Chris Evans

We will start issuing Remedial Service Statements (RSS) from Spring 2024 and this will be completed in line with the legislative deadline of April 2025. This has been broken into cohorts starting with Ill Health Retirements and concluding with Deceased.

We will start issuing Remedial Service Statements (RSS) from Spring 2024 and this will be completed in line with the legislative deadline of April 2025. This has been broken into cohorts starting with Ill Health Retirements and concluding with Deceased.

​​Under the Ministerial and Other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991, eligible Ministers who leave office are entitled to severance pay of a quarter of their annual salary. This applies only where a Minister is under 65 and is not appointed to a ministerial office within three weeks of leaving government.

Individual departments are responsible for the payment of salaries and severance payments to current and former Ministers and, as such, the information requested by the Hon. gentleman is not held centrally. Departments are required to publish compensation payments paid to former Ministers as part of their Annual Report & Accounts.

​​Under the Ministerial and Other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991, eligible Ministers who leave office are entitled to severance pay of a quarter of their annual salary. This applies only where a Minister is under 65 and is not appointed to a ministerial office within three weeks of leaving government.

Individual departments are responsible for the payment of salaries and severance payments to current and former Ministers and, as such, the information requested by the Hon. gentleman is not held centrally. Departments are required to publish compensation payments paid to former Ministers as part of their Annual Report & Accounts.

The Prime Minister has committed to producing a ‘refresh’ of the 2021 Integrated Review by the end of the year to ensure that the UK’s security, defence, development and foreign policy architecture is keeping pace with the evolving international environment.

The ‘refresh’ has two core aims:

• to review changes in the strategic context since publication of the IR; and

• to adjust the UK’s overarching approach and its priorities for action to 2025, including in line with the new Prime Minister’s specific priorities.

The ‘refresh’ will supplement and extend the IR rather than replacing it. As such, it supports the ongoing process of strategy development and delivery within government, and is an example of adaptive strategy in practice.

The Government will engage with Parliament, the Devolved Administrations, external experts, industry and wider stakeholders with an interest in our nation’s security and prosperity. This includes our allies and partners, building on our ongoing dialogue.

Although there are currently no plans for other documents to be published alongside the ‘refresh’, more detail will be published in due course on how the Government will pursue the strategic priorities set out in the IR.

The Government is aware of the troubling issues that householders have reported regarding commercial lease/rent-a-roof arrangements linked to the Feed-in Tariff and Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive schemes. Minister Bowie met with some of the affected consumers last month to listen to their concerns. Whilst these are private law contracts, the Department is currently investigating these issues and working with the responsible regulatory bodies, before determining what action can be taken.

The Online Safety Bill will require all in-scope platforms to assess and mitigate the risk of illegal content appearing on their sites, or of their sites being used to facilitate illegal activity. All in-scope platforms will need to design their services to prevent exposure to illegal content and will need to set out in their terms of service how individuals will be protected from illegal content online. In-scope platforms will also need to ensure that they quickly take down illegal content once it has been reported or they become aware of its presence on their services.

Platforms which are likely to be accessed by children will also need to assess the risks their service poses for children, including from harms such as cyberbullying and content depicting or encouraging violence, put in place measures to protect them, and monitor these to ensure they are keeping children safe on their services.

Users will be able to report abuse, and should expect to receive an appropriate response from the platform.

If major platforms don’t fulfil their own standards to keep people safe, they could face an investigation and enforcement action.

The Online Safety Bill will require all in-scope platforms to assess and mitigate the risk of illegal content appearing on their sites, or of their sites being used to facilitate illegal activity. All in-scope platforms will need to design their services to prevent exposure to illegal content and will need to set out in their terms of service how individuals will be protected from illegal content online. In-scope platforms will also need to ensure that they quickly take down illegal content once it has been reported or they become aware of its presence on their services.

Platforms which are likely to be accessed by children will also need to assess the risks their service poses for children, including from harms such as cyberbullying and content depicting or encouraging violence, put in place measures to protect them, and monitor these to ensure they are keeping children safe on their services.

Users will be able to report abuse, and should expect to receive an appropriate response from the platform.

If major platforms don’t fulfil their own standards to keep people safe, they could face an investigation and enforcement action.

The Online Safety Bill will require all in-scope platforms to assess and mitigate the risk of illegal content appearing on their sites, or of their sites being used to facilitate illegal activity. All in-scope platforms will need to design their services to prevent exposure to illegal content and will need to set out in their terms of service how individuals will be protected from illegal content online. In-scope platforms will also need to ensure that they quickly take down illegal content once it has been reported or they become aware of its presence on their services.

