Drew Hendry

When establishing the Historical Shortfall Scheme, the Post Office engaged with the claimants in the settled litigation, to inform the design of the scheme, and the scheme already includes an independent advisory panel with appropriately qualified individuals to make recommendations on compensation. The Panel is completely independent of both Post Office and of Government. The Scheme received around 2,500 claims, of which over 2,300 were eligible applications and Post Office is working to make offers on the overwhelming majority of applications, (95%), by the end of 2022.

Regarding overturned historical convictions, POL is committed to paying the reasonable legal costs of the claimants’ representatives to ensure that they are properly supported to put forward their best possible case for compensation.

The Post Office is continuing its efforts to right the wrongs of the past. This includes delivering compensation via the Historical Shortfall Scheme and compensation for postmasters with overturned criminal convictions – thereby resetting its relationship with postmasters who have been affected by the Horizon scandal.

The Government is closely monitoring the Post Office’s progress on delivering compensation in both areas.

The Government is aware that there are pressures on the supply chains of certain sectors, driven by global and domestic supply and demand factors. We are working with industry to understand how these pressures are impacting businesses on the ground so that we can continue to monitor the situation.

We do talk to the Fire Industry Association (FIA) regularly on a range of issues and would welcome any further feedback from them on this matter.

We announced our plans to reform Companies House in September 2020. The reforms will ensure more reliably accurate information on the companies register, reinforced by identity verification of people who manage or control companies. Companies House will have greater powers to query and challenge information. We will bring forward legislation to implement these reforms when Parliamentary time allows.

Departmental officials hold frequent discussions with Companies House counterparts on a wide range of issues, including measures we propose to take to improve the integrity of information on the companies register.

The Department’s officials have discussed the availability of liquefied petroleum gas cylinders with the major suppliers. The companies concerned continue to offer short term mitigations such as cylinder swaps and alternative sizes where necessary, while they develop long-term, sustainable solutions. Liquefied petroleum gas consumers are free to shop around for the best price and terms relating to the supply of bottled liquefied petroleum gas.

Liquid Gas UK, the trade association for the industry, remains confident in their members’ ability to operate to the principles set out in their Customer Charter. These include ‘Cold Weather Priority Delivery’ so that at times of restricted supply the industry will seek to ensure that priority groups do not run out of energy, particularly those who are aged 75 or older, chronically ill, or registered disabled.

The Government intends to close the Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive to new applications on 31 March 2022. In England and Wales, this will be followed by the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, which is scheduled to launch in April 2022. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme will provide a more targeted, accessible, and simpler offer, by providing upfront capital grants to support the installation of low carbon heat technologies. Some installations which are unable to apply in time for the Renewable Heat Incentive may be eligible for support in the Boiler Upgrade Scheme instead. The Scottish Government has made the decision to opt out of the Boiler Upgrade Scheme in favour of using their budget to enhance their existing schemes such as Warmer Homes Scotland and Home Energy Scotland Loans and Cashback.

The UK’s product safety regulatory requirements are designed to ensure that all products on the UK market meet essential safety requirements and are compliant with the law. Where appropriate, UK legislation specifically requires that products contain relevant information on the safe use of products. While it is not illegal to purchase products that must be fitted by a Gas Safe registered engineer, it remains an offence to install such products unless suitably competent to do so. The Government has no plans to change this position.

The Department continues to be in frequent contact with Liquid Gas UK, the trade association for the liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) industry in the UK.

Liquid Gas UK remain confident in their members’ ability to operate to the principles set out in their Customer Charter.

The Government holds regular discussions with stakeholders about the UK’s copyright framework to ensure it remains fit for purpose. This includes engagement with organisations representing authors and the wider publishing industry.

The Government is currently analysing responses to the consultation on the UK’s future exhaustion of IP rights regime, and will provide an update on this consultation in due course.

This Government is committed to supporting research into dementia and neurodegeneration, including motor neurone disease (MND). Last fiscal year, UKRI spent £15.9 million on MND research. This builds on wider funding for medical research charities including £204 million Research England funding in AY 20-21, the charity research support funding element of Quality-related Research, and UKRI’s funding for the Crick Institute. The UK Dementia Research Institute, founded with £190 million of government funding through UKRI, already includes research on scientific understanding of motor neurone disease as a neurodegenerative condition.

Future funding decisions will be subject to the outcome of the Spending Review 2021.

In cases where Ofgem, the scheme administrator, finds that an EPC is inaccurate, and that the RHI scheme participant has been overpaid, Ofgem are required to request that the overpayment is repaid, in order to ensure that public funds are properly accounted for Ofgem generally try to show flexibility with regard to how funds are recovered, and usually allow repayments to be offset against future RHI payments. RHI Payments are recovered from the participant (and not the installer or EPC assessor), because it was the scheme participant that entered a contractual obligation with Ofgem when the RHI application was made.

It is usually not directly relevant whether or not the installer has since gone into liquidation, because it is not the installer who usually carries out the EPC assessment. EPC assessments must be carried out by a qualified EPC assessor; therefore, unless the installer is both Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) certified and an accredited EPC assessor, the EPC assessment must be carried out by a different person or organisation.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is independent of government, with a remit to tackle individual and market-wide competition issues, including breaches of competition law. My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State, BEIS officials and I have regular discussions with the CMA on a wide range of issues.

At present, global demand for building materials is far in excess of supply, leading to product shortages and rapid and sustained price inflation. The situation is being exacerbated by disruption to shipping and port operations caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. We continue to work closely with the Construction Leadership Council’s Product Availability Group to monitor and manage this challenging situation.

The Government recognises that the £20 Universal Credit uplift has provided a vital safety net for six million people during the pandemic. We announced the temporary uplift as part of a COVID support package worth a total of £407billion in 2020-21 and 2021-22. Our focus is now on our multi-billion ‘Plan for Jobs’, which will support people in the long-term by helping them learn new skills, increase their hours, or find new work.

Home energy and fuel poverty policy are matters devolved to the Scottish Parliament. However, until the Scottish Government has built the capacity to replace them, Cold Weather Payments, Winter Fuel Payments continue to be UK Government provision in Scotland. The Energy Company Obligation and Warm Home Discount will continue to apply across Great Britain until at least March 2022

The Department is in frequent contact with Liquid Gas UK, the trade association for the liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) industry in the UK. Every year, BEIS works closely with industry to monitor the LPG and heating oil supply position over winter and to proactively take steps to mitigate any risks that may affect distribution to customers and essential services.

In these discussions, Liquid Gas UK reported that demand for cylinders reached unprecedented levels this year, while lead times for importing new cylinders have been significantly lengthened due to increased global steel demand and volatile shipping markets. The industry expects the demand for cylinders from the UK leisure and tourism sectors to decline as the summer holiday season comes to an end and this to ease the pressure. Their members are offering solutions such as cylinder swaps and alternative sizes where possible for consumers affected.

In 2018 Liquid Gas UK published a ‘Customer Charter’, which requires its member companies to adhere to a set of common principles. These include ‘Cold Weather Priority Delivery’ so that at times of restricted supply the industry will seek to ensure that priority groups do not run out of energy, particularly those who are aged 75 or older, chronically ill, or registered disabled. I would encourage eligible customers to make sure that they are registered with their suppliers’ schemes under this Charter to help ensure that they go into winter with an adequate stock of LPG or identify at an early opportunity when they might need a further delivery.

The default energy price cap and any associated derogations for renewable tariffs is a matter for the regulator Ofgem and is not subject to discussion with BEIS officials.

At present, demand for building materials is outstripping supply due to high levels of global construction activity. Manufacturers are working hard to maximise production, but they are struggling to keep pace with demand due to lack of stock and Coronavirus-related disruption to production facilities, shipping and logistics.

The Government recognises the impact that this situation is having on many smaller building firms and we are working closely with the Construction Leadership Council’s (CLC) Product Availability Group to monitor and manage it.

The Government continues to safeguard the Post Office network and protect existing rural services through the access criteria that Government sets. While postmaster remuneration and the changes resulting from the second Mails Distribution Agreement agreed recently between Post Office and Royal Mail is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd, Government recognises the importance of supporting postmasters and ensuring they are rewarded fairly for the services they provide.

The Government expects Post Office to listen carefully to the feedback received during the recent consultation on the proposed changes to ensure that running a Post Office remains an attractive proposition.

Post Office has committed to communicating the final changes to postmaster remuneration in September.

The Government continues to safeguard the Post Office network and protect existing rural services through the access criteria that Government sets. While postmaster remuneration and the changes resulting from the second Mails Distribution Agreement agreed recently between Post Office and Royal Mail is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd, Government recognises the importance of supporting postmasters and ensuring they are rewarded fairly for the services they provide.

The Government expects Post Office to listen carefully to the feedback received during the recent consultation on the proposed changes to ensure that running a Post Office remains an attractive proposition.

Post Office has committed to communicating the final changes to postmaster remuneration in September.

The Government is aware that some products including cement are in short supply nationally. At present, supply of these products is not keeping pace with demand, and strong demand during 2020 reduced existing stocks.

In light of this, the Construction Leadership Council’s Coronavirus Task Force has established a Product Availability Working Group, comprised of product manufacturers, builders’ merchants and suppliers, contractors of all sizes, and housebuilders. The Task Force continues to monitor the supply and demand of products, and identify those in short supply. The Task Force also issues regular statements on product availability. The statements include detailed updates on the availability of specific products in affected material areas in order to keep the market informed. They can be accessed at https://www.constructionleadershipcouncil.co.uk/.

The Department are aware that there are some liquefied petroleum gas cylinder availability issues at present, but the industry considers that the impact on domestic customers for heat and cooking is low, as suppliers have mitigating measures in place. Officials are continuing to monitor the situation.

Those customers with empty or unused cylinders can assist by returning them to the relevant companies.

In order to become a business registered with TrustMark, the business must demonstrate to the TrustMark Scheme Provider that it complies with the rigorous TrustMark Framework Operating Requirements. These requirements have clear conditions, including the disclosure of any previous and/or present business interests that will impact upon the registration of the business. This has been established to prevent manipulation of the Government Endorsed Quality Scheme including through accessing multiple schemes where compliance with the Framework Operating Requirements has not been demonstrated.

As part of the ongoing development of the Scheme, the requirement for consumer protection for all works being undertaken via a TrustMark Registered Business, is being strengthened to provide greater protection to the consumer. TrustMark is currently in discussion with multiple parties to develop improved provisions to ensure that both consumers and businesses are suitably protected as a requirement of the TrustMark Scheme.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is responsible for investigating individual and market-wide competition issues in the UK. The Government has ensured that the CMA has significant powers to investigate and act if it finds that companies are behaving anti-competitively in a market.

A breakdown on the number of loans offered through the Bounce Back Loan scheme as of 26 January 2021 is in the table below.

The categories are based on turnover and breakdown as follows:

Micro: Turnover

Small: Turnover between £632K and £10.19 million

Medium: Turnover between £10.2 million and £24.9 million

Mid-Sized: Turnover between £25 million and £500 million

Large: Turnover > £500 million

BEIS regularly engage with Ofgem to discuss their progress in implementing the Consumer Vulnerability Strategy 2025. Since this was published, in October 2019, Ofgem has made progress on their first-year priorities, including:

• Creating an analytical framework to consistently assess the impact of regulatory policies on groups of consumers in vulnerable situations, published in May 2020;
• Strengthening protections for consumers who self-disconnect from prepayment meters or self-ration, and protections for consumers who struggle to pay their bills. Ofgem consulted on proposals in June 2020 and intend for protections to be in place by the end of 2020, and;
• Proposing a requirement on gas network companies to adhere to a vulnerability principle, making network companies more accountable for the service they provide consumers in vulnerable situations, through a licence obligation. Ofgem is planning to issue the statutory consultation in December and for the condition to come into effect on 1 April 2021.

The Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS) has been introduced to help small and medium-sized businesses to borrow between £2,000 and £50,000. Businesses are not required to bank with their provider in order to be eligible for a loan under the Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS).

It is also not a requirement of the Scheme for businesses to operate via a business account. However, some lenders may request that an applicant opens a business account in line with their standard policies. This is at the sole discretion of the lender. There are now 26 lenders accredited under the scheme, providing more choice for SMEs. Details of accredited lenders can be found on the British Business Bank’s website.

In order to apply for the scheme, businesses need to complete a short, simple online application form. A lender may consider paying funds into a personal current account if no business bank account is held, if it has been satisfactorily evidenced that the personal current account is being used for business purposes. In some cases, borrowers may need to include their 2018-19 HMRC self-assessment tax return alongside the form to verify their status as a business.

The Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme will offer grants to public sector bodies to fund both energy efficiency and low carbon heat measures. The details of the eligible technologies in scope for the scheme will be announced in due course.

Further details on the Social Housing Demonstrator, including which technologies will be eligible, will be announced at its launch in the Autumn.

Funding will be allocated competitively, building on the experience of the Whole House Retrofit (WHR) programme. The WHR competition was launched in May 2019 and awarded a total of £7.7m to the first three winning organisations in the Whole House Retrofit competition.

My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State held this series of roundtables as part of an intensive programme of engagement to inform the Government’s approach to economic recovery. The Department will continue to hold regular extensive engagement with stakeholders across all sectors and to work with stakeholders towards a clean, resilient recovery that will create new opportunities for long-term growth and improved productivity in parts of the country that have been worst affected.

In line with many other countries, the Government has introduced a series of measures and restrictions at the UK border which are supported by the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, to contribute to keeping the overall number of transmissions in the UK as low as possible. These measures came into effect on 8 June. A small proportion of people required to maintain essential supply chains, critical national infrastructure or to contribute to the crisis response have been made exempt from the requirement to self-isolate. Offshore workers undertaking, or required to commence, activities in the UK and on the UK Continental Shelf on or in relation to offshore installations, upstream petroleum infrastructure, critical safety work on offshore installations and wells that are being decommissioned or which are being preserved pending demolition or reuse or activities for the provision of workers, goods, materials or equipment or other essential services required to support the safe operation of offshore work have been exempted from these measures. Offshore workers entering the UK who are required to undertake those activities in the UK or on the UK Continental Shelf are covered by the exemption. Those travelling overseas to work on infrastructure outside of the UK will not be exempt on their return to the UK, unless they will be conducting the specified activities in the UK or on the UK Continental Shelf within 14 days of their return.

These measures will be subject to review every three weeks.

The Gambling Commission has suspended the licence of BetIndex Ltd, the operators of Football Index, while it carries out an investigation. I have met the Commission to discuss the situation.

Regarding rules on the naming of gambling products, the Commission requires operators to act in a way that meets the licensing objectives to be fair and open. They are also required to present their products in a way that is compliant with Advertising Standards Authority rules regarding advertising and marketing. Where the ASA determines an operator has presented its products in a way that is in breach of these rules, the Commission can also consider whether further regulatory action is required as a result.

Mobile bill limits were introduced by the Digital Economy Act 2017, and came into effect from October 2018. Ofcom, the independent telecoms regulator, is responsible for the implementation and enforcement of this obligation. Prior to this requirement taking effect, to help consumer awareness, Ofcom published guidance on its website.

Mobile phone providers are required, under the legislation, to allow their customers to set a monthly spending cap for the services they provide, and send a notification when they are nearing limits. This means that for calls, such as to premium rate services, the ‘access charge’ is covered, i.e. the cost of the mobile operator to connect the call, but not the ‘service charge’, the actual cost of the service. To ensure consumers are aware of this facility, mobile operators allow their customers to set bill limits when signing up to services, and some providers also allow customers to set bill limits on all services, including third party services charged to their mobile.

The Phone-paid Services Authority (PSA) is the UK regulator for content, goods and services that are charged to a phone bill. The PSA is reviewing and updating its Code of Practice - the regulatory framework that companies offering phone-paid services to UK consumers have to follow. The PSA will consult on a draft revised Code of Practice in 2021, which Ofcom has to approve before it can come into force. The PSA keeps DCMS and Ofcom informed of the progress of the review.

The Government remains committed to delivering nationwide gigabit connectivity as soon as possible. Over 3.5 million premises (or 12% of the UK) can access gigabit capable broadband according to the latest Ofcom figures, compared to 7% a year ago. Gigabit coverage is even higher at 20%, or one in five UK premises, as a result of Virgin Media’s upgrades of its existing cable network.

We support industry’s plans to deliver gigabit broadband to the most commercial parts of the UK (c.80% of the country) and will continue to take action to remove barriers to deployment to help them deliver this by 2025.

It will be more difficult to deliver gigabit connectivity to the hardest to reach 20% of the country by 2025. This is why we have committed a record £5 billion of capital funding to support deployment in these areas.

