Apsana Begum

Advice and guidance on record keeping in the context of Covid-19 was first issued to officials in the Cabinet Office on 25 March. Staff were asked to “ensure that the record of what we do at this time, which is of vital importance to our nation, is preserved for future inquiries, and valuable knowledge is preserved.” Each department is responsible for its own record keeping processes.

Cabinet Office employment practices are in compliance with the monitoring requirements set out in the EHRC Statutory code of practice of employment. All permanent external recruitment within the Cabinet Office is based on the Civil Service recruitment principles which is done on merit and on the basis of fair and open competition. The information on promotions is not held centrally.

The Crown is the legal employer of civil servants but, practically, as a result of delegation, the employment relationship for all civil servants is with their department or agency.

Government departments have delegated authority to set pay arrangements to allow them to put in place reward arrangements for civil servants that best suit their business needs.

The Government will always award contracts on the basis of value for money for the taxpayer. Employers must pay at least the National Minimum Wage, or the National Living Wage for workers over 25.

Cabinet Office employment practices are in compliance with the monitoring requirements set out in the EHRC Statutory code of practice of employment. All permanent external recruitment within the Cabinet Office is based on the Civil Service recruitment principles which is done on merit and on the basis of fair and open competition. The information on promotions is not held centrally.

The Crown is the legal employer of civil servants but, practically, as a result of delegation, the employment relationship for all civil servants is with their department or agency.

Government departments have delegated authority to set pay arrangements to allow them to put in place reward arrangements for civil servants that best suit their business needs.

The Government will always award contracts on the basis of value for money for the taxpayer. Employers must pay at least the National Minimum Wage, or the National Living Wage for workers over 25.

Cabinet Office employment practices are in compliance with the monitoring requirements set out in the EHRC Statutory code of practice of employment. All permanent external recruitment within the Cabinet Office is based on the Civil Service recruitment principles which is done on merit and on the basis of fair and open competition. The information on promotions is not held centrally.

The Crown is the legal employer of civil servants but, practically, as a result of delegation, the employment relationship for all civil servants is with their department or agency.

Government departments have delegated authority to set pay arrangements to allow them to put in place reward arrangements for civil servants that best suit their business needs.

The Government will always award contracts on the basis of value for money for the taxpayer. Employers must pay at least the National Minimum Wage, or the National Living Wage for workers over 25.

Cabinet Office employment practices are in compliance with the monitoring requirements set out in the EHRC Statutory code of practice of employment. All permanent external recruitment within the Cabinet Office is based on the Civil Service recruitment principles which is done on merit and on the basis of fair and open competition. The information on promotions is not held centrally.

The Crown is the legal employer of civil servants but, practically, as a result of delegation, the employment relationship for all civil servants is with their department or agency.

Government departments have delegated authority to set pay arrangements to allow them to put in place reward arrangements for civil servants that best suit their business needs.

The Government will always award contracts on the basis of value for money for the taxpayer. Employers must pay at least the National Minimum Wage, or the National Living Wage for workers over 25.

Cabinet Office employment practices are in compliance with the monitoring requirements set out in the EHRC Statutory code of practice of employment. All permanent external recruitment within the Cabinet Office is based on the Civil Service recruitment principles which is done on merit and on the basis of fair and open competition. The information on promotions is not held centrally.

The Crown is the legal employer of civil servants but, practically, as a result of delegation, the employment relationship for all civil servants is with their department or agency.

Government departments have delegated authority to set pay arrangements to allow them to put in place reward arrangements for civil servants that best suit their business needs.

The Government will always award contracts on the basis of value for money for the taxpayer. Employers must pay at least the National Minimum Wage, or the National Living Wage for workers over 25.

Government advice and guidance is clear that people should work from home wherever possible to reduce the risk of contracting and spreading COVID-19. Advice has been provided to departments on how to support all workers performing roles which require them to be in the workplace, in line with the government guidance on safer working during COVID-19. Assessments are being completed in line with relevant guidance.

