Andrew Bowie

The CPS is committed to robustly prosecuting online crime cases, including offline offences with online elements.

In December, the CPS successfully prosecuted three men who, via fake accounts on an online dating platform, met victims to inflict horrendous violent and homophobic abuse. The defendants received significant custodial sentences of between 15 and 17 years.

The UK Internal Market Bill includes a power that will enable the UK Government to spend on infrastructure, economic development, culture, sport, and to support educational and training activities and exchanges both within the UK and internationally. Much of this was previously done at EU level.

The power means that we can provide funding to organisations to deliver investments for these purposes, including local authorities. But responsibilities for delivering public services in areas of devolved competence remain with devolved administrations.

The Government is clear that the administration of government needs to be less London-centric.

The Cabinet Office has established the Places for Growth programme to drive the necessary planning and preparation within departments and arm’s length bodies to relocate roles out of London into the nations and regions of the United Kingdom.

We want to ensure we are realising the potential of all four nations of the United Kingdom and delivering opportunity across the UK.

This includes Scotland, which will benefit from the relocation of Civil Service roles, for example the new government hubs being created in Edinburgh and Glasgow.

The Alternative Fuel Payment will provide a one-off payment to UK households that use alternative fuels for heating. This will come in addition to the £400 provided by the Energy Bills Support Scheme, and a further £800 of one-off support provided to eight million of the most vulnerable households to help with the cost of living.

The Government will continue to monitor the prices of alternative fuels and will consider further intervention if required to protect UK households from extraordinary fuel prices.

The Government expects energy companies to deliver the best support to customers after a disruption to energy supply. Ofgem monitors and enforces the guaranteed standards relating to quality of supply. When a distribution company fails to meet the level of service required, it must make a payment to the customer, subject to certain exemptions.

As part of the Storm Arwen Review, Ofgem has commissioned a review of the guaranteed standards to assess the current compensation provision and payment structure.

The Government considers a range of matters when setting the parameters for Contracts for Difference allocation rounds, including the anticipated pipeline of eligible projects. We will publish allocation round parameters in advance of the next auction in late 2021, when assessments of the potential volume of participants can be informed by the most current information on project pipelines.

I have been in almost daily contact with the sector to support them through this crisis. Last week I attended the Oil and Gas Authority’s Maximising Economic Recovery Forum with industry leaders to discuss the challenges posed by COVID-19, and the sector’s recovery.

We have also committed to delivering an oil and gas Sector Deal during this Parliament.

The UK’s offshore oil and gas industry supports almost 300,000 jobs, of which four in ten are in Scotland. We believe that the North Sea oil and gas industry has a key role to play as we move to a Net Zero economy. We will support this transition with a transformational oil and gas Sector Deal. BEIS officials have already held preliminary discussions with industry to discuss how such a Sector Deal could enable the sector to play a leading role in the energy transition. Discussions will develop further over the next few months, as the process develops.

DCMS has frequent discussions with the BT Group, and others, to discuss a range of issues, including resilience to storms and the migration to Voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP).

Through the Electronic Communications Resilience & Response Group, DCMS is working with Ofcom, BT, and other providers to complete a Post-Incident Review following Storms Arwen, Malik and Corrie. We will carefully consider the findings and work with the telecoms sector to understand where improvements can be made in future.

DCMS is also engaged in regular discussions with BT and other providers regarding the migration from the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) to VoIP services. The PSTN is an outdated technology, and becoming difficult to replace and repair due to a lack of spare parts. Given it cannot be maintained, it will become increasingly unreliable.

While the PSTN upgrade is an industry-led process, the government is also working with Ofcom to ensure consumers and sectors are protected and prepared for the upgrade process. This also includes close engagement with the emergency services, such as the Police, the NHS and the Fire Brigade.

The UK Government has a strong record of demonstrating its commitment to minority language broadcasting to ensure that our broadcasting sector serves all audiences of the UK nations and regions.