We are currently developing the pipeline of premises for initial deployment under the £5 billion investment into gigabit-capable broadband. To ensure these are successfully delivered, we need to consult plans with industry, Local Bodies and Devolved Administrations. We plan to publish the first draft pipeline later this year.

The £5bn programme will deliver to the hardest to reach premises in the UK. These are disproportionately situated in Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland given their rurality. It is too early in our programme design process to provide figures of how much funding each region will receive from the programme. However, the funding will be allocated based on the number of eligible premises in that area, as opposed to the Barnett Formula.

Before we can confirm the share of the funding which will be allocated to Scotland we need the R100 programme, the Scottish superfast broadband programme, to complete its procurement phase so that we can determine which specific premises are in scope for R100 and therefore what remains to be done with funding from the £5bn. We are working with the Scottish Government to align our interventions.

Linking pesticide usage directly to changes in pollinator numbers remains challenging because of the range of pressures which affect pollinators. In 2019, alongside leading academics, we published evidence statements on what is known, and not known, about the status and responses to pressures and management of pollinators, including in relation to pesticide use. We are currently funding research looking at how we could develop our monitoring to better understand the effects of pesticides on pollinators, as well as routes of exposure.

Defra is developing a Pesticide Load Indicator which takes account of both the chemical properties of pesticides used and the weight applied. This uses pesticide usage data, ecotoxicity and environmental data to better understand how the pressure from pesticides on the environment, including bees, has changed over time. Much of this research will be published in 2022.

We also publish an indicator of the status of pollinating insects, which measures how widespread each of almost 400 species is in each year since 1980. It shows long-term decline, but little change over the short term. Although not yet definitive, there are encouraging signs of improvement, for example the average distribution of wild bees has shown some stability over recent years. We are keeping these trends under review.

A) Our 25 Year Environment Plan set out the Government’s ambition to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste by the end of 2042. In 2018, we published the Resources and Waste Strategy, which sets out how we want to achieve this. For the most problematic plastics we are going faster - which is why we are working towards all plastic packaging being recyclable or reusable by 2025.

Our Environment Bill will enable us to take forward a number of key proposals including Extended Producer Responsibility, a Deposit Return Scheme, greater consistency in the recycling system, better control of the export of plastic waste and powers to set new charges for single-use plastic items. We have already introduced measures to restrict the supply of plastic straws, stirrers and cotton buds. We will consult shortly on banning a range of other single-use plastic items, including plates, cutlery and polystyrene cups. The single use carrier bag charge, which has led to a 95% reduction in their use at main supermarkets, has been doubled to 10p, and extended to all retailers. Going further still, from April 2022, plastic packaging without at least 30% recycled content will be taxed at £200/tonne. Taken together, these amount to one of the most comprehensive programmes of any major economy in tackling this issue.

B) The Government recognises the difficulties some importing countries have in dealing with plastic waste and that is why we have committed to banning the export of plastic waste to countries that are not members of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD); we plan to consult before the end of 2022 on options to deliver the ban.

Risk posed to Biosecurity

The Government has set out a new timetable for introducing full import controls for Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) goods being imported from the EU to the UK. The new timetable considers the challenges businesses have faced due to the global pandemic, as well as its impact on supply chains across the UK and Europe.

These temporary practical arrangements recognise the need to ensure biosecurity across the UK whilst balancing the need to remove barriers to trade. We already have SPS controls in place on high-risk goods, such as live animals and high-priority plants and plant products, and checks on these goods will continue to be carried out at destination.

Pre-notification is also being introduced from January 2022 and increases our biosecurity status. It allows the Food Standards Agency to know what high-risk food and feed is crossing our borders, as well as trace products back to the established premises, helping us to manage any food incidents that may occur.

The Government continually assesses risks to biosecurity and has a range of measures it can take should the need arise.

Raptor species, along with all other wild birds, are protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and it is illegal to kill them without a licence. Natural England, in its role as a wildlife licensing authority, can issue licences to control birds under certain circumstances.

Following the McMorn case, Natural England developed internal guidance covering licence applications for predatory species for the purpose of preventing serious damage and for the purpose of conserving species. These were designed to establish standard criteria for assessing such applications and have been agreed with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Following our departure from the EU we have begun a review of our domestic CITES legislation and procedures which implement our obligations under CITES. As part of this review, which is at an early stage, we have been seeking views from industry groups and other interested organisations, including those involved in the trade of captive-bred raptors.

The UK has announced a range of economic sanctions against Russia and Belarus, including denying both countries access to Most Favoured Nation tariffs for hundreds of their exports. £900 million of imported goods from Russia and Belarus will now face an additional 35 percent tariff.

We will continue to explore the full range of economic, diplomatic, and political options in co-operation with partners.

At the WTO, the Government has condemned the actions of the Russian Federation and shown solidarity with the Government and people of Ukraine. We are working closely with like-minded partners to take steps to marginalise Russia and to deprive the Russian government of the benefits of WTO membership.

We are aware that discussions are taking place about the possible mechanisms to expel Russia from the WTO. We will continue to explore with allies the full range of economic, diplomatic, and political options.

Tony Abbott does not negotiate trade deals on behalf of the UK. He is a voluntary, unpaid advisor to the Board of Trade. Advisers to the Board of Trade have been appointed because of their expertise in trade and economic matters and to help inform our future thinking on international trade. Our ambitious trade deal with Australia will include a substantive article which reaffirms both parties’ commitments to address climate change. Both Australia and the UK make clear their commitment to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Paris Agreement and achieving all of its goals, which includes the temperature goals.

Tony Abbott does not negotiate trade deals on behalf of the UK. He is a voluntary, unpaid advisor to the Board of Trade. Advisers to the Board of Trade have been appointed because of their expertise in trade and economic matters and to help inform our future thinking on international trade. Our ambitious trade deal with Australia will include a substantive article which reaffirms both parties’ commitments to address climate change. Both Australia and the UK make clear their commitment to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Paris Agreement and achieving all of its goals, which includes the temperature goals.

I refer the Member to the answer given to the Right Honourable Member for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich on 10 September, UIN 40833.

The Forestry Commission is responsible for helping British importers and their agents prepare for the customs entry procedures for timber products.

HM Government is supporting businesses adjusting to new trading arrangements, including the guidance published by the Forestry Commission on GOV.UK on importing timber products.

The United Kingdom has never been successfully taken to tribunal under her over 90 bilateral investment treaties, nor as a party to the Energy Charter Treaty. HM Government has a strong record of creating an open environment for both domestic and foreign investors, and treating them fairly. We will continue to do so.

The Memorandum of Understanding between the HM Government and devolved administrations across the country continues to apply. The Memorandum sets out that a devolved administration would only be responsible for the payment of legal costs or awards made by the tribunal to the extent that they arise from its failure to implement or enforce an obligation.

The Department for International Trade’s (DIT) five-year plan for the United Kingdom’s maritime sector, developed in partnership with industry, promotes our world-class global maritime offer and focuses on UK strengths in many of the key technologies that will drive the future of maritime – such as digital shipping, smart ports and autonomous vessel technologies.

Eligible fully vaccinated passengers and most under 18s arriving into the UK from non-red list countries are now able to use a cheaper lateral flow test with a free confirmatory PCR test if they receive a positive result.

There are no testing requirements in place for domestic travel between UK nations.

The Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) was introduced to improve road safety and provide economic and environmental benefits. Our assessment is that there are merits in modifying the processes, although change to key process issues would require regulatory and legislative changes.

We also appreciate the cost of renewing the Driver CPC can be difficult for some drivers. That is why, at the discretion of local DWP Work Coaches, the Flexible Support Fund is available to those who are currently unemployed or are in receipt of Universal Credit who need to renew their DCPC, where appropriate. In addition, many employers are offering training packages so even if a driver’s CPC has lapsed, they can be supported in updating this through classroom or online courses.

We are further supporting lorry driver training through apprenticeships. This includes the revised Large Goods Vehicle Driver apprenticeship standard which is now available and supported by a funding band of £7,000.

We are also developing a driver training pilot through Jobcentre Plus to help jobseekers retrain as HGV drivers.

ADR examinations are delivered by third-party organisations who hold approval from the Secretary of State, so this provision does not use any of the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency testing resource. Those providers advise they have capacity to meet the demands for the examinations nationally, including in your constituency and there is no significant backlog of drivers wishing to qualify.

To provide support for fuel deliveries, the Government has granted an extension of ADR validity for those drivers whose certification would expire between 27 September 2021 and 31 December 2021 until 31 January 2022. This is one of a package of measures we have introduced to address vocational driver shortages.

The Government has also enlisted military tanker drivers to assist with fuel deliveries and extended the provision of remote training delivery to help support both ADR drivers and providers in the future.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has a number of measures in place to increase practical driving tests, including in the Scottish Highlands.

These include offering a national recovery allowance and annual leave buy back to examiners, asking all those qualified to conduct tests, but who do not do so as part of their current day job, to return to conducting tests, and conducting out of hours testing (such as on public holidays and weekends). The DVSA has also started a recruitment campaign to increase the number of examiners.

Information requested about the number of HGV drivers who have a short-term medical driving licence cannot be retrieved in the time available. Officials will write to the Honourable Member when the information is available.

On 1 October 2021, the average time to process a vocational driving licence application where a medical condition has been declared was 75 days. Vocational applications include those applying to drive both HGVs and buses as it is not possible to separate them.

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

However, many people still choose or have to make a paper application. The DVLA receives around 60,000 items of mail every day and industrial action by members of the Public and Commercial Services union has led to delays for customers. The DVLA has been working with a significantly reduced number of staff on site to ensure social distancing in line with Welsh Government requirements. The current increased demand for the DVLA’s services has also contributed to delays with paper applications.

The DVLA has introduced additional online services and recruited additional staff. The DVLA is urgently securing extra office space to house more staff to help reduce waiting times while providing future resilience and business continuity.

The DVLA understands the impact that delays can have on people’s everyday lives and is working as quickly as possible to process paper applications and return people’s documentation to them.

The DVLA is unable to prioritise applications received from those living in rural communities. However, the large majority of drivers applying to renew their licence can continue driving while their application is being processed. Section 88 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 allows drivers who have sent a valid application to the DVLA to continue driving while waiting for their application to be processed. Strict criteria apply and these are outlined online here.

The heavy goods vehicle driver shortage is well documented and the Government has been considering a range of measures that will help the industry recover from the pandemic.

The Government has announced that the time allocated for a heavy goods vehicle (HGV) and passenger carrying vehicle (PCV) driving test will be reduced, by removing the ‘reversing exercise’ element and ‘uncouple/ recouple’ element for vehicles with trailers and instead having them tested separately by the driver training industry. This part of the test is carried out off the road on a manoeuvring area.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is in discussions with the training industry to understand their capacity to deliver this part of the test. It will also work with them to develop a robust and clear process by which to assess, accredit and audit any trainers who wish to assess the manoeuvres element of the test. Testing such manoeuvres separately will free up examiner time, meaning an increase to the number of tests an examiner conducts per day.

The DVSA takes its commitment to road safety extremely seriously and it will work with the industry and stakeholders to drive forward the importance of safe driving and safe towing. These changes will not change the standard of driving required to drive a HGV, with road safety continuing to be of paramount importance. Any driver who does not demonstrate utmost competence will not be granted a licence.

The heavy goods vehicle driver shortage is well documented and the Government has been considering a range of measures that will help the industry recover from the pandemic.

The Department and the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) will continue to encourage people who want to drive a car and trailer to get professional training with providers to promote road safety and help support those businesses.

The DVSA is exploring options for an industry-led accreditation that could offer a standardised non-statutory testing approach, and is engaging with key stakeholders, trainers and insurers, to discuss this issue.

The DVSA is also in discussions with the training industry to understand their capacity to deliver the off-road manoeuvres element of the vocational test and will work with them to develop a robust and clear process by which to assess, accredit and audit any trainers who wish to assess the manoeuvres element of the test.

The DVSA is establishing a new business manager role to work with vocational trainers as a local contact to better understand their current and future needs. This will help the agency to be more responsive to vocational trainers needs and help support businesses and people employed to deliver training.

The heavy goods vehicle driver shortage is well documented and the Government has been considering a range of measures that will help the industry recover from the pandemic.

The Department and the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) will continue to encourage people who want to drive a car and trailer to get professional training with providers to promote road safety and help support those businesses.

The DVSA is exploring options for an industry-led accreditation that could offer a standardised non-statutory testing approach, and is engaging with key stakeholders, trainers and insurers, to discuss this issue.

The DVSA is also in discussions with the training industry to understand their capacity to deliver the off-road manoeuvres element of the vocational test and will work with them to develop a robust and clear process by which to assess, accredit and audit any trainers who wish to assess the manoeuvres element of the test.

The DVSA is establishing a new business manager role to work with vocational trainers as a local contact to better understand their current and future needs. This will help the agency to be more responsive to vocational trainers needs and help support businesses and people employed to deliver training.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is currently considering the approval scheme that would be required, should the delegation of manoeuvres to third party trainers go ahead. The DVSA will work with the Department for Transport (DfT) to provide advice for ministers to make final decisions on the qualification requirements that could apply subject to the outcome of the consultation.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is aware that demand for theory tests in Scotland is currently high and it is doing all it can to offer more tests at centres by increasing opening hours and running tests on extra days where possible. The provision of additional testing is dependent upon the availability of venues and agreements with landlords. The DVSA is working with its theory test provider, Reed In Partnership Ltd, to explore further ways in which it can further increase theory test capacity including the possibility of adding temporary sites to deliver additional theory tests.

Department for Transport Ministers and officials have met with New Zealand counterparts throughout this year to discuss the COVID-19 pandemic and the safe, sustainable resumption of international travel.

We continue to work closely with international partners on reopening travel, including New Zealand, both bilaterally and through a range of international fora, to cautiously balance the reopening of international travel with the management of the public health risks.

DVSA will continue their examiner training programme to ensure there is sufficient resource to service demand, including B+E testing in the Scottish Highlands.

We are engaging with international partners, including the EU, and will provide an update in due course on how we will approach vaccinated individuals from other countries. We recognise that there are those who cannot have a vaccine for medical reasons, and we will work to ensure they are not disadvantaged. We have already set out our approach for those on clinical trials, and similarly will set out our approach for those with medical exemptions soon.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is aware that demand for theory tests in Scotland is currently high and it is doing all it can to offer more tests at centres by increasing opening hours and running tests on extra days where possible. The provision of additional testing is dependent upon the availability of venues and agreements with landlords. The DVSA is working with its theory test provider, Pearson VUE, to explore further ways in which it can further increase theory test capacity.

The DVSA is continuing to work with the Scottish Government but as a result of the 2 metre physical distancing restrictions required by the Scottish Government , it is unable to increase the number of desks used to take tests. This has reduced capacity at most theory test sites by 50%.

We continue to engage with the aviation sector on a regular basis, including on social distancing and other health measures. We consulted with the sector prior to developing the Government’s operator and passenger guidance and advised airlines to carry out a risk assessment and implement appropriate risk controls where social distancing was not possible. Wearing a face covering, which is mandatory on-board aircraft, can play a role in helping to prevent transmission of COVID-19, as can regular hand-washing and sanitisation.

Passengers are seated facing forwards in the same direction on board aircraft, which avoids the increased transmission risk of being seated face to face. In addition, air conditioning systems on modern aircraft do filter cabin air every few minutes. These filters are very effective at capturing airborne microbes in the filtered air and, when coupled with the drawn in fresh air, can help to mitigate the longer-range risk of transmission.

The potential for delays where an applicant for a provisional driver licence requires a medical assessment is recognised. This is because DVLA is often reliant on receiving information from healthcare professionals involved in dealing with the pandemic or its impacts.

The law requires that the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) investigate the health of all driving licence holders and applicants who have a medical condition that may affect their ability to drive safely.

The DVLA is aware of its duties under equality legislation, in particular the Public Sector Equality Duty set out in Section 149 Equality Act 2010. The medical standards are applied consistently regardless of characteristics and in accordance with the law.

Throughout the pandemic, the DVLA has implemented Welsh Government legislative requirements and advice fully, including its workplace guidance for offices and contact centres. It has made significant investment in making its estate Covid-secure, working closely with Public Health Wales, Swansea Council’s Environmental Health team and the trade union. In its visits to assess DVLA’s Covid control measures, Swansea Environmental Health confirmed a high level of compliance and did not identify any additional concerns over the control regime in place.

Extensive safety measures have been put in place across the DVLA’s sites. These include lateral flow testing for all staff on site, enhanced cleaning, social distancing, leasing an additional building, thermal imaging stations and perspex screens installed, floors divided into zones with no mixing within zones, one-way systems introduced, and communal areas closed. All staff whose jobs can be done remotely are working from home, with more than 2,000 staff doing so exclusively.