The Government Property Agency is working with contractors to promote social distancing and to seek assurance from contractors that necessary mitigating measures are taken to manage identified risks, including in respect of PPE.

Staff - including ethnic minority individuals - are supported based on their particular circumstances and have the right to challenge a proposed return to the workplace if they have concerns. Contractors are completing individual discussions with staff that are deemed to be at greater risk, including where relevant BAME colleagues or those with declared underlying health conditions.

Government advice and guidance is clear that people should work from home wherever possible to reduce the risk of contracting and spreading COVID-19. Advice has been provided to departments on how to support all workers performing roles which require them to be in the workplace, in line with the government guidance on safer working during COVID-19. Assessments are being completed in line with relevant guidance.

The Government Property Agency is working with contractors to promote social distancing and to seek assurance from contractors that necessary mitigating measures are taken to manage identified risks, including in respect of PPE.

Staff - including ethnic minority individuals - are supported based on their particular circumstances and have the right to challenge a proposed return to the workplace if they have concerns. Contractors are completing individual discussions with staff that are deemed to be at greater risk, including where relevant BAME colleagues or those with declared underlying health conditions.

Government advice and guidance is clear that people should work from home wherever possible to reduce the risk of contracting and spreading COVID-19. Advice has been provided to departments on how to support all workers performing roles which require them to be in the workplace, in line with the government guidance on safer working during COVID-19. Assessments are being completed in line with relevant guidance.

The Government Property Agency is working with contractors to promote social distancing and to seek assurance from contractors that necessary mitigating measures are taken to manage identified risks, including in respect of PPE.

Staff - including ethnic minority individuals - are supported based on their particular circumstances and have the right to challenge a proposed return to the workplace if they have concerns. Contractors are completing individual discussions with staff that are deemed to be at greater risk, including where relevant BAME colleagues or those with declared underlying health conditions.

Government advice and guidance is clear that people should work from home wherever possible to reduce the risk of contracting and spreading COVID-19. Advice has been provided to departments on how to support all workers performing roles which require them to be in the workplace, in line with the government guidance on safer working during COVID-19. Assessments are being completed in line with relevant guidance.

The Government Property Agency is working with contractors to promote social distancing and to seek assurance from contractors that necessary mitigating measures are taken to manage identified risks, including in respect of PPE.

Staff - including ethnic minority individuals - are supported based on their particular circumstances and have the right to challenge a proposed return to the workplace if they have concerns. Contractors are completing individual discussions with staff that are deemed to be at greater risk, including where relevant BAME colleagues or those with declared underlying health conditions.

Ofgem, as the independent regulator, is responsible for setting the level of the price cap.

Ofgem have set out that the infrastructure that sits behind prepayment meters has higher operating costs than for customers on credit meters paying via direct debit.

The Energy Bills Rebate scheme will see all energy suppliers provide a £200 discount to the electricity bills of over 28 million British households, including customers using district heating to heat their homes.

The Default Tariff Act requires Ofgem, as the gas and electricity markets regulator, to put licence conditions in place for a cap on domestic default gas and electricity tariffs. District or communal heating systems typically buy their energy through commercial contracts which are not covered by the Act.

The Default Tariff Act requires Ofgem, as the gas and electricity markets regulator, to put licence conditions in place for a cap on domestic default gas and electricity tariffs. District or communal heating systems typically buy their energy through commercial contracts which are not covered by the Act.

It is challenging to directly compare gas and heat network bills. This is because heat network bills tend to include additional system costs such as system maintenance, whereas these additional costs are typically paid by gas consumers through other means.

Whilst there is currently no requirement for heat networks owners or operators to formally report details on their pricing practices, studies have been carried out which provide useful insight into heat network pricing from a sample of the market, namely the 2017 Heat Networks Consumer Survey (HNCS) and the 2018 CMA heat networks market study (CMA).

