Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.
e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.
If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.
If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).
These initiatives were driven by Emma Lewell-Buck, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.
MPs who are act as Ministers or Shadow Ministers are generally restricted from performing Commons initiatives other than Urgent Questions.
Emma Lewell-Buck has not been granted any Urgent Questions
The proposals laid down in this bill were subsequently incorporated into the Family Resources Survey. See here for more information.
The Bill failed to complete its passage through Parliament before the end of the session. This means the Bill will make no further progress. A Bill to require the Government to monitor and report on food insecurity; to make provision for official statistics on food insecurity; and for connected purposes
A Bill to amend the Licensing Act 2003 so that licensing hours Orders can be made by negative resolution statutory instrument.
A Bill to require the Secretary of State to ensure that families eligible for the Healthy Start scheme are registered to receive it; to confer certain powers on government departments and agencies and public bodies for that purpose; to provide for an opt-out where the family wishes; and for connected purposes.
A Bill to require schools to provide breakfast club facilities; and for connected purposes.
A Bill to require the Secretary of State to undertake a review of funeral affordability and costs; to require the providers of funeral services to offer a Simple Funeral Service; to require the Secretary of State to make certain arrangements relating to Funeral Payments; and for connected purposes.
Roadworks (Regulation) Bill 2022-23
Sponsor - Mark Francois (Con)
Kinship Care Bill 2022-23
Sponsor - Munira Wilson (LD)
Free School Meals (Primary Schools) Bill 2022-23
Sponsor - Zarah Sultana (Lab)
Consumer Telephone Service Standards Bill 2022-23
Sponsor - Robert Halfon (Con)
Bullying and respect at work Bill 2022-23
Sponsor - Rachael Maskell (LAB)
Non-Disclosure Agreements (No. 2) Bill 2021-22
Sponsor - Maria Miller (Con)
Community Wealth Fund Bill 2021-22
Sponsor - Paul Howell (Con)
School Holidays (Meals and Activities) 2017-19
Sponsor - Lord Field of Birkenhead (XB)
At the Autumn Statement the Chancellor announced further Cost of Living payments in 2023/24 – as part of a package worth twenty-six billion pounds – this included additional support for disabled people.
I am delighted to be the Minister bringing forward this vital legislation to support people most in need.
Last month my Right Honourable Friend, the Secretary of State for International Trade set out the UK’s priorities for green trade and how free and fair trade can play a critical role in driving the global green transition.
Our free trade agreements are one lever to removing barriers to green trade, strengthening bilateral cooperation on climate change and the environment and supporting the delivery of the environmental commitments secured through the UK’s COP26 Presidency.
For example, both the Australia and New Zealand Free Trade Agreements have included affirmations of each party’s commitments to address climate change, including the Paris Agreement, and recognise the importance of achieving our respective goals.
The UK Presidency is clear about the importance of developed countries meeting and surpassing the commitment to jointly mobilise $100bn of climate finance a year through to 2025, from a range of public and private sources.
At COP25, countries highlighted that existing sources of funds from a wide variety of sources, including disaster reduction and response funds respond to loss and damage. It also urged donors and these other funds to scale up support relevant to averting, minimising and addressing loss and damage in the most vulnerable countries. At COP26 and in the run up we will push for progress on these actions and to renew calls for coherent action using climate, development and disaster preparedness and response finance.
Through the COP26 Presidency we are also calling for greater quantity, quality and access to finance and for responses to be joined up. The Taskforce on Access to Finance aims to align support behind the national climate action plans of developing countries to improve access to climate finance. The outcomes will be to agree a new approach to access, marshalling coherent, programmatic support for countries’ own, nationally-determined climate priorities, alongside specific, implementable recommendations to address the system of climate finance as a whole which includes enabling them to better prepare, build resilience and respond to disasters – averting, minimising and addressing loss and damage.
The Sexual Offences Act 2003 provides offences relating to the sexual exploitation of children, under Sections 10, 14 and 47 – 50.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) maintains a central record of the number of offences in which a prosecution commenced, including the offences charged by way of the Sexual Offences Act 2003.