Minority language broadcasting has an important role to play in the UK’s broadcasting ecology. It provides an opportunity for audiences - such as the Gaelic speaking community - to access content in a language familiar to them, and is a vital means of cultural expression.

The Government has been undertaking a strategic review of public service broadcasting and will set out conclusions in due course.

The Government has a strong record of demonstrating its commitment to minority language broadcasting to ensure that our broadcasting sector services all audiences of the UK nations and regions.

In particular, the government has embedded a duty to regional and minority languages within the BBC’s general duties under the current Charter, with a further set of responsibilities in the Framework Agreement.

Ministers regularly meet Ofcom and broadcasters to discuss a wide range of issues.

The Government is committed to ensuring that the UK is the safest place in the world to be online. In April 2019 we published the Online Harms White Paper which set out our intention to establish in law a new ‘duty of care’ on companies towards their users. The ‘duty of care’ will ensure that companies have robust systems and processes in place to tackle illegal content and protect users.

We will publish a full government response to the Online Harms White Paper consultation which will provide further detail on our proposals. This will be followed by legislation, which will be ready early next year.

The oil and gas sector has a key role to play as we move to a net zero economy and this Government has committed to supporting this energy transition with a transformational North Sea Transition Deal. The focus of this deal will be on ensuring the sector can support the energy transition and anchoring the supply chain across the UK. This also includes a focus on skills, supporting high-quality jobs in new energy technologies that will help to decarbonise our economy.

Private sector engagement through employers is also key to our work in helping shape future policies and programmes. The new Green Jobs Taskforce, which was launched on 12 November 2020, has been set up to help the UK build back greener and deliver the skilled workforce needed to reach net zero emissions by 2050. This is a joint initiative between the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and the Department for Education.

Working with employers and relevant stakeholders such as BP and the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB), the Taskforce will develop an action plan to support 2 million good-quality, green jobs and the skills needed by 2030, supporting the UK to transition to a net zero economy and deliver a green recovery.

One key aim of the Taskforce is to identify the support needed for workers transitioning from high carbon industries such as oil and gas and how to best mobilise their skills for a Green Industrial Revolution.

Taskforce members will represent views of businesses, employees and the skills sector. Involvement in this work will not be limited only to Taskforce members, and there will be opportunities for a wider set of stakeholders, including the private sector, to contribute.

Details of the Taskforce including a full list members can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-government-launches-taskforce-to-support-drive-for-2-million-green-jobs-by-2030.

We are also working closely with the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education who are convening a Green Apprenticeships Advisory Panel to guide the Institute in identifying existing apprenticeships that support the green economy and encouraging trailblazers to align those apprenticeships to net zero and wider sustainability objectives. The Panel will also advise where there is a need for new apprenticeships to be created by employer groups. The Institute will be working to ensure that apprenticeships play their part in helping workers reskill and support a move to green sector jobs.

The ECITB grant also supports a wide range of training in the oil and gas sector, from craft, apprenticeships, and technical training to project management. The ECITB’s recently announced COVID-19 support package is directly focused on the oil and gas sector, including the ‘Train to Retain’ initiative, which will support the retention and development of graduates and apprentices, ensuring that vital engineering skills are secured in the industry.

The UK has not held fishing opportunities in Icelandic waters for many years. Nevertheless, we remain open to the possibility of securing fishing opportunities in Icelandic waters, should the conditions be appropriate.

The UK and Iceland signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on enhancing cooperation within fisheries on 11 November 2020. We are currently developing plans to hold the first Fisheries Dialogue envisaged by that MoU later in 2021.

We made a commitment in our manifesto to maintain funding for fisheries across the UK’s nations throughout the Parliament and to support the regeneration of our coastal communities.

Last year, the Government provided an extra £37 million of domestic funding for the sector, which will be available until 2022. England’s share of this funding is available via the Maritime and Fisheries Fund, which was opened in October 2019. Scotland was allocated £16.7 million, and delivery will be managed by Marine Scotland.

