Henry Smith

The?Local Authority Discretionary Grants Fund is aimed at small businesses with ongoing fixed property-related costs that are not liable for business rates or rates reliefs.

Local authorities are responsible for defining the precise eligibility for this Fund?and?may choose to make payments to other businesses based on local economic need,?subject to those businesses meeting the specific eligibility criteria.

We are asking local authorities to prioritise the following types of businesses for grants from within this funding pot:

• Small businesses in shared offices or other flexible workspaces. Examples could include units in industrial parks, science parks, and incubators which do not have their own business rates assessment.
• Regular market traders with fixed building costs, such as rent, who do not have their own business rates assessment.
• Bed & breakfasts which pay Council Tax instead of business rates.
• Charity properties in receipt of Charitable Rate Relief, which would otherwise have been eligible for Small Business Rates Relief or Rural Rate Relief.

Businesses already in receipt of the Small Business grant or a Retail, Hospitality and Leisure grant are not eligible for this fund.?Businesses who are eligible for or in receipt of the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme are now eligible to apply for this scheme.

There is currently no plan to change eligibility criteria for this scheme. Officials are keeping in close contact with local authorities to monitor the progress of the scheme.

Guidance for Local Authorities was published 13 May: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-on-business-support-grant-funding.

The Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) opened for applications on 23 March. The Government has been working closely with the British Business Bank and financial sector to ensure businesses can access the support they need. We have made changes to widen the scheme’s eligibility so that more small businesses across the UK can benefit from the scheme, by extending loans to all viable small businesses affected by the Coronavirus, not just those unable to secure regular commercial financing. For facilities under £250,000, use of personal guarantees are not permitted under the scheme.

We work with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), Department for International Development, and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) to support research on platform vaccine technologies and diagnostic tools that can be utilised as a rapid response during a pandemic. These form a component of the current DHSC and UKRI COVID-19 rapid-response call for proposals to address the threat of this novel coronavirus. Platform vaccines and diagnostics are an integral part of UKRI’s current approach for the development and translation of research findings into tangible benefits, with research funded across UKRI councils

DHSC and UKRI lead the UK Vaccine Network which brings together funders, industry and academia to identify and target investment opportunities for the most promising vaccines and vaccine technologies, including platform vaccine and diagnostic tools to combat infectious diseases with epidemic potential and to address structural issues related to the UK’s vaccine infrastructure.

Through the Network two vaccine manufacturing hubs have been established to streamline vaccine manufacturing. A £10 million award to Professor Robin Shuttock at Imperial College London aims to revolutionise the vaccine manufacture, stabilisation and storage, reducing costs, increasing efficiency and improving prevention of existing and new diseases. A £7 million award to Professor Tarit Mukhopadhyay at University College London aims to establish the UK as a global centre for vaccine discovery, development and manufacture, while also ensuring that new vaccine manufacturing processes can be used in low and middle income countries.

Carbon capture, usage and storage (CCUS) will play a vital role in meeting our net zero greenhouse gas emissions target by 2050, supporting both our Industrial Strategy and the revitalisation of the economies of the UK’s industrial areas.

The CCUS Action Plan outlined that deploying CCUS in industrial clusters has the potential to allow a number of carbon capture applications – for industry, to hydrogen, to low carbon gas or bio-energy with CCS in power – to connect to shared carbon dioxide infrastructure.

That is why this Government has committed to invest £800 million to build the first fully deployed CCUS cluster by the mid-2020s and £500 million to help energy-intensive industries move to low-carbon techniques.

CCUS is also likely to play an important role in achieving our Industrial Clusters Mission, creating the world’s first net zero industrial cluster by 2040. This is supported by up to £170 million from the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund to support the deployment of low carbon technologies and enabling infrastructure in one or more clusters.

HMT guidance on the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme confirms that furloughed employees can take part in volunteer work, provided that it does not provide services or generate revenue for their employer. The system has been carefully set up to encourage employees whose working is not required due to social distancing to take up a unique opportunity to support the frontline delivery of essential support services.

However, the scheme is not designed to help charities cut the costs of delivering vital services. Where staff are needed in organisations to provide vital services and help vulnerable people through the Covid-19 crisis, these organisations will be eligible to apply for the new £750m funding package that was recently announced.

The Government takes the issue of misinformation and disinformation very seriously. It is vitally important that the public has accurate information.

The Counter Disinformation Unit brings together cross-Government monitoring and analysis capabilities. The Unit’s primary function is to provide a comprehensive picture of the extent, scope and impact of disinformation and misinformation regarding Covid-19.

We are working closely with social media platforms to help them identify and remove incorrect claims about the virus, in line with their terms and conditions, as well as promote authoritative sources of information. We are also working with strategic communications experts to ensure that we are prepared to respond to disinformation campaigns where necessary.

The Government is also running a counter disinformation communications campaign, which aims to increase audience resilience by educating and empowering those who see, inadvertently share and are affected by false and misleading information.

