Greg Clark

The Cabinet Office, where the Equality Hub is based, draws from a range of scientific advice and expertise. The Equality Hub does not have its own Chief Scientific Adviser.

The Chief Scientific Adviser and his team attended COP26. The COP26 Unit draws from a range of scientific advice and expertise. In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of internal meetings are not normally disclosed.

The Attorney General’s Office does not have a Chief Scientific Adviser.

I draw on a range of scientific advice and expertise. In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of internal meetings are not normally disclosed. My Rt Hon Friend will be aware of this long-standing position from his time as a Minister (for example, as noted in Official Report, 25 February 2016, UIN 28557 and Official Report, 19 April 2012, Col. 520W.

The Cabinet Office draws on a range of scientific advice and expertise, including from the Government Chief Scientific Adviser, Chief Scientific Advisers in individual Government Departments as well as academics and researchers.

The Cabinet Office does not have its own Chief Scientific Adviser.

I have regular meetings with ministerial colleagues, officials and others including the Government Chief Scientific Adviser.

The Cabinet Office draws from a range of scientific advice and expertise, including from the Government Chief Scientific Adviser, the Chief Scientific Advisers in individual Government Departments, and academics and researchers. In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of internal meetings are not normally disclosed.

The Cabinet Office draws from a range of scientific advice and expertise, including from the Government Chief Scientific Adviser, the Chief Scientific Advisers in individual Government Departments, and academics and researchers. In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of internal meetings are not normally disclosed.

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy draws from a range of scientific advice and expertise. In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of internal meetings are not normally disclosed.

The Government is committed to delivering the manifesto commitment to introduce a new right of an additional week of leave for unpaid carers.

The consultation on Carer’s Leave ran from March to August 2020, setting out detailed policy proposals to create a new employment right for one week’s unpaid leave. The consultation received a significant number of responses, demonstrating the importance of this issue.

The Government response to the consultation will be published in due course, setting out the way forward.

The CSA, at the time Prof. John Loughhead, has been in meetings with the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy 3 times between 1 March 2020 and 31 May 2020.

The CSA, at the time Prof. John Loughhead, has been in meetings with the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy 3 times between 1 June 2020 and 31 August 2020.

The CSA, at the time Prof. John Loughhead, has been in meetings with the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy 2 times between 1 September 2020 and 30 September 2020. Prof. Paul Monks took over as CSA on 1 October 2020 and met with the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy 11 times between 1 October 2020 and 30 November 2020. This is a total of 13 meetings between 1 September 2020 and 30 November 2020

The CSA, Prof. Paul Monks, has been in meetings with the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy 23 times between 1 December 2020 and 28 February 2021.

We are in the process of recruiting a new Director of Labour Market Enforcement and will announce an appointment in due course.

The main duties of the Director are to prepare a yearly strategy, an annual report, and maintain an information hub. The previous Director has already submitted his Strategy for 2021/22 and it will need to be considered by the Government and enforcement bodies before approval for publication, as required by the Immigration Act 2016.

The three enforcement bodies themselves are responsible for their overall work and enforcement responsibilities. They will continue to work hard to protect workers and bring enforcement action against employers who break the rules.

Chimney draught excluders are eligible for the Green Homes Grant scheme, including the cost of their purchase and installation.

BEIS officials are currently reviewing the published text on the Simple Energy Advice (SEA) website regarding this measure and will update it shortly to reflect the inclusion of chimney draught excluders in the scheme.

Ofcom, the independent telecoms regulator, has issued guidance to telecoms companies to explain how they can meet their regulatory obligations following the transition from the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) to IP-based telephony.

It is ultimately the role of Ofcom to ensure telecoms companies and network providers are compliant with this guidance, however, both DCMS and Ofcom meet regularly with telecoms companies and network providers to understand their migration processes and ensure that they meet their regulatory obligations.

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport draws from a range of scientific advice and expertise. In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of internal meetings are not normally disclosed.