Since the Act came into force, and up to the end of March 2020, the number of child exploitation offences charged by way of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 is as follows:
| Sexual Offences Act 2003 { 10 } | Sexual Offences Act 2003 { 14 } | Sexual Offences Act 2003 { 47 } | Sexual Offences Act 2003 { 48 } | Sexual Offences Act 2003 { 49 } | Sexual Offences Act 2003 { 50 } |
2004-2005 | 62 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
2005-2006 | 327 | 29 | 15 | 26 | 1 | 2 |
2006-2007 | 528 | 57 | 18 | 21 | 8 | 0 |
2007-2008 | 507 | 48 | 19 | 22 | 3 | 1 |
2008-2009 | 589 | 41 | 37 | 32 | 2 | 2 |
2009-2010 | 732 | 59 | 15 | 33 | 7 | 7 |
2010-2011 | 1001 | 92 | 12 | 51 | 4 | 8 |
2011-2012 | 949 | 83 | 18 | 57 | 3 | 17 |
2012-2013 | 943 | 78 | 26 | 90 | 8 | 10 |
2013-2014 | 995 | 81 | 36 | 89 | 9 | 39 |
2014-2015 | 1310 | 132 | 49 | 198 | 3 | 31 |
2015-2016 | 1556 | 163 | 79 | 277 | 11 | 11 |
2016-2017 | 2020 | 190 | 38 | 263 | 15 | 67 |
2017-2018 | 1978 | 184 | 57 | 191 | 7 | 28 |
2018-2019 | 1240 | 100 | 48 | 160 | 7 | 7 |
2019-2020 | 977 | 277 | 33 | 72 | 0 | 4 |
Data Source: CPS Case Management Information System |
There is no indication of the number of individual defendants prosecuted for these offences or the final outcome of the prosecution proceeding or if the charged offence was the substantive charge at the time of finalisation. It is often the case that defendants will be prosecuted for more than one offence in the same set of proceedings.
It is not possible to separately report the nature of, or type of sexual exploitation carried out on victims of child sexual offences other than by manually examining case files at disproportionate cost.
The Sexual Offences Act 2003 provides offences relating to the sexual exploitation of children, under Sections 10, 14 and 47 – 50.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) maintains a central record of the number of offences in which a prosecution commenced, including the offences charged by way of the Sexual Offences Act 2003.
Since the Act came into force, and up to the end of March 2020, the number of child exploitation offences charged by way of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 is as follows:
| Sexual Offences Act 2003 { 10 } | Sexual Offences Act 2003 { 14 } | Sexual Offences Act 2003 { 47 } | Sexual Offences Act 2003 { 48 } | Sexual Offences Act 2003 { 49 } | Sexual Offences Act 2003 { 50 } |
2004-2005 | 62 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
2005-2006 | 327 | 29 | 15 | 26 | 1 | 2 |
2006-2007 | 528 | 57 | 18 | 21 | 8 | 0 |
2007-2008 | 507 | 48 | 19 | 22 | 3 | 1 |
2008-2009 | 589 | 41 | 37 | 32 | 2 | 2 |
2009-2010 | 732 | 59 | 15 | 33 | 7 | 7 |
2010-2011 | 1001 | 92 | 12 | 51 | 4 | 8 |
2011-2012 | 949 | 83 | 18 | 57 | 3 | 17 |
2012-2013 | 943 | 78 | 26 | 90 | 8 | 10 |
2013-2014 | 995 | 81 | 36 | 89 | 9 | 39 |
2014-2015 | 1310 | 132 | 49 | 198 | 3 | 31 |
2015-2016 | 1556 | 163 | 79 | 277 | 11 | 11 |
2016-2017 | 2020 | 190 | 38 | 263 | 15 | 67 |
2017-2018 | 1978 | 184 | 57 | 191 | 7 | 28 |
2018-2019 | 1240 | 100 | 48 | 160 | 7 | 7 |
2019-2020 | 977 | 277 | 33 | 72 | 0 | 4 |
Data Source: CPS Case Management Information System |
There is no indication of the number of individual defendants prosecuted for these offences or the final outcome of the prosecution proceeding or if the charged offence was the substantive charge at the time of finalisation. It is often the case that defendants will be prosecuted for more than one offence in the same set of proceedings.
It is not possible to separately report the nature of, or type of sexual exploitation carried out on victims of child sexual offences other than by manually examining case files at disproportionate cost.
The Sexual Offences Act 2003 provides offences relating to the sexual exploitation of children, under Sections 10, 14 and 47 – 50.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) maintains a central record of the number of offences in which a prosecution commenced, including the offences charged by way of the Sexual Offences Act 2003.
