Damien Moore

We are providing a further £1bn for businesses most impacted by Omicron, in addition to the £400bn package already provided which includes grants, loans, business rates relief, VAT discounts and rent moratorium – providing a lifeline for many local high street businesses.

The Government is committed to protecting customers from price spikes, particularly vulnerable customers. The Warm Home discount provides over 2 million households a £140 rebate off their energy bill each winter, and there are plans to increase it to £150 and help an extra 780,000 households. The Energy Company Obligation is being expanded to £1.billion p.a. which will ensure energy suppliers help 133,000 low-income households a year to permanently lower their bills by an average of £290 p.a. via insulation and new heating. From October, households in Great Britain will receive a £200 cash rebate on their energy costs. A £150 non-repayable reduction in Council Tax bills for (English) households in Bands A-D will apply from April with £144 million of discretionary funding for Local Authorities to support households who need support but are not eligible for the Council Tax reduction.

The Government has also provided an extra £500 million for local authorities through the new Household Support Fund to provide help to millions of the most in need. The Energy Price Cap will remain in place at least till the end of 2022 to ensure millions of customers pay a fair price for their energy.

Those who had measures installed between 2009 and 2014, with guarantees, can contact the guaranteed provider for assistance, even in the event the contractor is no longer operational. If no guarantee is in place, then Citizens’ Advice should be contacted for further advice.

The Heat and Buildings Strategy sets out the Government’s actions to reduce emissions from buildings over the forthcoming decades. The package of measures provides £3.9bn of new funding to support the installation of energy efficiency measures and low-carbon heating. This includes a new £450m Boiler Upgrade Scheme providing grants of up to £6,000 from Spring 2022 to encourage homeowners to install more efficient, low-carbon heating systems, such as heat pumps.

The Government has also announced £950m in funding for the Home Upgrade Grant between 2022 – 2025. Through the scheme, the Government is providing grants to low-income households to install energy efficiency measures and low-carbon heating to lower-quality, off gas grid homes in England. This includes insulation measures and a heat pump to tackle fuel poverty and reach the UK’s net zero target.

In addition, £800m has been committed to the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF) to improve the energy performance of social rented homes across England. The SHDF will upgrade a significant amount of the social housing stock currently below EPC Band C up to that standard.

My Noble Friend the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State Lord Callanan is the responsible Minister for HM Land Registry. My Noble Friend meets the Chief Executive and Chair on a regular basis to discuss a broad range of operational and strategic matters with the last meeting in September 2021. HM Land Registry is focused on increasing output and reducing completion time for applications by increasing capacity, implementing new processes and accelerating digital services.

The Corporate Transparency and Register Reform consultation, published in May 2019, outlined plans for the reform of Companies House. These far-reaching reforms include identity verification of company directors and those who control companies; an expansion in the powers of Companies House to query and challenge information submitted to the register; and improving the processes for supressing personal information from the register in instances where it is no longer relevant or presents a potential threat to the safety of individuals. This consultation received 1,320 responses and in September 2020, the Government published its response.

Please see the below links to the 2019 Corporate Transparency and Register Reform consultation and to the Department’s response:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/819994/Corporate_transparency_and_register_reform.pdf;

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/925059/corporate-transparency-register-reform-government-response.pdf.

Following this consultation, the Department published, in December 2020, three further consultations, which set out further details of the Government’s reform proposals. These consultations included ‘Corporate transparency and register reform: implementing the ban on corporate directors’; ‘Corporate transparency and register reform: improving the quality and value of financial information on the UK companies register’; and ‘Corporate transparency and register reform: powers of the registrar’.

Please see the links to these consultations below:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/corporate-transparency-and-register-reform-implementing-the-ban-on-corporate-directors;

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/corporate-transparency-and-register-reform-powers-of-the-registrar;

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/corporate-transparency-and-register-reform-improving-the-quality-and-value-of-financial-information-on-the-uk-companies-register.

The Government will respond to these consultations in due course and plans to legislate when Parliamentary time allows.

The scheme administrator is working to ensure vouchers are paid as quickly as possible.

Payment to installers is a four-step process. It requires the customer to confirm the work has been completed, the installer to lodge the work and the scheme administrator to undertake scheme checks before they can proceed to payment.

Once it has reached the payment stage, the administrator aims to make payments within five-working days. However, if an inspection is deemed necessary then the process will take longer, especially given the current COVID-19 restrictions.

As of 3 June 2021, 19,122 vouchers had been paid, with a total government contribution of £77 million.

Companies House does not hold information on the number of companies registered at UK addresses without the landowners’ permission.

The £5 billion Restart Grants scheme announced by my Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer on 3 March 2021 are one-off grants to businesses in the non-essential retail, hospitality, leisure, personal care and accommodation sectors to support businesses to reopen as Covid-19 restrictions are lifted in the coming months.

Businesses in the non-essential retail sector are able to apply for grants of up to £6,000.  Businesses in the hospitality, leisure, personal care and gym sectors are able to apply for grants of up to £18,000.

We are not able to share a breakdown of the funding distributed by Sefton Borough Council at this stage. We will publish data on Restart Grant payments in due course.

All data on Government allocations and Local Authority payments of grant schemes is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-grant-funding-local-authority-payments-to-small-and-medium-businesses.

There is a significant package of financial support currently available to pubs to help with the difficulties caused by Covid-19 and the associated social distancing measures the Government has put in place. The wide range of schemes include:

• Grants under the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund (RHGLF) and the Small Business Grant Fund (SBGF) for eligible businesses;
• Government-backed loans through schemes such as the Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS), the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) and the Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CLBILS);
• Access to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) to furlough workers, which will continue in its current form until 31 July and then in a more flexible form from August until 31 October;
• A business rates holiday for retail, hospitality and leisure businesses for the 2020 to 2021 tax year; and
• The option to defer VAT payments due between 20 March and 30 June until 31 March 2021.

We continue to keep our support for pubs under review and to engage with the sector.

The Department is committed to becoming net zero by 2050 at the latest and work is in progress to meet that target. It is too early to give an estimate of the financial effect on the department.

The Department undertook an energy audit in 2019 and we are currently undertaking a range of works, including installation of LED lighting, to reduce our energy consumption. We have established a sustainability board to oversee our planning on net zero. Since 2010 we have:

- Reduced carbon emissions by 65%

- Reduced waste production by 72%

- Eradicated the majority of single-use plastics, including preventing 120,000 single use coffee cups from going to landfill in 2019.

The Department is committed to becoming net zero by 2050 at the latest and work is in progress to meet that target. It is too early to give an assessment of the non-financial effect on the Department.

The Department undertook an energy audit in 2019 and we are currently undertaking a range of works, including installation of LED lighting, to reduce our energy consumption. We have established a sustainability board to oversee our planning on net zero. Since 2010 we have:

- Reduced carbon emissions by 65%

- Reduced waste production by 72%

- Eradicated the majority of single-use plastics, including preventing 120,000 single use coffee cups from going to landfill in 2019.

On 13 August, the Government announced that indoor play and indoor soft play venues could open from 15 August. We worked with BALPPA, the trade body that represents the industry to develop guidance that lays out detailed measures for indoor play and indoor soft play operators to make venues COVID-secure. These include closing ball pits and sensory areas, reducing capacity of venues and soft play frames, regular deep cleaning, pre-bookable timed sessions, increased sanitation, and a rigorous process to support track and trace. We will continue to engage with the sector and will keep the guidance under regular review.

We have published guidance on how to open guest accommodation businesses safely whilst minimising the risks of COVID-19.

If a guest is displaying signs of COVID-19 while staying in overnight accommodation, they should inform the accommodation provider, immediately self-isolate where they are to minimise any risk of transmission, and request a test. If they are confirmed to have COVID-19, they should return home if they reasonably can. If a guest cannot reasonably return home, their circumstances should be discussed with an appropriate health care professional and, if necessary, the local authority.

Unless otherwise provided for in the contractual terms of the booking, the guest will be expected to pay the costs of an extended stay in all but exceptional circumstances. Exceptional circumstances may include, but are not limited to, where the accommodation provider has failed to follow government guidance to create a COVID-secure environment.

The Government has developed a comprehensive support package to help businesses and workers deal with various COVID-related pressures, which hotel and bed and breakfast businesses can continue to access.

Under the Children and Families Act 2014, all schools are required to identify and address the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) of the pupils they support, including those with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN), and to endeavour to make sure that a child or young person gets the support they need.

Schools, along with the local authority and health partners, should work with families to co-produce arrangements for delivering speech and language therapy. Spending on speech and language therapy is determined at a local level.

The department recognises the impact that the COVID-19 outbreak has had on children and young people with SLCN. In the recent spending review, we announced £1.8 billion of additional funding for those who need it most, bringing total investment in education recovery to almost £5 billion. Within this, in June 2020 we announced a £1 billion catch-up package including a catch-up premium for the 2020/21 academic year. Schools were able to decide how this catch-up premium was spent, for example, on speech and language therapy.

As part of our catch-up package, we have invested £17 million to deliver the Nuffield Early Language Intervention programme, which supports children in reception with their language skills. Over two thirds of eligible mainstream primary schools are taking part in this proven, evidence-based programme, benefitting around 90,000 children most in need of language support. This is in addition to £10 million for pre-school early language development training announced February 2021.

The government recognises that the current SEND system does not deliver the outcomes we want and expect for all children and young people with SEND, their families or the people and services who support them. The SEND Review is seeking to improve the outcomes for children, with high expectations and ambitions, and is looking at ways to support mainstream settings to identify and get support to children and young people more quickly, through making best use of precious expertise such as speech and language therapists. These issues are long-standing and complex, but the government is determined to deliver real, lasting change. We intend to publish the SEND Review in the first 3 months of 2022.

Our priority is to maintain high quality face-to-face education for all children and young people.

There are measures in place to help break the chains of COVID-19 transmission, minimise disruption to education and limit absences. These include regular testing, improving ventilation in classrooms and continuing the booster rollout for adults and vaccinations for secondary age pupils.

The department has reintroduced the COVID-19 workforce fund to provide financial support to eligible schools and colleges for additional staff absence costs incurred from 22 November until the February spring half term in 2022. The fund is available to support schools and colleges facing the greatest staffing and funding pressures to continue to deliver high quality face-to-face education to all pupils.

The department has also called for ex-teachers to return to the classroom and, on 12 January, it published initial data from a sample of supply agencies gathered between 20 December 2021 and 7 January 2022. This showed that 485 former teachers have signed up with supply agencies, and over 100 Teach First alumni have also expressed interest in returning to the classroom.

Given the size of the sample, the true number of sign-ups since the call was launched will be larger. Full details of the data release can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/number-of-ex-teachers-joining-the-school-workforce-2021-to-2022.

We have also published sector-led case studies that illustrate practical ways in which schools can work to remain open in the face of staff shortage. Our priority is that all schools offer in-person learning for all pupils. This might involve hybrid lessons, remote teaching, streaming teaching to more than one class at a time, combining face-to-face classes, timetable solutions and using recorded teaching.

The government is committed to pupils with medical conditions and long-term illnesses being properly supported at school so that they have full access to education.

In 2014, the government introduced a new duty on schools to support pupils with all medical conditions and has published statutory guidance on this for schools and others. The guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/supporting-pupils-at-school-with-medical-conditions--3.

Schools also have duties under the Equality Act 2010 to make reasonable adjustments and not to discriminate against disabled children, which may include some children with long-term medical conditions, in relation to their access to education and associated services. Schools must make reasonable adjustments to their practices, procedures and policies to ensure that they are not putting those with a disability at a substantial disadvantage compared with their peers.

We are committed to improving support for all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including those with dyslexia.

Under the Children and Families Act 2014, every mainstream school is required to identify and address the special educational needs of the pupils they support and endeavour to make sure that every child or young person gets the support they need to succeed in their education.

Our SEND code of practice is clear that meeting the needs of a child with dyslexia does not require a diagnostic label or test. Instead, we expect teachers to monitor the progress of all pupils and put support in place where needed.

Further to the interim conclusion to the Review of Post-18 Education and Funding published in January 2021, we continue to carefully consider the recommendations made by the independent panel that reported to the Review. We plan to provide a full response in due course.

Respite care services, including short breaks, for disabled children and their families are provided based on an individual assessment of each child and family’s needs.

The department believes it is right for local authorities, who know their areas’ needs best, to determine what services are required locally, including early help.

This year, councils have access to £51.3 billion to deliver their core services, including a £1.7 billion grant for social care. The government has also given over £6 billion in funding directly to councils to support them with the immediate and longer-term impacts of COVID-19 spending pressures, including children’s services.

The department will continue to work with other government departments, including the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, to ensure the needs of children’s services are reflected.

Where a child has complex health needs or is in receipt of palliative or end-of-life care, respite provision may be appropriately delivered by health providers, including children’s hospices. Local authorities have a statutory duty to assess the social care needs of disabled children and young people, and to provide respite care where necessary. Where it is appropriate, local authorities can fund respite care provided by hospices, either as a short-term stay or as a service provided to the child or young person in the family home by the hospice team. Local authorities and health commissioners regularly liaise to plan and commission the most appropriate package of respite care for the children and young people with life-limiting or life-threatening condition in their area.

