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).
Ban greyhound racing to end unnecessary deaths & suffering of racing dogs
Gov Responded - 26 Nov 2020 Debated on - 28 Mar 2022 View 's petition debate contributionsThe Government must introduce legislation to abolish greyhound racing, via managed shutdown of activities, and ensure welfare of redundant dogs through a levy on the industry. In 2019 Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB) data confirmed 4970 injuries & 710 deaths (14 per week).
Tougher sentences for hit and run drivers who cause death
Gov Responded - 28 Aug 2020 Debated on - 15 Nov 2021 View 's petition debate contributionsThe maximum penalty for failure to stop after an incident is points and a 6-month custodial sentence. Causing death by careless/dangerous driving is between 5-14 yrs. The sentence for failing to stop after a fatal collision must be increased.
Ryan's Law: Widen definition of 'death by dangerous driving'
Gov Responded - 24 Mar 2021 Debated on - 15 Nov 2021 View 's petition debate contributionsThe offence of causing 'death by dangerous driving' should be widened to include: failure to stop, call 999 and render aid on scene until further help arrives.
These initiatives were driven by Andrew Rosindell, 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.
Andrew Rosindell has not been granted any Urgent Questions
A Bill to make provision for and in connection with the giving of penalty notices for certain offences in relation to animals and animal products.
This Bill received Royal Assent on 28th April 2022 and was enacted into law.
The Bill failed to complete its passage through Parliament before the end of the session. This means the Bill will make no further progress. A Bill to make provision for the imposing of restrictions on assets owned by persons involved in conduct that gives support and assistance to terrorist organisations in the United Kingdom for the purpose of securing compensation for citizens of the United Kingdom affected by such conduct
A Bill to require public houses to have annual electrical safety tests; to make associated provision about licensing, insurance and enforcement; and for connected purposes.
A Bill to establish rights to keep dogs and other animals in domestic accommodation; to make provision about the protection of the welfare of dogs and other domestic animals; and for connected purposes.
A Bill to make provision about the freezing and seizing of assets belonging to states or organisations who sponsor or perpetrate acts of terrorism for the purposes of enabling compensation to be paid to the British victims of such terrorism; to provide a definition of British victims for the purpose of eligibility for such compensation; and for connected purposes.
A Bill to make provision for a national public holiday marking the Queen’s Sapphire Jubilee in 2017 and to establish a framework to ensure that the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and Crown dependencies appropriately commemorate this occasion; and for connected purposes.
A Bill to make provision for the re-establishment of the control and sovereignty of policy, administration and all other matters relating to the United Kingdom’s borders with the European Union and to the entry and exit to the United Kingdom of foreign nationals; and for connected purposes.
The Bill failed to complete its passage through Parliament before the end of the session. This means the Bill will make no further progress. A Bill to establish a Commission to establish and maintain a national register of places within the United Kingdom, including but not limited to countries, counties, cities, towns, villages and hamlets, with a permanent identity defined by historical, social and geographical boundaries, separate from existing administrative and electoral boundaries; to grant each such place the right to its own coat of arms, flag and other symbols of local identity; and for connected purposes.
The Bill failed to complete its passage through Parliament before the end of the session. This means the Bill will make no further progress. A Bill to allow subjects of Her Majesty’s realms to enter the United Kingdom through a dedicated channel at international terminals, to ensure that all points of entry to the United Kingdom at airports, ports and terminals display prominently a portrait of Her Majesty as Head of State, the Union Flag and other national symbols; to rename and re-establish the UK Border Agency as ‘Her Majesty’s Border Police’; and to enhance the Agency’s powers to protect and defend the borders of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
The Bill failed to complete its passage through Parliament before the end of the session. This means the Bill will make no further progress. A Bill to repeal the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991; to require the introduction of compulsory microchipping of dogs; to make provision relating to the welfare of dogs and public safety around dogs; and for connected purposes.
The Bill failed to complete its passage through Parliament before the end of the session. This means the Bill will make no further progress. A Bill to require the Secretary of State annually to prepare and publish a list of the festivals and commemorations which will take place in the year 10 years after publication; to indicate which days will be designated as Bank or Public Holidays; to make provision to enable local communities to observe significant occasions; and for connected purposes
Sale of Property (Sealed Bids) Bill 2022-23
Sponsor - Bill Wiggin (Con)
Recognition of Armenian Genocide Bill 2021-22
Sponsor - Tim Loughton (Con)
Seals (Protection) Bill 2021-22
Sponsor - Tracey Crouch (Con)
Dogs (Protection of Livestock) Bill 2021-22
Sponsor - Virginia Crosbie (Con)
Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (Status) (No. 2) Bill 2021-22
Sponsor - Ian Liddell-Grainger (Con)
Pig Husbandry (Farrowing) Bill 2019-21
Sponsor - David Amess (Con)
Food Labelling (Environmental Sustainability) Bill 2019-21
Sponsor - Chris Grayling (Con)
Planning (Proper Maintenance of Land) Bill 2019-21
Sponsor - Jonathan Gullis (Con)
Hong Kong Bill 2019-21
Sponsor - Alistair Carmichael (LD)
June Bank Holiday (Creation) Bill 2019-21
Sponsor - Peter Bone (Ind)
Holocaust (Return of Cultural Objects) (Amendment) Act 2019
Sponsor - Theresa Villiers (Con)
British Indian Ocean Territory (Citizenship) Bill 2017-19
Sponsor - Henry Smith (Con)
Dog Meat (Consumption) (Offences) Bill 2017-19
Sponsor - Bill Wiggin (Con)
Representation of the People (Gibraltar) Bill 2017-19
Sponsor - Craig Mackinlay (Con)
Pets (Theft) Bill 2017-19
Sponsor - Ross Thomson (Con)
Victims of Terrorism (Pensions and Other Support) Bill 2017-19
Sponsor - Emma Little Pengelly (DUP)
Electoral Reform (Local Elections and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2016-17
Sponsor - Ranil Jayawardena (Con)
The Government strongly believes in the benefits that the arts and creative industries bring to the UK, and this includes fairs, circuses and showgrounds. The cultural and creative industries are some of the fastest growing sectors of the UK economy, and the Government is committed to helping them continue to grow.
Our arm’s-length body, Arts Council England, funds local festivals and circus arts, both through performing arts organisations and individuals who practise circus skills.
For example, in 2021-22 Arts Council England invested over £6.5 million in circus-related activity. Organisations such as Out There Arts in Great Yarmouth and Greenwich & Docklands Festival in London offer a range of support for established and emerging circus artists. Companies such as Upswing and Gorilla Circus offer performance and participation opportunities to people of all ages, and organisations such as Circomedia in Bristol offer a range of support for established and emerging circus artists, directors, and choreographers.
There are no plans to fly the Pitcairn Islands flag in Parliament Square on Bounty Day.
We fly the flags of the Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories including the Pitcairn Islands Flag on Parliament Square for Royal events and occasions such as Trooping of the Colour and for State Visits to London.
The UK Government represents the interests of UK Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), including in negotiations at the annual Conference of the Parties (COP).
We are working with the Crown Dependencies to ensure that their perspectives are accurately represented. In June, I met with representatives from the governments of the Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey to discuss preparations for COP26.
In the Written Ministerial Statement of 15 December 2020, HCWS652, the Government outlined how unconscious bias training fails to deliver value for taxpayers' money and is ineffective. We indicated that it will be phased out in the Civil Service, and encourage the wider public sector to do the same.
Similar principles can be applied to "critical race theory" training, which is a controversial political ideology. Councils should be seeking to keep council tax down, and focus resources to supporting frontline services and covid recovery.
Moreover, the application of critical race theory to municipal public services threatens to undermine integration and community cohesion, by exaggerating differences within local communities; instead, councils should be seeking to build and strengthen a shared local and national identity across class, colour and creed.
The Church Commissioners and other National Church Institutions have been in regular contact with the Dean and Chapter of St Paul's Cathedral throughout the pandemic as they have with all the Anglican cathedrals in England. The Church Commissioners made additional financial support available to all cathedrals and dioceses throughout the pandemic over and above the financial support they regularly make available.
The Third Church Estates Commissioner, Dr Eve Poole, has also been in touch with both the Dean and the Chair of Council of St Pauls in the wake of recent headlines and conversations about the additional specific needs of St Paul's are ongoing. Currently, the Church Commissioners are aware that St Paul's Cathedral has received the following financial support during the pandemic from the Church Commissioners and the Government. This does not account for any support received through the Government's furlough scheme:
Church Commissioners Financial Support to St Paul's Cathedral |
|
Dean and 2 Residentiary Canons - Standard Grant | £158,000 |
Cathedral Sustainability Grant - staff and administration | £172,000 |
Heritage Trade and Skills Grant | £96,500 |
Music Grant - Lay Clerks | £131,000 |
Government Financial Support to St Paul's Cathedral |
|
Culture Recovery Fund round 1 & 2 | £3 million |
Culture Recovery Fund Capital Works Grant | £320,000 |
The pandemic has impacted the finances of all cathedrals and churches right across the country to varying degrees, and this is not an experience unique to the Church of England. However, the Church of England is responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of 45% of all grade one listed buildings in the country and the lack of in-person worshipers, educational visits and events have impacted not just the charitable giving and income of all cathedrals and churches but also the social and community and education work the Church supports and funds. Prior to the pandemic, the 'House for Good' report by the National Churches Trust showed clearly the positive social and economic impact a church and cathedral have on their local community, with over 70% of parishes operating over 35,000 social action projects across the country.
The Church of England is grateful to the Government for the continued support of DCMS via the Culture Recovery Fund. The Church looks forward to the opportunity to engage with the Government to look at the future sustainability of its buildings following the publication of the Government's Taylor Review: Sustainability of English Churches and Cathedrals 2017.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not maintain a central record of the number of people illegally carrying knives who have been charged with the offence or offences of manslaughter. This information could only be obtained by an examination of CPS case files, which would incur disproportionate cost.
There is no system of plea bargaining in courts in England and Wales. It may be appropriate for a plea to be accepted to alternative charges in some cases. However, the CPS do not capture any data on cases where this occurs centrally; therefore, the information could only be obtained by an examination of CPS case files, which would incur disproportionate cost. The CPS uses the Code for Crown Prosecutors to decide the charge and the Attorney General’s guidelines on acceptance of pleas, in deciding whether to accept a guilty plea to a lesser charge. In both its Legal Guidance on Offensive Weapons and the Knife Crime Practical Guidance, the CPS state that the weapon offence should be charged in addition to the substantive offence.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not maintain a central record of the number of people illegally carrying knives who have been charged with the offence or offences of manslaughter. This information could only be obtained by an examination of CPS case files, which would incur disproportionate cost.
There is no system of plea bargaining in courts in England and Wales. It may be appropriate for a plea to be accepted to alternative charges in some cases. However, the CPS do not capture any data on cases where this occurs centrally; therefore, the information could only be obtained by an examination of CPS case files, which would incur disproportionate cost. The CPS uses the Code for Crown Prosecutors to decide the charge and the Attorney General’s guidelines on acceptance of pleas, in deciding whether to accept a guilty plea to a lesser charge. In both its Legal Guidance on Offensive Weapons and the Knife Crime Practical Guidance, the CPS state that the weapon offence should be charged in addition to the substantive offence.
This policy is led by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC).
The Law Officers regularly meet ministerial colleagues to discuss important issues of common interest.
However, it is a fundamental and longstanding principle of our system of government that the fact that the Law Officers have advised (or not advised) and the content of any such advice is, by convention, not disclosed outside Government, without their consent.
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 22 November is attached.
As is usual practice, an Official Portrait has been taken of His Majesty The King to mark the start of the new Reign, for use in public buildings and for other official purposes. The portrait has been commissioned by the Royal Household and will be published by them in due course. His Majesty’s Government will provide this portrait for the Official Portrait Scheme, announced by the Deputy Prime Minister in April this year. The scheme opened earlier this month and enables certain Public Authorities across the UK to obtain a free, framed official portrait of His Majesty The King for display in their buildings.
The Government and Royal Household announced on 3 September the creation of The Queen Elizabeth Memorial Committee and appointed its Chair, Lord Janvrin. The Committee will develop proposals for both a permanent memorial, and a national legacy programme that will allow everyone in the UK to commemorate Queen Elizabeth’s life of service.
The Government and Royal Household are still actively considering the most appropriate way to commemorate Prince Philip, the Late Duke of Edinburgh, as part of this process.
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland regularly meets groups representing all communities in Northern Ireland. In July this year he attended the County Armagh Twelfth Demonstration in Lurgan in recognition that parading is an important part of Northern Ireland’s rich cultural heritage. This Government has always stressed the importance of Northern Ireland’s place within the Union. We share cultural, social and economic ties that make us more prosperous and secure.
Details of my future official visits will be announced in the usual way.
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 19th September is attached.
It is not customary for the Cabinet Office to make plans to celebrate the 75th birthday of a Monarch, as seen with the late HM Queen Elizabeth II’s 75th birthday celebrations.
However, the Sovereign's birthday was officially celebrated by the ceremony of Trooping the Colour (King's Birthday Parade) on Saturday 17th June 2023.
The Ministry of Defence also fires gun salutes every year for The King's birthday on 14th November.
Equally, I am sure that, like me, he welcomed the wonderful weekend of celebrations for His Majesty the King’s Coronation last month, which were a triumph of pomp, pageantry and pride in Britain.
The Government is working with the Royal Household on the approach to commemorating Queen Elizabeth II’s life and legacy, which will include any planning and development of a permanent memorial. Further information and a public announcement will be made in due course.
I am happy to confirm to my Hon. Friend that the Middlesex Flag flew from 10 Downing Street on 16 May. This reflects the fact Downing Street is within the county of Middlesex, and Middlesex is its ‘local’ flag.
The Government is continuing to support the flying of all county flags within Westminster on the annual county flag week in Parliament Square.
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
A response to the Hon gentlemen Parliamentary Question of 29.03 is attached.
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
A response to the Hon. Member's Parliamentary Question of 27 February is attached.
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
A response to the Hon. gentlemen’s Parliamentary Question of 9 January is attached.
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
A response to the Hon. gentlemen’s Parliamentary Question of 9 January is attached.
The Government is working with the Royal Household on the approach to commemorating Her Late Majesty. Further information will be shared in due course.
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
A response to the Hon. Member's Parliamentary Question of 2 November is attached.
The Procurement Bill, currently being considered in the House of Lords, aims to make it simpler, quicker and cheaper for suppliers, including SMEs and social enterprises, to bid for public sector contracts.
The new rules focus more on delivering outcomes and will provide clearer rules overall and more flexibility for officials to use their commercial skills to achieve the desired outcomes.
In addition, the Commercial Playbooks include key policy reforms which help government and industry work better together to deliver quality public services and value for money.
The creation of new cities, and the publication of the updated list of cities on 29 August, celebrates the rich and diverse communities which make up not only the United Kingdom, but also the Crown Dependencies and British Overseas Territories.
Local communities have often taken the initiative to celebrate their city status, and periodically Ministers and Members of the Royal Family have also visited.
The Government is totally committed to championing our veterans, and ensuring they have the support they need to thrive in civilian life. We recently launched a new Veterans' Strategy Action Plan, which sets out our commitments to the veteran community.
To mark the 70th anniversary of Her Majesty The Queen’s accession, a commemorative medal, the Platinum Jubilee Medal, will be awarded to those serving in the Armed Forces and certain other public services on 6th February 2022, and who have completed the required five years’ service. This approach is consistent with that taken for the Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012.
We have successfully piloted the Great Place to Work scheme across six government Departments and have commenced the roll out of this initiative across Departments for all Civil Service roles, including Senior Civil Servant positions by the end of March 2022. During the pilot phase, the scheme received 3,000 applications, made 155 appointments to roles and saw 180 successful applicants placed on a reserve list.
The new Veterans’ Strategy Action Plan outlines over 60 commitments funded by over £70 million from departments across Government, including initiatives to make sure veterans are able to find quality employment after leaving service.
These commitments build on recent progress and support to encourage employers to recruit veterans, such as the National Insurance contribution holiday for employers of Service leavers and the Defence Employer Recognition scheme. We have committed to promoting pathways into careers in public service for veterans, such as teaching and in the uniformed and health services and introduced a fast-track recruitment scheme for veterans wishing to become prison officers.
The Cabinet Office no longer holds files on this subject. Records from this period transferred to The National Archives (TNA) are listed on its online catalogue. Any closures or retentions can be requested via the FOI process and quoting the file reference on TNA's catalogue.
Government records from this period will have been transferred (subject to any legal exemptions) to The National Archives under the Public Records Act and will be listed on their catalogue which is available online.
From 21 June, there is no longer a maximum number of attendees at weddings set out in law. Instead, the number of attendees at weddings, civil partnerships and receptions will be determined by how many people the venue or space can safely accommodate with social distancing measures in place.
The Government committed to explore whether and how COVID-status certification might be used to reopen our economy, reduce restrictions on social contact and improve safety. As set out in the ‘COVID-19 Response - Spring 2021,’ the Government will set out its conclusions on the COVID-status Certification Review in advance of Step 4 of the Roadmap, in order to inform the safe reopening of society and the economy.
An update on the Roadmap Reviews was published on 5 April and can be found here:
The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster further updated via a Written Ministerial Statement on 29 April 2021, which can be found below: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2021-04-29/hcws947
The Government announced a four-week pause at Step 3 of the roadmap following an assessment of the data against the four tests.
After carefully considering the potential impacts, on 14 June the Government announced that there will no longer be a maximum number cap for attendees at wedding and civil partnerships, and receptions set out in law. From 21 June, the number of attendees at weddings, civil partnerships and receptions will be determined by how many people the venue or space can safely accommodate with social distancing measures in place.
The changes allow people to celebrate their union with their families and loved ones, and aligns the wedding sector with the way most other COVID Secure venues operate - such as restaurants and pubs - where social distancing determines a venue’s capacity. Additionally, changes also bring commemorative events, such as wakes, in line with existing rules on funerals so people can say goodbye to those they have lost.
This change does not enable a wedding of any size to take place. To manage the risks around the virus the exact number of attendees will be based on the COVID-19 risk assessment of each venue or outdoor space, and measures put in place to limit the spread of COVID-19.
At Step 3, social distancing and COVID-secure rules apply to all businesses, venues and workplaces. While we feel it is safe to make some easements, we have not made the decision to move to Step 4. We will only lift remaining restrictions on weddings, civil partnerships and commemorative events when the decision is taken to move to the next stage of the roadmap. We know this pause will be disappointing to many people, including those planning weddings and other events, but we hope that these cautious changes will enable some more people to attend these special events.
We have published extensive guidance on wedding and civil partnership ceremonies, receptions and celebrations on GOV.UK, which can be found here - https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-wedding-and-civil-partnership-ceremonies-receptions-and-celebrations
The Events Research Programme aims to examine the risk of transmission of Covid-19 from attendance at events and explore ways to enable people to attend a range of events safely. To achieve this, the programme will explore how a combination of testing and non-pharmaceutical interventions (actions that people can take to mitigate the spread of coronavirus) can inform decisions on safely lifting restrictions at events from Step 4. The initial research pilots have already started and are taking place throughout May.
At Step 4, which will be no earlier than 21 June, the Government aims to remove all limits on weddings, civil partnership ceremonies and receptions, subject to the outcome of the Events Research Programme and the Social Distancing Review. Further guidance will be issued ahead of Step 4.
My engagements are still to be finalised, and will be announced in due course. I can inform my hon. Friend that the Cross of St George will be proudly flying alongside the Union Flag in Downing Street.
We understand that losing a loved one is always a very difficult time. Throughout the pandemic, restrictions on funerals have sought to balance the needs of the bereaved with the need to minimise the spread of COVID-19. Therefore, the government has had to take the difficult decision to put measures in place to ensure funerals can continue whilst reducing risk, particularly if vulnerable people wish to attend.
The Government is taking a gradual and cautious approach to removing restrictions on end of life gatherings, guided by science and the data. Further information can be found in the guidance for arranging or attending a funeral during the coronavirus pandemic:
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have, therefore, asked the Authority to respond.
Primary legislation states that the elections will go ahead in May 2021.
We continue to work closely with the electoral community and public health bodies to resolve challenges and ensure everyone will be able to cast their vote safely and securely - and in a way of their choosing.
The Government is also bringing forward additional measures to extend the ability to appoint a proxy, so that those that are affected by Covid-19 in the days before the poll are still able to make their voice heard.
Guidance will be published in good time ahead of the polls and this matter will be kept under review.
The government welcomes open and transparent engagement in the UK. Depending on what the established organisation seeks to do, there are different applicable regulations regarding the activities that such an organisation could undertake.
If the organisation is political in nature then a variety of legislation could apply. If it seeks to make political donations then it would need to be compliant with the rules set out in the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act (PPERA) 2000 and the Representation of the People Act 1983. Only those with a genuine interest in UK electoral events can donate to candidates, campaigners and political parties.
If the organisation seeks to act as a third-party campaigner at UK elections then it would need to comply with the rules on third-party campaigning set out in the PPERA.
If the organisation engages with financial activities then it would need to comply with the UK financial regulatory framework.
From a security perspective, there are rules around the type of activity that groups set up in the UK may undertake. Organisations set up to conduct illegal activities, for example offences related to spying, sabotage and related crimes, would be subject to a range of enforcement legislation such as the Official Secrets Acts. There are also rules around proscribed terrorist organisations.
The Intelligence and Security Agencies produce and contribute to regular assessments of the threat posed by Hostile State Activity, including around potential interference in UK democratic processes. We keep such assessments under review and, where necessary, update them in response to new intelligence.
It is and always will be a priority for this Government to secure the UK’s democracy against all forms of interference, whilst welcoming transparent political participation and debate. The Defending Democracy programme brings together government, civil society and private sector organisations. As announced in the Queen’s Speech, we will bring forward new legislation to provide the security services and law enforcement agencies with the tools they need to disrupt hostile state activity.
The government recognises how difficult it has been for people to be cut off from their family and friends in recent months. This has been necessary to help us all control the virus and save lives. We have published detailed guidance on gov.uk which explains how you can now see people you do not live with, while protecting yourself and others from coronavirus.
We developed a national cross-government campaign to increase awareness of all coronavirus-related guidance and provide information and reassurance to the public. The campaign uses national advertising including TV, social media, radio, poster and signage advertising as well as other media channels in all four nations of the UK.
We have also partnered with over 600 national, regional and local newspaper titles to help amplify public information on critical coronavirus messaging and ensure it reaches all communities.
The information requested falls under the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond.
Montenegro is a valued trading partner and work continues towards a new Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, which would include commitments on trade.
Since launching trade negotiations with Switzerland in May 2023, the UK has held two rounds of negotiations on an Enhanced Free Trade Agreement. Discussions have been constructive and collaborative, and we have made good progress in starting to agree draft treaty text in several chapters.
The third round of negotiations is currently underway and is expected to conclude in early December 2023. The negotiating team will continue to keep Parliament and the public informed with a ministerial statement and published GOV.UK update following the round.
It is for Local Authority Trading Standards to enforce against the illegal sale of fireworks in their local area and to determine what steps need to be taken to protect the public.
It is an offence for a retailer to sell F1 fireworks (other than Christmas crackers) to anyone under the age of 16 or F2 or F3 fireworks to anyone under the age of 18. Retailers committing a sales offence could be subject to a fine or imprisonment.
The Department continues to deliver a wide range of business support schemes, with over 40 offers that help businesses start, grow and export. We are continuously improving our offer to help businesses access the finance and support they need, improve their skills and remove barriers to trade. This includes relevant businesses in the warehouse sector.
The Government provides extensive support to businesses through our Help to Grow Management, Business Support Helpline and Growth Hubs.
Businesses can also access government-backed financial support from the British Business Bank.
We understand the many challenges pubs are facing. The Government is supporting pubs with business rates relief, the Brexit Pubs Guarantee, and help with energy costs. We are also working across Government to identify opportunities to ease regulatory and licensing burdens.
We continue to work with businesses, including members of the Hospitality Sector Council, to deliver our 2021 Hospitality Strategy, which aims to support the sector's recovery from COVID-19 and improve longer term resilience.
The Department’s impact assessments of the UK-Australia and UK-New Zealand Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) were published on 16th December 2021 and 28th February 2022 respectively. These impact assessments set out the potential long-run incremental economic impact of these FTAs and are available on gov.uk. As the agreements only entered in force since 31st May 2023 it would not be credible or proportionate to assess the economic impact to date.