Since the Act came into force, and up to the end of March 2020, the number of child exploitation offences charged by way of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 is as follows:
| Sexual Offences Act 2003 { 10 } | Sexual Offences Act 2003 { 14 } | Sexual Offences Act 2003 { 47 } | Sexual Offences Act 2003 { 48 } | Sexual Offences Act 2003 { 49 } | Sexual Offences Act 2003 { 50 } |
2004-2005 | 62 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
2005-2006 | 327 | 29 | 15 | 26 | 1 | 2 |
2006-2007 | 528 | 57 | 18 | 21 | 8 | 0 |
2007-2008 | 507 | 48 | 19 | 22 | 3 | 1 |
2008-2009 | 589 | 41 | 37 | 32 | 2 | 2 |
2009-2010 | 732 | 59 | 15 | 33 | 7 | 7 |
2010-2011 | 1001 | 92 | 12 | 51 | 4 | 8 |
2011-2012 | 949 | 83 | 18 | 57 | 3 | 17 |
2012-2013 | 943 | 78 | 26 | 90 | 8 | 10 |
2013-2014 | 995 | 81 | 36 | 89 | 9 | 39 |
2014-2015 | 1310 | 132 | 49 | 198 | 3 | 31 |
2015-2016 | 1556 | 163 | 79 | 277 | 11 | 11 |
2016-2017 | 2020 | 190 | 38 | 263 | 15 | 67 |
2017-2018 | 1978 | 184 | 57 | 191 | 7 | 28 |
2018-2019 | 1240 | 100 | 48 | 160 | 7 | 7 |
2019-2020 | 977 | 277 | 33 | 72 | 0 | 4 |
Data Source: CPS Case Management Information System |
There is no indication of the number of individual defendants prosecuted for these offences or the final outcome of the prosecution proceeding or if the charged offence was the substantive charge at the time of finalisation. It is often the case that defendants will be prosecuted for more than one offence in the same set of proceedings.
It is not possible to separately report the nature of, or type of sexual exploitation carried out on victims of child sexual offences other than by manually examining case files at disproportionate cost.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) maintains a central record of the number of offences in which a prosecution commenced, including offences charged by way of the Modern Slavery Act 2015. This data may be further disaggregated by the child abuse case monitoring flag. The CPS definition of child abuse covers any case where the victim was under 18 years of age at the time of the offence and includes allegations or crimes perpetrated by both adults and under 18s.
Since the Act came into force and up to the end of March 2020, the number of Modern Slavery Act offences flagged as child abuse is as follows:
| 2015-2016 | 2016-2017 | 2017-2018 | 2018-2019 | 2019-2020 |
Modern Slavery Act 2015 { 1 } | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
Modern Slavery Act 2015 { 2 } | 1 | 21 | 26 | 5 | 30 |
Data Source: CPS Management Information System |
There is no indication of the number of individual defendants prosecuted for these offences or the final outcome of the prosecution proceeding or if the charged offence was the substantive charge at the time of finalisation. It is often the case that defendants will be prosecuted for more than one offence in the same set of proceedings.
It is not possible to separately report the nature of, or type of exploitation carried out on victims of modern slavery or trafficking offences other than by manually examining case files at disproportionate cost.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) maintains a central record of the number of offences in which a prosecution commenced, including offences charged by way of the Modern Slavery Act 2015. This data may be further disaggregated by the child abuse case monitoring flag. The CPS definition of child abuse covers any case where the victim was under 18 years of age at the time of the offence and includes allegations or crimes perpetrated by both adults and under 18s.
Since the Act came into force and up to the end of March 2020, the number of Modern Slavery Act offences flagged as child abuse is as follows:
| 2015-2016 | 2016-2017 | 2017-2018 | 2018-2019 | 2019-2020 |
Modern Slavery Act 2015 { 1 } | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
Modern Slavery Act 2015 { 2 } | 1 | 21 | 26 | 5 | 30 |
Data Source: CPS Management Information System |
There is no indication of the number of individual defendants prosecuted for these offences or the final outcome of the prosecution proceeding or if the charged offence was the substantive charge at the time of finalisation. It is often the case that defendants will be prosecuted for more than one offence in the same set of proceedings.
It is not possible to separately report the nature of, or type of exploitation carried out on victims of modern slavery or trafficking offences other than by manually examining case files at disproportionate cost.
