, supported by the Government, commits to a record level of additional annual investment in primary medical and community care of an extra £4.5 billion in real terms by 2023/24. Additionally, the Government and NHS England and NHS Improvement have committed to at least an additional £1.5 billion cash for general practice from 2020 - 2024 to deliver the manifesto commitments. In response to additional pressures due to the pandemic, we have also made available an additional £270 million funding from November 2020 until September 2021 to ensure general practice can continue to support all patients.

Since 2016 we have invested £800 million in improving primary care estate and technology, on top of ‘business as usual’ infrastructure funding. Further funding for NHS infrastructure, including how it will be allocated, will be confirmed after the next Spending Review.

The information is not held in the format requested.

The UK is an active member of the United Nations Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict (CAAC) which leads the international response to the use of child soldiers and child protection. This includes pressing those parties to conflict listed in the UN Secretary-General's annual report on CAAC, to enter into concrete action plans with the UN to verify and release any child soldiers associated with armed groups and forces and to prevent re-recruitment. We apply diplomatic pressure to listed governments and armed groups, and fund projects to help protect and rehabilitate vulnerable children.

The FCDO has established a new Conflict Centre, which will focus on developing a more integrated UK approach to conflict and instability, harnessing conflict expertise from across FCDO, HMG, and beyond, and applying these where the UK can make the most difference. It will identify and develop capabilities where the UK has a comparative advantage, and work bilaterally and with international partners to increase our impact in preventing, managing and resolving conflict. The Conflict Centre will continue to ensure that the children and armed conflict agenda is reflected in this work.

The UK is an active member of the United Nations Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict (CAAC) which leads the international response to the use of child soldiers and child protection. This includes pressing those parties to conflict listed in the UN Secretary-General's annual report on CAAC, to enter into concrete action plans with the UN to verify and release any child soldiers associated with armed groups and forces and to prevent re-recruitment. We apply diplomatic pressure to listed governments and armed groups, and fund projects to help protect and rehabilitate vulnerable children.

The FCDO has established a new Conflict Centre, which will focus on developing a more integrated UK approach to conflict and instability, harnessing conflict expertise from across FCDO, HMG, and beyond, and applying these where the UK can make the most difference. It will identify and develop capabilities where the UK has a comparative advantage, and work bilaterally and with international partners to increase our impact in preventing, managing and resolving conflict. The Conflict Centre will continue to ensure that the children and armed conflict agenda is reflected in this work.

The FCDO provides project and programme funding to the British Council, BBC World Service and the GREAT Challenge Fund (GCF) to support UK soft power. As the Integrated Review states, our soft power is central to our international identity as an open, trustworthy and innovative country, and helps to build positive perceptions of the UK, create strong people-to-people links and familiarity with our values. The FCDO is providing the British Council with £189 million of funding for 2021-22. We will be providing £94.4 million to the World Service for 2021-22, through our BBC World2020 programme, including an £8 million uplift to expand programming to tackle disinformation and develop digital platforms. Through the GCF, our Overseas Network is able to deliver projects which promote the UK's cultural credentials in their local markets. This year the GCF will be dedicated to a range of projects which support cultural and soft power activities.

The FCDO's new conflict centre will support a more integrated HMG approach to conflict prevention, management and resolution, including working with teams across FCDO and HMG to support the wide range of interconnected agendas aimed at building inclusive and stable environments and preventing possible atrocities. A core part of the centre's role will be to draw on expertise from across HMG and beyond to support the UK's work on conflict, including from civil society, academia, and the private sector, and through cooperation with bilateral partners and multilateral organisations.

FCDO and MOD have worked together to deliver supplies of Covid-19 vaccine to over 30,000 people at more than 200 posts around the world since the end of February. This distribution is aligned to the UK national programme covering staff and dependants for whom the UK Government has duty of care. FCDO staff in the UK have access to the NHS programme in the same way as everyone else.

HM Treasury Ministers have regular discussions with Ministers at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. The financial sustainability of local authorities remains a core priority for this Government. The 2020-21 local government finance settlement, which was approved by the House of Commons on the 24^th February, will deliver the biggest year-on-year real terms increase in councils’ spending power for a decade. The future funding of local authorities is a matter for the next Spending Review.

The Tackling Child Sexual Abuse Strategy affirms the Government’s commitment to ensuring there are no safe spaces for offenders to abuse and exploit vulnerable children.

The criminal law is clear: any sexual activity with a child under 16 is a criminal offence, regardless of whether consent is given. Any non-consensual sexual activity is also a crime, whatever the age of the victim and whatever the relationship between the victim and perpetrator.