The United Kingdom is committed to building on our strong green trade partnership with Iceland. Our UK-EEA/EFTA free trade agreement is one of our greenest trade deals and provides the framework for continued dialogues with Iceland on the development and utilisation of climate friendly energy.
Officials discussed efforts to transition to Net Zero, including Iceland’s transition to carbon neutrality through geothermal energy, at the UK-EEA/EFTA Trade and Sustainable Development Subcommittee held in November last year.
The Secretary of State for Business and Trade has not met her Icelandic counterpart over the last 12 months. The then Minister for Trade (Conor Burns) opened the inaugural UK-EEA/EFTA Joint Committee in September 2022 where discussion focussed on how we could build on our strong trading relationship and maximise the benefits of the UK-EEA/EFTA Free Trade Agreement. Our Trade Commissioner for Europe met the Icelandic Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the British-Icelandic Chamber of Commerce in May 2023 to discuss our Free Trade Agreement, its implementation and next steps with local businesses.
All businesses – irrespective of their size, business sector or location – are responsible for paying the correct minimum wage to their staff.
National Minimum Wage enforcement data is not held at constituency level but regional data for London can be seen in the table below.
Financial Year | Region | Arrears (£) | Workers |
2018-19 | London | 6,456,315 | 59,147 |
2019-20 | London | 3,298,935 | 42,917 |
2020-21 | London | 1,285,697 | 10,005 |
2021-22 | London | 5,408,629 | 55,133 |
The Department’s impact assessments of the UK-Australia and UK-New Zealand Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) were published on 17th December 2021 and 28th February 2022 respectively. These impact assessments set out the potential long-run incremental economic impact of these FTAs and are available on gov.uk.
As the agreements only entered in force since 31st May 2023 it would not be credible or proportionate to assess the economic impact to date.
In March 2023, the Government announced the substantial conclusion of negotiations on the UK’s accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). Once the agreement enters into force, the UK will have its first formal trade agreement with Malaysia, and we will work with Malaysia to help businesses realise the benefits of CPTPP. Our inaugural bilateral Joint Economic Trade Committee (JETCO) is planned for later this year, through which we will seek to promote and enhance trade, investment and economic cooperation between the UK and Malaysia, including addressing trade barriers affecting business between the two countries.
DBT Ministers are planning to visit Malaysia in the coming months to promote greater bilateral trade and economic co-operation. Timing will be dependent on various factors, including both Malaysian and UK Ministerial availability.
The Government is committed to making the UK the best location in the world for manufacturing and recognising the vital role it plays in the UK economy, including job creation.
Advanced manufacturing has been identified by my Rt Hon. Friend the Chancellor as one of five key sectors that will be the engine to drive future growth in the UK and we are enhancing our manufacturing base through programmes in strategically important sub-sectors such as aerospace, automotive and life sciences and have committed nearly £650 million to fund the High Value Manufacturing Catapult centres.
The UK is focused on seeking an agreement that reflects the nature of our economies, delivering modern service and investment provisions, including long term certainty on mobility arrangements to facilitate the travel of business people for work.
UK and Swiss shared values present an opportunity for greater exchange and cooperation on areas of shared interest, including areas of research and development, for example.
Further to the launch of the UK-Swiss free trade agreement on 15 May 20203, the UK hosted the first round of negotiations the week commencing Monday 22nd May 2023. A second round of negotiations will take place in the autumn. There is no set timescale for completing negotiations, the UK will prioritise quality of outcomes over speed in the concluding the agreement.
The Government is committed to using our new regulatory autonomy to ensure that our regulations are tailored to the needs of the UK economy and businesses based in the UK.
The Government has introduced a new subsidy control regime to support British businesses and innovation through greater freedom to design subsidies which deliver both local and national objectives; reforms to EU competition block exemption regulations; and the Professional Qualifications Act which will revoke EU-derived rules on the recognition of professional qualifications in the UK.
An impact assessment for the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill is available on gov.uk. Departments, including the Department for Business and Trade will assess, where required, the impacts of any further changes to EU laws that are made using the powers in the Bill including on small and medium-sized enterprises.
We are committed to helping small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) grow. Our support includes access to the free Business Support Helpline, one of the 38 Growth Hubs across England, Help to Grow: Management scheme or visit the newly-launched Help to Grow website. Businesses can access government-backed finance from the British Business Bank for Start Up Loans programme and Recovery Loan Scheme.
Through our Export Strategy, ‘Made in the UK, Sold to the World’ the Department for Business and Trade provides extensive support and advice to SME businesses, whether they are considering exporting, learning how to go about it, or expanding into new markets.
The UK is working to enhance trade with Guatemala through effective implementation and utilisation of the UK-Central America Association Agreement. Trade between the UK and Guatemala increased by 6% between 2021 and 2022. The agreement includes annual committees that allow us to address market access issues. Recently, His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner for Latin America and the Caribbean, Jonathan Knott, visited Guatemala in September to champion UK trade, including UKEF support for UK businesses to help develop major projects in the country.
Investors from Commonwealth member states benefit from our Investment Strategy, which radically improves our long-term offer, ensuring that the UK remains one of the most competitive destinations for internationally mobile investment. In 2021-22 Department for International Trade network teams assisted 209 FDI projects in Commonwealth countries which created 12,268 total jobs.
Commonwealth member states will also benefit from the support the Department for Business and Trade provides to UK-based companies’ outward investments where there is a positive impact on the UK economy.
The Commonwealth Trade Ministers Meeting in June 2023 will provide the opportunity to further discuss the ambition to boost intra-Commonwealth trade to $2 trillion by 2030.
The United Kingdom is committed to building on our strong trading links, underpinned by our ambitious Free Trade Agreement (FTA) signed in July 2021 with Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein covering goods and services. My Hon. Friend the Minister of State (Nusrat Ghani) met her Norwegian counterpart in February 2023, and my Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business and Trade met with the Swiss Federal Councillor in November 2022, where the United Kingdom and Switzerland expressed an ambition to launch negotiations in 2023 on an enhanced FTA. The Secretary of State and her ministerial team continue to engage their counterparts to discuss how we can maximise the benefits of our Agreements.
The Government welcomes foreign investment into the UK, including from the Republic of San Marino.
At this time, the UK Government has not entered into discussions with the Republic of San Marino for the negotiation of an Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement.
Increasing the proportion of biomethane in the gas grid is a practical and cost-effective way of reducing carbon emissions. It can be used flexibly across different end uses with the potential to help decarbonise heating, transport, power generation and agriculture.
The Green Gas Support Scheme (GGSS) provides tariff support for biomethane produced and injected into the gas grid. The Department recently announced an extension to the scheme to 31 March 2028. The Government will consult on introducing a policy framework to follow this to facilitate continued growth of the market and is carrying out research and evaluation to support policy development.
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero is monitoring the published literature into the risk of increased energy consumption from AI-powered services. Despite its energy usage, AI can be used to enhance efficiency and reduce overall carbon emissions.
It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.
In December 2022, the Government published a consultation on making changes to national planning policy for new onshore wind farms in England. After consideration of all responses, on 5 September the Government set out changes to make it easier for local authorities to allocate suitable areas for onshore wind developments and to provide greater flexibility in addressing associated planning impacts.
A detailed assessment of the September heatwave has not yet been made. The heatwave occurred when a high-pressure system led to clear skies and warm air to be drawn north from continental Europe. Climate change has increased air and sea surface temperatures across the UK and Europe meaning that, while a specific attribution analysis has not yet been conducted for this heatwave, existing scientific evidence suggests that it is very likely temperatures were higher than they might otherwise have been under the same weather pattern in a world without human-induced climate change.
My Rt Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero and her predecessor have not held meetings or discussions with their Icelandic counterparts in the last 12 months.
The recently published ‘case for deep geothermal’ white paper commissioned by the Department and the North East Local Enterprise Partnership draws on British Geological Survey data to identify areas suitable for geothermal power.
The Department will develop its knowledge through a substantial research project aimed at updating its geothermal evidence base and creating a data platform to support geothermal deployment.
The British Virgin Islands and other British Overseas Territories have delegated responsibility for their energy systems. The UK Government, however, has supported renewable energy projects through the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) administered by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. In 2021/22, the CSSF provided over £300,000 for renewable energy projects in the British Virgin Islands, including a £115,000 project to install solar panels on a clinic and a school.
The Overseas Territories have delegated responsibility for renewable energy. As such, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero does not provide direct financial support. However, the Government supports renewable energy in the Territories through a range of other channels, including Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) to ODA-eligible Territories, and the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) administered by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. In 2021/22, the CSSF-funded Environmental Sustainability and Climate Change Programme funded renewable energy projects in Ascension, the British Virgin Islands, St Helena, South Georgia, and Tristan da Cunha worth up to £445,000. In 2022/23, the CSSF Governance Programme also supported a renewable energy project in Anguilla worth up to £50,000.
5G network rollout and the management of masts, mobile sites and network infrastructure is a matter for the mobile network operators, and this information is not held by the Government.
However, local authorities must grant planning permission or prior approval for building masts and therefore some local authorities keep mast site registers.
Government’s approach is to actively support and fund the development and dissemination of techniques that replace, reduce and refine the use of animals in research (the 3Rs), primarily through funding from UK Research and Innovation for the National Centre for the 3Rs (NC3Rs) - who have committed £31.6 million for research and innovation into replacement technologies in the past 5 years - and to ensure that the UK has a robust regulatory system for licensing animal studies.
The NC3Rs are on track to meet their commitment to invest 75% of their research and innovation budget on replacement technologies by the end of 2024.
Havering London Borough Council did not receive direct funding from Innovate UK in 2021-22. I refer the hon. Member to my response to his question 186044 on 30 May 2023 regarding wider funding for the Havering area
The Government has raised support for research commercialisation to its highest level ever. For example, the Higher Education Innovation Fund, supporting knowledge exchange between universities and the wider world, is £280m for academic year 2022-23, including £20m for commercialisation, and spinouts can access financial support like Innovate UK Smart Grants.
The Government also helps businesses take advantage of innovation. For example, Innovate UK’s EDGE gives innovative businesses the wrap-around support and leadership and management skills they need to scale up, commercialise, and access new markets.
Barking & Dagenham and Havering received £1.08m of UKRI spend in 2020-21, supporting research, development and innovation.
In March 2021, the Government launched Project Gigabit, a £5 billion programme to bring lightning-fast, reliable broadband to premises in rural and hard-to-reach locations across the UK. We have already made over £1.4 billion of funding available to broadband suppliers to build gigabit-capable infrastructure to premises that will not be reached by suppliers’ commercial plans alone.
The Government is also working to ensure that very hard to reach premises that may be unable to access a gigabit-capable connection also see an improvement in their connectivity. In April, the Government announced an £8 million fund to provide capital grants to further promote new satellite connectivity to up to the most remote 35,000 premises, helping these premises get improved broadband where required. Further details on the value of the grants, who will be able to apply for the scheme, and how to apply, will be released in due course.
One of the Government’s priorities is to ensure that no one is left behind in the digital age. This includes people who do not have the access, skills, or motivation to use the internet. The UK’s Digital Strategy published in 2022 is clear that HM Government has a “vision to enable everyone, from every industry and across the UK, to benefit from all that digital innovation can offer.”
To ensure that all people can benefit from digital technologies, we are working with providers to make access affordable for those who need it. We have worked with the industry to ensure there is a range of high-quality, low cost social tariffs for households in receipt of Universal Credit and other means tested benefits from as little as £10 per month. These are available in 99% of the UK. In addition in June 2022, leaders from broadband and mobile operators agreed on a set of industry commitments to help people through the global rise in the cost of living.
Training is also available for adults wishing to acquire digital skills. To put essential digital skills for adults on an equal footing alongside English and Maths, as a third basic skill, the Department for Education introduced a new legal entitlement to study free high-quality Essential Digital Skills Qualifications (EDSQ); and from August 2023, new digital Functional Skills Qualifications (FSQ), at Entry Level 3 and Level 1. We also support the provision of essential digital skills training in community settings through the Adult Education Budget.
The Universal Service Obligation is a legally binding commitment on the designated universal service provider and its ongoing provision would be required irrespective of ownership of the business.
The Postal Services Act 2011 designates Ofcom as the independent regulator for the postal sector with a duty to ensure the provision of a financially sustainable and efficient universal postal service.
Under its duty, Ofcom monitors the service provided by Royal Mail and its financial performance and publishes its findings in an Annual Monitoring Update. This is focused on Royal Mail’s ‘Reported Business’, which includes all universal services, as well as other services which are delivered over the universal service network, namely access products and retail bulk mail.
Ofcom’s Annual Monitoring Update 2021-22 is available at: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/postal-services/information-for-the-postal-industry/monitoring_reports.
Heat pipes are heat-conduction devices that employ phase transition of materials to remove heat from hot bodies. The use of nano-boron technology in heat pipes is in early-stage research which has not been demonstrated on a large scale. Consequently, there are no plans for a UK-wide roll out of heat pipes utilising nano-boron technology.
BEIS has not funded any work through the Energy Entrepreneurs Fund specifically on heat pipes and expects that other projects funded will improve solutions such as heat pipes. One example is the £806,000 project by Oxford Nanosystems Ltd to develop nano technology coatings for heat exchangers, funded through the Energy Entrepreneurs Fund.
Heat pipes are heat-conduction devices that employ phase transition of materials to remove heat from hot bodies. The use of nano-boron technology in heat pipes is in early-stage research which has not been demonstrated on a large scale. Consequently, there are no plans for a UK-wide roll out of heat pipes utilising nano-boron technology.
BEIS has not funded any work through the Energy Entrepreneurs Fund specifically on heat pipes and expects that other projects funded will improve solutions such as heat pipes. One example is the £806,000 project by Oxford Nanosystems Ltd to develop nano technology coatings for heat exchangers, funded through the Energy Entrepreneurs Fund.
Heat pipes are heat-conduction devices that employ phase transition of materials to remove heat from hot bodies. The use of nano-boron technology in heat pipes is in early-stage research which has not been demonstrated on a large scale. Consequently, there are no plans for a UK-wide roll out of heat pipes utilising nano-boron technology.
BEIS has not funded any work through the Energy Entrepreneurs Fund specifically on heat pipes and expects that other projects funded will improve solutions such as heat pipes. One example is the £806,000 project by Oxford Nanosystems Ltd to develop nano technology coatings for heat exchangers, funded through the Energy Entrepreneurs Fund.
Energy Security is a priority for this government. Gas storage has been an effective source of system flexibility.
The Government works with storage operators, as well as the regulatory community, to explore options around the role storage can play in supporting future gas system resilience.
The Government welcomes the decision taken by Centrica to reopen the Rough gas storage site at its own cost and has engaged with the company to understand its plans. Rough, at current capacity, will provide a 50% increase in British gas storage capacity over this winter.
The use of nanotechnology in heat pipes and heat exchange is an early stage research which has the potential to improve the efficiency of low carbon heat pumps and thereby reducing the resulting demand on the electricity system. The Department is funding some promising research through its Energy Entrepreneurs Fund scheme and hopes to see this leads to improvements in the technology in the near future.
The use of nanotechnology in heat pipes and heat exchange is an early stage research which has the potential to improve the efficiency of low carbon heat pumps and thereby reducing the resulting demand on the electricity system. The Department is funding some promising research through its Energy Entrepreneurs Fund scheme and hopes to see this leads to improvements in the technology in the near future.
The use of nanotechnology in heat pipes and heat exchange is an early stage research which has the potential to improve the efficiency of low carbon heat pumps and thereby reducing the resulting demand on the electricity system. The Department is funding some promising research through its Energy Entrepreneurs Fund scheme and hopes to see this leads to improvements in the technology in the near future.
The UK is ending all imports of Russian fossil fuels in response to Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine. The UK ended coal imports from Russia from 10 August, oil and oil products from 5 December, and imports of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) will be banned from 1 January 2023.
Provisional data shows the UK imported no Russian LNG in the three months to October 2022. This data also shows that the UK imported 0.3% of gross oil supply (production & imports) from Russia, down from 4.3% in the same period in 2021.
The Crown Dependencies are self-governing jurisdictions that are not part of the UK. These jurisdictions are members of the British-Irish Council through which the Government engages with Crown Dependencies on energy matters, including energy security, two to three times a year. These meetings are designed to share experiences on energy matters and to work together on practical and mutual issues where appropriate, in line with the tenth report of the Justice Select Committee regarding the relationship between the UK and the Crown Dependencies.
Being a science superpower means deepening our international relationships with leading research and innovation economies like Switzerland.
Association to EU programmes would not change this strong bilateral relationship: the Government’s preference remains association to Horizon Europe and the Government continues to do everything to secure this. But the UK cannot wait forever. The priority is to support international collaboration in science and R&I – Government want to strengthen the valuable and long-standing partnerships between UK and European researchers whilst expanding the UK’s global partnerships regardless of whether we associate to Horizon Europe.
As set out in the Net Zero Strategy, the Government aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from public sector buildings by 75% by 2037. To support this, £2.5 billion is being invested through the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme over the financial years 2020/21 to 2024/25 to provide grants for public sector bodies in England to fund heat decarbonisation and energy efficiency measures.
The Government Property Function on 15 November published its Government Property Strategy, which commits to delivering a range of measures designed to create a smaller, better, and greener public estate.
The Government is investing over £6.6 billion over this parliament to improve energy efficiency and decarbonise heating. In the summer the Government launched a GOV.UK digital service (‘Find ways to save energy in your home’) providing impartial, tailored advice to homeowners on ways to improve the energy performance of their homes. The service provides high-level trusted advice and information on retrofit recommendations suitable for their home.
National Grid, working alongside energy suppliers and Ofgem, have also launched a voluntary service to reward users who reduce their electricity demand at peak times.
The Start Up Loans Company, part of the Government-owned British Business Bank, provides loans and pre- and post-application support to new entrepreneurs, including a year of free business mentoring for successful applicants.
Our network of 38 Growth Hubs across England provides access to information and advice to all businesses, regardless of size or sector.
The BEIS-funded Business Support Helpline provides free advice and support for all businesses in England – including start-ups.
The Government published the Critical Minerals Strategy in July, which sets out plans to improve the resilience of critical minerals supply chains by boosting domestic capability, enhancing global markets, and playing a leading role in solving global challenges with our international partners.
The Government is committed to building domestic critical mineral supply chains, for example, by supporting UK-based rare earths developer Pensana’s new rare earth magnet materials refinery in Yorkshire. Earlier this year, the UK signed up to the Minerals Security Partnership alongside ten other likeminded partners to support the development of diverse supply chains.
The Life Sciences Vision, published in July 2021, sets out our ten-year strategy on how we would make the UK a Life Sciences superpower. The Vision made a number of commitments to develop a globally competitive Life Sciences investment ecosystem. These included the Life Sciences Innovative Manufacturing Fund, which will provide £60million in capital grants for investment in the manufacturing of human medicines, medical diagnostics and MedTech products in the UK; a new “Long-Term Investment For Technology and Science (LIFTS)” competition, providing up to £500million to support new funds to catalyse investment into the UK’s pioneering science and technology businesses; and eight Healthcare Missions, which will draw in significant private investment. Since the Vision was published, the UK has also attracted over £1billion in private sector investment.
The Government has announced unprecedented support within its Growth Plan to protect households and businesses from high energy prices. The Energy Price Guarantee will save a typical British household around £700 this winter. This is on top of existing Government plans to give all households a £400 reduction in their energy bills through the Energy Bill Support Scheme. The Chancellor has made clear they will continue to do so from now until end of March next year.
A review will be launched to consider more targeted measures to support households with their energy bills after this period.
The Government provides a range of support that all small businesses can access. These include information on starting up and running a business on GOV.UK, one to one advice via our free Business Support Helpline and through 38 Growth Hubs across England,
Small businesses will also benefit from the £15 billion of targeted government support to help with the rising cost of living.
The Government has also acted to reverse the National Insurance rise, which will save small businesses £4,200 on average and brought in the Energy Bill Relief Scheme, which will protect small businesses from high energy bills over the winter.
In addition, during Covid, the Government provided nearly £27 billion to local authorities across England through a package of business support including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, business rates relief, grants and loans. The London Borough of Havering received £92m of business grant support and reported making over 16,000 payments worth nearly £80m to their businesses.
The Start Up Loans Company, part of the Government-owned British Business Bank, provides support to new entrepreneurs. Since the Start Up Loans programme was launched in 2012, it has provided 355 loans to businesses in Havering, totalling £3,200,447.
The Government’s clear focus on fixing the UK’s long term energy supply is creating major opportunities for private sector investment, in the North Sea following the 33rd licensing round, in nuclear given our ambition to progress two projects to FID next Parliament, and in renewables where we are moving to annual CfD auction rounds from 2023.
The Government recognises the importance of tenants seeing the benefits of the Energy Price Guarantee and the Energy Bills Support Scheme being passed on to them by their landlords.
The Energy Prices Bill introduced on 12 October 2022 includes the provision to require landlords to pass benefits they receive from energy price support onto end users. Further details of the requirements under this legislation will be set out in regulations.
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) supports businesses to innovate and grow. For example, through the Made Smarter Innovation Challenge which helps manufacturers capitalise on new digital technologies. The Catapult Network receives some funding through Innovate UK, part of UKRI, and over half of the £1.2 billion funding for 2018/2023 is allocated to the High-Value Manufacturing Catapult which supports industry to develop new manufacturing technologies.
The Life Sciences Innovative Manufacturing Fund, announced in March 2022, will provide £60 million in capital grants for investment in the manufacture of human medicines, medical diagnostics and MedTech products, building on its predecessor, the Medicines & Diagnostics Manufacturing Transformation Fund
The Government recognises that the rising cost of living has presented additional financial challenges to many consumers, reducing their spending power and impacting retail sales. Retailers have been working to help households cope with the cost of living crisis, including supporting the Cost of Living Business Tsar and Government is providing over £15 billion in Cost of Living support, bringing the total support measures announced to £37 billion this year.
The Retail Sector Council continues to work on the strategic issues facing the sector and has identified the importance of high streets and place as a priority area.
Dual fuel heated homes will benefit from the support offered through the Energy Price Guarantee (EPG) which limits the price households pay per unit of gas and electricity they use, and the Energy Bills Support (EBSS) scheme which provides a £400 non-repayable Government discount to help 29 million households with energy bills over the winter. No support beyond EPG and EBSS is planned for dual fuel heated homes.
Dual fuel heated homes will benefit from the support offered through the Energy Price Guarantee (EPG) which limits the price households pay per unit of gas and electricity they use, and the Energy Bills Support (EBSS) scheme which provides a £400 non-repayable government discount to help 29 million households with energy bills over the winter. No support beyond EPG and EBSS is planned for dual fuel heated homes.
The Government is in commercial negotiations on Sizewell C, which are commercially sensitive. The Growth Plan 2022 states Government is targeting a Final Investment Decision for Sizewell C by the end of 2023, subject to all relevant approvals. The Government has also announced its intention to provide up to £700m of funding to the project, subject to the outcome of the current negotiations.
The Government has launched the Future Nuclear Enabling Fund and will set up Great British Nuclear to help develop projects beyond Sizewell C. Discussions with developers are commercially sensitive.
Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) use Energy Efficiency Rating (EER) as their headline metric, to score the energy performance of buildings based on their estimated running costs. EPCs also produce an Environmental Impact Rating (EIR) based on the estimated CO2e emissions of the building.
Recent consultations on policies that use EPCs, eg Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards in the private rented sector, sought views on alternative metric options, such as using EIR alongside the EER, to encourage property owners to decarbonise their buildings. The Government is considering a response and will publish in due course.
In the British Energy Security Strategy, the Government committed to launching a comprehensive energy advice service on GOV.UK. The ‘Find ways to save energy in your home’ page launched on the 28th of July. The Government will also provide additional support through a telephone service and local advice provision in due course.
My Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister announced details of the scheme on Wednesday 21st September. The press release and guidance has been circulated widely across business sectors and trade bodies as well as though social media.
Press Release: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-outlines-plans-to-help-cut-energy-bills-for-businesses.
Explainer document: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/energy-bill-relief-scheme-help-for-businesses-and-other-non-domestic-customers, which now includes the maximum discount.
According to Ofgem, environmental and social policy costs have totalled 25.48 percent on electricity bills and 2.46 percent on gas bills in 2020. However, over the past 10 years their net effect has been to reduce consumer energy bills.
