Cat Smith

I recently met with the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution as part of the Interministerial Group on Elections and Registration to discuss the Elections Bill and wider matters relating to elections and registration. My predecessor met regularly with Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution both bilaterally, and as part of the Interministerial Group on Elections and Registration. Details of the Inter Ministerial Group are published on gov.uk .

As set out in Schedule 1, Paragraph 15 of the Elections Bill, any identity card covered by the PASS scheme that shows a photograph of the bearer will be accepted as valid identification for the purpose of voting at a polling station.

The Cabinet Office commissioned IFF Research to conduct quantitative research to understand the levels of ownership of the accepted forms of photographic identification among those eligible to vote in Great Britain and to inform planning for the implementation of voter identification nationwide. Details of Government contracts and the cost of this research are published on gov.uk.

The Electoral Integrity Programme is running concurrent projects to support the delivery of primary legislation, secondary legislation, digital delivery and business change. Within the programme are roles responsible for the implementation of the changes created by the Elections Bill. We continue to work with local authorities, the Electoral Commission, charities and civil society organisations to make sure that reforms are delivered in a way that is inclusive for all voters.

The Electoral Integrity Programme is running concurrent projects to support the delivery of primary legislation, secondary legislation, digital delivery and business change. Within the programme are roles responsible for the implementation of the changes created by the Elections Bill. We continue to work with local authorities, the Electoral Commission, charities and civil society organisations to make sure that reforms are delivered in a way that is inclusive for all voters.

The Elections Bill will update elections law and deliver on a number of manifesto commitments to protect our democracy, and ensure that it remains secure, modern, transparent and fair.

The Electoral Integrity Programme is running projects to support the successful implementation of the changes created by the Elections Bill.

We continue to work with local authorities, the Electoral Commission, charities and civil society organisations to make sure that reforms are delivered in a way that is inclusive for all voters.

Woking Borough Council issued 24 free local elector cards in 2019, as part of its participation in the UK Government's voter ID pilot. It issued 63 cards in a similar trial held in 2018.

This information was collated as part of the Commission's independant evaluations of the pilot schemes conducted in 2018 and 2019.

The Commission carries out research studies on the accuracy and completeness of the electoral registers. These are based on an established, robust methodology involving house-to-house interviewing across the UK. The most recent study, published in 2019, found that 83% of people eligible to appear on a local government register in Great Britain were correctly registered.

The findings from this research can be used, with the Office for National Statistic's population estimates, to estimate that between 8.3 and 9.4 million people in Great Britain were not correctly registered. This estimate includes people not on a register, and people on a register but not at their current and therefore correct address. It is not possible, however, to provide a specific estimate for each category seperately.

On 13 July, the Government published the Border Operating Model, which details the approach to UK border controls after the end of the Transition Period. As my Rt Hon Friend, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster set out in his statement of 13 July, the Government will provide a breakdown of spend on ports by region and by port in due course. Further to the answer given on 1 September (UIN78765), the Government continues to review proportionate contingency plans for potential disruption and works with the Kent Resilience Forum to revise traffic management contingency plans, to deal with the potential congestion. Future announcements will be made in the usual way.

On 13 July, the Government published the Border Operating Model, which details the approach to UK border controls after the end of the Transition Period. As my Rt Hon Friend, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster set out in his statement of 13 July, the Government will provide a breakdown of spend on ports by region and by port in due course. Further to the answer given on 1 September (UIN78765), the Government continues to review proportionate contingency plans for potential disruption and works with the Kent Resilience Forum to revise traffic management contingency plans, to deal with the potential congestion. Future announcements will be made in the usual way.

On 13 July, the Government published the Border Operating Model, which details the approach to UK border controls after the end of the Transition Period. As my Rt Hon Friend, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster set out in his statement of 13 July, the Government will provide a breakdown of spend on ports by region and by port in due course. Further to the answer given on 1 September (UIN78765), the Government continues to review proportionate contingency plans for potential disruption and works with the Kent Resilience Forum to revise traffic management contingency plans, to deal with the potential congestion. Future announcements will be made in the usual way.

On 13 July, the Government published the Border Operating Model, which details the approach to UK border controls after the end of the Transition Period. As my Rt Hon Friend, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster set out in his statement of 13 July, the Government will provide a breakdown of spend on ports by region and by port in due course. Further to the answer given on 1 September (UIN78765), the Government continues to review proportionate contingency plans for potential disruption and works with the Kent Resilience Forum to revise traffic management contingency plans, to deal with the potential congestion. Future announcements will be made in the usual way.

On 13 July, the Government published the Border Operating Model, which details the approach to UK border controls after the end of the Transition Period. As my Rt Hon Friend, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster set out in his statement of 13 July, the Government will provide a breakdown of spend on ports by region and by port in due course. Further to the answer given on 1 September (UIN78765), the Government continues to review proportionate contingency plans for potential disruption and works with the Kent Resilience Forum to revise traffic management contingency plans, to deal with the potential congestion. Future announcements will be made in the usual way.

This Government is determined to strengthen the integrity of our electoral system and give the public confidence that our elections are secure and fit for the 21st century. To that end we are committed to introducing identification to vote at polling stations in Great Britain. In Northern Ireland, voters are already required to produce photographic identification.

The voter ID pilots were a success and the overwhelming majority of electors cast their vote without a problem. There was no indication that any consistent demographic was adversely affected by the use of voter ID.

We will continue to work with the Electoral Commission and other stakeholders, including charities and civil society organisations, to make sure that voter ID works for all voters. For any voter who does not have one of the required forms of photographic ID, a local elector ID will be available, free of charge, from their local authority.

Companies based in the United Kingdom and which recruit here are subject to British laws, including those which protect people from discrimination because of their sex or any other protected characteristic. Conversely, employers based overseas who recruit British workers for overseas work are subject to the laws of the country in which they are based, and similar arrangements apply to work on ships where the ship’s ownership is outside the UK and the ship is to operate outside UK territorial waters.

This general legal position in no way excuses companies, as recently reported, which deny British women job opportunities on ships registered or owned abroad, especially where the company in question is seeking to recruit in this country. It is unacceptable to see this sort of blatant sex discrimination in 2020 if there is no genuine occupational requirement for a position to be filled by a man. The Department for Transport will be reviewing regulations on the treatment of seafarers and will be looking at this issue as part of the review.

An Equality Impact Assessment was published alongside the Elections Bill: https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/3020/publications

The Cabinet Office will continue the detailed planning ahead of implementation nationally, working closely with those who will be responsible for delivery including Local Authorities, the Electoral Commission, Association of Electoral Administrators and Society of Local Authority Chief Executives.

An Equality Impact Assessment was published alongside the Elections Bill: https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/3020/publications

The Cabinet Office will continue the detailed planning ahead of implementation nationally, working closely with those who will be responsible for delivery including Local Authorities, the Electoral Commission, Association of Electoral Administrators and Society of Local Authority Chief Executives.

I refer the hon. Member to my answer given to PQ21237 on 28 June 2021.

I refer the hon. Member to the answers given to PQ7856 on 7 June 2021 and PQ HL14191 on 23 April 2021.

The Elections Bill will deliver this Government's manifesto commitments to strengthen the integrity of our elections and ensure that our democracy remains secure, fair, modern and transparent. It also delivers on Government commitments made in response to consultations and Select Committee recommendations.

The legislation has benefitted from extensive engagement with the Devolved Administrations as well as the input and expertise of those working in the electoral sector.

We will continue to work with the Electoral Commission and other stakeholders, including charities and civil society organisations to make sure that voter identification works for all voters.

The proposal to introduce voter identification is for reserved elections only.

The Elections Bill will deliver this Government's manifesto commitments to strengthen the integrity of our elections and ensure that our democracy remains secure, fair, modern and transparent. It also delivers on Government commitments made in response to consultations and Select Committee recommendations.

The legislation has benefitted from extensive engagement with the Devolved Administrations as well as the input and expertise of those working in the electoral sector.

We will continue to work with the Electoral Commission and other stakeholders, including charities and civil society organisations to make sure that voter identification works for all voters.

The proposal to introduce voter identification is for reserved elections only.

I refer the hon. Member to my response on 28 June 2021.

I refer the hon. Member to my response on 28 June 2021.

Everyone who is eligible to vote will have the opportunity to do so.

Those whose appearance has significantly changed in comparison to their existing identification documents can apply for a free, local Voter Card that matches their current appearance.

Polling station staff will be given appropriate training and there will be a requirement for privacy screens to allow electors who wish to have their form of identification viewed in private able to do so.

Everyone who is eligible to vote will have the opportunity to do so.

Those whose appearance has significantly changed in comparison to their existing identification documents can apply for a free, local Voter Card that matches their current appearance.

Polling station staff will be given appropriate training and there will be a requirement for privacy screens to allow electors who wish to have their form of identification viewed in private able to do so.

The Clearing House function does not have full time members of staff, and its work is done by a small team of people in the FOI team, including the Deputy Director of Freedom of Information and Transparency, alongside their other day to day responsibilities. There is no separate budget for the Clearing House.

The Cabinet Office does not routinely capture data on the number of requests which are referred to the Clearing House. However, in 2020, Clearing House gave advice on 516 aggregated ‘round robins’ (requests made to more than one department and that have repeat characteristics); a small proportion of over 30,000 requests received by government departments in the same time period.

The Cabinet Office has referred requests to the Clearing House where appropriate and in line with the published criteria, which is available on gov.uk here - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cabinet-office-and-freedom-of-information.

Information on Freedom of Information statistics is also published on gov.uk here - https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/government-foi-statistics.

Details of official Ministerial meetings with external organisations are published on gov.uk.

More generally, I refer the hon. Member to the answer by my noble friend, Lord True (Minister of State at the Cabinet Office), to PQHL14191 on 23 April 2021.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer by my noble friend, Lord True (Minister of State at the Cabinet Office), to PQHL14191 on 23 April 2021.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer by my noble friend, Lord True (Minister of State at the Cabinet Office), to PQHL14191 on 23 April 2021.

Showing proof of identification is something people of all walks of life already do everyday. It is a reasonable and proportionate approach to extend this practice to voting and give the public confidence that their vote is theirs, and theirs alone.

Of the broad range of documents that will be accepted, including, for example, various concessionary travel passes, Proof of Age Standards Scheme (PASS) cards, and photocard parking permits issued as part of the Blue Badge scheme, many do not contain a voter’s address. An address will not need to be included on identification in order to vote. In addition, expired photographic identification will be accepted as long as the photograph is of a good enough likeness to allow polling station staff to confirm the identity of the holder.

Works funded personally by the Prime Minister were contracted privately; there has been no cost to taxpayers.

Under successive administrations, it has been the case that spending funded personally by the incumbent Prime Minister is a private matter.

In the same way, MPs’ expenses which are funded by taxpayers are made public and rightly subject to public scrutiny; however, how Hon. Members spend their earned income is a private matter for them.

Works funded by the Cabinet Office have been undertaken by Mitie. Mitie has a framework agreement with the Cabinet Office for works on the Downing Street estate.

Works funded personally by the Prime Minister were contracted privately.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer by my noble friend, Lord True (Minister of State at the Cabinet Office), of PQ HL14191, on 23 April 2021.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer by my noble friend, Lord True (Minister of State at the Cabinet Office), of PQ HL14191, on 23 April 2021.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer by my noble friend, Lord True (Minister of State at the Cabinet Office), of PQ HL14191, on 23 April 2021.

As legislation is brought forward to enable the national roll out of voter identification, appropriate impact assessments, which include information on costs, will be provided for Parliament in the normal way.

Showing identification to prove who they are is something people of all walks of life already do everyday. It is a reasonable and proportionate approach to extend this practice to voting and give the public confidence that their vote is theirs, and theirs alone.

As legislation is brought forward to enable the national roll out of voter identification, appropriate impact assessments, which include information on costs, will be provided for Parliament in the normal way.

Showing identification to prove who they are is something people of all walks of life already do everyday. It is a reasonable and proportionate approach to extend this practice to voting and give the public confidence that their vote is theirs, and theirs alone.

As legislation is brought forward to enable the national roll out of voter identification, appropriate impact assessments, which include information on costs, will be provided for Parliament in the normal way.

Showing identification to prove who they are is something people of all walks of life already do everyday. It is a reasonable and proportionate approach to extend this practice to voting and give the public confidence that their vote is theirs, and theirs alone.

The evaluations of the 2018 and 2019 Voter Identification pilot, which include information on locally issued elector cards, can be found at:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/733128/Electoral_Integrity_Project_-_Local_Elections_2018_-_Evaluation.pdf

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/819404/2019_Voter_ID_Pilots_Evaluation.pdf

https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/who-we-are-and-what-we-do/our-views-and-research/our-research/voter-identification-pilots

The list of approved photo ID will not be limited to UK passports or driving licences. A broad range of documents already in use will be accepted, including, for example, various concessionary travel passes, Proof of Age Standards Scheme (PASS) cards, and photocard parking permits issued as part of the Blue Badge scheme. In addition, expired photographic ID will be accepted as long as the photograph is of a good enough likeness to allow polling station staff to confirm the identity of the holder.

For any voter who does not have one of the required forms of photographic ID, a free, local Voter Card will be available from their local authority.

We will continue to work with the Electoral Commission and other stakeholders, including the Equalities and Human Rights Commission and a wide range of charities and civil society organisations, to make sure that Voter ID is rolled out in a way that is inclusive for all eligible voters.

Everyone who is eligible to vote will have the opportunity to do so.

As legislation is brought forward to enable the national roll out of Voter ID, appropriate impact assessments will be provided for Parliament in the normal way.

I refer the hon. Member to Lord True, Minister of State at the Cabinet Office’s response of 23 April 2021, PQHL14191.

Arrangements will be put in place by statutorily independent Returning Officers and their teams to allow the effective scrutiny of the counts while ensuring each count is COVID-secure for everyone present. The pandemic means that the arrangements for these polls will be necessarily different from those normally in place.