Platforms which are likely to be accessed by children will also need to assess the risks their service poses for children, including from harms such as cyberbullying and content depicting or encouraging violence, put in place measures to protect them, and monitor these to ensure they are keeping children safe on their services.

Users will be able to report abuse, and should expect to receive an appropriate response from the platform.

If major platforms don’t fulfil their own standards to keep people safe, they could face an investigation and enforcement action.

The Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) is a trade union and has private membership. It is for the relevant National Governing Body of sport to take action in this area, but the government will take a keen interest in the findings.

We will continue to work closely with these bodies across the sports sector more broadly to ensure that appropriate measures are in place to protect participants from harm.

Section 1 of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 prohibits the owning or keeping of four types of dog: the Pit Bull terrier, the Dogo Argentino, the Fila Brasileiro and the Japanese Tosa.

Despite the general prohibitions on these types of dog, an individual prohibited dog can be kept by its owner or by the person for the time being in charge of the dog if a court judges that the dog is not a danger to public safety. In its assessment, the court must consider the temperament of the dog and its past behaviour, whether the proposed keeper is a fit and proper person, and may consider any other relevant circumstances, such as whether the dog can be kept in a suitable environment. If the court considers these criteria to be met, the dog can be listed on the Index of Exempted Dogs and must be kept under strict conditions, including being on a lead and muzzled in public.

The Dangerous Dogs Exemption Schemes (England and Wales) Order 2015 sets out the circumstances where an exempted prohibited dog may be transferred to a new keeper should the current keeper become seriously ill or die. The Government is not planning to introduce additional abilities to enable exempted prohibited dogs to be transferred to new keepers.

As set out in the Withdrawal Agreement, during the transition period, we have agreed that we will continue to apply current fisheries rules and shared access to waters will continue until the end of 2020. When the transition period ends, we will be able to restrict the fishing activities of all vessels, including supertrawlers, throughout our waters.

The UK will be able to decide what vessels can access our waters to fish and the new licensing framework within the Fisheries Bill will allow us to apply conditions to the activities of all vessels fishing in UK waters. Any vessels granted access to fish in our waters, regardless of nationality, will need to abide by UK rules including those on sustainability.

TRACES (Trade Control and Expert System) is a European Commission system used by EU member states to facilitate and record animal/animal product movements into and throughout the EU. The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), as the competent authority, is able to extract information from TRACES for imports of live animals into the UK.

Based on the information available, there were no solipeds or equidae certified for slaughter which had been imported from Ireland in 2019 or 2020.

The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) issues Export Health Certificates (EHCs) for animals and products of animal origin exported to non-EU countries. In 2019, APHA did not issue any EHCs for the export of horse meat to non-EU countries.

APHA is not able to provide any data regarding the quantity of horse meat exported from the UK to the EU in 2019. Data for such trade is currently drawn from EU systems based on movements of animals to the EU that require an Intra-Trade Animal Health Certificate (ITAHC). An ITAHC was not required for movements of meat between the UK and the rest of the EU in 2019.

Defra officials have regular discussions with the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), including recently on its Horse Welfare Board’s five-year Horse Welfare Strategy “A life well-lived”. The Strategy recommends that the BHA should consult as soon as possible and ideally by October 2020 on increased penalties for whip offences. The Strategy also recommends that this consultation should gather views on future restrictions on whip use and on a possible ban. As part of ongoing regular discussions, Defra officials will be advising the BHA about how to follow Government principles for conducting consultations, and Defra will be taking a close interest in how this progresses.

We met our target to offer a first vaccine to everyone in the top four priority groups, as identified by the Joint Committee of Vaccination and Immunisation by 15 February. This included all residents in a care homes for older adults and their carers.

Second vaccination visits to care homes are taking place over the next month to offer vaccinations to staff or residents who were unavailable on the day of the first visit. Everyone will receive their second dose within 12 weeks of their first.

New visiting arrangements have started on 8 March. Every care home should ensure that each resident can nominate one named person who can have regular, indoor visits.

Those residents with the highest care needs can also receive visits from a family member or friend who is an ‘essential care giver’. Following agreement between the care home, resident and their family or friends, these visitors will be able to visit more often in order to provide care that is critical to the resident’s immediate health and wellbeing. They will have the same testing and personal protective equipment arrangements as care home staff so that they can also provide extra support, such as help with washing and dressing or eating well.

We will assess the data and take a decision on opening up further opportunities for visiting, setting out a plan for the next phase of visits for people in residential care.