These levies fund vital support schemes and energy efficiency measures which benefit low income and vulnerable households, as well as investing in the UK’s home-grown renewable energy sector.
According to Ofgem, environmental and social policy costs have totalled 25.48 percent on electricity bills and 2.46 percent on gas bills in 2020. However, over the past 10 years their net effect has been to reduce consumer energy bills.
These levies fund vital support schemes and energy efficiency measures which benefit low income and vulnerable households, as well as investing in the UK’s home-grown renewable energy sector.
The Government has diverse and flexible sources of gas supply which ensures that households, businesses, and heavy industry get the energy they need. The Government meets around half of the UK’s annual gas supply through domestic production and most imports come from reliable suppliers such as Norway. Less than 3% of our gas was sourced from Russia in 2020 through liquified natural gas.
There are no gas pipelines directly linking the UK with Russia. Unlike other countries in Europe, the UK is not dependent on Russian gas supply.
The success of London strengthens our national research and development (R&D) ecosystem, benefitting all UK regions. To this end, the Government is fully committed to the continued success of London’s world-class centres of R&D excellence.
The 2021 Spending Review sees record levels of investment in the UK’s world-leading research base with public spending on R&D increasing by £5 billion per annum to £20 billion in 2024-25.
The substantial uplift to research and science funding will not only allow the UK to build on our existing strengths but will also provide opportunities to grow research and innovation investment across the entire country.
Public R&D funding will continue to be awarded competitively and will be open to universities, businesses and organisations across the whole UK.
The Government is conscious of the impact of fuel prices on households across the country and has therefore decided to keep fuel duty frozen for the twelfth consecutive year.
We recognise the impact rising prices will have on businesses of all sizes and the Government is in regular contact with business groups and suppliers to understand the challenges they face and explore ways to protect businesses.
In response to the pandemic we put in place one of the world’s most comprehensive economic responses worth £400 billion, including business grants, loans, business rates relief, and VAT discounts. In total, over £37 billion has been provided to the tourism, leisure and hospitality sectors in the form of grants, loans and tax breaks. In addition, on 21 December, my Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer announced a further £1 billion support for businesses most impacted by Omicron across the UK, including a more than £100 million boost to the Additional Restrictions Grant for Local Authorities to support other businesses. We are encouraging councils to provide the funding to businesses as quickly as possible.
The Prime Minister’s 10 Point Plan set out the UK Government’s ambition for 5GW of hydrogen production capacity by 2030, including both electrolytic (green) and CCUS-enabled (blue) hydrogen.
The Government is clear that in supporting the growth of a hydrogen economy, the government should maximise economic benefits for the UK. The UK’s natural assets, expertise, and innovation ecosystem provide the foundations for a world leading hydrogen sector. The Hydrogen Strategy makes clear the Government expects developers to ensure that competitive UK companies are in a fair position to bid into hydrogen projects, and the Government will actively monitor results. The forthcoming Sector Development Action Plan will set out more detail.
Green ammonia can play an important role in helping the UK to meet its legally binding carbon budget and net zero commitments. As set out in the UK Hydrogen Strategy and the Transport Decarbonisation Plan, green ammonia (such as that created from hydrogen produced from green electricity or with carbon capture, usage and storage) is likely to play an important role in decarbonising UK domestic and international shipping. Ammonia made from low carbon hydrogen will also be important for decarbonising heavy industrial processes such as the production of fertilisers, and ammonia could provide an accessible and cost-effective method for transporting and storing low-carbon hydrogen for use across the economy.
The Government continually assesses how UK industry adapts to and makes the most of Brexit and the Northern Ireland Protocol. The Department is fully engaged with the Northern Ireland Executive and aerospace businesses in Northern Ireland on how to strengthen this already world-class industrial sector. It is the Government’s priority to deal with issues arising from the Protocol and work with the EU to agree solutions that make the Protocol work better for business.
The UK has a robust domestic supply of gas from the UK Continental Shelf. It has been operating at 90% or more of its potential capacity for gas production throughout the current winter. This Government, through the North Sea Transition Deal, is ensuring that there is a strong role for the sector in making sure resilience is maintained.
Natural gas will have an ongoing role to play as the UK decarbonises, however achieving net zero by 2050 means the Government will need to stop burning unabated natural gas in homes and business for heating purposes.
The Government's recently published retrofit strategy, the Heat and Buildings Strategy, signalled its ambition to phase out new natural gas boilers from 2035, with decisions to be taken in 2026 about the potential role of hydrogen boilers as an alternative.
The Government has also committed £3.9 billion of funding over the next 3 years to retrofit UK homes and buildings and is extending the Energy Company Obligation Scheme until 2026.
The Government is monitoring the significant increases in wholesale energy prices closely, and meeting regularly with Ofgem, suppliers and consumer groups to understand the future impact on consumers as well as to discuss potential mitigations.
The Government is committed to protecting energy customers, especially the most vulnerable. The Energy Price Cap will continue to protect consumers, ensuring they pay a fair price for their energy this winter. Low income and fuel poor households will continue to be supported with their energy bills through the Warm Home Discount, which provides eligible households with a £140 discount. Winter Fuel Payments and Cold Weather Payments will ensure that the most vulnerable are better able to heat their homes through the winter. Additionally, the Government announced an additional £500 million for local authorities through the new Household Support Fund to support vulnerable households meet daily needs such as utility bills.
The Government is monitoring the significant increases in wholesale energy prices closely, and meeting regularly with Ofgem, suppliers and consumer groups to understand the future impact on consumers as well as to discuss potential mitigations.
The Government is committed to protecting energy customers, especially the most vulnerable. The Energy Price Cap will continue to protect consumers, ensuring they pay a fair price for their energy this winter. Low income and fuel poor households will continue to be supported with their energy bills through the Warm Home Discount, which provides eligible households with a £140 discount. Winter Fuel Payments and Cold Weather Payments will ensure that the most vulnerable are better able to heat their homes through the winter. Additionally, the Government announced an additional £500 million for local authorities through the new Household Support Fund to support vulnerable households meet daily needs such as utility bills.
The UK Hydrogen Strategy sets out the Government’s approach to supporting low carbon electrolytic (green) hydrogen production alongside other production technologies. Support includes the £240 million Net Zero Hydrogen Fund and the Industrial Decarbonisation and Hydrogen Revenue Support scheme which will provide up to £100m of funding allocated in 2022 for electrolytic hydrogen projects, plus a further electrolytic allocation round in 2024.
The Government’s £23 million Hydrogen for Transport Programme is growing the number of publicly accessible hydrogen refuelling stations across the UK by delivering new stations and upgrading some existing stations, as well as deploying hundreds of new hydrogen vehicles.
We’ve put in place a measured and proportionate set of restrictions and we believe we have struck the right balance in introducing measures to wear face coverings in certain settings.
The retail sector remains a key part of the high street and physical retail remains an important route to consumers. The excellent Small Business Saturday, which I was pleased to support, took place on 4 December, and provides a great way to celebrate small and micro businesses across the UK, highlighting their importance to our local communities and helping them get back on their feet as we look ahead to the economic recovery.
Hospitality businesses, such as pubs, which were asked to close during the pandemic to reduce transmission of the virus have reported reduced trading throughout the pandemic period. Official data indicates economic activity in the sector was 31% lower on average throughout the pandemic, relative to pre-COVID levels.[1] However, in Quarter 3 2021, hospitality sector activity surpassed 2019 levels.[2]
In order to support all businesses across the UK economy, including pubs, throughout the COVID-19 pandemic we have provided businesses with an unprecedented support package of £400 billion, including grants, loans, business rates relief, VAT cuts and the job retention scheme. This includes a total of over £26bn in business grants. The Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG) fund is open until March 2022.
[1] Data represents the average quarterly percentage change in Gross Value Added in each sector from Quarter 1 2020 to Quarter 3 2021 relative to Quarter 4 2019.
As set out in the Net Zero Strategy, a low-cost, net zero consistent, electricity system is most likely to be composed predominantly of wind and solar, complemented by other low carbon generation technologies such as nuclear and power CCUS to ensure security of supply and a significant increase in flexibility.
However, as set out in the Energy White Paper a sustained increase of locally supported onshore wind in the 2020s and beyond will be required to meet out Carbon Budget 6 target. Onshore wind and other established renewable technologies such as solar PV will be able to compete in the next Contracts for Difference (CfD) allocation round, opening in December 2021. Government is seeking up to 5GW of capacity from established renewables technologies, with a £10m budget, which will support investment in all parts of Great Britain.
The UK is a world leader in mathematics. British mathematicians publish a large volume of highly regarded work. When compared to international colleagues, British mathematicians have the 5th largest share of publications in the world. When looking at the top 1% of most cited publications, UK mathematicians are responsible for the third largest share.
Since January 2020, UKRI has awarded £104 million of additional funding into mathematical sciences, over and above EPSRC’s core Mathematical Sciences Theme budget. The additional funding has funded institutes, small and large research grants, fellowships, doctoral studentships, and postdoctoral awards.
Future funding for mathematical sciences will be decided as part of the Comprehensive Spending Review process.
An Impact Assessment was published alongside the Domestic Gas and Electricity (Tariff Cap) Act when it started its passage through Parliament, and Ofgem published their final impact assessment before implementation of the price cap.
Ofgem regularly reviews and sets the level of the price cap so that it reflects the underlying costs of supplying energy and that efficient suppliers can finance their licenced activities. This protects around 15 million British households on default tariffs, saving them between £75 and £100 a year on dual fuel bills.
My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State and I have held a series of bilateral and roundtable events with a range of larger, smaller and challenger suppliers, and are continuing to engage with these stakeholders regularly to hear about the challenges they currently face.
It is Ofgem, the independent regulator’s responsibility to engage with suppliers considering exiting the market.
In a competitive market, it is normal from time to time for energy suppliers who cannot finance their activities to exit the retail energy market.
The temporary reduction to the availability of fuel in September was driven by a sudden increase in demand. There was never a national shortage of fuel, as the industry made clear. Fuel supplies have now returned to normal levels.
The Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has taken three main steps to assist industry to return forecourt stocks to normal levels:
A Government priority is the growth of offshore wind to 2030 and beyond. The Government is committed to supporting the development of floating offshore wind, as reflected in the ambitious target of 1GW of floating wind by 2030. As announced in the Net Zero Strategy, this will put the UK at the forefront of this new technology that can utilise the North and Celtic Seas – backed by £380 million overall funding for the UK’s world-leading offshore wind sector.
Floating offshore wind projects will be eligible to bid in the next Contract for Difference allocation round, which will open in December 2021. The Government recently announced a minimum allocation for floating offshore wind in this round. This approach will provide the foundation for investment in a sustainable, competitive UK based supply chain.
The Government has committed to expand state enforcement for agency workers to cover umbrella companies and enforcement of holiday pay for vulnerable workers. This will enable inspectors to investigate relevant complaints involving umbrella companies (such as the withholding of holiday pay) and take action where necessary. This will require primary legislation, which the Government will bring forward in due course.
Over the course of the pandemic the Government has provided an unprecedented package of financial support to businesses, including those in the wedding industry, which we keep under regular review.
My Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister announced that, from 21 June, there will no longer be a maximum number cap for attendees. The number of guests will be determined by how many people the venue or space can safely accommodate with social distancing measures in place.
We are thoroughly investigating reports of forced labour in the global solar panel supply chain. In January, we announced a comprehensive package of measures to help ensure no UK organisations are complicit in the serious human rights violations being perpetrated against the Uyghurs and other minorities in Xinjiang.
We reiterate our call for all UK companies, including those using polysilicon in their supply chains, to ensure their supply chains are free of forced labour. We have provided detailed and specific guidance to UK businesses, and we will continue to engage businesses, including on these latest allegations.
We are working with the UK solar sector as a matter of urgency to ensure companies are aware of the relevant legislation and international frameworks on human rights. Solar Energy UK has issued an industry statement, committing to support the development of a supply chain traceability protocol.
We are thoroughly investigating reports of forced labour in the global solar panel supply chain. In January, we announced a comprehensive package of measures to help ensure no UK organisations are complicit in the serious human rights violations being perpetrated against the Uyghurs and other minorities in Xinjiang.
We reiterate our call for all UK companies, including those using polysilicon in their supply chains, to ensure their supply chains are free of forced labour. We have provided detailed and specific guidance to UK businesses, and we will continue to engage businesses, including on these latest allegations.
We are working with the UK solar sector as a matter of urgency to ensure companies are aware of the relevant legislation and international frameworks on human rights. Solar Energy UK has issued an industry statement, committing to support the development of a supply chain traceability protocol.
The following table shows net imports from mainland Europe as a proportion of total UK electricity supply for 2017 to 2020. The data for 2020 is provisional; final data will be published at the end of July.
Year | Net imports % of UK electricity supply |
2017 | 4.2 % |
2018 | 5.7 % |
2019 | 6.6 % |
2020 | 5.6 % |
Source: Energy Trends tables 5.1 and 5.6
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/electricity-section-5-energy-trends
Ensuring that UK homes and businesses have the certainty of secure energy supplies now and in the future is an absolute priority. In terms of electricity, the UK’s main tool for ensuring secure supplies is the Capacity Market, which secures the capacity required to meet peak demand in a range of scenarios through auctions held four years and one year ahead of delivery. The auctions which have taken place this year have secured the majority of the UK’s capacity needs out to 2024/25 at a low cost. Electricity interconnection is also an important part of the UK’s energy strategy, delivering lower costs for consumers, increased energy security, and better integrated low-carbon generation. Moreover, electricity interconnectors can also contribute to security of supply by providing access to a wider pool of generation across different markets.
In terms of gas, the UK benefits from highly diverse and flexible sources, including indigenous production, six international gas pipelines with Norway, Belgium and the Netherlands, and three Liquified Natural Gas terminals. This diversity contributes to our strong security of supply and resilience to disruptions (such as severe weather conditions) even for an extended period. The UK also has a number of gas storage facilities, which act as a source of system flexibility when responding to short-run changes in supply and demand.
The Government regularly receives requests for additional bank and public holidays to commemorate a variety of occasions such as cultural, historical and religious events. The current pattern of bank and public holidays is well established and acknowledged.
The Local Restrictions Support Grant (Closed), closed for new applications on 31st March. My Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer announced in the Budget that from 1st April one-off Restart Grants of up to £6,000 for non-essential retail and up £18,000 for hospitality, leisure, personal care and accommodation businesses will be available to support them to reopen as Covid-19 restrictions are relaxed.
Where a business does not meet this criteria, they may be eligible for further grant support via the Additional Restrictions Grant a discretionary scheme, administered by Local Authorities. Local Authorities are free to provide support that suits their local area including to support those businesses not required to close but which have had their trade severely affected by the restrictions. The Chancellor has announced an additional £425m will be made available via the Additional Restrictions Grant meaning that more than £2bn has been made available to Local Authorities since November 2020.
Local Authorities are responsible for the administration of all Grant Schemes and queries regarding eligibility should be made locally.
The new right to repair provisions in the Government’s forthcoming ecodesign legislation will enable consumers to have their products repaired, including washing-machines and televisions. This will reduce waste and increase the UK’s resource efficiency.
We have worked closely with suppliers of electronic goods to help them understand the new requirements; and guidance will be made available when the legislation is published. We expect the new requirements to have a very limited impact on small electronic companies who produce products that are covered by the legislation. By contrast, the changes present a great opportunity for small repair businesses.
UK and EU supply chains are interlinked as vaccines have complex supply chains. We are in constant contact with the vaccine manufacturers and remain confident in the continued supply of vaccine for the UK.
We have successfully met our target of offering a first vaccine dose to every person in the top four priority groups by 15 February and are on track to offer a vaccine to all priority cohorts by 15 April, as well as all adults by the end of July.
The Department has extensive engagement with businesses of all sizes, as well as trade associations and business representative organisations.
Professionals with non-UK professional qualifications may need to have their qualifications recognised by the appropriate regulator or professional body if they want to work in a profession or use professional titles regulated in the UK. Hong Kong British Nationals can seek advice from the UK Centre for Professional Qualifications to find out which regulatory or professional body they should contact and how to get their professional qualification recognised.
Many regulators already have arrangements in place with their Hong Kong and other international counterparts and provide routes to recognition for professionals with qualifications obtained outside the UK.
The Government’s approach to reopening the wedding sector is detailed in “COVID-19 Response – Spring 2021”.
At step 2, weddings receptions will be able to take place with up to 15 attendees (in premises that are permitted to open). At step 3, weddings receptions can proceed with up to 30 attendees. With appropriate mitigations in place, by Step 4, the Government aims to remove all limits on weddings and other life events, subject to the outcome of the scientific Events Research Programme.
BEIS officials and I meet regularly with the industry-led Weddings Taskforce established to represent all parts of the Weddings sector [in England], to understand the impact of the pandemic on jobs and businesses. On 22 February, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister published the Government’s ‘COVID-19 Response - Spring 2021’. The roadmap is a step-by-step plan to ease restrictions in England cautiously, starting with education. Across the four steps, the roadmap sets out the sequencing and indicative timing for easing restrictions, including those on the wedding sector.
Over the course of the pandemic, the Government has provided an unprecedented package of financial support to businesses, which we keep under regular review.
The payment process is a four-step process that requires: the customer to confirm the work has been completed, the installer to record the work on the TrustMark database, the scheme administrator to check the conditions of the voucher issued have been met, and then the scheme administrator to make the payment.
We are working with consumers and installers to ensure they are clear on the information and checks required, so that vouchers can be paid as quickly as possible.
The scheme administrator is prioritising the payment of the vouchers and we are continuing to see an increase in the number of vouchers being paid out to installers once work is complete.
The transitional arrangements which include allowing installations under either the 2017 or 2019 versions of PAS 2030 in the Green Homes Grant voucher scheme have been extended to the 30th June 2021. There are no plans to extend any further, therefore all installers will need to be certified to the updated standard by 30 June 2021. Further information can be found on UKAS's website: https://www.ukas.com/news/ukas-pas-2030-green-homes-communication-to-certification-bodies-extension-of-beis-transition-policy-for-the-ghgvs-to-30-june-2021/.
Under the terms of the Withdrawal Agreement, British snow sports instructors who have had their qualifications recognised and who are resident or a frontier worker in the EU Member State that recognised them at the end of the Transition Period, will have that recognition protected and will be able to continue to work there. The recognition of UK professional qualifications across all industries (including snow sports instructors) in the EU after the end of the Transition Period is subject to ongoing negotiations with the EU, and the local laws and regulations in Member States.
The Government is in regular contact with a range of stakeholders to ensure regulatory and professional bodies, and those working in regulated professions, make the necessary preparations ahead of the end of the Transition Period. This includes engagement with the British Association of Snowsport Instructors.
Under the terms of the Withdrawal Agreement, British snow sports instructors who have had their qualifications recognised and who are resident or a frontier worker in the EU Member State that recognised them at the end of the Transition Period, will have that recognition protected and will be able to continue to work there. The recognition of UK professional qualifications across all industries (including snow sports instructors) in the EU after the end of the Transition Period is subject to ongoing negotiations with the EU, and the local laws and regulations in Member States.
The Government is in regular contact with a range of stakeholders to ensure regulatory and professional bodies, and those working in regulated professions, make the necessary preparations ahead of the end of the Transition Period. This includes engagement with the British Association of Snowsport Instructors.
On the 2nd December, the current national measures will end and we will move to a more localised intervention based on three tiers. Under the new tiers, the 10pm closing time for hospitality has been modified to last orders at 10pm and closing time at 11pm. This allows customers to depart gradually and provides greater flexibility.
My Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister addressed the nation on Monday 23 November setting out Government’s COVID-19 Winter Plan. The COVID-19 Winter Plan ensures the current national restrictions can be lifted on 2 December. Close Contact Services will be able to open in all tiers.
We recognise businesses and jobs will be significantly impacted by Covid during the winter. That is why my Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that, from 1 November, the Job Support Scheme is being expanded to provide temporary support to businesses whose premises have been legally required to close as a direct result of Covid. This will help businesses by supporting the wage costs of employees and protecting jobs.
We’ve put in place an unprecedented package of support to support impacted businesses, including over £11billion already been paid out through the Small Business Grants Fund and Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Business Grants Fund to over 897,000 businesses across the country, with a further £617 million available to councils to use at their discretion to support small businesses which are not eligible for the other grant schemes.
My Rt hon friend the Prime Minister has made clear that energy efficiency is a Government priority. The Green Homes Grant provides economic stimulus, supporting over 80,000 jobs. Through the scheme, households could save up to £600 a year on energy bills.
The Government recognise that this is a very challenging time for florists, particularly in the peak trading period running up to Christmas.
All shops can continue to offer home delivery and click and collect services to customers?during the national restrictions in place from 5 November.
Retailers are able to benefit from?additional financial measures recently announced by my Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, including?the extension to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, extension to the existing Loan Schemes?to January 2021 with the ability to top-up Bounce Back Loans, and cash grants of up to £3,000?per month?for businesses which are closed.
The average return on investment for solar thermal systems will depend on a range of factors including whether the owner of the solar thermal installation is in receipt of grant funding (such as the domestic Renewable Heat Incentive) or not.
The measures in the scheme were chosen because they deliver: demand for the energy efficiency sector, creating and preserving jobs; lasting carbon emission savings that contribute to reaching net zero; energy efficiency installations which are high quality and represent good value for money; and create long-term growth in the energy efficiency supply chain.
We appreciate that the outbreak presents a significant challenge to the owners of nightclubs, which are still required to remain closed. The Government put in place an unprecedented programme of support to help businesses across the economy through the COVID-19 pandemic, including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, loan guarantees, grants, VAT deferral and the forfeiture moratorium. I am currently engaging with the nightclub sector to understand their immediate and longer-term needs.
The Green Homes Grant voucher scheme focuses on those measures which give greatest thermal benefits and carbon reductions, but which consumers are typically less likely to install on their own. Insulating walls, roofs and floors is a more cost-effective way to improve the energy efficiency of homes, which is why it is prioritised under the scheme.
We will continue to review the scheme design and take new information into account. Funding for future energy efficiency initiatives will be determined through the Spending Review in the autumn.
It is the responsibility of the TrustMark scheme providers to ensure that organisations are Publicly Available Specification (PAS) certified, although the Department is working closely with TrustMark to ensure that the right information is shared with the scheme providers and their members so they know what they need to do to become certified to the correct level of PAS.
The Green Homes Grant scheme is making a substantial commitment to supply chain development, to bolster the workforce and support the delivery of the scheme, including support and training directed towards gaining required certification.
The amount of time that it takes to receive receives PAS 2030 certification differs depending on the certification body that the business has applied to and the completeness of it application.
Certification can take less than two weeks providing the business has the correct documentation.
The Government is continuing to engage with representatives from industry to explore how larger events may be resumed in a COVID-19 secure way, once it is safe to do so. We recognise the challenges events and dinner venues face and we will communicate any updates as soon as possible.
The Government is clear that it is absolutely unacceptable to exploit the Covid-19 pandemic for financial gain. The vast majority of businesses have acted responsibly during the national effort to tackle Covid-19.
Reports of profiteering on key products such as masks, other PPE and hand sanitizer have fallen significantly as supply chains return to normal, with suppliers scaling up production and sourcing alternative supplies. BEIS Ministers have met with suppliers, retailers and consumer representatives, and continue to monitor these reports to assess any further steps necessary.
From 24 July all customers must wear face coverings in shops and supermarkets. This is in addition to the requirement to wear face coverings on public transport.
As is the case for public transport, there will be a range of exemptions set out in law. This will include children under 11 and those with certain disabilities.
In his Summer Economic Update, my Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer announced a £2bn Green Home Grant scheme that will support homeowners and landlords in England to improve the energy efficiency of their properties, reducing energy bills and carbon emissions, and supporting a green economic recovery.
The funding will be spent on paying for accredited tradespeople to install a range of measures, for example insulation, to improve the energy performance of their homes. Further detail on the scheme will be announced in due course before the full launch.
Competition investigations into mergers are a matter for the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which is an independent non-Ministerial department. The CMA is currently conducting a review of this transaction. This is being carried out independently.
In his Summer Economic Update, my Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer announced a £2bn Green Home Grant scheme that will support homeowners and landlords in England to improve the energy efficiency of their properties, reducing energy bills and carbon emissions, and supporting a green economic recovery.
