David Linden

The Government’s Roadmap to a Digital Future includes digital transformation in Government by “automating manual processes” in order to realise efficiency opportunities for Government and deliver value for the taxpayer.

Automated decision making in Government is compliant with provisions in GDPR and the Data Protection Act, which includes the right for a data subject to request “a new decision that is not based solely on automated processing”.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/roadmap-for-digital-and-data-2022-to-2025

The UK Government has not conducted any polling or focus groups on public attitudes towards the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill. We have not received information from the Scottish Government on the costs of any public consultation, insight and engagement activity that was undertaken by the Scottish Government.

The Government has been liaising with territorial offices and the devolved administrations including the Scottish Government, Welsh Government and the Northern Ireland Executive on this important issue.

Officials will continue to work with their counterparts across the devolved administrations to discuss the UK Government’s approach to protecting everyone in England and Wales from conversion therapy practices.

In line with House policy, equality analyses are being undertaken as part of the on-going review into the sustainability and environmental management of single-use disposable plastics in the House of Commons.

This includes the needs of people with disabilities.

The Commission has asked the Administration Committee to review the sustainability and environmental management of single-use disposable plastics in the House of Commons.

The review will include the use of single-use plastic straws on the Parliamentary Estate.

The Administration Committee will be considering this matter in March.

Details of Ministers’ meetings are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK.

There have been no Ministerial meetings or calls between Mr Crispin Odey and Ministers at the Attorney General’s Office.

The Number of apprentices employed by the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) and the Law Officers Departments are shown below. Of the 30 apprentices employed by the Government Legal Department, one is currently on loan to the AGO.

Neither the Attorney General’s Office, nor its superintended departments (the Crown Prosecution Service, the Serious Fraud Office, the Government Legal Department and HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate) have any staff paid below £8.75 an hour.

The Attorney General’s Office does not have any staff paid below £10.20 an hour. Figures for the department’s superintended departments are shown below.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 21 February to Question PQ 122799.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 28 February 2022 to question PQ 127518.

Both the constituency and ministerial correspondence emails have been provided as points of contact where appropriate. Any correspondence affecting the department which is sent to the constituency office is passed to the Cabinet Office in the usual way.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 21 February to Question PQ 122799.

The specified article received the appropriate clearances.

The Government is committed to effective scrutiny of its trade agenda and has put in place a comprehensive framework for scrutiny of free trade agreements (FTAs). This includes a commitment to seek to hold a general debate on a new FTA where one is requested by the relevant Select Committee, subject to parliamentary time being available.

The scheduling of parliamentary business is not a matter for the Department for Business and Trade.

The UK’s accession to CPTPP will not change the UK’s existing commitments under the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV).

The Government does not foresee any impacts on UK small farmers due to the UK’s legal obligations under CPTPP Article 18.7.2 because there will be no changes to the UK’s existing legislative framework in this area.

UPOV provides for plant breeders’ rights, aiming to encourage the development of new varieties of plants, with benefits such as food security and mitigating climate change.

Mechanisms are available within CPTPP to discuss issues raised by signatory countries.

The UK’s position on settlements is clear: they are illegal under international law and undermine the prospect of a two-state solution.

Under the existing UK-Israel trade agreement, goods originating from illegal Israeli settlements are not entitled to tariff and trade preferences under either the agreement between the UK and Israel, nor the agreement between the UK and the Palestinian Authority.

This will not change in the upgraded FTA with Israel. The UK will not compromise on any of our longstanding positions on the Middle East Peace Process throughout this negotiation, including with respect to settlements.

Minimum wage legislation prohibits unpaid work trials that are excessive and not part of a genuine recruitment process. An unpaid trial work period lasting a few hours may be reasonable and legal. This is because the main purpose would be to test the individual, and what is done would probably have little or no other value to the employer. However, an unpaid trial lasting more than one day is probably illegal in all but exceptional circumstances.

DBT does not hold information about the number of people who have undertaken unpaid trial shifts in England, Wales and Scotland in each of the last five years.

If someone has undertaken an unpaid work trial and thinks they should have been paid NMW, they can call the ACAS helpline or make a complaint to HMRC.

I attended the meeting of the Disability Charities Consortium on 24 May, where the CEO of SCOPE was in attendance.

The Government has extensive additional support in place for those on certain disability benefits, including: the Disability Living Allowance, Personal Independence Payments, the Attendance Allowance, Armed Forces Independence Payments, the Constant Attendance Allowance and the War Pension Mobility Supplement.

In addition, every household will have benefitted from the Energy Price Guarantee and Energy Bills Support Scheme which together have covered around half of a typical household energy bill this winter, and by the end of June will have saved a typical household around £1,500.

As we explore possible approaches to consumer protection from April 2024, we are working with disability organisations, considering the costs for disabled people and assessing need for specific support for disabled people using medical equipment in the home.

The Government is continually reviewing the financial support it provides for the differing energy needs within its communities and prioritising support for the most vulnerable.

As the Government explores possible approaches to consumer protection from April 2024, it is working with disability organisations, considering the costs for disabled people, and assessing the need for specific support for disabled people using medical equipment in the home. Officials are discussing developing policy with charities, industry, and other consumer groups with a view to targeting support for the most vulnerable and alleviating fuel poverty.

The application portal for EBSS AF will open on the GOV.UK webpage by 27 February and this will include an overview of eligibility and what applicants need to do to apply. Local authorities will be provided with guidance on how to provide this support to eligible households ahead of the launch.

On 19 December, the Government publicly announced the Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding (EBSS AF) on gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/vital-help-with-energy-bills-on-the-way-for-millions-more-homes-across-great-britain-and-northern-ireland. The application portal for the Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding is due to open on gov.uk later this month and will include an overview of eligibility.

Since 2011/12, the Government has provided over £2.5 billion in funding to support the Post Office network and is providing a further £335 million for the Post Office over the next three years. Since 2019 the annual network subsidy, which helps to ensure the viability of rural and community branches, has been maintained at £50 million a year and will remain at the same level until 2025.

The then minister overseeing Postal Affairs, my Hon. Friend the Member for Sutton and Cheam, attended the National Federation of SubPostmasters conference in May where he heard directly from postmasters about the issues around remuneration.

Although this is an operational matter for Post Office, I recognise how critical these issues are for postmasters and the future of the network and the Department will continue an open dialogue with the Post Office to assess what action can be taken.

The then minister overseeing Postal Affairs, my Hon. Friend the Member for Sutton and Cheam, attended the National Federation of SubPostmasters conference in May where he heard directly from postmasters about the issues around remuneration.

Although this is an operational matter for Post Office, I recognise how critical these issues are for postmasters and the future of the network and the Department will continue an open dialogue with the Post Office to assess what action can be taken.