The Secretary of State has met with the Chairman of the BBC Board and the Director-General of the BBC and asked them to do more to help those affected by its decision.

The Government is disappointed with the BBC's decision to restrict the over 75 licence fee concession to only those in receipt of pension credit.

We recognise the value of free TV licences for over 75s and believe they should be funded by the BBC.

Local libraries
Local authorities in England have a statutory duty to provide a comprehensive and efficient library service. It is for individual local authorities to decide how best to provide a public library service that meets local needs within their available resources. The net expenditure on the library service by local authorities in England increased in 2018/19 from 2017/18.

In October 2019, DCMS announced the £250 million Cultural Investment Fund, of which over £125 million will be invested in regional museums and libraries over five years from 2020/21. The funds will be used to upgrade buildings and technology so public libraries across England are better placed to respond to the changing ways people are using them.

West Sussex Council received £178,830 from Libraries: Opportunities for Everyone Innovation Fund in 2018 to ensure more people had access to digital technology by establishing a collection of tablets and laptops that could be loaned out to the local community. The emphasis of the project was on meeting the needs of disadvantaged groups within the council’s communities – such as older people or adults with learning disabilities.

Arts Council England, funded by DCMS, is the development agency for libraries, and also provides support to public libraries in England. Arts Council England is providing £1.6 million per annum to seven libraries’ organisations through its National Portfolio 2018 to 2022, including Libraries Connected, which is funded as the Sector Support Organisation for public libraries.

Regional Museums
In 2018, Crawley Museum reopened after an extensive, publicly funded renovation project. The project received £1.15m from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and £763,000 from Crawley Borough Council.

This independent local history museum puts community participation at its heart, including through its current exhibition in partnership with members of the Crawley Kashmiri community on the history, traditions and culture of Azad Kashmir.

Museums around the country are supported by Arts Council England as the development agency for the sector. Museums can contact area offices and Museum Development services to find out what support is available, such as National Lottery Project Grants which fund a range of activities such as developing collections, audiences, and skills. The South East Museum Development Programme is managed by a consortia of museums led by the Royal Pavilion & Museums, Brighton and Hove, and will receive £2m of funding from the Arts Council 2018-22.

On 8 January 2021, the department published updated guidance regarding the provision of remote education during national lockdown while attendance is restricted: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/952443/210114_School_national_restrictions_guidance_FINAL_14012021.pdf.

This includes guidance for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

During the period of national lockdown, primary, secondary, alternative provision and special schools will remain open to vulnerable children and young people, including those with an education, health and care plan. For pupils with SEND, their teachers are best-placed to know how the pupil’s needs can be most effectively met to ensure they continue to make progress even if they are not able to be in school due to COVID-19. The requirement for schools to use their best endeavours to secure the special educational provision called for by the pupils’ special educational needs remains in place. Where possible, special schools should follow the age-related guidance for primary schools and secondary schools.

Schools should work collaboratively with families, putting in place reasonable adjustments as necessary, so that pupils with SEND can successfully access remote education alongside their peers. All further education (FE) providers should give particular consideration on how best to support vulnerable and disadvantaged students and students with special educational needs who may not be able to access remote education without support.

The government is investing over £400 million to support access to remote education and online social care, including securing 1.3 million laptops and tablets for disadvantaged children and young people. This includes over 800,000 laptops and tablets that were delivered to schools, academy trusts and local authorities by 17 January 2021.

In addition, the department has also made £4.84 million available for the Oak National Academy, both for the summer term of the academic year 2019-20, and then for the 2020-21 academic year, to provide video lessons in a broad range of subjects for Reception up to year 11. Specialist content for pupils with SEND is also available. This covers communication and language, numeracy, creative arts, independent living, physical development and early development learning. Additionally, the Oak National Academy offers therapy-based lessons and resources across occupational, physical, sensory and speech and language therapy.

We have provided additional funding to one of our Demonstrators, National Star College, to provide training in assistive technologies to school teachers, leaders and special educational needs coordinators (SENCo). This training can be accessed by all state-funded schools and is available via the SEND hub: https://www.nationalstar.org/products-services-facilities/star-technology/accessible-tech/send-support-hub/?doing_wp_cron=1610617013.4222929477691650390625. The training has been designed to help secure remote education arrangements for pupils with special educational needs, with advice and guidance is also available to support the development of an inclusive curriculum. Between now and 31 March 2021, National Star College will:

• Boost the support available through the Demonstrator Network, through training specifically targeted on SEND practice using accessible technology in order to ensure skills and knowledge sustainability within the Demonstrator network.
• Provide teacher and SENCo training through online learning covering teaching techniques, accessibility considerations and assessment methodologies.
• Offer leadership training focused on inclusive curriculum design.
• Pupil assessments, partnering with demonstrators and SENCos to guide them through an initial assessment of pupil need before any interventions take place.
• Weekly training webinars (between 20 to 40 mins every Thursday at 4:15pm) focusing on the best ways to integrate accessible technology into classrooms – enabling teachers to improve the outcomes for all of their pupils. The webinars can be found here: https://www.nationalstar.org/products-services-facilities/star-technology/accessible-tech/?doing_wp_cron=1610617612.5390760898590087890625.