In addition to statutory services, the department is providing £27.3 million to the Family Fund in financial year 2021-22 to support over 60,000 families on low incomes raising children and young people with disabilities or serious illnesses. Grants can be used for a range of purposes, including family breaks.

From the 2021/22 academic year, migrant workers from the European Economic Area and their family members who are covered by the Withdrawal Agreements, and meet the ordinary residence requirement, can access tuition fee loans, loans for living costs and targeted grants. This arrangement is set out in the department’s guidance which was published in August: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1009789/EU_Exit_Student_Finance_Policy_-_Aug_21.pdf. The information is also contained in the following Student Finance England publication: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/student-finance-how-youre-assessed-and-paid.

Education funding is a priority for the Government. In the 2019 Spending Round, we committed to significant additional investment in schools of £2.6 billion in financial year 2020/21, £4.8 billion in 2021/22 and £7.1 billion in 2022/23, compared to 2019/20.

The Department has recently announced schools funding for the final year of this three year settlement. In financial year 2022/23, the schools national funding formula (NFF) is increasing by 3.2 per cent overall, and by 2.8 per cent per pupil. The NFF will distribute this funding based on schools’ and pupils’ needs and characteristics. Schools in the North-West will see a higher than average increase of 3.4 per cent in funding overall next year, and per pupil funding will increase by 2.8 per cent.

Within the North-West, Blackpool and Oldham are also benefitting from additional funding through the Opportunity Areas programme, which is working to improve education outcomes and social mobility in 12 of the most deprived areas of England. The Department has recently been able to extend this programme for another year, through to the end of August 2022, and will be providing an additional £18 million across all 12 areas.

Amended statutory guidance for schools in respect of safeguarding, ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’ (KCSIE), was published on 6 July 2021, alongside revised departmental advice on sexual violence and sexual harassment between children in school, and will come into force from 1 September 2021.

The guidance has been strengthened and updated following the consultation on proposed changes to KCSIE and departmental advice, as well as findings from the Ofsted review into sexual abuse in schools and colleges. KCSIE now provides schools with even clearer guidance on how to deal with reports of sexual abuse, and to support teachers and other school staff to spot the signs of abuse and respond quickly, sensitively, and appropriately. The ‘Reporting Abuse in Education’ helpline has been extended until October to allow anyone to report a concern over sexual abuse in schools, make a referral, or receive advice. The Department will continue to consider what further changes are needed for KCSIE 2022, to ensure all schools and colleges have the guidance to meet their statutory duties to safeguard children, following a further consultation later this year.

The Department will also be extending the pilot support and supervision programme for designated safeguarding leads (DSLs) in up to 500 further schools, and 10 further local authorities. The supervision pilot will test the impact and effectiveness of providing supervision to DSLs through these trials. The programme aims to strengthen support for DSLs and will help build the evidence base on what works. The Department is also committed to sharing lessons learned and good practice from these trials. Alongside creating an online DSL hub and considering how we give greater status to DSLs, my right hon. Friends, the Secretary of State for Education and the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, have asked the Children’s Commissioner to immediately start looking at how we reduce children’s access to pornography and other harmful content.

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, has powers to intervene in both maintained schools and academies on safeguarding grounds, which are summarised in ‘Schools Causing Concern: Guidance for Local Authorities and Regional Schools Commissioners’.

Where a maintained school is judged to be ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted because safeguarding is ineffective, the Secretary of State must make an order so that it can be converted into a sponsored academy. Where an academy is judged to be ‘inadequate’, the Secretary of State may terminate the academy’s funding agreement and transfer it to a new trust. Ofsted will always judge a school to be ‘inadequate’ where safeguarding is ineffective.

The ‘Schools Causing Concern: Guidance for Local Authorities and Regional Schools Commissioners’ guidance also makes it clear that, where there are specific concerns about safeguarding in a maintained school, the local authority is expected to use its powers to address them in the first instance. Where there are specific concerns about safeguarding in an academy, the department will work closely with the trust to ensure that they take the necessary action.

The department’s statutory guidance ‘Keeping children safe in education’ (KCSIE) applies to all schools, including independent schools, through the Independent School Standards, which require that independent schools should have regard to KCSIE. All independent schools are expected to comply with the Independent School Standards at all times. The standards include requirements to protect the welfare, health, and safety of pupils.

Where schools do not meet the strict safeguarding standards that are in place, we will always take action. If it becomes clear that there are current failings in any school’s safeguarding practice, we will commission Ofsted or the Independent Schools Inspectorate to conduct an inspection. If a school is found to not be meeting the required safeguarding standard, we will make sure that it either improves or closes.

Ofsted was commissioned to undertake a review of sexual abuse in schools and colleges, with the report published on 10 June 2021. The department has accepted the findings of the review in full and has committed to go further. The statutory guidance for KCSIE for this September has already been updated, ensuring that schools have even clearer guidance on how to deal with reports of sexual abuse. The ‘Report Abuse in Education’ helpline has been extended until October to allow anyone to report a concern over sexual abuse in schools, make a referral or receive advice.

The department will also extend the pilot support and supervision programme for Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSL) in up to 500 further schools, and 10 further local authorities. Alongside creating an online DSL hub and considering how we give greater status to DSLs, my right hon. Friends the Secretary of State for Education and the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport have asked the Children’s Commissioner to immediately start looking at how we reduce children’s access to pornography and other harmful content.

The new compulsory Relationships, Sex and Health Education curriculum will be implemented in full, from next term. Pupils need to know how to be safe and healthy, and how to manage their academic, personal, and social lives in a positive way. As such, we have made Health Education compulsory in all state-funded schools in England alongside making Relationships Education (in primary schools) and Relationships and Sex Education (in secondary schools) compulsory from September 2020. The knowledge that pupils gain will help support their own wellbeing and others’ wellbeing and help them to become successful and happy adults.

The aim of teaching pupils about physical health and mental wellbeing is to give them the information that they need to make good decisions about their own health and wellbeing, to recognise issues in themselves and in others and, when issues arise, to seek support as early as possible from appropriate sources.

Physical health and mental wellbeing are interlinked, and it is important that pupils understand that good physical health contributes to good mental wellbeing. Through the School Sport and Activity Action Plan, the department aims to ensure that sport and physical activity are an integral part of both the school day and after-school activities and to provide children with greater opportunities to do 60 minutes of sport and physical activity every day.

The government recently confirmed the continuation of the £320 million Physical Education (PE) and sport premium for the 2021/22 academic year, and further permitted schools to carry forward any unspent PE and sport premium funding remaining at the end of this academic year. Primary schools can use this funding to develop or add to their PE, sport and physical activity provision including engagement of all pupils in regular physical activity.

Mental health and wellbeing are a priority for the government. As the country came out of lockdown, we prioritised reopening schools above all else because it is so vital for children and young people’s wellbeing, as well as their education.

In May, as part of Mental Health Awareness week, we announced more than £17 million to improve mental health and wellbeing support in schools and colleges, building on our commitment to make mental health and wellbeing a central part of the education recovery work.

The department does not hold data on waiting times for a needs assessment for an education, health and care plan (EHCP), but does hold data on the number and percentage of EHCPs that are issued within the statutory 20 week timescale in the publication ‘Education, health and care plans’ available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-health-and-care-plans.

In the 2020 calendar year, 58% of EHCPs were issued within the 20 week timescale, excluding cases where exceptions apply.

We support the right of parents to educate their children at home, most will educate their children well, sometimes in challenging circumstances. However, we cannot overlook the rising numbers of home-educated children. For some, home education can mean children are not provided a suitable education or are invisible to the services and professionals there to keep them safe and supported.

The Department does not collect data on numbers of home educated children. Parents are not required to register if they are home educating their children and, therefore, there is not a robust basis on which the Department can reliably collect statistics on home education.

We remain committed to a registration system for children not in school, which would improve local authorities’ ability to undertake their existing duties and help safeguard children who are in scope.

A consultation was held in the spring of 2019 on proposals for: a mandatory register of children not attending state or registered independent schools to help local authorities carry out their responsibilities in relation to children not in school; a duty on parents to register their child with the local authority if not registered at specified types of schools; a duty on proprietors of certain education settings to respond to enquiries from local authorities, and a duty on local authorities to provide support to parents who educate children at home.

The consultation closed on 24 June 2019, with nearly 5000 responses. Further details on a proposed registration system will be in the Government response to the consultation, which we intend to publish in the coming months.

The department does not hold data on waiting times to receive support.

The department does publish data on the number and percentage of Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans that are issued within the statutory 20 week timescale, which is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-health-and-care-plans. In the 2020 calendar year, 58.0% of EHC plans were issued within the 20-week timescale, excluding cases where exceptions apply.

I have noted the findings of the recent Ofsted focus visit to Sefton Borough Council’s children’s services department, including the two areas for priority action identified in their report.

My officials have been working with Sefton Borough Council on their response and met again with the Chief Executive and the new Interim Director of Children’s Social Services on 19 May 2021 to discuss how the findings will be addressed.

I am minded to issue an Improvement Notice and appoint an advisor for 12 months. This will require Sefton to establish an improvement board and draw up an improvement plan to ensure that the two areas identified are addressed within that 12 month period.

We will continue to work closely with colleagues at Sefton Borough Council as they take forward their improvement plan.

Apprenticeships provide people with the opportunity to earn and learn the skills needed to start an exciting career in a wide range of industries, everything from artificial intelligence, archaeology, data science, business management, and banking. We want more people to benefit from high quality apprenticeships. Since May 2010, there have been 8,940 apprenticeship starts in Southport (constituency) and 30,760 in Sefton (local authority).

We are supporting employers to offer new apprenticeship opportunities by increasing the incentive payment to £3,000 for every new apprentice hired between 1 April and 30 September 2021 as part of the government's Plan for Jobs. We continue to work with the Department for Work and Pensions to enable Kickstart placements to turn into apprenticeships where that is the right thing for the employer and the young person.

In addition, we are supporting the largest ever expansion of traineeships and working with employers to develop new occupational traineeships in rail, construction and engineering which will create a pathway for young people to progress into apprenticeships or other employment. The government confirmed an additional £126 million in the latest budget to fund a further 43,000 traineeship places in the 2021/22 academic year, and we have extended the £1,000 incentive payments for employers who offer traineeship work placement opportunities to July 2022.

To encourage more young people to consider apprenticeships, we are promoting apprenticeships in schools across the country through our Apprenticeship Support and Knowledge programme. This free service provides schools and teachers with resources and interventions to help better educate young people about apprenticeships. In the Skills for Jobs white paper, published in January, we announced that we will be introducing a 3 point plan to enforce the Baker Clause, our requirement that all maintained schools and academies provide opportunities for providers of technical education and apprenticeships to visit schools to talk to all year 8 to 13 pupils. This includes creating clear minimum legal requirements, specifying who is to be given access to which pupils and when. This is an important step towards real choice for every pupil.

The information requested is not held centrally in the form requested. There is no official definition for the term “working class” and it is not used by the Department for Education in formal statistics.

Young people can leave a school setting at age 16 or age 18. National statistics are published on the proportion of young people achieving level 2 qualifications (level 2 is 5 (or more) GCSEs at grades 9-4/A*-C or equivalent) by ages 16 to 19. Figures are published by pupil characteristics including free school meal (FSM) eligibility which can be used as an indicative measure for low income. Information provided is for those not achieving level 2 but that does not mean they left school with no qualifications.

In the Sefton local authority, the total proportion of 16 year olds not achieving level 2 is 37% in the 2019/20 academic year compared with 30% five years ago. Looking at those who were eligible for FSM, 65% had not achieved level 2 compared with 50% five years ago.

At age 18 in Sefton, the total proportion not achieving level 2 was 22% in 2019/20 compared with 15% five years ago. Looking at those who were eligible for FSM, 47% had not achieved level 2 compared with 30% five years ago.

The accompanying table shows a five year time series for both ages and includes gender and those not eligible for FSM. Comparable figures are not available for Southport or by ethnicity.

National estimates which show level 2 attainment by gender, FSM status and ethnicity are available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/level-2-and-3-attainment-by-young-people-aged-19/2019-20. These detailed breakdowns are not published by local authority.

The Department remains committed to providing world class education, training and care for everyone, whatever their background, and taking the action needed to address disparities.

Due to the ongoing disruption to education caused by the COVID-19 outbreak, it was announced on 6 January that GCSE, AS and A level exams will not go ahead as planned this summer. This year, pupils will be awarded grades determined by their teachers and based on a range of evidence, only being assessed on the content they have been taught and not what they have missed. Whilst we recognise that teachers will need to assess their pupils this year on a range of evidence, in many ways, assessing pupils and determining their standard of performance is an important part of teachers’ roles in a typical year.