I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 11 November 2022, Official Report, PQ77552. The latest figures show that 2.3 million more homes have been delivered across England since 2010.
I have been asked to reply.
To assist the hon. Member, I have placed in the Library of the House documentation kindly provided by the Conservative Research Department, which outlines the evidential basis for this statement about the right hon. Member for Islington North’s (Jeremy Corbyn MP) security agenda.
It is a long-established precedent that information about the discussions that have taken place in Cabinet and its Committees, and how often they have met, is not normally shared publicly.
GOV.UK is updated regularly with the terms of reference and membership of Cabinet Committees, including the National Space Council.
A significant cross Government effort is underway to ensure the thousands of Afghans who were evacuated to the UK receive the support they need to rebuild their lives, find work, pursue education, and integrate into local communities. Hundreds of staff across Government have been working tirelessly to bring as many British nationals and eligible Afghans as possible back to the UK.
As stated in the answer to PQ 105615, in line with the practice of successive administrations, details of the discussions that have taken place in Cabinet and its Committees, how often they have met, and who attended is not normally disclosed.
Membership of the National Security Council is publicly available on GOV.UK.
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond.
Further to the answer given to PQ 45531 on 29 May 2020, additional mortuary capacity has been procured by a range of organisations in the private and public sectors, including central government, to ensure that the deceased are treated with dignity and respect. Cabinet Office does not hold complete data on specific utilisation of additional storage units.
Additional mortuary capacity has been procured by a range of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the response to the Covid-19 pandemic, including central government departments, NHS trusts, local authorities and funeral directors, to ensure that the deceased are treated with dignity and respect. We do not hold detailed information on the capacity or utilisation rate of unlicensed private sector sites maintained by the estimated 5,000 or so funeral directors in England.
The Cabinet Office has procured units to provide up to 30,000 additional temporary mortuary spaces across the UK, as part of the government’s responsible contingency planning for a reasonable worst case scenario.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is working closely with local partners to support them in their preparations. The Ministry of Justice are working to support the sector, and are working with DWP to ensure the bereaved are supported, including speeding up the processing time for Funeral Expense Payments.
This information is not held centrally and can only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
It is a long-established precedent that information about the discussions that have taken place in Cabinet and its Committees, and how often they have met, is not normally shared publicly.
It is a long-established precedent that information about the discussions that have taken place in Cabinet and its Committees, and how often they have met, is not normally shared publicly.
We recognise that this is a difficult time for families across the country who are struggling with their bills due to the rise in the cost of living.
A number of operators choose to link their annual price rises to either the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) and Retail Price Index (RPI). Due to the differences in the way they are calculated, RPI is traditionally higher than CPI. Whether CPI or RPI-linked, it is important that clauses within mobile contracts - such as price rises - are clear and transparent so consumers know what they are signing up to.
Ofcom, as the independent regulator, has a statutory duty to monitor ongoing household affordability in the sector, and Part C of their General Conditions require telecoms companies to provide clear information about their services.
On 9 February 2023, Ofcom announced a review into the transparency of in-contract price rises including those linked to CPI and RPI. Ofcom expects their review to conclude by the end of the year. We look forward to reading their findings.
In regards to the Broadband Programmes (Building Digital UK), no grant money was returned to DCMS by South Tyneside Council in the last two years.
BEIS policy relates to each grant scheme being run by its own Senior Responsible Owner who will manage reconciliations and money returned by local authorities to BEIS.
This information is not held centrally and can only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
Across the COVID-19 business grant schemes South Tyneside Council was allocated £59.8 million. Of this £51.5 million was reported as disbursed to eligible businesses with £8.3 million due to be returned to BEIS at the end of scheme reconciliation.
Initial funding allocations were based on estimates of the eligible local business population, with local authorities required to return unallocated funding to BEIS. Further allocation and spend data for each scheme, including guidance on the methodologies of the initial allocations, can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-grant-funding-local-authority-payments-to-small-and-medium-businesses.
Using threats to ‘fire and rehire’ as a tactic to pressure workers during negotiations is unacceptable. Employers should refer to Acas’ guidance, which sets out that dismissal and re-engagement should only be considered an option of last resort.
The United Kingdom has one of the best records on workers’ rights in the world - going further than the EU in many areas – and we believe the UK’s current three-tiered employment status framework strikes the right balance between the flexibility our economy needs and protections for workers.