The Electoral Commission, in consultation with public health bodies, has provided guidance for Returning Officers on the organisation and conduct of the polls, including the count, in the context of the pandemic. We are aware that discussions on arrangements have taken place at local level and that Returning Officers are working with candidates and political parties to set out what is practicable within relevant legislation and with due regard to the need to ensure that count processes can be, and can be seen to be effectively conducted.

I have the utmost confidence in the ability of the Returning Officers to run these polls in a way that meets the highest standards of both public safety and democratic integrity.

Arrangements will be put in place by statutorily independent Returning Officers and their teams to allow the effective scrutiny of the counts while ensuring each count is COVID-secure for everyone present. The pandemic means that the arrangements for these polls will be necessarily different from those normally in place.

The Electoral Commission, in consultation with public health bodies, has provided guidance for Returning Officers on the organisation and conduct of the polls, including the count, in the context of the pandemic. We are aware that discussions on arrangements have taken place at local level and that Returning Officers are working with candidates and political parties to set out what is practicable within relevant legislation and with due regard to the need to ensure that count processes can be, and can be seen to be effectively conducted.

I have the utmost confidence in the ability of the Returning Officers to run these polls in a way that meets the highest standards of both public safety and democratic integrity.

Ministerial meetings are published regularly. Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) have the statutory responsibility for maintaining complete and accurate electoral registers for their areas. They are required to consider the presence of any gypsy or travelling communities in their area and to decide on the best approach to take locally. The Electoral Commission runs campaigns to raise awareness of how people can register to vote, and how to cast their vote.

This Government is determined to strengthen the integrity of our electoral system and give the public confidence that our elections are modern, fair and secure.

Electors will be required to show an approved form of photographic ID before casting their vote in a polling station across Great Britain at national UK-wide elections, and at local elections in England.

The Government does not have plans, as part of the national rollout of Voter ID, to require applicants to supply photo identification along with their application for a postal or proxy vote.

As detailed in response to previous questions on the topic, the Government is conducting localised testing with the RNIB to inform policy development and to improve the voting process for blind and partially sighted people. These are not ‘pilot schemes’ under section 10 of the Representation of the People Act 2000.

The results of the Ipsos Mori research conducted in 2019 were published alongside the Cabinet Office evaluation of the 2019 pilots:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/evaluation-of-voter-id-pilots-2019

The Government has been considering the most appropriate approach to further evidence gathering in this area. We are keen to understand how an accessible audio device would in principle operate in a 'live' poll when used in conjunction with the tactile voting device and are therefore working with the RNIB and one local authority to test that during the forthcoming polls. The decision to test with one local authority has been informed by the need to progress this work with the need to respect public health regulations, the significant workload that a difficult combination of polls has created in some areas and to ensure any testing does not create additional risk, particularly to a group of potentially vulnerable people.

This work will allow us to build on previous evidence gathering we have undertaken with both people with sight loss and electoral administrators. We are grateful to the RNIB and local authority for their hard work and commitment, noting the operational challenges more generally with these polls.

Details of Government contracts, and Cabinet Office spend data are published on gov.uk.

Local authorities are required to publish annual accounts outlining their income and expenditure.

Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) have the statutory responsibility for compiling and maintaining complete and accurate registers for their local areas. The Electoral Commission (EC) is responsible for providing guidance and resources to help EROs and their staff in running electoral registration, for setting standards, and for monitoring the performance of EROs. The Commission runs campaigns to raise awareness of how people can register to vote, and how to cast their vote.

The Government ensures that EROs have the tools that they need to do their job efficiently. For example, changes to the annual canvass in Great Britain has provided EROs with greater flexibility to target their resources where they are needed, rather than on the majority of properties, where nothing has changed.

The Government is committed to encouraging democratic engagement amongst all electors, including underrepresented groups. Since 2013, the Government has provided more than £27m to fund activities to promote electoral registration and democratic engagement more widely.

Third-party organisations delivered events and activities during National Democracy Week (NDW), and the Government facilitated workshops with Democratic Engagement Champions in preparation for the week. The Government has no plans to run NDW in 2021. Instead, the Government will focus on its unique responsibilities as legislator, funder and promoter of good practice.

Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) have the statutory responsibility for compiling and maintaining complete and accurate registers for their local areas. The Electoral Commission (EC) is responsible for providing guidance and resources to help EROs and their staff in running electoral registration, for setting standards, and for monitoring the performance of EROs. The Commission runs campaigns to raise awareness of how people can register to vote, and how to cast their vote.

The Government ensures that EROs have the tools that they need to do their job efficiently. For example, changes to the annual canvass in Great Britain has provided EROs with greater flexibility to target their resources where they are needed, rather than on the majority of properties, where nothing has changed.

The Government is committed to encouraging democratic engagement amongst all electors, including underrepresented groups. Since 2013, the Government has provided more than £27m to fund activities to promote electoral registration and democratic engagement more widely.

Third-party organisations delivered events and activities during National Democracy Week (NDW), and the Government facilitated workshops with Democratic Engagement Champions in preparation for the week. The Government has no plans to run NDW in 2021. Instead, the Government will focus on its unique responsibilities as legislator, funder and promoter of good practice.

Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) have the statutory responsibility for compiling and maintaining complete and accurate registers for their local areas. The Electoral Commission (EC) is responsible for providing guidance and resources to help EROs and their staff in running electoral registration, for setting standards, and for monitoring the performance of EROs. The Commission runs campaigns to raise awareness of how people can register to vote, and how to cast their vote.

The Government ensures that EROs have the tools that they need to do their job efficiently. For example, changes to the annual canvass in Great Britain has provided EROs with greater flexibility to target their resources where they are needed, rather than on the majority of properties, where nothing has changed.

The Government is committed to encouraging democratic engagement amongst all electors, including underrepresented groups. Since 2013, the Government has provided more than £27m to fund activities to promote electoral registration and democratic engagement more widely.

Third-party organisations delivered events and activities during National Democracy Week (NDW), and the Government facilitated workshops with Democratic Engagement Champions in preparation for the week. The Government has no plans to run NDW in 2021. Instead, the Government will focus on its unique responsibilities as legislator, funder and promoter of good practice.

Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) have the statutory responsibility for compiling and maintaining complete and accurate registers for their local areas. The Electoral Commission (EC) is responsible for providing guidance and resources to help EROs and their staff in running electoral registration, for setting standards, and for monitoring the performance of EROs. The Commission runs campaigns to raise awareness of how people can register to vote, and how to cast their vote.

The Government ensures that EROs have the tools that they need to do their job efficiently. For example, changes to the annual canvass in Great Britain has provided EROs with greater flexibility to target their resources where they are needed, rather than on the majority of properties, where nothing has changed.

The Government is committed to encouraging democratic engagement amongst all electors, including underrepresented groups. Since 2013, the Government has provided more than £27m to fund activities to promote electoral registration and democratic engagement more widely.

Third-party organisations delivered events and activities during National Democracy Week (NDW), and the Government facilitated workshops with Democratic Engagement Champions in preparation for the week. The Government has no plans to run NDW in 2021. Instead, the Government will focus on its unique responsibilities as legislator, funder and promoter of good practice.

Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) have the statutory responsibility for compiling and maintaining complete and accurate registers for their local areas. The Electoral Commission (EC) is responsible for providing guidance and resources to help EROs and their staff in running electoral registration, for setting standards, and for monitoring the performance of EROs. The Commission runs campaigns to raise awareness of how people can register to vote, and how to cast their vote.

The Government ensures that EROs have the tools that they need to do their job efficiently. For example, changes to the annual canvass in Great Britain has provided EROs with greater flexibility to target their resources where they are needed, rather than on the majority of properties, where nothing has changed.

The Government is committed to encouraging democratic engagement amongst all electors, including underrepresented groups. Since 2013, the Government has provided more than £27m to fund activities to promote electoral registration and democratic engagement more widely.

Third-party organisations delivered events and activities during National Democracy Week (NDW), and the Government facilitated workshops with Democratic Engagement Champions in preparation for the week. The Government has no plans to run NDW in 2021. Instead, the Government will focus on its unique responsibilities as legislator, funder and promoter of good practice.

Local authorities will be responsible for issuing local elector identity documents. Further details will be set out in due course.

We will continue to work with local authorities, the Electoral Commission, charities and civil society organisations to make sure that reforms, including the provision of a local elector identity document, are delivered in a way that is inclusive for all voters.

The Government is committed to ensuring elections are accessible for all those eligible to vote and has been working with the RNIB to improve the voting process for blind and partially sighted people. We are currently exploring ways in which the May elections could be used to advance this work, particularly recognising the pandemic context.

The Government is committed to ensuring elections are accessible for all those eligible to vote and has been working with the RNIB to improve the voting process for blind and partially sighted people. We are currently exploring ways in which the May elections could be used to advance this work, particularly recognising the pandemic context.

Local authorities will be responsible for issuing local elector identity documents.

We will continue to work with local authorities, the Electoral Commission, charities and civil society organisations to make sure that reforms, including the provision of a local elector identity document, are delivered in a way that is inclusive for all voters.

Further details will be set out in due course.

Democracy should not be cancelled because of covid. The Government has confirmed that the set of local and PCC elections scheduled for May will go ahead, and made a firm commitment that the Government will support the sector to deliver them.

The Government has published a clear Delivery Plan for the May elections, setting out how the Government will support local elections teams to deliver effective polls that are covid-secure for voters and staff.

Further guidance for all those involved in the elections will be available in due course and well in advance of the polls.

As has been the case under successive administrations, details of internal discussions are not usually disclosed. Details of ministers' meetings with external organisations and individuals are published on gov.uk periodically.

Democracy should not be cancelled because of covid. The Government has confirmed that the set of local and PCC elections scheduled for May will go ahead, and made a firm commitment that the Government will support the sector to deliver them.

The Government has published a clear Delivery Plan for the May elections, setting out how the Government will support local elections teams to deliver effective polls that are covid-secure for voters and staff.

Further guidance for all those involved in the elections will be available in due course and well in advance of the polls.

As has been the case under successive administrations, details of internal discussions are not usually disclosed. Details of ministers' meetings with external organisations and individuals are published on gov.uk periodically.

As legislation is brought forward to enable the national roll out of voter ID, appropriate impact assessments will be provided for Parliament in the normal way.

As legislation is brought forward to enable the national roll out of voter ID, appropriate impact assessments will be provided for Parliament in the normal way.

Any elector is able to register to vote by post on demand, if they wish. We understand that the pandemic may change voters’ needs and preferences, and encourage anyone who is shielding, or who does not wish to visit a polling station, to apply for a postal or proxy vote and to do so early. We are working with postal vote suppliers, electoral sector partners and election teams.

Details of Government contracts are published on gov.uk.

We have received representations from Parliamentarians on this issue, and we are currently considering the matter.

As stated in the House by the Minister for the Constitution and Devolution, we will keep Parliament updated on the election preparations, will engage with political parties and will publish detailed guidance in due course.

As legislation is brought forward to enable the national roll out of voter ID, appropriate impact assessments will be provided for Parliament in the normal way. Details about the full list of approved photographic ID will be set out in due course. As we have set out, for any voter who does not have one of the required forms of photographic ID, a local elector ID will be available, free of charge, from their local authority. Local authorities will be responsible for issuing local elector identity documents. Further details will be set out in due course.

As I explained to the House on 13 January, we are looking at this but the Government will not introduce digital postal vote applications ahead of the May 2021 local election.

As legislation is brought forward to enable the national roll out of voter ID, appropriate impact assessments will be provided for Parliament in the normal way. Details about the full list of approved photographic ID will be set out in due course. As we have set out, for any voter who does not have one of the required forms of photographic ID, a local elector ID will be available, free of charge, from their local authority. Local authorities will be responsible for issuing local elector identity documents. Further details will be set out in due course.

As legislation is brought forward to enable the national roll out of voter ID, appropriate impact assessments will be provided for Parliament in the normal way. Details about the full list of approved photographic ID will be set out in due course. As we have set out, for any voter who does not have one of the required forms of photographic ID, a local elector ID will be available, free of charge, from their local authority. Local authorities will be responsible for issuing local elector identity documents. Further details will be set out in due course.

I refer the hon. Member to my answer to the question on 13 January 2021.

Our democracy is based on integrity and the potential for voter fraud in our electoral system undermines this. We will continue to work with the Electoral Commission, charities and civil society organisations to make sure that reforms, including the provision of a local elector identity document, are delivered in a way that is inclusive for all voters.

Everyone who is eligible to vote will have the opportunity to do so.

Primary legislation states that the elections will go ahead in May 2021.

We continue to work closely with the electoral community, including electoral suppliers, 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.

Measures are planned to support absent voting at short notice. Guidance will be published in good time ahead of the polls and this matter will be kept under review. The House will be kept updated.

The Government has also engaged with the Parliamentary Parties Panel to ensure that views from political parties are taken on board.

Primary legislation states that the elections will go ahead in May 2021.

We continue to work closely with the electoral community, including electoral suppliers, 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.

Measures are planned to support absent voting at short notice. Guidance will be published in good time ahead of the polls and this matter will be kept under review. The House will be kept updated.

The Government has also engaged with the Parliamentary Parties Panel to ensure that views from political parties are taken on board.

Primary legislation states that the elections will go ahead in May 2021.

We continue to work closely with the electoral community, including electoral suppliers, 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.

Measures are planned to support absent voting at short notice. Guidance will be published in good time ahead of the polls and this matter will be kept under review. The House will be kept updated.

The Government has also engaged with the Parliamentary Parties Panel to ensure that views from political parties are taken on board.

Primary legislation states that the elections will go ahead in May 2021.

We continue to work closely with the electoral community, including electoral suppliers, 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.

Measures are planned to support absent voting at short notice. Guidance will be published in good time ahead of the polls and this matter will be kept under review. The House will be kept updated.

The Government has also engaged with the Parliamentary Parties Panel to ensure that views from political parties are taken on board.

Primary legislation states that the elections will go ahead in May 2021.

We continue to work closely with the electoral community, including electoral suppliers, 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.