The DVLA’s online services have been available and unaffected throughout the pandemic and are the quickest and easiest way to renew a driving licence. Motorists are strongly advised to use these channels where possible. During the pandemic to help streamline processes and improve work flow the DVLA has accelerated the development of additional online services to reduce paper applications and supported their take up through a publicity campaign. Further digital service enhancements are underway.

Throughout the pandemic, the DVLA has implemented Welsh Government legislative requirements and advice fully, including its workplace guidance for offices and contact centres. It has made significant investment in making its estate Covid-secure, working closely with Public Health Wales, Swansea Council’s Environmental Health team and the trade union. In its visits to assess DVLA’s Covid control measures, Swansea Environmental Health confirmed a high level of compliance and did not identify any additional concerns over the control regime in place.

Extensive safety measures have been put in place across the DVLA’s sites. These include lateral flow testing for all staff on site, enhanced cleaning, social distancing, leasing an additional building, thermal imaging stations and perspex screens installed, floors divided into zones with no mixing within zones, one-way systems introduced, and communal areas closed. All staff whose jobs can be done remotely are working from home, with more than 2,000 staff doing so exclusively.

The DVLA’s online services have been available and unaffected throughout the pandemic and are the quickest and easiest way to renew a driving licence. Motorists are strongly advised to use these channels where possible. During the pandemic to help streamline processes and improve work flow the DVLA has accelerated the development of additional online services to reduce paper applications and supported their take up through a publicity campaign. Further digital service enhancements are underway.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is aware there has been an unprecedented demand for theory tests in Scotland. The DVSA is working with its theory test provider, Pearson VUE, to explore ways in which it can increase theory test capacity in Scotland, including extending opening hours and running tests on extra days where possible.

The DVSA is continuing to work with the Scottish Government but as a result of the 2 metre physical distancing restrictions in Scotland, as required by the Scottish Government, it is unable to increase the number of desks used to take tests.

The DVSA and its theory test contract provider, Pearson VUE, have explored the possibility of delivering the theory tests outside of existing sites, but this was found to be not suitable as it is dependent upon a physical infrastructure within the Pearson VUE network.

The Government expects all airlines to manage the risks of COVID-19 transmission. The guidance is clear that social distancing of 1m+ with risk mitigations should be observed where possible. Where social distancing is not possible, airlines are advised to carry out a risk assessment and implement appropriate risk controls. For example, wearing a face covering can play a role in helping us to protect each other.

The government has introduced a range of health measures such as the wearing of face coverings and social distancing to help reduce the risk of transmission at airports, as well as issuing clear guidance for both passengers and operators. Where social distancing is not possible, airlines are advised to carry out a risk assessment and implement appropriate risk controls. For example, wearing a face covering can play a role in helping us to protect other passengers, which is why it is mandatory to wear one at airports.

Additionally, operators are encouraged to introduce clear signage and one-way passenger flows where appropriate. Arrangements may vary depending on the airport and guidance is available to support operators to manage flows in a COVID-secure way. We continue to improve processes which maintain the checks we need to carry out to keep the public safe, while minimising disruption, and passengers can support this process by ensuring they have completed the necessary requirements to enter the UK. The government continues to engage with the aviation sector to ensure they are supported in implementing best practices.

The Government is committed to establishing arrangements with Member States that facilitate private motoring with the minimum of bureaucracy. We have confirmed agreement from all EU/EEA countries that UK motorists will continue to be able to drive in their territories on the basis of a UK Photocard licence, without the need for an additional International Driving Permit. All EU/EEA Member States, except for Italy, have also confirmed current arrangements for exchanging licences. We continue to explore options with Italy on this issue. Most of our agreements are permanent arrangements and a small number require formal agreements which will be concluded before the end of this year. Where these agreements are needed, the UK has secured interim arrangements with the relevant Member States.

When the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) determines that a driving licence should be revoked for medical reasons, the law requires that the notice of revocation must be served in writing to the licence holder. The letter notifying the individual of the revocation is sent by first class post and the licence is revoked either one or two working days after the letter is sent, depending on the time the letter is dispatched.

The Royal Mail’s current service aim is to deliver over 90 per cent of first class post by the next working day, including Saturdays. The DVLA already makes allowances for Bank Holidays and non-working days.

The DVLA has considered other guaranteed delivery day postage systems. However, these require someone to be at the address and to sign for the item which is not always possible. Sending these letters by first class post ensures delivery is made irrespective of whether anyone is available to receive the letter.

The length of time taken to deal with an application depends on the medical condition and if further information is required from medical professionals. Most decisions on whether a driving licence can be issued are made without the need for a medical examination. However, where an examination is necessary, waiting times are currently longer due to the current pressures on the NHS.

The number of driving licence applicants awaiting a medical examination fluctuates and is dependent on the availability of NHS appointments.

Following the Prime Minister's road map announcement, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is now planning to resume its services. In England, it intends to restart theory test services on 12 April 2021. This is providing that the Government’s coronavirus data shows it is safe to move from step 1 of the road map to step 2.

Dates for Scotland and Wales remain subject to agreement with the devolved administrations.

It would be unfair on other candidates, who have also waited patiently for their theory test, if certain groups are given priority. The DVSA is increasing theory test capacity and will make available between 120,000 -135,000 additional appointments per month.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency has been engaging with EU Member States to remove technical barriers to enable the provision of cabotage services by UK vessels in specific EU Member States, including yachts under 24 meters. The MCA will continue to engage with relevant countries to ensure recognition of UK Small Commercial Vessel Codes and seek to unblock technical barriers where they exist. DfT will engage with EU Member States to unlock any other regulatory restrictions for maritime cabotage. The MCA have been working with European counterparts to make progress towards the mutual acceptance of qualifications and the technicalities of the codes of practice for some small vessels such as workboats.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is responsible for the conduct of theory driving tests.

The DVSA has been working closely with Pearson VUE, its theory test provider, to explore ways in which it can expand theory testing capacity and reduce waiting times for theory tests once testing can resume.

Since theory tests re-started in August 2020 after the first lockdown, the DVSA has implemented various solutions which provided more testing capacity. This included extending opening and closing times where possible and extending the booking window from three months to four months to give candidates more choice of available dates. The DVSA also moved to one metre plus social distancing at test centres in England, which increased the number of candidates able to take their test at any one time.

Theory tests have again had to cease in all home nations. The DVSA will build on the experience it acquired from restarting and increasing test capacity after the first and second lockdowns to ensure it can offer maximum testing capacity as soon as it is safe to restart tests.

Approximately 12,000 -14,000 candidates let their certificates lapse per month in normal circumstances. Further, a candidate whose theory test certificate expires will have received the service for which they paid the fee.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) pays its contractor, Pearson, per theory test delivered. If candidates were exempted from having to pay for a retake, then the DVSA and in turn the feepayer would incur these costs. In addition, applications for a re-test would need to be validated and systems amended to remove the requirement for payment in these cases. The DVSA’s focus should rightly be on developing solutions to address the backlog of practical driving tests that has arisen as a result of the pandemic.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is responsible for delivering driving tests.

No discussions have taken place with the DVSA on this issue. In order to be able to conduct driving tests, mobile centre trainers would be required to cease all their instructional activities and meet the requirements of Directive 2006/126/EC, which includes satisfying the various competences and undertaking an initial qualification and examination. There are no current plans to take this kind of action.

The average time taken by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency to respond to complaints in November 2020 was six working days.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has a range of services available online which offer the quickest, easiest and often cheapest way to transact. The DVLA’s staff have ensured these online services have worked well throughout the pandemic, allowing businesses and motorists to transact with DVLA at a time and place that suits them.

All DVLA staff who can work from home continue to do so as office space has been prioritised for operational staff who have to be on-site to process paper applications.

The health and safety of DVLA staff is a priority. In line with the relevant guidance, the DVLA is employing shift patterns, staggered start times, weekend working and other measures to ensure that social distancing can be maintained.

Liquid biofuels play an important role in our policies to reduce carbon emissions from conventional road vehicles in use today, and potentially from those transport modes harder to reach through electrification.

The government has successfully supported the UK biofuel market since 2008 through the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO). Targets for the supply of low carbon fuels set through the RTFO have increased over time and are set to do so until at least 2032. In addition, an advanced biofuels market is being promoted by making available £20 million of capital funding through the Future Fuels for Flight and Freight Competition.

The Department will continue to monitor and review the support schemes it has in place for liquid biofuels and other low carbon fuels. In so doing we will consider how liquid biofuels are best deployed across sectors and in the delivery of cost-effective savings against future carbon budgets.

To help stop the spread of coronavirus, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency is following guidance and advice issued by the devolved administrations when taking the decision to suspend driving tests. It is working with Transport Scotland following the Scottish five-level system, the Welsh Parliament, and the Cabinet Office to ensure local and national restrictions are adhered to.

As was the case in March, people in England should stay at home to reduce day-to-day contact with other people, and reduce the spread of the infection. The DVSA has asked candidates, approved driving instructors and approved training bodies to respect and adhere to local and national restrictions when taking lessons and tests, and carrying out any form of training.

To help stop the spread of coronavirus, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency is following guidance and advice issued by the devolved administrations when taking the decision to suspend driving tests. It is working with Transport Scotland following the Scottish five-level system, the Welsh Parliament, and the Cabinet Office to ensure local and national restrictions are adhered to.

As was the case in March, people in England should stay at home to reduce day-to-day contact with other people, and reduce the spread of the infection. The DVSA has asked candidates, approved driving instructors and approved training bodies to respect and adhere to local and national restrictions when taking lessons and tests, and carrying out any form of training.

The maritime sector plays a key role in the UK economy, responsible for up to 95% of our imports and exports. As much of the UK maritime sector is privately owned, our world-leading companies are well placed to seek investment opportunities through commercial means.

Nevertheless, the Department, along with our colleagues across government, work closely with all parts of the UK maritime sector to identify the support they need to support their success and growth. In particular, the Department for International Trade works closely with the industry to promote the UK as an inward investment destination for the global maritime community.

The domestic maritime sector falls under the UK’s national net zero target, and in common with the wider economy will need to be decarbonised by 2050 in order to achieve net zero.

The Department has undertaken research into the decarbonisation of the sector as part of the Clean Maritime Plan, which has been published on Gov.UK, and meets regularly with Industry and Civil Society groups to discuss both domestic Net Zero and the international work to address GHG emissions being undertaken at the International Maritime Organization.

The Department for Transport has undertaken extensive research in support of its Clean Maritime Plan to consider the level of investment required for the UK’s domestic maritime sector to achieve net zero by 2050. This research comprises a range of scenarios assessing different policy options, including both costs and benefits, and has been published on Gov.UK

For the global shipping industry, research carried out by UMAS, part of UCL, and published in January 2020, suggests that the total cost to achieve global maritime decarbonisation may be in the region of £1.5 trillion, invested over the next thirty years, with the majority of that investment occurring in the production and supply of alternative fuels.

The Department for Transport is working actively with the maritime sector to support decarbonisation at both international and domestic level.

Internationally we are working with other high ambition states at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the sector to develop and adopt pragmatic, effective, short and medium term measures that will peak and reduce emissions from the sector.

Domestically we have published research exploring the opportunities and challenges arising from decarbonisation, to provide the sector with greater clarity on what is required to achieve decarbonisation, and in support of this the Department has provided £1.5m of grants through Maritime Research and Innovation UK, supporting clean maritime innovation in the UK

The Government is actively working on the practicalities of using testing to release people from self-isolation earlier than 14 days. Officials across the Government are working with health experts with the aim of cutting the self-isolation period without adding to infection risk or infringing on our overall NHS test capacity. The Secretary of State for Transport has committed to updating the House on testing of international arrivals in the coming weeks.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has consulted with Public Health England (PHE) and the Health and Safety Executive to ensure it can conduct approved driving instructor (ADI) standards checks safely with three people in the car, during the COVID-19 pandemic. PHE has said the DVSA’s standard operating procedures comply with general public health principles and existing guidance for the reduction of transmission risk. The DVSA has also cleared its standard operating procedures and risk assessments with the trade unions.

The DVSA will continue to keep its guidance under review in line with Government guidance.

We are considering this closely and recognise that people want to take advantage of the opportunities that personal vehicles, such as electric scooters, can offer. The Department for Transport is committed to encouraging innovation in transport as well as improving road safety, but new modes of transport must be safe and secure by design.

The Future of Mobility: Urban Strategy, published on 19 March 2019, includes a Regulatory Review to address the challenges of ensuring our transport infrastructure and regulation are fit for the future.

The Strategy can be found at:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/future-of-mobility-urban-strategy

The Department will use the Regulatory Review to examine current legislation and determine from the evidence what is needed to make the necessary changes for a safe and healthy future. One strand of this will look at options for enabling micromobility devices, and a consultation will be issued in due course.

All except two of the Freephone lines that DWP provides operate with a menu of options for customers to select the most appropriate one before the call is then routed to an agent. The two lines which operate differently; Benefit Enquiry Line (BEL) and the Jobcentre Enquiry Line (JEL) use a function called Natural Language Call Steering which will revert to a menu of options if the customer is not understood or chooses not to speak

We actively manage our Percentage of Calls Answered (PCA) to achieve the optimal service to our customers by balancing our resources to meet the needs of our customers. To achieve this, we consider a variety of factors of which average speed of answer is one. These figures are calculated using historic data available to us and balancing this alongside current demand.

For The period 1 October 2021 – 31 October 2021 the average speed of answer for Employment and Support Allowance was 21 minutes and 08 seconds. Call volumes received during the month of October were 8.6% higher than our forecast figures. This will have contributed to the slight increase in the average speed of answer for the month.

To actively achieve the optimal PCA of 80% the accepted average speed of answer for Employment and Support Allowance enquiries is 18 minutes 48 seconds.

Decisions about whether suspending payment would cause hardship are made on a case by case basis by considering the circumstances of the claimant at the point that suspension becomes an option. This would only arise after a claimant has been given the opportunity to resolve the doubt that has arisen in relation to their entitlement or award and not done that.

Decision makers are trained to be fully conversant with all legislation and guidance in relation to all aspects of Decision Making, including hardship. There are quality assurance frameworks to ensure that there are consistent national standards in the decision-making process.

Children under the age of 16 can claim Child Disability Living Allowance (DLA). They are not eligible for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) which is a benefit for working age claimants.

DLA is an extra-costs benefit available to those under the age of 16 who, due to a disability or health condition, have mobility issues and/or have needs which are substantially in excess of a child the same age without the disability or health condition. DLA is a contribution towards the extra costs associated with being disabled.

As all younger children have substantial mobility needs, only children over the age of three can claim the mobility component of DLA. Under 3s, however, can still access other forms of support, including the care component of DLA.

There are no current proposals to change the existing age restrictions for the mobility component of Child DLA.

Children under the age of 16 can claim Child Disability Living Allowance (DLA). They are not eligible for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) which is a benefit for working age claimants.

DLA is an extra-costs benefit available to those under the age of 16 who, due to a disability or health condition, have mobility issues and/or have needs which are substantially in excess of a child the same age without the disability or health condition. DLA is a contribution towards the extra costs associated with being disabled.

As all younger children have substantial mobility needs, only children over the age of three can claim the mobility component of DLA. Under 3s, however, can still access other forms of support, including the care component of DLA.

There are no current proposals to change the existing age restrictions for the mobility component of Child DLA.

The Department is committed to providing the best possible support for all our claimants, including the most vulnerable in society, in both making and maintaining their claim.

Help to Claim support delivered through Citizens Advice and Citizens Advice Scotland offers tailored, practical support to help people make a Universal Credit claim, up to receiving their first full correct payment on time.

This support has been bolstered by the announcement in March this year of a further 12 months of funding for Citizens Advice and Citizens Advice Scotland to deliver Help to Claim.

Citizens Advice and Citizens Advice Scotland continue to deliver the Help to Claim support, mainly through their telephony and web chat channels. However, both organisations have started re-introducing face to face support within a number of sites, in line with guidance, and we will continue to support them with this.

Throughout the pandemic, our jobcentres also remained open so that the most vulnerable claimants could continue to have face-to-face meetings as necessary.

Whether the claimant is facing a sanction related to work-related matters or a suspension because there is a doubt about their entitlement to Employment and Support Allowance, claimants can already apply for hardship with their Jobcentre adviser, work coach or via the helpline, at any time during the period when payment is reduced or stopped.

We regularly review our resources both internally and with our telephony suppliers to ensure we meet customer demand across all services of contact including our phone lines, our service partners are currently recruiting additional staff to answer customer enquiries. Whilst demand fluctuates, this recruitment has supported so far this month our aim to keep average wait times under ten minutes, adequate for the freephone services available for all DWP customers.