The Department continues to work closely with Ofqual and the exam boards to ensure that teachers feel supported. As part of this process, we are regularly engaging with the teacher unions and other sector representatives to ensure the processes developed and guidance which supports them reflects their feedback. The Joint Council for Qualifications and the exam boards have published extensive guidance and materials for schools and colleges to support teachers with their assessment, marking, and making their judgements of pupils’ performance.

Exam boards are responsible for setting their exam fees, taking into account the costs involved with alternative arrangements in 2021. Exam boards will need to cover their costs, and the Department expects they will make commercial decisions on fees and refunds on that basis. Given the unusual circumstances this year, it is not possible for them to have certainty about their 2021 costs in advance.

Keeping children safe is our utmost priority.

From 20 July, early years settings (including nurseries and childminders) have been allowed to return to normal group sizes. This is because there is moderate to high scientific confidence in evidence suggesting younger children are less likely to become ill with COVID-19, and high scientific confidence that children of all ages have less severe symptoms than adults if they do get ill. Furthermore, early years settings are already required to operate within strict staff-child ratio and space requirements.

We continue to expect that early years settings will consider how they can minimise mixing within settings, for example where they use different rooms for different age groups, keeping those groups apart as much as possible.

Settings are also required to follow a Public Health England endorsed ‘system of controls’ to minimise risks. For example, enhanced cleaning, thorough hand cleaning, and the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) where applicable. Detailed guidance has been issued and is available here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/safe-working-in-education-childcare-and-childrens-social-care/safe-working-in-education-childcare-and-childrens-social-care-settings-including-the-use-of-personal-protective-equipment-ppe; and here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-early-years-and-childcare-closures.

Activities for families and their young children, for example baby and toddler groups, can operate provided they, and the premises they operate from, follow relevant government guidance.

Guidance on which premises and businesses are legally able to open is available here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/further-businesses-and-premises-to-close/further-businesses-and-premises-to-close-guidance.

Providers should also have regard to and, where relevant, ensure that they are following guidance on the safe use of multi-purpose community facilities, which is available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-for-the-safe-use-of-multi-purpose-community-facilities.

Ofsted registered early years providers should ensure they are following guidance for early years and childcare providers, which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-early-years-and-childcare-closures.

Our guidance for early years providers details the package of support the government has put in place for workers and businesses which will benefit childcare settings, including:

• confirmation that the government will continue to pay local authorities for free early years entitlement places for 2, 3 and 4-year-olds

• the Self-employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS), which my right hon. Friend the Chancellor announced would be extended from 29 May. Those eligible under the SEISS will be able to claim a second and final grant in August, which will be capped at £6,570 in total

• for the self-employed (including childminders), the minimum income floor has been temporarily relaxed, meaning Universal Credit can be accessed at a rate to match statutory sick pay

The guidance can be found here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-early-years-and-childcare-closures/coronavirus-covid-19-early-years-and-childcare-closures#funding.

Further information about the Chancellor’s announcement is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/chancellor-extends-self-employment-support-scheme-and-confirms-furlough-next-steps.

Following my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister’s announcement on 28 May that the government’s five tests have been met, the decision was made, based on all the evidence, to ask childcare providers to welcome back all children below statutory school age from the week commencing 1 June. This includes childminders who will additionally be able to care for school aged children, up to the statutory maximum and in line with their current Ofsted registration. The department has published a planning guide to help childcare providers prepare to open their settings for all children, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/preparing-for-the-wider-opening-of-early-years-and-childcare-settings-from-1-june.

As my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, announced to the House on 18 March, the Government has taken the difficult decision to cancel all examinations due to take place in schools and colleges in England this summer, as part of the fight to prevent the spread of coronavirus. This includes all GCSE examinations.

The Department’s priority for GCSE students is to ensure they can move on as planned to the next stage of their education, including starting college, sixth form courses or apprenticeships, in the autumn. We will ensure they are awarded a grade which reflects their work. Our intention is that a grade will be awarded this summer based on the best available evidence, including any non-examination assessment that students have already completed. The qualifications regulator Ofqual is working urgently with examination boards to set out proposals for how this process will work and more information will be provided as soon as possible.

The Department recognises that some students may nevertheless feel disappointed that they have not been able to sit their examinations. If they do not believe the correct process has been followed in their case, they will be able to appeal on that basis. In addition, if they do not feel their calculated grade reflects their performance, they will have the opportunity to sit an examination, as soon as is reasonably possible after the beginning of the new academic year. Students will also have the option to sit their examinations in summer 2021.

Childcare providers are making a vital contribution in our fight against Covid-19. The Department for Education has confirmed that it will not claw back funding from local authorities for any periods of closures where settings are closed on medical advice or if children are not able to attend due to Covid-19. The government expects local authorities to follow the department’s position, and continue early years entitlements funding for childminders, pre-schools and nurseries. This should also apply to those infant and primary schools that deliver the early years entitlements. This will minimise short-term disruptions to early years providers’ finances and allow the system to recover more quickly.

My right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, has also announced a package of support for businesses that will include many early years and childcare providers. This includes business rates relief, a range of loans and grants and the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.

The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme means that for employees who are not working but kept on payroll, the government will contribute 80% of each worker’s wages of up to £2,500, backdated to 1 March 2020. Providers can access this scheme while continuing to be paid the early entitlements funding via local authorities.

The department continues to work alongside Public Health England and with early years sector representatives to ensure that measures taken are in the best interests of the health of our nation whilst minimising the impact on individual childcare settings.

The latest guidance for schools and other educational settings can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-for-schools-and-other-educational-settings.

No such assessment has been made because the timetable operated by Merseyrail and the fares charged are the subject to the agreement of Merseytravel to whom responsibility for these matters has been fully devolved since 2003.

The quickest and easiest way to apply for a driving licence is by using the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)’s online service. There are no delays in successful online applications and customers should receive their licence within a few days.

However, many people still choose or have to make a paper application and the DVLA receives around 60,000 items of mail every day. The DVLA understands the impact of delays on those who make paper applications and is working hard to process them as quickly as possible. To help reduce waiting times for paper applications, including where a medical condition must be investigated, the DVLA has introduced additional online services, recruited more staff, increased overtime working and has secured extra office space in Swansea and Birmingham.

The majority of applicants renewing an existing licence will be able to continue driving while their application is being processed, providing the driver can meet specific criteria. More information can be found online here.

The DVLA recognises the impact on drivers who have to renew their licence more regularly and is working hard to improve the process. Drivers with diabetes, epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, a visual impairment, a sleep condition or a heart condition can now renew their licence online.

The DVLA has also recently introduced a simplified licence renewal process for drivers with epilepsy and multiple sclerosis and is piloting this for some mental health conditions. This new renewal process has significantly reduced the need for the DVLA to seek further information from medical professionals and enabled more licensing decisions to be made based on the information provided by the driver. The DVLA is looking at adding more medical conditions to this new process.

None. It is for local authorities to manage their road networks appropriately, including by ensuring that changes to their road layouts are not having unintended impacts. As a condition of funding active travel schemes, the Department requires all local authorities to monitor and evaluate their impacts. The Government recently updated its Network Management Duty Guidance for local authorities, which includes advice to authorities on monitoring the traffic impacts of active travel schemes. The guidance is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reallocating-road-space-in-response-to-covid-19-statutory-guidance-for-local-authorities/traffic-management-act-2004-network-management-in-response-to-covid-19

It is for local authorities to manage their roads and to ensure that the active travel schemes they install are designed in such a way as to take into account the needs of all road users. The Department requires all local authorities to monitor and evaluate the impacts of their active travel schemes. It takes time, however, to understand the long-term impacts of new cycling infrastructure, both on rates of cycling and on the flow of other traffic. The Department has commissioned a formal national evaluation of the Active Travel Fund (ATF) which will consider this matter in some detail. A baseline report of schemes selected for evaluation is scheduled to be received by the Department in December 2022. This will be followed by a final report in late 2024.

The Department has no plans to change current legislation relating to the specifications of photographs for use as identification on the UK Blue Badge.

Ministers engage regularly with bus industry representatives on a range of issues. Currently, 99% of local buses^[1] comply with the Public Service Vehicles Accessibility Regulations 2000 (PSVAR), which require the provision of a wheelchair space and ramp or lift.

^[1] Source: Annual Bus Statistics 2019, referenced in the National Disability Strategy

As of 22 November, people vaccinated with vaccines listed on the WHO Emergency Use Listing, in addition to those already recognised, can travel to the UK without having to quarantine. In practice, this means that Sinovac, Sinopharm Beijing and Covaxin are now accepted at the border as well as Oxford/AstraZeneca, Pfizer BioNTech, Moderna and Janssen.

The Government will continue to work with international partners to expand the policy to more countries and territories where it is safe to do so.

In collaboration with Network Rail and Transport for the North, The Department has developed the core of a new timetable for rail services in and around Manchester. It will provide more punctual, reliable journeys for passengers from December 2022, and includes services from Southport to both the North and South sides of Manchester city centre.

Ambitious infrastructure enhancements are then targeted to follow over the decade, and £26 million has been granted to Network Rail to develop and design improvements aimed at accommodating service demands.

In addition, all English Local Transport Authorities outside London – including the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority - have published Bus Service Improvement Plans, setting out local visions for transformed bus services. The Government will invest £1.2 billion of dedicated funding in bus transformation deals to deliver improvements in services, fares, and infrastructure.

Liverpool City Region will also benefit from £710 million allocated at Spending Review from the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement.

The Department is in regular contact with authorities across the country to discuss their active travel plans. The most recent meeting with Liverpool City Region, including officials from Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council, took place on 5^th November, shortly before the consultation results from the Southport Walking and Cycling survey were due to be considered by the council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting. Following that meeting on 9 November, the Department understands that the Cabinet Member with responsibility for Locality Services has offered to meet with those ward councillors affected by the issue before taking a final decision on this matter.

During this Parliament the Government will invest £1.2 billion of new funding to deliver improvements in bus services, fares and infrastructure in England outside London.

We have also developed the core of a new timetable for rail services in and around Manchester, in collaboration with Network Rail and Transport for the North, to provide more punctual, reliable journeys for passengers from December 2022. This includes services from Southport to both the north and south sides of Manchester City Centre.

There are a number of railcards available that offer discounts against most rail fares, including the 16-17 and 26-30 Millennial Railcard, and the new Veterans Railcard.

The Department has consistently made clear that local authorities should seek the views of a representative sample of the local population as a whole on their proposals and provided guidance on how best to do this, including via polling and public opinion surveys, which can help provide a more accurate understanding of public views than a traditional consultation exercise. Local authorities do not need to show that schemes are universally popular at the time of introduction, but should be prepared to make changes if there is strong evidence that their original proposals are unsuitable. The views of the local Member of Parliament should also be taken into account.

We have revised our Network Management Duty guidance to state that measures should be "taken as swiftly as possible, but not at the expense of consulting local communities" and that "local residents and businesses should... be given an opportunity to comment on proposed changes" to schemes. Please note these requirements also apply as much to the removal or modification of existing schemes as to the installation of new ones.

We are assessing the bids and currently expect to announce the outcomes later this year.

On Friday 17 September, the Government announced a number of significant changes to the international travel system to take advantage of the world leading vaccination programme.

From Monday 4 October the traffic light system will be replaced by a single red list of countries and territories and simplified travel measures for arrivals from the rest of the world. The rules for travel from countries and territories not on the red list will depend on an individual's vaccination status.

We are committed to improving accessibility across the rail network, and I shall be bidding for further rounds of funding for the Access for All programme at the upcoming Spending Review and for the next rail Control Period (2024-29).

Furthermore, Network Rail has received an initial £10 million to install tactile paving at priority stations not already funded. I will make further announcements on future rounds of funding in due course.

I am committed to improving accessibility across the rail network. The Department expects the industry to meet current accessibility requirements whenever it installs, renews or replaces station infrastructure. Failure to do so can lead to enforcement action by the Office of Rail and Roads.

Furthermore, I shall be bidding for further rounds of funding for Access for All schemes in the forthcoming Spending Review.

We have assessed the bids to round three of the Restoring Your Railway Ideas Fund and expect to announce the outcomes this summer.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is doing it all it can to increase the number of vocational tests available and has put in place a number of measures to do this. These include offering overtime and annual leave buy back to examiners, asking all those qualified to conduct tests, but who do not do so as part of their current day job, to return to conducting tests, and conducting out of hours testing (such as on public holidays and weekends).

The DVSA has also started a recruitment campaign to increase the number of examiners. It will also continue its training programme to enable more examiners to conduct vocational tests.

The DVSA has held initial discussions with representatives from the heavy goods vehicle (HGV) training industry to develop plans for training schools to take on the responsibility of signing-off the manoeuvre elements of the practical test. Adopting this approach would allow the DVSA to focus on the on-road element and to increase practical test throughput.

The DVSA is also reviewing the way it delivers car and trailer testing to enable the agency to prioritise HGV testing.

The Department carried out a public consultation on possible solutions to the complex pavement parking problem. This closed on 22 November 2020 and received over 15,000 responses. The Department is now carefully analysing the responses and the results will inform decisions on the next steps.

