Dawn Butler

The Secretary of State has not had any discussions with the British Transport Police on the availability of CCTV footage relevant to the assault of Belly Mujinga at Victoria Station on 21 March 2020. The investigation is an operational matter for BTP.

The industry collates the number of railway workers who have died with COVID-19. The latest figures indicate a total of 10 workers employed by Network Rail and Train Operating Companies have regrettably passed away.

My thoughts are with those who have sadly died with Covid-19 and their families and friends at this difficult time. As transport in London is devolved to the Mayor of London and delivered by Transport for London (TfL), it is TfL that is best placed to provide information regarding the number of London Underground workers who have died of Covid-19.

GTR confirm that of the 18 employee cases, 6 employees self-reported as being from a BAME background.

We have been clear that our priority remains the safety of staff and passengers. We have issued comprehensive guidance to employers on the steps they should take to make their workplaces COVID-secure, which outlines measures to assess and address the risks of coronavirus in the transport sector across England. Employers should conduct risk assessments and, in collaboration with employees, identify workplace risks, including those to people classed as clinically vulnerable and extremely vulnerable. All guidance documents are available on the government website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/coronavirus-covid-19-list-of-guidance.

Keeping transport workers and passengers safe is of paramount importance as we continue to scale up services across the transport network as part of the restart. The Department has held roundtables and meetings at all levels with operators across the transport sector in the response to COVID-19, including to support with the implementation of the Government’s PPE plan published in April.

Public Health England guidance has been clear that there is very little scientific evidence of widespread benefit from personal protective equipment outside of health and social care settings. Guidance on cleaning of non-healthcare settings and shipping and sea ports and how PPE may be used in these contexts has been published in February and March respectively. The Department has worked with and continues to work with operators to ensure they can meet the PPE needs as set out in this guidance.

Throughout the response, the Department has worked with the sector to support with effective implementation of key measures of social distancing and good hand and respiratory hygiene in transport settings.

GTR is currently trialling the use of visors. Before it can issue visors to employees, GTR must first of all ensure that the use of a visor will not affect or inhibit the ability of employees to complete their duties safely.

GTR is one of a small number of train operators with an in-house Occupational Health team, and the only operator with its own Chief Medical Officer. Under normal circumstances GTR would identify these through pre-employment medicals, statutory periodic medicals, any employee referrals to the team from line managers and more ad-hoc health surveillance.

Since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, the Occupational Health team has offered a direct nurse telephone advisory service for employees and a dedicated ‘Covid referral system’ for managers to request specialist advice in regards to employees they manage.

There are 7,389 GTR employees, of these GTR has been notified of 18 cases where staff have received a positive test result for Covid 19. In addition, there are another 4 cases where employees have suspected Covid-19, however this has not yet been confirmed through testing.

On 24 February 2022 the Department for Work and Pensions published the report “Income-related benefits: estimates of take-up: financial year 2019 to 2020”. This provided figures on the value of some unclaimed benefits (Pension Credit and Housing Benefit (for Pensioners) in Great Britain. The full report is available online. https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/income-related-benefits-estimates-of-take-up--2 . Estimates are not currently available for other DWP benefits.

Estimates of fraud and error levels in the benefit system in Great Britain, including over each of the last 5 financial years, have been published and can be found at:

Fraud and error in the benefit system - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)?

The national statistics of fraud and error in the welfare system in Great Britain in the financial year 2021 to 2022 will be released on 26^th May 2022.

No recent assessment has been made of the effect of the benefit cap on eviction rates in London.

In July 2021, the government set out plans to deliver transformation of the fit note including removing the requirement to sign in ink (from April 2022) and committing to amending regulations to allow a wider range of eligible professionals to sign fit notes (planned for Summer 2022).

As part of this ongoing process, in order to assess which healthcare professions are in scope to complete fit notes, we have consulted closely with DHSC and clinical experts. Additionally, as part of the planned policy changes, we will subsequently undertake relevant monitoring.

The Department is fully committed to supporting parents with moving into work and improving their earnings once employed. Universal Credit (UC) childcare costs provides more generous childcare support than was available under Tax Credits, reimbursing up to 85% of eligible childcare costs up to a monthly cap as opposed to 70% under tax credits.

UC childcare aligns with the wider government childcare offer. This includes the free childcare offer which provides 15 hours a week of free childcare in England for all 3 and 4 year olds and disadvantaged 2 year olds, doubling for working parents of 3 and 4 year olds to 30 hours a week. The UC childcare cost element can be used to top up a claimant’s eligible free childcare hours if more hours are worked and childcare is required. This means that reasonable childcare costs should not form a barrier to work.

Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) is available to employees who are too ill to work. Where an employee is unable to work after elective surgery because of sickness or because they are recovering they may be eligible to receive SSP. Where an employee cannot work for 7 or more days’ employers can request medical evidence of their employee’s sickness. This can be in the form of a fit note from their GP or hospital doctor.

If an employee cannot work because they have been advised to self-isolate before and/or after elective surgery they should speak to their employer about suitable policies they may have in place such as, the ability to work from home, or the provision of special leave. Where employees have previously been furloughed for a full three-week period prior to 30 June they should speak to their employer about being furloughed for the period they are unable to work if they do not have other suitable policies in place.

We are currently discussing with health colleagues whether it is appropriate to extend SSP to those who are required to self-isolate before elective surgery.

Disabled people in the clinically extremely vulnerable group who are currently in work can apply to Access to Work for support to overcome barriers they face in the workplace and while working from home, including those resulting from Covid-19.

As part of the Access to Work home working support offer, we have introduced various easements to further support those who are shielding and in the clinically extremely vulnerable group, allowing flexibilities while working from home. We are transporting assistive technology from the workplace to the home environment to support home working and, where this is not possible, Access to Work will work with the disabled person and their employer to consider new adjustments to support adaptations to standard equipment. We have also extended timeframes for receiving claims for payments, and started accepting email claim forms and employer/support signatures via email so customers can shield. Access to Work assessments are being carried out through virtual means to further protect customers.

To promote the scheme and support offered, we have updated GOV.UK to make clear the latest guidance on the Access to Work programme, including advising of the help available to people during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. This has been promoted through Touchbase, DWP’s stakeholder newsletter which goes to around 8000 stakeholders. The department has also produced several animated explainer videos and social media posts on Access to Work which have been posted across a range of social media platforms, including Facebook and Twitter.

We continue to promote the latest Access to Work guidance through communications to employers, with stakeholders, jobcentres and providers, as well as through content promoted via our existing benefits and labour market campaigns which make use of both paid and no-cost social media channels.

Currently those aged 25-34 who have spent 3 months in a homeless hostel for the purposes of rehabilitation/re-settlement are exempt from the shared accommodation rate. Following the announcement at the Spring Budget, Government will amend legislation to extend that exemption to those under 25.

The definitions for survivors of domestic abuse and human trafficking, with regard to their exemption from the Shared Accommodation Rate, will be set out in future legislation. In developing these exemptions, we will be working with key stakeholders, charities and other Government Departments to ensure they are fit for purpose.

Guided by medical and scientific expertise, the Government has implemented significant measures to reduce the spread of the virus in all communities, especially those who may be at higher risk. This includes targeted testing of occupations and groups at higher risk; guidance for NHS organisations on how to enhance their existing risk assessments particularly for potentially at-risk groups within their workforce; and translating the latest information into multiple languages and forms to meet accessibility needs.

In April, the Department for Health and Social Care commissioned Public Health England (PHE) to undertake a rapid review to understand how different factors have affected COVID-19 risk and outcomes. The report has some limitations - the ethnicity analyses did not, for example, adjust for factors such as co-morbidities. As Minister for Equalities, I am working with the Race Disparity Unit and the Department for Health and Social Care to carry forward work to identify and fill the gaps in PHE’s review; and work across government to take appropriate steps to mitigate disparities identified. The terms of reference for this work, which include quarterly updates to the Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on progress, were published on gov.uk on 4 June.