There is a wide range of resources available to support schools and FE providers to meet the expectations we have set. The Get Help with Remote Education page on gov.uk provides a one-stop-shop for teachers and leaders, signposting the support package available: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/get-help-with-remote-education. This includes helping schools and colleges to access technology that supports remote education, as well as peer-to-peer training and guidance on how to use technology effectively. It also includes practical tools, a good practice guide and school-led webinars to support effective delivery of the curriculum, information on issues such as safeguarding and statutory duties and expectations information for supporting pupils and students with SEND, as well as signposting support for recovery and catch up.

The government is committed to supporting young carers so that they are properly protected from excessive or inappropriate caring responsibilities and are supported to achieve their full potential. Consistent identification remains challenging, with many being ‘hidden’ and therefore unrecognised and/or unsupported.

Changes through the Children and Families Act 2014 simplified the legislation relating to young adult carers’ assessments, making rights and duties clearer to both young people and practitioners. This included promoting whole family approaches which triggers both and adult support services into action – assessing why a child is caring, what needs to change and what would help the family to prevent children or young people from taking on this responsibility in the first place.

The Department for Education also provides schools with £2.4 billion each year in additional funding through the pupil premium to support disadvantaged pupils. We expect schools to make effective use of their pupil premium budgets. Schools know their pupils best and will spend the grant accordingly to meet pupil needs, which includes where needs are based on a parent’s health issues or disability.

We published the Children in Need Review conclusion in 2019. This sets out our approach to helping schools and children’s social care improve the educational outcomes of children in need, including those young carers assessed as being in need of help and protection.

The Government made a manifesto commitment to ban the import of hunting trophies from endangered animals, and held a consultation on the issue between 2 November 2019 and 25 February 2020.

The COVID-19 outbreak set the timetable back, as many of our officials formed part of the response to the pandemic. However, we are continuing to work on this important area and will publish a response as soon as we can on GOV.UK. The outcome of the consultation and the call for evidence will inform our next steps.

The Government is taking action to prevent the killing of seals in English, Welsh and Northern Irish waters as a result of commercial fishing. The Marine Management Organisation has not issued licences to kill or take seals in the last ten years under the Conservation of Seals Act for the purpose of preventing damage to fisheries. However, the ‘netsman’s defence’ provision in the Act allows the unlicensed shooting of seals to prevent damage to equipment, or fish within it, and where specific firearms and ammunition are used. We have tabled amendments to the Fisheries Bill that will, if passed, make it illegal to kill seals intentionally or recklessly. These amendments aim to ensure that UK fisheries exports are compliant with the US Marine Mammal Protection Act. The Scottish Parliament recently passed similar legislative changes via the Animals and Wildlife (Penalties, Protections and Powers) (Scotland) Act 2020.

We know that potential zoonotic pathogens transfer from the environment, wildlife and livestock to humans. Research so far indicates that global changes in land use are disrupting the balance of wild animal communities and the beneficiaries appear to be species that carry diseases known to infect humans. It is estimated that 60% of all human diseases originate in animals. More intensive farming may expedite the spread of the pathogens.

The Department's Veterinary Risk Group and the Human Animal Infections Risk and Surveillance Group carry out horizon scanning and risk assessment for emerging threats associated with livestock farming and wildlife, internationally and domestically.

The Defra agency Cefas is currently working on a review of risks of zoonotic pathogens arising from aquaculture settings globally.

We routinely carry out surveillance on farms for zoonotic pathogens. We have significant surveillance programmes testing for TB, avian influenza, salmonella, AMR and brucelloses. We work closely with the Food Standards Agency on detecting food borne pathogens and with local health protection teams and environmental health officers to control any outbreaks of zoonotic disease associated with livestock farming, consumption of products of animal origin or exposure to livestock.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the Rt Hon Member for Chipping Barnet on 11 June 2020, PQ UIN 55899.

https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2020-06-08/55899

Defra has provided over £4.2 million in funding for Asian elephants living in the wild since 2015 through the Darwin Initiative and the Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT) Challenge Fund. These are competitive Defra grant schemes funded entirely through Official Development Assistance (ODA).

The IWT Challenge Fund and the Darwin Initiative have committed £2.9 million and £1.3 million respectively for Asian elephants since 2015 through 14 separate projects. These include a project seeking to reduce the illegal ivory trade in Cambodia, and a project supporting Nepal’s world-leading community anti-poaching efforts.

The UK is a Party to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), which places strict controls on international trade in tigers. We are aware of concerns raised in relation to the illegal trade in tigers and tiger farms and remain fully committed to working with our international partners, including through CITES, to ensure strong protection is in place and to bring an end to the illegal trade in wildlife.

A consultation on controls on the import and export of hunting trophies to and from the UK was undertaken between 2 November 2019 and 25 February 2020. The outcome of the consultation, and the accompanying call for evidence, will inform our next steps and we are continuing to work on this important area.