The funding will be spent on paying for accredited tradespeople to install a range of measures, for example insulation, to improve the energy performance of their homes. Further detail on the range of measures will be announced in the coming days, before the scheme’s full launch.
In his Summer Economic Update, my Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer announced a £2bn Green Home Grant scheme that will support homeowners and landlords in England to improve the energy efficiency of their properties, reducing energy bills and carbon emissions, and supporting a green economic recovery.
The funding will be spent on paying for accredited tradespeople to install a range of measures, for example insulation, to improve the energy performance of their homes. Further detail on the range of measures will be announced in the coming days, before the scheme’s full launch.
We are working to finalise the details of the new scheme as quickly as possible, including which measures will be included. We will set out further details over the coming weeks to give consumers and installers greater certainty.
In his Summer Economic Update, my Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer announced a £2bn Green Home Grant scheme that will support homeowners and landlords in England to improve the energy efficiency of their properties, reducing energy bills and carbon emissions, and supporting a green economic recovery.
The start date of the scheme was chosen to support effective delivery and beneficial impact. Further detail on the range of measures will be announced in the coming days, before the scheme’s full launch.
I regularly engage with utility providers to address a wide range of issues. Through these conversations I always stress the importance of utility companies and banks serving the needs of all their customers, in particular the elderly and vulnerable, and look forward to raising this specific issue as part of my next engagement.
From 4 July, many close contact services such as hairdressers, pubs and restaurants will be able to reopen provided they adhere to the safer working guidelines. However, others such as tanning salons, beauty parlours and make-up studios remain closed until further notice. The Government recognises that this is difficult for some businesses. Every step is weighed against the evidence, remembering that the more we open up the more vigilant we will need to be.
Our approach to the types of businesses who can reopen is guided by the scientific and medical advice. SAGE provides world-leading scientific advice to the Government. However, making any changes depends on us continuing to meet the five tests.
We will continue to work with those industries that are still closed to understand how best we can reopen them safely, at the right time, guided by the science.
It is critical that employers offer safe workplaces. The Government has published guidance to help ensure workplaces are as safe as possible during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. These guides cover a range of working environments and are available at www.gov.uk/workingsafely.
Nothing in this guidance affects employers’ existing responsibilities under employment and equalities legislation. Employers therefore need to bear in mind the particular needs of different groups or individuals, and make sure that the steps they take to address the risk of COVID-19 do not unjustifiably impact on some groups compared with others.
The safer workplaces guidance provides information to employers on how best to meet these responsibilities in the context of COVID-19.
Renewable electricity generation has more than quadrupled since 2010. A record?52.6%?of electricity came from low-carbon sources in 2018.
We have the world’s largest offshore wind capacity at 9.8GW with CfD auction prices for offshore wind falling by two-thirds between 2015 and 2019.
Tidal energy could still have a potentially important role in the long-term decarbonisation of the UK. It has to reduce its costs sufficiently, however, to compete with other renewable technologies.
Under the Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS) businesses can apply for a loan of up to 25% of their turnover in the calendar year 2019, from a minimum of £2000 up to a maximum of £50,000. In order to meet this criterion, businesses must have a turnover of at least £8000 from 2019.
If a business was established after 1 January 2019, the 25% limit should be applied to the estimated annual turnover from the date the business started.
The BBLS and CBILS are part of a broad package of support available for SMEs, including rates relief, grants and support for wage packages. Further detail on the support available can be found on the Government’s business support website.
My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy regularly meets with lenders, and as part of this addresses feedback on how the Government’s Coronavirus support loan schemes have been working and closely monitors their implementation. This includes regular dialogue with each of the major BBLS lenders.
The BBLS is part of a broad package of support available for SMEs, including rates relief, grants and support for wage packages. Further detail on the support available can be found on the Government’s business support website.
It is important that thorough due diligence is conducted by lenders as part of the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) and the Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS).
Individual lending decisions are fully delegated to the accredited lenders. As such, fraud checks are subject to each lender’s internal policy. The robustness of these policies is thoroughly tested before a lender can become accredited to the CBILS or the BBLS.
The banks and other financial institutions which have been accredited to lend under the CBILS or the BBLS are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and are required to comply with a number of regulations, including anti-money laundering and ‘know your customer’ rules, designed to combat fraud and other forms of financial crime. The majority of lenders also subscribe to the voluntary Standards of Lending Practice overseen by the independent Lending Standards Board.
The Government is working with the industry to ensure the continued and safe operation of the construction supply chain, and to ensure that firms have access to building materials and products.
The Construction Leadership Council’s Coronavirus Task Force has established a product availability working group, comprised of product manufacturers, builders’ merchants and suppliers, contractors of all sizes, and housebuilders. The Task Force will monitor the supply and demand of products, and identify those in short supply.
The Employment Rights Act 1996 already recognises Sunday as a special day for many people and entitles employees in shops and betting shops to opt out of working on Sunday if they do not wish to work on a Sunday. Unless Sunday is the only day they have been employed to work, all shop and betting shop employees can opt out of Sunday working at any time by giving their employer three months’ notice, even if they agreed to it in their contract.
We are aware that some large establishments support a temporary relaxation of Sunday Trading laws during the Covid-19 crisis which we are keeping under review, including the impact on workers.
The Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS) is available to most UK-based businesses, regardless of turnover, who meet the eligibility criteria and who were established on or before 1 March 2020.
However, a business in agriculture, aquaculture or fisheries may not qualify for the full amount if it is a ‘business in difficulty’ as of 31 December 2019. Similarly, if classed as a ‘business in difficulty’ the loan cannot be used for export-related activities.
The size of the loan that is available to a business is linked to its turnover. Small and medium-sized businesses can borrow between £2,000 and up to 25% of their turnover. The maximum loan available is £50,000.
Competition investigations into mergers are a matter for the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which is an independent non-Ministerial department. The CMA is currently conducting a review of this transaction. This is being carried out independently and Ministers do not have a role.
In order for a business to be eligible for the CBILS, it must be considered “viable” by the lender prior to the onset of COVID-19. The lender must consider that the applicant (or its business group) has a viable business proposition determined by the lender’s underwriting policies.
The viability test was amended in April to remove the requirement for lenders to include a ‘forward-looking’ element, which required an assessment of whether the business can trade out of the COVID-19 crisis. This means that any concerns over its short-to-medium term business performance due to the uncertainty and impact of COVID-19 cannot be taken into account when a lender is considering an application for a loan.
For smaller value facilities (e.g. those of £30,000 or below), in determining the eligibility of the applicant, lenders may decide to determine the applicant’s credit worthiness based on its internal credit scoring models.
Individual lending decisions under the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) are delegated to over 50 lenders accredited under the Scheme.
The British Business Bank has issued clear guidance to all accredited lenders on assessing viability for CBILS. For example, it includes guidance on assessing group undertakings and Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs). It is for the individual lender to determine their own definition of a holding company based on this guidance.
The Government introduced the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to help firms to continue to keep people on the payroll in these extraordinary times. It is designed to help employers whose operations have been severely affected by coronavirus to retain their employees and protect the UK economy. All employers are eligible to claim under the scheme and the Government recognises different businesses will face different impacts from coronavirus.
The Department is working with business representative groups and industry contacts to encourage firms to use the Scheme, in particular to retain staff whom they would otherwise have to make redundant.
The Government believes that the existing employment rights offer sufficient protection from unfair dismissal, particularly those matters that are considered to be automatically unfair which may be more relevant during these exceptional times. There are a number of reasons why in certain situations a dismissal is likely to be automatically unfair, including reasons such as a request for flexible working; exercising the right to time off for dependants; reasons related to pregnancy and maternity; and, disability discrimination.
The Government announced the introduction of the Small and Micro Business Assessment (SaMBA) in June 2013. It requires that Impact Assessments provide clear evidence of the potential impact of regulations on small and micro businesses. The default assumption under SaMBA is that there will be a legislative exemption for small and micro businesses where a large part of the intended benefits of the measure can be achieved without including them. As a result of this policy, small firms can have confidence that future regulation will be more manageable for them and that they will not face disproportionate regulatory burdens.
The Department will shortly launch a call for evidence into the impact of regulation on business, which, taken alongside the Reducing Regulation Initiative announced as part of Budget 2020, will inform future policies to further reduce administrative demands on business, with particular attention on small businesses.
The Government is well prepared for this type of outbreak. We will continue to take all necessary precautions, such as engaging with key industry partners and employer organisations to understand the potential effect of Covid-19 on workers and to discuss their preparedness planning.
On 17 March, the Government announced a major new package of loans and guarantees, which means any good business in financial difficulty that needs access to cash to pay their rent, the salaries of their employees, pay suppliers, or purchase stock, will be able to access a Government-backed loan on attractive terms, with no cap on lending capacity. The Government will make an initial £330 billion of guarantees available – equivalent to 15% of UK GDP.
On 17 March, the Government also announced £20 billion of business rates support and grant funding to help the most affected firms manage their cashflow through this period by:
The Clean Growth Strategy set out the aspiration that as many homes as possible will be EPC Band C by 2035 where practical, cost-effective and affordable.
The current iteration of the Energy Company Obligation (ECO3) will upgrade around a million homes for low income and vulnerable households by March 2022. ECO3 and its successor will drive over £5bn of investment in energy efficiency between now and 2028. Furthermore, the Manifesto committed to an additional £6.3bn of public investment to upgrade the energy performance of fuel poor homes and social housing.
Last year, we launched Simple Energy Advice, a new digital and phoneline service to provide homeowners with impartial and tailored advice on how to cut their energy bills and make their homes greener, as well as information on any available financial support.
We also launched two energy efficiency innovation competitions in summer 2019, both aimed at investigating ways to make energy efficiency cheaper and more accessible for householders. The Whole House Retrofit cost reduction trajectory competition made available £9.4 million of funding for projects which demonstrate the potential to reduce costs for Whole House Retrofit. The Green Home Finance Innovation Fund is making nearly £2 million of funding available for a series of projects to develop innovative green mortgage and other lending products, to improve householder access to green finance to support energy efficiency retrofit. We have also committed to consult later this year on requirements for lenders to support homeowners to improve the energy efficiency of their homes.
The Government recognises the significant cultural and economic value of cinemas, and the important role that festivals play in bringing communities and filmmakers together. Public support for UK film festivals is provided through a number of funding mechanisms, including the British Film Institute, the Government’s lead body for film and the moving image, and Local Authorities. For this reason, we have not made our own assessment of the potential merits of allocating financial support to the Romford Film Festival.
The BFI National Lottery Audience Projects Fund provides support to ambitious, audience-facing independent UK and international film and broader screen activity of national scale. The fund supports film exhibitors, distributors, and other organisations delivering audience development activity with multi-year and short-term projects as well as research and development. Applications to the fund are accepted all year round but must be received 16 weeks before the activity is due to start. Information including the funds eligibility criteria can be found on the BFI’s website:
The organisers of Romford Film Festival may also wish to engage with Film Hub London to understand what relevant support is available. Film Hub London is part of the BFI Film Audience Network (BFI FAN), a nationwide network of exhibitors taking cultural cinema to their communities. The Network is aimed at boosting film audiences across the UK, particularly for specialised and independent British film.
While HM Government has no plans to provide direct funding for buildings on the Heritage at Risk Register in the London Borough of Havering, funding is generally available for historic buildings at risk. Historic England itself offers public funding for sites which are most in need of repair and which, without additional investment, would be at risk of deterioration. The National Lottery Heritage Fund will also factor the Heritage at Risk Register into its assessments of applications for its National Lottery Grants for Heritage.
His Majesty’s Government works to promote the whole United Kingdom as a destination for tourists, both domestic and international, working with the devolved governments and administrations across the UK.
VisitBritain has in-market teams for Europe, including France, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands and the Nordics, where they promote Britain through various campaigns and marketing of Britain’s regional diversity. VisitBritain also has in-market teams for Australia, Canada and India for the Commonwealth.The latest figures from VisitBritain’s International Passenger Survey indicate there were 21 million visitors from Europe to the UK in 2022, accounting for 67% of total inbound visits to the UK and 44% of total inbound spend.
VisitBritain recently kicked off the next phase of our GREAT-funded international marketing campaign in France and Germany to showcase Britain as a dynamic, diverse and exciting destination and to drive tourism outside of London.
Each year, VisitBritain welcomes more than 120 international travel trade buyers for a series of educational visits across Britain. They showcase the latest tourism products to international buyers. Last year, we had buyers from 16 international markets taking part including France, Germany, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, the Nordic countries, Australia, India and Canada.
VisitBritain recently hosted ‘Destination Britain India’, its first trade mission to India since the pandemic. It saw dozens of British industry suppliers from across the nations and regions meet with 75 top buyers from India. The suppliers included hotels, retailers, visitor attractions, tour operators, transport providers and local destinations from across Britain.
VisitBritain is developing a new multi-million-pound GREAT Britain marketing campaign for the USA, the UK’s largest and most valuable visitor market, as well as Canada and Australia, with a focus on screen tourism.
VisitEngland is creating a portfolio of nationally supported, strategic and high-performing Local Visitor Economy Partnerships (LVEPs) to transform the English visitor economy landscape and appeal more strategically to domestic and inbound visitors. 26 LVEPs have now been accredited, including VisitEssex which covers the Romford area.
His Majesty’s Government works to promote the whole United Kingdom as a destination for tourists, both domestic and international, working with the devolved governments and administrations across the UK.
VisitBritain has in-market teams for Europe, including France, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands and the Nordics, where they promote Britain through various campaigns and marketing of Britain’s regional diversity. VisitBritain also has in-market teams for Australia, Canada and India for the Commonwealth.The latest figures from VisitBritain’s International Passenger Survey indicate there were 21 million visitors from Europe to the UK in 2022, accounting for 67% of total inbound visits to the UK and 44% of total inbound spend.
VisitBritain recently kicked off the next phase of our GREAT-funded international marketing campaign in France and Germany to showcase Britain as a dynamic, diverse and exciting destination and to drive tourism outside of London.
Each year, VisitBritain welcomes more than 120 international travel trade buyers for a series of educational visits across Britain. They showcase the latest tourism products to international buyers. Last year, we had buyers from 16 international markets taking part including France, Germany, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, the Nordic countries, Australia, India and Canada.
VisitBritain recently hosted ‘Destination Britain India’, its first trade mission to India since the pandemic. It saw dozens of British industry suppliers from across the nations and regions meet with 75 top buyers from India. The suppliers included hotels, retailers, visitor attractions, tour operators, transport providers and local destinations from across Britain.
VisitBritain is developing a new multi-million-pound GREAT Britain marketing campaign for the USA, the UK’s largest and most valuable visitor market, as well as Canada and Australia, with a focus on screen tourism.
VisitEngland is creating a portfolio of nationally supported, strategic and high-performing Local Visitor Economy Partnerships (LVEPs) to transform the English visitor economy landscape and appeal more strategically to domestic and inbound visitors. 26 LVEPs have now been accredited, including VisitEssex which covers the Romford area.
His Majesty’s Government has supported a number of projects looking at the cultural heritage of the Irish diaspora through its arm’s-length bodies.
Arts Council England supported the Irish Arts Foundation on its 'Exploring the musical traditions of County Cork & County Kerry' project in Leeds, providing over £20,000 of public funding in 2021/22.
In 2022/23, The National Lottery Community Fund provided £7,950 of funding to Leeds Irish Arts Foundation’s ‘Neighbours!’ project, to help engage people from around West Yorkshire in Irish music and workshops to celebrate Irish culture, music and arts. In 2023/24, The National Lottery Community Fund provided £6,421 of funding to Cú Chulainn’s to deliver a family funday to bring young people and families from the local Irish community and the community more broadly together.
Since 1994, The National Lottery Heritage Fund has awarded almost £3 million to projects which have explored the history of the Irish diaspora in England, covering themes such as the World Wars, aspects of culture shared with others, and the experiences of those who have built their lives here in the UK.
‘Look Back to Look Forward: 50 Years of the Irish in Britain’ is an ambitious heritage project which captures the history of the Irish in Britain’s membership organisations and the communities they serve, and is currently touring. This exhibition was made possible with a £250,000 Lottery grant.
Heritage has a vital role to play in levelling up, and can act as a powerful catalyst for increasing opportunities and prosperity. Connecting people with their local heritage can help strengthen a sense of civic pride, identity, and ownership.
Romford Market Square, High Street and North Street is designated as a conservation area and included on Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register, meaning that Historic England offers public funding for the repair and conservation of the asset at risk. It focuses its grants on those sites which are most in need of repair and which, without additional investment, would be at risk of deterioration.
His Majesty’s Government is taking action in towns across England to protect culturally significant marketplaces. Historic England is delivering funding to markets across England through its £95 million High Street Heritage Action Zones programme. Towns such as Redruth, Skipton, Gosport and Newport are receiving funding to repair and restore their historic markets as part of a wider programme of regeneration of their high streets.
The National Lottery Heritage Fund also supports a number of heritage projects relating to markets and their history in England. Since 1994, millions of pounds of National Lottery Heritage Fund investment has been awarded to support projects to improve the condition of England’s historic markets and to share their history with local residents and visitors alike.
The attacks carried out by Hamas in Israel since 7 October are terrorist acts committed by a terrorist organisation, proscribed in the United Kingdom since 2021 and designated as such by many other governments and international organisations.
As my right honourable friend the Prime Minister said at Prime Minister’s Questions (18 October 2023), “it is incumbent on all of those in positions of responsibility in this House and outside in the media to recognise that the words we say will have an impact, and we should be careful with them”.
Ofcom is the UK’s independent broadcasting regulator. In particular, it is required by legislation, and accountable to Parliament, to draw up and enforce a Broadcasting Code for television to ensure that audiences are adequately protected from harm and that news is reported with due accuracy and due impartiality. It is for Ofcom to determine whether there has been a breach of the Broadcasting Code, and whether to take action.
The Secretary of State has regular discussions with Ofcom and representatives from the media on a range of issues.
HM Government does not routinely provide funding for historical sites outside the UK or the Overseas Territories.
In some cases, particularly with reference to war memorials, HM Government can contribute towards funding together with the host country. This was the case with the British Normandy Memorial at Ver-sur-Mer, Normandy, inaugurated in 2019.
Historical sites in other countries – including France, Malta and Cyprus – are the responsibility of that country to maintain.
His Majesty’s Government is committed to protecting the historic environment for the benefit of present and future generations, working closely with its public bodies to ensure that heritage sites in state ownership have adequate safety and security. Responsibility for such issues at other heritage sites rests with their owners or occupiers.
Removing heritage assets limits our understanding of our history, even if the events or actions of individuals in question may not be considered acceptable today.
The Government is clear that the starting point for custodians of such assets should be to comply with the Government’s policy to ‘retain and explain’ them — that is, to keep assets in situ but to complement them if necessary with a comprehensive and balanced explanation. This explanation should provide the whole story of the person or event depicted, ensuring that people are able to understand the broader historical context, and equipped with the information they need to form their own opinions.
It is the responsibility of the custodians of such assets to ensure that accompanying explanations are accurate and balanced. The guidance sets out information to help them go about this.
Heritage is a devolved matter. The guidance published on 5 October 2023 applies to custodians of heritage assets in England only, although custodians of heritage assets around the UK can consult the guidance if they would find it helpful. The guidance was shared with officials in the devolved administrations.
The announcement by the Victorian Government was disappointing for fans and athletes. The government is keen that the Commonwealth Games Federation and Commonwealth Games Australia will now work together to find a viable solution to hosting the event in 2026 so that athletes have the chance to compete and fans have the opportunity to enjoy this incredible event.
The UK is proud to have hosted the Games twice in the past decade, including in Birmingham last year: coming in under budget and adding at least £870 million GVA to the UK economy. We are committed to working with the CGF and Commonwealth countries to support a sustainable future for the Games.
The announcement by the Victorian Government was disappointing for fans and athletes. The government is keen that the Commonwealth Games Federation and Commonwealth Games Australia will now work together to find a viable solution to hosting the event in 2026 so that athletes have the chance to compete and fans have the opportunity to enjoy this incredible event.
The UK is proud to have hosted the Games twice in the past decade, including in Birmingham last year: coming in under budget and adding at least £870 million GVA to the UK economy. We are committed to working with the CGF and Commonwealth countries to support a sustainable future for the Games.
The announcement by the Victorian Government was disappointing for fans and athletes. The government is keen that the Commonwealth Games Federation and Commonwealth Games Australia will now work together to find a viable solution to hosting the event in 2026 so that athletes have the chance to compete and fans have the opportunity to enjoy this incredible event.
The UK is proud to have hosted the Games twice in the past decade, including in Birmingham last year: coming in under budget and adding at least £870 million GVA to the UK economy. We are committed to working with the CGF and Commonwealth countries to support a sustainable future for the Games.
The government acknowledges the contribution that greyhound racing makes to our economy. There are 21 licensed stadiums in Great Britain, regulated by the main industry regulatory body, the Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB). The GBGB have estimated that the British greyhound industry employs over 7,000 people across the country, with an annual turnover estimated at £2.6 billion. In 2019/20, betting on greyhound racing raised £35m through the General Betting Duty.
The GBGB receives funds through the British Greyhound Racing Fund (BGRF) in the form of voluntary contributions from bookmakers on betting turnover on licensed greyhound racing. In January 2019 the Government announced that it had secured a new funding commitment from five of the largest online bookmakers, to help ensure the welfare of greyhounds continues to be protected and improved. This was in addition to the existing voluntary payments made to the BGRF from most betting operators that benefit from greyhound racing, which sit alongside commercial deals between the betting and racing industries. In March 2021 the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) announced a further four bookmakers had agreed to begin contributing to the Fund. This means that every member of the BGC who offers bets on greyhound racing now contributes to the Fund.
The government has welcomed the GBGB’s welfare targets, contained in the Greyhound Commitment and its long term, national welfare strategy, ‘A Good Life for Every Greyhound’.
The department has held discussions with the greyhound racing industries on a range of issues and will continue to encourage any remaining bookmakers that have not signed up to the voluntary arrangements to do so.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport supports the preservation of historical memorials in churches through financial assistance provided by the Department's Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme and the Memorial Grant Scheme.
The Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme provides grants to cover the VAT expenses associated with repair and conservation of listed places of worship. This includes conservation efforts for monuments situated in listed places of worship. These grants apply when the monument is an integral part of the building's structure.
The Memorial Grant Scheme provides financial assistance for VAT costs incurred by registered charities and for faith groups which are excepted from registering as charities. This scheme supports the creation, restoration, and ongoing maintenance of memorial structures, including those situated in places of worship.
The announcement by the Victorian Government was disappointing for fans and athletes. The government is keen that the Commonwealth Games Federation and Commonwealth Games Australia will now work together to find a viable solution to hosting the event in 2026 so that athletes have the chance to compete and fans have the opportunity to enjoy this incredible event.
The UK is proud to have hosted the Games twice in the past decade, including in Birmingham last year: coming in under budget and adding at least £870 million GVA to the UK economy. We are committed to working with the CGF and Commonwealth countries to support a sustainable future for the Games.
I refer the Hon. Member to the reply given to the Hon. Member for Romford on 11 July 2023, PQ UIN 192024.
Ticket prices for live events and prices for subscription-based services are a matter for the relevant organiser or business. Many football clubs in the English Football League have implemented measures to assist fans with affordability, including price freezes, free access for young children, and many other concessions.
DCMS has no plans for nationwide celebrations for the 75th birthday of His Majesty The King.
The official celebration of Sovereign's birthday took place on Saturday 17th June 2023 with the traditional ceremony of Trooping the Colour, The King's Birthday Parade. This was His Majesty’s first Birthday Parade as Sovereign, and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport supported this important occasion through the flying of flags, including the Parade route of The Mall and Horse Guards Road.
The Platinum Jubilee, the funeral of Her Late Majesty and the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla were hugely important state occasions for our nation. They brought millions of people around the country and Commonwealth together and showcased the best of the United Kingdom to the world. Communities celebrated the Platinum Jubilee in around 16,000 local street parties across the UK while the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II was watched by hundreds of millions around the world.
Major Royal events such as these provide a significant boost to the UK economy through tourism, our hospitality industry and to the many other businesses that will have seen an increase in trade. VisitEngland projected that overnight holiday breaks in the UK during the Coronation Bank Holiday weekend would generate an estimated £1.2 billion economic boost, while UKHospitality estimated a £350 million boost for the hospitality industry over the long weekend.
