Charles Walker

Before determining any consent applications for tidal lagoons that are nationally significant infrastructure projects, my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State will consider their individual and cumulative environmental impacts alongside all other relevant information.

The Government is currently in the first phase of a Contract for Difference negotiation with the developer of the proposed Swansea Bay tidal lagoon project. This process of due diligence will enable us to gain a better understanding of the potential of a tidal lagoon programme in the UK.

At present there is no timeframe for how long the negotiation process may take. The timeframe depends on a number of factors, many of which would be outside the control of the Department. Robust due diligence is needed to determine whether undertaking this proposed project would be in the best interests of the consumer long term.

The Government is currently in the first phase of a Contract for Difference negotiation with the developer of the proposed Swansea Bay tidal lagoon project. This process of due diligence will enable us to gain a better understanding of the potential of a tidal lagoon programme in the UK.

Any proposals for further tidal lagoons would need to be considered separately by the relevant consenting authorities and would require assessments to be undertaken that consider the impacts of both an individual project and multiple projects on a cumulative basis.

My Rt Hon Friend and I have not had any such discussions.

This Government is committed to the protection and promotion of women’s rights. Sharia law has no jurisdiction in England and Wales and the Government has no intention of changing this position. Everyone, male or female, is equal before the law in this country.

The practice note issued by The Law Society on 13 March gives guidance to solicitors preparing wills under the law of England and Wales. It is a fundamental principle of this law that testators are, by making a valid will, able to leave their property to whomsoever they wish, subject only to the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975. The practice note does not and cannot change the law. The courts will continue to apply the law of England and Wales relating to the making of wills in exactly the same way as they did before the practice note was issued

The Government is carefully considering the Bills presented by Backbench Members in this session. Where the Government supports Private Members' Bills the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel may be instructed to assist by refining the drafting of the Bill.

There are over 300 COVID-19 vaccines in development around the world, in addition to the 7 vaccine candidates already secured for the UK. The Vaccine Taskforce is continuing to monitor vaccines in development globally.

Innovate UK is funding a number of COVID-19 vaccine projects with the aim to identify vaccines with alternative mechanisms of action and delivery, improved utility in low and middle-income countries, and greater scalability for mass manufacture.

The UK is one of the best places in the world to start and grow a business as is shown by our position as a leading destination for foreign direct investment. For example , commenting on the publication of the EY 2020 UK Attractiveness Survey, EY’s UK Chief Economist, Mark Gregory, said “The UK’s performance in attracting FDI in the digital economy in 2019 was impressive. The UK is the stand out digital economy in Europe, while UK R&D projects leapt to a decade-high”. Officials in the Department and across the Government stand ready to assist UK businesses keen to grow and make the most of their investments in the UK. Businesses wishing to do so should contact the Department’s enquiry line on 020 7215 5000 where they will receive assistance in contacting the relevant sector team that leads on their sector - in BEIS or in the correct alternative other government department.

The Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) and the Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS) are delegated schemes; meaning the decision to lend to a prospective borrower remains at the discretion of the lender. The rules of the schemes are overseen by the Government in conjunction with the British Business Bank.

CBILS is operated on the same basis as fully commercial loans, with lenders conducting the full range of checks they would usually make, subject to the specific eligibility requirements of the scheme. As part of the BBLS application process lenders undertake fraud checks, including Know Your Customer and Anti Money Laundering checks as required. Lenders do not undertake credit checks for BBLS applications and rely on the information provided by the borrower as part of the application. We continue to review the schemes to consider whether further measures can be introduced to reduce the risk of fraud.

The British Business Bank audits accredited lenders against their compliance with the scheme rules and can take action where lenders are not following the appropriate processes.

As set out in my Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister’s announcement on 17 July, close contact services including treatments to the face are allowed to resume as of 1 August, as long as they operate in a COVID-secure way.

My Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister made a statement to the House on 23 June where he announce that hairdressers and barbers in England will be able to reopen from 4 July, once they are following the COVID-secure guidelines.

Other close contact services, like tanning salons, beauticians, and tattoo parlours remain closed until further notice.

We are taking a phased, cautious approach to reopening our economy, working with businesses, trade associations and medical experts on the safest way to reopen close contact services like beauty salons, where there is often greater risk of transmission due to prolonged periods of face-to-face contact and close proximity between staff and customers.

We appreciate that this is difficult for some businesses, and we intend to allow close contact services, such as nail bars, to re-open as soon as it is safe to do so. Our approach is guided by the scientific and medical advice, and every step is weighed against the evidence.

The Department has talked to a number of different groups and organisations in relation to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), including representatives of umbrella companies.

Employment rights remain unchanged under the CJRS. Therefore, all workers’ right to holiday accrues to the extent and in the same way it did prior to being placed on to furlough under the CJRS, as provided by the individual’s statutory and contractual rights.

Employers are able to use the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme grant to cover wages paid to their workers, up to 80% of the worker’s usual pay. This includes payments made to a worker on annual leave, but where holiday pay owed exceeds the amount in the grant, the employer is required to make up the difference.

Further guidance to help employers manage holiday pay during Coronavirus is available on gov.uk.

Since 1 April 2017, 16.5% of applications made to HM Land Registry to register a new title were completed within 25 days. HM Land Registry have been working to reduce the oldest cases in the system and the average age of all pending applications to register a new title is 26.5 days.

Government has approved HMLR’s business strategy for the next five years including a digital programme that will deliver enhancements to current system capability over the duration of HM Land Registry’s Business Strategy, and appointed a new and expanded Board to support the organisation to deliver its objectives.