The Actual Average Speed of Answer (Call Waiting) for Universal Credit April to September 2021 is shown in the table below in the format of hours:minutes:seconds.

Average Speed of Answer measures the average customer wait time from the point of entering a queue to connection to an agent. This excludes any time spent in pre-queue messaging and any wait time for calls ultimately abandoned by callers.

Please note that the data in the above tables is derived from unpublished management information which was collected for internal Departmental use only and has not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard. The data should therefore be treated with caution.

The information requested is not available.

It might be helpful if I explain that on receipt of a referral, a Health Professional (HP) will review each case along with any additional information provided by the claimant. If there is enough paper-based evidence to determine entitlement, the HP will assess the claimant on this evidence alone. If there is not, the HP may request further medical evidence from a treating medical professional. Once all the information has been received, the HP may be able to provide a paper-based assessment. If they cannot, the HP will advise on the appropriateness of a telephone, video or face to face assessment, and an assessment will be scheduled with the claimant as soon as possible.

Both DWP and its providers remain committed to ensuring claimants receive an efficient service, and takes all steps possible to ensure claimants are assessed in the most efficient way possible.

We are committed to ensuring that people can access financial support through Personal In-dependence Payment (PIP) in a timely manner and reducing customer journey times for PIP claimants is a priority for the Department. We always aim to make an award decision as quickly as possible, taking into account the need to review all available evidence.

Average waiting times for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) new claims made under normal rules (i.e. excluding those processed under special rules) are calculated as the median number of weeks from registration to DWP decision, and published as the “Average Actual Clearance Time”. For claims cleared in July 2021, the latest data shows:

(a) The Average Actual Clearance Time for new claims in Scotland was 26 weeks.

(b) The Average Actual Clearance Time for new claims in the Highlands Local Authority was 28 weeks.

Data Source: PIP Atomic Data Store (ADS)

• Data for the Highlands Local Authority is unpublished. It should be used with caution as there is likely to be more variability in clearance times at small geographical levels. It may be subject to future revision.
• The status of claims as 'normal rules' and 'new claim' is shown as at the point of the DWP decision, in accordance with the measure. It is possible for claims to transition between normal and special rules, and between new claims and reassessments, during the course of the claimant journey.
• Clearance time measures do not include claims that were withdrawn by the claimant or claims that were disallowed by DWP prior to referral to the Assessment Providers (e.g. for failure to meet basic eligibility criteria).
• The median time is the middle value if you were to order all the times within the distribution from lowest value to highest value. The median is presented here instead of the mean because the mean can be unduly affected by outlying cases (e.g. cases where the person has been hard to reach due to being in prison, hospital, failed to attend the assessment on numerous occasions etc.).

The Social Security (Up-rating of Benefits) Bill ensures those who rely on the new State Pension, basic State Pension and Pension Credit Standard Minimum Guarantee have their spending power preserved. They will be protected from the higher costs of living by increasing at least with the rise in inflation or 2.5%, whichever is higher. This was also the case last year when we took legislative action to increase State Pension rates despite the fall in earnings which would otherwise have meant that they would have been frozen.

The UK Government is committed to supporting older people and vulnerable households to keep warm, and it has a strong package of policies already delivering to those in need.

This includes Winter Fuel Payments and Cold Weather Payments available in Scotland until the Scottish Government has built the capacity to deliver replacements for them.

The DWP Agents, Appointees, Attorneys, Deputies and third parties guide is used by staff to ensure that communications from customer representatives are processed in line with guidance. This includes the instances when State Pension claims are made by a customer’s official representative.

Official customer representatives can make enquiries to DWP via our helplines, as well as making written requests to the DWP Mail Opening Unit address, which is available online at GOV.UK

DWP also operates secure email links with Local Authorities in the instances when they act as Corporate Appointee to make a claim on behalf of a customer or to share information.

The Social Security (Up-rating of Benefits) Bill ensures those who rely on the new State Pension, basic State Pension and Pension Credit Standard Minimum Guarantee have their spending power preserved. They will be protected from the higher costs of living by increasing at least with the rise in inflation or 2.5%, whichever is higher. This was also the case last year when we took legislative action to increase State Pension rates despite the fall in earnings which would otherwise have meant that they would have been frozen.

The UK Government is committed to supporting older people and vulnerable households to keep warm, and it has a strong package of policies already delivering to those in need.

This includes Winter Fuel Payments and Cold Weather Payments available in Scotland until the Scottish Government has built the capacity to deliver replacements for them.

The Department aims to provide substantive replies to inquiries from hon. Members within 20 working days. Where issues are complex substantive replies may take longer.

The Department’s aim is that claimants are paid the correct amount of benefit at the earliest opportunity. Where new evidence or information becomes available after an appeal has been lodged, but before it is heard at a tribunal, DWP is able to revise a decision and increase the award where appropriate. In circumstances where the decision can be revised but not to the level the claimant is seeking on appeal, we contact claimants to give them the option to continue with their appeal or to have the decision revised, in which case they can still appeal the new decision. The right of appeal was always set out in the decision letter claimants receive notifying them of the new decision. Accordingly, we have no plans to further review the Department’s handling of past calls.

We began contacting claimants in this way in 1998 consequent on the change in the law introduced by the Social Security Act 1998, whereby the Secretary of State may revise a decision in the claimant’s favour even if they would not get everything they were seeking on appeal. An equality impact assessment was not conducted at that time and has not been conducted pursuant to the Equality Act 2010.

The Department’s aim is that claimants are paid the correct amount of benefit at the earliest opportunity. Where new evidence or information becomes available after an appeal has been lodged, but before it is heard at a tribunal, DWP is able to revise a decision and increase the award where appropriate. In circumstances where the decision can be revised but not to the level the claimant is seeking on appeal, we contact claimants to give them the option to continue with their appeal or to have the decision revised, in which case they can still appeal the new decision. The right of appeal was always set out in the decision letter claimants receive notifying them of the new decision. Accordingly, we have no plans to further review the Department’s handling of past calls.

We began contacting claimants in this way in 1998 consequent on the change in the law introduced by the Social Security Act 1998, whereby the Secretary of State may revise a decision in the claimant’s favour even if they would not get everything they were seeking on appeal. An equality impact assessment was not conducted at that time and has not been conducted pursuant to the Equality Act 2010.

The Department’s aim is to ensure that claimants are paid the correct amount of benefit at the earliest opportunity. Accordingly, if new evidence or information becomes available after an appeal has been lodged, it is right that decisions are reviewed and claimants put in the best position where they can choose either to continue with their appeal, or have the decision revised. At the same time claimants have, and have always had, a right of appeal against the revised decision, and to have their payments fully backdated if successful at appeal. Claimants are notified of this right of appeal in their revised decision letter.

In the application process for Personal Independence Payment (PIP), a claimant’s main disabling condition is only recorded centrally on Departmental computer systems at assessment. Disabilities are not recorded centrally at the point of application. The Department does not therefore hold data on the number of applicants to PIP with particular conditions. Only those who have a disability assessment determination decision will have a main disabling condition recorded for them.

The latest available data on the number of people who have “Coronavirus COVID-19” recorded as their primary disability following assessment for PIP each month can be found on Stat-Xplore: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/. As described in my response to Question 28245, this disabling condition has been available to record for PIP assessments following a computer system change in March 2021. Due to the nature of the qualifying period for PIP claims, these cases will all be “long COVID” or “post-COVID syndrome” cases rather than initial COVID-19 infections.

Guidance on how to use Stat-Xplore can be found here:

https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/index.html.

Entitlement to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is assessed on the basis of the needs arising from a health condition or disability, rather than the health condition or disability itself.

PIP statistics are published on a quarterly basis and include breakdowns by month. From March 2021, the published statistical series that include low level disability breakdowns (clearances, PIP cases with entitlement, MR registrations and clearances, Award Review & Change of Circumstance clearances) include the additional category “Coronavirus covid-19”. This reflects an operational change implemented in March 2021 to include this code on the PIP Computer System. This will allow us to track the volume of clearances with Coronavirus covid-19 as a primary disability and the corresponding volume/proportion of the PIP caseload. There are currently no plans to publish the PIP statistics on a monthly basis.

There are regular, ongoing discussions between the Secretary of State and Cabinet colleagues.

Following the introduction of the 2012 Welfare Reform Act, all overpayments of Universal Credit and new style benefits paid in excess of entitlement are recoverable.

The trend in recent years has been to ensure claimants are left with more of their benefit; through two successive reductions in the proportion of UC we will deduct – from 40% of the UC Standard Allowance to 30% and now 25% from April 2021.

The Department seeks to recover benefit overpayments without creating undue financial hardship; any person who does experience such hardship is encouraged to contact the Department’s Debt Management unit. Where a person cannot afford the proposed rate of repayment a lower amount can be negotiated.

In exceptional circumstances discretion not to pursue recovery can also be applied under guidelines set out by HM Treasury. Typically, this would be where the continuing recovery would cause severe hardship or risk to the customer and/or their family. Further details of which are publicly available in HM Treasury’s Managing Public Money.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/994902/MPM_Spring_21_with_annexes_180621.pdf

I refer the Hon member to the answer I gave on 24 May 2021 to Question UIN3035.

We are committed to ensuring that people can access financial support through Personal Independence Payment in a timely manner. We always aim to make an award decision as quickly as possible, taking into account the need to review all available evidence.

We are currently operating within expected levels. Average clearance times from initial claim to a decision being made for new claims are currently 19 weeks, which is the same as average clearance times achieved in January 2020.

Officials from the Department for Work and Pensions have had discussions with organisations and employers across the country about involvement in the Kickstart Scheme. This includes the Scottish and Welsh governments, mayoral combined authorities and local authorities and chambers of commerce.

We are delighted that these discussions have resulted in more than 900 organisations being approved as Gateways for the Kickstart Scheme including around 35 members of the British Chambers of Commerce network. There are also over 100 Local Authorities approved to be Kickstart Gateways. We closed applications to organisations seeking to be a new Gateway.

Since 3^rd February we have also removed the 30 job minimum requirement for direct applications to Kickstart. This will make the scheme accessible to even more employers – especially smaller ones - giving them choice about whether to apply direct or via one of the approved Kickstart Gateways. We continue to engage with employers to maintain the high interest in the scheme with over 180,000 jobs approved to date.

Although care is taken when processing and analysing Kickstart applications, referrals and starts, the data collected might be subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system which has been developed quickly. The management information presented here has not been subjected to the usual standard of quality assurance associated with official statistics, but is provided in the interests of transparency.

The Department for Work and Pensions’ Kickstart Scheme is already open for small and medium employers, as well as larger ones, to offer jobs to young people. On 3rd February 2021, we removed the requirement for an application to the Scheme to contain a minimum of 30 jobs. This means that employers have greater choice in how they participate regardless of the number of Kickstart jobs they are seeking to offer. All employers also have the option of applying through one of the 900 approved Gateway organisations supporting Kickstart. Sole traders can also participate in the scheme by applying through one of our approved Gateway Plus organisations.

A regional breakdown of applications to the Kickstart Scheme is not currently held by the Department for Work and Pensions. This is because applications at the approval stage of Kickstart only provide the registered address of the applying organisation (employer or Gateway) and so are not reflective of where the jobs would be based if approved. Employers and Gateway organisations can make multiple applications to the scheme. And some employers within Gateway application may be rejected while others are approved. This data is therefore of limited use for analytical and planning purposes. For these reasons, information is not currently produced on application outcomes by region.

A reply was sent to the hon. Member on 13 April 2021.

Housing Costs Support in Universal Credit is already available to any claimant with a rent liability for the home they live in, where that liability is on a commercial basis and not owed to a close relative who lives at the same address.

There are no limitations on adult children who live at the same address as their parents from claiming housing costs support, so long as the above conditions are met.

On Personal Independence Payment (PIP), we do not have an integrated process of automatic renewals but review claimants to ensure their award reflects their needs. Once someone has been awarded PIP, which can be paid at one of eight rates, that award will be reviewed. Award rates and their durations are set on an individual basis, based on the claimant’s needs and the likelihood of those needs changing. Regular reviews are a key feature of the benefit and ensure that payments accurately match the current needs of claimants, something fundamentally missing from Disability Living Allowance, which PIP began to replace in 2013. Award durations are based on an individual’s circumstances and can vary from nine months to an on-going award, with a light touch review at the ten-year point.

Some claimants can be given a shorter, fixed-term award which isn’t subject to a review on the basis that the individual’s needs will improve to the point they are not entitled by the end of their award. Claimants subject to such an award are free to make a new claim before their award ends if they consider they may still be entitled.

Since PIP was introduced we have implemented changes and improved guidance which reduces the frequency of reviews for most pensioners and those with the highest needs and where those needs will not improve or will deteriorate.

A reply was sent to the hon. Member on behalf of the Secretary of State by a Director on 5 March.

In 2020/21, the Department provided additional funding to the Independent Case Examiner’s Office, to allow it to increase its headcount from 89 to 112. The recruitment and rigorous training of additional Investigation Case Managers, to reduce the time complaints wait to be brought into investigation, is underway.

Table 1 below shows the median clearance time in working days from registration to initial clearance (end to end clearance time) of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) advanced claim awards made up to 31^st October 2020 (the latest data available), following a fixed term award with no review that was due to end after 2^nd October 2020. This is broken down by whether the advanced claim was awarded under Normal Rules or Special Rules for the Terminally Ill. This data excludes advanced Claims that were outstanding as of 31^st October 2020.

Table 1: Median end to end Clearance time in working days of PIP advanced claims awarded following a fixed term award due to end after 2^nd October 2020.

*Please note that for Normal Rules advanced claims, there were 20 claimants who were awarded a Personal Independence Payment (PIP) fixed term award at initial decision due to end after 2^nd October 2020 who have had their advanced Claim awarded up to 31^st October 2020 (the latest data available).

Because of the small number of claims in this category we are unable to provide an average for the clearance time in this instance. Calculating averages for small populations has a risk of misrepresentative results skewed by non-typical values. This is in line with our practice for PIP statistical publications, where averages for populations of less than 50 are suppressed.

Notes

Source: PIP ADS

• The end dates here are recorded as of the initial decision for a New Claim or Reassessment from DLA. This data excludes instances where end dates have been updated following this initial decision.
• PIP data includes both new claims and reassessment claims from Disability Living Allowance.
• This is unpublished data. It should be used with caution and it may be subject to future revision.

• Data on the number of clearances has been rounded to the nearest 10. Medians are rounded to the nearest working day

• Data includes advanced claims registered following either a Normal Rules Short term award with no review or a claim registered following a Special Rules for Terminally Ill claimants that was due to end after 2^nd October 2020.
• Advanced claims are defined as a New Claim or Reassessment from DLA registration made by a claimant with an existing award either less than 6 months prior to the end date or any time after the end date of an existing award.

Universal Credit is an income related benefit unlike the disability benefits such as Personal Independence Payment (PIP) which is an extra costs benefits. PIP is not means–tested, non-contributory and thus paid regardless of any income or savings. PIP is also tax-free and worth up to £151.40 a week. PIP was not subject to the benefits freeze and was most recently uprated by 1.7 per cent from 6 April 2020. Following the Secretary of State’s most recent statutory review of the rates of PIP, it is due to be uprated again from 12 April 2021, subsequent to the recent approval of the Social Security Up-rating Order 2021 by both Houses of Parliament.

PIP can be paid in addition to other financial support that those with a health condition or disability may be eligible for, such as Employment and Support Allowance, UC (thereby taking advantage of the UC increase), additional amounts and premiums paid within the income-related benefits, Carer’s Allowance or financial and practical help from the NHS or Local Authorities.

The £20 per week uplift to Universal Credit was announced by the Chancellor as a temporary measure in March 2020 to support those facing the most financial disruption as a result of the public health emergency. This measure remains in place until March 2021. As the Government has done throughout this crisis, it will continue to assess how best to support people, which is why we will look at the economic and health context before making any decisions.

There are no plans to extend a benefit increase to legacy benefits. Claimants on legacy benefits can make a claim for UC if they believe that they will be better off. Claimants should check carefully their eligibility and entitlements under UC before applying as legacy benefits will end when claimants submit their claim and they will not be able to return to them in the future. For this reason, prospective claimants are signposted to independent benefits calculators on GOV.UK.

The £20 per week uplift to Universal Credit was announced by the Chancellor as a temporary measure in March 2020 to support those facing the most financial disruption as a result of the public health emergency. This measure remains in place until March 2021. As the Government has done throughout this crisis, it will continue to assess how best to support people, which is why we will look at the economic and health context before making any decisions.