As referenced in the Tourism Recovery Plan Update, the Government is engaging closely to identify potential ways to further grow the UK visitor economy - including how best to support and grow the valuable inbound tourism sector.
We will continue to monitor the impact of government interventions and facilitate joined-up policy interventions, and to discuss this topic with colleagues across Government through the Inter-Ministerial Group for the Visitor Economy.
As a tax matter, His Majesty’s Treasury set the terms for the UK Government’s policy on VAT-free shopping. HM Treasury continues to monitor the evidence and latest data around VAT-free shopping as they keep all taxes under review.
The Government funds the majority of support for grassroots sport through our Arm’s Length Body, Sport England.
Sport England does not provide any funding or support to British Overseas Territories.
The Government funds the majority of support for grassroots sport through our Arm’s Length Body, Sport England.
Sport England does not provide any funding or support to British Overseas Territories.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is actively engaging with all the five new sites on the UK's Tentative List of World Heritage Sites, including The Little Cayman Marine Parks and Protected Areas. We are also coordinating engagement between the sites and the Government's expert advisers on cultural and natural heritage — Historic England and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee. This is to ensure that all sites receive the advice and support they need to develop their World Heritage nomination.
Sites on the new Tentative List are expected to submit their nominations to become a World Heritage Site to UNESCO, where they will be examined by the World Heritage Committee, which will make the final decision on whether to inscribe the site on the World Heritage List.
Heritage plays a vital role in communities across the United Kingdom. It makes places great to live and work in; helps to attract tourism and supports the local economy; and gives people pride in their community. The Government, our national agencies, local authorities, and the brilliant people working and volunteering in the sector all play a role in protecting and promoting our shared heritage.
The Government has invested £95 million in Historic England’s High Street Heritage Action Zones scheme, which targets 67 high streets across England to encourage economic growth and increase pride in place. Additionally, the £82 million Museum Estate and Development Fund, an open-access capital fund for non-national accredited museums in England, provides funding to undertake vital infrastructure and urgent maintenance work.
We encourage heritage-related projects to consider applying to relevant schemes available through our Arm’s-Length Bodies and partners where eligible, including Historic England and the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
The Government is committed to promoting the benefits that staging and participating in major sporting events, such as the Commonwealth Games, can bring. The Commonwealth Games Federation is primarily responsible for the continuing role of promoting the Games and we have worked with them to do this.
Ahead of the Birmingham 2022 Games taking place in the summer of 2022, the then Minister for Sport chaired the 10th Commonwealth Sports Ministers meeting, which brought together delegates from across the Commonwealth to discuss a range of issues relating to the sport sector, including promoting the role of the Games in contributing to the broader values and aims for sport in the Commonwealth.
In addition, a £5 million development grant was made available via the Birmingham 2022 Games budget, funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and Birmingham City Council, which enabled the Commonwealth Games Federation to fund a range of sport development initiatives across Commonwealth countries.
The Government is committed to supporting the domestic tourism market, including the city of London, by working towards the objectives set out in the Tourism Recovery Plan (TRP).
London was a featured city in VisitBritain’s international marketing campaign Welcome to Another Side of Britain. The GREAT-funded campaign ran in the USA and Europe and was designed to encourage the return of international visitors.
VisitEngland also ran the Escape the Everyday DMO Recovery Marketing Fund. Visit Greenwich was one of the successful DMOs.
In September, VisitBritain hosted Destination Britain North America, a 3-day trade fair in Washington DC, connecting British suppliers with tourism product buyers and media from the US and Canada. 15 London-based suppliers attended. Major events continue to be an important driver of tourism to London and the government will continue to work with stakeholders in the industry to attract important events to venues across the UK.
The Government recognises the importance of semiconductor technology to the global economy. Semiconductors are a fundamental enabling technology for electronic devices and the UK holds strengths in critical aspects of the advanced semiconductor supply chain, including semiconductor design.
The Government is reviewing its approach to the UK’s global semiconductor sector, working with industry experts, representative bodies and the wider global community. The forthcoming Semiconductor Strategy will set out how HMG intends to support this vital and strategically important sector. This will build on existing HMG support for innovation and infrastructure such as the Driving the Electronic Revolution challenge and the National Epitaxy Facility amongst others. We are also collaborating closely with international partners to capitalise and strengthen the UK’s competitive advantage.
The Government is committed to ensuring that the UK remains the leading global destination for inward investors in filmmaking.
In recent years, the government’s actions have helped the film and TV industry bounce back from the pandemic, with production now stronger than ever. This includes the £500 million Film and TV Production Restart Scheme, supporting over 100,000 jobs and productions worth more than £3 billion, and the Culture Recovery Fund, supporting over 200 independent cinemas.
To build on this, and support the industry to not only survive but thrive, further actions have been taken. This includes the government’s current £1.6million annual funding of the British Film Commission, which has driven a near doubling of UK studio capacity, the £28 million UK Global Screen Fund, which is expanding the global reach of UK independent content, and the continued success of our screen sector tax reliefs (for film, high end TV, animation and children’s TV), which in 2021-22 provided £792m of support for over 1000 projects.
The Government will continue to engage closely with industry, the British Film Institute, and the British Film Commission, to further promote the UK as a filmmaking destination and to build upon the success of 2021, which saw a record-breaking £5.64 billion in screen production in the film and high-end TV sectors alone.
All registered charities must prepare annual accounts and a trustees’ annual report. These provide a comprehensive review of the activities of the charity, and the charity’s financial position. The purpose is to ensure the charity is transparent and accountable for its activities and financial management. The annual accounts and reports of registered charities with an annual income over £25,000 are publicly available via the register of charities on GOV.UK.
Charities can be eligible for certain tax exemptions and reliefs if they are established for charitable purposes only and recognised by HMRC.
Whilst the government does not engage directly with the Church of England on providing support for specific places of worship, there is wider support for these sites available through the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme (LPWGS). This is a scheme that provides grants towards VAT paid on repairs and maintenance to the nation's listed churches and cathedrals.
The Government recognises that listed places of worship represent some of the nation’s finest heritage and that the growing costs of repairing and maintaining these significant historic church buildings is challenging. On this, the government maintains a close working relationship with the Church of England to understand these pressures and maintains the LPWGS as a source of support for the preservation of historic fabric.
We have no record of the Parish Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St Edward the Confessor receiving funding from the LPWGS. However, from 2014 to present £237,726 has been offered to other listed places of worship in Romford.
DCMS has had no recent discussions with Havering Council or other groups in the London Borough of Havering about these matters.
DCMS is not aware of any Building Preservation Notices having been served in the London Borough of Havering within the last five years.
The current number of Listed Buildings in Romford, and in the London Borough of Havering, is detailed in the table below:
| Romford | London Borough of Havering |
Number of Grade I Listed Buildings | 0* | 6 |
Number of Grade II* Listed Buildings | 1* | 15 |
Number of Grade II Listed Buildings | 10* | 126 |
Total | 11* | 147 |
* These figures represent a subset of those for the London Borough of Havering.
The Government is delivering the biggest broadband upgrade in UK history. Partly as a result of our measures to bust barriers and drive competition in the UK market, 85.5% of Romford’s premises now have access to gigabit capable connections, up from 6% in September 2020.
More broadly, 70% of UK premises can access gigabit-capable broadband, continuing a rate of incremental growth in line with meeting the target of at least 85% gigabit-capable coverage across the country by 2025. Where private sector deployment is not viable without subsidy, our £5bn Project Gigabit will contribute to nationwide coverage.
You may know that Ofcom has recently implemented an updated licensing framework for non-Geostationary Satellite networks in the UK. My officials will liaise with your office, relevant colleagues in the Channel Islands and Ofcom to arrange an exploratory meeting between officials.
The Counter Disinformation Unit has been operational since March 2020. The Unit works across Government to build a picture of the scope, scale and reach of disinformation and misinformation and works with a range of partners, including social media platforms, civil society, and academia to tackle it.
The Government takes disinformation and misinformation seriously and ensures the CDU has appropriate funding to tackle it. It would not be appropriate to comment on funding levels publicly as doing so would give malign actors insight into the scale of our capabilities.
The UK Government encourages Overseas Territories to join in the Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has issued guidance to its teams in the Overseas Territories and there are many ways Overseas Territories can get involved including Big Jubilee Lunches, tree planting, the lighting of Beacons and the competition for Civic Honours.
Overseas Territories will also be represented at key Jubilee events, and their flags are currently being flown on Parliament Square in London.
Protecting freedom of expression online is a core objective of the Online Safety Bill and we have included significant safeguards to ensure users can engage in robust debate online.
In carrying out their safety duties, all services in scope must consider and implement safeguards for freedom of expression. Ofcom must also carry out its new duties in a way that protects freedom of expression.
The Bill will not require platforms to remove legal content that is accessed by adults. Rather, they will need to be clear what content is acceptable on their services, and enforce the rules consistently. This will prevent the arbitrary removal of harmful content. The Bill also ensures users have effective mechanisms to appeal content takedown. This is a significant improvement on the status quo, where companies remove significant amounts of content with no accountability.
Category 1 services also have additional duties to protect democratic and journalistic content, and must consider whether the public interest in such content outweighs the potential harm it could cause.
This legislation will create a significant step-change in the experience people have online. The Bill will tackle illegal content and activity; protect children; and give adults greater control of their online experiences, while protecting freedom of expression. The Bill’s systems and processes approach will hold companies to account for holistically considering the design and operation of their services, rather than just responding to events. As a result the Bill will instil a culture of proactive safety and risk management, which will have a substantial positive impact on the regulation of harmful online content.
The Regulatory Policy Committee has issued the Online Safety Bill Impact Assessment with a fit for purpose rating. The Impact Assessment estimated, conservatively, that the Bill will need to reduce a subset of quantified online harms by roughly 2% annually to offset the costs created by the Bill.
My Department works closely with the Overseas Territories in pursuit of our obligations under the UNESCO World Heritage Convention. Four of the UK's thirty three World Heritage Sites are situated in the Overseas Territories of Bermuda, Gibraltar, Tristan da Cunha and the Pitcairn Islands, and we will welcome applications from further sites to be considered for the UK's Tentative List when the review is launched this year.
Nine of our Overseas Territories will be represented at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham this summer. I wish each of their teams success.
The Falkland conflict was a significant moment in our country’s history and it is vitally important that those who lost their lives are honoured and remembered.
The Royal British Legion will be marking the 40th anniversary of the Falklands conflict with thousands of veterans, civilians, and bereaved families invited to attend an event at the National Memorial Arboretum on Tuesday 14 June 2022. The all-day event will come together with a service of remembrance followed by a reception.
Commemorations will take place around the country from April 2022.
In January 2019 the government announced an increased funding commitment from bookmakers to support the Greyhound Board of Great Britain’s (GBGB) efforts to improve welfare, and since 2021 every member of the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) who offers bets on greyhound racing has contributed to the British Racing Greyhound Fund. The BGC represents approximately 90% of the UK’s licensed betting and gaming businesses.
The Government is also aware of the impact of Covid on greyhound racing and a preliminary allocation of £1.4m in loans was made available from the Sports Survival Package to help mitigate it. Greyhound racing has also been eligible to access pan-economy support provided by the government including the business rates holiday for leisure industry businesses, the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme.
There is no law, only protocol, for the flying of flags. Individuals, local authorities and other organisations including private companies may fly the Union Flag whenever they wish.
I am delighted to support the flying of the Union Flag. Last year my department published guidance encouraging all UK Government buildings to fly the Union Flag every day, where their buildings have a working flagpole; and I am delighted to encourage, but cannot mandate, private companies to do the same.
Since 2021, every member of the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) who offers bets on greyhound racing has contributed to the British Racing Greyhound Fund. The BGC represents approximately 90% of the UK’s licensed betting and gaming businesses. In the financial year 2020-21, £6.75m was collected from bookmakers' voluntary contributions.
The Government has no current plans to introduce a mandatory levy and will continue to encourage any remaining bookmakers that have not signed up to the voluntary arrangements to follow suit. We expect both the betting and the greyhound racing sectors to make sure that greyhound welfare is safeguarded and remains at the heart of the sport.
Although it’s not the place of the government to mandate the singing of the National Anthem, we are delighted that it is regularly sung at occasions throughout the UK such as major sporting events, the Last Night of the Proms and other events at which Members of the Royal Family are present, and of course schools are also free to promote the singing of the National Anthem. The Government supports the singing of the Anthem at any appropriate occasion.
One site has been designated (Grade II status) in Romford within the past two years, and I can confirm that there are two Listing applications under review in the London Borough of Havering: Romford Brewery and Hornchurch War Memorial. Designation highlights a building, site or area's special interest and value to this and future generations and gives it protection under law or policy. A listed building may not be demolished, extended, or altered without special permission from the local planning authority. DCMS Arm’s Length Bodies have also provided funding and other support in the Borough:
Historic England continues to provide support to three at-risk sites in this borough, through statutory advice or funding via the Repair Grant and Management Agreement schemes.
Four cultural organisations receive regular funding from Arts Council England, two organisations have benefited from Culture Recovery Funding.
Since 1994, The National Lottery Heritage Fund has invested more than £12.5m in 66 projects in the London Borough of Havering. The Fund continues to work in partnership with Arts Council England to deliver project funding in Havering through the National Lottery Project Grants programme.
The upcoming Online Safety Bill will protect freedom of expression online. The largest and riskiest companies, Category 1 services, will no longer be able to remove arbitrarily harmful content. They will need to be clear about what content is acceptable on their services and enforce these rules consistently. Users will have access to effective mechanisms to appeal content that is removed without good reason.
Category 1 services will need to assess their impact on freedom of expression and demonstrate the steps they have taken to mitigate this. They will also have additional duties to protect democratic and journalistic content online.
The government is also taking steps to boost competition in digital markets through the new pro-competition regime for digital markets. This has the potential to support greater choice and plurality in digital services.
The government is committed to ensuring the safety of the public through minimising the risks of transmission of Covid-19 and by encouraging vaccination.
In the Prime Minister’s announcement on the 19th July (https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/pm-statement-at-coronavirus-press-conference-19-july-2021) he requested that nightclubs and events where large crowds gather make use of the NHS Covid Pass on a voluntary basis until September. From the end of September 2021 vaccination will become a condition of entry in these circumstances once all adults have been offered the opportunity to receive both vaccination doses.
The evidence gathered from the Events Research Programme found that transmission is most likely when large crowds gather and covid-status certification has been shown to be one method of mitigating this risk.
From 19 July, the government made the NHS COVID Pass available so that individuals can prove their vaccination status. The NHS COVID Pass is available through the NHS App, NHS.UK, and in letter format. Certification for accessing settings through the NHS COVID Pass can be acquired by completion of a full vaccine course, a recent negative test, or proof of natural immunity. Natural immunity is proof of a positive polymerase chain reaction test, lasting for 180 days from the date of the positive test and following completion of the self-isolation period.
The NHS Covid Pass has been designed to be quick and simple to use, so as not to place any significant burden on settings utilising the resource. Guidance on its use can be found here: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/covid-pass/
The government is committed to ensuring the safety of the public through minimising the risks of transmission of Covid-19 and by encouraging vaccination.
In the Prime Minister’s announcement on the 19th July (https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/pm-statement-at-coronavirus-press-conference-19-july-2021) he requested that nightclubs and events where large crowds gather make use of the NHS Covid Pass on a voluntary basis until September. From the end of September 2021 vaccination will become a condition of entry in these circumstances once all adults have been offered the opportunity to receive both vaccination doses.
The evidence gathered from the Events Research Programme found that transmission is most likely when large crowds gather and covid-status certification has been shown to be one method of mitigating this risk.
From 19 July, the government made the NHS COVID Pass available so that individuals can prove their vaccination status. The NHS COVID Pass is available through the NHS App, NHS.UK, and in letter format. Certification for accessing settings through the NHS COVID Pass can be acquired by completion of a full vaccine course, a recent negative test, or proof of natural immunity. Natural immunity is proof of a positive polymerase chain reaction test, lasting for 180 days from the date of the positive test and following completion of the self-isolation period.
The NHS Covid Pass has been designed to be quick and simple to use, so as not to place any significant burden on settings utilising the resource. Guidance on its use can be found here: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/covid-pass/
The Impact Assessment published alongside the Government’s consultation response for the 2019 and 2020 consultations on further restricting the advertising of food and drinks products high in fat, sugar or salt (HFSS) on TV and online estimates that advertisers, including manufacturers, retailers and out of home businesses will have lower returns of around £39m per year as a result of the restrictions.
The restrictions will apply to all companies advertising to UK consumers, whether or not they are UK companies.
The Government is cognisant of the revenue impacts to UK business, but we must act now to reduce the risks obesity presents to us all and act to protect our NHS. It is estimated that obesity-related conditions are currently costing the NHS £6.1 billion per year. The total costs to society of these conditions have been estimated at around £27 billion per year.
Throughout this policy’s development we have been keen to mitigate the impacts on business whilst balancing the vital need to improve the nation’s health. Part of this includes the number of exemptions which are part of the policy. By including these exemptions, such as for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), it keeps the policy proportionate.
Through its Arms Length Bodies, DCMS has taken steps to promote and protect Romford’s historic environment. These bodies, including Historic England and the National Lottery Heritage Fund, have delivered funding and supported initiatives that have celebrated the area’s rich local heritage.
Since 1994, The National Lottery Heritage Fund has awarded more than £3.8m to 24 projects in the constituency of Romford. These awards have supported a diverse range of projects, including: the restoration of Raphael Park, an exploration of the lives of local WW1 soldiers, and a celebration of the history of the Rom, England’s only listed skatepark.
Similarly, between 2010 and 2013 Historic England (HE) part-funded a Partnership Scheme which focussed on the regeneration of Romford Conservation Area – funding came to £107,000. Since 2013 HE has also funded the management and maintenance of the Moated Site at Dagnam Park (a scheduled monument), including the installation of an interpretation board, circa £6,500.
The Government continues to monitor the data as part of the assessment for easing of restrictions through Step 4 which is expected to commence on the 19th July. Through Step 3 of the roadmap we have started to see the very welcome return of fans into stadia. The extension of the Events Research Programme also allows for increased capacities at some sporting events in Step 3 such as Wimbledon and some UEFA EURO matches at Wembley.
The Government has provided continued financial support to spectator sports through the £300 million Sport Survival Package announced in November 2020 and a further announcement of £300 million in March 2021 for a summer phase of the Package. To date, we have publicly announced more than c.£215 million of support through the package. This has ensured the survival of major spectator sports whilst restrictions on crowd capacities have been in place.
The Government remains committed to engaging and supporting the sector to maintain a complete picture of the financial impact of Covid-19 to ensure sports survive this difficult period wherever possible.
The Prime Minister has always said that we would be led by data, not dates. The government has looked at the data very closely and assessed it against the four tests set out in the Roadmap. It is on the basis of worsening data that the decision has been taken that Step 4 will take place no earlier than 19 July.
We recognise the challenging times facing these sectors and are committed to supporting our world-leading cultural and creative industries. The Department has been working closely with stakeholders across the theatre and live events industry throughout the pandemic to monitor the impact of Covid-19 and delays to Step 4 of the Roadmap and will continue to do so.
Many of these organisations continue to benefit from the significant cross-economy package of support that has been made available throughout this pandemic, including the generous employment schemes, grants, loans, a reduction in VAT to 5%, business rates relief, and the extension of the moratorium on commercial evictions for business tenants until March 2022. In addition, businesses across these sectors may be eligible for further support through the third round of the unprecedented Culture Recovery Fund - details of which were announced on 25 June. This third and final round of funding will provide support to new organisations and existing recipients, as the cultural, heritage and creative sectors move towards reopening at full capacity, underlining the government’s commitment to help them build back better as life returns to normal.
The Prime Minister has always said that we would be led by data, not dates. The government has looked at the data very closely and assessed it against the four tests set out in the Roadmap. It is on the basis of worsening data that the decision has been taken that Step 4 will take place no earlier than 19 July.
We recognise the challenging times facing these sectors and are committed to supporting our world-leading cultural and creative industries. The Department has been working closely with stakeholders across the theatre and live events industry throughout the pandemic to monitor the impact of Covid-19 and delays to Step 4 of the Roadmap and will continue to do so.
Many of these organisations continue to benefit from the significant cross-economy package of support that has been made available throughout this pandemic, including the generous employment schemes, grants, loans, a reduction in VAT to 5%, business rates relief, and the extension of the moratorium on commercial evictions for business tenants until March 2022. In addition, businesses across these sectors may be eligible for further support through the third round of the unprecedented Culture Recovery Fund - details of which were announced on 25 June. This third and final round of funding will provide support to new organisations and existing recipients, as the cultural, heritage and creative sectors move towards reopening at full capacity, underlining the government’s commitment to help them build back better as life returns to normal.
The Government continues to monitor the data as part of the assessment for easing of restrictions through Step 4 which will take place no earlier than the 21st June. Through Step 3 of the roadmap we have started to see the very welcome return of fans into stadia.
The Government has provided continued financial support to spectator sports through the £300 million Sport Survival Package announced in November 2020 and a further announcement of £300 million in March 2021 for a summer phase of the Package. To date, we have publicly announced more than c.£215 million of support through the package. This has ensured the survival of major spectator sports whilst restrictions on crowd capacities have been in place.
The Government remains committed to engaging and supporting the sector to maintain a complete picture of the financial impact of Covid-19 to ensure sports survive this difficult period wherever possible.
I know that the restrictions on singing are frustrating to large numbers of amateur choirs and performance groups across the country and that many people have made sacrifices in order to drive down infections and protect the NHS over the last year. I can assure you that everyone across Government wants to ease these restrictions as soon as possible.
However, It is important that we take a cautious approach in easing restrictions. We have followed the views of public health experts on singing. We are aware, through the NERVTAG and PERFORM studies that singing can increase the risk of COVID-19 transmission through the spread of aerosol droplets. This was backed up by a consensus statement from SAGE, resulting in the suggested principles of safer singing being published.
We will continue to keep guidance and restrictions under review, in line with the changing situation. Further detail on step 4 will be set out as soon as possible.
The Prime Minister has made it clear that tackling obesity is a priority for this Government. In July 2020 the Government outlined it’s Tackling Obesity strategy which details a host of measures aimed at improving the chances of citizens living a healthy lifestyle.
The Government proposed various options for restricting HFSS advertising in the 2019 and 2020 consultations targeted at protecting children from being exposed to advertising of unhealthy food products. We received a number of responses from a spectrum of parties including industry bodies, food manufacturers, advertisers and health NGOs. Ministers and officials from DCMS, DHSC and other Government departments are working together to ensure impacts are being taken into account, while being balanced with the vital public health goals set out in our strategy.
The final policy will be set out in our consultation response due to be published shortly. The Government is committed to acting collaboratively to prepare businesses, individuals and organisations for changes to the rules around HFSS advertising.
The Prime Minister has made it clear that tackling obesity is a priority for this Government. In July 2020 the Government outlined it’s Tackling Obesity strategy which details a host of measures aimed at improving the chances of citizens living a healthy lifestyle.
The Government proposed various options for restricting HFSS advertising in the 2019 and 2020 consultations targeted at protecting children from being exposed to advertising of unhealthy food products.
Balanced against the priority of protecting children and tackling obesity, we have carefully considered the impact that any restrictions will have on industry and in particular the potential for reformulation of products or commercial impacts on key business sectors.
The final policy will be set out in our consultation response due to be published shortly. The Government is committed to acting collaboratively to prepare businesses, individuals and organisations for changes to the rules around HFSS advertising.
Freedom of expression and the media are essential qualities of any functioning democracy, and the government is committed to maintaining a free and open internet, in line with our democratic values.
We recently published draft Online Safety legislation which will tackle harmful content while protecting users’ rights online. In-scope companies will have a legal obligation to consider and implement safeguards for freedom of expression when fulfilling their duties, for which they can be held to account. The largest social media platforms will no longer be able to arbitrarily remove harmful content. They will need to be clear what content is acceptable on their services and enforce these rules consistently. They will also need to put in place additional protections for democratic and journalistic content. Users will have access to effective mechanisms to appeal content that is removed without good reason.
The government is also taking steps to boost competition in digital markets through a new pro-competition regime. The new regime will aim to promote fair trading, open choices, trust and transparency to allow swift action to pre-empt competition concerns in fast-moving markets. This has the potential to support greater choice and plurality in digital services, for example through boosting a greater diversity of platforms for speech online.