The Fisheries Bill will provide England and the devolved administrations with new domestic grant making powers that will ensure we have sufficient powers to support our future priorities. Fisheries is a devolved matter and, in future, grant schemes will be developed by each of the devolved administrations targeted towards their own national priorities.

We have been evaluating the current EMFF scheme and the needs of the sector. We have conducted social, environmental and economic evaluations to better understand the sector’s needs and where funding should be targeted.

We plan to hold a formal consultation exercise on the design of a future scheme in 2020.

The UK left the EU on 31 January and will therefore not participate in the European Fisheries Council in December 2020 as a Member State. The UK will be undertaking future fisheries negotiations, including on fishing opportunities, as an independent coastal State.

The UK government recognises the economic and cultural importance of Geographical Indications (GIs), including Scotch Whisky, and remains committed to ensuring consistent protection.

Work is on-going with global trading partners to transition EU free trade agreements and other sectoral agreements including obligations on the recognition and protection of GIs. Department for International Trade officials have been working very closely with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which leads on geographical indications, to ensure that trade negotiations reflect the importance of GIs to the UK.

Roads within Scotland are the responsibility of the Scottish Government. However, the Department is willing to collaborate, where appropriate, on matters benefitting people across the United Kingdom.

The UK Government recognises the social and economic importance of improving connectivity across all parts of the UK. Whilst responsibility for transport infrastructure in Scotland lies with the Scottish Government, where there are areas of cross-border interest, my ministerial colleagues and I remain keen to collaborate with our Scottish counterparts. For example, the Dundee PSO study on Carlisle to Edinburgh line. We always stand ready to work with Members to develop new links.

Those coming from Afghanistan to the UK on the resettlement programmes will have the right to work here from day one, as well as immediate access to the benefit system and our existing employment offer, including our £30 billion Plan for Jobs.

Direct, personalised support is available from experienced work coaches in the temporary hotel accommodation where Afghans are staying across the country. Work coaches are there to help with any claims or queries and to provide tailored employment support. Resettling Afghans will also have access to our Refugee Leads Network, which links Jobcentres and organisations working with refugees and those on resettlement programmes, to help them integrate and find employment in local areas. We will also work to ensure that English as a Second or Other Language provision, and other support, is available to those that need it.

Automatic enrolment has achieved a quiet revolution through getting employees into the habit of pension saving. It has reversed the decline in workplace pension participation seen in the decade prior to its introduction. Since automatic enrolment started in 2012 participation rates have been transformed with 87% of eligible employees saving into a workplace pension in 2018, up from 55% in 2012.

The Department does not hold data for individual constituencies in relation to opt outs or the number of individuals who have saved above the automatic enrolment minimum contribution level. However, we do know that overall around 9% of automatically enrolled workers have chosen to opt out which is significantly below original estimates; and our latest evaluation report shows that, in April 2017, approximately 5.9 million eligible employees were already meeting the April 2019 minimum contribution rates.

I am providing the following information about the impact of automatic enrolment in your constituency, as of November 2019.

In the West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine constituency, since 2012, approximately 10,000 eligible jobholders have been automatically enrolled and 1,870 employers have met their duties.

Automatic Enrolment Evaluation Report 2018, available via the following weblink: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/764964/Automatic_Enrolment_Evaluation_Report_2018.pdf.

The Pensions Regulator’s data on Automatic enrolment declaration of compliance by constituency, available via the following weblink: https://www.thepensionsregulator.gov.uk/en/document-library/research-and-analysis/data-requests

The UK has a zero-tolerance approach to fraud and robust controls against the diversion of aid. We select our partners for the strong safeguards they have in place, which reduces risks and ensures the maximum impact of UK aid for Palestinians. In Gaza, we have strong controls in place to monitor spending, including enhanced due diligence assessments, annual audits, and field visits; all to ensure UK aid reaches its intended beneficiaries and achieves value for money for the UK taxpayer. The UK's funding agreements also commit partners to understand and comply with UK and international counter terrorism legislation.