Measures are planned to support absent voting at short notice. Guidance will be published in good time ahead of the polls and this matter will be kept under review. The House will be kept updated.

The Government has also engaged with the Parliamentary Parties Panel to ensure that views from political parties are taken on board.

Primary legislation states that the elections will go ahead in May 2021.

We continue to work closely with the electoral community, including electoral suppliers, 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.

Measures are planned to support absent voting at short notice. Guidance will be published in good time ahead of the polls and this matter will be kept under review. The House will be kept updated.

The Government has also engaged with the Parliamentary Parties Panel to ensure that views from political parties are taken on board.

Primary legislation states that the elections will go ahead in May 2021.

We continue to work closely with the electoral community, including electoral suppliers, 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.

Measures are planned to support absent voting at short notice. Guidance will be published in good time ahead of the polls and this matter will be kept under review. The House will be kept updated.

The Government has also engaged with the Parliamentary Parties Panel to ensure that views from political parties are taken on board.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond.

Electors will be required to show an approved form of photographic ID before casting their vote in a polling station across Great Britain at national UK-wide elections, and at local elections in England.

As set out in my answer of 18 December 2020 (PQ 128204), everyone who is eligible to vote will have the opportunity to do so. The list of approved photographic ID will not be limited to UK passports, a broad range of documents already in use will be accepted, including, for example, concessionary travel passes, PASS scheme cards, Ministry of Defence identity cards and photocard parking permits issued as part of the Blue Badge scheme.

We will continue to work with the Electoral Commission and other stakeholders including charities and civil society organisations to make sure that reforms are delivered in a way that is inclusive for all voters.

Electors will be required to show an approved form of photographic ID before casting their vote in a polling station across Great Britain at national UK-wide elections, and at local elections in England.

As set out in my answer of 18 December 2020 (PQ 128204), everyone who is eligible to vote will have the opportunity to do so. The list of approved photographic ID will not be limited to UK passports, a broad range of documents already in use will be accepted, including, for example, concessionary travel passes, PASS scheme cards, Ministry of Defence identity cards and photocard parking permits issued as part of the Blue Badge scheme.

We will continue to work with the Electoral Commission and other stakeholders including charities and civil society organisations to make sure that reforms are delivered in a way that is inclusive for all voters.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond.

Further to my answers to PQs 104752 and 100442, the Government is committed to ensuring that everyone who is eligible can participate in our democracy.

The impact of voter ID on voters, including by proxy, was the subject of the independent Electoral Commission’s evaluations of the 2018 and 2019 voter ID pilots. These evaluations continue to inform planning for the implementation of voter ID.

Local authorities are responsible for designating polling places and the law requires them to make sure that, as far as is practicable, these are accessible to the local community, including those voters with a disability. Voters with disabilities are also able to get assistance in casting their vote from polling station staff or from a companion. The Government is intending to bring forward legislation to support voters with disabilities by increasing the range of support provided in polling stations and by removing restrictions on who can act as a companion.

We will continue to work with the Electoral Commission and other stakeholders including charities and civil society organisations to make sure that reforms are delivered in a way that is inclusive for all voters.

Further to my answers to PQs 104752 and 100442, the Government is committed to ensuring that everyone who is eligible can participate in our democracy.

The impact of voter ID on voters, including by proxy, was the subject of the independent Electoral Commission’s evaluations of the 2018 and 2019 voter ID pilots. These evaluations continue to inform planning for the implementation of voter ID.

Local authorities are responsible for designating polling places and the law requires them to make sure that, as far as is practicable, these are accessible to the local community, including those voters with a disability. Voters with disabilities are also able to get assistance in casting their vote from polling station staff or from a companion. The Government is intending to bring forward legislation to support voters with disabilities by increasing the range of support provided in polling stations and by removing restrictions on who can act as a companion.

We will continue to work with the Electoral Commission and other stakeholders including charities and civil society organisations to make sure that reforms are delivered in a way that is inclusive for all voters.

Further to my answers to PQs 104752 and 100442, the Government is committed to ensuring that everyone who is eligible can participate in our democracy.

The impact of voter ID on voters, including by proxy, was the subject of the independent Electoral Commission’s evaluations of the 2018 and 2019 voter ID pilots. These evaluations continue to inform planning for the implementation of voter ID.

Local authorities are responsible for designating polling places and the law requires them to make sure that, as far as is practicable, these are accessible to the local community, including those voters with a disability. Voters with disabilities are also able to get assistance in casting their vote from polling station staff or from a companion. The Government is intending to bring forward legislation to support voters with disabilities by increasing the range of support provided in polling stations and by removing restrictions on who can act as a companion.

We will continue to work with the Electoral Commission and other stakeholders including charities and civil society organisations to make sure that reforms are delivered in a way that is inclusive for all voters.

Further to my answers to PQs 104752 and 100442, the Government is committed to ensuring that everyone who is eligible can participate in our democracy.

The impact of voter ID on voters, including by proxy, was the subject of the independent Electoral Commission’s evaluations of the 2018 and 2019 voter ID pilots. These evaluations continue to inform planning for the implementation of voter ID.

Local authorities are responsible for designating polling places and the law requires them to make sure that, as far as is practicable, these are accessible to the local community, including those voters with a disability. Voters with disabilities are also able to get assistance in casting their vote from polling station staff or from a companion. The Government is intending to bring forward legislation to support voters with disabilities by increasing the range of support provided in polling stations and by removing restrictions on who can act as a companion.

We will continue to work with the Electoral Commission and other stakeholders including charities and civil society organisations to make sure that reforms are delivered in a way that is inclusive for all voters.

Further to the answers to PQs 104752 and 100442, we will continue to work with the Electoral Commission and other stakeholders including charities and civil society organisations to make sure that reforms are delivered in a way that is inclusive for all voters. The list of approved photographic ID will not be limited to passports and driving licences. For any voter who does not have one of the required forms of photographic ID, a local elector ID will be available, free of charge.

Everyone who is eligible to vote will have the opportunity to do so.

I refer the hon. Member to my answers to PQs 104752, 100442, and 100441.

I refer the hon. Member to the answers given to PQs 104752 and 100441.

Electoral Registration Officers have statutory responsibility for maintaining complete and accurate electoral registers for their areas. The Government seeks to make registration as easy as possible and to work with many others to reduce any barriers to registration. We encourage everyone who is eligible to register to vote, and registering to vote has never been easier or more convenient.

The Government opposes automatic registration as it contradicts the principle that individuals are responsible for registering and that this should be done at a time and place of their choosing. Automatic registration would raise privacy and security concerns. It would also risk introducing errors and inaccuracies to the registers, creating unwarranted opportunities for fraud.

Electoral Registration Officers have statutory responsibility for maintaining complete and accurate electoral registers for their areas. The Government seeks to make registration as easy as possible and to work with many others to reduce any barriers to registration. We encourage everyone who is eligible to register to vote, and registering to vote has never been easier or more convenient.

The Government opposes automatic registration as it contradicts the principle that individuals are responsible for registering and that this should be done at a time and place of their choosing. Automatic registration would raise privacy and security concerns. It would also risk introducing errors and inaccuracies to the registers, creating unwarranted opportunities for fraud.

I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 22 October.

Further to the answers to PQs 104752 and 100441 the Government will work with the Electoral Commission, charities and appropriate civil society organisations. The Government has launched a national strategy to improve the lives of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities, and the ONS will include specific recognition of these communities in the forthcoming Census.

Further to the answer to PQ104226, announcements will be made in the usual way.

Each pilot authority implemented an equality impact assessment, and our Public Sector Equality Duty was fulfilled. We will continue to work with the Electoral Commission and other stakeholders, including charities and civil society organisations, to make sure that reforms are delivered in a way that is inclusive for all voters. The list of approved photographic ID will not be limited to passports and driving licences. For any voter who does not have one of the required forms of photographic ID, a local elector ID will be available, free of charge.

Each pilot authority implemented an equality impact assessment, and our Public Sector Equality Duty was fulfilled. We will continue to work with the Electoral Commission and other stakeholders, including charities and civil society organisations, to make sure that reforms are delivered in a way that is inclusive for all voters. The list of approved photographic ID will not be limited to passports and driving licences. For any voter who does not have one of the required forms of photographic ID, a local elector ID will be available, free of charge.

Each pilot authority implemented an equality impact assessment, and our Public Sector Equality Duty was fulfilled. We will continue to work with the Electoral Commission and other stakeholders, including charities and civil society organisations, to make sure that reforms are delivered in a way that is inclusive for all voters. The list of approved photographic ID will not be limited to passports and driving licences. For any voter who does not have one of the required forms of photographic ID, a local elector ID will be available, free of charge.

Each pilot authority implemented an equality impact assessment, and our Public Sector Equality Duty was fulfilled. We will continue to work with the Electoral Commission and other stakeholders, including charities and civil society organisations, to make sure that reforms are delivered in a way that is inclusive for all voters. The list of approved photographic ID will not be limited to passports and driving licences. For any voter who does not have one of the required forms of photographic ID, a local elector ID will be available, free of charge.

As I noted in my answer to Question 104752, the Government has taken due regard to the public sector equality duty throughout the planning for implementation. Each pilot authority implemented an equality impact assessment, and our Public Sector Equality Duty was correctly fulfilled. We will continue to work with the Electoral Commission and other stakeholders including charities and civil society organisations to make sure that reforms are delivered in a way that is inclusive for all voters. As the legislation is brought forward the appropriate impact assessments will be provided for Parliament in the normal way.

As I noted in my answer of 14 October, the Government has taken due regard to the public sector equality duty throughout the planning for implementation. Each pilot authority implemented an equality impact assessment, and our Public Sector Equality Duty was correctly fulfilled. We will continue to work with the Electoral Commission and other stakeholders including charities and civil society organisations to make sure that reforms are delivered in a way that is inclusive for all voters. As the legislation is brought forward the appropriate impact assessments will be provided for Parliament in the normal way.

The Government is committed to ensuring that elections are accessible for all those eligible to vote and has already been working with the RNIB to improve the voting process for voters with sight loss.

It is important for security purposes that a physical poll card is sent to every elector at the property where they are registered, but we have already considered how electoral information might additionally be made available in more accessible format for those who request it.

Returning Officers already publish details of candidates in the order they will appear on the ballot paper online. We will work with partners in the electoral sector to ensure this information is accessible.

The Government will continue to work with the RNIB, the Electoral Commission and other relevant organisations to make blind and partially sighted voters aware of the support available to them at the polling station, and to consider what additional support could be provided to help blind and partially sighted people to vote including by post.

The Government is committed to ensuring that elections are accessible for all those eligible to vote and has already been working with the RNIB to improve the voting process for voters with sight loss.

It is important for security purposes that a physical poll card is sent to every elector at the property where they are registered, but we have already considered how electoral information might additionally be made available in more accessible format for those who request it.

Returning Officers already publish details of candidates in the order they will appear on the ballot paper online. We will work with partners in the electoral sector to ensure this information is accessible.

The Government will continue to work with the RNIB, the Electoral Commission and other relevant organisations to make blind and partially sighted voters aware of the support available to them at the polling station, and to consider what additional support could be provided to help blind and partially sighted people to vote including by post.

Further to my detailed answer of 1 October 2020, showing ID is something people of all backgrounds already do every day, for example to take out a library book, claim benefits or pick up a parcel from the post office. Proving who you are before you make a decision of huge importance at the ballot box should be no different. As I noted, ID is required already in many different areas of life, including by many constituency Labour parties.

The list of approved photographic ID will not be limited to passports and driving licences. For any voter who does not have one of the required forms of photographic ID, a local elector ID will be available, free of charge. Everyone who is eligible to vote will have the opportunity to do so.

The Government has taken due regard to the public sector equality duty throughout the process to date. We will continue to work with the Electoral Commission and other stakeholders including charities and civil society organisations to make sure that such reforms are inclusive for all voters.

Further to my detailed answer of 1 October 2020, showing ID is something people of all backgrounds already do every day, for example to take out a library book, claim benefits or pick up a parcel from the post office. Proving who you are before you make a decision of huge importance at the ballot box should be no different. As I noted, ID is required already in many different areas of life, including by many constituency Labour parties.

The list of approved photographic ID will not be limited to passports and driving licences. For any voter who does not have one of the required forms of photographic ID, a local elector ID will be available, free of charge. Everyone who is eligible to vote will have the opportunity to do so.

The Government has taken due regard to the public sector equality duty throughout the process to date. We will continue to work with the Electoral Commission and other stakeholders including charities and civil society organisations to make sure that such reforms are inclusive for all voters.

Requiring proof of identity to vote in a polling station will strengthen the integrity of our electoral system, and give the public confidence that our elections are secure and fit for the 21st century.

Both Electoral Commission and Cabinet Office evaluations show that the voter identification pilots were a success and the overwhelming majority of electors cast their vote without a problem. There was no indication that any consistent demographic was adversely affected by asking for identification to vote.

Photo identification has been required in Northern Ireland since 2003, when introduced by the last Labour Government. Labour Ministers told Parliament: “The measures will tackle electoral abuse effectively without disadvantaging honest voters.... [ensuring that] no one is disfranchised because of them ” (Hansard, 10 July 2001, Col. 739) and “the Government have no intention of taking away people’s democratic right to vote. If we believed that thousands of voters would not be able to vote because of this measure, we would not be introducing it at this time” (Lords Hansard, 1 April 2003, Col. 1247). There has been no adverse effect on turnout or participation by such groups since then.

The Government has taken due regard to the public sector equality duty. We will continue to work with the Electoral Commission and other stakeholders including charities and civil society organisations to make sure that such reforms are inclusive for all voters. I have met with charities representing those who are elderly, suffer from dementia, are LGBTQ+, are BAME and other groups. For any voter who does not have one of the required forms of photographic ID, a local elector ID will be available, free of charge, from their local authority.

ID is already requested normally and reasonably in many areas of life, including by many constituency Labour parties, who require voter identification to vote in Labour Party selection meetings. The Labour Party’s NEC also mandates two forms of ID for any members joining an association which is in special measures.