From 17th May, over 18’s performing arts classes and activities are permitted indoors and outdoors, within the legal gathering limits. Indoors, people can take part in non-professional performing arts activities in a group of up to 6 people, or as a group of 2 households/bubbles. Activities can take place with multiple permitted groups, provided the groups are kept separate throughout the activity, and the event is organised in line with the organised events guidance for local authorities. However, non-professional singing indoors should only take place in a single group of up to 6 people.
In all settings, social distancing should be maintained between people who do not live together or share a bubble. A group made up of 2 households can include more than 6 people, but only where all members of the group are from the same 2 households/bubbles.
For under 18’s, from step 3, where wraparound and other extracurricular activities for children are taking place indoors, they will be able to take place in groups of any number. However, when considering appropriate group sizes, it will be important to take into account factors outlined in the Out of School Settings Guidance, such as the recommended occupancy levels of the premises the provider is operating from, and levels of ventilation.
In Step 3, indoor sport is exempt from the gathering limits for adults and children where it is formally organised (for example, by a national governing body, business or charity) and follows measures including COVID-secure guidance. Organised indoor sport must adhere to the relevant capacity restrictions for indoor sport facilities including allowing a minimum of 100sqft per person for all people in the venue. This applies to organised indoor (individual and team) sports, indoor exercise classes and organised sports participation events.
From 17th May, over 18’s performing arts classes and activities are permitted indoors and outdoors, within the legal gathering limits. Indoors, people can take part in non-professional performing arts activities in a group of up to 6 people, or as a group of 2 households/bubbles. Activities can take place with multiple permitted groups, provided the groups are kept separate throughout the activity, and the event is organised in line with the organised events guidance for local authorities. However, non-professional singing indoors should only take place in a single group of up to 6 people.
In all settings, social distancing should be maintained between people who do not live together or share a bubble. A group made up of 2 households can include more than 6 people, but only where all members of the group are from the same 2 households/bubbles.
For under 18’s, from step 3, where wraparound and other extracurricular activities for children are taking place indoors, they will be able to take place in groups of any number. However, when considering appropriate group sizes, it will be important to take into account factors outlined in the Out of School Settings Guidance, such as the recommended occupancy levels of the premises the provider is operating from, and levels of ventilation.
In Step 3, indoor sport is exempt from the gathering limits for adults and children where it is formally organised (for example, by a national governing body, business or charity) and follows measures including COVID-secure guidance. Organised indoor sport must adhere to the relevant capacity restrictions for indoor sport facilities including allowing a minimum of 100sqft per person for all people in the venue. This applies to organised indoor (individual and team) sports, indoor exercise classes and organised sports participation events.
We understand the importance of elite sport being visible and accessible to as many people across the country as possible to further inspire commitment to regular engagement and participation in sport.
Whilst ticket prices are a matter for individual host clubs to determine, the Government continues to expect all elite sports to make their ticketing policy inclusive of all ages and backgrounds.
The Government has though launched its fan-led review of football governance which will be looking at governance and financial sustainability within the game. As part of this, the Chair, my Honourable friend the Member for Chatham and Aylesford, will be consulting extensively with fans to ensure the review covers the issues close to their heart.
DCMS has a Management Agreement with Arts Council, England (ACE) which sets out the priorities ACE must work towards and the metrics which will be used to monitor their performance. These Management Agreements exist between DCMS and all its Arms Length Bodies.
ACE makes decisions about which organisations and projects to fund through their core funding settlement independently of government and Ministers, which means there is no question of political involvement in cultural funding decisions.
ACE assesses grant applications against a range of criteria including quality, public engagement, finance and management, activity types, disciplines, applicants and geographical areas. ACE has a strong track record of delivering funding to the arts and culture sector, and decisions are informed by local knowledge and expertise.
If you are concerned about a particular funding decision you can find advice on making a complaint or raising concerns about an organisation that has received funding from ACE at https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/advice-and-guidance-library/making-complaint
Spacehive does not have a role in allocating grants from the Arts Council but has played a role in previous project funding.
During 2019-20 Arts Council England (ACE) ran a pilot project, Our Music Crowd, to help Music Education Hubs develop their crowdfunding skills. Spacehive, an online platform enabling organisations to crowdfund, was procured as a one-off supplier for this initiative and acted as a conduit for funding. It did not have a role in choosing which projects were funded or successful. Funding was provided to the projects using the Spacehive platform.
Spacehive has also worked with community networks, Local Authorities, foundations and companies in a similar fashion. I am unable to comment on any relationship Spacehive may have had with other Government Departments.
Arts Council England, a DCMS Arm’s Length Body, is supporting a number of organisations across the country who will be running events including York Castle Museum which will be running a virtual St George’s Day on their social media including sharing St George related objects from the Museum’s collections.
My department continues to promote the importance of celebrating St George’s Day through its flag flying policy for designated days which encourages the flying of the Union Flag on UK Government Buildings.
St George’s Day is a designated day. UK Government Buildings, where they have more than one flag pole, are also encouraged to fly the Cross of St George alongside the Union Flag. Individuals, local authorities and other organisations may fly the Cross of St George if they wish.
Arts Council England, a DCMS Arm’s Length Body, is supporting a number of organisations across the country who will be running events including York Castle Museum which will be running a virtual St George’s Day on their social media including sharing St George related objects from the Museum’s collections.
My department continues to promote the importance of celebrating St George’s Day through its flag flying policy for designated days which encourages the flying of the Union Flag on UK Government Buildings.
St George’s Day is a designated day. UK Government Buildings, where they have more than one flag pole, are also encouraged to fly the Cross of St George alongside the Union Flag. Individuals, local authorities and other organisations may fly the Cross of St George if they wish.
Arts Council England, a DCMS Arm’s Length Body, is supporting a number of organisations across the country who will be running events including York Castle Museum which will be running a virtual St George’s Day on their social media including sharing St George related objects from the Museum’s collections.
My department continues to promote the importance of celebrating St George’s Day through its flag flying policy for designated days which encourages the flying of the Union Flag on UK Government Buildings.
St George’s Day is a designated day. UK Government Buildings, where they have more than one flag pole, are also encouraged to fly the Cross of St George alongside the Union Flag. Individuals, local authorities and other organisations may fly the Cross of St George if they wish.
The Government is reviewing COVID-status certification, which is being led by the Cabinet Office. The Government has consulted widely to understand the equalities impacts, speaking to ethicists and representatives of disabilities, ethnic minorities and faith groups. The Government will continue to invite views about possible equalities impacts as we continue to assess the potential role of certification.
The Government is looking at how we can allow venues to reopen as part of the Events Research Programme (ERP) led by my department. The ERP’s pilots will gather evidence associated with different settings and approaches to managing and mitigating transmission risk. The pilots will explore how different approaches to social distancing, ventilation and test-on-entry protocols could ease opening and maximise participation.
The department takes its responsibility under the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) seriously, and as such a separate PSED assessment will be completed ahead of each of the pilot events in the research programme, to ensure the equality impacts of the programme on groups with a protected characteristic are fully considered. This will include an equality assessment of the use of COVID-status certification where this is trialled as part of the specified pilot.
We will ensure that the results gathered from research programmes are fed into policy development swiftly to ensure data is used to inform decisions around further reopening, including of sporting events.
As the national broadcaster, the BBC has a vital role to play in supplying information to the public throughout the Coronavirus pandemic, and it has introduced a wide-ranging package of measures to help keep the nation informed, educated, and entertained through these unprecedented times.
However, the BBC is operationally and editorially independent from the government and the government cannot intervene in the BBC’s editorial decisions. The Government is clear it expects the BBC to be held to the highest standards, and ensure value for money taking into account the wider public interest, but it is the BBC Board who is ultimately responsible for the appropriate use of licence fee revenue. The Comptroller and Auditor General of the NAO is the BBC's independent external auditor. The NAO is responsible for auditing the BBC accounts and ensuring value for money in the way the BBC uses its funds.
My Department is taking a number of steps to encourage tourism in city destinations such as London.
The Global Travel Taskforce last year committed the Government to publish a Tourism Recovery Plan in support of the sector. The Government intends to set out proposals in the Spring, including plans for a marketing campaign to welcome visitors back to the UK as soon as it is safe to do so.
We are working with VisitBritain, VisitEngland and local partners to champion the UK’s diverse tourism offer through the Escape the Everyday campaign, which will have a focus on encouraging visitors to return to cities.
We will continue to work with industry to provide assurance regarding when people can safely visit attractions - as demonstrated through the We’re Good to Go industry standard, which has been used by over 45,000 businesses.
The March Budget included £700m of extra funding to support our world-leading arts, culture and sporting institutions - protecting the venues which make London and the UK an attractive destination to visit.
In total, over £25bn has been provided to the tourism, leisure and hospitality sectors in the form of grants, loans and tax breaks.
The Events Research Programme (ERP) is exploring ways to enable people to attend large events and performances safely. DCMS officials regularly review reports on mass gatherings published by the Cabinet Office’s International Comparators Joint Unit (ICJU), including activities taking place in the Netherlands. Officials academics and programme team members behind the Back to Life event to discuss their approach and lessons learned from the pilot. The ERP continues to monitor relevant international events for comparison and knowledge sharing.
The government recognises that the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to be extremely challenging for businesses, including greyhound stadia. Greyhound racing has continued behind closed doors since 1 June.
The Events Research Programme (ERP), working closely with local authorities and organisers will undertake studies to get fans and audiences back safely as restrictions are gradually eased.The pilots programme will be used to provide key scientific data and research into how small and large-scale events could be permitted to safely reopen in line with the Roadmap out of lockdown as part of Step 4, commencing no earlier than 21 June.
On 19 November 2020 the Government announced a rescue package worth £300 million to help major spectator sports which have been affected by the pandemic, including a preliminary allocation of £1 million in loans for greyhound racing. In the recent budget a further £300m was announced for the recovery package across all sports.
Greyhound racing has also been eligible to access pan-economy support provided by the government including the business rates holiday for leisure industry businesses, the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme.
Each year, on Commonwealth Day the department arranges for the flags of Commonwealth countries to be flown in Parliament Square. There are currently no plans for this to be extended for the full week around Commonwealth Day in 2022. Any decision on changes to the current flag flying programme would need to be agreed with FCDO, No10 and the Royal Household.
The Government has designed the roadmap for reopening premises following careful consideration of the evidence and scientific advice. The roadmap strikes a balance between mitigating the social, health and economic impacts of closures and the need to avoid a resurgence of COVID-19 infections. It also takes account of the cumulative impact of easing restrictions and the need to assess the impact at each step. Under the current roadmap, all non-essential retail will open at Step 2, not before 12 April. Indoor entertainment and indoor leisure will open at Step 3, not before 17 May.
As the business of Adult Gaming Centres consists entirely of customers playing machines within the premises, they are considered to be entertainment and will open at Step 3. The customers of Licensed Betting Offices (LBOs) may enter the premises, place a bet and leave with a betting slip, a transaction more similar to purchasing goods in a shop. While LBOs will be permitted to open at Step 2, they will be subject to a number of additional restrictions as set out in the previous Tier 3 guidance. These include showing no live sport or racing and having no chairs, as well as early closure. Under normal circumstances LBOs are limited to offering a maximum of four gaming machines and only two may be made available under these restrictions.
In recognition of the impact of requiring some businesses to remain closed for a longer period, the Chancellor announced an enhanced package of support at the Budget, including Restart Grants of up to £18,000 per premises, specifically for those which must remain closed beyond Step 2.
I, and my officials, have met with representatives of the Ten-Pin Bowling Proprietor’s Association, along with several other visitor economy stakeholders through the Tourism Industry Council, to assess the impact of COVID-19 and related restrictions on bowling alleys.
Bowling centre operators can continue to access the Government’s comprehensive support package - including the extended furlough and self-employed support schemes, new grant schemes, as well as various government-backed loans.
Alongside a range of other Budget measures to support leisure and hospitality, the Government will continue to provide eligible retail, hospitality and leisure properties in England with 100% business rates relief from 1 April 2021 to 30 June 2021. This will be followed by 66% business rates relief for the period from 1 July 2021 to 31 March 2022.
The Chief Medical Officer is clear that being physically active is important to long-term health and crucial for keeping people healthy. Sports and physical activity have been shown to treat, manage and prevent a range of conditions including heart disease, cancers, diabetes, stress, depression or anxiety. It can also bring communities together and tackle issues such as loneliness. That’s why we have continued to make sure that people can exercise throughout the national and the local tiered restrictions.
Sport England’s Active Lives Adult and Children surveys provide information not only on activity levels but also on social outcomes such as physical and mental wellbeing too. The latest reports can be found here.
Furthermore, last month Sport England published its new strategy Uniting the Movement which sets out their 10 year vision to transform lives and communities through sport and physical activity. The strategy seeks to tackle the inequalities we have seen in sport and physical activity and provide opportunities to people that have traditionally been left behind including women and those with a disability, helping to remove barriers to activity.
We have a close relationship with our Australian allies. I met with my counterpart in the Australian Government on 25th February 2021 to discuss digital regulation, and the importance of defending free speech and supporting the sustainability of the press.
The Prime Minister announced on Monday 22 February that indoor entertainment venues, which will include bingo clubs, will open at Step 3 of the roadmap, not before 17 May. The design of the roadmap has been informed by the latest scientific evidence and seeks a balance between our key social and economic priorities, while preserving the health and safety of the country. Further details will be announced in due course.
Sports and physical activity providers and facilities are at the heart of our communities, and play a crucial role in supporting adults and children to be active. That’s why we have continued to make sure that people can exercise throughout the national restrictions and why we have ensured that grassroots and children’s sport is front of the queue when easing those restrictions.
On Monday 22 February, the Prime Minister announced a roadmap out of the current lockdown in England. The government has introduced a step approach to the return of outdoor and indoor sport areas across England. This is a cautious and gradual approach, led by data, not dates.
From 8 March, sport can take place in school for all children, or as part of wraparound activities if children are attending in order to enable their parents to work, seek work, attend education, seek medical care, or attend a support group.
Any organised outdoor sport (for children or adults) can restart on 29 March, and indoor sport for under 18s outside of school can restart from Step 2 which will take place no earlier than 12 April. This will be subject to social contact limits.
The Prime Minister announced on Monday 22 February that indoor entertainment venues, which will include Adult Gaming Centres, will open at Step 3 of the roadmap, not before 17 May. The design of the roadmap has been informed by the latest scientific evidence and seeks a balance between our key social and economic priorities, while preserving the health and safety of the country.
At next week’s Budget the Chancellor will set out the next phase in our economic support package to reflect the steps set out in the Prime Minister’s roadmap to easing restrictions, tailoring support for individuals and businesses to reflect the changing public health restrictions.
The government recognises that the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to be extremely challenging for businesses, including in the arcades sector. That is why we have introduced a number of unprecedented financial packages to help to ease pressures and help businesses navigate through this crisis, including extending the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, introducing £4.6 billion in lockdown grants for retail, hospitality and leisure businesses and providing further discretionary funding for Local Authorities.
We are continuing to work with organisations in the land-based gambling sector to understand the impacts and how we may be able to support them. Currently, we estimate that up to 5% of adult gaming centres (AGCs) have ceased trading with roughly 10.1% of jobs lost in the past twelve months. This estimate is based on recent discussions with Bacta, the trade association for the arcades sector. We know that there are also significant job losses across the land-based gambling sector from discussions with the Betting and Gaming Council and the Bingo Association.
As set out in response to question 149200 on 9 February, the government has published guidance to help businesses understand how to make workplaces Covid-secure and help tackle the spread of the virus. AGCs should follow the shops and branches guidance in addition to Bacta’s specific guidance for FECs and AGCs to ensure they can operate as safely as possible when they are open.
The shops and branches workplace guidance was intended as guidance for those businesses on how they could operate safely when the regulations permitted them to do so after the first national lockdown and beyond. It does not have a direct bearing on the timing for reopening of the businesses included in the guidance.
Supporting our world leading creative industries is a key priority for this Government. Creative businesses and freelancers across the country have now been able to take advantage of the unprecedented set of measures set up to support the economy and our media industry.
We will of course continue to engage with industry, and assess the merits of the government intervening where there is a strong case to do so.
The government recognises that the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to be extremely challenging for businesses, including in the arcades sector.
The government has introduced a number of unprecedented financial packages to help to ease pressures and help businesses navigate through this crisis. We have provided support for millions of jobs and businesses by extending the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme until the end of April 2021. Struggling businesses will also have until the end of March 2021 to access the government’s Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme.
On 5 January, the Chancellor announced £4.6 billion in new lockdown grants for retail, hospitality and leisure businesses worth up to £9,000 per property to help businesses through the Spring. A further £594 million of discretionary funding through the Additional Restrictions Grant has also been made available to support other impacted businesses. This comes in addition to £1.1 billion discretionary funding for Local Authorities through Local Restriction Support Grants worth up to to £3,000 a month.
We are continuing to work with organisations in the land-based gambling sector to understand what they need and how we may be able to support them.
The government recognises the significant cultural and economic value of cinemas, and has supported them through both sector-specific and economy-wide measures.
More than 200 independent cinemas have so far received funding of £16 million in the first round of the £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund, This funding is being administered by the BFI on behalf of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, as part of the biggest ever single investment in this country’s cultural sectors. Grants have been awarded to cinema sites in every corner of the country, with cinemas outside London benefitting from 78% of funding to date. Further to this, we announced in December that cinemas will be able to apply for a share of an additional £14 million in grants as part of the second round of the Culture Recovery Fund. This second round launched on 11 January, and will provide support for cinemas into the next financial year. Cinemas have also been eligible to apply to the second round of Arts Council England’s Repayable Finance scheme, with a total of £100 m available.
Recognising that cinemas need content, during this crisis the Government’s Film and TV Production Restart Scheme has helped keep the cameras rolling at the other end of the screen supply chain. The £500 million scheme, which opened for applications in October 2020, has assured over 100 productions that they will be supported if future losses are incurred due to Covid-19 and provided the confidence they need to restart filming.
In addition, most cinemas have been and are continuing to benefit from economy-wide measures including the VAT cut on tickets and concessions, a business rates holiday, access to Bounce Back Loans, the extended Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and Local Restrictions Support Grants.
Together these measures are providing a comprehensive package of support to the cinema industry to support it through the pandemic.
Under the Culture Recovery Fund, organisations which manage or preserve natural habitats and species as the main focus of their activity are ineligible.
Full eligibility can be found on the website of the relevant delivery body (in this case National Lottery Heritage Fund/Historic England https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-support-for-zoos-and-aquariums#eligibility), and queries concerning eligibility can be directed to them. Funding may be available to organisations that manage listed buildings to support reopening and preservation.
Organisations which manage or preserve natural habitats or species may be eligible for the Zoo Animals Fund, managed through the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs. Applications are open until 26 February 2021, and eligibility criteria can be accessed here https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-support-for-zoos-and-aquariums#eligibility.
Sports and physical activity including golf are incredibly important for our physical and mental health, and are a vital weapon against coronavirus.
On Monday 4 January the Prime Minister announced a national lockdown and instructed people to stay at home to control the virus, protect the NHS and save lives.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. We have not introduced further exemptions because when you unpick at one activity the effectiveness of the whole package is compromised.
You can continue to exercise alone, with one other person or with your household or support bubble. This should be limited to once per day, in a public outdoor place and you should not travel outside your local area. You should maintain social distancing. Indoor and outdoor sports facilities, including gyms, must close.
We plan to open up sports facilities including golf courses as soon as the public health situation allows.
The UK broadband market is generally competitive at a retail level, with a wide variety of Internet Service Providers, like Sky and TalkTalk, utilising BT Openreach’s broadband network to provide services across the UK, including in outer London. Much of the UK, including many areas of outer London, will also have access to other broadband networks, including Virgin Media’s network.
The UK has good superfast broadband coverage, with over 96% of premises having access to superfast speeds. As such, the government’s current focus is on delivering faster nationwide gigabit-capable broadband networks as soon as possible. Much progress towards this ambition has already been made, with around 1 in 3 UK premises now able to access gigabit-capable broadband according to the latest figures from Ofcom and ThinkBroadband.
The government believes that the way to deliver gigabit-capable broadband at pace is to encourage greater network competition and commercial investment, and to do so through the following steps:
Making the cost of deploying gigabit capable networks as low as possible by addressing barriers to deployment, which increase costs and cause delays.
Supporting market entry and expansion by alternative network operators through easy access to BT Openreach’s ducts and poles, complemented by access to other utility infrastructure.
Stable and long-term regulation that encourages competitive network investment.
Supporting the timely switchover to new gigabit capable broadband networks.
As the telecoms regulator, Ofcom has a key role in promoting competition. In addition, the government’s first ever Statement of Strategic Priorities (SSP) for telecoms, which was designated in October 2019, reiterated the importance of network competition and commercial investment to the rapid rollout of gigabit-capable broadband. Ofcom has to have regard to the SSP when exercising its regulatory functions and it is currently consulting on its regulations for the broadband market from April 2021 to March 2026. Its stated aim for this review is to promote competition and investment in new full fibre networks.
Some UK premises, mainly those in rural and/or remote areas, are unlikely to benefit from network competition and may not get gigabit-capable broadband in a reasonable timeframe without public sector investment. This is why we are investing £5 billion in these areas through our UK Gigabit programme.
I expect all sports events to look after their fans in line with the relevant consumer rights legislation, good practice and their wider legal obligations. Where organisations offer fans additional ways to support their club - such as foregoing refunds in lieu of vouchers or donations - this is a decision for the organisations themselves.
The government, with advice from SAGE, reviewed the impact of the previous tiering arrangements and decided that unfortunately stricter rules on tier 3 closures would be necessary to have an impact on the rate of transmission in very high alert areas. This led to the decision that all hospitality and indoor entertainment venues in tier 3 areas would have to close, including casinos, bingo halls and adult gaming centres. SAGE advice is independent and published on a regular basis on: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/scientific-advisory-group-for-emergencies
The government has continued to engage with the land-based gambling sector throughout the pandemic, including with its trade associations the Betting and Gaming Council, Bacta and the Bingo Association. The Minister for Sports, Heritage and Tourism has had a series of roundtable discussions with the industry to discuss the impact of Covid-19, including representatives from two of Britain’s largest AGC operators. DCMS officials have been in regular contact with the representative trade associations and fed their views into the government decision-making process, and they are continuing to do so.
Government has set out an analysis of the health, economic and social impacts of the tiered approach, which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-health-economic-and-social-effects-of-covid-19-and-the-tiered-approach. As on previous occasions, local data packs have also been published.
Epidemiological data and projection models on local restriction tiers, including commentary on individual tier allocation decisions, can also be found at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/938964/Coronavirus_England_briefing_26_November.pdf.
The government, with advice from SAGE, reviewed the impact of the previous tiering arrangements and decided that unfortunately stricter rules on tier 3 closures would be necessary to have an impact on the rate of transmission in very high alert areas. This led to the decision that all hospitality and indoor entertainment venues in tier 3 areas would have to close, including casinos, bingo halls and adult gaming centres. SAGE advice is independent and published on a regular basis on: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/scientific-advisory-group-for-emergencies
The government has continued to engage with the land-based gambling sector throughout the pandemic, including with its trade associations the Betting and Gaming Council, Bacta and the Bingo Association. The Minister for Sports, Heritage and Tourism has had a series of roundtable discussions with the industry to discuss the impact of Covid-19, including representatives from two of Britain’s largest AGC operators. DCMS officials have been in regular contact with the representative trade associations and fed their views into the government decision-making process, and they are continuing to do so.
Government has set out an analysis of the health, economic and social impacts of the tiered approach, which can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-health-economic-and-social-effects-of-covid-19-and-the-tiered-approach. As on previous occasions, local data packs have also been published.
Epidemiological data and projection models on local restriction tiers, including commentary on individual tier allocation decisions, can also be found at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/938964/Coronavirus_England_briefing_26_November.pdf.
DCMS has received one representation to erect a statue of Baroness Thatcher in her home town of Grantham, in recognition of her remarkable contribution to our country.
Following the passing of the Deregulation Act 2015, consent from the Secretary of State is no longer required to erect statues in London. The process is now determined through the planning system only, with a planning application for a statue in Parliament Square, which is the responsibility of the Greater London Authority, being turned down by Westminster City Council in 2018.
DCMS has received one representation to erect a statue of Baroness Thatcher in her home town of Grantham, in recognition of her remarkable contribution to our country.