Our priority as a Department is ensuring people get their benefit payments and that we can continue to support those who need us the most. We have mobilised our robust business continuity plans to ensure we can do just that. We are already redeploying 10,000 staff from other parts of DWP and are also recruiting additional staff to assist with the processing of claims, including support from other government departments and the private sector.

As both the Prime Minister and Chancellor have made clear, the Government will do whatever it takes to support people affected by COVID 19 and we have been clear in our intention that everyone should be supported to do the right thing.

The Government is committed to ensuring deaf people can fully participate and play a full role in society. We support initiatives aimed at improving understanding of the needs of deaf people and how the barriers they face can be removed, as well as giving deaf people more say in how they access services.

We worked with the BBC to introduce a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter on Monday 16 March to accompany the Prime Minister’s daily coronavirus press conference. The BSL interpreter is available on the BBC News Channel and BBC iPlayer. We intend to continue to work with the BBC to ensure there is a BSL interpreter in our daily updates on coronavirus and are prioritising the exploration of additional methods to ensure that all disabled people have access to pertinent communication in accessible formats.

The Government is committed to ensuring deaf people can fully participate and play a full role in society. We support initiatives aimed at improving understanding of the needs of deaf people and how the barriers they face can be removed, as well as giving deaf people more say in how they access services.

We are currently in discussions on the best way to ensure that any pertinent announcements are delivered in BSL to ensure that deaf people receive information at the same time as others.

The information requested is not held centrally. Each Sexual Assault Referral Centre is delivered by an independent community-based healthcare provider.

The following table shows expenditure by NHS England and NHS Improvement on Sexual Assault Referral Centres in each of the last five years.

Note:

It should be noted that that due to a change in service commissioning, expenditure in 2020/21 also includes Sexual Assault and Abuse Services more widely.

I refer the hon Member to the answer to Question 117746.

No items of personal protective equipment (PPE) have been destroyed in the last twelve months. However, the Department has disposed of over 33 million units. Where there is surplus stock, items are disposed of through sale, re-use, donations, recycling or returned to the supplier and the costs recovered.

In response to the relocation of individuals and families from Afghanistan, the Government has provided up to £600 per person to support immediate and primary healthcare needs while in temporary bridging hotels. NHS England and NHS Improvement’s expectations of local commissioners include permanent general practitioner registration and health assessments to identify and manage immediate health and care requirements. Funding has been provided for additional capacity to mitigate the impact on access to general practice.

The initial health assessment should address any trauma and safeguarding concerns, mental health needs, women’s and children’s health, long-term conditions, vaccinations, areas of public health concern such as tuberculosis screening and ensure pathways to other services as required. Once in long term local authority accommodation, a further £2,600 per person is provided to the National Health Service, which will be administered by clinical commissioning groups.

The Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) is designed to reimburse the salaries and on-costs of roles included in the Scheme. Under the 2019 contract agreement, NHS England and NHS Improvement contribute to the cost of the specific new clinical roles within Primary Care Networks (PCNs) over the period of the contract. Initially the funding provided 70% of ongoing salary costs plus on-costs for three roles - clinical pharmacists, physician associates and first-contact physiotherapists, with community paramedics recruited from 2021/22 and full funding for social prescribing link worker roles during the contract period.

Updated contracts for 2020/21 and 2021/2022 set out increases in the scale of the new roles. NHS England and NHS Improvement now reimburse 100% of salary and on-costs for range of additional roles and the number of staff funded under the scheme will increase to 26,000 by 2023/24. On average, each PCN will have approximately 20 full time equivalent staff by 2023/24 funded through the ARRS.

The Health and Social Care Leadership Review, announced in October 2021, review remains on schedule to conclude in spring 2022 and is expected to be published thereafter.

‘A five-year framework for GP contract reform to implement The NHS Long Term Plan’, published in 2019, implements the commitments set out in the NHS Long Term Plan supported by an additional investment of £4.5 billion in primary medical and community care by 2023/24. In February 2020, we committed at least a further £1.5 billion in cash terms for general practice until 2023/24 for additional staff.

No recent discussions have taken place.

The following table shows the number of qualified salaried general practitioners (GPs) employed in the general practice workforce on a full time basis of 37.5 hours a week in England since 2015, headcount.

Notes:

1. Data from September 2015 and September 2016 should be treated with caution as the data submission rates from practices were appreciably lower than for subsequent reporting periods. In September 2015, which was the first extract from the new Workforce Minimum Data Set, three of four Health Education England regions submitted data. Consequently, September 2015 figures should be treated with additional caution.
2. Figures shown do not include regular GP locums or staff working in prisons, army bases, educational establishments, specialist care centres including drug rehabilitation centres, walk-in centres and other alternative settings outside of traditional general practice such as urgent treatment centres and minor injury units.
3. Though there is no specific data for salaried GPs, other GPs were defined as GPs who worked within partnerships and were formerly known as GMS or PMS Others. These practitioners are generally remunerated by salary.
4. The FTE figures for GPs from September 2015 onwards are not directly comparable with FTE figures from the National Health Application and Infrastructure Services (NHAIS) and manual collection due to NHAIS having a default value of 1.0 FTE whereas the Primary Care Web Tool (PCWT) has no default value. NHAIS capped individual GP FTE at 1.28 (48 hours); in the PCWT the cap is 2.0 FTE (75 hours). NHAIS has instances of GPs working at multiple practices each with the default value of 1.0. For example, a GP working at five practices would have an FTE of 5.0 from NHAIS which was capped at 1.28 for the publication. NHAIS has instances of GPs recorded against specific practices at which they no longer work but their records have not yet been removed. If these GPs had multiple records, they would have been capped at 1.28 FTE in the publication. NHAIS FTE field is non-mandatory, PCWT FTE is mandatory and the data provider has to complete it in order to pass data quality checks and enable submission of their data. NHAIS FTE field was mainly used for the annual census and was not used for payment purposes

The following table shows the number of GPs employed in the general practice workforce on a full time basis in England in each year between 2010 and 2014, headcount. This data was collected through the general practice census, which recorded the details of GPs in England along with information on their practices, staff, patients and the services they provide. General practice workforce statistics from prior to 2015 are not comparable to the official statistics produced since September 2015, due to differences in data sources and methodologies.

As independent contractors to the National Health Service, GP partners are not considered to be employed by their practice. The information requested for GPs in London and those in training grade is not held centrally.

The information requested is not held centrally.

The Government has a zero-tolerance approach to abuse and harassment. We are investing in improved security at general practitioner surgeries and we are working with the National Health Service to ensure primary care workers are supported.

NHS Practitioner Health is a service for doctors and dentists in England to support those with mental illness and addiction problems, who are working or looking to return to clinical practice. The service reported on the impact of COVID-19 in the period from October 2020 to March 2021 and found that from April 2020, the percentage of general practitioners (GPs) presenting to the service compared to other specialities decreased from 55% to 46% of all presentations.

The Keeping Well North West London staff support hub offers rapid psychological assessment, advice, emotional support, signposting and onward referral for National Health Service and social care staff, including general practice staff. The Hub has undertaken specific engagement with primary care staff, including GPs, and identified the need for specific support strategies for this staff group. The Hub plans to form a focus group with primary care staff to collaboratively design these strategies.

Local systems and clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are responsible for monitoring and responding to demands placed on general practitioners and their teams. The GP Contract states that each practice is required to provide primary medical services to meet the reasonable needs of their registered patients. General practices are independent businesses whose services are contracted by National Health Service commissioners. A practice may choose to provide extra-contractual services which are permitted under the terms of their contract.

The GP Contract states that each practice is required to provide primary medical services to meet the reasonable needs of their registered patients. As self-employed contractors to the National Health Service, practices determine the appropriate workforce to match the workload, including the number and range of health professionals. There is no recommendation for the number of patients assigned to a general practitioner. This can be affected by various factors, including rurality and patient demographics. As part of the 2020/21 GP Contract, we have committed to a review of bureaucracy in general practice which is ongoing.

The information requested is not held centrally. Patient lists are held by practices rather than individual general practitioners (GPs). It is for practices to determine patient allocation appropriate to its workforce. Information on list size per GP and contract type is not collected.

