Clive Efford

I refer the Hon Members to the answers given in Cabinet Office orals on 11 February. Guidance and published information are available on gov.uk.

Ministers and officials have met with a wide range of stakeholders to discuss the scope and structure of the football governance review, including the Football Supporters’ Association on multiple occasions. The Secretary of State and Prime Minister met with the Football Supporters’ Association last week to discuss the fan-led review of football governance.

A full list of Ministerial meetings can be found on gov.uk.

The Government has been vocal in its opposition to the European Super League, which would have been to the detriment of the whole football pyramid including the English Football League and the National League System.

Before the announcements on 19th April, the department had not had any discussions on these proposals. Once announced, the Government met with multiple football stakeholders, including the Football Association, to discuss the issue and what action was needed.

The Government was pleased to see the withdrawal of all English teams from the project - the right result for football fans, clubs and communities across the country.

The Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport announced an independent fan-led review of football governance on 19 April. This will be chaired by the Honourable Member for Chatham and Aylesford.

The Government has been vocal in its opposition to the European Super League, which would have been to the detriment of the whole football pyramid including the English Football League and the National League System.

Before the announcements on 19th April, the department had not had any discussions on these proposals. Once announced, the Government met with multiple football stakeholders, including the Football Association, to discuss the issue and what action was needed.

The Government was pleased to see the withdrawal of all English teams from the project - the right result for football fans, clubs and communities across the country.

The Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport announced an independent fan-led review of football governance on 19 April. This will be chaired by the Honourable Member for Chatham and Aylesford.

From 17 May, the Department no longer recommended face coverings for pupils in classrooms or communal areas in schools, or for staff in classrooms. In Step 4 of the roadmap, face coverings were no longer advised for pupils, staff and visitors either in classrooms or in communal areas.

The Department worked closely with Public Health England (PHE) and the Cabinet Office to consider a range of evidence, balancing both health and educational considerations. This included the latest available education data, latest data analysis on case rates in secondary school age children and the broader COVID-19 epidemiological position, as well as stakeholder intelligence from schools and further education colleges on their experiences of wearing face coverings in classrooms and any perceived effect on teaching, education, and communication.

As COVID-19 becomes a virus that we learn to live with, there is now an imperative to reduce the disruption to children and young people’s education, particularly given that the direct clinical risks they face are extremely low and the wider success of the vaccine programme.

The reintroduction of face coverings for pupils, or staff, may be advised for a temporary period in response to particular localised outbreaks, including variants of concern. In all cases, any educational drawbacks should be balanced with the benefits of managing transmission.

The Department’s policy on face coverings and other control measures is kept under review and is informed by the latest scientific and medical advice from PHE.

Data on variants of concern is held by the Department of Health and Social Care, where Public Health England (PHE) leads on surveillance and outbreak management. Data on variants, including the Delta variant (B.1.617.2), was considered by the Government as part of meeting the four tests, in making the decision to proceed with Step 3 of the roadmap announced on 10 May.

PHE has published a technical briefing on COVID-19 variants of concern and variants under investigation in England, which is available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/991343/Variants_of_Concern_VOC_Technical_Briefing_14.pdf. This sets out (page 36-45) data on the number of clusters or outbreaks associated with a range of settings, including education settings, covering the latest available data and the period prior to the decision and announcement on Step 3.

PHE also publishes the total number of cases of each variant in the UK as part of information on variants of COVID-19, which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/new-sars-cov-2-variant. This includes total confirmed Delta variant cases and prevalence split by region, as part of PHE weekly technical briefings, covering the latest available data and previously the period prior to the decision and announcement on Step 3.

The Government’s decision that face coverings no longer need to be worn in classrooms by staff, pupils or students, or in corridors or communal areas by pupils and students, was made in line with Step 3 of the roadmap. When the policy on face coverings in classrooms was introduced, this was an appropriate precautionary temporary measure while rates of infection were high in the community. As the four tests for easing restrictions in Step 3 of the roadmap were met, it was an appropriate time to remove the recommendation. In all schools we continue to recommend that face coverings should be worn by staff and visitors in situations outside of classrooms where social distancing is not possible.