The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone who is eligible can participate in our democracy. Local authorities are responsible for designating polling places and the law requires them to make sure that, as far as is practicable, these are accessible to the local community, including those voters with a disability.

Requiring proof of identity to vote in a polling station will strengthen the integrity of our electoral system, and give the public confidence that our elections are secure and fit for the 21st century.

Both Electoral Commission and Cabinet Office evaluations show that the voter identification pilots were a success and the overwhelming majority of electors cast their vote without a problem. There was no indication that any consistent demographic was adversely affected by asking for identification to vote.

Photo identification has been required in Northern Ireland since 2003, when introduced by the last Labour Government. Labour Ministers told Parliament: “The measures will tackle electoral abuse effectively without disadvantaging honest voters.... [ensuring that] no one is disfranchised because of them ” (Hansard, 10 July 2001, Col. 739) and “the Government have no intention of taking away people’s democratic right to vote. If we believed that thousands of voters would not be able to vote because of this measure, we would not be introducing it at this time” (Lords Hansard, 1 April 2003, Col. 1247). There has been no adverse effect on turnout or participation by such groups since then.

The Government has taken due regard to the public sector equality duty. We will continue to work with the Electoral Commission and other stakeholders including charities and civil society organisations to make sure that such reforms are inclusive for all voters. I have met with charities representing those who are elderly, suffer from dementia, are LGBTQ+, are BAME and other groups. For any voter who does not have one of the required forms of photographic ID, a local elector ID will be available, free of charge, from their local authority.

ID is already requested normally and reasonably in many areas of life, including by many constituency Labour parties, who require voter identification to vote in Labour Party selection meetings. The Labour Party’s NEC also mandates two forms of ID for any members joining an association which is in special measures.

I refer to the oral statement made by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on 13 July 2020. Details of internal discussions are not normally disclosed, in line with the practice of successive administrations.

The Government keeps campaign spending limits under close review.

The Government recognises that some campaigning methods for the May 2021 local elections could be affected by COVID-19.

The Government continues to engage with the electoral community and local government organisations regarding the delivery of the May 2021 local elections.

The UK Government is working with the Electoral Commission, Association of Electoral Administrators, and Society of Local Government Chief Executives, and with the Scottish and Welsh Governments to consider measures to support the effective delivery of all the elections now scheduled for May 2021, including registration services.

Based on the independent Electoral Commission’s evaluations of the 2018 and 2019 voter ID pilots, there is no indication that any consistent demographic was adversely affected by the use of voter ID.

The evaluation shows that the pilots were a success and the overwhelming majority of people cast their vote without a problem.

The Government is committed to introducing Voter ID to strengthen the integrity of our electoral system and give the public confidence that our elections are secure and fit for the 21st century.

We will bring forward legislation enabling the implementation of Voter ID and wider electoral integrity measures as stated in the Queen’s Speech. Further announcements will be made in the usual way.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given to PQs 1274, 1275, 1276,1277, 1278 and 1279 on 13 January 2020.

The UK Government is working with the Electoral Commission, Association of Electoral Administrators and Society of Local Government Chief Executives, and with the Scottish and Welsh Governments, to consider measures to support the effective delivery of all the elections now scheduled for May 2021, including registration services.

Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) are appointed by individual local authorities and Valuation Joint Boards under the Representation of the People Act 1983. The Cabinet Office does not hold records of the number of EROs employed.

The UK Government is working with the Electoral Commission, Association of Electoral Administrators and Society of Local Government Chief Executives, and with the Scottish and Welsh Governments, to consider measures to support the effective delivery of all the elections now scheduled for May 2021, including registration services.

Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) are appointed by individual local authorities and Valuation Joint Boards under the Representation of the People Act 1983. The Cabinet Office does not hold records of the number of EROs employed.

Figures for expenditure over each financial year are published by the Boundary Commissions for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland as part of their annual reports. These are available online.

Figures for expenditure over each financial year are published by the Boundary Commissions for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland as part of their annual reports. These are available online.

For April 2021 - March 22 we have delayed setting annual participation targets for the number of young people participating in the NCS programme. This is because of the uncertainty caused by Covid and the need for NCS Trust to change the way it is delivering services. We will be setting participation targets shortly as we now have more certainty over the services that can be provided by NCS Trust.

While residential programmes were not possible due to Covid last year, NCS remained focused on offering young people valuable opportunities, resulting in 85,000 young people taking part in groups in NCS activities and hundreds of thousands accessing NCS digital content.

NCS Trust runs a series of different programmes at different points throughout the year. These include:

• NCS Changemakers groups which run year-round in the majority of local authority areas.

• NCS part-residential programmes, normally delivered largely through summer holidays and the autumn. These programmes will not run as normal in 2021 because of covid precautions, and will be replaced by a variety of day trips focused on activities to boost skills for life and work alongside an enhanced digital offer.

• NCS Skills Booster personal development programme for schools, which launched in 2020. Resources are available for use year-round, including in schools, who can also draw down sessions delivered by the NCS network of delivery partners in term-time.

• NCS as the national partner for the pilot of the UK Year of Service, where young people aged 18-24 will take part in 9-12 month work placements in their community, and will access wrap-around training and support to help them become world and work ready.

DCMS monitors and reviews its grants in line with best practice. Before competing the grant for 2021/22, my department reviewed the previous UK Youth Parliament programme grants to estimate the grant recipient’s running costs for the 2021/22 programme using high level indicative budget headings.

By competing the grant for 2021/22, DCMS invited applicants to demonstrate how they would deliver the programme using the funding available, and were invited to demonstrate how they would secure external funding and partnerships to supplement the DCMS grant, as in previous years.

Government departments publish quarterly details of occasions where Ministers and officials are in receipt of hospitality. This is published on the Gov.uk website and covers the last 10 years.

The documents show that the Minister for Sport and the Olympics received hospitality from Camelot UK Lotteries Limited once during the period May 2010 to October 2013, on 16 May 2013, as detailed in this release.

Links to all the documents covering the period May 2010 to October 2013 are below.

Ministerial Hospitality 13 May - 31 July 2010

Ministerial Hospitality 1 August - 30 September 2010

Ministerial Hospitality 1 October - 31 December 2010

Ministerial Hospitality January to March 2011

Ministerial Hospitality April to June 2011

Ministerial Hospitality July to September 2011

Ministerial Hospitality October to December 2011

Ministerial Hospitality January to March 2012

Ministerial Hospitality April to June 2012

Ministerial Hospitality July to September 2012

Ministerial Hospitality October to December 2012

Ministerial Hospitality January to March 2013

Ministerial Hospitality April to June 2013

Ministerial Hospitality July to September 2013

Ministerial Hospitality October to December 2013

£15.6m of the Youth Covid-19 Support Fund has been allocated. All applicants have now been informed of their outcomes, and the transfer of funds is nearly complete.

555 youth organisations have been awarded funding, including 544 small, grassroots youth groups and services, and 11 national and umbrella organisations. The full list of successful organisations will be published after the pre-election period (w/c 10th May 2021).

Core participant numbers reflect the young people who took part in the part-residential NCS programme during the relevant seasons. Participation numbers in other NCS activities are not counted towards this figure.

For section (b) of this Question, please refer to my answer to Question 184499.

The total number of core National Citizen Service participants across the Spring, Summer and Autumn programmes in 2019 was 92,041. The figure of 91,489 participants referred to in the National Citizen Service Trust’s Annual Report 2019/20 is on a financial year basis and thus covers the Summer and Autumn programmes only, excluding 552 participants in the Spring 2019 programme.

The participation numbers were reported on a calendar year basis in the 2018/19 Annual Report but reporting practices changed when the NCS became a Royal Charter Body in December 2019. Accordingly, participation KPIs for the 2019/20 Annual Report were reported on a financial year basis.

As per National Citizen Service Trust’s 2018/19 Annual Report, 99,674 young people took part in the NCS programme in the 2018 calendar year (England only) with a completion rate of 93%. This compares to a target of 100,000 young people for the calendar year 2018.

In the 2019 calendar year, 92,041 young people took part in the NCS programme. This figure includes 552 young people who participated in the Spring 2019 cohort but were excluded from NCST’s 2019/20 Annual Report (which covers the April 2019 to March 2020 financial year). The target for 2019/20 was set for the financial, rather than calendar year and was for at least 100,000 young people to take part in NCS.

The completion rate for 2019 was 88% for the calendar year. Two key factors contributed to this lower participation rate in comparison to 2018:

• Significant underperformance of one of the largest providers of NCS at the time - they exited the network at the end of 2019.

• A tightening of criteria around what constitutes a "graduate" from the NCS programmes on the back of process reviews and systems changes that took effect from Spring 2019.

The NCS programme is delivered by the National Citizen Service Trust, whose annual report and financial statements for the financial year 2019/20 are publicly available. NCST received a £158.6m grant-in-aid from DCMS in 2019/20. Other income amounted to £3.54m and total expenditure for the year was £156.4m.

As noted in NCST’s 2019/20 Annual Report, the Summer 2020 NCS Programme was officially cancelled because of Covid-19 on 7 April 2020, by which point NCST had paid out £3.6m worth of non-refundable deposits to 44 accommodation venues. A further three accommodation suppliers were further due £3.8m in non-refundable deposits.

These payments were disclosed as events after the reporting date in NCST’s 2019/20 accounts but will be accounted for in 2020-21 accounts because accommodation costs are treated as prepayments. As well as settling contractual commitments for 2020 accommodation, NCST was also able to negotiate, at no additional cost, a break from the second and third year of multi-year accommodation contracts, thereby reducing the future accommodation costs for NCST and the taxpayer.

Covid-19 restrictions meant that NCST was unable to offer its usual residential programme in 2020 but NCST worked with its core programme providers to repurpose the funds already committed to deliver an alternative programme, including digital content, volunteering opportunities and support within schools and colleges. Additionally, service user contributions received by NCST for young people to attend the Summer 2020 programme were refunded.

As detailed in the National Citizen Service Trust’s Annual Report for the financial year 2019/20, the impact of Covid-19 has meant that NCST are unable to calculate standard value for money metrics on a financial year basis due to the cancellation of the Summer 2020 programme. Instead, NCST measured their performance on cost of unfilled places on a calendar year basis.

As stated in NCST’s Annual Report 2019/20, costs of unfilled places fell year on year from £9.5m in 2018 to £5.0m in 2019. This spend went to NCST’s network of Delivery Partners (mostly made up of non-profit youth sector organisations), who the Trust gives part of their revenue upfront to support preparatory activities such as running recruitment events and hiring programme staff.

The revised supplier contracts from 2020 onwards have been designed to minimise the risks of the Trust paying for places which are not filled in future. Furthermore, centralised booking of accommodation will enable the Trust to improve payment terms and minimise unfilled bed costs.

As detailed in the National Citizen Service Trust’s Annual Report 2019/20, ‘Communication, Marketing and Media Costs’ totalled £7,099,000. This accounts for circa 4.5% of the total expenditure of the National Citizen Service Trust for 2019/20, which was £156,384,000.

The total number of core NCS participants in 2018/19 was 99,674 (NCST Annual Report, 2018/19). The total number of core NCS participants in 2019/20 was 92,041 (NCST Annual Report, 2019/20).

DCMS did not seek commercial sponsorship for the UK Youth Parliament. The grant competition for the 2021/22 UK Youth Parliament programme was open to charitable, benevolent and philanthropic organisations.

For DCMS grant competitions, an organisation's ability to bring in additional resources, for example by creating delivery efficiencies with partner organisations or through match funding may be considered as part of the assessment criteria. In the 2021/22 UK Youth Parliament grant competition, an organisation’s ability to bring in additional resource was considered. Applicants to the grant competition were invited to demonstrate how they would be able to secure external funding and partnerships to supplement the DCMS grant.

HM Government’s core funding for the UK Youth Parliament in 2021/22 remains at the same level as the previous two years. Additional funding has been made available in 2021/22 to continue enabling UK-wide participation in this programme.

The £500 million Youth Investment Fund remains a manifesto commitment for transformative levelling up across the country over the course of the parliament.

£30 million of the fund was committed at the Spending Review as capital investment in youth services for 2021-22, which is on top of the £750 million charity funding package. This will provide an investment in new and refurbished spaces for young people, so they can access positive activities and support from youth workers.

Further details of the timetable for allocation will be announced in due course, following a review of youth funding.

Government recognises that it is important to listen to young people and ensure they have a voice on issues that matter to them. Since the start of the pandemic Ministers have committed to attending monthly youth-led roundtable discussions with members of the DCMS Youth Steering Group, who oversee the development of policies and programmes across government that affect young people.

Additionally, Ministers have taken up a range of opportunities to speak to young people through events hosted by youth sector organisations, including the Jewish Lads and Girls Brigade Live event, UK Youth’s panel on youth loneliness and a roundtable with representatives involved in the national #YoungAndBlack campaign.

Ministers will continue to meet regularly with youth representatives to consider the impact of Covid-19 and engage them in recovery planning.

We recognise that waterways businesses have been severely impacted by the current situation. My Department will continue to work closely with the Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) to assess the impact on tourism businesses on inland waterways following Covid-19.

The Government has provided wide-ranging financial support across the whole economy, particularly focussing on small and medium-sized businesses. These include several loan schemes, such as the 100% Government-guaranteed Bounce Back Loan; support for self-employed people; the Local Authority Discretionary Grant Fund to accommodate small businesses previously outside the scope of the business grant funds scheme; a £10 million tourism ‘kick-start’ package to help small businesses in our tourist destinations, along with a reduced 5% VAT rate for many tourism and hospitality activities for six months.

Through the Cultural Renewal Taskforce and its working groups, we have developed Covid-19 Secure guidance which will help heritage and tourism businesses reopen safely for both visitors and workers. Further significant easing of Covid-19 restrictions from 4 July should now allow many waterways businesses to reopen to take advantage of coming summer demand.