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport draws from a range of scientific advice and expertise, including from the Chief Scientific Advisers in individual Government Departments, and academics and researchers. In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of internal meetings are not normally disclosed.

We have introduced a number of measures since the start of the pandemic which businesses in the UK inbound tourism sector can access. This includes the extended furlough and self-employed schemes and various government-backed loans, discretionary grant schemes, business rates relief and a reduced VAT rate.

The Chancellor also announced that Local Authorities in England will be given an additional £594 million discretionary funding to support their local businesses. This builds on the £1.1 billion discretionary funding which local authorities in England have already received to support their local economies and help businesses impacted. The guidance for the Additional Restriction Grant funding encourages Local Authorities to develop discretionary grant schemes to help those businesses which - while not legally forced to close - are nonetheless severely impacted by the restrictions. We encourage local authorities to be sympathetic to applications from businesses who may not have been eligible for other grants.

We continue to gather intelligence from stakeholders such as UKInbound and other members of the Tourism Industry Council in order to monitor the impact of COVID-19 on inbound tourism.

We are regularly engaging across Government to consider how we can most effectively support the recovery of travel and tourism across the UK, including via the development of a Tourism Recovery Plan. In the longer term, the ambitions and recommendations of the Global Travel Taskforce to restart international travel safely still stand.

We have introduced a number of measures since the start of the pandemic which businesses in the UK inbound tourism sector can access. This includes the extended furlough and self-employed schemes and various government-backed loans, discretionary grant schemes, business rates relief and a reduced VAT rate.

The Chancellor also announced that Local Authorities in England will be given an additional £594 million discretionary funding to support their local businesses. This builds on the £1.1 billion discretionary funding which local authorities in England have already received to support their local economies and help businesses impacted. The guidance for the Additional Restriction Grant funding encourages Local Authorities to develop discretionary grant schemes to help those businesses which - while not legally forced to close - are nonetheless severely impacted by the restrictions. We encourage local authorities to be sympathetic to applications from businesses who may not have been eligible for other grants.

We continue to gather intelligence from stakeholders such as UKInbound and other members of the Tourism Industry Council in order to monitor the impact of COVID-19 on inbound tourism.

We are regularly engaging across Government to consider how we can most effectively support the recovery of travel and tourism across the UK, including via the development of a Tourism Recovery Plan. In the longer term, the ambitions and recommendations of the Global Travel Taskforce to restart international travel safely still stand.

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education had meetings with the Department’s Chief Scientific Advisor on the following dates:

• 0 meetings between 1 March 2021 to 31 May 2021
• 0 meetings between 1 June 2021 to 31 August 2021
• 1 meeting between 1 September 2021 to 30 November 2021

Furthermore, following the department’s Chief Scientific Advisors regular attendance at the Scientific Advisor Group for Emergencies (SAGE), advice is shared with the Secretary of State, ministers and senior officials consistently via email.

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, had meetings with the Department’s Chief Scientific Adviser on the following dates:

(a) 4 meetings between 1 March 2020 to 31 May 2020

(b) 3 meetings between 1 June 2020 to 31 August 2020

(c) 0 meetings between 1 September 2020 to 30 November 2020

(d) 6 meetings between 1 December 2020 to 28 February 2021

It should be noted that key scientific evidence and advice from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies and other sources is made available to the Secretary of State on a weekly basis.

The Chief Scientific Advisor for the Department, attended 1 meeting with my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education during the time period a) from 1 September to 30 November 2019. He also attended 1 meeting with the Secretary of State during the time period b) from 1 December 2019 to 29 February 2020.

The Secretary of State attended 13 meetings with his Chief Scientific Adviser (CSA) between 1 March 2021 and 31 May 2021; 11 meetings between 1 June 2021 and 31 August 2021; and 16 meetings between 1 September 2021 and 30 November 2021.

The Department’s junior Ministers also attend meetings with their CSA.