The Sexual Offences Act 2003 also contains a number of offences which criminalise sexual activity with a child under the age of 18 by people who hold a “position of trust” in respect of that young person even if such activity is consensual, effectively raising the age of consent from 16 to 18 in those circumstances.

We are committed to protecting children and young people from sexual abuse. That is why, following a review of the law in this area, we are including measures in the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill introduced on 9 March, to widen the current offences which prevent adults in a position of trust from engaging in sexual relationships with young people under the age of 18, bringing sports coaches and religious leaders in line with other occupations such as teachers and doctors.

We have also strengthened law enforcement capacity and capability through funding for projects like the police Vulnerability Knowledge and Practice Programme and have given police a range of powers to respond to people who pose a risk to children. We have further committed within the Tackling Child Sexual Abuse strategy to strengthen civil orders used to manage the risk posed by sex offenders and those who pose a risk of sexual harm, once a suitable legislative opportunity arises.

The UKPPS provides protection to those judged to be at risk of serious harm where the protection arrangements required are not available to the local police or referring Agency.

UKPPS works with international partners as appropriate and as required, within the UKs judicial framework.

Prevent works closely with local people and organisations to stop vulnerable people being drawn into terrorism. Any indication that an individual or organisation is radicalising others is investigated and, if substantiated, appropriate multi-agency action is taken to address it. There are tried and tested mechanisms in place to address extremism in the charity sector.

The risks posed to the UK from hostile states have both grown and diversified and we have to ensure that we have the necessary powers to meet current and evolving threats to the UK, both domestically and overseas.

The Home Office is reviewing the legislation relating to hostile state activity to assess whether additional powers are required to clamp down on the activities of hostile states which threaten the UK.

The Treason Acts along with other relevant Acts are being considered as part of the Home Office’s ongoing wider review of legislation. This work is ongoing and has not reached conclusions yet.

It is the responsibility of Police and Crime Commissioners and Chief Constables to ensure that the police priorities reflect those of their communities and that resources are deployed accordingly.

The Government announced last year that it would not proceed with the implementation of the Review of Relative Needs and Resources (formerly the Fair Funding Review) and 75% Business Rates Retention in 2021-22. This decision was broadly welcomed by the sector as it has allowed both the government and councils to focus on meeting the immediate public health challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Once the pandemic is through, we will take stock of the demands faced by councils and the resources available to meet them and will decide on the timetable for future funding reform. Final decisions will be taken in the context of the upcoming Spending Review.

The Department uses a wide range of qualitative and quantitative information to assist with policy making.

All local authorities are required by law to deliver a balanced budget and secure value for money in spending decisions. The “best value duty” (Local Government Act 1999) requires continuous improvement, combining economy, efficiency and effectiveness.

Local authorities are also required to publish annual accounts which must be certified by independent auditors. The Redmond Review recommends a new, simple to understand Value for Money Statement to improve accessibility to taxpayers and to ensure local authority decisions can be properly scrutinised by the electorate.

The Government is committed to directing resources to the highest priority areas and giving councils increased flexibility in balancing the contribution of national and local taxpayers in funding local services. Within the time horizons of a one-year Spending Review, our aim has also been to offer as much stability as we can through our approach to funding allocations for 2021-22.

Looking beyond 2021-22, we will revisit the priorities for financial reform ahead of the Spending Review later this year. When we re-examine the reform programme, we will consider the relative needs of local authorities, the resources local authorities are able to generate locally, and how we can encourage local authorities to run services efficiently.

The Government is committed to directing resources to the highest priority areas and giving councils increased flexibility in balancing the contribution of national and local taxpayers in funding local services. Within the time horizons of a one-year Spending Review, our aim has also been to offer as much stability as we can through our approach to funding allocations for 2021-22.

Looking beyond 2021-22, we will revisit the priorities for financial reform ahead of the Spending Review later this year. When we re-examine the reform programme, we will consider the relative needs of local authorities, the resources local authorities are able to generate locally, and how we can encourage local authorities to run services efficiently.

Faith-based organisations and faith-based giving play an important role in our society. Their contributions play an integral role in supporting our most vulnerable in communities and tackling a number of social challenges.

Faith-based Institutions and organisations registered as a charity (with an income of over £25,000) and as other not for profit entities, either through the Charity Commission or Companies House, are required to produce and submit annual returns, reports and accounts to their relevant regulatory body. All returns, reports and accounts required by law must be made available on request by the registering body or is made accessible via a public register.