This Government is committed to making the UK a global science and technology superpower and a meaningful actor in space. This will be achieved through the UK’s first comprehensive national space strategy that unleashes growth and innovation in the UK space sector. The strategy is progressing and will be published in due course.
The Government continues to take a portfolio-based approach to Covid-19 vaccine procurement, which monitors the landscape of vaccines in development in the UK and internationally. Although we continue to investigate further potential vaccine candidates worldwide, we are currently not able to give any further information on these candidates owing to commercial sensitivity. If we enter into further agreements, we will publish details of those in the usual manner.
The Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG) is a discretionary scheme aimed at supporting businesses, including those that have not been mandated to close but have had their trade adversely affected by the nationalised restrictions. Local Authorities have been allocated a further £500m in discretionary funding via the ARG, in addition to £1.1bn already allocated in November 2020. Local Authorities can use the ARG to support businesses in their local area, as they see fit. We expect Local Authorities to use this additional resource quickly to support businesses in their area. Local Authorities are able to use the Additional Restrictions Grant until the end of the financial year 2021/2022.
This data relates to allocations and grant payments made by Local Authorities to businesses up to 17 January 2021:
My Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister recently announced on £160 million of new funding towards investment to upgrade ports and infrastructure, to ensure UK ports have the necessary facilities and capabilities to meet the future needs of offshore wind developers.
The expected rapid deployment of offshore wind across the UK, Europe and globally over the next decade, together with the increasing size of turbines, means that there is a need for a major expansion in manufacturing capacity in the coming years.
The ‘Offshore wind manufacturing investment support scheme’ aims to accelerate the development of large-scale manufacturing portside hubs, which could see financial support to strengthen the UK’s offshore wind manufacturing capability, creating employment and investment in both coastal communities and the wider supply chain.
Following the Request for Information in October 2020, the Department has now launched a formal competitive process on a single large coastal manufacturing site for the offshore wind industry. This would generate manufacturing clusters where several large-scale producers can co-locate.
The National Minimum Wage (Offshore Employment) (Amendment) Order 2020 came into force on 1 October 2020. It extended the National Minimum Wage (NMW) to all seafarers working domestically in the UK territorial waters. Changes apply regardless of where the vessel is registered or the nationality of the seafarers, provided they are working domestically in the UK territorial waters.
If seafarers believe they are not being paid the NMW, they should contact HMRC who will consider every complaint they receive, call the ACAS helpline (0300 123 1100), or use the online helpline tool for free, confidential advice about their rights and entitlements.
On 8 July 2020, my Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer’s Summer Economic Update announced the £50m UK-wide Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund Demonstrator (SHDF Demonstrator) to start the decarbonisation of social housing over 2020/21, and to support green jobs as part of the COVID-19 Economic Recovery Plan. The £50m project is a down payment towards the £3.8 billion Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund in our Manifesto, allocations for which will be determined in due course. This is a 10-year scheme, running to 2030, beginning with the Demonstrator phase in 2020. This will mean warmer and more energy efficient homes and could reduce annual energy bills by hundreds of pounds for some of the poorest households in society, as well as lowering carbon emissions.
The Department is working with Ofgem to assess the level and impact of domestic consumer energy debt this winter and we will continue to review options to support energy customers in debt, including those in or at risk of fuel poverty.
Ofgem rules require energy suppliers to offer customers at risk of, or in debt, the facility to repay their debt in instalments. Suppliers are also required to take all reasonable steps to take into account a customers ability to pay when calculating this. Ofgem issued an open letter in June, stating they would “not tolerate sharp practice or aggressive debt collection and suppliers could face enforcement action where this is the case”.
The Department secured an agreement with energy companies on 19th March 2020 to support their customers impacted by Covid-19, that, based on the circumstances could include reassessing, reducing or pausing debt repayments for households in financial distress. Companies have also agreed to refer customers who are struggling to pay their bills to third party debt advisors.
Under the £2 billion Green Homes Grant funding announced by my Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer on 8th July to save households money, cut carbon and create green jobs, £500 million has been earmarked for Local Authority delivery in England to improve the energy efficiency of low-income households.
The first phase of this funding, launched on 4th August, will see up to £200 million available to Local Authorities directly through a bidding process. The remaining £300 million will be allocated to the five regional Local Energy Hubs later this year to procure services that support upgrading eligible homes.