We recognise that waterways businesses have been severely impacted by the current situation. My Department will continue to work closely with the Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) to assess the impact on tourism businesses on inland waterways following Covid-19.

The Government has provided wide-ranging financial support across the whole economy, particularly focussing on small and medium-sized businesses. These include several loan schemes, such as the 100% Government-guaranteed Bounce Back Loan; support for self-employed people; the Local Authority Discretionary Grant Fund to accommodate small businesses previously outside the scope of the business grant funds scheme; a £10 million tourism ‘kick-start’ package to help small businesses in our tourist destinations, along with a reduced 5% VAT rate for many tourism and hospitality activities for six months.

Through the Cultural Renewal Taskforce and its working groups, we have developed Covid-19 Secure guidance which will help heritage and tourism businesses reopen safely for both visitors and workers. Further significant easing of Covid-19 restrictions from 4 July should now allow many waterways businesses to reopen to take advantage of coming summer demand.

The Government welcomes the positive impact of international tourism, including from China, on the UK economy. We look forward to welcoming Chinese visitors back to all parts of the UK as soon as practicably possible. We will continue to support the recovery of the tourism and hospitality sectors, as well as the countryside, culture and heritage assets which we know are so greatly appreciated by visitors both from China and from around the world.

The special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) Review is working with system experts and other government departments across education, health and care to ensure that there is balanced input and representation from across the SEND system. The system experts referred to in the answer to Question 23236 include Tony McArdle, the Chair of the SEND System Leadership Board and wider Board members.

It also includes those system experts which the review has most recently engaged with as part of its policy development, which include but are not limited to: Association of Directors of Childrens Services, Confederation of School Trusts, Council for Disabled Children, Local Government Association, National Network of Parent Carer Forums, National Multi-Academy Ttrust (MAT) CEO Network for Alternative Provision and SEND, Office of the Children’s Commissioner, and Ofsted.

We are committed to ensuring greater stability of special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) services as we enter the recovery phase following the COVID-19 outbreak. We aim to have clear oversight of local areas’ performance in delivering SEND services, including those that had weaknesses before the COVID-19 outbreak and those that are struggling to respond to the challenges that the COVID-19 outbreak has brought. With this in mind, Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) re-started their revisit programme of areas where SEND services need to improve that received a Written Statement of Action in April, and full inspections in June.

We are working closely with Ofsted, CQC, our professional advisory service and our delivery support partners to identify, support and intervene effectively and early in underperforming areas.

We recognise the need to strengthen accountability in the SEND system and, therefore, the department, with the support of the Department of Health and Social Care, has commissioned Ofsted and the CQC to develop a new area SEND inspection framework to launch after the existing inspection cycle has finished. Learning from the published assessment of the current approach, this will include a greater focus on the experience of children and young people with SEND, and their families, and give more prominence to the quality integration and commissioning of education, health and care services. The new framework will take into account the COVID-19 outbreak’s impact on services and on children, young people and families.

The special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) Review has been making good progress, but the COVID-19 outbreak has frustrated the pace of this important review and materially altered the context for reform. My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, will ensure that the house is kept appropriately updated.

The SEND Review continues to work with system experts to make sure we are designing a system fit for the future. We are drawing on the best evidence available to review the system, including the consideration of existing legal entitlements, before publishing proposals for public consultation.

The special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) Review has been making good progress, but the COVID-19 outbreak has frustrated the pace of this important review and materially altered the context for reform. My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, will ensure that the house is kept appropriately updated.

The SEND Review continues to work with system experts to make sure we are designing a system fit for the future. We are drawing on the best evidence available to review the system, including the consideration of existing legal entitlements, before publishing proposals for public consultation.

Following the review into when the remaining higher education students can return to in-person teaching and learning, the government has announced that the remaining students should return to in-person teaching no earlier than 17 May 2021, alongside Step 3 of the roadmap. Students and institutions will be given at least a week’s notice of any further return in accordance with the timing of Step 3 of the roadmap.

The government roadmap is designed to maintain a cautious approach to the easing of restrictions to reduce public health risks and ensure that we can maintain progress towards full reopening. However, the government recognises the difficulties and disruption that this may cause for many students and their families and that is why the government is making a further £15 million of additional student hardship funding available for this academic year 2020/21. In total we have made an additional £85 million of funding available for student hardship.

We are supporting universities to provide regular twice weekly asymptomatic testing for all students and staff on-site and, from May, at home. This will help break chains of transmission of the virus.

Following the review into when the remaining higher education students can return to in-person teaching and learning, the government has announced that the remaining students should return to in-person teaching no earlier than 17 May 2021, alongside Step 3 of the roadmap. Students and institutions will be given at least a week’s notice of any further return in accordance with the timing of Step 3 of the roadmap.

The government roadmap is designed to maintain a cautious approach to the easing of restrictions to reduce public health risks and ensure that we can maintain progress towards full reopening. However, the government recognises the difficulties and disruption that this may cause for many students and their families and that is why the government is making a further £15 million of additional student hardship funding available for this academic year 2020/21. In total we have made an additional £85 million of funding available for student hardship.

We are supporting universities to provide regular twice weekly asymptomatic testing for all students and staff on-site and, from May, at home. This will help break chains of transmission of the virus.

Following the review into when the remaining higher education students can return to in-person teaching and learning, the government has announced that the remaining students should return to in-person teaching no earlier than 17 May 2021, alongside Step 3 of the roadmap. Students and institutions will be given at least a week’s notice of any further return in accordance with the timing of Step 3 of the roadmap.

The government roadmap is designed to maintain a cautious approach to the easing of restrictions to reduce public health risks and ensure that we can maintain progress towards full reopening. However, the government recognises the difficulties and disruption that this may cause for many students and their families and that is why the government is making a further £15 million of additional student hardship funding available for this academic year 2020/21. In total we have made an additional £85 million of funding available for student hardship.

We are supporting universities to provide regular twice weekly asymptomatic testing for all students and staff on-site and, from May, at home. This will help break chains of transmission of the virus.

The Turing scheme will be backed by at least £100 million, providing funding for around 35,000 students in universities, colleges, and schools to go on placements and exchanges overseas, starting in September 2021 and replaces funding previously available through the education mobility element of Erasmus+. The scheme will be global and not be limited to the EU. Further details of the scheme will be published shortly.

Universities and private accommodation providers are autonomous and responsible for setting their own rent agreements. The government plays no direct role in the provision of student accommodation. However, the government encourages all providers of student accommodation to review their accommodation policies to ensure that they have students best interests at heart. We also urge them to communicate their policy clearly and be fair.

We recognise that in these exceptional circumstances some students may face financial hardship. The department has worked with the Office for Students to clarify that providers are able to draw on existing funds, worth around £256 million for academic year 2020/21, towards hardship support. The government is making available up to a further £20 million on a one-off basis to support those that need it most, particularly disadvantaged students.

Maintenance loans are available as a contribution towards a student’s living costs while attending university. The system targets the most living cost support at those from the lowest income families, who need it most.

Maximum living costs support increased by 10.3% in cash terms for eligible new students on the lowest incomes in 2016/17 compared to the maximum support available for new starters in 2015/16 under the previous system. Further inflationary increases in living costs support have been made in each academic year since, with an increase of 2.9% announced for the 2020/21 academic year and 3.1% for the 2021/22 academic year, taking the support available for the lowest income students to record levels in cash terms.

Students who have applied for a loan for living costs for 2020/21 and have been awarded a lower amount than the maximum and believe their household income for the current tax year (2020-21) will drop by at least 15% compared to the household income they provided when they were initially assessed, can apply for their entitlement to be reassessed.

If students have concerns about their accommodation fees, they should first raise their concerns with their accommodation provider. If their concerns remain unresolved, and their higher education provider is involved in the provision of the accommodation, students at providers in England or Wales can ask the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education to consider their complaint.

If a student thinks their accommodation provider is treating them unfairly, they can raise a complaint under the accommodation codes of practice as long as their provider is a code member. The codes can be found at: https://www.thesac.org.uk/, https://www.unipol.org.uk/the-code/how-to-complain and https://www.rla.org.uk/about/nrla-code-of-practice.shtml.

In October 2019, during care leavers week, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, announced £19 million additional funding in financial year 2020-21 to support care leavers.

Of the additional funding, £10 million was allocated to local authorities to increase the resources available to them to implement Staying Put, which enables young people in foster care at age 18 to remain with their former foster carers until age 21. In total, £33 million will be allocated to local authorities to implement Staying Put this financial year.

Although Staying Close supports both young men and young women, some of the pilots are working with particular cohorts. For example, one of the pilots is supporting young women leaving a specialist children’s home that accommodates young women who have been victims of child sexual exploitation, and a number of Staying Close participants are young parents. As well as the core Staying Close offer, a number of pilots also provide access to specialist mental health services.

The final £3 million funding was to provide extra funding for Virtual School Heads to enable them to provide additional support to care leavers in further education. Again, this funding will support all care leavers in further education and is not targeted at young women specifically.

The government is committed to ensuring that looked-after and previously looked-after children are supported to succeed in education. Being at an early years setting, school or college is vital to prevent vulnerable children from falling behind in their education, and as a protective factor from harm. Educational settings remained open to vulnerable children, including children in care, during the lockdown period. We expect educational providers, local authorities, social workers and other professionals to continue to work together to support families and pupils, including those in vulnerable groups, to return to schools, colleges and early years settings.

During lockdown, we prioritised vulnerable children and young people’s attendance. This included raising vulnerable children and young people’s attendance from around 5% in early April to over 25% by the end of June through consistent communications, guidance and local-level support, including working with schools and Virtual School Heads to encourage attendance. The department is continuing to publish data on attendance, including the attendance of vulnerable children, on a regular basis and the latest figures are available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/attendance-in-education-and-early-years-settings-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak.

Where a pupil is unable to attend school because they are complying with clinical or public health advice, we expect schools to be able to immediately offer them access to remote education. Schools should monitor engagement with this activity. We have also invested over £100 million to support remote education and have delivered over 220,000 laptops and tablets to children who would not otherwise have access. In the summer term, we provided over 50,000 4G wireless routers to local authorities and academy trusts for care leavers, children with a social worker at secondary school, and disadvantaged children in year 10 who did not have internet connections to support remote education. We are now supplementing this support by making an initial 150,000 additional devices available in the event face-to-face schooling is disrupted as a result of local COVID-19 restrictions.

The department has delivered over 220,000 laptops and tablets and over 50,000 4G wireless routers to children and young people, as part of a £100 million investment to support remote education for disadvantaged students and to allow children with a social worker and care leavers to access support and services online. This includes over 148,000 devices for children with a social worker and care leavers.

Guidance to local authorities identified care leavers as one of three priority groups for receipt of the laptops and routers. Local authorities are responsible for the distribution of devices, as they are best placed to identify which young people need one. The guidance is available here:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/laptops-tablets-and-4g-wireless-routers-provided-during-coronavirus-covid-19.

The department does not collect data on the number of care leavers who do not have internet access. However, research published by Coram Voice in 2019 identified that 80% of care leavers had internet access at home, compared to 91% of young people aged 16-24 in the general population. A summary of the report is available here:
https://coramvoice.org.uk/sites/default/files/cv-olbc-snapshot-a2-poster_1.4.19.pdf.

The department has delivered over 220,000 laptops and tablets and over 50,000 4G wireless routers to children and young people, as part of a £100 million investment to support remote education for disadvantaged students and to allow children with a social worker and care leavers to access support and services online. This includes over 148,000 devices for children with a social worker and care leavers.

Guidance to local authorities identified care leavers as one of three priority groups for receipt of the laptops and routers. Local authorities are responsible for the distribution of devices, as they are best placed to identify which young people need one. The guidance is available here:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/laptops-tablets-and-4g-wireless-routers-provided-during-coronavirus-covid-19.

The department does not collect data on the number of care leavers who do not have internet access. However, research published by Coram Voice in 2019 identified that 80% of care leavers had internet access at home, compared to 91% of young people aged 16-24 in the general population. A summary of the report is available here:
https://coramvoice.org.uk/sites/default/files/cv-olbc-snapshot-a2-poster_1.4.19.pdf.

The government has taken unprecedented and substantial action to ensure that no child should go hungry as we take measures to tackle COVID-19, including in relation to free school meals.

In the first instance, we asked schools to support eligible pupils by providing meals or food parcels through their existing food providers wherever possible. We also established a national voucher scheme to support schools and families where required.

Schools were best placed to decide how to support families eligible for free school meals in their areas, and this includes considerations over access to the internet. Where parents were not able to access the national voucher scheme, we recommended that the school print and post the voucher to families. If there were issues with postal deliveries, we advised schools to consider a safe collection point for families to collect their vouchers.

All young people are now required to continue in education or training until their 18th birthday. Local authorities have a statutory duty to identify and track the participation of 16 and 17-year-olds. This includes supporting those who are not participating to do so and making sure that there is sufficient and suitable education and training provision to meet their needs.

During the COVID-19 outbreak, colleges and providers have moved more learning online to allow students to continue with studies remotely. We have provided advice and signposted to support to help with this.

We know that remote learning has been working well for many students in post-16 education. We will continue to work with the sector to establish the best way to support students to make up for the disruption due to COVID-19.

Although online education should remain the predominant way of learning for now, further education providers are re-opening for 16-19 learners on the first year of a 2-year study programme (this also includes apprentices). In addition, all learners under 19 years old can be offered a face-to-face meeting before the end of the summer term, subject to the required safety measures being met.

We are currently reviewing options for the autumn term. We would like to see as full a return as soon as possible in order to support young people and make up for time spent out of education.

Over the course of this Parliament, the government are providing £2.5 billion (£3 billion when including Barnett funding for devolved administrations) for a new National Skills Fund to help adults learn new skills and prepare for the economy of the future.

The National Skills Fund will re-energise the adult skills landscape and help to ensure that businesses can find and hire the workers they need and help people fulfil their potential.