While allowed under EU law, the Government has made clear that the production of foie gras from ducks or geese using force feeding raises serious welfare concerns. The production of foie gras by force feeding is banned in the UK as it is incompatible with our domestic legislation.

After the transition period, there will be an opportunity to consider whether the UK can adopt a different approach to foie gras imports and sales in the UK.

Waste crime damages the environment, is a blight on local communities and the Government is committed to tackling this criminal activity. We have given the Environment Agency (EA) an extra £60 million to tackle waste crime since 2014 and have also made a range of legislative changes. In addition, the Resource and Waste Strategy sets out an ambitious package of further reforms to modernise the way waste is regulated, clamping down on illegal operators and improving performance across the sector. Some of these commitments are being taken forward in the Environment Bill, including measures to further strengthen EA powers when dealing with criminal operators.

The new Joint Unit for Waste Crime (JUWC), a taskforce dedicated to tackling serious and organised criminality in the waste sector was launched last month. The JUWC will tackle criminal activity including the large-scale illegal dumping, or false labelling of waste so it can be exported abroad to unsuspecting countries. It brings together the EA, the National Crime Agency, the police, HMRC, Natural Resources Wales and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency in a concerted UK-wide effort to share intelligence and resources to tackle crime which costs the economy at least £600 million every year.

Fly-tipping is unacceptable whether it occurs on public or private land and tackling this crime is a priority for the Government. In recent years we have bolstered local authorities’ powers to tackle fly-tipping. As well as enhanced powers to search and seize vehicles of suspected fly-tippers, we have given them the power to issue fixed penalty notices (FPNs) of up to £400 for fly-tipping offences, including to those caught fly-tipping and householders who pass their waste to a fly-tipper. FPNs provide local authorities with an efficient mechanism to hold fly-tipping perpetrators to account without having to go to court, which can be a time consuming, resource-intensive and expensive process.

If a prosecution is taken, then a fly-tipper can receive a fine of up to £50,000, or 12 months imprisonment if convicted in a Magistrates' Court. The offence can attract an unlimited fine and up to 5 years imprisonment if convicted in a Crown Court. Defra has worked with the Sentencing Council to amend sentencing guidance for magistrates to ensure that they are aware of local fixed penalty levels for these offences, but will continue this work to help to secure tougher penalties in line with our manifesto commitment.

We have also committed to the development of a fly-tipping toolkit, hosted by the National Fly Tipping Prevention Group (NFTPG). This will be a web-based tool to help local authorities and others work in partnership to tackle fly-tipping. It will cover, for example, the use of new technology to report fly-tipping, sharing of intelligence within and between partnerships, dealing with unauthorised encampments and promoting the duty of care to individuals and businesses. The Government is also consulting at the moment about strengthening police powers to tackle unauthorised encampments. The NFTPG has also published a Fly-tipping Partnership Framework outlining best practice for the prevention, reporting, investigation and clearance of fly-tipping and a series of fly-tipping prevention guides for householders, businesses and landowners.

The number of reindeer and the number of consignments exported from the UK to the EU in 2018 is as follows:

There were no exports of reindeer to third countries recorded in 2018.

There were no recorded exports of reindeer from the United Kingdom to third countries or EU Member States in 2019.

The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) can access information using Trade Control and Expert System (TRACES) for species of animals that require a health certificate for movement to the EU.

APHA does record Export Health Certificates issued for animals to third countries that do not use the TRACES system.

The information regarding reindeer imports is based on Trade Control and Expert System (TRACES) data. This data is provided by third parties.

There have been no recorded imports of reindeer into the United Kingdom from the EU in 2019.

The Animal and Plant Health Agency are not able to provide any data regarding the number of imports from third countries. This is because they are covered by a commodity code in TRACES which does not allow a breakdown by species.

The Secretary of State for Transport jointly chairs the Global Travel Taskforce with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. They and other Ministers have very regular discussions about its work with officials and industry partners.

The Taskforce has undertaken extensive consultation with the transport industry, international partners, the tourism sector, business leaders, and the private testing sector, and invited submissions from all of these partners on its work.

The Taskforce will submit its recommendations to the Prime Minister in November.

The Department recognises the importance of maintaining a thriving and competitive aviation sector in the UK to deliver connectivity.

Air Passenger Duty is led by HM Treasury. The Department for Transport works closely with HM Treasury and both Departments have engaged closely with the aviation sector to understand their assessment of the outlook for the sector and implications of any sector specific support measures.

In recognition of the challenging times that the aviation sector continues to face due to Covid-19, the Secretary of State has kept an open dialogue with UK airports. Engagement has included regular structured round tables with the Minister for Aviation as well as one-to-one calls, considered on a case by case basis. It would not be appropriate to comment on individual engagements or their frequency.

The Government is actively considering the concept of international travel corridors, including air bridges, and how they could be implemented in practice along with other measures.