In 2019 correspondence between the UK CVO and the EU Commission, the Commission assured us that aquaculture Live Bivalve Molluscs (LBMs) for purification could be exported to the EU after the end of the Transition period. We understood that there would be a temporary export ban on wild harvested LBMs only, pending the introduction of new European Health Certificates (EHCs) in April 2021. The relevant correspondence was placed in the House of Commons library on 17 February. Following the end of the transition period, the Commission stated that LBMs from GB class B waters cannot be imported to the EU for purification. It is unacceptable that the Commission has changed its position regarding the export of live bivalve molluscs from Class B waters. There is no scientific or technical justification for this, and it is already impacting businesses on both sides of the channel. Defra intends to raise this issue through the SPS Committee under the TCA, now that the agreement has been ratified.

Defra officials have continued to engage with the Shellfish Association of Great Britain and individual businesses to understand the impacts of this issue and adaptation options. The number of businesses experiencing significant direct impacts is small, but those impacts are extensive. The UK Government provided up to £23m in early 2021 through the Seafood Response Scheme (SRF) and Seafood Disruption Support Scheme. The SRF provided fixed cost support for eligible seafood business across the UK. Some LBM businesses benefitted from grants of up to £10k. In addition, £32.7m was committed to replace previous European seafood funding across the UK. In England the Fisheries and Seafood Scheme launched in April 2021. This scheme is open to shellfish fishers, cultivators, and processors, including those wishing to invest in infrastructure to help them adapt to new markets.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has considered proposals from industry for changes to the process for classifying shellfish harvesting areas. The FSA agreed there was scope for improvement and, as a first step has reviewed its approach for Class A beds. The FSA is extending the criteria for excluding E. coli testing results that are uncharacteristically higher than those usually seen in an area. These changes will help ensure decisions affecting classification of harvesting areas are proportionate, provide appropriate levels of public health protection, and remain compliant with the legislation in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The FSA advises that there is no added risk to consumers from the changes. It has applied rigorous scientific evidence so public health will continue to be protected. In addition, the FSA has reviewed monitoring data for borderline Class B areas and, to date, 20 shellfish harvesting areas in England and Wales have been awarded Class A status for all or part of the year. These changes and updated classifications have the potential to impact a small number of individual harvesting areas and exports to the EU, illustrating the Government's commitment to support businesses while maintaining the existing high standards of consumer protection.

Defra has made no assessment of the performance of Urbaser Ltd or any other waste company in respect of local authority refuse and recycling collections or street cleaning.

Local councils are responsible for keeping their public land clear of litter and refuse. It is up to councils to decide how best to meet their statutory duty to keep their relevant land clear of litter and refuse.

The Secretary of State attended six meetings with his Chief Scientific Adviser (CSA) between 1 March 2020 and 31 May 2020; 14 meetings between 1 June 2020 and 31 August 2020; 22 meetings between 1 September 2020 and 30 November 2020; and 12 meetings between 1 December 2020 and 28 February 2021.

The Department’s Junior Ministers also attend meetings with their CSA.

The current Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has been in post since 13 February 2020. Between 13 February and 29 February 2020, he attended one meeting with his Chief Scientific Adviser (CSA).

The previous Secretary of State attended one meeting with her CSA between 1 September and 30 November 2019, and two meetings between 1 December 2019 and 12 February 2020.

Between 1 September and 1 October 2019, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs did not have a CSA in post.

The Department’s Junior Ministers also attend meetings with their CSA.

The DFID Chief Scientific Adviser met with the previous Secretary of State, Alok Sharma, 3 times during the period 1 September to 30 November 2019.

She also met with the previous Secretary of State Alok Sharma on 4 occasions between 1 December 2019 and 12 February 2020 and with the current Secretary of State, Anne Marie Trevelyan, on 4 occasions between 13 February and 29 February 2020.

The Chief Scientific Adviser continues to provide all Ministers with regular written submissions and briefings on DFID science and research activities.

The Department for International Trade draws from a range of scientific advice and expertise, including its Chief Scientific Adviser. In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of internal meetings are not normally disclosed.

I refer the hon. Member to my answer given on 27 May 2020 to Question UIN: 48351.