The UK Government has zero-tolerance to incitement of violence, and we have raised this issue with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). We contacted the UNRWA directly regarding this issue and understand that as soon as the mistake was identified, the UNRWA took swift action to correct the issue and conducted a thorough review to address any education materials in breach of its policies. We continue to monitor the situation to ensure self-learning materials remain in line with UN values.

An independent review of the content in Palestinian textbooks led by our European partners is currently underway. The study is due to be completed in early 2021. We continue to press our European partners to complete the review as soon as possible. We will study its findings carefully.

We have a regular dialogue with the PA in which we raise concerns about allegations of inappropriate content in textbooks. We continue to urge the Israeli and Palestinian leadership to avoid engaging in, or encouraging, any type of action and language that makes it more difficult to achieve a negotiated solution to the conflict.

FCDO uses a variety of tools to monitor UNRWA's performance and ensure it continues to deliver quality services including via programme monitoring and annual assessments. UNRWA has a robust review system of each host country's textbooks to ensure education in its schools reflects the values and principles of the UN. We accompany our support to UNRWA with stringent attention to implementation of their neutrality policy, including how they apply this to textbooks.

The UK does not fund textbooks in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs). UK Aid to the Palestinian Authority (PA) contributes to the salaries of carefully vetted teachers/education workers.

An independent review of the content in Palestinian textbooks led by our European partners is currently underway. The study is due to be completed in early 2021. We continue to press our European partners to complete the review as soon as possible.

We have a regular dialogue with the PA in which we raise concerns about allegations of inappropriate content in textbooks. We continue to urge the Israeli and Palestinian leadership to avoid engaging in, or encouraging, any type of action and language that makes it more difficult to achieve a negotiated solution to the conflict.

The Energy Profits Levy is a temporary measure, the revenues from which will help to provide vital support for households facing cost of living pressures.

The government expects the combination of the Levy and its investment allowance to lead to an overall increase in investment.

The super-deduction is available only to incorporated businesses subject to the charge of UK corporation tax.

The Government has no plans to extend the super-deduction to unincorporated businesses.

Unincorporated businesses can continue to claim 100% relief on qualifying investments in plant and machinery through the Annual Investment Allowance, which will remain at its highest ever level of £1 million until the end of 2021.

To help the Scottish Government manage their coronavirus response, the UK government made an unprecedented upfront funding guarantee on 24 July. This guarantees the Scottish Government will receive at least £6.5bn in additional resource funding this year on top of the funding set out at the Spring Budget.

Since matters of local government are a devolved responsibility, it is for the Scottish Government to decide how much of this funding they use to support Scottish local authorities.

Those who pay themselves a salary through their own company are eligible for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS). The CJRS is available to employers, including owner-managers, and individuals paying themselves a salary through a PAYE scheme are eligible. Where furloughed directors, including companies with a sole director, need to carry out particular duties to fulfil their statutory obligations, they may do so provided it is no more than would reasonably be judged necessary for that purpose.

Dividends are not covered by the CJRS or the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS). Income from dividends is a return on investment in the company, rather than wages. Under current reporting mechanisms it is not possible for HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to distinguish between dividends derived from an individual’s own company and dividends from other sources, and between dividends in lieu of employment income and as returns from other corporate activity.

The Government has worked with stakeholders and carefully considered the case for providing a new system for those who pay themselves through dividends. However, targeting additional support for those who pay their wages via dividends is much more complex than existing income support schemes. Unlike announced support schemes, which use information HMRC already holds, it would require owner-managers to make a claim and submit information that HMRC could not efficiently or consistently verify to ensure payments were made to eligible companies, for eligible activity.