Work is progressing to develop detailed plans for the National Skills Fund, and a consultation will be launched at a time when all those who have an interest will be better able to engage actively in it. We will continue to engage closely with users, employers and stakeholders throughout the process, before setting out more detailed plans after the consultation.

The insights gained will help to build an understanding of how best to target the fund and which groups will benefit and what types of training it should cover, to ensure we can provide the best return on investment.

The Government recognises the importance of maintaining flood defence assets. Investment in Environment Agency asset management in England will be £178 million in 2021-22, an increase on the previous year. The Government will continue to review the future requirements for flood defence maintenance investment as part of future Spending Reviews.

We recently consulted on how to apportion additional quota between the UK administrations. We also consulted on how we allocate England’s share. We will publish the Government’s response and our English allocation policy after annual negotiations conclude. It is for the devolved administrations to decide how to allocate their share.

We have been clear since the 2018 White Paper that we would allocate our existing quota using the current method.

Marine protection is a devolved matter and the information provided relates to England only.

One of Defra’s biggest challenges in seeking to ensure effective management of offshore Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) has been the need to secure the agreement of other countries through the Common Fisheries Policy process. This requirement will end when the Transition Period has finished.

The Fisheries Bill proposes a new power enabling the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) to implement fisheries management measures for conservation purposes both within our MPAs and more widely across English waters. The MMO will be able to use this power after the expiry of the Transition Period.

Activities within MPAs that require planning or licensing consent are assessed by the relevant regulator, including the MMO, to prevent damage to these designated areas.

Marine protection is a devolved matter and the information provided relates to England only.

The Common Fisheries Policy has restricted our ability to implement fisheries management measures within offshore Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). The Fisheries Bill proposes a new power to allow the introduction of measures for conservation purposes, both within our MPAs and more widely across English waters.

Not all fishing activities within MPAs will require management, only those likely to damage the designated features, such as trawling on the seabed. The Marine Management Organisation monitors activity to ensure fishing boats are complying with current rules, and will ensure compliance with new measures as they are introduced.

The Government’s priority in relation to annual negotiations on fishing opportunities is to ensure that the total allowable catch for each fish stock that we have an interest in is set within sustainable limits taking account of scientific advice. Management measures, both technical and control based, are in place throughout the year to ensure monitoring and compliance of agreed catch limits and methods of capture. Enforcement of management measures is carried out through physical and electronic means as appropriate. The Fisheries Bill will put in place Fisheries Management Plans to help deliver and maintain stocks at sustainable levels into the future.

The terms and conditions of the COVID-19 Bus Services Support Grant do not exclude operators from amending ticket validity times. However, payment of the grant is based on the operator’s original fare structures.

The terms and conditions of the COVID-19 Bus Services Support Grant does not require operators to seek consent from the Department to change ticket validity times. However, payment of the grant is based on the operator’s original fare structures.

The terms and conditions of the COVID-19 Bus Services Support Grant does not define an amendment to ticket validity times as a fare price increase. However, payment of the grant is based on the operator’s original fare structures, and operators are not permitted to increase or decrease the price of tickets.

The Equality Act 2010 (Work on Ships and Hovercraft) Regulations 2011 provides protection for EEA seafarers and those from designated States. These Regulations will be reviewed later this year.

Approval of recruitment & placement agencies is the responsibility of the State in whose territory the agency is located. Wallem Ship Management is not located in the UK; hence they are not approved by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.

The Equality Act 2010 (Work on Ships and Hovercraft) Regulations 2011 were designed to harmonise legislation as well as provide full protection to the individual. We are currently considering necessary amendments to the Regulations.

As part of that review we will consider all the Regulations therein. In undertaking such a review, we will of course work with our social partners, including the relevant trade unions.

We are committed to develop the concept of a social framework, as referred to in the Maritime 2050 strategy. The aspiration is to provide clarity on the standards of welfare expected for our maritime workforce, regardless of whether they are working on land or at sea. This could include a review of all employment legislation explicitly pertaining to seafarers’ work and social protection, ensuring close alignment with the protections available to those working in land-based roles.

As a coastal and flag State, international law generally restricts the UK applying its domestic legislation to vessels operating outside its territorial waters and not registered in the UK.

I have not had any recent discussions with the Minister for Women and Equalities on employer discrimination against seafarers on the grounds of protected characteristics. However, officials from my Department have been liaising with counterparts in the Government Equalities Office (GEO). Furthermore, officials have also been working with the International Maritime Organization and the International Labour Organization as part of the international work on women in maritime which has included discussions on how to prevent discrimination on the grounds of protected characteristics

Any seafarer of an EEA country working in Great Britain is currently able to bring a discrimination claim against their GB-based employer to employment tribunal under the Equality Act 2010 (Work on Ships and Hovercraft) Regulations 2011. The UK’s departure from the EU will not change this in any way.

The Department remains committed to ensuring that motorists comply with motoring laws, including the compulsory requirement for motor insurance.

Since 2011 Continuous Insurance Enforcement (CIE) has enabled action to be taken against those who keep a vehicle without insurance. The scheme allows uninsured vehicles to be identified from a comparison of the DVLA’s vehicle register and the Motor Insurance Database managed by the Motor Insurers’ Bureau.

Keepers of vehicles which appear uninsured are sent advisory letters. Those who take no action receive a fixed penalty of £100, followed by enforcement action including prosecution if they remain uninsured.

CIE supplements police powers to seize an uninsured vehicle being used on the road. Police records show that 133,000 vehicles were seized in 2018. Since 2010, Motor Insurers’ Bureau figures show uninsured vehicles had fallen from 1.4 million in 2010 to 1 million by 2016.

An Order in Council making the legislative changes is expected to be laid in draft before Parliament next month. This will be subject to the affirmative process and debates will be scheduled as the parliamentary timetable permits before final approval is sought from the Privy Council.

No assessment of the cumulative impact of these measures has been made.

The Government is uprating Universal Credit in line with inflation. The Secretary of State undertakes an annual review of benefits and pensions with reference to the Consumer Prices Index (CPI). All benefit up-rating since April 1987 has been based on the increase in the relevant price inflation index in the 12 months to the previous September. The relevant benefits are increasing by 3.1% from April.

The Government is providing £12 billion of support to ease cost of living pressures, with help targeted at working families, low-income households and the most vulnerable. A further £9 billion has been announced to protect against the impact of rising global energy prices.

Since 2010 the Government has regularly published cumulative analysis of the impacts of its tax, welfare and public spending policies on households. The most recent assessment was published at Budget 2021. It showed that, in 2021/22, the poorest 60% of households will receive more in public spending than they contribute in tax. And households in the lowest income decile will receive more than £4 in public spending for every £1 they pay in tax on average.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 19^th January to question number 104377.

The DWP offers financial support through Universal Credit and New Style Employment and Support Allowance for people affected by the pandemic, including those with long-COVID, if they satisfy eligibility criteria. In addition, people with long-COVID may be eligible to Personal Independence Payment.

Employers are legally required to pay Statutory Sick Pay to eligible employees who are off work sick including where sickness absence is due to long-COVID. Some employers may also decide to pay more, and for longer, through Occupational Sick Pay.

Furthermore, the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council (IIAC), who advise the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions regarding Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit (IIDB), are investigating whether long-COVID can be prescribed as an occupational disease for the purposes of IIDB.

DWP is aware that a small number of new State Pension claims have been subject to delays in receiving payment.

The Department is working hard to clear the current backlog, many of which have accrued since the Covid Pandemic.

We are prioritising overdue payments and payments that are imminent within the next few weeks. Normal service will be resumed by the end of October 2021.

Claimants don’t need to act, we have identified the cases and will process them as soon as possible.

The Equality Impact Assessment for the Kickstart Scheme has now been published online, and can be accessed here.

The Department currently has no plans to publish this information. We do not capture data on the number of requests which are referred to the Cabinet Office Clearing House.

Official statistics on Freedom of Information requests are published by the Cabinet Office on a quarterly basis, available on gov.uk here - https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/government-foi-statistics

Non-executive directors comply with the provisions of the Cabinet Office’s Code of Conduct for Board Members of Public Bodies.

Board members are required to submit any declarable interests annually; this information forms part of the independent National Audit Office review ahead of the publication of Departmental annual report and accounts.

Information on any relevant interests will be published in the Department annual report and accounts, which will be available on gov.uk.

As has been the case under successive Administrations, it is not government policy to comment on security procedures in government buildings.

The Department for Work and Pensions plans to publish the Equality Impact Assessment on the Kickstart Scheme in due course.

DWP has referred requests to the Cabinet Office Clearing House where appropriate and in line with the published criteria, which is available on gov.uk here - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cabinet-office-and-freedom-of-information

The Department does not operate any rating system for categorising Freedom of Information requests according to their presentational sensitivity.

We respond to all Freedom of Information requests under our obligations as set out in the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

All Freedom of Information requests are judged purpose-blind and presentational sensitivity has no bearing on whether we should release information under the Freedom of Information Act or not.

No assessment of the potential effect of youth unemployment on the level of national output in 2021 has been made.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is committed to supporting everyone who has been affected by the unprecedented impact of COVID-19 on the economy and the labour market. We want everyone to be able to find a job, progress in work and thrive in the labour market, whoever they are and wherever they live.

Through Plan for Jobs, the government invested £30bn in measures to create, support and protect jobs. This included over £3bn investment in the Kickstart programme for young people and an additional 13,500 Work Coaches in our Jobcentres, as well as other measures focussed on boosting work search, skills and apprenticeships.

We have reviewed the report to which the Honourable Lady refers. DWP has made no assessment of the fiscal cost of unemployment outlined in the report.

We recognise that younger people have been some of the hardest hit by the pandemic. Our DWP Youth Offer provides the wrap-around support to help this group access so much of the positive provision stood up as part of the Plan for Jobs. Our Youth Employment Programme is complemented by joined-up local delivery through Youth Hubs, as well as specialist Youth Employability Coaches for those with complex needs. Our £2bn Kickstart programme is helping young people into jobs and opportunities which will enhance their future employment prospects and help the economy to recover.

The Department for Work and Pensions plans to publish the Equality Impact Assessment on the Kickstart Scheme in due course.

Data from the Annual Population Survey shows a rise of 5.2 percentage points year on year in the unemployment rate for BAME young people. It also suggests they are over-represented in sectors such as Accommodation and Food Services and Wholesale and Retail which have been particularly affected by the pandemic.

The Government is committed to levelling up and uniting the country, including improving the employment outcomes of people from ethnic minority backgrounds. Throughout these unprecedented times the Government has provided a crucial safety net to record levels of claimants, ensuring all our customers receive the support they need, when they need it.

There are currently no plans to extend the Kickstart Scheme. Eligible young people will be able to start new Kickstart jobs until December 2021, meaning the final cohort of six-month jobs will end in Summer 2022.

This Government is committed to providing support to help all young people move into work and avoid the scarring effects of unemployment, as we recover from the Covid pandemic.

Youth Employability Coaches are providing flexible support to young people with significant complex needs and barriers to help them move into employment and offering six weeks of in-work support when they start work. This support is one element of the DWP Youth Offer, alongside the Youth Employment Programme and Youth Hubs designed to support young people enter the labour market.

In addition, the Kickstart scheme is available for young people aged 16-24, on Universal Credit and at risk of long term unemployment. Work Coaches refer eligible young people to Kickstart jobs and support them through the application process.

DWP also have a national programme of mentoring circles, involving employers offering specialised support to young (16-24 years old), unemployed, ethnic minority jobseekers. These provide customers with an opportunity to build confidence and job search skills, whilst at the same time helping employers understand and revise their recruitment practices. As a result of Covid-19, we are additionally delivering virtual Mentoring Circles sessions to comply with national lockdown and social distancing guidelines.

Young people identified as being involved or at risk of being involved in gangs or serious violence are recognised as a priority group and eligible for early entry to the Work and Health Programme in England and Wales. In addition, Jobcentres work with local partners to provide local support to suit individuals' needs.

The Government has put in place a range of measures to support disabled people and people with long term health conditions, including those with epilepsy, to enter and stay in work. During the Covid-19 outbreak, we have made changes to ensure disabled people have still been able to access specialist employment support.

We have two large-scale nationally contracted programmes that support disabled people:

• The Work and Health Programme was launched in 2017 throughout England and Wales for people who expect to find work within 12 months. It enables participants to receive coordinated and person-centred support from local services, and provides targeted support for disabled people, as defined in the Equality Act 2010, who can volunteer to join the programme at any time. It also provides extra tailored support to find employment for other groups, including long term unemployed people.

• IPES launched with the first referrals on 2 December 2019 and is now in place across England and Wales. It is a voluntary programme designed to help disabled people with more complex needs or barriers, who want to work but also require specialist support to achieve their goal of sustained employment. This includes people with Autistic Spectrum conditions, mental health issues, substance abuse, or history of sensory impairments, learning difficulties or recurring and fluctuating health conditions. IPES is expected to provide support for around 2,500 starts a year for four years, totalling 10,000 on the programme.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, we provided this support remotely and made these programmes easier to access by allowing self-referrals as well as referrals through work coaches.

Additionally, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we introduced the Work and Health Programme Job Entry: Targeted Support (JETS) which went live across Wales and England this Autumn and provides light touch employment support which will complement the provision already available for disabled people under the Work and Health Programme. We will protect funding and capacity for helping disabled people and priority disadvantaged groups.

Alongside provision aimed at individuals, we continue to support employers to attract, recruit, retain and develop disabled people in the workplace through the Disability Confident scheme. The scheme was designed as a journey with three levels. All employers start at Level 1, progressing through the scheme at their own pace.

Guidance for what the employability support should include can be found on the Kickstart gov.uk pages. We carefully assess each bid to ensure Kickstart jobs also support young people to develop basic work skills and build their experience.

The £1500 grant for support can be spent in any way that makes a young person more employable but must be detailed in their bid; this could include payment for equipment, training and/or uniform. Full details of this can be found on the Kickstart gov.uk site.

The Enhanced Checking Service currently carry out a pre-payment spot check on all Kickstart jobs as agreed by the grant funding agreement. Where required, deeper investigation is conducted into the quality of the job placement and young person’s experience.