Ultimately, we will be guided by the science, and the health of the public will always come first.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply previously given to the hon. Member for Cardiff South and Penarth on 20 May 2020, PQ UIN 43656.

The Department has been closely monitoring developments in the global aviation sector and how the international community has responded to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The UK has been working with a range of international partners to drive forward a shared agenda on public health and aviation through regular meetings and correspondence. The UK is a member of the governing Council of ICAO and has played a leading role in the ICAO Civil Aviation Recovery Taskforce (CART), which was set up specifically to address the aviation industry’s recovery from the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In terms of maritime port entry requirements, pre-existing control of infectious diseases is already in place through the Public Health (Ships) Regulations 1979.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply previously given to the hon. Member for Cardiff South and Penarth on 20 May 2020, PQ UIN 43656.

The Government recognises the challenging times facing the aviation sector as a result of COVID-19, and has been engaging regularly with airports throughout the UK to understand the impact that COVID-19 is having on their financial position. The Government continues to do so.

Businesses across the industry, including airports, have drawn on the unprecedented package of economic measures we have put in place during this time.

The Government has now made £3.2 billion available to local authorities, through an un-ringfenced grant, so they can address pressures they are facing in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government will continue to work with local government over the coming weeks to develop a collective understanding of the costs that local authorities are facing, and to ensure that they are managing as the pandemic progresses.

The Government’s approach to tackling coronavirus has always been guided by science. Testing will not identify everyone who is infected with coronavirus when they enter the UK – especially as some people might be asymptomatic. That is why we will be asking all travellers to self-isolate for 14 days.

The Government will continue to review whether and when additional measures are needed to slow the spread of coronavirus and we are monitoring the decision for some airports to trial temperature screening.

The Department has been closely monitoring developments in the global aviation sector and how the international community has responded to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Chancellor has announced an unprecedented package of measures which the aviation sector has made extensive use of, including a Bank of England scheme for firms to raise capital, Time to Pay flexibilities with tax bills, financial support for employees and VAT deferrals. Additionally, Government remain open to discussions about bespoke financial support, but only as a last resort. The Department has been in close contact with key industry stakeholders to understand more about their position and the support they need. Calls with the industry are continuing in parallel to our work to progress potential support measures.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply previously given to the hon. Member for Cardiff South and Penarth on 20 May 2020, PQ UIN 43656.

The Government recognises the challenging times facing the aviation sector as a result of COVID-19.

Businesses across the industry have been able to draw on the unprecedented package of economic measures put in place during this time by the Government. In addition the sector has been able to apply for the Bank of England’s Covid Corporate Finance Facility. However, if businesses across the sector find themselves in trouble as a result of coronavirus even following the Government’s cross-economy wage and financial interventions, the Transport Secretary and Chancellor have confirmed that the Government is prepared to enter discussions with individual companies seeking bespoke support as a last resort, having exhausted all other options. Any intervention would need to represent value for money for taxpayers.

Businesses across the sector are eligible and have accessed these schemes which has protected a number of jobs across the industry. We do not comment on the commercial or financial matters of private firms and are therefore unable to say anything further at this stage.

Before the impact of COVID-19, the UK aviation sector directly employed around 230,000 jobs (130,000 in air transport and 100,000 in aerospace). Following the sharp contraction in aviation demand as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, employment in the UK aviation sector has been significantly impacted.

Workers in the aviation sector are being supported by the unprecedented economic measures we have put in place, including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. At least 50,000 airline and aerospace employees have been furloughed using the scheme. However, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, easyJet, Rolls Royce and John Menzies are among UK aviation companies that have announced plans for tens of thousands of redundancies.

Government is continuing to monitor the impact on employment within the UK aviation sector, and as we now begin to re-open the economy, it is right that state support is slowly reduced and the focus shifts to getting furloughed employees back to work.

The Home Office will be introducing new health protection measures at the border, and details will be published soon. Further queries should be directed to the Home Office.

The UK is engaging with a number of key international organisations (including ICAO and IATA), and we are working with our international partners to drive forward a shared agenda on public health measures for international travel.

The Government has also established five ministerial-led taskforces to develop plans for reopening sectors which have been heavily impacted by COVID-19, including a taskforce on international aviation.

The Government aims to support industry in developing guidance on a baseline set of measures, based on the available evidence, and for these to become widespread and well-understood, thereby avoiding confusion and uncertainty for both industry and passengers.

The Home Office will be introducing new health protection measures at the border, and details will be published soon. Further queries should be directed to the Home Office.

All season ticket holders are entitled to claim a refund for time unused on their tickets in accordance with the National Rail Conditions of Travel.

We have worked with the rail industry to make the process for claiming season ticket refunds easier during this crisis, for example by allowing passengers to claim refunds remotely rather than returning their ticket to a ticket office. We have also allowed passengers to backdate their season ticket refund claim to 17th March, when ‘do not travel’ advice was first introduced, or the date their ticket was last used, whichever is later. The refund acceptance period for passengers has also been extended from 28 to 56 days.

