Danny Kruger

A carbon fee and dividend is an alternative form of carbon pricing policy. The UK already prices carbon through, for example, our participation in the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS).

UK Government is establishing a UK Emissions Trading System, with increased ambition on carbon pricing. The new system will ensure a smooth transition for businesses as the UK is set to leave EU system after the Transition Period at the end of the year, while also allowing us to have autonomy over its design and governance. Further detail can be found in The UK Government’s and Devolved Administrations’ full response to the public Consultation on the Future of UK carbon pricing, published on 1 June.

The Dormant Assets Scheme is led by industry and backed by the government with the aim of reuniting people with their financial assets. Where this is not possible, this money supports important social and environmental initiatives across the UK.

As a voluntary Scheme, industry stakeholders have been at the forefront of efforts to bring assets from the insurance and pensions, investment and wealth management, and securities sectors into scope. This includes leading work to estimate the value of dormancy currently in each sector and using their experience and understanding of reunification processes to inform their estimates of how much could be reunited with their owners successfully. The following table sets out these estimates, broken down by sector:

Scheme expansion requires primary legislation, which will be introduced when parliamentary time allows. Once legislation has achieved Royal Assent, the speed at which it can be implemented and new funds will become available is dependent on regulator and industry readiness, as well as their voluntary participation in the Scheme. We anticipate that the estimated £880 million to be unlocked through the expansion of the Scheme will take several years to be released, based on the rate that industry participants transfer new assets.

The Dormant Assets Scheme is led by industry and backed by the government with the aim of reuniting people with their financial assets. Where this is not possible, this money supports important social and environmental initiatives across the UK.

As a voluntary Scheme, industry stakeholders have been at the forefront of efforts to bring assets from the insurance and pensions, investment and wealth management, and securities sectors into scope. This includes leading work to estimate the value of dormancy currently in each sector and using their experience and understanding of reunification processes to inform their estimates of how much could be reunited with their owners successfully. The following table sets out these estimates, broken down by sector:

Scheme expansion requires primary legislation, which will be introduced when parliamentary time allows. Once legislation has achieved Royal Assent, the speed at which it can be implemented and new funds will become available is dependent on regulator and industry readiness, as well as their voluntary participation in the Scheme. We anticipate that the estimated £880 million to be unlocked through the expansion of the Scheme will take several years to be released, based on the rate that industry participants transfer new assets.

As of 20/11/2020, the DWP’s Kickstart scheme has received 4’783 total applications. So far, applications covering 23’934 vacancies have been approved. Once approved, employers and organisations are sent a grant agreement of terms and conditions for Kickstart funding.

Below is a list of organisations who have been approved for funding from the DWP’s Kickstart scheme and that have returned their grant funding agreements as of 23/11/2020.

Jobcentres are already engaging now with new and existing claimants. Young people are at the heart of what we are developing, and we are listening to their experiences and ideas.

The department will continue to work with stakeholders, as we value their expertise, to make sure as the economy continues to opens up further young people have all the tools they need to thrive. We recently met with key stakeholders of the new Youth Employment Group, which includes Impetus, Prince’s Trust, Youth Employment UK, the Institute for Employment Studies and the Youth Futures Foundation to discuss and co-produce solutions for young people in this recovery.

We have no plans to do so.

NHS England and NHS Improvement are leading a programme of work in response to the recommendations in Public Health England’s ‘Dependence and withdrawal associated with some prescribed medicines: An evidence review’. The recommendation for a time-limited dedicated national helpline and website is being carefully considered as part of this work.

The principal way in which the Government has supported the community-led housebuilding sector in England in recent years was through the Community Housing Fund, making available £163 million in grants over 2018/19 and 2019/20. The Community Housing Fund closed at the end of March. Departmental budgets for 2021/22 have been confirmed at the recent Comprehensive Spending Review and my department will now undertake a process of allocation of budgets to individual programmes. The needs of the community-led housing sector will be taken into consideration alongside the full range of the department’s priorities.

The Government recognises that the community-led housing sector offers significant potential for helping to meet housing need across England. In addition to helping increase the rate of delivery of new housing, it will help deliver a range of benefits including diversifying the housebuilding sector, improving design and construction quality, and sustaining local communities and local economies. The support and close involvement of the local community enables the community-led approach to secure planning permission and deliver housing that could not be brought forward through mainstream development.