While this moves children towards a greater sense of normality, measures within the PHE-supported system of controls remain very important to reduce transmission in schools, for example, social distancing and regular hand washing. Regular rapid testing will also continue to help find and isolate asymptomatic cases when they do occur, and we continue to encourage everyone to play their part and test themselves twice each week.

The reintroduction of face coverings for pupils, students or staff may be advised for a temporary period in response to localised outbreaks, including variants of concern. In all cases, any educational drawbacks should be balanced with the benefits of managing transmission. The Local Action Committee structure (bronze/silver/gold) should be used in such circumstances to re-introduce the use of face coverings. Immediate outbreak response (at the level of individual settings or a cluster of settings) remains for local directors of public health to advise on.

Data on variants of concern is held by the Department of Health and Social Care, where Public Health England (PHE) leads on surveillance and outbreak management. Data on variants, including the Delta variant (B.1.617.2), was considered by the Government as part of meeting the four tests, in making the decision to proceed with Step 3 of the roadmap announced on 10 May.

PHE has published a technical briefing on COVID-19 variants of concern and variants under investigation in England, which is available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/991343/Variants_of_Concern_VOC_Technical_Briefing_14.pdf. This sets out (page 36-45) data on the number of clusters or outbreaks associated with a range of settings, including education settings, covering the latest available data and the period prior to the decision and announcement on Step 3.

PHE also publishes the total number of cases of each variant in the UK as part of information on variants of COVID-19, which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/new-sars-cov-2-variant. This includes total confirmed Delta variant cases and prevalence split by region, as part of PHE weekly technical briefings, covering the latest available data and previously the period prior to the decision and announcement on Step 3.

The Government’s decision that face coverings no longer need to be worn in classrooms by staff, pupils or students, or in corridors or communal areas by pupils and students, was made in line with Step 3 of the roadmap. When the policy on face coverings in classrooms was introduced, this was an appropriate precautionary temporary measure while rates of infection were high in the community. As the four tests for easing restrictions in Step 3 of the roadmap were met, it was an appropriate time to remove the recommendation. In all schools we continue to recommend that face coverings should be worn by staff and visitors in situations outside of classrooms where social distancing is not possible.

While this moves children towards a greater sense of normality, measures within the PHE-supported system of controls remain very important to reduce transmission in schools, for example, social distancing and regular hand washing. Regular rapid testing will also continue to help find and isolate asymptomatic cases when they do occur, and we continue to encourage everyone to play their part and test themselves twice each week.

The reintroduction of face coverings for pupils, students or staff may be advised for a temporary period in response to localised outbreaks, including variants of concern. In all cases, any educational drawbacks should be balanced with the benefits of managing transmission. The Local Action Committee structure (bronze/silver/gold) should be used in such circumstances to re-introduce the use of face coverings. Immediate outbreak response (at the level of individual settings or a cluster of settings) remains for local directors of public health to advise on.

The Department worked closely with the Harris Federation and the London Borough of Greenwich to develop proposals for Harris Academy, Avery Hill. The Department submitted a planning application in June and is in consultation with the local community. The outcome of the planning application is expected in November.

The Department publishes capital costs for all free schools on GOV.UK once all works are completed and costs are finalised. These include acquisition and construction costs.

The Chancellor announced (on 3^rd of February) a £200 rebate for households delivered via their energy bill this autumn, paid back automatically over the next 5 years, spreading the increased costs of global prices over time in a way that is more manageable for households.

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

Through the UK Health Security Agency we have worked with academic experts and businesses, to explore the most suitable air cleaning technologies to be used in enclosed spaces and further commissioned research projects, studying their effectiveness at reducing transmission rates of airborne microbes, including those for COVID-19.