There are a number of regular workforce data publications on pressures and trends in healthcare, primary care and general practice. These include workforce size in hospitals, general practice, dentistry and primary care networks and data on turnover and sickness absence of hospital staff published by NHS Digital, including COVID-19 related sickness absence. The results of the annual National Health Service staff survey are published by NHS England.

In July 2021, the Department commissioned Health Education England to review long term strategic trends for the health workforce and regulated professionals in the social care workforce. In addition, the Department recently commissioned NHS England to develop a workforce strategy, which will set out its conclusions in due course.

No recent assessment has been made. Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) monitor general practitioner practices’ compliance with contractual requirements and any risks to patient safety and service provision. If a practice considers that it cannot safely take on any more patients, it may close its patient list, provided this is approved by the CCG.

NHS England and NHS Improvement provide guidance for commissioners and practices on managing patient lists in the ‘Primary Medical Care Policy and Guidance Manual’. The Manual is published annually and an update is currently being prepared for publication.

The Targeted Enhanced Recruitment scheme funds a £20,000 salary supplement to attract general practitioner (GP) trainees to work in areas of the country where training places have been unfilled for a number of years, including in Brent and London. In the London training schemes, in 2022 approximately 120 are being targeted at practices in deprived areas. In addition, National Health Service regional teams continue to deliver a number of projects through the GP Retention Fund.

We have also increased the number of GP training places. In 2021/22, 4,000 trainees accepted a place on GP training - an increase from 2,671 in 2014. The updated GP Contract Framework announced a number of new retention schemes alongside continued support for existing schemes for the general practice workforce. These include the GP Retention Scheme, the International Induction Programme, the Return to Practice Programme, the Fellowship Programme, the New to Partnership Payment and Supporting Mentors Scheme.

Hospital capacity data as of 22 February 2022 is not yet available. As of 13 February 2022, NHS England and NHS Improvement advise that in England, there were 5,705 National Health Service hospital beds available each day on average, with overall occupancy of 93.7%. Data on hospitals exceeding full capacity is not collected centrally. Hospitals regularly plan for activity surges and can flexibly increase the number of beds available to meet demand.

No estimate has been made on the average waiting time for a bed in hospital accident and emergency (A&E) wards or of the impact of essential medical care. NHS England and NHS Improvement monitors A&E waiting times and the impact on patients. Patients requiring admission to hospital will have essential medical treatment commenced during their A&E care.

Hospital capacity data as of 22 February 2022 is not yet available. As of 13 February 2022, NHS England and NHS Improvement advise that in England, there were 5,705 National Health Service hospital beds available each day on average, with overall occupancy of 93.7%. Data on hospitals exceeding full capacity is not collected centrally. Hospitals regularly plan for activity surges and can flexibly increase the number of beds available to meet demand.

No estimate has been made on the average waiting time for a bed in hospital accident and emergency (A&E) wards or of the impact of essential medical care. NHS England and NHS Improvement monitors A&E waiting times and the impact on patients. Patients requiring admission to hospital will have essential medical treatment commenced during their A&E care.

Hospital capacity data as of 22 February 2022 is not yet available. As of 13 February 2022, NHS England and NHS Improvement advise that in England, there were 5,705 National Health Service hospital beds available each day on average, with overall occupancy of 93.7%. Data on hospitals exceeding full capacity is not collected centrally. Hospitals regularly plan for activity surges and can flexibly increase the number of beds available to meet demand.

No estimate has been made on the average waiting time for a bed in hospital accident and emergency (A&E) wards or of the impact of essential medical care. NHS England and NHS Improvement monitors A&E waiting times and the impact on patients. Patients requiring admission to hospital will have essential medical treatment commenced during their A&E care.

The Department paid £603 million to Unispace Global Ltd for the purchase of personal protective equipment in 2020 and the remaining amount in 2021.

The supplies purchased under contracts awarded by Unispace Global Ltd by the Department were gloves and face masks. We are unable to provide a further breakdown of the supplies as this information is commercially sensitive.

To work as a nurse in a National Health Service hospital in England, professionals must be registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

The information requested is not collected centrally. We would expect clinical commissioning groups to base their policies on relevant National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidelines, published research and appropriate good practice.

The protection of a professional title is a key aspect of public protection. Protecting a title provides assurance to the public that someone using that title is competent and safe to practise. Although ‘registered nurse’ is a protected title, ‘nurse’ is not a protected title.

The Department has begun discussions with the professional regulators, including the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), the Office of the Chief Nursing Officer for England, and the Royal College of Nursing to explore the issue of protected titles as part of the ongoing Government review of professional regulation. We will consider the protection of title offences relating to registered nurses, midwives and nursing associates when bringing forward reform of the NMC’s legal framework.

A thorough six-month review of the remaining temporary provisions in the Coronavirus Act 2020 is taking place in September. All provisions that are not essential for managing the pandemic will be recommended for expiry.

To develop the package of measures included in the Coronavirus Act 2020, the Government built on a draft emergency bill, originally developed for dealing with an influenza pandemic, in partnership with the devolved administrations. We are unable to provide information on alternative measures considered in preparation for the bill as this relates to the formulation and development of Government policy.

The Department has not had specific discussions. The Human Tissue Authority (HTA) is responsible, under the Human Tissue Act 2004, for licensing mortuaries in England, Wales and Northern Ireland which undertake post-mortem examinations. The Human Tissue Act requires the HTA to prepare Codes of Practice on the standards expected by mortuaries in relation to carrying out activities in the making of post-mortems. In preparing their Codes of Practice the HTA consulted with the Department and appropriate stakeholders on the required standards.

The HTA’s licensing standards require licensed mortuaries to record all body release details in a mortuary register, including the date and name of the person who released the body and to whom it was released. It also expects that the identity of a body is specifically checked upon release from a licensed mortuary using three identifiers which are attached directly to the deceased, usually on a wristband and also securely attached to the outside of the body bag.

The HTA’s inspectors test that establishments meet these standards through regular traceability audits. Each licensed establishment must have a Designated Individual who has a legal duty to ensure that suitable practices are carried out by suitably trained people. This ensures that practices for identifying and documenting the deceased upon their release are robust.

The Department has not had specific discussions. The Human Tissue Authority (HTA) is responsible, under the Human Tissue Act 2004, for licensing mortuaries in England, Wales and Northern Ireland which undertake post-mortem examinations. The Human Tissue Act requires the HTA to prepare Codes of Practice on the standards expected by mortuaries in relation to carrying out activities in the making of post-mortems. In preparing their Codes of Practice the HTA consulted with the Department and appropriate stakeholders on the required standards.

The HTA’s licensing standards require licensed mortuaries to record all body release details in a mortuary register, including the date and name of the person who released the body and to whom it was released. It also expects that the identity of a body is specifically checked upon release from a licensed mortuary using three identifiers which are attached directly to the deceased, usually on a wristband and also securely attached to the outside of the body bag.

The HTA’s inspectors test that establishments meet these standards through regular traceability audits. Each licensed establishment must have a Designated Individual who has a legal duty to ensure that suitable practices are carried out by suitably trained people. This ensures that practices for identifying and documenting the deceased upon their release are robust.

The Human Tissue Authority (HTA) is responsible for licensing mortuaries in England, Wales and Northern Ireland which undertake post-mortem examinations. The Human Tissue Act 2004 and the HTA's Codes of Practice require that consent must be in place to store and use bodies of the deceased.

Access to a mortuary by external visitors is covered by the HTA’s licensing standards. These require establishments to have in place documented policies for viewing of bodies by family members and others, such as the police. Establishments are required to have controlled access to body storage areas; arrangements to protect against unauthorised access; and to ensure oversight of visitors and contractors. Most post-mortem examinations are conducted under the authority of a coroner. The access to and use of bodies under the authority of HM Coroner by the police, are at the coroner’s discretion.

The Human Tissue Authority (HTA) is responsible for licensing mortuaries in England, Wales and Northern Ireland which undertake post-mortem examinations. The Human Tissue Act 2004 and the HTA's Codes of Practice require that consent must be in place to store and use bodies of the deceased.

