Gerald Jones

The CPS is working closely with partner agencies across the criminal justice system to reduce the current backlog of cases created by the Covid-19 outbreak. This includes both internal measures to deal with larger live caseloads in CPS Areas and working closely with partners to ensure maximum throughput of cases at court.

Considerable progress is being made. In the honourable member’s constituency, Merthyr Magistrates’ Court has now reduced its backlog to pre-COVID levels.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond.

The Government has outlined an unprecedented package of measures to protect millions of people’s jobs and incomes as part of the national effort in response to Coronavirus.

A new Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme will be set up to help pay people’s wages. Employers will be able to contact HMRC, who will reimburse 80% of furloughed workers wage costs, up to a cap of £2,500 per month. This will apply to members of the workforce who remain on businesses’ payroll, but are temporarily unable to work due to the Coronavirus outbreak.

The Government is in regular contact with the major fixed and mobile operators, technology providers and Ofcom regarding the current situation. Discussions relating to measures and options to mitigate and inform on the impacts of Covid-19 are ongoing with industry stakeholders and relevant parties.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency’s (DVLA) online services, including renewals for drivers over 70 are available and have continued to operate as normal throughout the pandemic.

DVLA is currently working with reduced staff on its site in Swansea to meet social distancing requirements. Paper applications are therefore taking longer to process as they must be dealt with in person.

As healthcare professionals are rightly focused on their response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the DVLA is experiencing delays where information is needed from medical professionals in order to make a licensing decision where a driver has declared a medical condition.

The Department for Transport is in regular contact with airlines, airports and unions to understand the impact that COVID-19 is having on the sector and its workers. However, we do not comment on discussions held with individual companies, as this information is commercially sensitive.

The Department has been working closely with the aviation sector and HM Treasury to produce and support measures which will ensure there is sufficient capacity to protect global travel routes, continue repatriation, freight and maintain vital connectivity. The Secretary of State is regularly meeting with his Cabinet colleagues including the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in addition to the many more meetings attended by Junior Ministers and DfT Officials to help achieve these goals.

The Department for Transport has regular calls with trade unions at both ministerial and official level. These calls cover a wide range of issues, including the safeguarding of employment for employees in the aviation industry.

Bespoke financial support will only be considered as a last resort, once all other options have been exhausted.

Terms for any bespoke financial support would be structured to protect taxpayers’ interest, and the Government would expect to have regard to factors including but not limited to whether the business makes a material contribution to the economic activity of the UK, and the equitable and fair treatment across businesses in the sector.

Any bespoke support would need to represent value for money. Any Government support would also need to comply with current State aid rules.

DWP is continuing to process Mandatory Reconsiderations during the current Covid-19 pandemic and is aiming to avoid delay where possible.

The consultation on Changes to Human Medicine Regulations to support the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines received a huge number of responses, and we welcome the views of all individuals, organisations and stakeholders who participated.

We are now in the process of analysing those responses, considering any changes to the legislation we may wish to make, and will respond to the consultation in due course.

All vaccines will undergo a thorough assessment of quality, safety and efficacy before being licensed. The preferred route to enable deployment of a new vaccine for COVID-19 is through the usual marketing authorisation (product licensing) process. If a suitable COVID-19 vaccine candidate, with strong supporting evidence of safety, quality and efficacy, becomes available, we will seek to license that vaccine through the usual route. Until the end of December 2020, European Union legislation requires biotechnological medicines, which would include candidate COVID-19 vaccines, to be authorised via the European Medicines Agency, and a marketing authorisation granted by them would automatically be valid in the United Kingdom. From January 2021, the UK’s licensing authority Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency will have new powers to license all medicines, including vaccines. Any temporary authorisation of the supply of an unlicensed vaccine would be by exception and the timing of this would depend on the public health need. Following vaccine deployment, safety will be proactively and continuously monitored.

The Treasury regularly updates parliament on funding for measures in response to Covid-19. All adjustments to departmental budgets since Main Estimates will be published at Supplementary Estimates in the winter, in the usual way.

In July the Treasury announced an unprecedented guarantee that the DAs would receive at least £12.7 billion in additional resource funding this year to help them respond to Covid-19. The Treasury has subsequently uplifted that by £1.3 billion, to at least £14 billion. This gives the Scottish Government, Welsh Government and Northern Ireland Executive the certainty to ensure they can plan for Covid-19 response in the months ahead.

The Government has introduced an unprecedented package of support.

This has been targeted at the businesses and individuals who most need assistance, while ensuring that the measures are simple, certain and introduced in a timely manner to protect livelihoods.

The Government expects everyone to act responsibly by only claiming and using support as intended, and is keeping measures under regular review.

The Government continues to be at the forefront of global action to tackle tax avoidance, with a series of robust measures in place to tackle profit shifting arrangements.

Veterans UK has helped over 13,000 veterans since 23 March 2020.

Where urgent or vulnerable veterans have been identified, the Veterans Welfare Service has made immediate contact.

Our refreshed Defence Industrial Policy, published in December 2017, sets out our commitment to encouraging a thriving and globally competitive UK defence sector. The Ministry of Defence keeps its approach under constant review to ensure that the implementation and impact of our policies remain effective. We have decided in the past to adopt alternative approaches in specific areas, as we have done in Shipbuilding and Combat Air, and we continually assess our approach to other sectors to determine whether we need to develop separate strategies. Our approach to the Land sector is no different. Last year the Army launched the Army Industrial Engagement Framework which defined how the Army will develop a more cohesive and effective relationship with industry throughout the procurement and development process. The refreshed Defence Industrial Policy from 2017 remains the overarching policy document which describes our approach to industry more broadly.

Our refreshed Defence Industrial Policy, published in December 2017, sets out our commitment to encouraging a thriving and globally competitive UK defence sector. The Ministry of Defence keeps its approach under constant review to ensure that the implementation and impact of our policies remain effective. We have decided in the past to adopt alternative approaches in specific areas, as we have done in Shipbuilding and Combat Air, and we continually assess our approach to other sectors to determine whether we need to develop separate strategies. Our approach to the Land sector is no different. Last year the Army launched the Army Industrial Engagement Framework which defined how the Army will develop a more cohesive and effective relationship with industry throughout the procurement and development process. The refreshed Defence Industrial Policy from 2017 remains the overarching policy document which describes our approach to industry more broadly.

Our refreshed Defence Industrial Policy, published in December 2017, sets out our commitment to encouraging a thriving and globally competitive UK defence sector. The Ministry of Defence keeps its approach under constant review to ensure that the implementation and impact of our policies remain effective. We have decided in the past to adopt alternative approaches in specific areas, as we have done in Shipbuilding and Combat Air, and we continually assess our approach to other sectors to determine whether we need to develop separate strategies. Our approach to the Land sector is no different. Last year the Army launched the Army Industrial Engagement Framework which defined how the Army will develop a more cohesive and effective relationship with industry throughout the procurement and development process. The refreshed Defence Industrial Policy from 2017 remains the overarching policy document which describes our approach to industry more broadly.

The Government's default position on defence procurement remains competition wherever appropriate. The Ministry of Defence has a responsibility to procure the best equipment for our Armed Forces whilst achieving value for money for the taxpayer.