HM Land Registry have plans in place to deliver and maintain improved capacity for new registrations and resilience. Since October 2017 366 new staff have joined the organisation and an additional 120 new recruits are expected to join in May 2018. Since 2014-15, 567 Apprentices have joined HMLR including 510 in the Operations directorate who directly contribute to processing applications for registration. This includes 138 Apprentices taken on by the Operations directorate in 2017-18. A number of measures are in place to improve HM Land Registry processes and productivity in order to increase output, including the use of overtime and system improvements.

The Government has no plans to introduce mandatory testing for portable appliances in residential properties.

The Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016 require suppliers of electrical equipment to supply only safe products.

In addition, the legislation requires manufacturers of electrical products to monitor their products on the market. Should they identify unsafe equipment, they must take immediate corrective action to make the equipment safe, withdraw it or recall it. Enforcement authorities also have powers to require a manufacturer to take corrective action, including by requiring withdrawal or recall of unsafe products.

The information requested has been provided from the Met Office UK climate series and is contained in the following table.

¹ Regional statistics are not held for West and East Sussex, only for Sussex as a whole.

Calculations for the Soil Moisture Deficit (SMD) on the last day of each month from October 2016 are set out in the table below in millimetres:

Under the Fourth Anti-Money Laundering Directive, which will be transposed into national law by June 2017, a politically exposed person is one who has been entrusted with a prominent public function domestically or by a foreign country. The Government's view is that the Directive permits a risk-based approach to the identification of whether an individual is a politically exposed person and, when identified, the Directive enables the application of different degrees of enhanced measures to reflect the risks posed. We will be setting out this view in our consultation which will be published shortly.

This change should not prevent any individual in this category from gaining or maintaining access to financial services. We encourage financial institutions to take a proportionate risk-based approach when applying these measures.

Under the Fourth Anti-Money Laundering Directive, which will be transposed into national law by June 2017, a ‘politically exposed person’ is one ‘who is or who has been entrusted with prominent public functions’. This could potentially include some senior civil servants in the Department and its agencies or other public bodies.

The Government's view is that the Directive permits a risk-based approach to the identification of whether an individual is a politically exposed person and, when identified, the application of different degrees of enhanced measures by banks and other financial institutions to reflect the risks posed. The Government will be setting out this view in a consultation, which will be published shortly.

The Prime Minister has set out a clear roadmap through which we can begin to resume normal activities safely. The content and timing of future steps, however, will be dependent on the risk posed by the virus.

We recognise that organisations need time to plan and implement guidance. As such, DCMS remains in close contact with its sectors and, as part of that, has launched the Recreation and Leisure taskforce which will support plans for recovery across DCMS sectors. This will be informed by eight working groups, including an Entertainment and Events Working Group and a Sport Working Group that will bring together representatives from the sector as well as medical advisors to develop advice and guidance on reopenings.

Organisations that process personal data in the UK must register with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and comply with the Data Protection Act’s (DPA) eight data protection principles. These include requiring personal data to be processed fairly and lawfully; to be accurate and up-to-date; not to be kept for longer than is necessary; and to be processed in accordance with the rights of the data subjects under the DPA. Failure to comply with the Act is an offence. Further information about these obligations can be found on the ICO’s website at:

https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/guide-to-data-protection/

The Information Commissioner is the UK's independent authority responsible for administering and enforcing information rights, and provides guidance and advice to organisations on the Data Protection Act. The ICO has a number of tools at its disposal to take action against those that breach the legislation. These powers include the ability to conduct audits, serve enforcement notices and impose civil monetary penalties of up to £500,000.

Further information about the Information Commissioner can be found on the ICO’s website at:

www.ico.org.uk

Organisations that process personal data in the UK must register with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and comply with the Data Protection Act’s (DPA) eight data protection principles. These include requiring personal data to be processed fairly and lawfully; to be accurate and up-to-date; not to be kept for longer than is necessary; and to be processed in accordance with the rights of the data subjects under the DPA. Failure to comply with the Act is an offence. Further information about these obligations can be found on the ICO’s website at:

https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/guide-to-data-protection/

The Information Commissioner is the UK's independent authority responsible for administering and enforcing information rights, and provides guidance and advice to organisations on the Data Protection Act. The ICO has a number of tools at its disposal to take action against those that breach the legislation. These powers include the ability to conduct audits, serve enforcement notices and impose civil monetary penalties of up to £500,000.

Further information about the Information Commissioner can be found on the ICO’s website at:

www.ico.org.uk

The Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA) confers a number of rights on individuals in respect of the processing of their personal data by UK organisations. Subject to certain exemptions, section 7 of the DPA gives individuals the right to request a copy of information which an organisation holds about them. An individual can exercise this right, commonly known as ‘subject access’, by making a written subject access request to the organisation.

If an individual would like to find out what information Thomson Reuters holds about them in World-Check, they can email contact@world-check.com. Further information about individuals’ rights concerning the processing of their personal data by Thomson Reuters Accelus can be found on their website at:

https://risk.thomsonreuters.com/world-check-privacy-statement

The BBC is not a relevant person under the Money Laundering Regulations and as such appointees to the BBC Board would not be affected.

Under the Fourth Anti-Money Laundering Directive, which will be transposed into national law by June 2017, a politically exposed person is one who has been entrusted with a prominent public function domestically or by a foreign country. This would include some senior civil servants, such as ambassadors and chargés d'affaires. The Government's view is that the Directive permits a risk-based approach to the identification of whether an individual is a politically exposed person and, when identified, the Directive enables the application of different degrees of enhanced measures to reflect the risks posed. The Government will be setting out this view in a consultation which will be published shortly.