Access to a mortuary by external visitors is covered by the HTA’s licensing standards. These require establishments to have in place documented policies for viewing of bodies by family members and others, such as the police. Establishments are required to have controlled access to body storage areas; arrangements to protect against unauthorised access; and to ensure oversight of visitors and contractors. Most post-mortem examinations are conducted under the authority of a coroner. The access to and use of bodies under the authority of HM Coroner by the police, are at the coroner’s discretion.

Participants in all clinical trials are provided with contact details at the local site should they have any health and wellbeing concerns which may be related to the trial.

The trial’s principle investigator advise the participant based on their knowledge of whether the participant received an active COVID-19 vaccine trial product or a placebo.

The ‘UK COVID-19 vaccine uptake plan’ sets out our approach to maximise the number of people taking up the offer of vaccination. The plan is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-vaccination-uptake-plan/uk-covid-19-vaccine-uptake-plan

We are working at a local and national level to give health and social care workers information about the vaccine with information from trusted, local leaders and to ensure there is appropriate outreach from clinicians and vaccine services.

The Government launched a six-week consultation in April to inform the decision on whether to make the COVID-19 vaccination a condition of deployment in adult care homes. The responses highlighted a clear public health rationale to consider extending this policy to other settings where people vulnerable to COVID-19 may also receive care. The Government will shortly launch a further public consultation on whether to make COVID-19 vaccination a condition of deployment in healthcare and the wider social care sector, to help protect patients and the people they care for.

In England, decisions about local NHS fertility services are determined by clinical commissioning groups, taking account of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) fertility guidelines. We expect local National Health Service bodies to commission fertility services in line with the NICE guidelines, so that there is equal access across England.

NICE fertility guidelines include provision for same sex female couples who have demonstrated their clinical infertility through six failed cycles of artificial insemination. These provisions are a way of achieving equivalence between opposite sex and same sex couples in establishing clinical infertility. NICE has begun a scoping process for the review of these guidelines.

Four new gender identity clinics have been established in London, Manchester, Cheshire and Merseyside and the East of England. These were opened in June 2020, December 2020, January 2021 and June 2021 respectively. A further clinic is expected to open in the South East of England in summer 2022. The four established clinics are expected to reduce the waiting list by a quarter by 2024.

The Government is committed to ending conversion therapy and has announced an upcoming ban. The Department for Health and Social Care is working with the Government Equalities Office as their consultation is developed.

The contract for phalloplasty services is currently out to tender with a view for rapid contract award.

Decisions to place countries on the ‘red list’ are taken by Ministers informed by evidence including the Joint Biosecurity Centre’s analysis as well as other relevant information about the risk of the spread of variants. The methodology for risk assessments that inform ministerial decisions is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-risk-assessment-methodology-to-inform-international-travel-traffic-light-system.

For those facing significant financial hardship as a result of the managed quarantine charge, there is an opportunity to apply for a deferred repayment plan when booking.

The Department has introduced the General Practice COVID-19 vaccination programme 2020/21 Enhanced Service Specification, which enables practices to vaccinate unregistered patients within their eligible priority cohort, therefore increasing accessibility.

National Health Service regional teams, working with various partners, will contact those individuals not registered with a general practitioner to ensure that they are offered appropriate support to receive the vaccine and avoid inequalities in access.

The reference to names and addresses being shared with Amazon is now out of date. Royal Mail Group have held the contract for the delivery of COVID-19 home test kits since 14 December 2020.

We follow best practice to help protect personal information and comply with the law on the use of data, including the Data Protection Act 2018 and also require our suppliers to do so.

The delivery supplier of polymerase chain reaction tests for home testing is Royal Mail Group. This contract was put out to tender.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before prorogation.

To address waiting times and support trans people, a new service specification has been developed to deliver services in local health settings. Three new clinics, operating under this specification, have been established in London, Manchester and Cheshire and Merseyside. These clinics are subject to ongoing evaluation with the ambition of further clinics being established.

The Government has embarked on the first Government-led Women’s Health Strategy for England. To ensure the strategy reflects what women identify as priorities, we launched a call for evidence on International Women’s Day which will run for twelve weeks.

The call for evidence seeks to examine women’s experiences of the whole health and care system, including conditions that affect women, female-specific issues such as pregnancy and postnatal support and gynaecological conditions such as endometriosis and fibroids.

As part of the one-year review of the Act, the Government has conducted a thorough review of the non-devolved provisions to check they are necessary and proportionate and has considered whether there is a robust justification for keeping those powers we propose to retain.

Section 52 and Schedule 22 confer powers to issue directions in relation to events, gatherings and premises. These will be important powers to maintain when the current lockdown regulations expire as they will continue to provide the mechanism for a targeted approach to potential local outbreaks.

We have provided over £1 million funding to learning disability and autism charities to support their COVID-19 response. We have advised people with specific health conditions, who are deemed to be clinically extremely vulnerable to COVID-19, to shield and providing direct support to the shielded population by enabling access to the NHS Volunteer Responders programme, which is available to anyone self-isolating.

We are implementing the national Adult Social Care Winter Plan to ensure that high-quality, safe and timely care is provided, whilst protecting people from COVID-19 and increasing access to testing in care homes, launching regular retesting in high risk supported living settings and publishing new guidance on regular testing for domiciliary care staff.  We published a range of tailored guidance to help protect people with a learning disability and autistic people during the pandemic.  We have also ensured that important health communications are available in alternative, accessible formats.

We have also ensured that support and guidance about getting a COVID-19 vaccine have been made available to disabled people, including people with a learning disability. We have prioritised people with a learning disability who are on a general practitioner learning disability register in priority group six for vaccination, in line with guidance from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation and made available a wide range of accessible and easy read resources on the COVID-19 vaccine.

Priority group six includes all those who are defined as clinically vulnerable and at higher risk of serious illness from COVID-19. People with blood cancer and other blood disorders such as sickle cell and thalassemia are included in this definition. Many people with these disorders may be defined as clinically extremely vulnerable (CEV). Those who are CEV are included in priority group four. Those in priority group four should already have been offered the vaccine.

The hospital has advised that they are consulting with staff and parents to gather feedback and no decision has yet been taken. National Health Service trusts are subject to the Public Sector Equality Duty and any final decision must have regard to the need to eliminate discrimination, advance equal opportunities and foster good relations between groups.

General practice is offering more triage and remote consultations to see as many patients as possible while protecting staff and patients from avoidable risk of infection. Digital services do not replace face-to-face care but are an essential additional tool that primary care can use alongside other access routes to help ensure patients are receiving the right care as quickly and easily as possible. In addition, we have developed alternative ways for people to access digital services, such as booking appointments by proxy where a family member or carer has access to the internet.

Targeted deliveries are being made to areas where there are more people left to vaccinate in the priority cohorts, proportionate to the at-risk population they have registered.

Since 24 December 2020, we have published weekly data on the total number of vaccinations in the over 80 year olds and under in England. From 11 January 2021, daily data for England has been published showing the total number vaccinated to date, including first and second doses. Since 14 January and on a weekly basis, NHS England and NHS Improvement has published more detailed data on vaccinations in England, including by region. The latest data is available at the following links:

https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/details/healthcare

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/covid-19-vaccinations/

We recognise just how important it is that parents are able to visit their children in children and young people’s mental health inpatient settings in a very careful and COVID-19-secure way. The National Health Service has taken precautions to ensure that patients and staff in inpatient settings are suitably protected from the outbreak and to reduce the risk of decreased capacity due to staff needing to self-isolate.

Recent guidance on ‘Visiting healthcare inpatient settings during the COVID-19 pandemic: principles’, updated on 13 October 2020, focuses on both ensuring infection control and making sure that patients can access the therapeutic support and visits they need during the pandemic across healthcare inpatient settings, including for children and young people’s mental health facilities. This also includes specific guidance on appropriate application of the legal frameworks around isolation and testing during the pandemic.

The guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/wp-content/uploads/sites/52/2020/03/C0751-visiting-healthcare-inpatient-settings-principles-131020_.pdf

Data is not available in the format requested.