The Chancellor has set out unprecedented support for workers - including those in the travel sector - to protect them against the current economic emergency. This includes the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme.

These measures, and others available through the Government’s comprehensive support package, have been designed to ensure that companies of any size receive the help they need to get through this difficult time. Government is committed to helping the travel industry through this crisis and beyond.

No estimate has yet been made on the number of jobs at risk in the travel industry as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.

We are aware that the coronavirus outbreak and related travel advice is significantly impacting all aspects of the travel industry. We are in close contact with stakeholders to monitor the situation. Our national priority is containing the spread of the virus. As soon as it is safe to do so, we will be encouraging people to book holidays and support travel companies once again.

The Chancellor has set out unprecedented support for business and workers - including those in the travel sector - to protect them against the current economic emergency.

The Secretary of State for Transport heard the concerns about smart motorways and asked the Department to carry out, at pace, an evidence stocktake to gather the facts quickly and make recommendations.

While I would not want to pre-judge the results of that work, what I can say is that we will continue to prioritise improving safety – making conditions safer for everyone on our roads.

The Secretary of State confirmed at Transport Parliamentary Questions on 30 January that all stretches of Smart Motorway that are currently being worked on will not be opened until we have the outcome of the stocktake.

We cannot commit to a formal review of the licensing of pilots over the age of 65 at this stage. However, we continually review matters of aviation safety, and are working closely with the CAA to fully understand the evidence base around this issue. This includes, but is not limited to, the EASA report referred to in the response to Question 2479.

We understand that the upper age limit restrictions on pilots can be a frustration and the DfT and CAA have worked closely with EASA to understand the evidence on what the upper age limits should be. At present, the UK continues with its policy of regulatory alignment with Europe, and EASA is still considering its position. EASA has recently asked for views from the European Aviation Medical Assessors Council, and it is expected that EASA will consult on any formal proposals developed. We will of course continue to contribute actively, and keep the situation under review when further evidence and/or proposals become available.

Between March 1^st and September 9^th 2020, the number of Pension Wise guidance sessions booked totalled 64,221.

The Government is committed to working closely with industry, regulators and pension scheme providers to help identify and prevent scams, it is working with Project Bloom, the Pension Regulator led taskforce, to stop scams and co-ordinate action against offenders.

Through Project Bloom, DWP works with other government departments, regulators, enforcement agencies and the pensions industry to monitor the evolution of scam typology and respond with a collective and coordinated response. Project Bloom is examining the range of measures that all agencies including providers and financial professionals could take to help prevent scams.

DWP will consider with Project Bloom, industry and the regulators the feasibility of how a training programme could be developed. This would build on training individual providers already provide for their people.

Through Project Bloom, DWP works with other government departments, regulators, enforcement agencies and the pensions industry to monitor the evolution of scam typology and respond with a collective and coordinated response. Project Bloom is examining the range of measures that all agencies including providers and financial professionals could take to help prevent scams.

DWP consistently works with other organisations to raise awareness of pension scams and encourage reporting, including regular campaigns, from the Financial Conduct Authority and the Pensions Regulator, conducted through the ScamSmart branding. Alongside promoting what to look out for to recognise a pension scam, the ScamSmart campaigns and website encourage people to report when they think they have been scammed. These messages are proving effective, in the most recent campaign prior to Covid-19, June to September 2019 over 222,000 visited the ScamSmart website to find out how to identify a scam scheme and report a scam.

The Government, working with the regulators and the Money and Pension Service communicates with pension savers to alert them to the risk of scams in the current climate. DWP continues to communicate regularly on social media to set out the warning signs of a scam and has made 18 posts referencing Pension Scams and ScamSmart in total across Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn in the period March to September 2020.

A joint statement was issued by The Pension Regulator, Financial Conduct Authority, and Money Advice and Pension Service on 7 April pointing to the actions members should take to help safeguard against scams. Additional guidance was issued to trustees, and providers from both The Financial Conduct Authority and the Pensions Regulator to support them to produce suitable communications during the Covid-19 outbreak.

Please see links below for more information about the joint statement from Regulators and the Money Advice Service, and help available, produced by the Pension Protection Fund and supported by government.

https://www.fca.org.uk/news/press-releases/covid-19-savers-stay-calm-dont-rush-financial-decisions

https://www.ppf.co.uk/sites/default/files/file-2020-05/COVID-19-and-your-pension.pdf

The Department and its Ministers work in partnership with a variety of stakeholders, including local authorities, charities and employer groups, and listens directly to their feedback about Universal Credit. At its core, Universal Credit is about ensuring we deliver a service which is tailored to individual claimant circumstances and abilities. Following the outbreak of COVID-19, we adapted many of our services to be delivered remotely, and we will consider if changes can be retained longer term. But, many claimants benefit from having face to face contact with Work Coaches to overcome barriers and we will ensure this method of contact continues to be used where appropriate.