There are no plans to extend a benefit increase to legacy benefits. Claimants on legacy benefits can make a claim for UC if they believe that they will be better off. Claimants should check carefully their eligibility and entitlements under UC before applying as legacy benefits will end when claimants submit their claim and they will not be able to return to them in the future. For this reason, prospective claimants are signposted to independent benefits calculators on GOV.UK.

No such assessment has been made.

Debt recovery, including the recovery of Universal Credit overpayments, was paused for 3 months from April 2020, so that Debt Management staff could support processing in excess of three million new Universal Credit claims following the outbreak of COVID 19.

Those staff have subsequently been able to return to their roles in Debt Management and we have adopted a phased and controlled approach to re-instating debt recovery, allowing us to manage the demand on services.

There are no current plans to re-instate the suspension of debt recovery, but we will keep the situation under review.

We have always recognised that there will be some people who may be experiencing financial difficulty, and anyone unable to afford the rate of recovery is encouraged to contact DWP so an affordable rate of repayment can be negotiated based on their individual circumstances.

There are no plans to amend the treatment in Universal Credit of such payments. They would not be treated as unearned income unless subject to taxation under Part 5 of the Income Tax (Trading and Other Income) Act 2005. Where one-off payments are treated as capital there would be no effect on Universal Credit entitlement unless the claimant’s capital reached £6,000 or more. Capital of £16,000 would end entitlement to Universal Credit.

Data regarding the average rejection rate of applications for the Kickstart scheme, by constituency, is not available.

No assessment has been made.

If a legacy benefit claimant wishes to apply for Universal Credit, they can do so online. However, we encourage all those who think they may be eligible to use a benefits calculator before applying, as making a Universal Credit claim will cease any entitlement to legacy benefits that an individual might have and they cannot move back to legacy benefits.

Universal Credit treats company directors in the same way as self-employed people who do not choose to structure their business that way and, where someone is treated as self-employed in UC, permitted expenses are deducted from any earnings before UC is calculated. If a person has ceased to carry on a business within the last 6 months, and is taking reasonable steps to dispose of assets which were used wholly or mainly in that business, those business assets can be disregarded from the calculation of that person’s capital when entitlement to Universal Credit is calculated.

Complaints received about the Child Maintenance Service are handled in line with the overall Departmental complaints process published on Gov.uk. We aim to contact customers within 15 working days to clear the complaint or agree how to investigate it if it will take longer.

As part of our response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we had to make changes to our complaints model to allow staff to be deployed to support processing claims and payments. From 9 July 2020, DWP now triage complaints giving priority to vulnerable customers who may be at risk, and those with benefit payment issues.

We continue to look into all complaints as quickly as we can and, as part of the triage process used to determine lower priority, we write to those customers explaining there may be a delay in answering their complaint.

We plan to review the effectiveness of the approach we have taken throughout the pandemic as part of an ongoing review into complaints handling.

Data on Personal Independence Payment (PIP) clearance times for both PIP New Claims and Reassessments from Disability Living Allowance is published. This covers each stage of the customer journey for the period covering April 2013 – July 2020 (latest available data). This can be found in Tables 2A – 2A(vi) for Normal Rules claims and 2B for claims made under Special Rules for the Terminally Ill in the following published statistical tables:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/917471/tables-pip-statistics-to-july-2020.xlsx

The Department is continually assessing the services being offered to customers and we continue to keep staff numbers under review as part of our response to the impact of COVID-19 on the labour market. We have recruited and continue to recruit significant numbers of new staff to meet the demand required.

Complaints received about the Universal Credit are handled in line with the overall Departmental complaints process published on Gov.uk. We aim to contact customers within 15 working days to clear the complaint or agree how to investigate it if it will take longer.

As part of our response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we had to make changes to our complaints model to allow staff to be deployed to support processing claims and payments. From 9 July 2020, DWP now triage complaints giving priority to vulnerable customers who may be at risk, and those with benefit payment issues.

We continue to look into all complaints as quickly as we can and, as part of the triage process used to determine lower priority, we write to those customers explaining there may be a delay in answering their complaint.

We plan to review the effectiveness of the approach we have taken throughout the pandemic as part of an ongoing review into complaints handling.

DWP has considered the merits of a call-back service for customers. We concluded that it would not support the current operating models of the department. DWP moved all telephony services for customers to a free phone operation nearly three years ago and therefore any delay in answering calls will not be at the expense of customers.

Complaints received about the Pension Service are handled in line with the overall Departmental complaints process published on Gov.uk. We aim to contact customers within 15 working days to clear the complaint or agree how to investigate it if it will take longer.

As part of our response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we had to make changes to our complaints model to allow staff to be deployed to support processing claims and payments. From 9 July 2020, DWP now triage complaints giving priority to vulnerable claimants who may be at risk, and those with benefit payment issues.

We continue to look into all complaints as quickly as we can and, as part of the triage process used to determine lower priority, we write to those customers explaining there may be a delay in answering their complaint.

We plan to review the effectiveness of the approach we have taken throughout the pandemic as part of an ongoing review into complaints handling.

No Child Maintenance Service (CMS) debt has been written off. The Department is offering one last attempt to collect historic Child Support Agency (CSA) debt, where it is cost effective to do so and there is a reasonable chance of collection. Where this is not possible, the debt will be written off.

There are no longer any CSA cases with ongoing maintenance.

Our main focus is to collect money owed to children who will benefit today, thereby preventing the build-up of arrears under the CMS.

As I stated during recent oral questions [Hansard, 14 September 2020, Column 6] the Department has supported disabled customers during the Covid outbreak by automatically extending existing Personal Independence Payment (PIP) awards. As PIP payments are unaffected until any review activity has been completed, the circumstances whereby an individual loses access to Universal Credit's limited capability for work and work related activity element do not arise.

We encourage all people to engage with us at their point of need, and as the vast majority of Universal Credit claims are successfully made online, most will not require backdating. However, backdating provision, of up to a maximum of one month, is available where the circumstances are such that someone could not reasonably have been expected to claim earlier, including due to illness, disability or an official computer system failure.

The Department works in partnership with a variety of stakeholders, including local authorities, charities and employer groups, as well as through our local Jobcentres, to distribute factual information on the range of benefits that people could be entitled to.

To support people in making the right decisions we also launched a new microsite within the ‘Understanding Universal Credit’ website, to help people navigate the range of support available and apply for it. Additionally, we also encourage the use of independent benefits calculators (available via www.gov.uk/benefits-calculators) to ensure individuals can navigate the welfare system and decide what is right for their circumstances.

However, we recognise that some people will still require additional support to successfully submit a claim to Universal Credit. From 1 April 2020 the Department has provided a second year of grant funding to Citizens Advice and Citizens Advice Scotland to continue to deliver Help to Claim. Help to Claim offers trusted, independent, tailored, practical support to help people make a Universal Credit claim and receive their first full correct payment on time. It is available across England, Wales and Scotland and is usually available online, over the phone and face to face through local Citizens Advice services. Following the outbreak of COVID-19, face to face access was temporarily suspended with the required support being provided through the telephony and web chat channels.

We encourage all people to engage with us at their point of need, and as the vast majority of Universal Credit claims are successfully made online, most will not require backdating. However, backdating provision, of up to a maximum of one month, is available where the circumstances are such that someone could not reasonably have been expected to claim earlier, including due to illness, disability or an official computer system failure.

The Department works in partnership with a variety of stakeholders, including local authorities, charities and employer groups, as well as through our local Jobcentres, to distribute factual information on the range of benefits that people could be entitled to.

To support people in making the right decisions we also launched a new microsite within the ‘Understanding Universal Credit’ website, to help people navigate the range of support available and apply for it. Additionally, we also encourage the use of independent benefits calculators (available via www.gov.uk/benefits-calculators) to ensure individuals can navigate the welfare system and decide what is right for their circumstances.

However, we recognise that some people will still require additional support to successfully submit a claim to Universal Credit. From 1 April 2020 the Department has provided a second year of grant funding to Citizens Advice and Citizens Advice Scotland to continue to deliver Help to Claim. Help to Claim offers trusted, independent, tailored, practical support to help people make a Universal Credit claim and receive their first full correct payment on time. It is available across England, Wales and Scotland and is usually available online, over the phone and face to face through local Citizens Advice services. Following the outbreak of COVID-19, face to face access was temporarily suspended with the required support being provided through the telephony and web chat channels.

Where payments have been missed we have asked parents to report the changes via the self-service portal. In order to ensure that receiving parents do not lose out in the long run, the Child Maintenance Service is updating cases with notified changes. Where payments have been missed the Service is taking action to re-establish compliance and collect any unpaid amounts that may have accrued.

Those found to be abusing the system are subject to the full extent of our enforcement powers and the Child Maintenance Service will pursue these, where appropriate.

The vast majority of CMS enforcement powers involve third parties, including Her Majesty’s courts, enforcement agents and financial institutions. The COVID-19 crisis meant that these third parties had to pause business. The CMS is now beginning to reinstate a full service and remains committed to working with these key partners to establish how best to restart enforcement activity.

The total amount of Child Maintenance arranged via the Collect and Pay service, and the amount of this that has not been paid, are published quarterly. The latest published figures for Child Maintenance Service are up the end of March 2020 and can be found in National Table 10 at the link below.

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/child-maintenance-service-statistics-data-to-march-2020-experimental

Statistics containing data to June 2020 will not be available until the next publication, due on 30 September 2020.

The table below shows the median clearance time in weeks from registration to initial decision for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) Normal Rules New Claims and Reassessments from Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for all decisions made in April 2020 (the latest data available) and for the period May 2017 – April 2020 (the latest 3-year period for which data is available).

The median time from registration to initial decision for PIP Normal Rules claims for each month from April 2013 – April 2020 for New Claims and Reassessments from DLA is published and can be found in Table 2A of the published statistical tables linked below:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/904392/tables-pip-statistics-to-april-2020-revised-july-2020.xlsx

Table 1: Median Clearance Times in weeks for PIP New Claims and Reassessments from DLA for April 2020 and the 3-year period up to April 2020

Notes

Source: PIP ADS

• PIP data includes normal rules claimants only and is for both new claims and DLA reassessment claims.
• Figures have been rounded to the nearest whole number of weeks.

• The status of claims as 'normal rules' and 'new claim/reassessment' is shown as at the point of clearance.
• The figures in the table are the median clearance time of claims which are cleared in the given time period.
• The median time is the middle value if you were to order all the times within the distribution from lowest value to highest value. The median is presented here instead of the mean because the mean can be unduly affected by outlying cases (e.g. cases where the person has been hard to reach due to being in prison, hospital, failed to attend the assessment on numerous occasions etc.)
• The 'Registration to DWP decision (end to end)' clearance time is measured as the median time between the date of registration of the claim and the date of the DWP decision to either award or disallow the claim. It does not include claims that were withdrawn by the claimant or claims that were disallowed by DWP pre-referral to the Assessment Providers (e.g. for failure to meet basic eligibility criteria or failure to return the Part 2 form within the time limit).
• Great Britain only.

• The median clearance time for May 2017 – April 2020 is unpublished data. It should be used with caution and it may be subject to future revision.

Whilst the time limit for applying for a Mandatory Reconsideration is one month, if an application is made within this period but more time is needed to provide supporting evidence, the claimant or their representative can ask that a decision is not made pending the provision of that evidence.

Personal Independence Payment (PIP) can be paid regardless of whether someone can work or volunteer.

Work-related requirements are agreed in discussion with the claimant and will always be tailored to the claimant’s personal circumstances, ensuring they are realistic and achievable.

Work coaches have the flexibility to personalise requirements for individual claimants based on their health condition. They can remove all work related requirements where it is not reasonable to expect them to be able to fulfil them.

The total amount of arrears for Child Maintenance Service (CMS) in Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey constituency in March 2020 is £588,000.

Source: Child Maintenance Group administrative data

Carer’s Allowance is a devolved benefit in Scotland, but is being administered temporarily by DWP under an Agency Agreement with the Scottish Government until the replacement Scottish benefit is available. Provision of new benefits under devolved powers, such as the Young Carer Grant, is a matter for the Scottish Government. The UK Government believes that people in full-time education should be supported by the educational maintenance system rather than the benefit system. That is why, as a general principle, full-time students are precluded from entitlement to income-related and income-maintenance benefits administered by DWP.

In July 2019, the Secretary of State announced an in-depth evaluation of how the benefits system supports people nearing the end of their life. The evaluation included 3 strands of research:

- hearing directly from claimants and charities about their first-hand experiences;

- considering international evidence to find out what works in other nations and the support they provide; and

- reviewing current DWP performance to better understand how our Special Rules for Terminal Illness process operates and performs.

The evaluation remains a priority for the Department. The Department has made good progress and we expect to be able to provide an update on the outcome of the evaluation shortly.

The DS1500 is not issued by DWP. It is completed by a terminally ill patient’s doctor or other healthcare professional and returned to DWP. The doctor or healthcare professional provides information about their patient’s condition, including its clinical features and ongoing or planned treatment on the DS1500.

The DS1500 is not a claim form in itself and is not a requirement to support a claim under the special rules for terminal illness but it remains the quickest and most appropriate route to gather evidence to support entitlement in these cases.

Guidance for Healthcare Professionals can be found here

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dwp-factual-medical-reports-guidance-for-healthcare-professionals/dwp-medical-factual-reports-a-guide-to-completion

We are currently in the process of reviewing this measure, and will confirm next steps as soon as possible.

The current epidemiological data shows the risk is currently low enough to allow the relaxation in guidance that we have outlined. From 1 August. the Government will further relax advice to those shielding, bringing it in line with the advice to those who are clinically vulnerable. In broad terms, this means that although the advice is still to stay at home as much as possible, those shielding may wish to go out to more places and see more people, as long as they take particular care to minimise contact with others outside their household and follow hygiene measures. This means that if they are unable to work from home but can work on site, they should do so, provided the business is COVID-safe. Therefore, clinically extremely vulnerable individuals will no longer be eligible for Statutory Sick Pay on the basis of being clinically extremely vulnerable.

The government expects employers to do the right thing to help their employees to transition back to work safely and support them to follow strict social distancing in the workplace where they cannot work from home.

If employers cannot provide a safe working environment, they will still be able to access a range of government support: this includes the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme for employees who have previously been furloughed for a full three-week period prior to 30 June and the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme.

Guidance around shielding will be continually reviewed and informed by the latest scientific evidence and advice. We will continue to assess the support in place should advice to shield be reinstated.

Background

• Employees will remain eligible for SSP if they are unable to work and are required to self-isolate because they, or someone in their household, has symptoms of COVID-19, or because they have been notified by the NHS or public health authorities that they have come into contact with someone who has coronavirus.
• SSP also remains available to those who are off sick for reasons other than coronavirus.
• SSP eligibility conditions apply.

There is no plan for any such assessment, the purpose of the Child Maintenance Service is to facilitate the payment of child maintenance between separated parents.

No one should use the pandemic as an excuse to avoid their child maintenance payments. Where paying parents experience a change in income, we can review their case and check if the amount paid should change. If it does not, they should continue to make payments.

We know the majority of parents take their responsibilities extremely seriously and will do what is needed to ensure their children are supported.

The CMS has made temporary changes to services to ensure we continue to support separated parents as part of our wider efforts to provide financial support through the welfare system.

The CMS has updated guidance on telephone and online services to encourage parents to report changes online where possible, except where changes must be reported by phone.

In order to ensure that receiving parents do not lose out in the long run, the Service will update cases with notified changes as soon as possible. Where payments have been missed the Service will take action to re-establish compliance and collect any unpaid amounts that may have accrued.

Decisions on whether to accept a complaint which has not exhausted DWP’s complaint processes – including its independent tier - rest with the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman’s Office.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 9 June 2020 to Question UIN 52251.

DS1500 forms have never been a requirement for a claim under the terminal illness rules but remain the quickest and most appropriate route to gather evidence to support entitlement in these cases. Where it is not possible to supply a DS1500 in support of a terminal illness claim we will continue to consider alternative evidence and work flexibly and quickly with the claimant and/or their clinician(s) to make a quick determination. Supporting people who are terminally ill is an absolute priority for the Department and we will continue to process claims as quickly as possible.

From 17 March 2020 we suspended all face-to-face assessments for sickness and disability benefits, initially for three months, to protect vulnerable people and assessment centre staff from unnecessary risk of exposure to COVID-19. We continue to complete paper based assessments where possible and have introduced telephone assessments.

Where a claimant declares they have cancer in the ESA/UC50 Health Questionnaire a Health care practitioner considers this evidence and in the majority of cases a recommendation will be made at this stage based on the papers alone.