Public Health England published a review in 2019 on bioaerosols, which include mould, related to composting and intensive farming, and their potential effects on the health of those living nearby. This followed two other reviews published in 2018.

NHS England is aware of how damp and mould can lead to respiratory problems, infections, allergies, asthma and affect the immune system. Aspergillus is a group of moulds common in the home. Most people are naturally immune and do not develop disease caused by Aspergillus. The European Respiratory Society have produced guidelines for the diagnosis and management of chronic pulmonary aspergillosis.

Public Health England published a review in 2019 on bioaerosols, which include mould, related to composting and intensive farming, and their potential effects on the health of those living nearby. This followed two other reviews published in 2018.

NHS England is aware of how damp and mould can lead to respiratory problems, infections, allergies, asthma and affect the immune system. Aspergillus is a group of moulds common in the home. Most people are naturally immune and do not develop disease caused by Aspergillus. The European Respiratory Society have produced guidelines for the diagnosis and management of chronic pulmonary aspergillosis.

Detailed Government guidance is provided to public sector contracting authorities on how to assess and mitigate the risks of modern slavery in procurement. Contracts routinely include clauses requiring Good Industry Practice to ensure that there is no slavery or human trafficking in supply chains. In the event that allegations of modern slavery are substantiated in relation to a supplier, we will consider all available options.

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA) is the best, and currently only, way to monitor and constrain Iran's nuclear programme. But Iran's continued systematic non-compliance with its JCPoA commitments is undermining the non-proliferation benefits of the deal and jeopardising our efforts to preserve it. In his call with President Rouhani on 10 March, the Prime Minister stressed that while the UK remains committed to making the JCPoA a success, Iran must stop all nuclear activity that breaches the terms of the deal and come back into compliance.

We are particularly concerned by Iran's announcement on 16 April that it has started uranium enrichment up to 60% using advanced centrifuges. As the E3 said in a statement on 14 April, the production of highly enriched uranium constitutes an important step in the production of a nuclear weapon. Iran has no credible civilian need for enrichment at this level.

We continue to work with the parties to the JCPoA and the new US Administration to find a diplomatic way forward that realises the benefits of the deal, and call upon Iran not to take any further steps which violate its JCPoA commitments and make a return to mutual compliance harder to achieve.

The UK remains committed to making progress towards a two-state solution. We support the objectives of the International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace and continue to engage with the Alliance for Middle East Peace and Biden administration to discuss the Fund's development.

The UK is committed to defending freedom of religion or belief for all. We recognise that women and girls from religious minorities can often suffer because of both their gender and their faith. That is why we ensure our human rights policy work considers the intersectionality of human rights, including the importance of addressing the specific vulnerabilities experienced by women and girls from religious minority communities.

The UK is recognised as a global leader in tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG) in all its forms, by pioneering approaches around the world that have shown that VAWG is preventable. In the DRC, a project with faith leaders and community action groups halved women's experience of intimate partner violence from 69% to 29%. Preventing and responding to conflict-related sexual violence remains a top priority for the FCDO. In November, the Prime Minister's Special Representative on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, launched the Declaration of Humanity by faith and belief leaders which calls for the prevention of sexual violence in conflict and denounces the stigma faced by survivors, including by children born of rape. Through UK Aid Connect, FCDO has supported the Creid programme (managed by the Institute of Development Studies) to work with women from religious minorities in five countries in Africa and Asia to understand the problems they face and identify effective approaches to tackle these issues.

The UK is committed to defending freedom of religion or belief for all. We recognise that women and girls from religious minorities can often suffer because of both their gender and their faith. That is why we ensure our human rights policy work considers the intersectionality of human rights, including the importance of addressing the specific vulnerabilities experienced by women and girls from religious minority communities.

The UK is recognised as a global leader in tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG) in all its forms, by pioneering approaches around the world that have shown that VAWG is preventable. In the DRC, a project with faith leaders and community action groups halved women's experience of intimate partner violence from 69% to 29%. Preventing and responding to conflict-related sexual violence remains a top priority for the FCDO. In November, Lord Ahmad launched the Declaration of Humanity by faith and belief leaders which calls for the prevention of sexual violence in conflict and denounces the stigma faced by survivors, including by children born of rape. Through UK Aid Connect, FCDO has supported the Creid programme (managed by the Institute of Development Studies) to work with women from religious minorities in five countries in Africa and Asia to understand the problems they face and identify effective approaches to tackle these issues.