Following the passing of the Deregulation Act 2015, consent from the Secretary of State is no longer required to erect statues in London. The process is now determined through the planning system only, with a planning application for a statue in Parliament Square, which is the responsibility of the Greater London Authority, being turned down by Westminster City Council in 2018.
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 the first period of enhanced national restrictions and why we opened up grassroots sport and leisure facilities as soon as it was safe to do so.
As the Prime Minister said on 23 November national restrictions will end on Wednesday 2 December, and gyms and sport facilities will reopen across all tiers. Outdoor skating rinks can stay open across all tiers and indoor skating rinks can open in Tiers 1 and 2. Unfortunately in Tier 3 areas indoor skating rinks will remain closed, because these areas have a very high or rapidly rising level of infections, so tighter restrictions will be in place. However, elite athletes will still be able to access relevant facilities.
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 the first period of enhanced national restrictions and why we opened up grassroots sport and leisure facilities as soon as it was safe to do so.
As the Prime Minister said on 23 November national restrictions will end on Wednesday 2 December, and gyms and sport facilities will reopen across all tiers. Outdoor skating rinks can stay open across all tiers and indoor skating rinks can open in Tiers 1 and 2. Unfortunately in Tier 3 areas indoor skating rinks will remain closed, because these areas have a very high or rapidly rising level of infections, so tighter restrictions will be in place.
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 the first period of enhanced national restrictions and why we opened up grassroots sport and leisure facilities as soon as it was safe to do so.
As the Prime Minister said on 23 November national restrictions will end on Wednesday 2 December, and gyms and sport facilities will reopen across all tiers. Outdoor skating rinks can stay open across all tiers and indoor skating rinks can open in Tiers 1 and 2. Unfortunately in Tier 3 areas indoor skating rinks will remain closed, because these areas have a very high or rapidly rising level of infections, so tighter restrictions will be in place. However, elite athletes will still be able to access relevant facilities.
The safety and security of players and spectators remains of paramount importance and we will continue to be led by wider public health guidance. These capacity limits have been agreed by the Government with SGSA and PHE as a maximum capacity for spectators, in light of the updated Covid Tiering system.
We want fans back in stadia as quickly as is safe to do so, and believe that now we can permit these still extremely limited numbers of fans to attend matches. A series of successful pilot events demonstrated the ability of the sector to follow covid secure guidance. We will be updating our guidance to the sector, and the SGSA’s SG02 guidance sets out explicit guidance on how safe socially distanced capacities can be maintained.
Whilst outdoor events are not currently able to proceed due to national restrictions, the guidance on which we have worked with the Events Industry Forum will support outdoor events to operate safely when we move to the local tier system on 2 December.
From 2 December, as set out in the COVID Winter Plan we will return to a tiered approach to COVID-19 restrictions. Funfairs and fairgrounds - which will be permitted to reopen in all three tiers as they were prior to this period of national restrictions - will need to go through the normal process of requesting permission and any relevant licences from the relevant authority and have the relevant health and safety protocols in place, including a Covid-19 risk assessment. Local Authorities are responsible for deciding whether to permit outdoor events in their area. Decisions should be made on a case-by-case basis, with consideration given to both the risks and the mitigations in place.
In the government's Covid-19 Secure guidance for the Visitor Economy, we have provided guidance for Local Authorities on how to assess applications for outdoor events and how Local Authorities should support event organisers to hold outdoor events safely. We will continue to work closely with Local Authorities and the sector to get outdoor events running safely and successfully once they are permitted.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) holds regular engagement calls with local government sector groups to highlight significant policy updates and holds regular Ministerial calls with local authority leaders and chief executives.
Government has introduced a number of support measures to support the tourism and outdoor events sector through COVID-19, which funfair businesses and showmen can access.
In response to the current national restrictions, the Chancellor has confirmed how the government will support businesses and individuals during this period. For instance, self-employed workers in the funfairs industry can explore the extended Self-Employment Income Support Scheme.
Further to this, the Additional Restrictions Grant discretionary fund will allow Local Authorities to help businesses more broadly. It supports businesses that are not covered by other grant schemes, such as the Local Restrictions Support Grant, or where additional funding is needed. Local Authorities have the freedom to determine the eligibility criteria for this grant scheme. However, we expect the funding to help those businesses which - while not legally forced to close - are nonetheless severely impacted by the restrictions.
We recognise that Covid-19 has significantly impacted the culture sector and that these are extremely difficult times for organisations such as travelling funfairs and showmen. We continue to meet with representatives of the Showmen’s Guild of Great Britain to assess how we can most effectively support the industry through this period.
The British Greyhound Racing Fund (BGRF) collects a voluntary levy from bookmakers and uses the funds for greyhound welfare and sports integrity, and to a lesser extent the development and promotion of the sport.
Government officials recently met representatives of the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) and the British Greyhound Racing Fund to discuss funding for greyhound racing with a view to encouraging bookmakers that have yet to sign up to the voluntary Memorandum of Understanding to do so.
Government will continue to work with the betting and greyhound industries to make sure that greyhound welfare is safeguarded and remains at the heart of the sport.
My department does not currently hold this information for the last 12 months as it is part of commercial arrangements between telecoms operators and housing developers.
The Government is bringing forward a policy that will deliver gigabit broadband to the vast majority of new homes at minimal costs to developers. We will do this by bringing forward amendments to the Building Regulations 2010 to require housing developers to provide gigabit broadband unless the costs to the developer exceeds £2,000.
To support developers, and to ensure as many new homes as possible receive gigabit broadband, the Secretary of State has received commitments from Openreach, Virgin and Gigaclear on the costs of connecting new homes, these include:
Virgin will contribute at least £500 per premise and up to £1,000 for larger developments;
Gigaclear will contribute up to £1,000 per premise; and
Openreach will contribute up to £1,400 per premise.
We have worked with Openreach to extend their free offer of gigabit broadband for new builds and also reduce costs for smaller developments. Openreach reduced their costs of connecting developments consisting of 2 to 4 premises to £2,000, from £3,100, ensuring they all fall within the proposed cost cap.
Based on discussions with industry, we estimate that these commitments ensure that, taken with the amended Building Regulations, gigabit broadband will be deployed to 99% of new build premises.
My department does not currently hold this information for the last 12 months as it is part of commercial arrangements between telecoms operators and housing developers.
The Government is bringing forward a policy that will deliver gigabit broadband to the vast majority of new homes at minimal costs to developers. We will do this by bringing forward amendments to the Building Regulations 2010 to require housing developers to provide gigabit broadband unless the costs to the developer exceeds £2,000.
To support developers, and to ensure as many new homes as possible receive gigabit broadband, the Secretary of State has received commitments from Openreach, Virgin and Gigaclear on the costs of connecting new homes, these include:
Virgin will contribute at least £500 per premise and up to £1,000 for larger developments;
Gigaclear will contribute up to £1,000 per premise; and
Openreach will contribute up to £1,400 per premise.
We have worked with Openreach to extend their free offer of gigabit broadband for new builds and also reduce costs for smaller developments. Openreach reduced their costs of connecting developments consisting of 2 to 4 premises to £2,000, from £3,100, ensuring they all fall within the proposed cost cap.
Based on discussions with industry, we estimate that these commitments ensure that, taken with the amended Building Regulations, gigabit broadband will be deployed to 99% of new build premises.
Sport and physical activity are incredibly important for our physical and mental health, and are a vital weapon against coronavirus.
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. As soon as we're in a position to start lifting restrictions, grassroots sports will be one of the first to return.
People are still allowed to leave their homes for exercise and recreation outdoors, with your household or on your own, or with one person from another household or support bubble.
Sports and physical activity are incredibly important for our physical and mental health, and are a vital weapon against coronavirus.
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 toget the R rate under control through limiting social contact and reducing transmissions.
People are still allowed to leave their homes for exercise and recreation outdoors, with their household or on their own, or with one person from another household or support bubble. We will continue to prioritise the wellbeing and long-term futures of our young people, which is why schools will remain open. Children can continue to take part in sport at school, which includes swimming lessons where schools are providing them.
Sports and physical activity are incredibly important for our physical and mental health, and are a vital weapon against coronavirus.
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.
People are still allowed to leave their homes for exercise and recreation outdoors, with your household or on your own, or with one person from another household or support bubble. We will continue to prioritise the wellbeing and long-term futures of our young people, which is why schools will remain open. Children can continue to take part in sport at school, which includes swimming lessons where schools are providing them.
However, we have not introduced further exemptions because it’s important that the restrictions are simple to understand. Once you unpick at one exemption the effectiveness of the whole package is compromised.
Sport and physical activity are incredibly important for our physical and mental health, and are a vital weapon against coronavirus.
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. As soon as we're in a position to start lifting restrictions, grassroots sports will be one of the first to return.
In January 2019 the Government announced that it had secured a new funding commitment from five of the largest online bookmakers to help ensure the welfare of greyhounds is protected and improved. This was in addition to the existing voluntary payments made to the British Greyhound Racing Fund from most betting operators that benefit from greyhound racing, which sit alongside commercial deals between the betting and racing industries. In 2019/20 the BGRF collected a total of £8.87m, up from £6.95m in the previous 12 months.
Government has no plans to introduce a mandatory levy and will continue to encourage any remaining bookmakers that have not signed up to the voluntary arrangements to follow suit. The Department has discussions with the betting and greyhound racing industries on a range of issues and expects both to make sure that greyhound welfare is safeguarded and remains at the heart of the sport.
In January 2019 the Government announced that it had secured a new funding commitment from five of the largest online bookmakers to help ensure the welfare of greyhounds is protected and improved. This was in addition to the existing voluntary payments made to the British Greyhound Racing Fund from most betting operators that benefit from greyhound racing, which sit alongside commercial deals between the betting and racing industries. In 2019/20 the BGRF collected a total of £8.87m, up from £6.95m in the previous 12 months.
Government has no plans to introduce a mandatory levy and will continue to encourage any remaining bookmakers that have not signed up to the voluntary arrangements to follow suit. The Department has discussions with the betting and greyhound racing industries on a range of issues and expects both to make sure that greyhound welfare is safeguarded and remains at the heart of the sport.
Greyhound racing has been eligible to access the help announced by the Chancellor on 17 March, including the business rates holiday for leisure industry businesses, the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme. It will also be eligible to access the Job Support Scheme which is due to open on 1 November.
Officials continue to be in communication with the Greyhound Board of Great Britain to understand the needs of the sector during this time.
The British Greyhound Racing Fund (BGRF) collects a voluntary levy from bookmakers and uses the funds for greyhound welfare and sports integrity, and to a lesser extent the development and promotion of the sport.
In January 2019 the Government announced an increased funding commitment from bookmakers to ensure the welfare of greyhounds is protected and improved. In 2019/20 the BGRF collected a total of £8.87m, up from £6.95m in the previous 12 months.
This commitment has allowed the BGRF to fund capital grants to stadia, for purposes including welfare and integrity support. In the last calendar year (2019), direct welfare provision totalled 51% of the British Greyhound Racing Fund’s overall budget. BGRF support has also assisted GBGB to make emergency welfare payments to trainers, owners and the Greyhound Trust during Covid and to launch the Greyhound Retirement Scheme (GRS) in September.
Government will continue to work with the betting and greyhound industries to make sure that greyhound welfare is safeguarded and remains at the heart of the sport.
The safety and security of players and spectators is of paramount importance.
On Tuesday 22 September it was announced that all sports pilot events currently ongoing would be paused with immediate effect, due to the sharp upward trajectory of Covid-19 cases. A?s set out in our Roadmap, sports events pilots, and the full return of fans to stadia would only ever take place when it was safe to do so.
However, the Government continues to work closely with a whole range of sports to understand the latest thinking that might allow spectators to return. This includes the creation of a new Sports Technology Innovation Working Group of sporting bodies and health experts to analyse new technologies which might support this.
The Government knows that the decision not to reopen stadia to spectators on 1 October will have major consequences for sports and clubs across the country who relied on those fans for income. We are working with those organisations to understand what they need and how we can support them.
Ministers have spoken to all of the major spectator sports, including football, and have asked for detailed financial returns so the Government can understand what support they might need.
The safety and security of players and spectators is of paramount importance.
On Tuesday 22 September it was announced that all sports pilot events currently ongoing would be paused with immediate effect, due to the sharp upward trajectory of Covid-19 cases. A?s set out in our Roadmap, sports events pilots, and the full return of fans to stadia would only ever take place when it was safe to do so.
However, the Government continues to work closely with a whole range of sports to understand the latest thinking that might allow spectators to return. This includes the creation of a new Sports Technology Innovation Working Group of sporting bodies and health experts to analyse new technologies which might support this.
The Government knows that the decision not to reopen stadia to spectators on 1 October will have major consequences for sports and clubs across the country who relied on those fans for income. We are working with those organisations to understand what they need and how we can support them.
Ministers have spoken to all of the major spectator sports, including football, and have asked for detailed financial returns so the Government can understand what support they might need.
Bowling alleys have been permitted to reopen in line with Covid-19 Secure guidelines since 15th August, except in specific areas where local restrictions are in place.
Bowling alleys are able to benefit from the reduced rate of VAT which the Government has applied to attractions, accommodation and hospitality from 15 July 2020-12 January 2021. To support businesses - including bowling alleys - through Covid-19, the Government has also introduced a comprehensive support package, including business rates relief for eligible leisure businesses and the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.
We have supported bowling alleys by working closely with stakeholders to develop further Covid-19 Secure reopening guidance for venues. Specific guidance on bowling alleys has been published within UKHospitality’s ‘COVID-19 Secure Guidelines for Hospitality Businesses.’ We continue to meet regularly with the wider sector through the Cultural Renewal Taskforce’s Sport and Visitor Economy working groups.
Greyhound racing should follow sector specific guidance as well as relevant government guidance including mass gatherings, sports stadia and, where relevant, pubs and restaurants regarding the reopening of food outlets and owners access to racecourses.
On 4 May 2020 the Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB) produced a phased Operational Policy that would facilitate racing behind closed doors in a safe, effective and stage-by-stage manner. This includes strict, comprehensive controls relating to hygiene and social distancing protocols, whilst promoting the highest levels of greyhound welfare.
Workplace lotteries are a class of private lottery that is exempt from Gambling Commission licensing or registration with a local authority. They are only permitted at single work locations. The Gambling Act 2005 prohibits advertising workplace lotteries outside of the premises, which includes by email or via a workplace intranet. This ensures that workplace lotteries remain an appropriate size and are distinct from small society lotteries.
Government last considered regulations for workplace and other exempt lotteries in 2016, and introduced reforms to reduce bureaucracy and enable promoters to donate proceeds to charity.
I have no plans to make any further changes at present.
We are holding three business event pilots in September as part of our preparations to help the sector safely reopen and begin its recovery. It remains our aim that the further reopening of events will be allowed from 1st October, if the host business has written a risk assessment and has put in place mitigations to reduce the risk of Covid-19 transmission, and provided that rates of infection remain at current levels. This is also subject to the successful completion of pilots.
I encourage affected events organisers to continue to make use of the Government’s comprehensive support package to protect businesses and workers.
DCMS officials have spoken to representatives of the visitor attractions industry and also several other key sector members to discuss guidance and next steps to reopening the sector.
My Department’s officials held a number of discussions with British Association of Leisure Parks, Piers and Attractions (BALPPA) - including several calls and virtual meetings during July and August - regarding the development of reopening guidance.
I appreciate BALPPA’s assistance and constructive engagement with my officials throughout this period.
DCMS is responsible for informing UK Government Departments of the designated days for the flying of the Union Flag throughout the year and in conjunction with FCO, No.10 and the Royal Household, informing Departments of any instructions on the half-masting of flags, any other flag instructions and silences. Guidance is sent to all UK Government Buildings and is published on GOV.UK.
There is no specific Government policy regarding the flying of flags other than the Union Flag. Individuals, local authorities and other organisations may fly flags whenever they wish, subject to compliance with any local planning requirement.
The Secretary of State and DCMS are committed to supporting the cultural sector to reopen as soon as it is safe to do so, and ensure appropriate support and guidance is provided.
To that end, DCMS has established the Cultural Renewal Taskforce and the Entertainment and Events working group which will be focusing on ensuring that COVID-19 secure guidelines are developed in line with the phasing ambitions and public health directions, building on the existing guidance and providing intelligence and sector-specific expert input.
These groups specifically include representatives for the dance sector, such as One Dance UK. Full details of the Taskforce can be found at
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/culture-secretary-announces-cultural-renewal-taskforce, and the Entertainment and Events Working Group can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/cultural-renewal-taskforce-and-supporting-working-groups#entertainment-and-events-members.
Sports and physical activity facilities play a crucial role in supporting adults and children to be active. Snooker clubs have been allowed to open since 4 July, as long as they can follow the COVID-secure guidelines.
The Government is committed to reopening other facilities as soon as it is safe to do so, including indoor gyms and sports venues. The Sport Working Group, led by myself, feeds into the Secretary of State’s Cultural Renewal Taskforce and ensures strong sector and expert support for the co-development of guidelines and will help leisure facilities become COVID-secure and re-open as early as possible in July.
As with all aspects of the Government’s response to COVID-19, we will be guided by public health considerations to ensure that as restrictions are eased people can return to activity safely.
Sports and physical activity facilities play a crucial role in supporting adults and children to be active.The Government has made it clear that it will adopt a phased approach based on scientific and medical advice, and that the primary goal is to protect public health. The Government is in discussions with representatives from the sport and physical activity sector about the steps required to restart grassroots sport and will update the public when it is deemed safe to reopening indoor sports venues and facilities as soon as it is safe to do so, including ice rinks.
Sports and physical activity facilities play a crucial role in supporting adults and children to be active.
The Government is committed to reopening leisure facilities including Bowling Alleys as soon as it is safe to do so. The Sport Working Group, led by myself, feeds into the Secretary of State’s Cultural Renewal Taskforce and ensures strong sector and expert support for the co-development of guidelines and will help leisure facilities become Covid-secure and re-open as early as possible in July.
As with all aspects of the Government’s response to Covid-19, we will be guided by the science to ensure that as restrictions are eased people can return to activity safely.
Sports and physical activity facilities play a crucial role in supporting adults and children to be active. The Government is committed to reopening indoor sports venues and facilities as soon as it is safe to do so including dance and cheerleading studios.
The Sport Working Group, led by myself, feeds into the Secretary of State’s Cultural Renewal Taskforce and ensures strong sector and expert support for the co-development of guidelines and will help leisure facilities become Covid-secure and re-open as early as possible in July.
As with all aspects of the Government’s response to Covid-19, we will be guided by the science to ensure that as restrictions are eased people can return to activity safely.
Sports and physical activity facilities play a crucial role in supporting adults and children to be active. The Government is committed to reopening indoor sports venues and facilities as soon as it is safe to do so including dance and cheerleading studios.
The Sport Working Group, led by myself, feeds into the Secretary of State’s Cultural Renewal Taskforce and ensures strong sector and expert support for the co-development of guidelines and will help leisure facilities become Covid-secure and re-open as early as possible in July.
As with all aspects of the Government’s response to Covid-19, we will be guided by the science to ensure that as restrictions are eased people can return to activity safely.
The Prime Minister announced on 23 June that, providing they adhere to Covid-19 Secure guidelines, Adult Gaming Centres and other arcades will be able to reopen from 4 July.
The Government has provided a package of measures to support businesses, including Adult Gaming Centres, as announced by the Chancellor on 17 and 26 March. This includes a business rates holiday for businesses in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors, the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, through which all UK employers are able to access support to continue paying part of their employees’ salary, and the
Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, which provides loans of up to £5 million for SMEs through the British Business Bank, backed by an 80% government guarantee.
Further support for SMEs was announced on 27 April through the Bounce Back Loan scheme.
DCMS is responsible for informing UK Government Departments of the designated days for the flying of the Union Flag throughout the year and in conjunction with FCO, No.10 and the Royal Household, informing Departments of any instructions on the half-masting of flags, any other flag instructions and silences. Guidance is sent to all UK Government Buildings and is published on GOV.UK.
There is no specific Government policy regarding the flying of flags and we are not responsible for setting protocols that determine when, where or which flags are flown in the United Kingdom. Individuals, local authorities and other organisations may fly flags, including the George’s Cross, whenever they wish, subject to compliance with any local planning requirement.
We are aware that the COVID-19 outbreak is impacting businesses across many sectors and that the events industry has been significantly impacted. I recognise that multiple aspects of the sector are affected, including event organisers, conference centres and event suppliers.
I regularly engage with stakeholders in the tourism and events sector and across Government on this developing issue. I will continue to monitor its impact on the sector and would urge events businesses to share information with VisitBritain via their Tourism Industry Emergency Response group.
The Chancellor has announced unprecedented support for business and workers to protect them against the current economic emergency. This includes a Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, tax relief and cash grant measures, plus £330bn worth of government backed and guaranteed loans to support businesses across the UK. I am also writing to the Chancellor to provide clarity guidance for the events sector on business rate relief.
National Lottery good cause funding is held in the National Lottery Distribution Fund (NLDF). This money is distributed by 12 distributing bodies at arm’s length from the Government. Each distributor receives a fixed percentage of the NLDF income as set out in legislation.
Distributors draw down from the NLDF on a weekly or monthly basis as their grant commitments fall due, and tend to hold a balance in the NLDF to cover future grant commitments. Information on historic NLDF balances can be found in the NLDF Annual Report and Accounts.
Information on National Lottery funding awards up to January 2018 can be found on the publicly available National Lottery grant database. We expect to update this database with grant information from January 2018 to March 2020 later this Spring.
The National Lottery Heritage Fund is able in principle to consider applications from outside the UK. However, the Fund’s Trustees must be satisfied that the project itself is of importance to the heritage of the United Kingdom and is accessible to the United Kingdom public, as the individuals who purchase National Lottery tickets. There are significant demands placed on funds by UK-based projects, meaning that the use of the National Lottery Heritage Fund funding for projects outside of the United Kingdom has been and continues to be a low priority, and in practice the National Lottery Heritage Fund has not funded projects outside the UK.
In its new Strategic Funding Framework, the National Lottery Heritage Fund has made a commitment to increasing its international work, with an ambition to see the UK’s heritage grow and learn by taking up opportunities to engage internationally. It will promote opportunities to build the capacity of organisations to make international connections and to benefit from doing so.
HMG values the heritage of the UK's Overseas Territories. We represent their interests in UNESCO in respect of four World Heritage Sites, including those in Bermuda, Gibraltar, Gough and Inaccessible Islands, and Henderson Island. We continue to support all four in the diverse range of challenges they face. This includes £2 million from the Government’s Conflict, Security and Security Fund to protect the rare bird species on Gough Island. We are exploring further support for the heritage of the Overseas Territories as part of the next phase of our international Cultural Protection Fund.
DCMS is responsible for informing UK Government Departments of the designated days for the flying of the Union Flag throughout the year and in conjunction with FCO, No.10 and the Royal Household, informing Departments of any instructions on the half-masting of flags, any other flag instructions and silences. Guidance is sent to all UK Government Buildings and is published on GOV.UK.
There is no specific Government policy regarding the flying of flags and we do not have responsibility for flag management on each Government building. Individual Government departments, via their Facilities Contractors, are responsible for ensuring that flags are flown correctly on their buildings.
The Gambling Commission does not provide funding to the Greyhound Trust.
Most betting operators pay voluntary contributions of 0.6% of their turnover from greyhound racing to the British Greyhound Racing Fund, who use some of this to provide funding for the Greyhound Trust.
Part of Team GB ’s undoubted success is the long-term planning that goes into UK Sport’s world-leading operation, and Lottery funding is crucial to UK Sport in making its funding allocations on a four year basis ahead of each Olympic Games. Should UK Sport’s expected National Lottery income fall below the level assumed at the time of the Spending Review in 2015, DCMS will underwrite additional funding for Team GB (and ParalympicsGB) to be properly supported and to allow our most talented athletes to achieve success in Tokyo.
After some decline in 2015/16, National Lottery income has now stabilised at approximately £1.6 billion per year. The latest data published in February 2020 by the Gambling Commission suggests this recovery is set to continue - in 2019, 30% of people aged over 16 reported having played a draw-based game in the last month, up from 28% from the previous year.
The current National Lottery licence expires in 2023, and the Gambling Commission remains on track to appoint an operator to take on the new licence from this date. The competition is expected to commence in the first half of 2020, with the successful applicant being announced in 2021.