As part of managing these important studies officials continue to have discussions across government and with relevant stakeholders for which we will publish results in due course.

In line with the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation’s advice, workers in hotels used as managed quarantine facilities are being called for vaccination according to their age and clinical risk along with the rest of the population. They will not be prioritised based on their occupation. The vaccination programme is currently on track to offer a first dose to all adults over 18 years old by the end of July.

The Department has regular discussions with NHS England on the vaccination programme and the supply of vaccines, including in particular locations, such as London. Specific data on uptake is being monitored to drive and improve the national deployment plan. This is shared daily with local authority directors of public health to enable them to see emerging trends and act quickly to any developing inequalities locally. This is the case for all areas across England.

The Government is in close contact with vaccine manufacturers and remains confident that the supply of vaccines to the United Kingdom will not be disrupted. We remain on track to offer a vaccine to all adults by the end of July.

Vaccines are supplied on a consistent basis to all regions within England on a weekly basis and have been throughout the programme. Each integrated care system works with borough management teams and local Directors of Public Health to allocate the supply to sites, considering a number of factors, including infection rates. An additional 92,000 Pfizer vaccines were made available to the region and 60,000 doses were allocated to North West London, which had high rates of infection/surge testing.

This information is not held centrally. However, the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies’ Environmental Modelling Group Transmission sub-group is currently reviewing the evidence on the risk of transmission in hotels, including mobile quarantine facilities. This will be published by autumn 2021.

We are aware of reports of violence and intimidation by the Gaitanista Self-Defence Forces in parts of Colombia, and in particular the Chocó region. We remain extremely concerned about the continued presence of illegal armed groups in Colombia, and the impact their competition for control of illicit economies has on local people - even more so at this challenging time. The UK Embassy in Colombia is monitoring events in Chocó.

The UK has been vocal in expressing our concern about the effect the activity of these armed groups has on the future of peace in Colombia. We regularly raise these issues with the Colombian Government and in multilateral fora. Most recently, our Permanent Representative to the United Nations spoke on this issue at the UN Security Council on 14 April, and we consistently press the Colombian Government to focus on extending the rule of law to all parts of the country.

Colombia has made significant progress in its efforts to end the influence of such groups, and we remain steadfast in our support of the Colombian authorities as they work towards sustainable peace.

President Duque's Government has publicly committed to implementing the Peace Accords of 2016 in their entirety. In meetings with the President in London last year the then-Foreign Secretary made it clear that the UK sees the transitional justice system and the involvement of victims as vital parts of the 2016 accords. President Duque's signing of the transitional justice law last June was a positive step forward, and we are pleased that the institutions have since begun their work.

We continue to emphasise our support for transitional justice in Colombia both with the government and in multilateral fora, including most recently at the UN Security Council on 14 April.

The UK Government has contributed over £26 million towards transitional justice mechanisms and victims of the conflict in Colombia since 2016. This includes supporting the truth commission's work to gather testimony from Colombians abroad, including here in the UK. We will continue to work closely with the Colombian government and civil society on the peace process and related matters.

On 20 March, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) published guidance on what it expects mortgage lenders to do for consumers facing financial difficulties as a result of COVID-19.

As part of this guidance, the FCA requires that the arrears status on credit files should be masked to minimise the negative impacts that consumers might otherwise experience from taking a payment holiday. This was reconfirmed in the FCA’s updated guidance published on 2 June and continues to be the case for any borrower taking a payment holiday until 31 October 2020.

When considering new loan or credit applications, lenders will look at a range of factors, not just a borrower’s credit file. This could include a customer’s income and future ability to make repayments, which may have been affected by COVID-19.

Officials continue to have discussions with the FCA and credit reference agencies on these matters.

The Government remains deeply disappointed with the BBC’s decision to restrict the over-75 licence fee concession to only those in receipt of pension credit.

We recognise the value of free TV licences for over-75s in Scotland and the rest of the UK and believe they should be funded by the BBC.