The Government recognises the challenging circumstances businesses in the travel industry face as a result of Covid-19. Firms, across the economy, that are experiencing difficulties have been able to draw upon the unprecedented package of measures announced by the Chancellor. This includes support through loan guarantees, the Bank of England’s Covid Corporate Financing Facility and the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. We estimate that the air transport sector (airlines, airports and related services) will have benefitted from around £7bn of government support since the start of the pandemic.

The extension of Government-backed loans and furlough payments announced at the Budget build on the support package available and will help ensure this vital and vibrant part of the UK economy is ready to bounce back in the wake of the pandemic.

We continue to take a flexible approach and keep all impacts and policies under review.

I have asked Network Rail to develop a programme to aim to install platform edge tactile strips on every platform in Great Britain.

I will make a further announcement in due course.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)’s online services have been available and unaffected throughout the pandemic and are the quickest and easiest way to renew a registration certificate or a driving licence. Motorists are strongly advised to use these channels where possible. However, many people still choose or have to apply using a paper application. The DVLA receives around 60,000 items of mail every day which must be dealt with in person.

The number of applications awaiting processing fluctuates on a daily basis as registration certificates and driving licences are issued and new applications received. The DVLA is currently processing paper applications for registration certificates and driving licences within around six weeks of receipt. However, drivers with a medical condition may experience further delays because the DVLA is often reliant on receiving information or test results from medical professionals before a licence can be issued, to ensure drivers can meet the required medical standards.

The DVLA has had a reduced number of operational staff on site to allow for social distancing, in line with Welsh Government requirements. The DVLA has leased an additional building to accommodate more operational staff and has extended the opening hours of its contact centre. During the pandemic to help streamline processes and improve work flow the DVLA has accelerated the development of additional online services to reduce paper applications and supported their take up through a publicity campaign. Further digital service enhancements are underway.

The Department has made no such assessment. Local authorities are responsible for developing and implementing schemes such as Liveable Neighbourhoods.

The Department has consistently made clear in its guidance to local authorities that effective engagement with communities is key to delivering schemes that work for everyone. It is for local authorities to determine what consultation and engagement is appropriate.

Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (LCRCA) has provided the Department for Transport with a completed monitoring and evaluation form for schemes funded in Tranche 1 of the Active Travel Fund and has submitted the first monitoring and evaluation form for the packages being delivered in Tranche 2 of the Fund. In addition, officials from the Department and LCRCA have held regular meetings to discuss scheme progress. The scheme in Southport town centre experienced delays with the provision of materials which have recently been made available, and the scheduled completion date is now March 2022.

Government has published safer transport guidance for operators which sets out measures to assess and address the risks of coronavirus for passengers and staff. In line with this, all train operators are expected to carry out their own risk assessments on the most appropriate action to take.

Risk assessments are expected, where possible, to enable social distancing of 2 metres or 1 metre with risk mitigations, taking account of factors such as the design of different types of rolling stock. Some operators of long-distance services have limited ridership by selling only a set number of seats and requiring reservations. In addition, train operators have increased services levels as we move through the roadmap to provide additional capacity as demand increases. Operators are also providing information on how busy services are likely to be so that passengers can plan ahead and use quieter services where possible.

The Department wants to see a high quality rail retailing service which allows passengers to buy their tickets quickly and conveniently. Ticket Vending Machines are one part of the overall retail service, alongside other ways to buy tickets including online purchase and pay-as-you-go. As ticket buying is modernised we will look to the rail industry, including in future Great British Railways, to ensure that the overall retail offer is appropriate to the needs of passengers, including those without access to the internet.

The Department has worked with the rail industry to enhance ticket buying facilities, including ensuring that smart tickets are accepted at stations across almost all of the network. Passengers have the choice of travelling without a paper ticket, such as by receiving barcode tickets straight to their phones. The Williams Shapps Plan for Rail also commits the Government to introducing far more convenient ways to pay using a contactless bank card, mobile or online.

The Department’s statutory guidance to local authorities on the management of their road networks in response to COVID-19 strongly encourages them to introduce measures to support more cycling and walking in their areas, but it does not require them to do so. All combined authorities and local transport authorities were allocated funding from the Emergency Active Travel Fund in 2020/21, but there was no obligation on any authority to accept the funding or to introduce active travel schemes: these are decisions for local authorities. The Department plans to write to the same authorities shortly inviting bids for capital funding for active travel schemes to be delivered in 2021/22.

The Department has commissioned a formal national evaluation of the Active Travel Fund (ATF) which will consider this matter in some detail. A baseline report of schemes selected for evaluation is scheduled to be received by the Department in December 2022 as we know it takes time to understand the long-term impacts of new cycling infrastructure. This will be followed by a final report in late 2024. Local authorities have also been required to submit regular monitoring reports to the Department on their use of active travel funding. In the meantime, the Department’s 2020 Road Traffic Estimates for Great Britain, published on 28 April 2021, suggest that the amount of cycling in 2020 was 46% higher than it was in 2019, and the highest level of cycling on the public highway since the 1960s.

We are looking at a range of measures to increase rail performance across Manchester including the route between Southport to Manchester Piccadilly. This is part of the consultation on Manchester timetable changes which was held earlier this year and the responses are still being considered.

The government committed to bringing forward vital sector-wide reforms and commissioned Keith Williams to carry out the first root and branch review of the rail industry in a generation. I am delighted to confirm that we published the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail on 20 May, which sets out how the Government will transform the railway. These reforms will create a more accountable, efficient and truly-passenger focused railway.

Link to the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/great-british-railways-williams-shapps-plan-for-rail

We received numerous representations about the potential changes to Southport to Manchester Piccadilly train service as part of the consultation on Manchester timetable changes that was held earlier this year, including from the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority. These responses are still being considered.

Last year despite negative earnings growth and low inflation of 0.5% the Government took action to provide vital peace of mind to pensioners regarding their financial security. Consequently, the basic and new State Pension rates were increased in April 2021 by 2.5% meaning the full yearly basic State Pension is over £2,050 a year higher than in 2010, in cash terms. In addition, the Pension Credit Standard Minimum Guarantee was also increased to match the cash equivalent in the basic State Pension. Pension Credit remains a vital support to pensioners on a low income.

We recognise that some people may require extra support over the winter as we enter the final stages of recovery, which is why vulnerable households across the country will now be able to access a new £500 million support fund to help them with essentials. The Household Support Fund will provide £421 million to help vulnerable people in England. The Barnett Formula will apply in the usual way, with the devolved administrations receiving almost £80 million (£41m for the Scottish Government, £25m for the Welsh Government and £14m for the NI Executive), for a total of £500 million.

Councils have the discretion and flexibility to develop a local delivery approach that best fits the scheme’s objectives, with support primarily used to support households in the most need with food, energy, fuel, digital and water bills. Up to 50% of the fund is available for councils to use on households without children, including those of state pension age.

In addition, we will continue to support pensioners by making winter fuel payments of £200 to those households with someone of state pension age and under 80 and £300 to those households with someone aged 80 or over. Cold weather payments are also available to those in receipt of Pension Credit.

The Warm Home Discount Scheme operated by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy ensures that those in receipt of Pension Credit Guarantee Credit receive a rebate of £140 on their energy bill.

Through our Plan for Jobs, we are targeting tailored support schemes of people of all ages to help them prepare for, get into and progress in work. These include: Kickstart, delivering tens of thousands of six-month work placements for UC claimants aged 16-24 at risk of unemployment; Restart, which provides 12 months’ intensive employment support to UC claimants who are unemployed for a year; and JETS, which provides light touch employment support for people who are claiming either Universal Credit or New Style Jobseekers Allowance, for up to 6 months, helping participants effectively re-engage with the labour market and focus their job search. We have also recruited an additional 13,500 Work Coaches to provide more intensive support to find a job. In total, our Plan for Jobs interventions will support more than two million people.

Supporting people into work and progressing in-work is at the heart of our approach to tackling poverty. We have recruited an additional 13,500 Work Coaches in our Jobcentres to help support people of all ages to find a job, retrain, or gain vital practical experience to move into better paid jobs or those that have opportunities for progression.

Last year DWP launched the In-Work Progression Commission led by Baroness Ruby McGregor-Smith. The Commission published their independent report on 1 July 2021. It makes 26 recommendations to help people to progress at work and move out of low paid employment. The Government welcomed the report, we are carefully considering the recommendations and we will respond in the coming months.

In the meantime, DWP continues to build evidence of how we can support working claimants to progress in work. We are trialling a voluntary in-work support offer with claimants in South Yorkshire.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is committed to making its services accessible for all its customers together with those who may have additional communication needs including hearing loss.

Deaf and hard of hearing customers visiting Jobcentres are able to access different support based on how hearing loss affects their communication needs. Job Centres are equipped and currently provide mainly portable, but also some fixed hearing loops across the network, for those customers with hearing loss. There is a new initiative to improve our environments for disabled customers and those with health conditions which will include people with hearing loss. This work is due to start in October.

For those customers who are deaf or hard of hearing and attending a prearranged appointment with DWP, staff will already be aware of the customer’s communication needs from DWP’s computer systems and have access to a language services contract to pre-book an interpreter to support face to face contact. The interpreter will be skilled in providing non-spoken language support including British Sign Language (BSL).

Furthermore, a Disability Employment Adviser (DEA) is assigned to each Jobcentre site. The DEA is skilled in understanding the needs of disabled customers, including those who with hearing loss. The DEA provides support to Work Coaches to ensure that Work Coaches are able to increase their awareness and empathy when dealing with customers who have hearing loss.

The Employer and Partnerships role within DWP forms effective networks with a variety of local stakeholders, including organisations and charities that support customers with hearing loss. These relationships are vital to ensure that DWP is able to provide consistent and effective support to its customers.

On a national level, DWP has established a range of networks with its stakeholders to provide a voice for the customer. The Taskforce for Accessible Information, the Reasonable Adjustments Forum and the Operational Stakeholder Engagement Forum all regularly meet with a cross section of groups representing disabilities including those with hearing loss. The purpose of these forums are to ensure that DWP elicits feedback and insight into how its services are being used by those with additional communication needs and to seek continuous improvement.

Following the expansion of Video Relay Service last year, whereby deaf customers are now able to make an inbound telephone call to DWP via a British Sign Language interpreter using a video connection, DWP is currently exploring how this technology can be adapted to support video remote interpreting. This will increase the flexibility for DWP to conduct face to face and telephony based contact with deaf and hard of hearing customers.

From August 2020 to July 2021, a total of *89,000 Universal Credit Official Error Overpayments in excess of £1,000 were recorded on Debt Manager. There are currently approximately 6 million Universal Credit claimants.

The Department is unable to provide information on how many waiver requests for Universal Credit Official Error overpayments exceeding £1,000 were made (and were successful) in the last 12 months, as to do so would incur disproportionate costs.

When the Department informs claimants of a benefit overpayment (either by letter, or via the journal in Universal Credit), they are advised to contact the Department’s Debt Management Team to discuss repayment. During this discussion, if a claimant expresses concern about repayment, Debt Management staff will inform them that they can request that a waiver be considered.

It should be noted that a waiver can only be granted where the recovery of the overpayment is causing substantial medical and/or financial hardship, and where clear evidence of this can be provided.

DWP pays welfare benefits to around 23 million people and is committed to ensuring that the right people are paid the right amount of Universal Credit. The vast majority of benefit expenditure (more than £200bn across all benefits) was paid correctly in the last financial year, with front line staff working hard to prevent overpayments from occurring.

*Please note that this data is taken from operational data systems, and is not intended for publication. Therefore, the data itself is not quality assured to the standard of published Official Statistics and National Statistics.

From August 2020 to July 2021, a total of *89,000 Universal Credit Official Error Overpayments in excess of £1,000 were recorded on Debt Manager. There are currently approximately 6 million Universal Credit claimants.

The Department is unable to provide information on how many waiver requests for Universal Credit Official Error overpayments exceeding £1,000 were made (and were successful) in the last 12 months, as to do so would incur disproportionate costs.

When the Department informs claimants of a benefit overpayment (either by letter, or via the journal in Universal Credit), they are advised to contact the Department’s Debt Management Team to discuss repayment. During this discussion, if a claimant expresses concern about repayment, Debt Management staff will inform them that they can request that a waiver be considered.

It should be noted that a waiver can only be granted where the recovery of the overpayment is causing substantial medical and/or financial hardship, and where clear evidence of this can be provided.

DWP pays welfare benefits to around 23 million people and is committed to ensuring that the right people are paid the right amount of Universal Credit. The vast majority of benefit expenditure (more than £200bn across all benefits) was paid correctly in the last financial year, with front line staff working hard to prevent overpayments from occurring.

*Please note that this data is taken from operational data systems, and is not intended for publication. Therefore, the data itself is not quality assured to the standard of published Official Statistics and National Statistics.

From August 2020 to July 2021, a total of *89,000 Universal Credit Official Error Overpayments in excess of £1,000 were recorded on Debt Manager. There are currently approximately 6 million Universal Credit claimants.