My predecessors met regularly with the Gambling Commission including discussions on the planning for the fourth licence competition. The Secretary of State and I look forward to continuing those discussions, and we will be meeting with the Gambling Commission shortly. DCMS officials are also working closely with the Gambling Commission on the design of the next licence.
The current National Lottery licence expires in 2023, and the Gambling Commission remains on track to appoint an operator to take on the new licence from this date. The competition is expected to commence in the first half of 2020, with the successful applicant being announced in 2021.
My predecessors met regularly with the Gambling Commission including discussions on the planning for the fourth licence competition. The Secretary of State and I look forward to continuing those discussions, and we will be meeting with the Gambling Commission shortly. DCMS officials are also working closely with the Gambling Commission on the design of the next licence.
The success of the National Lottery has always been to encourage lots of people to play the National Lottery games, while individually spending relatively small amounts. This strategy, in conjunction with the player protection policies of the operator, available here (https://www.national-lottery.co.uk/responsible-play/consumer-protection-strategy), and scrutiny from the Gambling Commission, means that we can be confident that National Lottery games have a very low risk of causing harm to players. This is borne out by evidence from the last combined Health Survey, published in September 2018, which showed that problem gambling rates for players of National Lottery draw-based games were 1.0%, while the figure for scratchcards was 1.8%.
Even though the rates are low for lottery games, a good example of the ongoing work on player protection came last year when Camelot withdrew its £10 scratchcard games in light of evidence suggesting an association between these products and problem gambling.
I do not have plans to introduce further legislative change at this stage.
The Government and the Gambling Commission share three statutory duties in respect to the National Lottery, which will inform the competition and licence design. These are to ensure that the interests of all players are protected, ensure the Lottery is run with all due propriety, and, subject to these, that returns to good causes are maximised.
The Gambling Commission is running the competition for the next licence, and is following best practice from across the public sector for competitions of this nature. The Gambling Commission is also providing updates on the fourth licence competition. The latest version on their 4NLC website is available at https://www.4nlc.com/PDF/4NLC-Programme-Update.pdf
I welcome the Gambling Commission’s fair and transparent approach to running a competition process that maximises the opportunities for innovation and creativity whilst protecting the special status of the National Lottery. In particular I am looking forward to a robust competition that draws in a wide range of bidders to ensure the continued success of our National Lottery for the next 25 years and beyond.
The Government and the Gambling Commission share three statutory duties in respect to the National Lottery, which will inform the competition and licence design. These are to ensure that the interests of all players are protected, ensure the Lottery is run with all due propriety, and, subject to these, that returns to good causes are maximised.
The Gambling Commission is running the competition for the next licence, and is following best practice from across the public sector for competitions of this nature. The Gambling Commission is also providing updates on the fourth licence competition. The latest version on their 4NLC website is available at https://www.4nlc.com/PDF/4NLC-Programme-Update.pdf
I welcome the Gambling Commission’s fair and transparent approach to running a competition process that maximises the opportunities for innovation and creativity whilst protecting the special status of the National Lottery. In particular I am looking forward to a robust competition that draws in a wide range of bidders to ensure the continued success of our National Lottery for the next 25 years and beyond.
In January 2019, the Government announced that it had secured a new funding commitment from five of the largest online bookmakers worth an estimated £3 million annually to ensure the welfare of greyhounds is protected and improved. This is in addition to the existing voluntary payments made to the British Greyhound Racing Fund from most betting operators that benefit from greyhound racing, which sit alongside commercial deals between the betting and racing industries.
We will continue to encourage any remaining bookmakers that have not signed up to the voluntary arrangements to follow suit and support greyhound racing.
The National Lottery operates in the United Kingdom only. No representations have been made to DCMS on this matter, which is for the Irish Government.
The Gambling Commission is the independent regulator of the National Lottery. Information about breaches and fines levied during the current, third licence period (2009 - present day) is publicly available on the Gambling Commission’s website at the following link: https://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/news-action-and-statistics/Regulatory-action/National-Lottery-regulatory-action.aspx
Corresponding information pertaining to the second licence period (2002-2009) was publicly available on the Gambling Commission’s website and is now available on request. The Gambling Commission are currently looking at what information they hold regarding breaches during the first licence period 1994 to 2002.
The department does not currently cap or restrict the number of teacher training positions offered by accredited Initial Teacher Training (ITT) providers. This enables them to recruit the highest number of candidates that they can whilst ensuring they are able to deliver high-quality training.
For the 2024/25 academic year recruitment cycle, the department has announced an ITT financial incentives package worth up to £196 million, which is a £15 million increase on the last cycle.
For trainees starting ITT in 2024/25, the department is offering a £28,000 tax-free bursary and £30,000 tax-free bursaries in mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing.
The department is also offering a £25,000 tax-free bursary for biology, design & technology, geography and languages (including ancient languages), and a £10,000 tax-free bursary for English, art and design, music and religious education.
The department reviews the bursaries on offer each year to take account of factors including historic recruitment, forecast economic conditions, and teacher supply need in each subject. This provides flexibility to respond to the need to attract new teachers, and means the department is spending money where it is needed most.
The department welcomes talented individuals from overseas to train to teach in England. For the 2023/24 and 2024/25 academic years, the department has extended bursary and scholarship eligibility to all non-UK national trainees in physics and languages. This means international physics and languages trainees are eligible for scholarships worth up to £30,000 and bursaries worth up to £28,000. The department is also piloting a new international relocation payment worth £10,000 to help teachers and trainees in languages and physics with the cost of visas and other expenses involved in moving to England.
The government is committed to continuing to raise literacy standards, ensuring that all children, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds, can read fluently and with understanding.
The department funds a broad range of supportive measures designed to improve literacy rates amongst all pupils.
Since 2010, the government has strengthened the effective teaching of phonics by placing it at the heart of the curriculum and introducing a statutory phonics screening check in 2012 for pupils at the end of year 1 to help schools measure progress. The government wants to improve literacy levels to give all children a solid base upon which to build as they progress through school by ensuring high quality, systematic synthetic phonics teaching.
In 2018, the department launched the English Hubs Programme to improve the teaching of reading with a focus on phonics, early language and reading for pleasure. Since its launch, the Programme has provided appropriate and targeted support to several thousands of primary schools across England. The department has so far invested over £67 million in this school-to-school improvement programme and has committed a further £40 million up to the end of the 2024/25 financial year, with £25.6 million of this committed for 2023/24.
In July 2021, the department published the ‘Reading Framework: teaching the foundations of literacy’ non-statutory guidance which was aimed at improving the teaching of the foundations of reading in primary schools by defining pedagogy and best practice. The department published an expanded Reading Framework in July 2023, which builds on the original Framework and covers the teaching of reading in key stages 2 and 3, including guidance on how to help pupils who need more support to learn to read proficiently.
Also in July, the department announced its intention to launch an evidence review of best practice in the teaching of writing. This will be a valuable resource for schools and will inform further research and guidance. The scope of this review will likely include what the department wants children to be able to achieve at the end of primary school so that they are set up well to succeed in secondary school.
Furthermore, the department is committed to offering teachers access to high quality continuous professional development. The Leading Literacy National Professional Qualification (NPQLL), launched in October 2022, supports school literacy leaders to have a secure understanding of the importance of literacy and recognise the influence it has on pupils’ future academic achievement, wellbeing and success in life. It will support leaders to develop expertise in the teaching of reading and writing and enable them to share their expertise effectively to improve literacy outcomes for every child.
The standards for school food are set out in the Requirements for School Food Regulations 2014. The standards are designed to ensure that schools provide children with healthy food and drink options, and to make sure that children get the energy and nutrition they need across the school day. Compliance with the School Food Standards is mandatory for all maintained schools, academies and free schools in both primary and secondary settings. The Standards can be found at: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2014/1603/contents/made.
The department believes that the current standards provide a robust yet flexible framework to ensure that pupils in England continue to receive high-quality and nutritious food that builds healthy eating habits for life. The department continues to keep the School Food Standards under review.
The Department has no policy on the study of warehousing or logistics. The National Curriculum, which the Department reformed in 2014 to set world-class standards across all subjects, focuses on the key knowledge that schools should teach. In the Schools White Paper, published last year, the Department committed to not make any changes to the National Curriculum for the remainder of this Parliament. This was to embed the major 2014 curriculum reforms and to provide stability for schools and pupils following the pandemic.
The National Curriculum focuses on the key knowledge that should be taught. Within a broad statutory framework, set out in subject specific programmes of study, schools have considerable flexibility to organise the content and delivery of the curriculum to meet the needs of pupils and to take account of new developments, societal changes, or topical issues.
Maintained schools in England are legally required to follow the National Curriculum as a piece of statutory guidance. The National Curriculum is just one element in the education of every child; there is time and space in the school day and in each week, term and year to go beyond the National Curriculum specifications.
In addition to meeting their statutory duties, schools are also free to include other subjects or topics they deem relevant for their pupils, as part of the school’s wider curriculum. Consequently, there is room for schools to incorporate warehousing and logistics in their curriculum should they wish.
Academies and free schools have greater freedom and autonomy in how they operate for areas such as the curriculum, but they are expected to teach a curriculum that is comparable in breadth and ambition to the National Curriculum.
The department’s skills reforms in England provide a ladder of opportunity that enables young people and adults to get good jobs and progress in their careers. The department is building a skills system that is employer focused, high quality and fit for the future, and is flexible enough to lead to more people completing high quality courses that meet employers’ needs in all sectors.
This ambitious skills agenda is backed by £3.8 billion of investment over this Parliament. The department is using this to expand and strengthen higher and further education (FE), ensuring skills training is aligned to the needs of employers to enable communities to thrive.
With this investment, the department is putting employers at the heart of the skills system, which is why the department is working with industry to shape our training offers, creating more routes into skilled employment in key economic sectors.
The department’s high quality apprenticeships support individuals of all ages in earning and learning the skills needed to start or advance a career in the warehousing sector. Through the Apprenticeships Support and Knowledge programme, the department actively promotes these opportunities in schools and FE colleges by providing a free, bespoke package of information and support to students about apprenticeships. Furthermore, the department has the funding rate for the Level 2 Supply Chain Warehouse Operative has recently increased from £3,000 to £5,000, supporting training providers to deliver high quality apprenticeships in the sector.
The Free Courses for Jobs offer, which was launched in April 2021, gives eligible adults the chance to access high value Level 3 qualification for free, which can support them to gain higher wages or a better job. This offer includes a qualification in warehousing and storage and allows eligible learners to access a high-value Level 3 qualification for free, to gain higher wages and access new job opportunities.
Skills bootcamps are free, flexible courses of up to 16 weeks, giving people the opportunity to build up sector-specific skills, with an offer of a job interview with an employer on completion. To help address the shortage of heavy goods vehicle (HGV) drivers across the country, skills bootcamps in HGV driving provide more opportunities for people to train as drivers, gain their licences and launch new careers in the sector.
The Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC) is supporting schools and colleges to embed best practice in the delivery of careers information, advice, and guidance, so that young people are aware of the full range of training and careers available to them and have access to a broad range of employers and workplaces, including those in the warehousing sector. For example, CEC partner with industries and sector bodies to support them in developing their talent and skills pipeline by providing them with a clear means for them to engage with schools and colleges.
The National Careers Service (NCS) provides free, up to date, impartial information, advice and guidance on careers, skills and the Labour Market in England to all people aged 13+. In particular, those aged 13-18 can access information and advice through the NCS website, including through webchat and the telephone helpline which is supported by local community-based career advisers. The NCS website gives customers access to a range of digital tools and resources to support them. This includes ‘Explore Careers’ which provides information on a broad range of industry sectors and more than 800 job profiles. Job profiles include information regarding entry routes, skills and knowledge requirements, key tasks, and potential progression routes for each respective role. Regarding the warehousing sector, there are currently job profiles for roles such as order picker, warehouse worker, and warehouse manager. The content team regularly researches and updates content and welcomes updates from industry to ensure content is accurate and up to date.
It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.
There are many opportunities for animal health and welfare to be taught in schools. In science the curriculum includes teaching about animals and their environment, including understanding the basic needs of animals. The need to care for and return animals taken from their local environment is also included in the non statutory guidance notes section of the Key Stage 1 programme of study. More information is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-curriculum-in-england-science-programmes-of-study/national-curriculum-in-england-science-programmes-of-study#key-stage-1.
Schools also have the freedom to teach animal welfare in subjects such as citizenship and personal, social, health and economic education. Teachers are free to determine what further activities they offer in this subject to meet the needs of their pupils. All schools are required to teach a balanced and broadly based curriculum that promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils, and prepares them for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life.
The Department will be consulting extensively over the coming months on the design and content of the Advanced British Standard, accompanied by a programme of stakeholder engagement. This will inform a White Paper to be published next year.
Local Authorities are responsible for providing enough school places for pupils in their area. The Department provides capital funding through the Basic Need grant to support Local Authorities to provide school places, based on their own pupil forecasts and school capacity data. This funding supports the Government’s priority to ensure that every pupil has the opportunity of a place at a good school, whatever their background.
The Department has announced a total of £2 billion for places needed for the academic years starting in 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026. This funding is on top of our investment in the Free Schools programme and means the Department has now committed Basic Need capital funding of over £14 billion to support the creation of new school places between 2011 and 2026.
The Department regularly engages with Local Authorities to review their plans for creating additional places and to consider alternatives where necessary. When Local Authorities are experiencing difficulties, the Department supports them to find solutions as quickly as possible.
Primary assessments play a crucial role in supporting pupils’ basic understanding of reading, writing and mathematics, and in preparing pupils for secondary school. They allow parents and schools to understand pupils’ achievements in relation to the age related attainment expectations outlined in the National Curriculum.
As set out in the Bew Report and the Government consultation document on primary assessment and accountability, the test and teacher assessment outcomes are also used to hold schools to account for the attainment and progress made by their pupils. In addition, the data enables benchmarking between schools, as well as monitoring of performance locally and nationally. The Bew Report is accessible here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/independent-review-of-key-stage-2-testing-assessment-and-accountability-final-report. The Government consultation outcome is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/new-national-curriculum-primary-assessment-and-accountability.
In 2017, the Department carried out a consultation into primary assessment in England, with the aim of creating effective and settled policy in this area. The consultation received over 4,000 responses from a diverse range of backgrounds and specialisms, providing a broad and informed range of views. The Government response was published in September 2017, and can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/primary-school-pupil-assessment-rochford-review-recommendations.
The resulting reform programme was designed to bring higher standards to primary assessment and to put in place an assessment system that helps teachers and head teachers help all pupils to succeed.
In July 2023 the Department published an update to the school sport and activity action plan, which will support teachers and schools to deliver two hours of high quality physical education (PE) and provide competitive and extracurricular opportunities to all pupils.
The primary PE and sport premium supports all primary schools to make additional and sustainable improvements to the quality of the PE, physical activity and sport they offer, complemented by a wide range of extracurricular sport and competitive opportunities. The Department has announced over £600 million across the 2023/23 and 2024/25 academic years for the premium, along with £22 million for the school games organiser network.
New, non-statutory guidance will be published by the end of 2023. This aims to communicate a range of approaches to all schools for successfully delivering a minimum of 2 hours PE per week, equality of access to PE and extracurricular school sport and competition using examples from different types of schools and locations.
The Department is funding up to £57 million to deliver phase three of the Opening School Facilities programme, which allows schools to open their sports facilities outside of the core school day to provide more extracurricular opportunities for pupils and communities to play sport and be physically active. The programme is targeted where the funding will have the most positive impact, including for girls, disadvantaged children, those with special educational needs and disabilities and other groups who have lower participation levels in sport.
The Department is also investing up to £289 million to support local authorities and providers in England to introduce or expand childcare provision for primary school aged children as part of the national wraparound childcare programme. This could include the use of Ofsted registered childcare providers that specialise in sports provision and physical activities.
Recent data shows that there are now over 468,000 full time equivalent (FTE) teachers in state funded schools in England, which is an increase of 27,000 (6%) since 2010. This makes it the highest number of FTE teachers on record since the School Workforce Census began in 2010.
The Department’s teacher recruitment and retention reforms are aimed at supporting teacher recruitment and retention across all subjects, including classics.
The Department accepted in full the School Teachers’ Review Body’s recommendations for the 2023/24 pay award for teachers and leaders. This means that teachers and leaders in maintained schools will receive a pay award of 6.5%. This is the highest pay award for teachers in over thirty years. The award also delivers the manifesto commitment of a minimum £30,000 starting salary for school teachers in all regions in England, with a pay award of up to 7.1% for new teachers outside London.
The Department has created an entitlement to at least three years of structured training, support and professional development for all new teachers, underpinned by Initial Teacher Training (ITT), the Core Content Framework (CCF) and the Early Career Framework (ECF). Together, these ensure that new teachers will benefit from at least three years of evidence based training, across ITT and into their induction.
The Department reviews bursaries each year before deciding the offer for trainees starting ITT the following academic year. The bursaries are focused on subjects experiencing teacher shortages where schools are likely to devote the most teaching time. This ensures the Department is spending money where it is needed most. For 2022/23, classics exceeded its postgraduate initial teacher training (PGITT) target, reaching 193% of the target, compared to 150% of the target the previous year.
While classics does not attract a bursary, the Department offers a £25,000 tax free bursary for languages, including ancient languages. Additionally, all trainees on a tuition fee funded course (including classics trainees) will be able to apply for a tuition fee loan and maintenance loan to support their living costs.
The Department is committed to ensuring that pupils have access to high quality extracurricular opportunities. These opportunities are an important part of a rich educational experience and can help pupils with their emotional and social development.
Schools are best placed to understand and meet the needs of their pupils and have the flexibility to decide what range of extracurricular activities to offer. Both the pupil premium and recovery premium can be used to fund enrichment activities. In March 2022, the Department updated its guidance to make this clear to schools; schools can choose how they wish to use this funding in line with a menu of approaches.
The Department supports a range of initiatives to expand access to high quality extracurricular activities. For example, the Department works with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to offer the Duke of Edinburgh’s (DofE) Award to all state secondary schools in England. Schools can also encourage young people to take part in the British Science Association’s flagship programme, the CREST Awards scheme. This is the UK’s largest national award scheme for project work in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects. It aims to inspire young people by providing science enrichment activities to inspire and engage five to nineteen year olds.
To encourage the study of classics in state schools in England, the Department launched a £3.9 million Latin Excellence Programme (LEP) in September 2022. The LEP is delivered by the National Centre of Excellence and run by Future Academies, which is a multi academy trust based in London.
The aim of the LEP is to improve pupils’ attainment through increased access to, and uptake of, a GCSE in Latin, whilst also contributing to pupils’ broader classics education. The National Centre of Excellence works with 40 schools across the country to support high quality Key Stage 3 and 4 teaching, using a common curriculum which teachers will be trained to deliver by the Centre.
All schools have a duty under the Equality Act 2010 to make reasonable adjustments to prevent children and young people with disabilities from being put at a substantial disadvantage. Schools are not subject to the reasonable adjustment duty to make alterations to physical features, such as adding ramps. They must instead publish accessibility plans explaining how they plan to increase access for disabled pupils to the curriculum, improve the physical environment, and make written information more accessible to disabled pupils by providing information in a range of ways.
In addition to this legal duty, the department’s Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision (AP) Improvement Plan, published in March 2023, outlined plans to build a consistent national SEND and AP system that ensures all children and young people with SEND can access the support they need, and which parents and carers can trust, easily navigate and have confidence in.
A key part of the new system will be effective and inclusive education for every child, underpinned by excellent local mainstream provision. This will mean that every child or young person has access to high-quality teaching and curriculum, supplemented by targeted support where required. To support this, the department is investing £2.6 billion between 2022-2025 to improve existing provision and fund new specialist and AP places across the country. As part of this £2.6 billion, the department has published over £1.5 billion of High Needs Provision Capital Allocations for the 2022/23 and 2023/24 financial years. Local authorities can use this funding to deliver new places in mainstream schools (as well special schools and other specialist settings), and to improve the suitability and accessibility of existing buildings.
In the Improvement Plan, the department sought to prevent disability discrimination from arising by supporting schools to comply with their duties under the Equality Act 2010. The department also said there would be further consideration on how disability discrimination claims against schools are dealt with.
As a first step, the department published a blog on the education hub, which is available here: https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2023/04/10/what-are-reasonable-adjustments-and-how-do-they-help-disabled-pupils-at-school/. The aim was to raise awareness of the reasonable adjustments duty, share examples of the types of reasonable adjustments that schools can make, and explain how parents/carers and schools should work together to make reasonable adjustments. This builds on previous guidance on disabled children and the Equality Act 2010, funded by the department and published by the Council for Disabled Children in March 2022, which is available here: https://councilfordisabledchildren.org.uk/sites/default/files/uploads/attachments/Equality%20Act%20Guide%20for%20schools%20-%20FINAL%20EM%20EDIT.pdf.
The department holds data on the number of children and young people with an Education, Health and Care plan, including the setting in which the child or young person is typically educated or where they are not in education or training for any reason. The information is included in the National Statistics publication, which is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-health-and-care-plans. The data is only available at local authority level.
The Government provides additional funding through the Pupil Premium to support disadvantaged pupils. The Pupil Premium rates have increased by 5% for 2023/24, taking total Pupil Premium funding nationally to almost £2.9 billion.
As of June 2023, 3,493 pupils attending schools in the Romford constituency were eligible for Pupil Premium funding of £4,511,190. The proportion of pupils eligible for Pupil Premium funding in Romford schools, as of June 2023, was 22.9%. Pupil Premium allocations, including at constituency level, are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupil-premium-allocations-and-conditions-of-grant-2023-to-2024.
The department collects information in the school census on pupils identified by their school as having special educational needs (SEN). Pupils with SEN either have an Education, Health and Care plan or receive SEN support as identified by their school. This is not dependent on a clinical diagnosis.
The latest data are published here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/special-educational-needs-in-england. In the latest data, schools in Romford constituency recorded 1,637 pupils with SEN.
This is a matter for His Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman. I have asked her to write to my hon. Friend, the Member for Romford directly and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
The department has recently concluded a procurement exercise to award around £65 million of adult education budget (AEB) and £12 million of free courses for jobs (FCFJ) funding to 56 providers in non-devolved regions. These contracts are for a minimum of one year, with the option to extend for up to an additional three years. The department has no plans to amend the AEB procurement process in non-devolved regions for AEB or FCFJ in the next six months.
The government is committed to creating a world leading skills system which is employer-focused, high-quality and fit for the future. The department’s reforms are strengthening higher and further education to help more people get good jobs and upskill and retrain throughout their lives, and to improve national productivity and economic growth. The reforms are backed with an additional investment of £3.8 billion over the course of this Parliament to strengthen higher and further education.
This additional funding will help providers such as those in Romford, Havering and Essex to deliver high-quality education and training.
Apprenticeships are crucial in driving growth and social mobility; they boost skills across the economy and improve people's earnings and career opportunities nationwide. Since 2010, there have been 130,790 apprenticeship starts in Essex, 22,390 in London Borough of Havering and 9,080 in Romford constituency, and the department wants to ensure that this number continues to grow. To support this, the government is increasing its investment in apprenticeships to £2.7 billion by 2024/25, encouraging more employers across the country to recruit new apprentices.
The department is implementing major reforms to technical education to equip people with the technical skills that employers demand.
The department has introduced T Levels which will equip more young people with the skills, knowledge and experience to access skilled employment or further study. They represent a real shift in the quality of technical education and the department has invested heavily to support providers in their implementation. From September 2023, 18 T Levels will be available, being delivered through nearly 300 providers across all regions of the country. T Levels are being delivered widely by providers in Romford, Havering and Essex in subjects such as Engineering & Manufacturing, Digital, health and science.
The department plans to invest approximately £300 million to establish 21 IoTs across the country. The 21 IoTs include the East London IoT and the South East IoT. IoTs are partnerships between FE colleges, higher education and employers and provide access to industry standard facilities. They focus on the technical training needs of employers and learners in their local areas.
The department has introduced the Free Courses for Jobs scheme which enables eligible adults to gain a qualification for free. Residents in Romford, Havering and Essex can access provision that is delivered through colleges and training providers in the area across a range of sector subject areas. In addition, the department has also introduced Skills Bootcamps, which are free, flexible courses of up to 16 weeks, giving people the opportunity to build up sector-specific skills and fast-track to an interview with an employer.