Measures, such as identity verification, are key components of the Universal Credit claim process to confirm the accuracy of information supplied, allowing us to make timely and accurate decisions. In addition to our usual online verification, since early June we have been trialling the online identity service, Confirm Your Identity. This has enabled a higher number of claimants to verify their identity online, and we are continually monitoring and testing the impact this has on a claimant’s ability to verify remotely.

The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) has supported 15 studies on monoclonal antibodies and other therapies for immunocompromised and immunosuppressed groups, including cell therapy and the use of probiotics. Twelve of these studies are now complete and three are ongoing. All NIHR-funded research is expected to be published in peer-reviewed, open access journals once completed to promote translation into patient care where appropriate.

The COV-BOOST study was commissioned through the National Institute for Health Research and will provide vital data on the impact of a third dose on patients’ immune responses. Initial findings are expected in September. To fully understand how COVID-19 vaccines respond as a booster dose they must first be studied in people with a fully functioning immune system.

UK Research and Innovation is providing £4 million towards the OCTAVE study examining COVID-19 vaccine responses in clinically at-risk groups, including immunocompromised patients.

The Department does not have a specific men’s health strategy. Relevant issues are identified and policy developed on a condition specific basis.

We are currently working on ways to significantly boost further research on dementia and neurodegeneration. On 29 April, I hosted a roundtable event on boosting motor neurone disease research with the National Institute for Health Research Sheffield Biomedical Research Centre. The event brought together researchers, charities, people with motor neurone disease and funders. We will be working closely with these stakeholders over the coming months to consider ways forward for this vital area of research.

Heart failure is a key priority in the NHS Long Term Plan. The Plan sets out a number of key ambitions to improve care and outcomes for those individuals with cardiovascular disease (CVD), including enhanced diagnostic support in the community, better personalised planning and increasing access to cardiac rehabilitation.NHS England and NHS Improvement are investing £4.5 million in 2012/22 to support whole pathway improvements in cardiac networks and to reduce variation in care across the service.

To reduce readmissions, the National Health Service is supporting patients to better understand their condition, so that they can be supported to self-manage at home. The NHS Long Term Plan will provide for greater awareness of the symptoms of heart failure and to ensure early and rapid access to diagnostic tests and treatment. Greater access to echocardiography in primary care will improve the investigation of those with breathlessness - a key heart failure symptom.

Those people with heart failure and heart valve disease will be better supported by multi-disciplinary teams as part of Primary Care Networks (PCN). Development of a PCN Directed Enhanced Service for CVD prevention and diagnosis is ongoing and will be implemented in 2021/22.

Heart failure is a key priority in the NHS Long Term Plan. The Plan sets out a number of key ambitions to improve care and outcomes for those individuals with cardiovascular disease (CVD), including enhanced diagnostic support in the community, better personalised planning and increasing access to cardiac rehabilitation.NHS England and NHS Improvement are investing £4.5 million in 2012/22 to support whole pathway improvements in cardiac networks and to reduce variation in care across the service.

To reduce readmissions, the National Health Service is supporting patients to better understand their condition, so that they can be supported to self-manage at home. The NHS Long Term Plan will provide for greater awareness of the symptoms of heart failure and to ensure early and rapid access to diagnostic tests and treatment. Greater access to echocardiography in primary care will improve the investigation of those with breathlessness - a key heart failure symptom.

Those people with heart failure and heart valve disease will be better supported by multi-disciplinary teams as part of Primary Care Networks (PCN). Development of a PCN Directed Enhanced Service for CVD prevention and diagnosis is ongoing and will be implemented in 2021/22.

Heart failure is a key priority in the NHS Long Term Plan. The Plan sets out a number of key ambitions to improve care and outcomes for those individuals with cardiovascular disease (CVD), including enhanced diagnostic support in the community, better personalised planning and increasing access to cardiac rehabilitation.NHS England and NHS Improvement are investing £4.5 million in 2012/22 to support whole pathway improvements in cardiac networks and to reduce variation in care across the service.

To reduce readmissions, the National Health Service is supporting patients to better understand their condition, so that they can be supported to self-manage at home. The NHS Long Term Plan will provide for greater awareness of the symptoms of heart failure and to ensure early and rapid access to diagnostic tests and treatment. Greater access to echocardiography in primary care will improve the investigation of those with breathlessness - a key heart failure symptom.

Those people with heart failure and heart valve disease will be better supported by multi-disciplinary teams as part of Primary Care Networks (PCN). Development of a PCN Directed Enhanced Service for CVD prevention and diagnosis is ongoing and will be implemented in 2021/22.

NHS England and NHS Improvement are currently considering the Getting it Right First Time Programme report, which includes cardiology services and will publish their findings later in the year.

NHS England’s Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) includes data on heart failure collected in primary care and community care services. In April 2020, the QOF was updated to support moves towards earlier diagnosis and management. This encourages general practitioner surgeries to capture data confirming heart failure diagnosis. Cardiovascular disease encompasses a range of conditions extending from heart attacks to congenital heart disease and stroke many of which are heritable. Research is being undertaken on personalised medicine to detect genes that make people more vulnerable to heart attacks and strokes

The National Institute for Cardiovascular Outcomes Research collects data through the National Cardiac Audit Programme, which helps the National Health Service improve the quality of care by ensuring that heart failure data collection covers the most appropriate areas, including whether the patient has been referred to a rehabilitation programme following hospital episode.