If it is not possible to complete an assessment based on the paper evidence, a WCA will be conducted, where possible, over the telephone in coming months. We anticipate customers may experience a longer wait to be referred for their assessment and for the assessment to take place during this period, as we have redeployed some staff to manage unprecedented volumes of demand for benefits. Backdating rules mean that claimants will not lose out in the long-run.

The Department continues to process both New Claims and Changes of Circumstance and encourage anyone with a change in their needs to contact the Department so that we can ensure they are receiving the correct level of support.

The Benefit Cap restores fairness between those receiving out-of-work benefits and taxpayers in employment.

The Government has quickly and effectively introduced £6.5bn of measures that benefit those facing the most severe financial disruption. DWP is experiencing significant increased demand as such the safety and stability of the benefits system must be prioritised.

Claimants can approach their Local Authority for a Discretionary Housing Payment if they need additional help to meet rental costs.

The decision to include countries on the ‘red list’ is made by the Government, informed by the latest scientific data and public health advice from a world-leading range of experts. Data includes evidence of variants of concern, epidemiology, imported cases and traveller volumes. The list of red list countries is kept consistently under review.

The Government is committed to the open sharing of the scientific advice guiding our response to COVID-19 where possible. Transparency and confidence of reported data by other countries is considered as part of the assessment process. We continue to engage and encourage other countries to share best practice and data.

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

The identity verification check in place could potentially cause accessibility issues for those with no fixed abode. Therefore, the verification check was deactivated in November 2020 for both antigen testing and antibody testing to ensure there were no barriers to testing. It has not been used in either service since.

We replied to the hon. Member’s letter on 26 January 2021.

We are not aware of any issues affecting ciclosporin 25 milligram capsules in the United Kingdom and supplies remain available.

Since 1 April 2018, 136 individuals have had their entitlement to a survivor pension withdrawn following re-marriage or co-habitation.

There are no plans currently to review existing arrangements in these circumstances.

Making changes to pension schemes retrospectively results in improvements for members who have already retired, with costs that can only be borne by the active membership and/or taxpayers in the case of the public service schemes. Such costs are frequently large, and backdating is rarely undertaken. The most recent cost estimate, in 2013, of the cost of retrospectively removing the provision for survivor pensions to cease on remarriage was around £40 million.

Free antibody tests are currently only available for certain people who work in health and adult social care in England. These tests are to help the National Health Service and scientists learn more about who has already had the virus and how it has spread in the United Kingdom. Guidance on who is eligible for antibody testing and details of how to register for a test is available at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/testing-and-tracing/antibody-test-to-check-if-youve-had-coronavirus/

The Department has regular contact with the General Medical Council (GMC) including on the English language requirements for practising medicine in the United Kingdom. The GMC is required by law to be assured that any doctor applying for registration as an international medical graduate has demonstrated, at the point of registration, that they possess the required level of English. The GMC has set its requirements at the level it believes best safeguards patient safety, whilst ensuring it does not inappropriately disrupt overseas recruitment.

Employers and training providers are entitled to set their own requirements as part of their selection processes which may reflect their specific needs in relation to their training and working environments. This means entry requirements to the UK Foundation Programme may differ from the minimum required for GMC registration.

The information requested is commercially sensitive. The cost will also vary depending on the delivery channel used, the logistics involved and the laboratory that processes the test results.

We have now sanctioned over 1200 individuals and entities since Putin's invasion of Ukraine. We are focusing our efforts on those measures which will have the biggest impact. The UK has targeted Russia's political elite, introduced powers to cut off the Russian banking sector from the UK, and introduced restrictive trade measures. We have acted against the people and entities who facilitate the war in Ukraine and the harmful activities of the Russian Government. We will not comment on future sanctions but, as our recent announcements have shown, nothing and no one is off the table.

Russia's use of indiscriminate force against innocent civilians, in its illegal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, must be investigated and those responsible must be held to account. That is why the UK led efforts to bring together allies on 2 March to expedite an International Criminal Court (ICC) investigation into Russian war crimes in Ukraine. With 37 countries joining the UK, it is the largest referral in the history of the ICC. As a founder member of the ICC, the UK is willing to provide the necessary technical assistance to support successful convictions.

The new dedicated 'Kleptocracy Cell' in the National Crime Agency will target criminal sanctions evasion and corrupt assets hidden in the UK. The Government is working with the NCA to establish the new Cell at pace and the NCA have already surged additional officers to support existing efforts and will further enhance the Cell to progress these complex investigations. The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) works extremely closely with the NCA, and this includes close cooperation on sanctions breaches.

The United Kingdom's sanctions regimes apply to all of the Overseas Territories, who work with the UK Government to implement these regimes. The Overseas Territories are committed to upholding international standards in financial services, including those set by the Financial Action Task force on anti-money laundering and countering terrorist financing. This includes requirements on regulating virtual assets.

The Just Rural Transition Support Programme will work with developing countries to design and implement approaches that help their farmers build resilience and drive investment into more sustainable methods of agriculture through repurposing agricultural policies and support. This programme will build on and scale-up current UK Government support to the Just Rural Transition (£9 million, 2020-23), which is helping countries to take initial steps towards implementing sustainable land use policies and practices, to deliver benefits for people, climate and nature. Programme funds will be used for analytical support to help identify opportunities, technical assistance to design new policies and support schemes, engagement with farmer groups and local communities in the development of schemes, and assisting with the resources required to run trials and pilots leading on to implementation at scale. The programme is still at the design phase with the selection of partner countries expected to follow later this year.

The Just Rural Transition programme builds on an existing $2 million partnership with the World Bank that is currently supporting nine countries to assess opportunities for repurposing public policies and support and on funding to a Policy Action Coalition under the Just Rural Transition initiative to support a transition to sustainable agriculture.

The Government does not believe the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) will bring us closer to a world without nuclear weapons. The UK will not sign the Treaty and will not be sending Observers to the First Meeting of States Parties to the TPNW. The Government firmly believes that the best way to achieve our collective goal of a world without nuclear weapons is through gradual multilateral disarmament negotiated using a step-by-step approach, under the framework of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

The Government cannot comment on the details of this case. This is one of the most notorious crimes of the last forty years, representing an act of state-sponsored terrorism, which resulted in the murder of a serving police officer on the streets of London. WPC Fletcher's death remains as shocking and senseless today as the day it occurred, and I understand that the decision not to prosecute remains disappointing and frustrating for all her family, friends and colleagues.

Whilst we are looking at whether there are ways to address the issue of access to UK-accepted certificates for certain people vaccinated in the north of Cyprus, people in this group can still travel to England, but will have to take a pre-departure test, a day 2 and day 8 PCR test and self-isolate for 10 days. Under the Test to Release scheme they can choose to pay for a private COVID-19 test on day 5. If the result is negative (and the result of the day 2 test was negative or inconclusive), they can end their quarantine.

People vaccinated in the north of Cyprus with access to the European Union Digital COVID Certificate (EUDCC) can use this to evidence their vaccine status. We understand that some people vaccinated in the north of Cyprus may not have access to a UK-accepted certificate and are looking at whether there are ways to address this.

Accurately reporting COVID-19 case numbers is critical to mounting an effective response to the pandemic, but is often challenging given limitations in testing capacity, particularly in lower income countries. The UK has supported testing capacity in some vulnerable countries. We have also supported seroprevalence surveys in some countries, which go beyond reported numbers to estimate the true numbers infected, with results published to ensure transparency.

The UK has actively worked to secure the G20 "Call to Action on Corruption and COVID-19," which includes specific commitments around promoting transparency in responses to COVID-19, and we will continue to play a leadership role on the open data agenda internationally.

We are closely following other countries' plans to roll out vaccines. We are providing information through Travel Advice pages and 'Living In' guides on gov.uk to inform British Nationals of healthcare options available to them and how they can receive a vaccine locally. The UK is playing a leading international role to ensure global access to COVID-19 vaccines. For example, we have contributed £548m to the COVAX Advance Market Commitment to ensure that the 92 most vulnerable economies have access to COVID-19 vaccines, and I [Minister Adams] am delighted that this is starting to deliver, with delivery this week to Ghana of COVID-19 vaccines.

The UK continues to negotiate for the whole UK family, which includes Gibraltar. We remain fully committed to finding a solution that supports Gibraltar, its people and its economy.

The UK and the Government of Gibraltar have held a number of constructive discussions with Spain on this issue. It is clearly in all parties' interests to find a solution, to ensure ongoing well-being and prosperity in the region.

The UK continues to negotiate for the whole UK family, which includes Gibraltar. We remain fully committed to finding a solution that supports Gibraltar, its people and its economy.

The UK and the Government of Gibraltar have held a number of constructive discussions with Spain on this issue. It is clearly in all parties' interests to find a solution, to ensure ongoing well-being and prosperity in the region.

The Government is actively monitoring the impact of Covid-19 on the labour market and will continue to do so.

Any employee who considers that their dismissal was unfair, whether for a reason related to Covid-19 or otherwise, can complain to an employment tribunal, subject to a qualifying period of continuous service of 2 years. Guidance on what constitutes unfair dismissal or pressure to come into work if you are shielding is available from ACAS: Coronavirus: shielding and vulnerable people.

Following consultation in 2020, the Chancellor confirmed at Spring Budget 2021 that the Government will remove the entitlement to use red diesel from most sectors from April 2022. This will more fairly reflect the negative environmental impact of the emissions they produce and help to ensure that the tax system incentivises the development and adoption of greener alternative technologies.

The Government did not believe that the cases made by sectors that will not retain their red diesel entitlement outweighed the need to ensure fairness between the different users of diesel fuels and the Government’s environmental objectives.

HM Treasury, alongside HMRC, has modelled the cost implications of relief requests from VAT received since the EU referendum. These are then combined, excluding any duplicates, to produce the total figure for VAT relief requests.

Any new VAT reliefs would impose additional pressure on the public finances, to which VAT makes a significant contribution. VAT raised around £130 billion in the year 2019-20 and helps to fund key spending priorities. Any reduction in tax paid is a reduction in the money available to support important public services, including the NHS and policing.

Roman Abramovich is a designated person, subject to financial sanctions. This means that all funds and economic resources belonging to him are subject to an asset freeze in the UK. As such, Chelsea Football Club and its subsidiaries are also subject to an asset freeze.

General Licence INT/2022/1327076 permits the Club to undertake activities that are necessary to carry out its business as a football club, including playing and hosting fixtures. Although the licence allows payment to the club for certain activities those funds will be frozen; Roman Abramovich will not be able to access them. The licence only permits certain limited activities, it does not authorise anyone to deal with Roman Abramovich’s funds or economic resources, or make funds or economic resources available, to him or the Club outside the terms of the licence.

The Off-Payroll working rules, commonly known as IR35, have been in place for over twenty years and are designed to ensure that individuals working like employees but through their own company, usually a personal service company (PSC), pay broadly the same Income Tax and National Insurance contributions (NICs) as those who are directly employed.

If the rules are determined to apply to an engagement, the deemed employer will operate Pay As You Earn (PAYE) to deduct any Income Tax and National Insurance Contributions (NICs) due from the gross wage before paying this to the PSC. The deemed employer is also responsible for paying any employer NICs and the Apprenticeship Levy, if applicable.

As PAYE has already been operated on the payment, this income will not be subject to any further taxation. How the PSC decides to remunerate the worker out of this income will therefore have no bearing on the calculation of tax that is collected through PAYE by the deemed employer on the gross wage.

Were the measure of deemed employment income under the off-payroll rules to be limited to the wages paid by the PSC to the worker, as suggested, the worker would be able to decide how much tax they wished to pay, undermining the intention that those working like employees should pay tax like employees.

Financial sanctions regulations do not differentiate between cryptoassets and other forms of assets. Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) guidance states that crypto assets are an economic resource and are caught by financial sanctions restrictions

All persons in the UK are subject to the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018, and the circumvention of sanctions is a criminal offence. The financial sanctions regime is enforced by OFSI, working in cooperation with the National Crime Agency.

Cryptoasset exchange providers, custodian wallet providers, electronic money institutions and payment service providers are in scope of the UK’s Money Laundering Regulations. These businesses must be registered with the Financial Conduct Authority for anti-money laundering supervision, and are expected to apply risk-sensitive customer due diligence measures in order to identify and verify the customer and understand the purpose behind their transactions. This includes checking that the customer is not subject to sanctions and does not intend to use the services for criminal purposes, including assisting others in the evasion of sanctions.

In addition, the government will shortly publish a response to its recent consultation on creating a requirement for entities to collect, verify, transmit, and retain specified information about the beneficiary and originator of a transfer of cryptoassets, to assist in the prevention and detection of illicit financial transfers.

VTB Bank PJSC has been subject to a full asset freeze since 24/02/2022.

General Licence INT/2022/1272278 permits only the wind down of existing activity for third parties and expires on 27 March 2022. The general licence has been granted to reduce disruption in the UK financial system, not to permit VTB to proactively exit positions. It ensures that VTB will not benefit from a situation where UK persons cannot close out their positions or wind down transactions involving the bank.

Under the Money Laundering Regulations, cryptoasset exchanges and custodian wallet providers operating in the UK must conduct customer due diligence checks to verify a customer’s identity and, where applicable, the beneficial owner of the customer, and ascertain the nature of the business relationship or transaction. This includes checking that the prospective customer is not subject to sanctions, and does not intend to use the business relationship or transaction for criminal purposes, such as unlicensed arms dealing. Where the customer is a Politically Exposed Person or is deemed otherwise high-risk of being involved in money-laundering or sanctions evasion, the firm must conduct Enhanced Due Diligence.

These requirements are in line with the globally agreed recommendations of the Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing. The Financial Conduct Authority has contacted cryptoasset firms to make clear their obligations in relation to preventing sanctions evasion, and the government will continue to consider what more can be done to further reduce the risk of sanctioned individuals or entities using cryptoassets.

Under the Money Laundering Regulations, cryptoasset exchanges and custodian wallet providers operating in the UK must conduct customer due diligence checks to verify a customer’s identity and, where applicable, the beneficial owner of the customer, and ascertain the nature of the business relationship or transaction. This includes checking that the prospective customer is not subject to sanctions, and does not intend to use the business relationship or transaction for criminal purposes, such as unlicensed arms dealing. Where the customer is a Politically Exposed Person or is deemed otherwise high-risk of being involved in money-laundering or sanctions evasion, the firm must conduct Enhanced Due Diligence.

These requirements are in line with the globally agreed recommendations of the Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing. The Financial Conduct Authority has contacted cryptoasset firms to make clear their obligations in relation to preventing sanctions evasion, and the government will continue to consider what more can be done to further reduce the risk of sanctioned individuals or entities using cryptoassets.

The Government has no plans to review the VAT treatment of electric vehicle charging.

In order to keep costs down for families, all domestic fuel and power, including the supply of electricity for domestic use, attracts the reduced rate of VAT at 5 per cent. Therefore, the reduced rate also applies to charging electric vehicles at home. However, electricity supplied at electric vehicle charging points in public places is subject to the standard rate of VAT at 20 per cent.

Expanding the existing relief would come at a cost. VAT makes a significant contribution towards the public finances, raising around £130 billion in 2019-20, and helps to fund the Government's priorities including the NHS, schools, and defence. Any loss in tax revenue would have to be balanced by a reduction in public spending, increased borrowing, or increased taxation elsewhere.

HMRC does not ask to see any of the evidence listed when considering Tax Credits Claims. They rely on information provided by the applicant. If HMRC need to check the validity of a claim, they may ask for sight of relevant documents solely for that purpose. HMRC would not redact any original documentation that they receive, it would be returned to the applicant once the contents had been considered.

The Government has not estimated the cost to the Exchequer of removing VAT for all building works undertaken for the adaptation of a residential property to meet a disabled person’s needs.

The scope of the existing VAT reliefs covers alterations specifically for assisting with a disability.

Disabled people benefit from the zero rate of VAT on certain building works, the reduced VAT rate of 5 per cent on residential construction under certain conditions, and some additional zero-rates on alterations such as work on ramps, bathrooms, lifts, and widening doorways.

Although all taxes are kept under review, the Government has no plans to introduce new VAT reliefs at this time.

HMRC staff have access to relevant guidance to produce the right tax codes for people in devolved nations. HMRC also provides a telephone service for people who need help understanding their devolved income tax. This can be accessed by calling the normal telephone number, 0300 200 3300, and then asking for help with Scottish or Welsh income tax.