Guidance on how contracting authorities should respond to COVID-19 was published on 18 March at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/procurement-policy-note-0120-responding-to-covid-19

Authorities are allowed to procure goods, services and works with extreme urgency in exceptional circumstances, which includes supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE), using regulation 32(2)(c) under the Public Contract Regulations 2015. These include a direct contract award due to extreme urgency or the absence of competition.

A contract was awarded to Elite Creations for the supply of personal protective equipment (PPE). Information on the PPE contracted for will be published on Contracts Finder in due course and can be found at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/contracts-finder

All the items of PPE have now been delivered.

The contract awarded to Trade Markets Direct on 5 April for the supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) was cancelled on 22 May. No PPE was delivered under this contract.

We have worked closely with Apple and Google and will continue to do so as we continue to develop an app which uses their exposure notification framework. Departmental officials have had meetings with Apple and Google from late March 2020. These discussions relate to the development of current Government policy and therefore we have no plans to publish the minutes.

We have worked closely with Apple and Google and will continue to do so as we focus our efforts on taking forward a solution that brings together our app, and their framework. The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has had no meetings with Google or Apple to discuss the app. Departmental officials have met with Apple and Google to discuss the app, including but not limited to the following dates:

26 March;

10 April;

15 April;

19 April;

22 April;

27 April;

29 April;

4 May;

21 May;

4 June;

17 June;

22 June;

and 24 June.

The terms of reference for Public Health England’s review into disparities in the risk and outcomes of COVID-19 are attached.

The Government commissioned Public Health England (PHE) to analyse how different factors can impact on people’s health outcomes from COVID-19. The resulting report was published last week.

PHE has also been engaging with a significant number of individuals and organisations within black, Asian and minority ethnic communities over the past couple of months to hear their views, concerns and ideas about the impact of COVID-19 on their communities. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Equalities (Kemi Badenoch MP) will be building on and expanding that engagement as she takes work forward to better understand the drivers behind the ethnicity analyses in the PHE report.

The Government commissioned Public Health England (PHE) to analyse how different factors can impact on people’s health outcomes from COVID-19. The resulting report was published last week.

PHE has also been engaging with a significant number of individuals and organisations within black, Asian and minority ethnic communities over the past couple of months to hear their views, concerns and ideas about the impact of COVID-19 on their communities. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Equalities (Kemi Badenoch MP) will be building on and expanding that engagement as she takes work forward to better understand the drivers behind the ethnicity analyses in the PHE report.

In order to support the evaluation of the Isle of Wight rollout of the Test and Trace programme, the Department commissioned the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) to conduct a survey of Isle of Wight residents. The objective was to deliver a representative survey exploring experiences of using the National Health Service COVID-19 app, virology testing and public health contact tracing. The details and results of this survey will be published on the GOV.UK website in mid-June together with a report on the Isle of Wight phase evaluation.

This push-to-web survey of Isle of Wight residents aged 16+ included NatCen’s standard demographics questions including age, sex and ethnicity but not disability. In addition, many rounds of user research and testing have been conducted throughout the development of the app, with people of different ages, genders, ethnicities, socio-economic status, and digital skills, to ensure it meets the needs of different groups.

We will always comply with the Public Sector Equality Duty, which considers the impact of a policy or decision on groups with protected characteristics, and we have carried out an Equality and Health Impact Assessment.

The National Health Service COVID-19 app’s function and purpose have been developed in accordance with strong existing legislation. The Secretary of State wrote to the Chair of the Joint Committee on Human Rights, on 21 May, stating that he does not consider that new legislation is necessary for contact tracing.

The Government relies on modelling work undertaken by several academic groups, who report to the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies through its various subgroups. A collection of modelling information which has informed decision-making on COVID-19 has now been published on the GOV.UK website at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/scientific-advisory-group-for-emergencies-sage-coronavirus-covid-19-response

The modelling used to project COVID-19 death rates has been published by the Imperial College COVID-19 Response Team under the title ‘Report 9: Impact of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) to reduce COVID-19 mortality and healthcare demand’. A copy is attached.

As of 14 April, since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak we have delivered over 923 million pieces of personal protective equipment (PPE) to 58,000 different health and care settings including National Health Service trusts, general practitioners, pharmacies and community providers. We have provided PPE equipment to over 26,000 care homes including home care and hospices across the country. Over the Easter Bank Holiday weekend, over 48 million PPE items have been delivered.

We are working around the clock to give the NHS and the wider social care sector the equipment and support they need to tackle this outbreak. We have brought together the NHS, industry and the Armed Forces to create a new nationwide PPE distribution network, delivering critical PPE supplies to those who need it.

We have a 24 hours a day, seven days a week helpline for those experiencing supply disruption with business as usual ordering channels. Where there may be any shortages, we act on this immediately. Local Resilience Forums are also supporting care homes, hospices, home care and primary care in getting hold of PPE equipment.

The COVID-19 outbreak is the biggest public health emergency in a generation. We are doing everything we can to tackle the pandemic and mitigate its impact on everyone, including women, black, Asian and minority ethnic people and disabled people.

On Wednesday 25 March, the Coronavirus Act 2020 was given Royal Assent. An impact assessment and Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) assessment was conducted in relation to the provisions contained in the Coronavirus Bill. The PSED requires public bodies to have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations between different people when carrying out their activities, including those with protected characteristics such as sex, ethnicity and disabilities. We will continue to consider the impacts on people with protected characteristics when considering how to implement policies using powers contained in the Act.

Those with sickle cell disease have been identified as being at increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19, and we are strongly advising them to rigorously follow shielding measures in order to keep themselves safe.

Shielding is a measure to protect people who are clinically extremely vulnerable by minimising all social interaction with others. Those who are extremely vulnerable are strongly advised to stay at home at all times and avoid any face-to-face contact for at least 12 weeks. Please note that this period of time could change.

NHS England will be in direct contact with those who are at very high risk of severe illness from coronavirus to provide further advice. More information on shielding is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19#how-do-these-measures-differ-from-the-social-distancing-guidance-for-vulnerable-people-issued

All guidance, statements and public information released by the Government are readily available to read online.

In light of COVID-19, the Government has developed a national campaign to provide information, guidance and reassurance to the public. The campaign spans owned, earned and paid-for channels to maximise reach and engagement for people both with and without internet. For example, the press activity includes over 600 national, regional and local titles to reach communities throughout England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. People will be able to see and hear the campaign advice in newspapers and magazines, on drive-time radio, online and through social media and on billboards and large digital displays, including at bus stops.

Information on COVID-19 from Public Health England and the Department is translated into British Sign Language. Videos can be found at the following link:

https://www.signhealth.org.uk/

NHS England operates an Accessible information Standard which sets out a specific, consistent approach to identifying, recording, flagging, sharing and meeting the information and communication support needs of patients, service users, carers and parents with a disability, impairment or sensory loss. More information can be found at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/accessibleinfo/

Those with sickle cell disease have been identified as being at increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19, and we are strongly advising them to rigorously follow shielding measures in order to keep themselves safe.

Shielding is a measure to protect people who are clinically extremely vulnerable by minimising all social interaction with others. Those who are extremely vulnerable are strongly advised to stay at home at all times and avoid any face-to-face contact for at least 12 weeks. Please note that this period of time could change.

NHS England will be in direct contact with those who are at very high risk of severe illness from coronavirus to provide further advice. More information on shielding is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19#how-do-these-measures-differ-from-the-social-distancing-guidance-for-vulnerable-people-issued

The FCDO is committed to working in partnership with a diverse range of civil society organisations and recognises the unique role of in-country local organisations. A key aim of our funding for civil society is to support the capacity of local civil society organisations in developing countries so they can become strong, self-reliant and powerful development actors.

All FCDO's contracts are tendered in accordance with the Public Contract Regulations, which ensures open, transparent and fair competition between bidders. This means our contracts are competitively tendered following a set of standard processes. The Public Contracts Regulations provide a legal framework of procurement rules which ensure application of best practice including transparency, non-discrimination, equal treatment and proportionality and reasonableness.