The Department is unable to provide information on how many waiver requests for Universal Credit Official Error overpayments exceeding £1,000 were made (and were successful) in the last 12 months, as to do so would incur disproportionate costs.

When the Department informs claimants of a benefit overpayment (either by letter, or via the journal in Universal Credit), they are advised to contact the Department’s Debt Management Team to discuss repayment. During this discussion, if a claimant expresses concern about repayment, Debt Management staff will inform them that they can request that a waiver be considered.

It should be noted that a waiver can only be granted where the recovery of the overpayment is causing substantial medical and/or financial hardship, and where clear evidence of this can be provided.

DWP pays welfare benefits to around 23 million people and is committed to ensuring that the right people are paid the right amount of Universal Credit. The vast majority of benefit expenditure (more than £200bn across all benefits) was paid correctly in the last financial year, with front line staff working hard to prevent overpayments from occurring.

*Please note that this data is taken from operational data systems, and is not intended for publication. Therefore, the data itself is not quality assured to the standard of published Official Statistics and National Statistics.

There are currently around 4.2 million households in receipt of a temporarily higher level of UC. It is not possible to produce a robust estimate of how many people will be affected by the removal of the £20 uplift due to uncertainty around the speed of the economic recovery and the resulting effect on the caseload.

The Chancellor announced a temporary six-month extension to the £20 per week uplift at the Budget on 3 March to support households affected by the economic shock of Covid-19. Universal Credit has provided a vital safety net for six million people during the pandemic, and the temporary uplift was part of a COVID support package worth a total of £407billion in 2020-21 and 2021-22.

There have been significant positive developments in the public health situation since the uplift was first introduced with the success of the vaccine rollout. Now the economy is reopening and as we continue to progress with our recovery our focus is on helping people back into work.

Through our Plan for Jobs, we are targeting tailored support schemes of people of all ages to help them prepare for, get into and progress in work. These include: Kickstart, delivering tens of thousands of six-month work placements for UC claimants aged 16-24 at risk of unemployment; we have also recruited an additional 13,500 work coaches to provide more intensive support to find a job; and introduced Restart which provides 12 months’ intensive employment support to UC claimants who are unemployed for a year. Our Plan for Jobs interventions will support more than two million people.

DWP takes fraud and error very seriously and it should be noted that, during a period when we have faced the unprecedented challenges posed by COVID-19, fraud and error in the benefits system remains low, with 95% of benefits, worth more than £200bn. paid correctly in 2020/21.

We recognise that a small percentage of Universal Credit claims made during COVID-19 are in payment incorrectly and we are now re-visiting those cases which have the highest residual risk of incorrectness. Any overpayments will be pursued and where fraud is a factor, we will consider formal action.

We continue to invest in fraud and error prevention, with the Chancellor announcing £44m at the Spring Budget to support the expansion of both our Integrated Risk and Intelligence Service and our new Enhanced Checking Service and the development of Transaction Risking as a means of identifying high risk claims.

Our work with other Government departments and law enforcement agencies, both nationally and across borders, helps ensure appropriate intelligence and resources are shared,

enabling the totality of any criminality to be identified and investigated.

Our Annual Report and Accounts published on 15 July 2021 provides more information on what we are doing to prevent fraud from occurring: DWP annual report and accounts 2020 to 2021

As a result of the Triple Lock, the full yearly basic State Pension is now over £2,050 higher than in 2010 in cash terms.

Decisions on the rates for State Pensions are made each Autumn as part of the Up-rating review by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.

We are committed to ensuring that older people are able to live with the dignity and respect they deserve; the State Pension is the foundation of support for older people

DWP is committed to ensuring that the Access to Work (AtW) scheme is accessible to visually impaired people. We work closely with stakeholders (including organisations who support blind and visually impaired people) to identify and deliver improvements to the scheme to broaden its accessibility and reach.

Recent accessibility improvements include:

• completing work to ensure our online application journey is compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidance (v 2.1); ensuring the service works with all major screen readers, screen magnifiers and other assistive software
• creating accessible versions of four Access to Work claim forms. These products are compatible with popular assistive software such as JAWS, Windows NVDA and Zoomtext. Customers can also request versions in a format of their choice if these do not meet their needs.

In addition, we are currently developing an online journey to enable citizens to claim the grant; this will be fully accessible and allow users to submit claims, check the status of claims and view their remaining grant. We have done extensive user research and prototype testing with users who have visual impairments to ensure the future service meets their needs. We are also discussing ways of reducing the amount of invoices and other evidence users might need to upload or supply; ensuring a more inclusive service across all channels.

To raise awareness of the scheme, Access to Work was supported with paid campaign activity that ran between 24 February and 31 March, and the Department continues to assess how the scheme can be promoted to support both those with visual impairment and people with other disabilities and health conditions. The campaign ran across a broad channel mix to reach a wide but targeted audience. To coincide with the Access to Work campaign launch, we also produced a new Access to Work toolkit. This was shared with a wide range of stakeholders, including Business Disability Forum, Disability Benefits Consortium (DBC), Disability Rights UK and the RNIB.

The Department aims to respond to correspondence from hon. Members and their constituents within 20 working days wherever possible. Where the matters raised are complex it may take longer, but we aim to keep any delay to a minimum.

The Cabinet Office publishes information about individual Department’s performance in responding to hon. Members; the most recent information will be published in due course.

The income information for a child maintenance calculation is obtained directly from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). This method is consistent for all of our paying parents including earnings from self-employment.

Either parent may request a variation to a maintenance calculation to allow the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) to consider some circumstances which are not covered by the basic calculation. This includes unearned income such as rental income from property or land, or dividends and interest from savings and investments. If a variation succeeds, the maintenance liability may be adjusted.

Cases involving complex income or suspected fraud can be referred to the CMS’s Financial Investigation Unit (FIU), a specialist team who can request information from financial institutions to check the maintenance calculation accurately reflects financial circumstances. If an investigation finds evidence of criminality the FIU may seek to prosecute or forward to HMRC for fraud action.

When a payment has not been received from an employer through a Deduction from Earnings Order (DEO), the Child Maintenance Service receive an alert and takes prompt action to investigate.

Account Managers and enforcement colleagues engage with employers to ensure they understand the DEO process and legal implications of not implementing the order, which could result in prosecutions or fines.

We have also introduced a new on-line service specifically for employers to ensure money deducted through DEOs is promptly allocated and paid to customers.

The Chancellor has announced the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to help firms continue to keep people in employment. Employers can put workers on temporary leave and the government will pay them cash grants of 80% of their wages up to a cap of £2,500, providing they keep the worker employed.

The Chancellor has also confirmed that, depending on their status, workers on zero hours contracts may be eligible for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and we would urge people to explore this avenue too.

The Chancellor has announced a Self-Employed Income Support Scheme that will help millions of people across the UK, with those eligible receiving a cash grant worth 80% of their average monthly trading profit over the last three years. This covers 95% of people who receive the majority of their income from self-employment.

The scheme brings parity with the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, whereby the Government committed to pay up to £2,500 each month in wages of employed workers who are furloughed during the outbreak.

The Department regularly reviews and assesses the effectiveness of COVID-19 guidance for care homes. We engage with partners, including the Care Quality Commission, representative organisations and care providers, to understand the impact and effectiveness of care home visiting guidance and inform any changes.

From 31 January 2022, there will be no limit on the number of visitors each resident can have and no additional testing or isolation for those visitors who go on a normal visit outside of the home. We will continue to ask care home residents to isolate following high-risk visits out for a maximum of 10 days rather than 14 days.

Through the NHS Long Term Plan, we committed to investing at least an additional £2.3 billion a year into mental health services by 2023/24. This will allow 380,000 more adults and older adults accessing mental health care, including through improving access to psychological therapies (IAPT) services.

The NHS Mental Health Implementation Plan 2019/20 – 2023/24 sets out that all local areas will be expected to address inequalities in IAPT access for older people. To support this, areas must ensure that IAPT services meet the needs of older carers and people living with dementia and/or frailty, including those living in care homes. In March 2021, the Mental Health Recovery Action Plan committed an additional £500 million to ensure the right support is in place in 2021/22. This includes £110 million to expand adult mental health services, including IAPT and £17 million for the recovery of the dementia diagnosis rate and tackling the backlog of appointments.

In October 2021, NHS England and NHS Improvement published, ‘Our plan for improving access for patients and supporting general practice’ which included a long-term measure to increase the adoption of cloud-based telephony across all practices. The benefits include additional capacity, more phone lines and automated queuing to support practices to improve call handling. We also announced a £250 million Winter Access Fund which can be used to fund extra administrative staff.

We have put in place interim arrangements to enable all practices to use Microsoft Teams telephone functionality for outbound calls, increasing capacity for incoming calls. This is at no additional cost to practices and is available until the end of April 2023.

The National Health Service has been clear that general practitioner (GP) practices must provide face to face appointments, alongside remote consultations. Patients’ input into consultation type should be sought and practices should respect preferences for face to face care unless there are good clinical reasons to the contrary, such as the presence of COVID-19 symptoms.

In October 2021, we published ‘Our plan for improving access for patients and supporting general practice’. This included an additional investment of £250 million in a Winter Access Fund to increase the number of face to face appointments, while also investing in technology to make it easier for patients to see or speak to their GP.

The UK Health Security Agency has secured hundreds of millions of additional lateral flow device tests, to allow a 200% increase in testing supply prior to the Omicron variant. We have accelerated manufacture and delivery timelines which has doubled the total delivery capacity with Royal Mail to 900,000 test packs and polymerase chain reaction tests per day for home delivery. We have also increased the availability of tests at pharmacies and for local authorities. We plan to distribute over 90 million tests across the United Kingdom per week.

NHS England and NHS Improvement advises that the North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust has secured 55 new ambulances, alongside the temporary retention of a further 45 vehicles over winter. The Trust has also recruited additional paramedics and emergency medical technicians, alongside training ambulance care assistants to blue light driving standard. This has allowed 269 additional frontline staff to be deployed.

National Health Service ambulance trusts are being supported by NHS England and NHS Improvement to improve ambulance waiting times through an extra £55 million to increase staff numbers for winter, providing over 700 additional staff in control rooms and on the frontline. This includes £1.85 million to place more hospital ambulance liaison officers at the most challenged hospitals to help address ambulance queues and get crews quickly back out on the road.

Ambulance waiting times outside England is a devolved matter.

There are a range of prices available to consumers. Since international travel testing requirements were introduced, the average cost of a day two polymerase chain reaction test has decreased to £45 and tests are regularly available from approximately £20. For United Kingdom residents or individuals with residency rights who would suffer severe financial hardship by paying the full cost of their testing fees before they travel, hardship arrangements may be available.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is an arm's length body of the Department with responsibility for developing evidence-based guidance for the health and care system including for chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS/ME).

To increase awareness, support and understanding of CFS/ME, NICE recently updated their CFS/ME guidance. The guidance includes specific recommendations on providing information and support to people with CFS/ME including personalised advice about managing symptoms.

Additionally, the guidance recommends that training for all staff delivering care to people with CFS/ME should include materials helping them to understand what CFS/ME is, how it is diagnosed and managed.

NICE is working with system partners to support the implementation of the guideline.

We have had no specific discussions.

No assessment has been made. However, we expect that National Health Service trusts, in common with other health and care providers, should ensure clinical records are accurate and up to date. This should include all relevant information about diagnoses and treatment and care decisions, with details of how this information was collected and whether and with whom it was shared.

Local authorities have a duty under the Care Act 2014 to shape their local care markets to ensure there is a diverse range of high-quality services, available to meet the needs of the local population, including respite care. Responsibility for the provision of respite services in the North West is a matter for the local authorities in that region.

To support local authorities, we are providing £1.6 billion of new grant funding per year in this Spending Review period for social care and other services. We are also providing support to local authorities to help them fulfil their market shaping duties through collaborative work with partners such as the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services and the Local Government Association.

The ‘National framework for NHS continuing healthcare and NHS-funded nursing care’ sets out the principles and processes guiding NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC), including how assessments should be undertaken and CHC and National Health Service-funded nursing care delivered.

As set out in the national framework, it is the responsibility of clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to promote awareness of CHC and ensure training and development opportunities are available for practitioners, in partnership with the local authority. The framework also sets out that a partnership approach, including good communication, at both organisational and practitioner levels between NHS England, CCGs, general practitioners, local authorities, local NHS bodies and provider organisations including care homes, is crucial for successful and consistent delivery of CHC.

Local commissioners should have due regard to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guideline ‘Autism spectrum disorder in adults: diagnosis and management’ when commissioning services for their local populations. This guideline states people should wait no longer than 13 weeks between a referral for an autism assessment and a first appointment.

As part of the COVID-19 Mental Health and Wellbeing Recovery Action plan, we are investing £2.5 million in 2020/21 to improve the quality of adult diagnostic and post-diagnostic pathways and address waiting times. We have not made a specific assessment of the impact of delayed diagnosis on adults.