Some religious charities are ‘excepted’ from charity registration and are not required to register or submit annual returns. They are still charities, and are subject to charity law.

This government encourages greater transparency across the charity sector as a matter of good practice and it is our assessment that the current level of legal transparency, regarding sources of funding for charities, is appropriate. It is right that charities are not legally required to publicly disclose the identity of individual donors because donor anonymity can be an important factor in giving people the confidence to donate to charitable causes they care about.

Violence against our hardworking staff will not be tolerated and any prisoner who commits an act of violence will be held to account.

Currently, data is not held centrally on the number of convictions for crimes committed by a prisoner against prison employees. This is being reviewed with the aim to collate data from all establishments for all crimes committed in prison, whilst also creating guidance on how to appropriately refer crimes committed in prison to the police.

The ‘Crime in Prison Referral Agreement’ was created in May 2019 and sets out the agreement between Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS), National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). The aim is to ensure that acts of criminality that occur in prison are appropriately addressed within the Criminal Justice System.

In line with the Crime in Prison Referral Agreement, assaults against members of staff will be referred to the police for investigation and consideration for prosecution. Less serious assaults, where there is little or no injury, are more appropriately dealt with by the prison disciplinary system.

The courts retain the discretion to decide whether sentences should be served concurrently or consecutively, based on the facts of the case. The Sentencing Council’s Totality guideline provides courts with guidance on whether sentences should be served concurrently or consecutively. Where the individual is serving a determinate sentence and commits another offence after the original sentence was imposed, the new sentence will generally be consecutive to the original sentence.

Our Assaults on Emergency Workers Act increased the maximum penalty for to 12 months and we recently announced we will double the penalty further to two years.

Please see the attached table showing the number of prisoner assaults on staff, by offence of prisoner, 2016 to 2019 and January to September 2020 and the number of assaults on staff for 2015.

Violence against our hard-working prison officers is unacceptable and will never be tolerated, and we work closely with the police and Crown Prosecution Service to bring the perpetrators to justice. Additionally, as outlined in our Sentencing White Paper, we will double the maximum sentence for assaulting an emergency worker from 12 months to two years.

We are also giving officers tools like PAVA pepper spray and body-worn cameras to make their jobs safer, as well as access to post incident care teams, occupational health support and counselling for those who need it. More widely, we are spending £100 million to bolster prison security, clamping down on the weapons, drugs and mobile phones that fuel violence and crime behind bars. This is funding tough measures including X-ray body scanners, drug dogs and phone-blocking technology.

The Government takes this issue very seriously and fundamentally disagrees with attempts to forcibly change someone’s sexuality. I am working with colleagues across Government on this issue, and we will outline plans to end its practice in due course.

As part of ongoing engagement with healthcare stakeholders and other Government Departments, GEO officials have been reviewing all relevant statements, including the 2014 statement and more recent developments, in order to inform thinking around future proposals.

We are aware of the developments that have been made in Germany, Canada and elsewhere. Officials are in discussion with international policy counterparts, in order to fully understand the detail around their measures, and to inform the UK’s next steps.

Prison Officers are some of our finest public servants, and we do not underestimate the challenges faced by everyone working in prisons. We are committed to making prisons a safe place to work and providing prison officers with the right support, training and tools to empower them to do their jobs.

We provide post-incident care teams, occupational health support and counselling for members of staff who are assaulted while doing their job and we are currently rolling out TRiM (Trauma Risk Management), a trauma-focused peer support system designed to help people who have experienced a traumatic event.

We are rolling out body worn cameras, police-style restraints and PAVA incapacitant spray to prison officers to help them do their job more safely.

We have recruited more than 4,200 new prison officers over the past four years and we’re investing £2.75 billion to transform the estate, to make prisons safer and cut crime behind bars.

Prisoners who assault staff should feel the full force of the law. We are working closely with the Crown Prosecution Service to ensure prosecutions of prisoners who assault staff along with the strongest possible punishment being imposed. The Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act increases sentences for those who assault prison officers.

Prosecutions, convictions and sentencing outcomes up to the year ending December 2018 are available in the ‘Principal offence proceedings and outcomes by Home Office offence code data tool’, available at the following link:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/804510/HO-code-tool-principal-offence-2018.xlsx

To identify prosecutions, convictions and sentences for the above offences, filter ‘Offence code’ by

(a) ‘12522’ for trespass on land under section 61.

(b) ‘12533’ for aggravated trespass on land under section 68 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994.

In each case, the number of individuals prosecuted, convicted and sentenced can be found in rows 31, 32, and 33, respectively.