Government is committed to implementing the Heat Networks Market Framework, which will introduce price transparency requirements on heat network operators. The future heat networks regulator will also have powers to protect consumers from disproportionately high pricing and monopoly power.

It is challenging to directly compare gas and heat network bills. This is because heat network bills tend to include additional system costs such as system maintenance, whereas these additional costs are typically paid by gas consumers through other means.

Whilst there is currently no requirement for heat networks owners or operators to formally report details on their pricing practices, studies have been carried out which provide useful insight into heat network pricing from a sample of the market, namely the 2017 Heat Networks Consumer Survey (HNCS) and the 2018 CMA heat networks market study (CMA).

Government is committed to implementing the Heat Networks Market Framework, which will introduce price transparency requirements on heat network operators. The future heat networks regulator will also have powers to protect consumers from disproportionately high pricing and monopoly power.

We do not hold data on the exact number of social homes under Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 that are on a heat network. However, the results of the 2017 Heat Networks Consumer Survey (HNCS) found that heat network consumers were more likely to be renting from a housing association or local authority (32% and 34%) compared with the wider population (8% and 9%).

The ability for landlords to have control over the performance, reliability and pricing of a heat network will in part depend on the network’s delivery model. This is based on whether it is the leaseholder or the heat supplier who holds the right to use the network. The CMA heat networks study found that where the consumers have the right to use the network as part of their leaseholder or tenancy agreement, this provides them with more protection and control. In addition, leases can state that supply of heating and hot water is the responsibility of the landlord, and the Landlord and Tenant Act places requirements on landlords to maintain a property and its associated assets, such as heating. The CMA report found that the types of business models found in the heat networks market vary significantly.

Travel agents are eligible for strand 1 of Restart Grants as they are classified as non-essential retail.

Strand 2 of Restart Grants is for hospitality, leisure, accommodation, personal care and gym & sport businesses, most of which will not fully reopen until step 3 of the Roadmap out of lockdown and which are likely to continue to be most significantly affected by social distancing rules, cleaning protocols and other measures in place to tackle Covid-19.

There are currently no plans to change the eligibility criteria for the Restart Grant scheme.

As of 24 March 2021, 1,851 applications to the Future Fund had been received of which 100% had been processed. On that same date, 1,766 applicants (96% of the total) had been notified. ‘Processed’ in this context means that an application has been completed by a lead investor and the proposed investee company and has entered the next stage of checks.

The Government continues to monitor the impact of easing Covid-19 lockdown restrictions on Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, and other groups with protected characteristics.

Guidance to help employers, employees and the self-employed understand how to work safely during the coronavirus pandemic has been developed by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) with input from firms, unions and industry bodies, and in consultation with Public Health England (PHE) and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE): www.gov.uk/workingsafely

The Government has also developed a tool to help businesses in England to reopen safely during coronavirus. The tool encourages businesses to carry out a risk assessment and helps to identify the workplace adjustments that they should make. Employees can also use the tool to check what their workplace needs to do to keep people safe: https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus-business-reopening.

The Government continues to monitor the impact of easing Covid-19 lockdown restrictions on Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, and other groups with protected characteristics. The Race Disparity Unit’s Ethnicity Facts and Figures website publishes data on the percentage of workers in each ethnic group employed by different sectors.

This can be found at:

https://www.ethnicity-facts-figures.service.gov.uk/work-pay-and benefits/employment/employment-by-sector/latest.

The Government is closely monitoring the impacts on the UK economy, including on individuals, businesses, supply chains, and for consumers. We are working with key industry partners, employer organisations, and trade unions to understand the effect of Covid-19 on employees, employers, and businesses, and to share the latest guidance and information.

On 17 March, the Government announced an unprecedented package of Government-backed and guaranteed loans to support businesses,?making available an initial £330 billion of guarantees – equivalent to 15% of GDP.