No assessment has been made as a national access and waiting times standard for child and adolescent mental health services has not yet been defined. There is not a nationally set or mandated clinical threshold for accessing National Health Service children and young people’s mental health services. Referral and access is based on need and clinical judgement.

NHS England and NHS Improvement have consulted on the potential to introduce five new waiting time standards as part of its clinically-led review of NHS access standards. This includes a standard that children, young people and their families/carers presenting to community-based mental health services should start to receive care within four weeks from referral. This consultation closed on 1 September 2021 and the outcomes will inform a recommendation to the Government on whether and how to implement this new access standard in due course.

Officials have regular discussions with the Department for Education, including in relation to Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) and implementation of the Building the Right Support national plan to reduce reliance on inpatient care for people with a learning disability and autistic people.

This year councils have access to £51.3 billion to deliver their core services, including a £1.7 billion grant for social care. To support local areas, the Government has given over £6 billion in un-ringfenced funding directly to councils to support them with the immediate and longer-term impacts of COVID-19 spending pressures, including for social care for disabled children.

On 6 September 2021 we announced plans to spend more than £8 billion over the Spending Review period 2022/23 to 2024/25 for a programme to assist the NHS to provide elective care delayed by the pandemic. We also announced an additional £5.4 billion to support the COVID-19 response over the next six months, bringing the total Government support for health services to over £34 billion in 2021/22. This includes £2 billion to reduce waiting times for patients, including disabled children.

As of 16 January 2022, 67.2% of adults aged 18 years old and over and 62.7% of those aged 12 years old and over in Southport had received a booster or third dose. As of 22 January 2022, 60.5% of adults aged 18 years old and over and 55.8% of people aged 12 years old and over in the North West had received a booster or third dose.

We are trialling the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training programme to improve awareness and understanding of learning disability, including Down syndrome, for all health and social care staff. We have committed to investing an additional £5.4 billion over three years to begin a comprehensive programme of reform for adult social care, including an extension of the established Disabled Facilities Grant. The Government is taking forward a review to improve outcomes for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), including those with Down syndrome, with a focus on preparing them for later life and adulthood. We will publish proposals for full public consultation in the coming months. In addition, the Spending Review committed £2.6 billion over the next three years for school places for children and young people with SEND, more than tripling current capital funding levels to over £900 million by 2024-25.

General practitioners and community pharmacists are responsible for ordering flu vaccine to deliver the national flu programme to adults, including the elderly and clinically vulnerable. We have issued guidance asking all providers to order sufficient vaccine to at least equal the levels of uptake achieved in 2020/21. The Department is also in regular contact with vaccine manufacturers to ensure there are sufficient amounts of flu vaccines available in the system to vaccinate eligible cohorts.

We have secured tens of millions of additional blood tubes, including importing additional supplies from the European Union and the United States of America, to ensure clinically urgent testing continues. The Department is working closely with NHS England, the devolved administrations and the National Health Service to minimise any impact on patient care.

From 4 October we are extending our inbound vaccination policy to 17 new countries and we continue to work with international partners to explore further expansion of the policy.

In 2021/22 the Investment and Impact Fund (IIF) will recognise general practitioner (GP) practices, organised into Primary Care Networks (PCNs), for developing and implementing plans to reduce unnecessary accident and emergency attendances and emergency hospital admissions. In 2021/22 and 2022/23, the IIF will also recognise PCNs for making and implementing plans to increase referrals from general practice to the Community Pharmacist Consultation Service. We have launched the Community Pharmacist Consultation Service (CPCS) which is providing GPs and NHS 111 pathways for referring patients to a consultation with a pharmacist for lower acuity conditions. Further work is underway to develop the CPCS referral routes from emergency departments and urgent treatment centres.

The Care Act 2014 requires local authorities to carry out an assessment where an adult or carer appears to have care and support needs. Once an eligibility determination has been made the local authority should then carry out a financial assessment to determine whether or not the person should pay anything towards their care.

We have announced a cap on care costs and the more generous means testing which will benefit all adults. The Government will unfreeze the Minimum Income Guarantee for those receiving care in their own homes and Personal Expenses Allowance for care home residents, which will both rise in line with inflation from April 2022.

The vaccination programme is developing an overseas vaccine service to support English citizens and residents. This will enable these vaccination events to appear in the national vaccine database and general practitioner records. The devolved administrations are considering establishing similar solutions. This service will be piloted by the end of September for wider deployment in early October. It will initially support the four vaccines recognised by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and administered within the jurisdiction of a recognised medical regulator.

The vaccination programme is developing an overseas vaccine service to support English citizens and residents. This will enable these vaccination events to appear in the national vaccine database and general practitioner records. The devolved administrations are considering establishing similar solutions. This will support those who have been vaccinated overseas and travelling for work who require a NHS COVID Pass. It will initially support the four vaccines recognised by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and administered within the jurisdiction of a recognised medical regulator.

NHS England and NHS Improvement have published the 2021/2022 priorities and operational planning guidance. This includes guidance to transform community and urgent and emergency care to prevent non urgent attendance at emergency departments, improve timely admission to hospital and reduce length of stay.

£450million has been invested to upgrade accident and emergency (A&E) facilities, with funding awarded to over 120 separate National Health Service (NHS) trusts. NHS trusts have used the new funding to expand waiting areas and increase the number of treatment cubicles, helping them boost A&E capacity.

From 16 August 2021, those who are fully vaccinated, participants of approved vaccine trials, individuals under 18 years and 6 months of age, and those unable to have the vaccine for medical reasons, are not required to self-isolate if they are a contact of a positive case. Such individuals will instead be advised to take a polymerase chain reaction test or given age-related public health advice (in the case of young children).

Individuals who do not fall within the categories above will be legally required to self-isolate if they are the contact of a positive case.

From 16 August 2021, those who are fully vaccinated, participants of approved vaccine trials, individuals under 18 years and 6 months of age, and those unable to have the vaccine for medical reasons, are not required to self-isolate if they are a contact of a positive case. Such individuals will instead be advised to take a PCR test or given age-related public health advice (in the case of young children). However, should an individual wish to self-isolate, they can do so.

The Government is committed to ensuring individuals have access to the care and support they need. When local authorities charge for care and support, they must undertake a financial assessment to determine what the individual can afford to pay from their income and assets and ensure they retain enough income to pay for any needs that are not being met by the local authority.

Local authorities make assessments based on a range of factors. The Minimum Income Guarantee determines the floor for income retained for those receiving care in their own home and the personal expense allowance for those receiving care in a care home. On 7 September 2021, the Government announced that from April 2022 it will unfreeze these allowances and they will rise in line with inflation.

Face-to-face appointments have been available throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and approximately half of all appointments during the pandemic have been delivered in person. NHS England and NHS Improvement wrote to general practitioner (GP) practices on 19 July, setting out the expectation that practices should offer a blend of face to face and remote appointments, with remote triage where possible.

Practice receptions should be open, so patients without access to phones or online services are not disadvantaged. Practices are expected to review their communications to ensure patients know how to access GP services.

The Government is working with clinical research sites to add participant information of COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials into the National Immunisation Management Service (NIMS), in order to allow participants to access their COVID Pass for events and travel purposes.

Participants of trials which have been unblinded, including those who received unlicensed vaccines, will be able to obtain a COVID Pass for international travel based on their vaccination status, with details of their vaccine records accessible within their COVID Pass, once these are available on NIMS.

Children’s accident and emergency (A&E) services are provided at Ormskirk District General Hospital. The six-week average performance at Ormskirk A&E is 97% with the majority of children treated, admitted or discharged within the four hour standard. The Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust is currently undertaking a strategic service review to deliver sustainable health and care services which includes care for children.

Emergency medicine technician training is undertaken as a Level 4 Apprenticeship through individual ambulance trusts. The training standards are set by the Health and Care Professionals Council. Employers, working with the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education, should ensure that standards meet the requirements of the ambulance service and the level of training required.

As part of the NHS Long Term Plan we are investing £2.5 million to test and implement the most effective ways to reduce autism diagnosis waiting times for children and young people in England. In addition, in 2021-22 we are investing an extra £10.5 million to address waiting times for a diagnosis for children, young people and adults and proactively identify those at risk of crisis. We will be publishing shortly our refreshed national autism strategy, which will set out actions to improve the diagnosis of autism for both adults and children.

In Southport and Sefton, children’s and young people’s mental health services will receive additional investment from 2021/22 to support COVID-19 recovery, reduce waiting times and improve access. A local 24 hours, seven days a week mental health crisis helpline was developed and implemented at the start of the pandemic. There are two mental health support teams in the Southport area, based in schools, to provide mental health interventions and advice to pupils/teachers in schools and colleges for low to moderate level mental health conditions. A further team will be implemented in 2022/23, supporting a further 20 schools.

An online resource ‘Kooth’ has been recommissioned with Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council to provide digital support to young people in the Southport and Sefton areas. A ‘one stop shop’ online mental health referral and information platform was launched in May 2021 to enable children, young people, parents and professionals to make direct referrals to mental health services and to access information and self-help materials. A comprehensive mental health training and support programme was delivered locally to bolster the skills and knowledge of school and college staff in supporting children’s and young people’s mental health.

No such assessment has been made.

We continue to strengthen our partnership between local and national public health experts, local government and the National Health Service and employers to coordinate our response to the virus and share resources and intelligence to increase our impact. NHS Test and Trace initiated a programme to pilot additional interventions to improve compliance with self-isolation and encourage people to come forward for testing, particularly in areas of enduring transmission and variant of concern outbreaks.

No estimate has been made. Continuous registration with dental practices is no longer required for a patient to access NHS services. Patients are only registered with a dental practice during the course of their treatment.

General practice appointment levels are now close to pre-pandemic numbers. In March 2021, an estimated 28.6 million appointments were booked in general practice in England or an average of 1.24 million per working weekday, compared to 1.25 million appointments per working weekday in March 2019. In March 2021, 15.8 million appointments were face to face, or 55.7% of all appointments. NHS England and NHS Improvement and local commissioners monitor monthly appointment data published by NHS Digital, providing support where appropriate.

The Government confirmed an additional £3 billion for the National Health Service in the Spending Review 2020, on top of the long-term settlement, to support the recovery from the impact of COVID-19. Cancer patients will continue to be prioritised and will benefit from approximately £1 billion to begin tackling the elective backlog.

The NHS is moving rapidly to increase diagnostic capacity, with a particular focus on immediate action plans to increase endoscopy and computerised tomography capacity, and focusing on reducing the number of those waiting more than 62 days on cancer pathways, particularly for those who have had their care delayed by the pandemic. In October, NHS England and NHS Improvement and Public Health England launched the latest ‘Help us help you’ campaign to urge people with potential symptoms of cancer to see their general practitioner.

National Health Service dentists have been asked to maximise safe throughput, focusing first on those in greatest clinical need, then care for vulnerable groups, followed by overdue appointments. Where carers meet these criteria they will be prioritised for NHS dental care.

The information is not held in the format requested.

We would encourage all National Health Service staff to take up the offer of the vaccine, to help protect themselves and others they come into contact with. We are working to maximise uptake of the vaccine and to protect vulnerable patients.

In the West Lancashire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) area, which includes Southport constituency, children and parents can now self-refer into local child and adolescent mental health services and these services cover 0 to 19 year olds. The CCG has developed the local Healthy Young Minds website and a 24 hours a day, seven days a week helpline to provide information on access, urgent help and links to self help and support for family members and carers. Kooth have been commissioned to provide online live digital support and access to materials to support a young person with their mental health. Children and young people’s mental health services in the area will receive additional investment in 2021 and beyond to improve access and crisis support. This includes the establishment of a school-based mental health support team from January 2022.

Nationally, the NHS Long Term Plan invests a further £2.3 billion a year into mental health services by 2023/24, which will see an additional 345,000 children and young people a year able to access support through National Health Service-funded services including school and college-based mental health support teams by 2023/24. We have also announced an additional £79 million in this financial year to significantly accelerate this planned expansion of children and young people’s mental health services.

There are currently no plans to introduce smear tests on demand. The NHS Cervical Screening Programme offers regular, routine tests for the human papillomavirus which can cause cervical cancer, to all women between the ages of 25 and 64 years old. This programme is intended for women without any symptoms to help detect cervical abnormalities at an early stage.

No data is available on the effectiveness of a single dose or two doses of the COVID-19 vaccines in people taking immunosuppressant medications, therefore no assessment has been made.

We want routine NHS services to return for patients as quickly as possible, but this must be done in a safe and managed way, ensuring that we maintain the capacity for any further surge in COVID-19 activity. The resumption of non-urgent operations will be prioritised at local level based on local demands, ensuring that the most urgent cases are seen first, whilst ensuring surge capacity can be stood up again should it be needed.