As of 04/02/2021 there were around 15,000 jobs uploaded to Job Centre Plus provision service.

There have been over 100,000 job placements approved and offers made for funding from the Department for Work and Pensions’ Kickstart Scheme. A Kickstart employer receives funding when a young person starts their placement and periodically through the length of their placement.

The Department of Work and Pensions will track the success of Kickstart amongst young people on the scheme who have a disability or health condition and will aim to do this as part of the evaluation. We plan to do this using a combination of evidence sources including management information (Universal Credit claimants are asked if they have an illness, disability or health condition and we can link to other datasets to see if they are on any kind of disability benefits) and survey data.

Work Coach Recruitment is separate to the Kickstart Scheme but both are key tools to help people into the labour market. All Job Centre Plus Work Coaches are able to refer young people to the Kickstart scheme. As at 22 January, 8,685 new work coaches have started since March 2020. Work Coaches are employed in the Executive Officer grade for which DWP applies a spot rate, which is currently £27,565.

As of 19/01/2021 there have been over 110,000 jobs approved by the Department for Work and Pensions’ Kickstart Scheme.

The location of Kickstart jobs is not known until bidders have signed their grant agreement and provided full details of the role in the format which enables us to make it available for work coaches to refer suitable young people. We are not currently able to provide regional breakdowns of data.

The location of Kickstart jobs is not known until bidders have signed their grant agreement and provided full details of the role in the format which enables us to make it available for work coaches to refer suitable young people. We are not currently able to provide regional breakdowns of data.

As of 19/01/2021 there have been over 100,000 job placements approved by the Department for Work and Pensions’ Kickstart Scheme. Of these, we are only able to collect data on those jobs that have been confirmed through grant agreements with the employer and then uploaded as a vacancy through our jobcentres.

The sector information for each job is not categorised by ‘industry’.

The Department for Work and Pensions’ (DWP) Kickstart Scheme is available across Great Britain. All Job Centre Plus Work Coaches are able to refer young people to the scheme. A number of other local staff have also been involved throughout the development and implementation of the scheme to bring local knowledge and expertise to the programme.

As part of the Government’s Plan for Jobs, the DWP is recruiting an extra 13,500 new Work Coaches, and this process is underway. This recruitment is separate to the Kickstart Scheme.

A young person is eligible for a job on the Kickstart Scheme if they are aged 16-24, on Universal Credit (UC), and considered to be at risk of long term unemployment by their work coach. The Department of Work and Pensions has no current plans to extend the eligibility for the scheme beyond UC claimants, but we will keep that under review. If a young person is deaf or has hearing difficulties this would not prevent them from being referred to a Kickstart Scheme job as it is open to all young people who are on UC as long as they meet the eligibility/suitability criteria.

The department (DWP) provides a range of support to the different vulnerable groups who may live in supported accommodation.

For people at risk of homelessness, we help them to make Universal Credit claims, provide tailored support through Jobcentre Plus and priority access to the Work and Health Programme.

DWP has also put into place a range of measures to support disabled people and their employers, including specialised employment support programmes such as Access to Work and Disability Confident. During the Covid-19 outbreak, we have made changes to ensure disabled people have still been able to access this specialist employment support.

The Department for Work and Pensions’ Kickstart Scheme is providing job placements for 16-24 year olds at risk of long term unemployment. Young people will be directed to the scheme through a Job Centre by a Work Coach. This will ensure that those who need support the most are able to benefit, regardless of ethnicity, disability or any disadvantage.

Some personal information, including ethnicity of participants, is voluntarily provided when a young person applies for a placement. This means that any information might not be a fully accurate representation of demographics.

Our data gathering is still in its early stages but we have plans for a wider evaluation of Kickstart that will draw on available data and insights (such as case studies from young people, participant surveys and feedback from Work Coaches) where possible showing outcomes and effects for different groups, including by gender, ethnicity and those facing additional barriers to employment. We will feed this insight into the programme as we continue to roll it out. No information is currently available but we will consider how this might be published in due course.

Data gathering is in its early phase and as such we are not able to reliably break Kickstart participant data down by ethnicity, disability or other disadvantaged group.

Data gathering is in its early phase and as such we are not able to reliably break Kickstart participant data down by ethnicity, disability or other disadvantaged group.

The Kickstart Scheme is a £2 Billion programme, planning to create thousands of new jobs for young people aged 16-24 at risk of long term unemployment. Whilst we will not limit our ambitions, our first priority is to ensure the quality of experiences created for young people.

Jobcentre Plus provides a range of support to people with multiple barriers to employment. Work Coaches provide support tailored to the individual, referring as appropriate to specialist provision such as the Work and Health Programme and local partner support, often funded by the department’s Flexible Support Fund. This support is being strengthen further by the Chancellor’s Plan for Jobs package, including the Kickstart Scheme, and the new Youth Offer.

Kickstart scheme funding does not include covering the costs of childcare. Universal Credit allows for up to 85% of childcare costs to be claimed back, and young people with dependent children considering a Kickstart opportunity should speak with their Work Coach for further information.

The Chancellor’s Plan for Jobs announcement in July outlined a comprehensive package of support for young people. As part of this, our new Youth Offer will provide a guaranteed foundation of support to all 18-24 year olds in the Intensive Worksearch group on Universal Credit. This includes our new 13-week Youth Employment Programme, the national expansion of the Youth Employability Coaches initiative and the Youth Hubs being rolled out nationally to help young people access wider support. These will be co-located and co-delivered with our network of external partners. Young people can be attached to a Youth Hub for up to 6 months to help them move either into work or onto appropriate training.

In addition, the Kickstart Scheme was launched on 2 September 2020 and will create hundreds of thousands of high quality, 6-month work placements aimed at young people aged 16-24.

We also continue to deliver our Mentoring Circles programme. This aims to increase the confidence, motivation and job search skills of the participants and will help them move closer to employment.

The Chancellor’s Plan for Jobs announcement in July outlined a comprehensive package of support for young people. As part of this, our new Youth Offer will provide a guaranteed foundation of support to all 18-24 year olds in the Intensive Worksearch group on Universal Credit. This includes our new 13-week Youth Employment Programme, the national expansion of the Youth Employability Coaches initiative and the Youth Hubs being rolled out nationally to help young people access wider support. These will be co-located and co-delivered with our network of external partners. Young people can be attached to a Youth Hub for up to 6 months to help them move either into work or onto appropriate training.

In addition, the Kickstart Scheme was launched on 2 September 2020 and will create hundreds of thousands of high quality, 6-month work placements aimed at young people aged 16-24.

We also continue to deliver our Mentoring Circles programme. This aims to increase the confidence, motivation and job search skills of the participants and will help them move closer to employment.

The Chancellor’s Plan for Jobs announcement in July outlined a comprehensive package of support for young people. The Kickstart programme was launched on 2 September and our new Youth Offer will provide a guaranteed foundation of support for 18-24 year olds in the Intensive Work Search Regime of Universal Credit.

A key part of the Youth Offer will be the national introduction of Youth Hubs, which will be co-located and co-delivered with local partners. Two Youth Hubs are now open in the North West of England and (subject to local COVID-19 restrictions) we expect a further four to open by the end of October. We are also introducing two demonstrator Youth Hubs where we can test our approach and share good practice with other areas.

We will build on the learning from these demonstrator sites with further expansion and additional Youth Hubs planned. In addition, all our Work Coaches – including those in the North West – will continue to signpost young people to the most appropriate local or national provision and ensure that no young person falls through the cracks.

DWP is engaging cross-government to understand supply & demand across the labour market throughout and beyond the COVID-19 crisis. We are in discussions with other Government Departments and a range of stakeholders to explore all options. This is to ensure the right support is in place for individuals who have been adversely impacted by COVID-19 that will meet the needs of both the individuals, as well as local priorities. This engagement includes the Youth Employment Group, which includes Prince’s Trust, Youth Employment UK, Institute for Employment Studies, Youth Futures Foundation and Impetus.

We acknowledge that it is important that Jobcentres continue to support young people through the economic recovery. They have already started to re-engage with new and existing claimants.

DWP is also engaging with a number of external organisations including the Youth Employment Group (set up by Prince’s Trust, Youth Employment UK, Institute for Employment Studies, Youth Futures Foundation and Impetus) as well as continuing to work across Whitehall to ensure a range of appropriate support aimed at young people including those from more complex backgrounds.

The Department for Work and Pensions is working at a district, regional and national level with Disability Confident employers, encouraging them to pro-actively attract, recruit and retain disabled people, offering help and support at every stage of the journey. The department provides employers with a range of material, videos and toolkits, to help them to develop best practice.

We are working closely with our stakeholders, including all main government departments, the Local Government Association, and Councils. The DWP Business Leaders Group, consisting of corporate influencers, is also helping to promote the benefits of employing a diverse range of employees, including disabled people.

Last year, we made a number of improvements to the scheme, including adding the requirement for Disability Confident Leader employers to use the Voluntary Reporting Framework (VRF) to publicly report on how they encourage and support disabled staff. Although there is flexibility in how employers can use the VRF, we expect that most would choose to combine it with their annual report and accounts.

In November 2018, we published the results of survey research commissioned from Ipsos MORI, which explored the effect that signing up to the Disability Confident scheme had on recruitment and retention attitudes towards disabled people. Half of all employers interviewed for the study said they had recruited at least one person with a disability, long-term health or mental health condition as a result of joining the scheme. Among larger employers, nearly two thirds reported the same. Eight in ten (80%) of employers interviewed had adopted at least one disability-related retention practice as a result of joining the scheme.

Training and guidance is provided for work coaches to support customers with fluctuating health conditions to find and stay in work.

They receive health and complex needs learning that provides them with the skills and knowledge to:

• coach claimants to equip them with the tools and skills they need to progress towards or into work
• invest in knowing the claimants they coach by asking the right questions to establish their needs
• know how they can support claimants with complex needs in specific areas
• state where they can find assistance and refer claimants to personalised provision for themselves with regard to their health condition
• challenge claimants by setting and agreeing personalised, achievable steps that are reviewed at every attendance.

In addition, support is also provided for the work coach by the Disability Employment Advisers and Work Psychologists. Work Coaches can refer individuals to personalised provision and support such as the Work and Health Programme (available in England and Wales) or Fair Start Scotland (devolved programme available in Scotland).

Work Coaches have access to further learning in the form of ‘bitesize’ learning and guidance spotlights to refresh and support them. For example:

• Health and Work Conversation Techniques ‘bitesize’ – this provides learning on how to keep claimants engaged with the world of work and to keep thinking about the work they could do now or in the future, if not possible now. The Health and Work Conversation techniques have been specifically designed to enable the work coach to support a claimant who has:

- a health condition

- become disengaged with the labour market, perhaps, because they have been long term unemployed

• Spotlight: Work and Health Programme (WHP) published November 2019

- Spotlight: Universal Credit Health Offer published April 2019 – This provides guidance on what is available for customers to support them to and in work. For example, Access to Work, Specialist Employability Support

We are currently analysing the responses received to the call for evidence to develop the 10 Year Cancer Plan, which will be published later this year. The Plan will set out how we will improve cancer services, including for those patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia.

NHS England and NHS Improvement have committed to ensure that every patient has access to a clinical nurse specialist (CNS). In 2021/22, Health Education England invested an additional £52 million to develop the cancer and diagnostics workforce, which included training opportunities for 754 existing and aspiring CNS. The 2019 Cancer Patient Experience Survey found that 89% of nearly 10,000 respondents with haematological cancers reported that they were given access to a CNS who would support them through their treatment. Data from Cancer Alliances in March 2021 showed that approximately 83% of all cancer multi-disciplinary teams had implemented Personalised Care and Support Planning based on Holistic Needs Assessments. NHS England and NHS Improvement have requested that Cancer Alliances identify any gaps in mental health provision as part of the 2022/23 Planning Guidance. NHS England and NHS Improvement are also supporting adults experiencing cancer with access to Improving Access to Psychological Therapies mental health services.

We are currently analysing the responses received to the call for evidence to develop the 10 Year Cancer Plan, which will be published later this year. The Plan will set out how we will improve cancer services, including for those patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia.

NHS England and NHS Improvement have committed to ensure that every patient has access to a clinical nurse specialist (CNS). In 2021/22, Health Education England invested an additional £52 million to develop the cancer and diagnostics workforce, which included training opportunities for 754 existing and aspiring CNS. The 2019 Cancer Patient Experience Survey found that 89% of nearly 10,000 respondents with haematological cancers reported that they were given access to a CNS who would support them through their treatment. Data from Cancer Alliances in March 2021 showed that approximately 83% of all cancer multi-disciplinary teams had implemented Personalised Care and Support Planning based on Holistic Needs Assessments. NHS England and NHS Improvement have requested that Cancer Alliances identify any gaps in mental health provision as part of the 2022/23 Planning Guidance. NHS England and NHS Improvement are also supporting adults experiencing cancer with access to Improving Access to Psychological Therapies mental health services.

We are currently analysing the responses received to the call for evidence to develop the 10 Year Cancer Plan, which will be published later this year. The Plan will set out how we will improve cancer services, including for those patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia.

NHS England and NHS Improvement have committed to ensure that every patient has access to a clinical nurse specialist (CNS). In 2021/22, Health Education England invested an additional £52 million to develop the cancer and diagnostics workforce, which included training opportunities for 754 existing and aspiring CNS. The 2019 Cancer Patient Experience Survey found that 89% of nearly 10,000 respondents with haematological cancers reported that they were given access to a CNS who would support them through their treatment. Data from Cancer Alliances in March 2021 showed that approximately 83% of all cancer multi-disciplinary teams had implemented Personalised Care and Support Planning based on Holistic Needs Assessments. NHS England and NHS Improvement have requested that Cancer Alliances identify any gaps in mental health provision as part of the 2022/23 Planning Guidance. NHS England and NHS Improvement are also supporting adults experiencing cancer with access to Improving Access to Psychological Therapies mental health services.