The UK supports Human Rights Defenders (HRDs) through bilateral engagement via our global network of Embassies and High Commissions and through multilateral organisations. Colleagues in our diplomatic network monitor cases, observe trials, and raise issues with host governments relating to HRDs. In 2019, we launched the document 'UK support for Human Rights Defenders', drawn up with significant and important input from relevant stakeholders, including Amnesty International. It set out in detail how we would work and engage with HRDs to promote and protect human rights throughout the world. Just over a year ago, the Minister of State responsible for Human Rights, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, issued a statement at the Human Rights Council in Geneva, voicing concern about the harassment and all too often imprisonment of HRDs. On International Human Rights Defenders Day on 9 December 2020, he also issued a message to all HRDs thanking them for their courageous work and their unwavering determination in fighting for human rights. When he visits countries in his capacity as Minister for Human Rights, he makes a point of talking directly to HRDs. Listening to them helps inform the decisions we make and inspires us to do more. In the context of the establishment of the new Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, and of the Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy, we shall consider what more the UK can do to support HRDs.

The Government has set out a package of measures to support businesses through this period of disruption caused by COVID-19.

The Chancellor previously announced a 100% rates holiday for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure properties in 2020-21. On 25 March the Government went further and removed some of the exclusions for this relief, so that eligible retail, leisure, and hospitality properties that will have to close as a result of the measures announced by the Prime Minister in his statement of 23 March, will now be eligible for the relief. This change will ensure that estate and lettings agents will now pay no business rates in 2020-21.

Support is also available to those not eligible for business rates relief; this includes the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan scheme for small and medium-sized businesses, a statutory sick pay relief package, the HMRC Time To Pay Scheme, the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to help firms continue to keep people in employment, and a new lending facility from the Bank of England for larger firms.

The Government has set out a package of measures to support businesses through this period of disruption caused by COVID-19.

The Chancellor previously announced a 100% rates holiday for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure properties in 2020-21. On 25 March the Government went further and removed some of the exclusions for this relief, so that eligible retail, leisure, and hospitality properties that will have to close as a result of the measures announced by the Prime Minister in his statement of 23 March, will now be eligible for the relief. This change will ensure that estate and lettings agents will now pay no business rates in 2020-21.

Support is also available to those not eligible for business rates relief; this includes the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan scheme for small and medium-sized businesses, a statutory sick pay relief package, the HMRC Time To Pay Scheme, the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to help firms continue to keep people in employment, and a new lending facility from the Bank of England for larger firms.

The Government has committed to continuing the Tampon Tax Fund until the UK is legally able to apply a zero rate of VAT to women’s sanitary products. During the transition period, the UK’s VAT regime will continue to exist within a framework set by EU legislation.

The Home Secretary and Defence Secretary announced on 23 February that the Government has decided to waive settlement fees for non-UK personnel in our Armed Forces, who have six years or more reckonable service, or who are discharged due to an illness or injury attributable to their service regardless of the length of their service.

These changes are being implemented via an update to the Immigration Fees and Regulations, with the changes coming into effect on 6 April 2022.

The Written Statement regarding this policy can be found at:

https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2022-02-23/hcws624.

The Home Office does not centrally hold the information requested.

The Home Office collects and publishes data on arrests made by police forces in England and Wales. The most recent statistics, including a breakdown of arrests by police force area, covering the year ending 31 March 2021 can be found in Section 3 here: Police powers and procedures: Stop and search and arrests, England and Wales, year ending 31 March 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

These data only cover arrests for notifiable offences and therefore will not include arrests made under the Vagrancy Act 1824.

The Home Office collects and publishes data on the size of the police workforce in England and Wales on a biannual basis in the ‘Police workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin, available here: Police workforce England and Wales statistics - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Information on the total number of police officers by rank and Police Force Area as at the 31^st March each year since 2007, can be found in the workforce open data tables published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-workforce-open-data-tables

While the ‘Police workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin remains the key measure of the size of the police workforce, as part of the Police Officer Uplift Programme, the Home Office also publishes a quarterly update on the number of officers (headcount terms only) in England and Wales, also broken down by PFA. Data are available here: Police Officer uplift statistics - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

The Home Office also collects and publishes data on agreed police funding in England and Wales from the financial year ending March 2016 on an annual basis in the ‘Police funding for England and Wales statistics’, available here: Police funding for England and Wales statistics - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). Force-level funding breakdowns before the financial year ending March 2016 are not available due to a number of significant changes in the structure of police funding and policing.

For 2022/23, the Metropolitan Police Service will receive up to £3,236.5 million.

The Home Office collects and publishes data on the size of the police workforce in England and Wales on a biannual basis in the ‘Police workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin, available here: Police workforce England and Wales statistics - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Information on the total number of police officers by rank and Police Force Area as at the 31^st March each year since 2007, can be found in the workforce open data tables published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-workforce-open-data-tables

While the ‘Police workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin remains the key measure of the size of the police workforce, as part of the Police Officer Uplift Programme, the Home Office also publishes a quarterly update on the number of officers (headcount terms only) in England and Wales, also broken down by PFA. Data are available here: Police Officer uplift statistics - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

The Home Office also collects and publishes data on agreed police funding in England and Wales from the financial year ending March 2016 on an annual basis in the ‘Police funding for England and Wales statistics’, available here: Police funding for England and Wales statistics - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). Force-level funding breakdowns before the financial year ending March 2016 are not available due to a number of significant changes in the structure of police funding and policing.

For 2022/23, the Metropolitan Police Service will receive up to £3,236.5 million.

The Home Office does not hold this information. Procurement of forensic science services is a matter for forces and PCCs.

The Home Office does not hold this information. Procurement of forensic science services is a matter for forces and PCCs.

In 2018, the Government asked the Law Commission to undertake a review of current hate crime legislation, including whether additional protected characteristics, such as sex, gender and age, should be included.

The Law Commission is due to publish its recommendations later this year, following which the Government will formally respond.

In 2018, the Government asked the Law Commission to undertake a review of current hate crime legislation, including whether additional protected characteristics, such as sex, gender and age, should be included.

The Law Commission is due to publish its recommendations later this year, following which the Government will formally respond.

The Home Office has and continues to work closely with a diverse range of organisations specialising in asylum and human rights protection to lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex people (LGBTQ+) communities, not only to facilitate the development of bespoke guidance and training products but also to further our work for LGBTQ+ within our asylum system.

We ensure LGBTQ+ asylum seekers are signposted to relevant NGOs specialising in the support of these individuals. This is done through an information leaflet given to all asylum claimants at the point of claim which includes sections on legal advice, additional help and assistance with links to relevant legal bodies and support organisations. LGBTQ+ asylum seekers can also access support from Rainbow Migration (formerly the UK Lesbian & Gay Immigration Group), who provide both practical and emotional support for LGBTQ+ people including how to help improve their confidence and self-esteem and to reduce isolation.

The Home Office recognises discussing persecution may often be distressing and those seeking asylum are given every opportunity to disclose information relevant to their claim before a decision is taken. Our caseworkers are very mindful many asylum seekers come from cultures which shun any open expression or discussion of sexual orientation or gender identity. We recognise the intimate nature of disclosure set against the individual’s cultural background may have made it difficult for some to disclose and discuss their sexuality or gender identity with officials at a port of entry.

Where it appears a claimant has been in the UK for a prolonged period of time before either coming to immigration attention or voluntarily seeking protection, this will be explored with the claimant. Consideration will be given to any explanation offered for not seeking protection at the first available opportunity, or for not disclosing the issue of sexuality or gender identity as a claim basis at the first available opportunity. Adverse inference however will not solely be drawn from someone not having immediately identified their sexual or gender identity as a basis to their claim.

Home Office department, the Clandestine Channel Threat Command are responsible for the provision of basic clothing to migrants who are disembarked at the Tug Haven (having been intercepted crossing the channel in small boats). Migrants often cross the channel in poor weather conditions and without adequate clothing. In such circumstances they are invariably very wet and cold and at risk of hypothermia if dry clothing is not provided. This provision of dry clothing forms part of our duty of care in these circumstances, wherever possible we use recycled clothing from charitable organisations rather than buying new.