Dental practices have been able to open for face to face National Health Service care, including routine care, from 8 June. Decisions on when to reopen for private care are a matter for the practice concerned. The guidance from NHS England and NHS Improvement to NHS contract holders was clear that the pace of the restart should be only as fast as possible compatible with maximizing safety for patients and dental staff. A copy of the letter that was published can be found at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/wp-ontent/uploads/sites/52/2020/03/Urgent-dental-care-letter-28-May.pdf

There are also currently over 600 urgent dental centres which remain open across England to ensure patients can continue to have access to urgent treatment while practices gradually restart a full range of care.

Dentists are using clinical priority to decide which patients to see first and, where they have capacity, they are free to also restart routine non-urgent appointments.

We continue to work closely with the National Health Service and partners and guidance has already been issued to the NHS on the process of starting to restore urgent non-COVID-19 services in a safe way. The approach will be flexed at local level according to capacity and demand in different parts of the country and will be gradual.

Approaches to management of B12 injections during the pandemic are a local matter.

The British Committee for Standards in Haematology (BCSH), which operates independently of Department and NHS England and produces evidence-based guidelines on the diagnosis and treatment of haematological disease, has published a range of general and specific haematology guidance for clinicians in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. This includes new guidance on the management of both dietary and non-dietary B12 deficiency. On B12 injections the BCSH guidance recommends that screening questions for COVID-19 infection are asked before patients attend their general practitioner (GP) surgeries. Alternatives to attending the GP surgery such as local pharmacies or home administration by district nurses should be explored. The guidance can be found at the following link:

b-s-h.org.uk/media/18259/bsh-guidance-b12-replacement-covid-1924042020finalversion2020-4-3.pdf

We have already introduced the first ever access and waiting time standards for mental health services, including for children and young people’s eating disorder services, for early intervention for people experiencing a first episode of psychosis and for accessing psychological and talking therapies. These are being met or are on track for delivery by the end of 2020/21.

The National Health Service has also committed to testing and rolling out comprehensive waiting time standards for adults and children as part of the NHS Long Term Plan.

The Department is aware that there has been a temporary disruption in the supply of Freestyle Libre glucose monitoring sensors, caused by an increase in demand. The supplier, Abbott, has however recently informed us that the delay issues have now been fully resolved and that this news has been communicated to existing users and health care professionals.

Abbott have emphasised that the supply disruption was not caused by the United Kingdom leaving the European Union. The UK has now left the EU and entered a transition period, which will run until 31 December 2020. EU regulations on medicines, vaccines and medical devices will continue to apply to the UK throughout the transition period, during which we will negotiate a new trade agreement with the EU.

We believe that the solution to Tunisia's challenges can only be achieved through the principles of democracy, transparency, human rights, and free speech. We call on all parties to uphold Tunisia's reputation as a tolerant and open society and to protect the democratic gains of the 2011 revolution.

I spoke with Tunisian Foreign Minister Jerandi about the situation in Tunisia on 11 August.

I also co-chaired the inaugural UK-Tunisia Association Council in Tunisia on 7-9 June with the Tunisian Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Mohamed Ali Nafti. Bolstering trade, furthering good governance, and supporting Tunisia to develop its economy are all key aspects of our engagement that will enhance Tunisia's resilience and stability.

We believe that the solution to Tunisia's challenges can only be achieved through the principles of democracy, transparency, human rights, and free speech. We call on all parties to uphold Tunisia's reputation as a tolerant and open society and to protect the democratic gains of the 2011 revolution.

I spoke with Tunisian Foreign Minister Jerandi about the situation in Tunisia on 11 August.

I also co-chaired the inaugural UK-Tunisia Association Council in Tunisia on 7-9 June with the Tunisian Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Mohamed Ali Nafti. Bolstering trade, furthering good governance, and supporting Tunisia to develop its economy are all key aspects of our engagement that will enhance Tunisia's resilience and stability.

We believe that the solution to Tunisia's challenges can only be achieved through the principles of democracy, transparency, human rights, and free speech. We call on all parties to uphold Tunisia's reputation as a tolerant and open society and to protect the democratic gains of the 2011 revolution.

I spoke with Tunisian Foreign Minister Jerandi about the situation in Tunisia on 11 August.

I also co-chaired the inaugural UK-Tunisia Association Council in Tunisia on 7-9 June with the Tunisian Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Mohamed Ali Nafti. Bolstering trade, furthering good governance, and supporting Tunisia to develop its economy are all key aspects of our engagement that will enhance Tunisia's resilience and stability.

We believe that the solution to Tunisia's challenges can only be achieved through the principles of democracy, transparency, human rights, and free speech. We call on all parties to uphold Tunisia's reputation as a tolerant and open society and to protect the democratic gains of the 2011 revolution.

I spoke with Tunisian Foreign Minister Jerandi about the situation in Tunisia on 11 August.

I also co-chaired the inaugural UK-Tunisia Association Council in Tunisia on 7-9 June with the Tunisian Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Mohamed Ali Nafti. Bolstering trade, furthering good governance, and supporting Tunisia to develop its economy are all key aspects of our engagement that will enhance Tunisia's resilience and stability.

All FCDO travel advice pages remain under constant review to ensure they reflect the latest threat assessment to British nationals and include up-to-date information and advice.

All FCDO travel advice pages remain under constant review to ensure they reflect the latest threat assessment to British nationals and include up-to-date information and advice.

The UK is committed to rapid equitable access to safe and effective vaccines. We are among the largest donors to the COVAX Advance Market Commitment, committing £548 million. The UK is also donating 80% of its surplus vaccines to COVAX. This support to COVAX has been critical to it supplying COVID-19 vaccines to over 120 countries and economies, including Tunisia. By the end of June, Tunisia received over 760,000 doses from COVAX and will eventually receive 20% of their entire national requirement from COVAX absolutely free.

The UK Government is committed to returning to spending 0.7 per cent of GNI on official development assistance when the fiscal situation allows, and has provided a clear measure for this. The two key tests are (1) When we are not borrowing to support day-to-day spending. That means when the current budget is in surplus. (2) When underlying debt is falling. This is measured by Public Sector Net Debt (excluding the Bank of England) as a percentage of GDP. When these tests are met then the UK Government will increase ODA spending above 0.5 per cent of GNI to 0.7 per cent of GNI. On 13 July, the UK Government provided Members of Parliament the opportunity to debate its proposed course of action and pathway back to 0.7 per cent. The House voted clearly with a majority of 35 votes to approve the approach set out in the Treasury's 12 July Written Ministerial Statement.

All FCDO travel advice pages remain under constant review to ensure they reflect the latest threat assessment to British nationals and include up-to-date information and advice.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is responsible for issuing Emergency Travel Documents (ETDs) to British people overseas who do not have their full passport available and who need to travel urgently. The published target is that, in straightforward cases, ETDs will normally be ready in two working days once a full and complete application is received.

In a normal year the FCDO issues over 30,000 ETDs. To ensure we can provide a more consistent service, in line with the published target, the FCDO has recently completed a global programme to centralise ETD processing into a specialised global ETD service centre in three locations. From May 2021 all British people have been able to apply online 24/7, and have their application processed by dedicated ETD staff, with the option to collect their ETD in person from a British Embassy or Consulate or, for those eligible, have it couriered to them. The ETD service centre frees up other consular staff at posts overseas to focus on delivering high quality, professional consular assistance to those who most need our help.

The FCDO is continuously improving the effectiveness and efficiency of the service it offers to British people requiring an ETD. It uses customer satisfaction surveys and feedback to develop the application process as well as collection and courier options. The latest satisfaction survey (Q3/Q4 2020-21) records that 89% of applicants are satisfied with the ETD service they receive.

The UK is committed to rapid equitable access to safe and effective vaccines. We are among the largest donors to the COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC), committing £548 million which leveraged through match funding $1 billion from other donors in 2020. This support to COVAX has been critical to it supplying COVID-19 vaccines to over 120 countries and economies.

Tunisia is supported by the COVAX AMC, which has so far delivered over 350,000 vaccines to Tunisia.

On 17 May the Government lifted the legal restrictions on international travel, but strict rules on testing and quarantine will remain in place to protect public health and our vaccination programme. The British Embassy in Tunis is in regular contact with the Tunisian Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Health and Tourism on the issue of Covid-19 restrictions and travel between the two countries.

The United Kingdom is committed to combatting all forms of racism, including anti-Semitism, both at home and abroad. We believe that one of the most effective ways to tackle injustices and advocate respect among different religious and racial groups is to encourage all states to uphold their human rights obligations. Some of the anti-Semitic actions and speeches in and around the Durban conference and its various follow-up events gave rise to serious concerns. We will consider UK attendance in the light of developments between now and the commemoration event, including the likelihood of any recurrence.

The Foreign Secretary recently reaffirmed the UK's condemnation to anti-Semitism during a debate in the House of Commons on 20 April 2021, and I raised my opposition to anti-Semitism during a Westminster Hall Debate on 26 November 2020. We also delivered a statement at the United Nations General Assembly in November expressing concern about the rise of anti-Semitism and other forms of discrimination in the wake of Covid-19.

The United Kingdom is committed to combatting all forms of racism, including anti-semitism, both at home and abroad. We believe that one of the most effective ways to tackle injustices and advocate respect among different religious and racial groups is to encourage all states to uphold their human rights obligations. Some of the anti-Semitic actions and speeches in and around the Durban conference and its various follow-up events gave rise to serious concerns. We will consider UK attendance in the light of developments between now and the commemoration event, including the likelihood of any recurrence.

The Foreign Secretary recently reaffirmed the UK's condemnation to anti-semitism during a debate in the House of Commons on 20 April 2021, and I raised my opposition to anti-semitism during a Westminster Hall Debate on 26 November 2020. We also delivered a statement at the United Nations General Assembly in November expressing concern about the rise of anti-semitism and other forms of discrimination in the wake of Covid-19.

The UK works closely with Tunisia to support political and economic reform, bolster democratic institutions, and build the country's resilience as part of a broad and growing partnership. We have supported the democratic transition through helping to build the capacity of parliamentarians and officials. We are providing £4m over 3 years through the British Council to fund English language training and to help young Tunisians gain important job skills. We are also working with the World Bank to support macro-economic reforms.

The UK has a strong partnership with Tunisia on security issues, which has helped strengthen our response to the shared challenges of terrorism and extremism, and to work together to address the conflict in Libya.

The UK is supporting the Tunisian Government to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic, including by helping it to secure vaccines through COVAX. Other initiatives include supporting the Tunisian Ministry of Health on their vaccine rollout as part of a World Bank-led initiative, providing support to small and medium businesses, and ensuring access to services and social security for the most vulnerable people.

The UK works closely with Tunisia to support political and economic reform, bolster democratic institutions, and build the country's resilience as part of a broad and growing partnership. We have supported the democratic transition through helping to build the capacity of parliamentarians and officials. We are providing £4m over 3 years through the British Council to fund English language training and to help young Tunisians gain important job skills. We are also working with the World Bank to support macro-economic reforms.

The UK has a strong partnership with Tunisia on security issues, which has helped strengthen our response to the shared challenges of terrorism and extremism, and to work together to address the conflict in Libya.

The UK is supporting the Tunisian Government to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic, including by helping it to secure vaccines through COVAX. Other initiatives include supporting the Tunisian Ministry of Health on their vaccine rollout as part of a World Bank-led initiative, providing support to small and medium businesses, and ensuring access to services and social security for the most vulnerable people.

The UK works closely with Tunisia to support political and economic reform, bolster democratic institutions, and build the country's resilience as part of a broad and growing partnership. We have supported the democratic transition through helping to build the capacity of parliamentarians and officials. We are providing £4m over 3 years through the British Council to fund English language training and to help young Tunisians gain important job skills. We are also working with the World Bank to support macro-economic reforms.

The UK has a strong partnership with Tunisia on security issues, which has helped strengthen our response to the shared challenges of terrorism and extremism, and to work together to address the conflict in Libya.

The UK is supporting the Tunisian Government to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic, including by helping it to secure vaccines through COVAX. Other initiatives include supporting the Tunisian Ministry of Health on their vaccine rollout as part of a World Bank-led initiative, providing support to small and medium businesses, and ensuring access to services and social security for the most vulnerable people.

The UK works closely with Tunisia to support political and economic reform, bolster democratic institutions, and build the country's resilience as part of a broad and growing partnership. We have supported the democratic transition through helping to build the capacity of parliamentarians and officials. We are providing £4m over 3 years through the British Council to fund English language training and to help young Tunisians gain important job skills. We are also working with the World Bank to support macro-economic reforms.

The UK has a strong partnership with Tunisia on security issues, which has helped strengthen our response to the shared challenges of terrorism and extremism, and to work together to address the conflict in Libya.

The UK is supporting the Tunisian Government to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic, including by helping it to secure vaccines through COVAX. Other initiatives include supporting the Tunisian Ministry of Health on their vaccine rollout as part of a World Bank-led initiative, providing support to small and medium businesses, and ensuring access to services and social security for the most vulnerable people.

I am grateful for the work of my Honourable Friend the Member for Southport, as the Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy for Libya and Tunisia.