This funding represents a significant and accelerated down payment on decarbonising buildings to help stimulate the economic recovery and create green jobs.
The Government is fully supportive of all types of donation whether by living donors or not.
Most employees are entitled to employment protection such as statutory sick leave, protection from unfair dismissal and protection from unlawful discrimination. We would generally expect employers to be sympathetic when, for example considering requests for extra leave, which may be needed in these circumstances.
NHS England will also reimburse living donor patients in order to ensure that the financial impact on the donor is cost neutral. Through this scheme, living donors can receive a refund for loss of earnings and some other costs such as travel.
The policy on reimbursement was revised in 2018 in collaboration with NHS Blood and Transplant and is published on the NHS England website - https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/comm-pol-reimbursement-expenses-living-donors-v2.pdf
The Government condemns exploitative pricing practices in the light of the Covid-19 outbreak. The Competition and Markets Authority has created a Covid-19 taskforce to address concerns that some businesses are exploiting consumers through their pricing practices. The taskforce has already been in contact with traders about excessive hand sanitiser prices. Enforcement authorities will take action against companies that have broken competition or consumer protection law, and the Government continues to monitor these practices closely.
We are committed to making the UK the best place in the world to work and grow a business. As announced in the Queen’s Speech we will be bringing forward an Employment Rights Bill to deliver the greatest reform of workers’ rights in over 20 years.
These reforms include taking firm action to tackle what Matthew Taylor termed one-sided flexibility, where some businesses have transferred too much business risk to the individual, sometimes at the detriment of their financial security and personal well-being.
We will also give all workers the right to request a more stable contract, which aims to encourage conversations between employers and businesses.
Responsibility for collecting and enforcing the Licence Fee is the responsibility of the BBC. The BBC has confirmed that no enforcement action has been taken against over-75s for TV licence evasion at this stage.
The Secretary of State has been clear that the BBC must ensure that it supports those affected by its decision on the over-75s concession and we expect them to do so with the utmost sensitivity.
The Government has designed the roadmap for reopening premises following careful consideration of the evidence and scientific advice. The roadmap strikes a balance between mitigating the social, health and economic impacts of closures and the need to avoid a resurgence of COVID-19 infections. It also takes account of the cumulative impact of easing restrictions and the need to assess the impact at each step. Under the current roadmap, all non-essential retail will open at Step 2, not before 12 April. Indoor entertainment and indoor leisure will open at Step 3, not before 17 May.
As the business of Adult Gaming Centres consists entirely of customers playing machines within the premises, they are considered to be entertainment and will open at Step 3. The customers of Licensed Betting Offices (LBOs) may enter the premises, place a bet and leave with a betting slip, a transaction more similar to purchasing goods in a shop. While LBOs will be permitted to open at Step 2, they will be subject to a number of additional restrictions as set out in the previous Tier 3 guidance. These include showing no live sport or racing and having no chairs, as well as early closure. Under normal circumstances LBOs are limited to offering a maximum of four gaming machines and only two may be made available under these restrictions.
In recognition of the impact of requiring some businesses to remain closed for a longer period, the Chancellor announced an enhanced package of support at the Budget, including Restart Grants of up to £18,000 per premises, specifically for those which must remain closed beyond Step 2.
The Government has designed the roadmap for reopening premises following careful consideration of the evidence and scientific advice. The roadmap strikes a balance between mitigating the social, health and economic impacts of closures and the need to avoid a resurgence of COVID-19 infections. It also takes account of the cumulative impact of easing restrictions and the need to assess the impact at each step. Under the current roadmap, all non-essential retail will open at Step 2, not before 12 April. Indoor entertainment and indoor leisure will open at Step 3, not before 17 May.
As the business of Adult Gaming Centres consists entirely of customers playing machines within the premises, they are considered to be entertainment and will open at Step 3. The customers of Licensed Betting Offices (LBOs) may enter the premises, place a bet and leave with a betting slip, a transaction more similar to purchasing goods in a shop. While LBOs will be permitted to open at Step 2, they will be subject to a number of additional restrictions as set out in the previous Tier 3 guidance. These include showing no live sport or racing and having no chairs, as well as early closure. Under normal circumstances LBOs are limited to offering a maximum of four gaming machines and only two may be made available under these restrictions.