The following items were purchased, 225 pairs of lace up canvas shoes, 26 pairs of flip flops, 440 T-shirts, 333 sweatshirts and 337 jogging bottoms.

Home Office department, the Clandestine Channel Threat Command are responsible for the provision of basic clothing to migrants who are disembarked at the Tug Haven (having been intercepted crossing the channel in small boats). Migrants often cross the channel in poor weather conditions and without adequate clothing. In such circumstances they are invariably very wet and cold and at risk of hypothermia if dry clothing is not provided. This provision of dry clothing forms part of our duty of care in these circumstances, wherever possible we use recycled clothing from charitable organisations rather than buying new.

The following items were purchased, 225 pairs of lace up canvas shoes, 26 pairs of flip flops, 440 T-shirts, 333 sweatshirts and 337 jogging bottoms.

This expenditure refers to articles purchased for immediate relief of asylum seekers arriving in small boats, by providing warm and dry clothing which reduces the risk of hypothermia.

Dangerous and unnecessary crossings of the Channel are made by migrants in small boats, which are often overloaded. Many of those arriving in this way are soaking wet and at significant risk of hypothermia if not changed into dry clothes quickly. The Home Office has a duty of care to those migrants and ordinarily has sufficient stocks of dry clothing on hand for arriving migrants. However, last September saw an unprecedented number of migrant arrivals in small boats and supplies ran low, requiring emergency replenishment from a local retail outlet. This is the basis of the expenditure at Primark quoted here. As the clothing was distributed directly to arriving migrants by HO officials, no third party company was employed in the distribution.

I can confirm the Home Office has not written to Mr Speaker since 1 September 2020 to explain legislation being brought into force before it is laid in both Houses.

We are grateful to the police for enforcing unprecedented restrictions, and in doing so saving lives.

Evidential reviews are carried out by the police before fixed penalty notices (FPNs) are issued on their behalf by the ACRO Criminal Records Office. Individuals can choose not to pay an FPN and defend any prosecution for a relevant offence in court. The Home Office will continue to work closely with policing colleagues on the fair and effective enforcement of Covid regulations.

The Home Office liaised with the police and others to understand the efficacy of existing public order legislation and to identify what more can be done to make a practical difference, and we will legislate shortly. This follows concerns raised by the police about current legislation in the context of non-violent protests that have a significant impact on the community.

As part of this, the Home Secretary asked the independent police inspectorate, HMICFRS, to carry out a thematic inspection of how police manage protests. My officials engaged with the inspectorate in the formulation of the new legislative proposals.

It remains our firm intention to bring forward legislation this session as we set out in the briefing which accompanied the Queen’s Speech in December 2019. We will publish our response to the consultation before that.

In October 2020, the Home Secretary commissioned HMICFRS to inspect how effectively the police manage protests. Home Office officials have been in touch with the inspectorate to understand their initial findings, these have supported our work to ensure that the police have the powers they need to manage highly disruptive protests.

The inspection is ongoing, and we look forward to receiving their final report.

The Home Office has been working with the Windrush Cross-Government Working Group to co-design and deliver the £500,000 Windrush Community Fund. Further details, including eligibility criteria and when the Fund will be open for bids will be released shortly.

The Community Fund will provide community and grassroots organisations with funding to run promotional and outreach activity to raise awareness of the Windrush Compensation Scheme and the Windrush Scheme.

There are currently no plans to extend the Codes of Practice that support the Police & Criminal Evidence Act 1984 to include road traffic stops.

For motoring offences, there are currently no plans to require police forces to collect data for vehicle stops under section 163 of the Road Traffic Act 1988. For non-motoring offences, the Home Office already collates data on vehicle stops as part of the stop and search data collection, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-powers-and-procedures-england-and-wales-year-ending-31-march-2020

The statutory basis for data collection, the Annual Data Requirement (ADR) process, is set by the Police Act 1996. This process works closely with policy and operational colleagues, other government departments, National Policing Leads and other key police stakeholders to ensure that routine statistical data required on police forces remains proportionate and justified and eliminates unnecessary burdens. This ensures a proper balance between the accountability and efficiency of police operation and is reviewed on an annual basis.

There are currently no plans to extend the Codes of Practice that support the Police & Criminal Evidence Act 1984 to include road traffic stops.

For motoring offences, there are currently no plans to require police forces to collect data for vehicle stops under section 163 of the Road Traffic Act 1988. For non-motoring offences, the Home Office already collates data on vehicle stops as part of the stop and search data collection, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-powers-and-procedures-england-and-wales-year-ending-31-march-2020

The statutory basis for data collection, the Annual Data Requirement (ADR) process, is set by the Police Act 1996. This process works closely with policy and operational colleagues, other government departments, National Policing Leads and other key police stakeholders to ensure that routine statistical data required on police forces remains proportionate and justified and eliminates unnecessary burdens. This ensures a proper balance between the accountability and efficiency of police operation and is reviewed on an annual basis.

Police forces that reflect the communities they serve are crucial to tackling crime and maintaining public trust and confidence in a modern diverse society. While the police workforce is more representative in terms of gender and ethnicity than it has ever been, there is still much more to be done.

We have been clear that the uplift in officers is a once in generation opportunity to improve diversity. The Equality Act 2010 includes positive action provisions to enable employers to address identified under-representation of protected groups in the workplace, such as black officers in the police, as well as Asian and other minority ethnic officers. There is much greater scope than has been used so far for the police to use the positive action provisions of equalities legislation to improve recruitment and progression of officers from under-represented groups.

Some forces have made significant improvements in the rate of black, Asian and minority ethnic joiners through successful positive action measures. The relative rates of representation vary from force to force. However, we are clear that every force should be striving to become representative of the communities it serves. Information is available on police.uk that shows the ethnicity and gender representation for each police force compared to local force area populations. This allows the public to hold forces to account.

There is already work in train across the sector to support forces in doing this. The College of Policing has delivered a major programme of work to support forces in their efforts to address under-representation in the recruitment, retention and progression of officers and has published advice on the lawful use of positive action to address under-representation in policing at all levels. The National Police Chiefs’ Council has also published a workforce representation toolkit which includes practical actions forces can take to increase the recruitment, retention and progression of officers from under-represented groups in policing

The Government has also supported innovative schemes, such as Police Now, which are making the police workforce more diverse than ever before; showing that we can attract the brightest and best into policing, whilst introducing new perspectives from some of the country’s most challenging neighbourhoods.

We are aware that criminals are attempting to exploit opportunities around the coronavirus. The Government and law enforcement colleagues are working tirelessly to identify and disrupt those seeking to commit these crimes.

We have worked closely with National Trading Standards, the Financial Conduct Authority and other key partners to raise public awareness. For example, we launched a gov.uk page on coronavirus related fraud and cybercrime, including easy-to-follow steps for people to better protect themselves, as well as signposting all relevant advice and tips.

This page can currently be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-fraud-and-cyber-crime

National Trading Standards, using their 500,000 strong network of “Friends Against Scams” launched a targeted campaign during lockdown to encourage people to protect their friends and neighbours from COVID doorsteps scams.

We are acutely aware of the need to put victims at the heart of our approach to tackling domestic abuse at this time. We are working closely with domestic abuse charities to monitor and assess impacts and needs.

The Government has posted advice regarding national helplines, including specialist helplines, on gov.uk to guide victims to the most appropriate support for their individual needs (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/domestic-abuse-how-to-get-help ). This has been extensively promoted through our awareness raising campaign #YouAreNotAlone.

The Home Office has announced £2m of funding to help bolster helplines at this time; £1.2m of this has already been allocated to provide Covid-19 support. This includes an additional £71,000 to Galop, which runs the National LGBT Domestic Abuse helpline, to ensure that the service continues to be available to LGBT+ victims during this period.

This is in addition to the £750 million funding package announced by the Chancellor, £76 million of which will support survivors of?domestic abuse, sexual violence and modern slavery?as well as ensure that vulnerable children and young people continue to get the help they need. From this funding the HO launched a £2m fund for national and regionally based domestic abuse organisations. £793,000 of this has already been allocated to 13 organisations and additional bids are currently being assessed.