HMRC determines the residency status of individuals using address data it holds and identifies Scottish and Welsh taxpayers using this data. Special ‘S’ and ‘C’ codes are issued to employers based on the residency status identified. Taxpayers can change their address data using their Personal Tax Account and should contact HMRC if they believe their tax code is wrong. Information on how to contact HMRC can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/contact-hmrc

HMRC regularly checks the accuracy of address data to ensure taxpayers receive the code appropriate to their residency status, and they work with employers to ensure that they are operating the right codes and monitor that this is happening. A full report of HMRC’s activities in this area is published each year. The latest versions are here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/scottish-income-tax-hmrc-annual-report-2021/scottish-income-tax-hmrc-annual-report-2021

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/welsh-rates-of-income-tax-hmrc-annual-report-2021

HMRC staff have access to relevant guidance to produce the right tax codes for people in devolved nations. HMRC also provides a telephone service for people who need help understanding their devolved income tax. This can be accessed by calling the normal telephone number, 0300 200 3300, and then asking for help with Scottish or Welsh income tax.

HMRC determines the residency status of individuals using address data it holds and identifies Scottish and Welsh taxpayers using this data. Special ‘S’ and ‘C’ codes are issued to employers based on the residency status identified. Taxpayers can change their address data using their Personal Tax Account and should contact HMRC if they believe their tax code is wrong. Information on how to contact HMRC can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/contact-hmrc

HMRC regularly checks the accuracy of address data to ensure taxpayers receive the code appropriate to their residency status, and they work with employers to ensure that they are operating the right codes and monitor that this is happening. A full report of HMRC’s activities in this area is published each year. The latest versions are here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/scottish-income-tax-hmrc-annual-report-2021/scottish-income-tax-hmrc-annual-report-2021

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/welsh-rates-of-income-tax-hmrc-annual-report-2021

Extending the current reliefs further would come at a cost to the Exchequer, and this must be viewed in the context of around £50 billion worth of requests which have been received since the EU referendum.

Where a contractor works through their own Personal Service Company and is within the off-payroll working rules, they can claim tax relief on expenses, including overnight stays and business travel away from their usual place of work, in the same way as those employed directly.

Such contractors can also claim tax relief on expenses, including equipment, tools, and professional fees in the same way as those employed directly.

Where someone is working within the off-payroll working rules, the deemed employer is responsible for paying Employer National Insurance Contributions (NICs) and the Apprenticeship Levy. These costs should not be paid from the contractor’s gross pay, from which the deemed employer will deduct Income Tax and Employee NICs.

Following consultation in 2020, the Chancellor confirmed at Spring Budget 2021 that the Government will remove the entitlement to use red diesel from most sectors from April 2022. This will more fairly reflect the negative environmental impact of the emissions they produce and help to ensure that the tax system incentivises the development and adoption of greener alternatives.

The Government did not believe that the cases made by sectors that will not retain their red diesel entitlement outweighed its environmental objectives.

Regarding certain utility providers, the Government will be amending the qualifying fuel definition accordingly to ensure that businesses currently using red diesel to generate electricity for supply through a licensed supplier can continue to reclaim the fuel duty, less any carbon price support payment due, once they have to use fully duty-paid diesel from 1 April 2022.

Treasury directions confirm that schemes, including the Civil Service Pension Scheme, must take into account the expected impact of the Government’s proposal to remedy the discrimination identified by the Courts in the McCloud and Sargeant judgments when completing the cost control element of the 2016 valuations.

The remedy will give members a choice of scheme benefits for the remedy period. This represents an increase in the value of schemes to members. As the cost control mechanism was designed to assess changes in the value of schemes to members, it is right for this to be taken into account in the cost control element of the 2016 valuations.

The Government has not made a formal assessment of the impact of this on members’ trust.

The Government has announced its intention to waive any ceiling breaches that arise from the 2016 valuations, which means that no member will see a reduction to their benefits. This will be implemented through the Public Service Pensions and Judicial Offices Bill.

As this relates to live litigation, it would be not be appropriate to comment further.

The grace period allowing goods located in the EU to return to Great Britain under Returned Goods Relief has already been extended, from 31 December 2021 to 30 June 2022. The Government has no plans to extend this further.

The Government takes concerns about the wellbeing of all taxpayers seriously and recognises that the Loan Charge can add significant pressures for some taxpayers.

Following Lord Morse’s Independent Loan Charge Review, the Government has taken further steps to mitigate the impact of the Loan Charge to ensure that the right support is in place for those who need it.

HMRC operates a settlement helpline for taxpayers who have used disguised remuneration avoidance schemes, and all call handlers are trained to identify taxpayers who might need additional support.

It would be inappropriate for HMRC, as a tax authority, to set up a helpline for those in severe mental distress. For taxpayers who need specialised help, HMRC advisors suggest they contact organisations like Samaritans or Mind.

HMRC has a well-established approach to helping those who are struggling to pay their liabilities in full. HMRC will agree a sustainable and manageable payment plan to spread the tax liability for anyone who is unable to pay in full.

The Government introduced changes in April 2016 to bring people who work through employment intermediaries, including umbrella companies, into line with most workers who cannot claim tax relief for their ordinary commuting costs. Deemed employees can therefore claim tax relief on expenses, including overnight stays and business travel away from their usual place of work, in the same way as those employed directly.

Deemed employees can also claim tax relief on expenses, including equipment, tools and professional fees in the same way as those employed directly. This means that they may be able to claim tax relief where expenses are needed to allow them to do their job and it is used exclusively for work purposes.

HMRC have published advice on applying supply chain due diligence principles to assure labour supply chains including where an umbrella company is used by public sector bodies, which can be found on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/use-of-labour-providers/advice-on-applying-supply-chain-due-diligence-principles-to-assure-your-labour-supply-chains.

Under the off-payroll working rules, the fee-payer will become the deemed employer of the individual for tax and NICs purposes. However, the fee in relation to the engagement will still be paid to and received by the personal service company (PSC), albeit net of income tax and employee National Insurance contributions. Thus an individual’s PSC should still be able to use this income to meet such costs as pension payments.

The Government introduced changes in April 2016 to bring people who work through employment intermediaries, including umbrella companies, into line with most workers who cannot claim tax relief for their ordinary commuting costs. Deemed employees can therefore claim tax relief on expenses, including overnight stays and business travel away from their usual place of work, in the same way as those employed directly.

Deemed employees can also claim tax relief on expenses, including equipment, tools and professional fees in the same way as those employed directly. This means that they may be able to claim tax relief where expenses are needed to allow them to do their job and it is used exclusively for work purposes.

HMRC have published advice on applying supply chain due diligence principles to assure labour supply chains including where an umbrella company is used by public sector bodies, which can be found on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/use-of-labour-providers/advice-on-applying-supply-chain-due-diligence-principles-to-assure-your-labour-supply-chains.

Under the off-payroll working rules, the fee-payer will become the deemed employer of the individual for tax and NICs purposes. However, the fee in relation to the engagement will still be paid to and received by the personal service company (PSC), albeit net of income tax and employee National Insurance contributions. Thus an individual’s PSC should still be able to use this income to meet such costs as pension payments.

HMRC publish their telephony response times on a monthly and quarterly basis: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmrc-monthly-performance-reports and https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmrc-quarterly-performance-updates.

Like other service organisations, HMRC have been affected by the pandemic and are doing all they can to offer the best possible service to their customers, whether supporting them with their taxes or delivering the Government’s support schemes.

Wait times on some helplines are longer than HMRC would like, and they are sorry about the inconvenience this causes to customers at busy times. HMRC’s digital services are available 24 hours a day, and customer satisfaction for them is very high; HMRC encourage customers to go online where they can and have increased webchat availability as a channel across most areas.

HMRC report regularly their complaints handling performance and publish data every month on GOV.UK. The average complaints handling time of 17 days for new complaints received was also reported in HMRC’s 2019-20 Annual Report and Accounts.

HMRC’s complaints regime also includes the option of escalation to an independent Adjudicator. The latest Adjudicator’s annual report can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-adjudicators-office-annual-report-2021. The Adjudicator’s remit includes the timeframe for responding to complaints.

HMRC remain committed to learning from the real-time feedback provided, together with other sources of customer insight as they continue working towards improving all elements of their service.

HMRC have assessed that their FATCA guidance is GDPR compliant.

It is proportionate to report a joint account under FATCA because a US citizen or resident is an account holder. The name and other details of any joint account holder who is not a US citizen or resident are not reportable.

The GVMS Check-in and Embarkation functionality was deployed successfully on 31 December 2020 at 18:00 (GMT) and is working as expected. This was following deployment of the GVMS Registration Service on 8 December 2020, and the “Get a Goods Movement Reference” (GMR) Service on 23 December 2020.

Further GVMS releases will be deployed over a series of dates up to full border controls in January 2022 and remain on track. This has included functionality supporting NI-GB Exports which was successfully deployed on 28 February 2021 and enhancements to improve customer journeys, such as driver messaging which took place on 4 July 2021.

To date there have been 6,655 successful GVMS haulier registrations and 431,417 GMRs created (data obtained 1 July 2021).

Port, carrier and haulier engagement is continuing to support the take up of GVMS, and HMRC are working with them to support their readiness for January 2022.

HMRC will continue to work with all industry actors to ensure they understand the steps they need to take to move goods through border locations using the different customs models.

The Government recognises the extreme disruption the necessary actions to combat Covid-19 are having on sectors like live events and weddings.

During this difficult time the Treasury is working intensively with employers, delivery partners, industry groups, and other government departments to understand the effects of Covid-19 across all key areas of the economy.

Eligible events and businesses may already benefit from available employment schemes, government grant and loan schemes, a reduction in VAT and business rates relief; as well as the Culture Recovery Fund which has already supported thousands of organisations including theatres, music venues, comedy clubs and festivals. Much of this support will continue to be available to September, reflecting the Chancellor’s decision at Budget to extend the package of economic support to accommodate even a very cautious view about the time it might take to exit restrictions and to provide certainty and continuity to business.

Changes to restrictions announced by the Prime Minister will also remove the 30- person limit on wedding venues, with venue capacity based on the number of attendees who can be accommodated with social distancing in place. We are also removing the cap on numbers for outdoor weddings, but with a requirement to socially distance.

We will continue to monitor the impact of government support, such as the extension of restrictions beyond 21 June, on public services, businesses, individuals and sectors, including the events sector, as we respond to this pandemic.

The Government recognises the extreme disruption the actions needed to combat COVID-19 are having on sectors like live events and weddings.

Eligible events and businesses may already benefit from available employment schemes, Government grant and loan schemes, a reduction in VAT and business rates relief; as well as the Culture Recovery Fund which has already supported thousands of organisations including theatres, music venues, comedy clubs and festivals. At Budget, the Chancellor extended many of these economic support schemes beyond the end of the Roadmap to accommodate even the most cautious view about the time it might take to exit restrictions.

As announced at Budget, the Government has extended the temporary reduced rate of VAT for the tourism and hospitality sector. The 5% rate will now end on 30 September 2021. On 1 October 2021, a new reduced rate of 12.5% will be introduced for these goods and services to help businesses manage the transition back to the standard rate. The new rate will end on 31 March 2022. While the Government keeps all taxes under review, this relief comes at a significant cost to the Exchequer, and there are no plans to extend the scope of the reduced rate. This policy will cost over £7 billion, and while some businesses in some sectors are disappointed, a boundary for eligibility had to be drawn.

At Budget, the Government also extended the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) for a further five months from May until the end of September 2021. Furloughed workers in the UK will continue to receive more generous support than those in many other countries, as the CJRS ensures employees receive 80% of their current salary for hours not worked, up to £2,500 per month, until the end of September.

The Government also announced at Budget that the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) will continue until September, with a fourth and a final fifth grant. This provides certainty to business as the economy reopens.

As a result of the changes to the off-payroll working rules some businesses are reconsidering whether Personal Service Companies are still the best way to engage contractors who are working like employees. Some will choose to engage contractors in a different way, such as through an agency or umbrella company. Most umbrella arrangements are set up and operated correctly, and comply with tax, National Insurance Contributions and National Minimum Wage legislation, but there are some that are not compliant. HMRC have published guidance for people working through umbrella companies, which can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/working-through-an-umbrella-company.

The Government remains committed to tackling those who promote disguised remuneration schemes, including through a package of measures to strengthen existing anti-avoidance regimes and tighten the rules designed to tackle promoters and enablers of tax avoidance schemes. These measures are being legislated for in the current Finance Bill.

In addition, on 23 March 2021, the Government launched a consultation on a further package of measures to tackle promoters. These include ensuring HMRC can protect their position by securing or freezing a promoter’s assets so that the penalties they are liable for are paid, tackling offshore promoters and the UK entities that support them, closing down companies that continue to promote avoidance schemes and disqualifying the directors involved, and supporting taxpayers to identify and steer clear of avoidance schemes.

HMRC have launched a publicity campaign targeted at contractors to help them spot and steer clear of tax avoidance and HMRC have also proactively contacted 17,000 businesses highlighting the support available that they can share with contractors.

A Common Transit Convention (CTC) transit movement can be started and the Transit Accompanying Document (TAD) can be printed out at the customs office of departure or at the premises of an authorised consignor. Businesses seeking to start transit movements from their own location can seek authorisation to be a consignor.

The requirements of the convention are that the TAD covers a single means of transport, package or container. If this single means of transport is broken, then the transit movement should end. There are processes under the CTC which allow for a change of tractor unit/trailer following an incident; however, this must be marked on the TAD and reported to the nearest customs office. Alternatively, if the transit consignment is in a container then this container can change mode of transport, providing this is overseen by customs authorities.

HMRC are currently involved in discussions with the Common Transit Convention Working Group about removing or reducing the oversight of customs authorities for this change in mode of transport which will make these movements easier.

Relief from import VAT and any customs duty is available under the Returned Goods Relief (RGR) for goods exported from the UK and re-imported within three years in an unaltered state. Goods which were transported from the UK to the EU, and which remained located in the EU at the end of the transition period, will be eligible for RGR, subject to meeting the conditions for the relief, if they are returned to Great Britain by 30 June 2022, regardless of the date they were transported to the EU. This extends the period during which such goods can return to Great Britain under RGR by a further six months in view of the continuing COVID-19 travel restrictions in the UK and in the EU. The extension of this grace period is included in the revised RGR legislation published on 22 March 2021: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reference-documents-for-the-customs-reliefs-from-a-liability-to-import-duty-and-miscellaneous-amendments-eu-exit-regulations-2020.

For RGR to apply on import VAT relief, the exporter and the importer need to be the same person.

Relief from import VAT and any customs duty is available under the Returned Goods Relief (RGR) for goods transported or exported from the UK and re-imported within certain time limits in an unaltered state. Subject to meeting the conditions of the relief, RGR will be available to boats returning from the EU to the UK regardless of whether they were used commercially or not.

In order to obtain relief from import VAT under the RGR rules, the original exporter and the importer need to be the same person. More information on UK RGR can be found online at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/pay-less-import-duty-and-vat-when-re-importing-goods-to-the-uk-and-eu.

The Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (FSMA) prevents the communication of invitations or inducements to engage in investment activity or claims management activities (otherwise known as financial promotions) unless the communication is made or approved by an authorised person, or subject to an exemption. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has powers under FSMA to make rules concerning the standards financial promotions must meet. Controlled activities in scope of the financial promotions regime are set out in legislation.

The advertisement of any activities which are not controlled activities is regulated by the Advertising Standards Authority. FSMA also specifies that certain regulated activities can only be carried out by authorised or exempt persons. Offering contracts and/or products with the purpose of securing profit or avoiding loss by reference to fluctuations in an index is a regulated activity and therefore can only be carried out by such persons. Gambling platforms are regulated by the Gambling Commission which requires gambling platforms to comply with Advertising Codes administered by the Advertising Standards Authority.

The fourth Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) grant will be available to claim from late April and HMRC will contact potential claimants from mid-April. This is because HMRC will need to process the data received in millions of 2019/20 Self-Assessment returns prior to making payments.

In recognition of the immense pressures that many people are facing due the pandemic, the Government sought to provide a breathing space by waiving the penalty for the late filing of tax returns received after the 31 January statutory deadline and by 28 February. Self-Assessment returns filed by 2 March can now be taken into account for the fourth and fifth SEISS grant.

For those requiring further support, the SEISS continues to be just one element of a wider package of support for the self-employed. The temporary £20 per week increase to the Universal Credit standard allowance has been extended for six months, and the Government has decided to extend the suspension of the Minimum Income Floor for three months, to the end of July 2021, so that where self-employed claimants' earnings have fallen significantly, their Universal Credit award will have increased to reflect their lower earnings. In addition to this, they may also have access to other elements of the package, including Restart Grants, the Recovery Loan scheme, business rates relief, and other business support schemes.

The supply of transport services in passenger vehicles, including those used for tours, with less than 10 seats is subject to the standard rate of VAT. Any loss in tax revenue would have to be balanced by a reduction in public spending, increased borrowing or increased taxation elsewhere. Therefore, the Government has no plans to extend tax reliefs to passenger vehicles further.