The Government has heard the suggestion made that HMRC could adopt a ‘pay now, claw back later’ approach. However, such an approach would be highly resource-intensive to ensure appropriate compliance, and there is a high risk that incorrect or fraudulent payments could not be recovered, ultimately at the cost of UK taxpayers.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer has said there will be no further extension or changes to the SEISS or CJRS. However, other support is available. The CJRS and SEISS continue to be just two elements of a comprehensive package of support for individuals and businesses. This package includes Bounce Back loans, tax deferrals, rental support,?increased levels of Universal Credit, mortgage holidays, and other business support grants. 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.

All exit schemes in Government departments must be launched using the Government’s Civil Service Compensation Scheme (CSCS) terms in place at that time. The current CSCS terms are capped at a maximum of 21 months’ pay for those aged under 60 and a maximum of 6 months’ pay for those aged 60 or over.

In September 2017, the Government launched a consultation which proposed changes to the current 2010 CSCS, in line with the HM Treasury framework for exit schemes across the public sector. The Cabinet Office has recently confirmed an extension to the 2010 terms until 31 March 2020 which guarantees those terms for anyone who signs up to an exit package by that date.

HMRC continue to work closely with the Cabinet Office on the progress of the consultation and will continue to do so in order to seek to provide clarity for those people affected by HMRC’s transformation programme. The progress of the consultation is reviewed regularly and at this time, it is not known what the changes may be, or if and when they will be introduced.

For HMRC, exits are always a last resort and HMRC are committed to looking for redeployment opportunities and supporting people to find other roles in the Civil Service. In line with the 2016 Cabinet Office Redundancy Protocols, an exit scheme will only be considered once other options have been exhausted and there is no alternative.

The Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme (ESMCP) works closely with user organisations and EE to enhance levels of resilience across the ESN network. This includes enhancing power resilience across the ESN network by deploying standby alternative power solutions in the event of mains power being lost.

Regular discussions are ongoing between the Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme (ESCMP) and EE to ensure the ESN network is resilient in the event of major disruption. The Programme is providing additional investment to enhance resilience of the ESN network in addition to what has already been provided by EE.

The UK Government does not routinely comment on intelligence matters.

While we work closely with our international partners in the global fight against terrorism, any executive action must be underpinned by intelligence which satisfies the UK’s criminal and statutory thresholds.

The UK Government does not routinely comment on intelligence matters.

The UK currently operates nine Youth Mobility Scheme (YMS) arrangements with Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Korea, San Marino, Japan, Monaco, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.

As each YMS is subject to a bilateral, reciprocal agreement which also provides benefit to UK Nationals, the Home Office will not add nations to the scheme unilaterally in the absence of such an agreement.

Looking to the future, we have indicated our desire to negotiate a youth mobility arrangement with the EU, or with individual countries within it if a collective agreement is not possible.

Iranian-inspired militia activity in Iraq poses an ongoing threat to Coalition forces. We have been clear that these attacks, and the threat of the attacks, harm Iraq's peace, stability and prosperity. We continue to work with the Government of Iraq to promote stability and reduce the threat of further attacks by these groups.

A review of all University Royal Naval Units (URNUs) is being conducted by the Royal Navy to consider how the organisations are governed and managed, while examining the objectives of the URNU and the way they deliver the maritime experience. Geographical footprint will be considered as part of this review.

Imprints are required on any printed election material, including that of independent candidates at local elections, to provide voters with the level of transparency they rightly expect about who is campaigning. The imprint requirement also supports the rules on campaign spending limits. The requirement to include an address as part of the imprint is important to enable the police and the courts to enforce the rules relating to candidate election material with legal certainty.

The safety of election campaigners and candidates is our utmost priority. For this reason, while candidates must use a postal address where they can be contacted, a range of addresses are permitted under the imprint rules. Therefore, candidates have alternative options if they feel uncomfortable publishing their home address on printed election material. As outlined in Electoral Commission guidance, this can be an office or business address. Candidates may also use a PO Box address or other mailbox service.

The UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) will help to level up and create opportunity across the UK. A portion of the UKSPF will target places most in need across the UK, such as ex-industrial areas, deprived towns and rural and coastal communities.

Places receiving funding will be asked to agree specific outcomes to target within a UK-wide framework. They will then develop investment proposals to be approved by the Government among a representative stakeholder group. A second portion of the Fund will be targeted differently to people most in need through bespoke employment and skills programmes that are tailored to local need.

To help local areas prepare over 2021/22 for the introduction of the UKSPF, we will provide additional UK funding to support our communities to pilot programmes and new approaches.

Further detail on the additional funding will be published soon and we will publish a UK-wide investment framework in Spring 2021 setting our further information on the UKSPF.

The UK Shared Prosperity Fund will operate across the Union to make sure each of the four nations prosper. Decisions the design of the fund will need to be taken after a cross-Government Spending Review. In the meantime, we will continue to work closely with interested parties whilst developing the fund.

The MOJ has no procedures in place for offenders to be tagged by police services during the covid-19 outbreak. The tagging of offenders released from custody as a requirement of a licence or subject to court imposed electronic monitoring is carried out by the Electronic Monitoring Service (EMS) not by police services during the covid-19 outbreak or otherwise. EMS is continuing to fulfil all the tagging requirements that it is responsible for and its staff have been designated key workers as their work is essential to the running of the justice system.

Those being released under the End of Custody Temporary Release scheme, which has been established for low-risk offenders within two months of release, as part of the national plan to protect the NHS and save lives, are being fitted with a GPS tag on release and are subject to conditions requiring them to adhere to a curfew and the Government’s Covid-19 measures.

Following the two recent attacks at Fishmongers’ Hall and HMP Whitemoor, the Government announced a package of funding and legislative changes, including major investment in counter terrorism resources in prisons and probation, which is overseen by the Joint Extremism Unit (JEXU) a joint Home Office and Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation (HMPPS) unit.

The package of measures include:

• Tougher sentences for the most serious terrorist offenders, which will mean dangerous terrorist offenders who receive extended determinate sentences serve their entire sentence

• Doubling the number of Counter-Terrorism specialist probation staff. These specially trained staff will deliver a set of new, intensive national standards for managing terrorists on licence;

• These new standards will mean terrorists are subjected to closer monitoring and reporting requirements.

• An increase in the resources dedicated to training front-line prison and probation staff and;

• The introduction of polygraph testing.

• An independent review of our Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA).

Following the attack on 2 February in Streatham, the government announced emergency legislation to ensure an end to terrorist offenders getting released automatically, having served half of their sentence with no check or review.

Northern Ireland’s centenary is an anniversary of profound significance, providing an important opportunity to facilitate national recognition and international awareness. It is also the centenary of the United Kingdom as we know it today and hence of importance to every part of our country.

It presents a unique opportunity to boost the economy as we promote Northern Ireland as an attractive place to live, visit and do business.

We have provided £3m of funding to mark the centenary, including a £1m Shared History Fund to support the engagement of a wide range of arts, heritage and community groups. We will be sharing further details of our centenary plans over the coming weeks.

The production forecasts produced by the North Sea Transition Authority are for the whole of the UK continental shelf up to 2050; forecasts are not produced for each individual constituent part of the UK. Historical trends show that the share in Scotland’s geographical waters averages around 80% and the UK Government expects this trend to continue over the next ten financial years.

DHSC has been clear that blanket application of DNACPRs is unacceptable and that standards and quality of care should be maintained even in pressurised circumstances.

It is important that we work across the health and care system, throughout the whole of the UK, to build understanding of the role DNACPR decisions play in high quality personalised care. Any advanced care decisions, including DNACPRs, must be discussed with patients and families, who must be given all the relevant information and any critical decisions must be made on an individual basis.

As Public Health is a devolved matter, I would call on the incoming Scottish Government, following Scottish elections in May, to listen to patients, families and care organisations who have serious concerns about the use of DNACPR orders during the covid pandemic.