As part of its ongoing support for victims of domestic abuse, the Home Office has, in addition, provided £120,000 of funding each year since 2016 for the LBGT Domestic Abuse helpline, which provides emotional and practical support for LGBT+ people who are experiencing or have experienced domestic abuse.

The safety and health of those in immigration removal centres is of the utmost importance but we remain committed to removing foreign national offenders or those who violate our immigration rules. Detention plays a key role in securing our borders and maintaining effective immigration control.

Decisions to detain an individual are made on a case by case basis and are based on all of the information known at the time of the review. As circumstances of the case change, detention is reviewed in light of these changes and release may then become appropriate.

The Home Office is following all Public Health England guidance and have robust contingency plans in place including measures such as protective isolation to minimise the risk of COVID-19 spreading in the immigration detention estate. Further measures including shielding, single occupancy rooms and the cessation of social visits have been introduced in line with the Government direction on social distancing.

There are currently no cases of Covid-19 in the immigration detention estate.

The Home Office is working closely with other government departments to support people, including migrants with no recourse to public funds, through this crisis. We are taking a compassionate and pragmatic approach and will continue to review the situation to consider if more can be done.

The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme will help firms continue to keep people, including workers with no recourse to public funds, in employment with the government paying 80% of furloughed workers wages up to a cap of £2,500.

There are a number of measures in relation to rent and mortgage protections, food vouchers, and protections for the homeless, all of which are not considered public funds. Local Authorities may also provide basic safety net support if it is established that there is a genuine care need that does not arise solely from destitution, for example, where there are community care needs, migrants with serious health problems or family cases.

Covid-19 has been added to the list of infectious diseases so anyone experiencing symptoms, regardless of their immigration status, will be treated for free.

People granted leave under the family and human rights routes can apply to have a condition lifted or for access to benefits if their financial circumstances change.

The Home Office Diversity & Inclusion Strategy sets a target of 6% representation for Lesbian, Gay and Bi staff in senior positions by 2025. We will assess a target for Trans staff when we are able to capture this data soon.

We have a comprehensive programme of activity underway led by a senior LGBTI+ Champion including an inclusive language pack to improve understanding of the importance of appropriate language in the workplace, a new recruitment model for LGBTI+ apprentices and Career Watch pilots for LGBTI+ staff, focused on active sponsorship of staff to build the talent pipeline to senior levels.

Trust and legitimacy are vital elements of British policing by consent. The police have worked hard to improve equality and diversity in policing. The workforce is more representative than ever before and there is a Code of Ethics in place. While recognising these significant improvements, we are not complacent.

Our drive to recruit 20,000 officers over three years gives us a significant opportunity to attract a wide range of people into a career in policing and support the police to become even more representative of the communities they serve. Work is already underway by forces and key partners to ensure they can attract a more representative workforce as part of the uplift in officer numbers.

The College of Policing has delivered a major programme of work to support forces in their efforts to address under-representation in the recruitment, retention and progression of officers, including those from BAME backgrounds, and has published advice on the lawful use of positive action to address under-representation in policing. This work includes measures to improve diversity at the most senior levels in policing, where there is the greatest disparity.

The Government has also supported innovative schemes such as Police Now which are making the police workforce more diverse than ever before; showing that we can attract the brightest and best into policing, whilst introducing new perspectives into policing from some of the country’s most challenging neighbourhoods.

The National Police Chiefs’ Council published its first Diversity, Equality and Inclusion strategy in October 2018. This is complemented by a workforce representation toolkit which includes practical actions forces can take to increase the recruitment, retention and progression of officers from under-represented groups in policing. This is a welcome demonstration of policing taking the lead in implementing action to increase diversity and In addition, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) has agreed to focus more closely on how forces are performing on diversity and inclusion as part of its next round of Integrated Peel Assessments this year.

The Equality Act 2010 includes positive action provisions to enable employers to address identified under-representation of protected groups in the workplace, as is the case for BAME officers in the police. There is much greater scope than has been the case so far for the police to use the positive action provisions of equalities legislation to improve BAME recruitment and progression.

Some forces (such as the Metropolitan Police Service, Bedfordshire Police, West Midlands Police and Greater Manchester Police) have made significant improvements in the rate of BAME joiners through successful positive action measures. Other forces should be learning the lessons of the successful measures being used in these forces.

Trust and legitimacy are vital elements of British policing by consent. The police have worked hard to improve equality and diversity in policing. The workforce is more representative than ever before and there is a Code of Ethics in place. While recognising these significant improvements, we are not complacent.

Our drive to recruit 20,000 officers over three years gives us a significant opportunity to attract a wide range of people into a career in policing and support the police to become even more representative of the communities they serve. Work is already underway by forces and key partners to ensure they can attract a more representative workforce as part of the uplift in officer numbers.

The College of Policing has delivered a major programme of work to support forces in their efforts to address under-representation in the recruitment, retention and progression of officers, including those from BAME backgrounds, and has published advice on the lawful use of positive action to address under-representation in policing. This work includes measures to improve diversity at the most senior levels in policing, where there is the greatest disparity.

The Government has also supported innovative schemes such as Police Now which are making the police workforce more diverse than ever before; showing that we can attract the brightest and best into policing, whilst introducing new perspectives into policing from some of the country’s most challenging neighbourhoods.

The National Police Chiefs’ Council published its first Diversity, Equality and Inclusion strategy in October 2018. This is complemented by a workforce representation toolkit which includes practical actions forces can take to increase the recruitment, retention and progression of officers from under-represented groups in policing. This is a welcome demonstration of policing taking the lead in implementing action to increase diversity and In addition, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) has agreed to focus more closely on how forces are performing on diversity and inclusion as part of its next round of Integrated Peel Assessments this year.

The Equality Act 2010 includes positive action provisions to enable employers to address identified under-representation of protected groups in the workplace, as is the case for BAME officers in the police. There is much greater scope than has been the case so far for the police to use the positive action provisions of equalities legislation to improve BAME recruitment and progression.

Some forces (such as the Metropolitan Police Service, Bedfordshire Police, West Midlands Police and Greater Manchester Police) have made significant improvements in the rate of BAME joiners through successful positive action measures. Other forces should be learning the lessons of the successful measures being used in these forces.

Trust and legitimacy are vital elements of British policing by consent. The police have worked hard to improve equality and diversity in policing. The workforce is more representative than ever before and there is a Code of Ethics in place. While recognising these significant improvements, we are not complacent.

Our drive to recruit 20,000 officers over three years gives us a significant opportunity to attract a wide range of people into a career in policing and support the police to become even more representative of the communities they serve. Work is already underway by forces and key partners to ensure they can attract a more representative workforce as part of the uplift in officer numbers.

The College of Policing has delivered a major programme of work to support forces in their efforts to address under-representation in the recruitment, retention and progression of officers, including those from BAME backgrounds, and has published advice on the lawful use of positive action to address under-representation in policing. This work includes measures to improve diversity at the most senior levels in policing, where there is the greatest disparity.

The Government has also supported innovative schemes such as Police Now which are making the police workforce more diverse than ever before; showing that we can attract the brightest and best into policing, whilst introducing new perspectives into policing from some of the country’s most challenging neighbourhoods.

The National Police Chiefs’ Council published its first Diversity, Equality and Inclusion strategy in October 2018. This is complemented by a workforce representation toolkit which includes practical actions forces can take to increase the recruitment, retention and progression of officers from under-represented groups in policing. This is a welcome demonstration of policing taking the lead in implementing action to increase diversity and In addition, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) has agreed to focus more closely on how forces are performing on diversity and inclusion as part of its next round of Integrated Peel Assessments this year.

The Equality Act 2010 includes positive action provisions to enable employers to address identified under-representation of protected groups in the workplace, as is the case for BAME officers in the police. There is much greater scope than has been the case so far for the police to use the positive action provisions of equalities legislation to improve BAME recruitment and progression.

Some forces (such as the Metropolitan Police Service, Bedfordshire Police, West Midlands Police and Greater Manchester Police) have made significant improvements in the rate of BAME joiners through successful positive action measures. Other forces should be learning the lessons of the successful measures being used in these forces.