Like other service organisations, HMRC have been affected by the pandemic and are doing all they can to offer the best possible service to their customers, whether supporting them with their taxes or delivering the Government’s support schemes.

Waiting times on some helplines are longer than HMRC would like, and they are sorry for the inconvenience this causes at busy times. HMRC’s digital services are available 24 hours a day, and customer satisfaction for those services is very high. HMRC encourage customers to go online where they can, and have increased webchat availability.

HMRC publish monthly reports on how they have performed against their customer service targets, on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmrc-monthly-performance-reports.

Consumers already benefit from a zero rate of VAT on certain building work for disabled people and a reduced VAT rate of 5 per cent on residential construction under certain conditions. Extending the current reliefs further would come at a cost to the Exchequer, and must be viewed in the context of about £50 billion worth of requests received since the EU referendum.

The Government keeps all taxes under review, and any future decisions on tax policy will be made at Budget.

Consumers already benefit from a zero rate of VAT on certain building work for disabled people and a reduced VAT rate of 5 per cent on residential construction under certain conditions. Extending the current reliefs further would come at a cost to the Exchequer, and must be viewed in the context of about £50 billion worth of requests received since the EU referendum.

The Government keeps all taxes under review, and any future decisions on tax policy will be made at Budget.

The Government is committed to supporting the self-employed population during the COVID-19 pandemic through a substantial package of support.

The three Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) grants combined provided up to £21,570 of support for each individual, placing the SEISS among the most generous schemes for the self-employed in the world. As of 31 December, about 2.7 million individuals have made claims totalling over £18.9 billion so far across all three grants.

The claims window for the third grant closed on 29 January 2021. The Government committed on 24 September 2020 that there would be a fourth grant; details of which will be announced alongside other economic updates at Budget in March.

The SEISS is not intended to provide a month-by-month replacement of income. Due to the volatility of self-employed income and the lack of granular data that HMRC hold on self-employed trading profits, precise mapping of income replacement month by month is not possible. Instead, the SEISS provides a lump sum payment to support eligible self-employed individuals whose businesses have been affected by coronavirus.

The SEISS continues to be just one element of a substantial package of support for the self-employed. In addition to the SEISS, individuals may also have access to other elements of the package, including Bounce Back loans, tax deferrals, rental support, mortgage holidays, self-isolation support payments and other business support grants.

The Government has taken substantial steps to support the self-employed during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) receiving claims from about 2.7 million individuals so far, totalling over £18.9 billion as of 31 December.

HMRC assess eligibility for the SEISS based on trading profits and non-trading income reported on Income Tax Self-Assessment returns.

Interest that falls within the Personal Savings Allowance is declared on Income Tax Self-Assessment returns.

All interest is included in total income and relevant income (non-trading income) for the purposes of SEISS eligibility. The design of the SEISS, including the eligibility requirement that an individual’s trading profits must be no more than £50,000 and at least equal to their non-trading income, means it is targeted at those who most need it, and who are most reliant on their self-employment income.

The Financial Conduct Authority has advised that all deductions from business interruption insurance settlements should be assessed on a case-by-case basis, as insurance policies differ significantly. The individual policy wording generally sets out the basis on which the sum due to the policyholder following an insured event will be calculated.

The FCA may intervene and take further actions where firms do not appear to be meeting their expectations and treating their customers fairly on these points, and customers have recourse to the Financial Ombudsman Service if they are not satisfied.

All UK insurers have now made a commitment to not make deductions from business interruption insurance settlements to account for Covid-19 business grants.

As the Prime Minister set out in his Written Ministerial Statement of 3 February 2020 on the future relationship with the EU, the Government would not agree to measures in areas which go beyond those typically included in a comprehensive free trade agreement, including in the area of taxation. This is why the free trade agreement agreed with the EU will have little effect on changes to the UK tax system.

Nevertheless, the Government remains mindful of business cash flows after the end of the transition period. The Government has already announced that from 1 January 2021, UK VAT registered businesses can account for import VAT on their VAT return for goods imported from anywhere in the world. This means businesses can declare and recover import VAT on the same VAT return, rather than having to pay it upfront and recover it later.

As a matter of routine, HM Treasury continues to work closely with the Bank of England on effects stemming from the UK’s relationship with the EU.

The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) has been delivered at an unprecedented pace and is protecting thousands of jobs up and down the UK, with 1.2 million employers applying to help to pay the wages of 9.6 million furloughed jobs.

In light of recent developments in the path of the virus, the CJRS has been extended until the end of March 2021 for all parts of the UK. People employed and on payroll on 30 October will be eligible, and neither the employer nor the employee needs to have previously claimed or have been claimed for under the CJRS to make a claim under the extended CJRS, if other eligibility criteria are met. Furthermore, businesses will have flexibility to use the scheme for employees for any amount of time and shift pattern, including furloughing them part-time. By having the eligibility cut-off date the day before the announcement, this addresses the risk of abuse while also ensuring that there is no gap in support.

The scheme is designed to help those who otherwise would have been made unemployed and to provide support to businesses as quickly as possible. Allowing backdated payments to people working part-time since March is not consistent with the objectives of the scheme, would require more process and substantially increase the risk of fraud.

HMRC’s view is that information provided in the CT600 Company Tax Return cannot be used as a basis to provide support for directors paying themselves in dividends. The CT600 shows the company's profits. It does not provide information on dividends received by the company’s directors.

The Government has worked with stakeholders and carefully considered the case for providing a new system for those who pay themselves through dividends. However, targeting additional support for those who pay their wages via dividends is much more complex than existing income support schemes.

Those ineligible for the SEISS may still be eligible for other elements of the package of financial support available. More information is available at https://www.gov.uk/business-coronavirus-support-finder.

Unlike for employees, self-employed income is not reported monthly, but at the end of each tax year on the individual’s Income Tax Self Assessment return. To protect the Exchequer from fraudulent activity, this means that the most reliable and up-to-date record of self-employed income is from 2018-19 tax returns.

The self-employed are very diverse and have a wide mix of turnover and profits, with monthly and annual variations even in normal times, and in some cases with substantial alternative forms of income too. The design of the SEISS, including the eligibility requirement that an individual’s trading profits must be at least equal to their non-trading income, means it is targeted at those who most need it, and who are most reliant on their self-employment income.

The Government does acknowledge that it has not been possible to support everyone as they might want. Those ineligible for the SEISS Grant Extension may still be eligible for other elements of the support available. The Universal Credit standard allowance has been temporarily increased for 2020-21 and the Minimum Income Floor relaxed for the duration of the crisis, so that where self-employed claimants' earnings have fallen significantly, their Universal Credit award will have increased to reflect their lower earnings. In addition to this, they may also have access to other elements of the package, including Bounce Back loans, tax deferrals, rental support, mortgage holidays, self-isolation support payments and other business support grants.

As of 3 November 2020, Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) grants to the value of £382m have been recorded as returned. This figure consists of £198m in payments being repaid and £184m in adjustments to existing claims.

HMRC aim to answer calls as quickly as possible. Where queuing is unavoidable, HMRC point taxpayers to their online services. HMRC have looked at the option of introducing a call back system but doing so increases waiting times to unacceptable levels resulting overall in worse customer service for the taxpayer.

Those businesses not eligible for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme may have access to other elements of the Government’s package of financial support.

Support for businesses has reached millions of firms, paying out over £70bn in loans and grants. This includes through the Small Business Grant Fund, business rates holidays, the Bounce Back Loans Scheme, the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, tax deferrals for VAT and Self-Assessment, preventing commercial tenants from being evicted, the Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme, and the Future Fund.

HM Treasury and HMRC are undertaking an evaluation that will assess the delivery of the CJRS and the Job Retention Bonus. The Government will publish the CJRS Evaluation Strategy by December 2020, and the CJRS Evaluation Report by the end of 2021.

The Government announced on 7 April 2020 that, as General Register Offices have been closed or operating at a reduced capacity during the COVID-19 outbreak, HM Revenue and Customs would allow parents to claim Child Benefit for their newborns without having to register their child’s birth first, to ensure they do not miss out on Child Benefit payments. Child Benefit can be backdated for up to three months.

The press release announcing these measures is at:

www.gov.uk/government/news/dont-miss-out-claim-child-benefit-by-phone-or-post-hmrc-tells-new-parents

Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme grants have been returned to HMRC where the employer no longer needs the grant, or has realised they have made an error, and have followed the guidance on putting things right. Between 17 September and 13 October 2020, a total of £27,933,329 has been returned to HMRC voluntarily, via payment and adjustment to claims. This is in addition to the £215,756,121 that had been returned in the period up to 15 September 2020.

Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme grants have been returned to HMRC where an employer no longer needs the grant, or has realised they have made errors and followed the guidance on putting things right. As of 15 September a total of £215,756,121 had been returned to HMRC voluntarily, via payments and adjustments to claims.

Individuals who did not file their 2018/19 tax return are not eligible for the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS). Special provision was made for those who missed the deadline in January, and they were given until 23 April 2020 to submit a return to be included in the SEISS. The SEISS legislation (Direction) clearly states that, for the purposes of SEISS, amounts of trading profits and relevant income are determined by reference to a person’s tax returns as at 23 April 2020.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer has said there will be no further extensions or changes to the SEISS. However, those who missed the filing deadline may still be eligible for other elements of the unprecedented package of financial support provided by the Government. This package includes Bounce Back loans, tax deferrals, rental support, increased levels of Universal Credit, mortgage holidays, and other business support grants. More information about the full range of business support measures is available at www.gov.uk/government/collections/financial-support-for-businesses-during-coronavirus-covid-19.

In all government-owned (ex-Bradford & Bingley and Northern Rock) United Kingdom Asset Resolution (UKAR) sales, customer treatment is a key consideration for UKAR and the government in selecting a bidder and all bidders have to agree to UKAR’s customer treatment conditions in order for their bid to be considered. This is a strict requirement, not open to negotiation, and is considered before bids are assessed on price. The purchaser is obliged to ensure the servicer of the mortgages is regulated by the FCA. For the latest asset sale and future sales the legal title holder must also be FCA-regulated. This is a contractual requirement.

Range of buyers, including active lenders, will be invited to participate in any future UKAR asset sales and we will continue to require bidders agree to our robust customer protections. However, selling UKAR assets to active lenders does not guarantee that customers would be able to access new products.

It is a legal requirement that all owner-occupied mortgages must be serviced by an administrator that is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). This means that customers are protected by the FCA’s Mortgages and Home Finance: Conduct of Business rules, and that customers have recourse to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS).

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) supervises the conduct of mortgage lenders and intermediaries through regulations. The FCA’s day-to-day operations are independent from Government control and influence. The FCA will take action against lenders and intermediaries that are found to be in breach of the FCA rules. This can include warning a firm and requiring it to take action to ensure future breaches do not occur, imposing a fine on firms and requiring them to arrange for customers who have lost out to be compensated, and ultimately preventing a lender from undertaking any further mortgage lending activity.

The Government is determined that borrowers are treated fairly by their lenders. Any dispute arising between a lender and its customers is usually best resolved by the parties involved. If a consumer is not happy with their lender’s response, they will be eligible to apply to have a further review conducted by the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS). The FOS provides a free, independent dispute resolution service for customers. Its decisions are binding on the firm concerned.

The FOS can be contacted by post at: Financial Ombudsman Service, Exchange Tower, London, E14 9SR, by telephone on 0800 023 4567, or through their website at www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk.

Applications for the second and final grant will open on 17 August. This will provide eligible claimants with a taxable grant worth 70% of their average monthly trading profits, paid out in a single instalment covering a further three months’ worth of profit, and capped at £6,570 in total.

Those claiming?for the second grant will have to confirm?that their business has been adversely affected on or after?14?July 2020.??The eligibility criteria for both grants are the same.

A business could be adversely affected by coronavirus if, for example,?the self-employed person is unable to work because they are shielding or self-isolating. A business could also be adversely affected if it has fewer or no customers.?More examples are provided on GOV.UK.

Taxpayers claiming the SEISS grant should keep a record of how their business has been adversely affected; examples of evidence are available on GOV.UK.

The Self Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS), including the eligibility requirement that an individual’s trading profits must be no more than £50,000 and at least equal to their non-trading income, is designed to target those who most need it, and who are most reliant on their self-employment income.

Those not eligible for the SEISS may benefit from other elements of the comprehensive package of support for individuals and businesses. This package includes Bounce Back Loans, tax deferrals, rental support,?increased levels of Universal Credit, mortgage holidays, and other business support grants.

The Government’s focus must now turn to economic recovery. The Government will support, protect and create jobs through the Plan for Jobs, which will provide up to £30bn of support.

In June 2019, the FCA announced new rules governing how firms can charge for overdrafts as part of their High-cost Credit Review. These include mandating that firms cannot charge more for unarranged overdrafts than arranged overdrafts, banning fixed daily and monthly charges, and a package of measures to improve the transparency of pricing. Firms were required to implement these new rules by 6 April 2020.

Overall the FCA expects these changes to make overdrafts simpler, fairer, and easier to manage and will protect the millions of consumers that use overdrafts, particularly more vulnerable consumers. According to their analysis, 7 out of 10 overdraft users will be better off or see no change to their fees. In January, the FCA also wrote to firms to ask them to provide evidence of how they arrived at their pricing decisions and continue to monitor the market for harms to consumers.

In response to COVID-19, on 2 April 2020 the FCA announced a series of temporary proposals to provide emergency support for consumer credit customers who were facing short-term cash flow problems as a result of the Covid-19 outbreak. The measures came into force on 14 April 2020. On overdrafts, the FCA expects firms to provide up to £500 interest free buffer for customers for up to 3 months if requested and make sure that all overdraft customers are no worse off on price when compared to the prices they were charged before the recent overdraft changes came into force.

On 1 July 2020, the FCA published guidance on further proposals to support consumer credit customers. On overdrafts, the FCA will expect firms to offer customers who have been negatively impacted by Covid-19 the £500 interest-free buffer for a further 3 months. Firms will also be expected to provide further support for customers impacted by Covid-19 including reducing the cost of borrowing above the interest-free buffer, especially if this cost of borrowing would otherwise increase.

Providers are ready and able to offer support to their customers who are impacted directly or indirectly by COVID-19. The Government encourages anyone concerned about their finances to contact their provider.

Wirecard Card Solutions Ltd is required to maintain appropriate measures to safeguard customers’ money under the Electronic Money Regulations. It does this by holding customer funds separate from its own money in accounts with credit institutions. Effective safeguarding arrangements are critical to help ensure that customers’ money is protected and returned if a firm fails. Adequate safeguarding arrangements which are compliant with the regulatory requirements are a condition of Wirecard’s ongoing FCA authorisation.

The Government recognises that the outbreak of COVID-19 may lead to businesses facing financial difficulty and uncertainty. In response, the Government has set out an unprecedented package of support for businesses, including the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS), the Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CLBILS), and the Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS).

Under CBILS, borrowers can apply for finance facilities of up to £5 million from 95 accredited lenders. No interest or fees will be charged to the customer during the first 12 months. Under CLBILS, borrowers can apply for finance facilities of up to £200 million (subject to a cap of 25% of turnover). Overdraft facilities are available under both schemes. Bounce Back Loans are also available for the smallest businesses to access finance quickly. Businesses can access loans of up to £50,000, subject to a maximum of 25% of turnover, with no repayments due for the first 12 months. To date, these schemes have provided over £40bn finance to over 970,000 businesses. The Government continues to work with banks and other finance providers to help SMEs access the finance they need.

More broadly, many lenders are also offering support for their customers outside the Government-backed loans schemes, including through for example, repayment holidays and arranging fee-free overdraft extensions.

The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) seeks to protect jobs and businesses across the economy, in both the private and public sectors. All employers with a PAYE scheme, including in the public sector, can apply for the CJRS directly through HMRC, subject to eligibility. In line with the rest of the economy, a public sector employer can only claim for employees that were on PAYE payroll on or before 19 March 2020 and which were notified to HMRC on a Real Time Information submission on or before 19 March 2020.

It should be noted that the CJRS will close to new entrants from 30 June. From this point onwards, employers will only be able to furlough employees that they have furloughed for a full three-week furlough period prior to 30 June.

Where organisations receive public funding for staff costs, and that funding continues uninterrupted, the Government expects employers to pay staff as usual and correspondingly not to furlough them. It may be appropriate for organisations that are not fully funded by public grants to furlough staff in certain circumstances, including when the organisation has experienced economic disruption due to COVID-19. Any claim through the CJRS should be proportionate to the reduction in revenue.

The Government continues to monitor developments and to engage with affected sectors, with the aim of ensuring that the support provided is right for these sectors and for the whole economy.