In recognition of the impact of requiring some businesses to remain closed for a longer period, the Chancellor announced an enhanced package of support at the Budget, including Restart Grants of up to £18,000 per premises, specifically for those which must remain closed beyond Step 2.
We will re-enable outdoor events such as funfairs and fairgrounds in Step 2 of the roadmap, as referenced here, subject to local authority approval where required. Step 2 will take place at least 5 weeks after Step 1 and no earlier than 12 April, subject to an assessment of the data.
Whilst outdoor events are not currently able to proceed due to the national restrictions, my Department looks forward to working across Government and with Local Authorities, Public Health England and the sector itself to get funfairs running safely and successfully once they are permitted.
The Prime Minister announced on Monday 22 February that indoor entertainment venues, which will include Adult Gaming Centres, will open at Step 3 of the roadmap, not before 17 May. The design of the roadmap has been informed by the latest scientific evidence and seeks a balance between our key social and economic priorities, while preserving the health and safety of the country.
At next week’s Budget the Chancellor will set out the next phase in our economic support package to reflect the steps set out in the Prime Minister’s roadmap to easing restrictions, tailoring support for individuals and businesses to reflect the changing public health restrictions.
Further details will be announced in due course.
There were 350 starts on the level 7 Artificial Intelligence Data Specialist standard in the 2022/23 academic year. Data for 2023/24 has not yet been finalised as we are part way through the academic year. Other apprenticeships may also contain elements relating to artificial intelligence.
Schedule 2 of the Children Act 1989 mandates that local authorities should promote contact between the child and his or her relatives, where this is consistent with the child’s welfare and is reasonably practical. This includes sibling contact.
However, the department agrees that there is an anomaly in the 2010 Care Planning Regulations and recognises that the honourable Member for South Shields has raised this issue in the past.
In ‘Stable Homes, Built on Love’, the department committed to a review of all legislation, regulations and standards of care to ensure all children in care receive what they need. Alongside this, the department will review the 2010 care planning regulations.
The data showing apprenticeship participation for the last five academic years is shown in the table below.
| 2017/18 | 2018/19 | 2019/20 | 2020/21 | 2021/22 |
Advanced apprenticeship (level 3) | 372,430 | 356,150 | 338,680 | 326,380 | 330,410 |
Higher apprenticeship (level 4 and above) | 84,240 | 123,950 | 165,510 | 207,860 | 238,820 |
Notes:
(1) 2017/18 to 2021/22 figures cover full academic years volumes.
(2) Volumes are rounded to the nearest 10.
(3) Participation is the count of learners that participated at any point during the year. Learners undertaking more than one course will appear only once in the grand total.
(4) Participation at intermediate, advanced, and higher levels is a count of learners that participated at those levels at any point during the year. Learners undertaking more than one course will only appear once at each level but can appear in the count at more than one level.
Further apprenticeship statistics can be found in the ‘Apprenticeships and traineeships statistics’ publication, available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/apprenticeships-and-traineeships.
The apprenticeship levy is an important part of the government’s reforms to create a high-quality, employer-led apprenticeships system, and it supports employers of all sizes to invest in high-quality apprenticeship training. Employers have developed over 670 apprenticeship standards, including 220 at level 3 and 315 at levels 4 and above, to build the skilled workforces they need.
There have been over 5.4 million apprenticeship starts in England since 2010.
The apprenticeships budget in England is used to fund training and assessment for new apprenticeship starts in levy and non-levy paying employers, and to cover the ongoing costs of apprentices already in training and any additional payments made to employers and providers. The department is increasing investment in apprenticeships to £2.7 billion by the 2024/25 financial year, and it is encouraging to see that in the 2021/22 financial year, 99.6% of the budget was spent.
The table below shows the total apprenticeships participation spend in England at level 3 and above from the 2017/18 academic year. This is the total spend for apprenticeships by both levy-paying and non-levy paying employers and includes apprenticeships started in previous years.
Apprenticeships participation spend (£ million) | Level 2 | Level 3 | Level 4 | Level 5 | Level 6 | Level 7 |
2017/18 | 622 | 746 | 68 | 55 | 33 | 11 |
2018/19 | 557 | 838 | 120 | 100 | 78 | 57 |
2019/20 | 473 | 885 | 163 | 132 | 133 | 118 |
2020/21 | 378 | 848 | 192 | 156 | 203 | 186 |
2021/22 | 421 | 953 | 222 | 160 | 290 | 216 |