As set out in the Levelling Up White Paper, the Government is working to address the issue of poor housing through improving standards in private and socially rented accommodation, with a focus on delivering the biggest improvements in the poorest performing areas.

The forthcoming health disparities white paper aims to address preventable diseases and other causes of ill-health and how services can diagnose and treat the symptoms of health inequalities. We will provide further information on the specific topics to be included in the white paper in due course.

The latest available data from 2019/20 shows that 81 women on the Medicines and Pregnancy Anti-Epileptics Registry were prescribed valproate during their pregnancy. This represents a decrease of almost 15% from 2018/19, where 95 women were prescribed sodium valproate during their pregnancy.

Women should not be prescribed valproate without a Pregnancy Prevention Programme (PPP) in place. The Registry allows us to monitor implementation of and adherence to the PPP and understand changes in the use of valproate and the impact on women and their children.

No formal assessment has been made as information on the provision of these services is not held centrally. General practitioner (GP) practices are increasingly recommending self-care methods as the primary means to support the safe removal of ear wax. However, if a GP practice considers removal via irrigation or micro-suction clinically necessary, the procedure should either be undertaken at the practice, or the patient should be referred to an appropriate local NHS service.

Decisions on the funding and provision of health services, including ear wax removal, are the responsibility of local clinical commissioning groups. Commissioners plan services to meet the needs of local communities, including continuing to ensure there is appropriate access to ear wax removal services.

The appointment process is continuing and an announcement will be made in due course.

We have no current plans to do so.

NHS Resolution handles clinical negligence claims on behalf of National Health Service organisations and independent sector providers of NHS care in England. As at 31 March 2022, NHS Resolution had received 127 claims relating to sodium valproate, of which seven are currently open. The total amount paid in damages and costs for the 120 closed cases relating to sodium valproate is £14.6 million. The value of the remaining seven open cases has yet to be determined.

The length of the appointment was advertised as up to 18 months.

The role was advertised with a remuneration rate of approximately £300 to £350 per day.

The role was advertised on GOV.UK between 14 and 28 January 2022, with more than 70 applications received. The appointment process is on-going.

NHS Resolution continues to work with the Department to establish a single gateway for patients affected by mesh and sodium valproate seeking to bring a claim. NHS Resolution aims for the gateway to be available by the end of April 2022.

The Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 redefined the scope of civil legal aid and a number of matters, including most medical negligence cases, are no longer covered by public funding. Legal aid may be available under the exceptional case funding scheme, where failure to provide it would breach or risk breaching human rights under European Court of Human Rights or European Union law. Legal aid for clinical negligence remains for cases where a child has serious neurological injuries and as a result is severely disabled, subject to meeting certain conditions.

The information requested is not held centrally. Local commissioners and mental health providers are expected to consider the needs of children and young people in the local population in planning and service delivery, including those on a child protection plan, in the care system and care leavers.

No specific estimate has been made of the average waiting times for those known to social services to receive mental health support. A national access and waiting times standard for child and adolescent mental health services has not yet been defined.

Frontline health and social care workers, including primary care staff, continue to be recommended for annual flu vaccinations as set out The Green Book. Provision of a vaccine is part of an employers’ occupational health responsibilities under their policy to prevent the transmission of infection.

The 2021/22 complimentary offer of flu vaccinations for frontline primary care staff, including dentists, was agreed as a one-off for the 2021/22 flu season due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the benefit of ensuring staff were offered maximum protection against both viruses. As part of the wider return to sustainable public health measures, the provision of seasonal flu vaccinations will return to being an employer’s responsibility from 2022/23.

The Pregnancy Prevention Programme (PPP) is available to health care professionals, including general practitioners, maternity staff, health visitors, dispensers and parents. Healthcare professionals seeking to prescribe valproate to their female patients must ensure they are enrolled in the PPP. This includes the completion of a signed risk acknowledgement form when the treatment is reviewed annually by a specialist.

Healthcare professionals receive a printed copy of the updated educational materials annually from the PPP. These are used to inform patients of the risks associated with the use of valproate in pregnancy. The information is also available online for both healthcare professionals and patients. A statutory patient information leaflet should always be provided with a medicine containing valproate, even if dispensed in a pharmacy box.

Representations have been received from NHS England. There are regular weekly meetings with NHS England and NHS Improvement on a range of topics, including the seasonal flu programme.

The valproate Pregnancy Prevention Programme is supported by educational materials for healthcare professionals and patients which describe the neurodevelopmental disorders and major congenital malformations associated with the use of valproate in pregnancy. These are circulated to healthcare professionals annually, most recently in December 2021.

Additionally, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has raised awareness among healthcare professionals through updates to the valproate Summary of Product Characteristics, patient information leaflets and educational materials. The risks associated with valproate use in pregnancy have been communicated in articles in the MHRA’s bulletin and letters through the NHS Central Alerting System. This is supported by messages from professional bodies and reinforced through clinical guidelines and improved alerts on general practitioner prescribing systems.

No formal assessment has been made. Manual ear syringing is no longer advised by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) due to the associated risks, such as trauma to their ear drum or infection. NICE’s guidance suggests alternative arrangements, such as ear irrigation, micro suction, or manual removal.

The NHS Long Term Plan committed to investing up to £30 million over five years to meet the health needs of people sleeping rough, to ensure that the parts of England most affected by rough sleeping will have better access to specialist homelessness National Health Service (NHS) mental health support, integrated with existing outreach services.

The ambition was for new specialist mental health provision for people who sleep rough to be established in 20 high-need areas by 2023/24. The NHS have met and exceeded this ambition in 2021/22 having established 23 sites, as shown in the following table:

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is providing £4 million towards the OCTAVE trial examining responses to COVID-19 vaccines in clinically at-risk groups, including those with certain blood cancers. The OCTAVE-DUO clinical trial (funded with £2.2 million from the Vaccines Taskforce and UKRI) is studying whether a third dose of COVID-19 vaccine will improve the immune response for people who have weakened immune systems.

UKRI is also providing £4 million for five COVID-19 research projects studying the durability of vaccine responses, low responses linked with health conditions, and the effect of booster shots. These studies include a wide range of people, including certain types of blood cancer.

Additionally, UKRI is supporting the MELODY study which aims to recruit immunosuppressed people, including those with blood cancer, to work out their immune response to COVID-19 vaccination and future risk of infection, hospitalisation and survival over a six-month period.

The National Institute for Health Research is also providing infrastructure support to the PROSECO study evaluating COVID-19 vaccine immune responses in people with lymphoid cancer; as well as the MyeloidScan study investigating the impact of COVID 19 infection and vaccination on organ function in patients with myeloid blood cancers.

The Department commissioned an independent expert to establish the eligible cohort for new COVID-19 treatments. This includes patients receiving certain treatments for blood cancers and those with specific types of blood cancers. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) provided approximately 1.3 million priority polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test kits to the eligible patients. The UKHSA is also sending replacement priority PCR kits to eligible patients, which can also be requested via 119.

The Department has not received any representations from the Donor Conceived Truth Campaign, at this stage.

The Department has asked the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority to undertake a review of the existing Human Fertilisation and Embryology legislation, which will include engagement with a wide range of interested groups. This was launched in December 2021 and is intended to report by the end of 2022.

The following table shows the monies clawed back by NHS England as of March 2022 from primary care National Health Service dental practices in England which had not met their contractual targets in each year since 2012/13. Data is not available before 2012/13.

In cases where a provider has underperformed, clawback of payment from providers is carried out in the subsequent financial year. No estimate has yet been made for overall clawback relating to underperformance in 2021/22. The Government’s accounting rules do not allow carry forward of any unspent monies, so clawback cannot be re-invested in year. However, the NHS commits £3 billion for dentistry services each year.

The following table shows the monies clawed back by NHS England as of March 2022 from primary care National Health Service dental practices in England which had not met their contractual targets in each year since 2012/13. Data is not available before 2012/13.

In cases where a provider has underperformed, clawback of payment from providers is carried out in the subsequent financial year. No estimate has yet been made for overall clawback relating to underperformance in 2021/22. The Government’s accounting rules do not allow carry forward of any unspent monies, so clawback cannot be re-invested in year. However, the NHS commits £3 billion for dentistry services each year.

Throughout the pandemic, we have provided funding to ensure National Health Service dental practices continue to receive the full contract value, minus agreed deductions for variable costs, for delivering a reduced volume of activity. Safe activity thresholds triggering the payment of full contract value have been set, based upon data demonstrating what dentists have achieved to date and consideration of infection prevention and control guidance. The funding provided to the NHS to for practice income protection has also covered the reduction in patient charge revenue received due to reduced activity.

Free personal protective equipment has also been provided to dental practices in 2020/21 and 2021/22 and now extended to 31 March 2023 or until infection prevention and control guidance is withdrawn or significantly amended. An additional £50 million has been made available for the remainder of 2021/22 to allow more patients access to dental care.

Data is not available on the total expenditure of National Health Service (NHS) primary dental services in real terms or per head of population.

The total expenditure on NHS primary dental services in England in nominal terms, gross and net of patient charge revenue from 2010/11 can be seen in the following table:

Source: Department of Health and Social Care Annual Report and Accounts.

Data is not available on the total expenditure of National Health Service (NHS) primary dental services in real terms or per head of population.

The total expenditure on NHS primary dental services in England in nominal terms, gross and net of patient charge revenue from 2010/11 can be seen in the following table:

Source: Department of Health and Social Care Annual Report and Accounts.

NHS England and NHS Improvement are currently co-ordinating an assessment of the viability of a 24-hour helpline to support those dependent on prescription medicines. Decisions to provide local withdrawal services should be made by clinical commissioning groups and integrated care systems with local authority public health partners, as they have responsibility for commissioning local services to meet the needs of their population.

There are no plans to undertake further investigation into the harms caused by long-term prescribing of benzodiazepines and z drugs as the risks associated with these drugs are well established in Public Health England’s review. However, consideration will be given to any new emerging evidence. We have no plans to introduce mandatory prescribing guidelines. It is a contractual and professional obligation to follow the guidance set out by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), unless this does not meet a patient’s clinical needs. NICE recently consulted on draft guidance on safe prescribing and withdrawal management of medicines associated with dependence or withdrawal symptoms. The consultation closed on 2 December 2021 and the guidance is due to be published in April 2022.

Multidisciplinary teams within local child development centres manage services for children with neurodevelopmental disorders to ensure assessment, support and treatment, including specialist treatment, are integrated across health, maternity, education and social care systems.

The National Health Service has commissioned the Paediatric Neurosciences Clinical Reference Group to support the development of pathways of care service specification to improve patient support and co-ordination. A multi-disciplinary expert clinical group with experience in responding to and managing teratogen exposure has been established. The Group will report its recommendations to NHS England and NHS Improvement in March 2022.

To inform the content of the strategy, the Department will publish a call for evidence, to seek the views of stakeholders including healthcare staff, people living with an acquired brain injury and their families and carers on what should be prioritised within the strategy and whether there are other similar or related neurological conditions which should be considered for inclusion.

The Department for Health and Social Care is working with other Government departments including the Department for Work and Pensions, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, the Department for Education and the Ministry of Justice to explore ways to strengthen the support provided to those with an acquired brain injury.

NHS England and NHS Improvement have established an advisory and technical working group, with membership from the dental profession. A range of focus groups were held to inform proposals for dental system reform, including of the existing contract. Any proposed contractual changes will be negotiated with the British Dental Association.

National Health Service dental practices are currently prioritising urgent care, vulnerable groups and children, followed by overdue routine care. New infection prevention and control guidance was published on 24 November, which will support NHS dentistry to provide more appointments whilst keeping patients, dentists, and their teams safe. There are 56 urgent dental centres in Lancashire and South Cumbria which patients can contact directly via the local dental advice triage helpline.

The following table shows the number of items prescribed in England for benzodiazepines including clonazepam, z-drugs, antidepressants and opioids in the latest two full years of available data.

In total 169 providers have been removed from the Government’s list of private testing providers.

In October 2021 NHS Digital received requests to add additional codes to specify 'valproate' in the term. NHS Digital, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and NHS England and NHS Improvement’s sodium valproate programme are working together to support the SNOMED CT coding requirements of the programme.

NHS Digital are currently developing the Valproate Annual Risk Acknowledgement Form and Referral for Valproate Annual Risk Acknowledgement Form and intend to publish them in the SNOMED CT UK Clinical Edition release on 1 December.

In developing the Life Science Vision, the Government worked with global academic and industrial leaders to identify areas of scientific and research potential which could be harnessed to address the seven identified healthcare missions. Detailed implementation plans for the missions are now being developed. No specific assessment has yet been made of the contribution of the use of advanced cultures of human cells and tissues, artificial intelligence and organ-on-a-chip technology and other new approach methodologies. However, the Vision is being guided by the best available science and will take into consideration the potential contribution of the latest advancements in life sciences in delivering the healthcare missions.

The national strategy for suicide reduction in England does not seek to list all potential causes of suicide. The strategy notes that the factors leading to someone taking their own life are complex and supports action to reduce suicide rates by bringing together knowledge about groups at higher risk of suicide, rather than potential causes and by applying evidence of effective interventions and highlighting resources available. As the strategy looks at preventing suicide in high risk groups, it does not include the potential risk that some forms of antidepressant may cause for some people.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency introduced warnings within prescribing and patient information leaflets (PIL) for the most commonly used selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor class of antidepressants. The PIL contains information about the need for close supervision of patients and advises that caregivers should be alerted to monitor for any changes in mood or behaviour and to seek medical advice immediately if these occur.

The national strategy for suicide reduction in England does not seek to list all potential causes of suicide. The strategy notes that the factors leading to someone taking their own life are complex and supports action to reduce suicide rates by bringing together knowledge about groups at higher risk of suicide, rather than potential causes and by applying evidence of effective interventions and highlighting resources available. As the strategy looks at preventing suicide in high risk groups, it does not include the potential risk that some forms of antidepressant may cause for some people.