The Department for International Trade draws from a range of scientific advice and expertise, including from the Government Chief Scientific Adviser, the Chief Scientific Advisers in individual Government Departments, and academics and researchers. In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of internal meetings are not normally disclosed.

Between 1 June to 30 November 2021 the Department’s Chief Scientific Adviser met with Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, with portfolio responsibility for research and science, (Minister Maclean and Minister Harrison) on seven occasions, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Baroness Vere of Norbiton) on two occasions, Minister of State (Minister Heaton Harris) on two occasions, Minister of State (Minister Stephenson) on one occasion and Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Minister Courts) on one occasion.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing staff who are working from home are mainly from support areas. These staff are fully productive and are not contributing to delays. Staff working from home is in line with Welsh Government guidance and allows the DVLA to maximise office space for operational staff processing paper applications as these roles cannot be carried out remotely.

The quickest and easiest way to make an application to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is by using its extensive suite of online services. There are no delays in successful online applications and customers should receive their documents 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 also been working with a significantly reduced number of staff on site to ensure social distancing in line with Welsh Government requirements.

The DVLA has introduced additional online services and is urgently securing extra office space to house more staff. This will 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 to process paper applications as quickly as possible.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has added new ways and updated existing methods to ensure clear communication for customers. A guidance is in place to advise customers of the latest processing times. To date, this page has had almost two million unique views. The information contained in this page is based on customer feedback and designed to help customers with their most common queries.

The DVLA regularly posts information on its social media channels signposting followers to different sources of information designed to help customers transact quickly and easily with DVLA. Since September 2020, the DVLA has run two communication campaigns targeted at encouraging customers to use the DVLA’s extensive suite of online services instead of a paper alternative as online services are not subject to delays. Content is regularly updated on GOV.UK and incorporates customer feedback.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing staff who are working from home are mainly from support areas. These staff are fully productive and are not contributing to delays. Staff working from home is in line with Welsh Government guidance and allows the DVLA to maximise office space for operational staff processing paper applications as these roles cannot be carried out remotely.

The quickest and easiest way to make an application to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is by using its extensive suite of online services. There are no delays in successful online applications and customers should receive their documents 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 also been working with a significantly reduced number of staff on site to ensure social distancing in line with Welsh Government requirements.

The DVLA has introduced additional online services and is urgently securing extra office space to house more staff. This will 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 to process paper applications as quickly as possible.

Between 1^st March 2020 and 31^st May 2020, the Secretary of State for Transport attended one meeting with DfT CSA. Parliamentary under-Secretary of State Rachel Maclean who has responsibility for Research, Science, Technology and Innovation, attended three meetings with DfT CSA, during the same period.

Between the 1^st June 2020 and 31^st August 2020, the Secretary of State for Transport did not attend meetings with DfT CSA, Phil Blythe. Parliamentary under-Secretary of State Rachel Maclean attended three meetings with DfT CSA, Phil Blythe during the same period. Minister of State Chris Heaton-Harris attended one meeting with DfT CSA during the same period.

Between the 1^st September 2020 and 30^th November 2020, the Secretary of State for Transport did not attend meetings with DFT CSA. Parliamentary under-Secretary of State Rachel Maclean attended one meeting with DfT CSA during the same period.

Between the 1^st December 2020 and 28^th February 2021, Ministers did not attend any meetings with DfT CSA.

The Department for Work and Pensions draws from a range of scientific advice and expertise. In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of internal meetings are not normally disclosed.

Between 1 March 2020 and 28 February 2021, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and the Department’s Chief Scientific Adviser met in a total of 6 meetings. This included:

(a) 2 meetings between March 2020 – May 2020

(b) 2 meetings between June 2020 – August 2020

(c) 1 meeting between September 2020 – November 2020

(d) 1 meeting between December 2020 – February 2021

Between 8 September 2019 (when the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions was appointed) and 29 February 2020, the Secretary of State and the Department’s Chief Scientific Officer held one bilateral meeting.