The UK is committed to defending freedom of religion or belief for all. We recognise that women and girls from religious minorities can often suffer because of both their gender and their faith. That is why we ensure our human rights policy work considers the intersectionality of human rights, including the importance of addressing the specific vulnerabilities experienced by women and girls from religious minority communities.

The UK is recognised as a global leader in tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG) in all its forms, by pioneering approaches around the world that have shown that VAWG is preventable. In the DRC, a project with faith leaders and community action groups halved women's experience of intimate partner violence from 69% to 29%. Preventing and responding to conflict-related sexual violence remains a top priority for the FCDO. In November, the Prime Minister's Special Representative on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, launched the Declaration of Humanity by faith and belief leaders which calls for the prevention of sexual violence in conflict and denounces the stigma faced by survivors, including by children born of rape. Through UK Aid Connect, FCDO has supported the Creid programme (managed by the Institute of Development Studies) to work with women from religious minorities in five countries in Africa and Asia to understand the problems they face and identify effective approaches to tackle these issues.

The Government understands that being unable to switch your mortgage can be extremely stressful. Alongside the Financial Conduct Authority and industry, we have shown we are willing to act through the introduction of a ‘modified affordability assessment’, which removes the regulatory barriers that prevented some customers, who otherwise may have been able to switch, from accessing new products. We are also regularly in contact with key stakeholders, including recently with the UK Mortgage Prisoners campaign group.

The Government remains committed to this issue and will continue to work with industry and wider stakeholders to determine if there are proposals that will meaningly benefit affected borrowers and be fair to other borrowers in the wider market.

In November 2021, I laid before Parliament a review on the issue of mortgage prisoners conducted by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). This review found that there are 47,000 mortgage prisoners who might benefit from switching to a new mortgage deal but are considered too high risk to do so, despite being up to date with payments.

The review makes clear that the reasons mortgage prisoners are unable to switch are complex and varied, including a high proportion of interest-only mortgage borrowers with no clear repayment plan and pre-financial crisis legacy issues such as borrowers self-certifying their income on their loan applications. A comprehensive understanding of the circumstances of mortgage prisoners is therefore crucial in progressing work and the FCA’s review provides the key insight necessary to facilitate this. Following this and previous interventions to help borrowers switch, the Government is working with industry to determine if any further solutions that can be found to help mortgage prisoners.

This further work must consider the practicality of solutions and their effects on the wider mortgage market, including the resilience of firms and fairness to other borrowers. A cap on the Standard Variable Rates (SVRs) charged by inactive firms would be an unprecedented market intervention and would undermine the principle of risk-based pricing which underlies the mortgage market. It would entail risks to the financial stability of firms which would be unable to vary their rates in line with their costs of funding and would be deeply unfair to borrowers in the wider mortgage market who pay similar rates to mortgage prisoners. It is worth noting that the SVRs charged by inactive firms are in line with those paid by borrowers in the active market.

The Government continues to examine what further practical and proportionate solutions existing to help mortgage prisoners which do not pose unacceptable financial stability risks or are unfair to other borrowers in the mortgage market.

In November 2021, I laid before Parliament a review on the issue of mortgage prisoners conducted by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). This review found that there are 47,000 mortgage prisoners who might benefit from switching to a new mortgage deal but are considered too high risk to do so, despite being up to date with payments.

The review makes clear that the reasons mortgage prisoners are unable to switch are complex and varied, including a high proportion of interest-only mortgage borrowers with no clear repayment plan and pre-financial crisis legacy issues such as borrowers self-certifying their income on their loan applications. A comprehensive understanding of the circumstances of mortgage prisoners is therefore crucial in progressing work and the FCA’s review provides the key insight necessary to facilitate this. Following this and previous interventions to help borrowers switch, the Government is working with industry to determine if any further solutions that can be found to help mortgage prisoners.

This further work must consider the practicality of solutions and their effects on the wider mortgage market, including the resilience of firms and fairness to other borrowers. A cap on the Standard Variable Rates (SVRs) charged by inactive firms would be an unprecedented market intervention and would undermine the principle of risk-based pricing which underlies the mortgage market. It would entail risks to the financial stability of firms which would be unable to vary their rates in line with their costs of funding and would be deeply unfair to borrowers in the wider mortgage market who pay similar rates to mortgage prisoners. It is worth noting that the SVRs charged by inactive firms are in line with those paid by borrowers in the active market.

The Government continues to examine what further practical and proportionate solutions existing to help mortgage prisoners which do not pose unacceptable financial stability risks or are unfair to other borrowers in the mortgage market.