The UK is supporting the UN-led political process in Libya. Peace and stability is the best way to create opportunities for investment and trade. The recent appointment of a new interim executive authority is positive and the Prime Minister has spoken to PM-designate Dabaiba.

The UK works with Tunisia to support political and economic reform. The Bilateral Association Agreement entered into force on 1 January and provides a platform to deepen trade and investment.

HMRC’s role is to collect the right amount of tax due under UK law. HMRC work to make sure large businesses, like all other taxpayers, pay all the taxes due under UK law.

In line with HMRC’s published criminal investigation policy, while HMRC reserve the right to undertake criminal investigations, it is their policy to deal with fraud by use of cost-effective civil fraud investigations. This applies to multinational enterprises (MNEs) as it does to other types of organisations and taxpayers.

In order to address tax risks which particularly relate to MNEs, HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) have over 450 employees working on international issues including transfer pricing, diverted profits tax, controlled foreign companies and cross border debt. This continuing programme of investigations into potential tax avoidance, and sometimes tax evasion, by MNEs has helped secure around £6 billion from MNEs between April 2015 when Diverted Profits Tax was introduced and March 2020.

Throughout the pandemic, the Government has sought to protect people’s jobs and livelihoods while also supporting businesses and public services across the UK.

The Government put in place an economic package of support totalling £352 billion through the furlough and self-employed income support schemes, support for businesses through grants and loans, business rates and VAT relief.

At Budget the Government deliberately went long and erred on the side of generosity – specifically to accommodate any short delay to the roadmap. Most of the Government’s Covid support schemes do not end until September or after, in order to provide continuity and certainty for businesses and families.

The Recovery Loan Scheme (RLS) announced at Budget 2021 ensures lenders continue to have the confidence to lend, ensuring viable businesses, including small businesses, continue to have access to Government-backed finance needed throughout 2021. The scheme launched on 6 April 2021, following the closure of the emergency schemes to new loan applications on 31 March 2021, and will run until 31 December 2021. The scheme operates UK-wide, providing an 80% guarantee to lenders for term loans, overdrafts, and invoice and asset finance.

At Budget, it was also announced that local authorities in England will receive a top-up worth a total of £425m to the Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG) fund. This, combined with the £1.6 billion previously allocated, means local authorities will have received over £2bn of discretionary grant funding to support businesses which are not eligible for Restart Grants but which are nonetheless experiencing a severe impact on their business due to public health restrictions. Nearly half of the £2bn is still with local authorities and yet to be allocated.

The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) was introduced to help employers whose operations have been severely affected by coronavirus to retain their employees and protect the UK economy. All businesses across the UK can access the scheme, with employees receiving 80% of their usual salary for hours not worked, up to a maximum of £2,500 per month. At Budget the government extended the CJRS until the end of September 2021, to support businesses and employees through the next stage of the pandemic. The economy now is in a stronger position than it was last autumn, when businesses also contributed up to 20 per cent of wage costs.

In line with the extension to the CJRS, the government announced at Budget 2021 that the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) will continue until September, with a fourth and a final fifth grant. This provides certainty to business as the economy reopens and means the SEISS will continue to be one of the most generous schemes for the self-employed in the world.

As restrictions have been lifted, it is right that we ask employers to contribute more to strike the balance between supporting the economy as it opens up, continuing to provide support and protect incomes, and ensuring incentives are in place to get people back to work.

We recognise the great importance of the effective and timely handling of correspondence.

Since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, HM Treasury has brought in additional staff to its central correspondence team and ensured its correspondence processes are as efficient as possible so Members receive timely, accurate and informative replies to their queries.

Where individuals have been advised to shield, guidance available on gov.uk should be followed wherever possible. Employers are expected to support staff to safely shield.

Those working for fully funded public sector organisations, including those that need to shield, should be paid as normal out of existing budgets.

Arrangements should have been made to facilitate working from home wherever possible, and reprioritisation and redeployment should be considered to minimise issues with service delivery.

In public sector organisations not fully funded by public grants, where working from home has not been possible, shielding staff were eligible for furlough, and the scheme continues to support them. In all instances, CJRS claims should remain proportionate to the impact on revenue disruption, and those that need to shield should be furloughed before other staff. It should be noted that from 1 July, employees can only be furloughed if they have completed the minimum 3-week furlough period between 1 March and 30 June.

Similarly, guidance issued by NHS England states that staff will continue to receive full pay for any period in which they are required to self-isolate as a result of public health advice.

The Chancellor has been clear that the NHS will receive as much funding as needed to manage the Covid-19 outbreak, with £31.9 billion of support now approved for health and care services.

In April, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) announced a series of measures intended to provide temporary support to consumers that have been affected by the coronavirus outbreak, including a three-month payment holiday on personal loans. Ministers recognise the important role payment holidays play in supporting people through this period and have engaged with lenders throughout. The government will continue to work closely with the FCA and industry on the next steps for payment holidays.

Any entity with a UK payroll can apply for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), including businesses, charities, recruitment agencies and public authorities, providing they have a UK bank account, have enrolled for PAYE online, and have created and started a PAYE payroll scheme on or before 19 March 2020.

As the guidance on the CJRS on GOV.UK sets out, the Government expects that the scheme will not be used by many public sector organisations, as the majority of public sector employees are continuing to provide essential public services or contribute to the response to the coronavirus outbreak.

Where employers receive public funding for staff costs, and that funding is continuing, the Government expects employers to use that money to pay staff in the usual fashion; and not to furlough them.

Furloughed employees must have been on their employer’s PAYE payroll and HMRC must have received an RTI (Real Time Information) submission notifying payment in respect of that employee on or before 19 March 2020. The use of RTI allows HMRC to verify claims in the most efficient and timely way, ensuring payments can be made quickly while reducing the risk of fraud. Without the use of RTI returns it would be difficult to verify claims without significant additional checks, which would delay payment for genuine claims.

The Government is also supporting people on low incomes who need to rely on the welfare system through a significant package of temporary measures. This includes a £20 per week increase to the Universal Credit standard allowance and Working Tax Credit basic element, and a nearly £1bn increase in support for renters through increases to the Local Housing Allowance rates for Universal Credit and Housing Benefit claimants. These changes will benefit all new and existing claimants. Anyone can check their eligibility and apply for Universal Credit by visiting: https://www.gov.uk/universal-credit.

The Government has announced an unprecedented package of support for businesses and individuals during the Covid-19 outbreak.

This includes the deferral of certain VAT and Self-Assessment payments in 2020-21, and the waiving of associated interest and penalties.

HMRC have also scaled up their Time to Pay (TTP) service, where individual and business taxpayers can agree tailored plans to defer certain tax payments due, and repay them over an agreed period of time. These arrangements can include any tax or duty administered by HMRC, including PAYE. Interest will continue to accrue on TTP arrangements, in the usual way, to cover the costs to Government of late payment.

Following discussions with Government, UK Finance announced on 26 March that mortgage lenders will give customers who have exchanged contracts the option to extend their mortgage offer for up to 3 months to enable them to move at a later date.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has also issued guidance for home moving during the COVID-19 outbreak which advises that all parties should work to delay the exchange of contracts until after the period where stay-at-home measures to fight COVID-19 are in place. The guidance can be viewed in full here:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/government-advice-on-home-moving-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak

In an exceptional response to Covid-19, from 1 April non-local authority providers of childcare will pay no business rates in 2020-21. This is alongside eligible businesses in retail, leisure and hospitality sectors who will benefit from a business rates holiday, irrespective of a property’s rateable value. MHCLG will publish guidance on the business rates holiday for nurseries shortly.

All police forces, as well as the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), operate independently from the Government.

The police and complaints and discipline systems, reformed by this Government in February 2020, set out the legislative framework that relevant bodies are required to follow in the event of adverse incidents resulting in a death or serious injury during or following contact with the police, complaints against the police, or should police conduct matters arise.

Where the IOPC determines that, following referral of a complaint, an investigation should be carried out locally by the force, the complainant has a right to apply for a review of the outcome by the IOPC. IOPC remains the review body. The IOPC can also decide to change its original investigation decision and investigate independently.

Decisions taken by the IOPC can be challenged by way of judicial review.

To prevent illegal entry into the UK, the Government has introduced the Nationality and Borders Bill, which will:

• Introduce new and tougher criminal offences for those attempting to enter the UK illegally by raising the penalty for illegal entry from six months’ to four years imprisonment and introducing life sentences for people smugglers.
• Provide Border Force with additional powers to:

o Search unaccompanied containers located within ports for the presence of illegal migrants;

o Seize and dispose of any vessels intercepted and encountered;

o Stop and divert vessels suspected of carrying illegal migrants to the UK and, subject to agreement with the relevant country such as France, return them to where their sea journey to the UK began.

• Increase the penalty for Foreign National Offenders who return to the UK in breach of a deportation order from six months’ to five years’ imprisonment.
• Implement an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) scheme to block the entry of those who present a threat to the UK.

Data on applications to become a police officer were not collected by the Home Office prior to October 2019. Since the launch of the Government’s drive to recruit an additional 20,000 police officers by March 2023 data on the number of applications to become a police officer have been published quarterly in the Police Officer Uplift statistics.

The latest release, covering the situation as at 31 March 2021, shows that 139,312 applications to become a police officer have been received by police forces since October 2019.

The next release, covering the situation to 30 June 2021, is scheduled for publication on 28^th July, and will be available alongside previous releases here: Police Officer uplift statistics - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

The Home Office does not collect any information on the number of applications or job offers where a previous or existing mental health condition has been disclosed.

No application was received from Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council to the second round of the Safer Streets Fund.

On 3 June we announced that 50 projects have been awarded a total of £18.4 million from the second round of the SSF to invest in crime prevention projects to tackle neighbourhood crimes, such as burglary, vehicle theft and robbery.

Home Office records indicate that a) 68% of Further Submissions lodged following refusal of an asylum application are decided within 6 months and b) 79% of Further Submissions lodged following refusal of an asylum application are decided within 12 months.

Where people who have previously been refused asylum in the UK wish to make representations in support of a fresh asylum application these are recorded as Further Submissions.

The automatic visa extension offer for key frontline health workers, applies to anyone subject to UK immigration control, who works in one of the defined eligible occupations, and whose visa expires between 31 March and 1 October. It also covers immediate family members of those who are eligible.

The UK has a strong reputation for tackling terrorist financing and we work very closely with international partners and financial institutions to exchange and analyse information. This ensures we are better able to detect, prevent and disrupt the movement of global terrorist funds. Our EU cooperation is part of a wider landscape of international counter terrorism work, which includes cooperation through relationships such as Interpol, the Five Eyes, and bilateral work with individual countries.

The entirety of Hizballah is proscribed and designated under the UK’s domestic counter terrorism sanctions regime (the Terrorist Asset-Freezing etc. Act 2010 (TAFA)). Hizballah’s Military Wing is also designated along with two named individuals associated with the group under the EU CP931 regime. The investigation and prosecution of offences relating to proscribed organisations is a matter for the police and the Crown Prosecution Service.

OPG has seen an increase in the time taken to process an LPA since COVID-19 began impacting the workplace. LPAs are paper documents that require a physical staff presence in an office to process and register. Although staff have been in the office throughout the pandemic, the need to comply with social distancing rules reduced the capacity to deal with LPAs.

As government restrictions for England and Wales have gradually eased, OPG have seen an increase in LPA applications which has added to pre-existing backlogs. These issues combined have generated the delays to LPA registrations, which are currently taking up to 20 weeks to process with a current year-to-date average for 2021/22 of 57 working days.

OPG are working hard to reduce the delays and clear the backlog. Steps being taken include:

• Ensuring that there are as many people in the office as possible to process LPAs in a safe way
• Allocating more staff from across the organisation to deal with the registrations of LPAs
• A recruitment drive continues with new staff due to start shortly
• Overtime

I expect the registration timelines to gradually decrease. I appreciate the delays are frustrating for customers and fall below the service standards that OPG aims to deliver.

As part of a wider transformation programme, my department is currently consulting on modernising LPAs, which could provide the opportunity for less reliance on paper, and significantly improve the speed of service.

The Government’s response to the Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA) market investigation of funeral director and crematoria provision was published on 7 April 2021.  The Government engaged with the CMA both before and after publication, primarily on the CMA’s recommendation on improving the effectiveness of the funeral sector’s self-regulation; and also on the CMA’s monitoring of the provision of pricing information by both funeral directors and crematoria.

The Government will publish the report of the Independent Review of Administrative Law alongside its response to the report in due course.

The Government will publish the report of the Independent Review of Administrative Law alongside its response to the report in due course.

To ensure the safety of the physical estate and continue our efforts to tackle demand on the system we invested £142m in court buildings and facilities, and a further £110m to make the estate Covid-secure, recruit 1,600 additional staff, and create more Nightingale Courts.

This funding – the largest investment in justice for decades – helped the system to turn a corner in December 2020 so that we were closing the same number of cases as before the pandemic in almost all jurisdictions, including Crown Courts.

There is further to go, and through our Spending Review settlement, we have secured significant additional funding next financial year to recover our courts and tribunals system.