The department draws from a range of scientific advice and expertise. In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of internal meetings are not normally disclosed. Due to the centrality of the COVID-19 pandemic to health and social care policy and research, the department’s Chief Scientific Adviser met frequently with the Secretary of State over the stated period.

The Department has not made an assessment of unmet need for Dentistry in Tunbridge Wells. NHS England has a duty to assess and commission services to meet the need for National Health Service dentistry in all areas of England.

The Chief Scientific Adviser (CSA) for the Department, Professor Chris Whitty, is also the Chief Medical Office (CMO) for England. Due to the centrality of the COVID-19 pandemic to health and social care policy CSA/CMO meets multiple times every week with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care.

All manufacturers of PCR tests for COVID-19 must meet the requirements of our validation process to ensure the accuracy of their tests. The national technical validation process for manufacturers of COVID-19 is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/assessment-and-procurement-of-coronavirus-covid-19-tests/coronavirus-covid-19-serology-and-viral-detection-testing-uk-procurement-overview

The Department does not hold data on the number of patients who have been discharged from hospital into care homes having either not been tested for COVID-19 immediately prior to their move or having tested positive in each month to date since, and including, March 2020.

As set out in the Adult Social Care Action Plan on 15 April, all individuals are required to be tested prior to discharge from hospital to a care home, and no care home should be forced to admit residents if they do not feel they can provide the appropriate care.

We will continue to work closely with the sector to keep our policies and data under review.

Since her appointment as Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, the Right Honourable Elizabeth Truss MP has met with her Chief Scientific Adviser three times during the period 1 September 2021 to 30 November 2021.

The meetings included virtual meetings, in-person briefings and group meetings.

The Chief Scientific Adviser provides all Ministers with regular written submissions and briefings on science and research activities.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) Ministers continually draw on science advice. Science is an integral component to the process of FCDO policy and programmatic decision-making, informed by the latest research and evidence, which is communicated to Ministers regularly largely through submissions, information notes and update paragraphs. The Chief Scientific Adviser also sits on the Executive Committee (ExCo), embedding science advice into FCDO's senior leadership's decision making. The former Secretary of State for International Development, The Rt Hon Anne-Marie Trevelyan MP, met with her Chief Scientific Adviser 9 times during the period 1 March 2020 to 31 May 2020, 4 times during the period 1 June 2020 to 31 August 2020 and did not meet on the 1 or 2 September 2020. The Chief Scientific Adviser, and her office, provides all Ministers with regular written submissions and briefings on science and research activities.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) Ministers continually draw on science advice. Science advice, and the use of evidence, is an integral component to the process of FCDO policy and programmatic decision-making. Scientific advice and the latest evidence is communicated to Ministers regularly, largely through submissions, information notes and update paragraphs, as well as in 1-1 meetings. The Chief Scientific Adviser also sits on the Executive Committee (ExCo), embedding science advice into FCDO's senior leadership's decision making. Beyond this, Ministers also regularly meet with the Department's Chief Scientific Adviser, and her office. I [Minister Duddridge] have personally met the Chief Scientific Adviser many times over the specified time periods, including 18 November 2020, 28 January 2021, with our most recent meeting on 3 March 2021. The Foreign Secretary most recently met with his Chief Scientific Adviser on 8 March 2021.

All individuals should follow the stay at home advice and should only leave home to travel internationally - or within the UK - when they have a legally permitted reason to leave home. Individuals should check the guidance for their personal circumstances before considering any travel, as well as any entry requirements in the destination country.

The Department of Health and Social Care, or the relevant health ministry in the devolved administrations, oversee domestic COVID-19 health restrictions. Further guidance on international travel can be found here online at www.gov.uk/guidance/national-lockdown-stay-at-home#international-travel.

The Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs and other ministers across Government need to carefully consider the internal scoping report that Mr Shawcross has produced in order to do justice to the important and sensitive issues it covers. This has been challenging while the Government's main effort has focused on our response to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it remains a priority.