NHS England and NHS Improvement and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence are developing proposals for the operation of the Innovative Medicines Fund. Timescales for a public engagement exercise and implementation of the Fund will be confirmed in due course.

Departmental Ministers and officials regularly discuss a range of matters with colleagues in the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and NHS England and NHS Improvement, including the NICE methods review. However, NICE is an independent body and is therefore responsible for its own methods and processes.

NICE is currently engaging with stakeholders and exploring options. However it is too soon to comment on the potential outcomes and any changes to its methods.

The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body responsible for developing authoritative, evidence-based recommendations for the NHS on whether new medicines represent a clinically and cost-effective use of resources. The NHS in England is legally required to fund medicines recommended through a NICE appraisal. As NICE is an independent body, it is responsible for the methods and processes it uses in the assessment of health technologies.

New commercial flexibilities and support structures have been introduced to support access and uptake of transformative medicines, including the publication of NHS England and NHS Improvement’s Commercial Framework which sets out the new commercial flexibilities available to the most clinically and cost-effective new treatments. Drawing on these commercial flexibilities, a host of innovative commercial deals have been agreed with NHS England and NHS Improvement and NICE in recent years, providing United Kingdom patients with access to the best value new treatments.

The NHS Long Term Plan sets the ambition to increase genetic testing and diagnosis of familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) from 7% to 25% by 2024. To achieve this, the National Health Service will undertake a service evaluation of child-parent cascade screening in seven Academic Health Science Network areas in England. NHS England and NHS Improvement have provided £500,000 to enable this pilot to be implemented. The pilot will be launched in June 2021 and will test over 30,000 children for cholesterol at their one-year vaccination over the next 24 months.

This will support early diagnosis by identifying families with FH before the onset of clinical disease providing an opportunity for prevention with statin therapy and where necessary other lipid lowering drugs. NHS England and NHS Improvement are working with clinicians and patient representatives to inform on a functional FH registry and are investing an additional £335,000 on a single life-long nation-wide database.

The NHS Long Term Plan sets the ambition to increase genetic testing and diagnosis of familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) from 7% to 25% by 2024. To achieve this, the National Health Service will undertake a service evaluation of child-parent cascade screening in seven Academic Health Science Network areas in England. NHS England and NHS Improvement have provided £500,000 to enable this pilot to be implemented. The pilot will be launched in June 2021 and will test over 30,000 children for cholesterol at their one-year vaccination over the next 24 months.

This will support early diagnosis by identifying families with FH before the onset of clinical disease providing an opportunity for prevention with statin therapy and where necessary other lipid lowering drugs. NHS England and NHS Improvement are working with clinicians and patient representatives to inform on a functional FH registry and are investing an additional £335,000 on a single life-long nation-wide database.

Each of the devolved administrations has a different approach to the delivery of genomics into the healthcare system. In England, genomic testing for familial hypercholesterolaemia is already available as part of the NHS Genomic Medicine Service through the genomic testing network of seven Genomic Laboratory Hubs for all patients in England who meet the eligibility criteria for testing as outlined in the National Genomic Testing Directory, which aligns with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guidance.

The Integration and Innovation White Paper builds on the commitments made in the NHS Long Term Plan. Whilst not having a direct impact on previous commitments to cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention legislation will allow every part of England to be covered by an integrated care system. This builds on the work the system has been doing since the publication of the NHS Long Term Plan, and is in line with NHS England’s recommendation of formally recognising the need to bring together National Health Service organisations, local government and wider partners at a system level to deliver more joined up approaches to improving health and care outcomes, coterminous with local authorities.

NHS Digital has made no such assessment.

The Integration and Innovation White Paper builds on the commitments made in the NHS Long Term Plan. Whilst not having a direct impact on previous commitments to cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention legislation will allow every part of England to be covered by an integrated care system. This builds on the work the system has been doing since the publication of the NHS Long Term Plan, and is in line with NHS England’s recommendation of formally recognising the need to bring together National Health Service organisations, local government and wider partners at a system level to deliver more joined up approaches to improving health and care outcomes, coterminous with local authorities.

NHS Digital has made no such assessment.

The report of the Review will be published in spring/summer 2021.

Our investment in the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) supports ongoing vaccine research and development to respond to an evolving virus. Whilst there are no current plans for United Kingdom Government-initiated international research into the COVID-19 vaccine response on immunocompromised groups, it is important to emphasise that the research community is truly global in its collaboration and studies, those planned or published, will be shared, discussed and closely scrutinised by international researchers in this field and vice versa.

UK Research and Innovation is funding research on vaccine responses in groups of immune-suppressed individuals specifically, as part of its support for the OCTAVE study. This study includes those with inflammatory disorders, high risk cancer patient groups, and patients with severe kidney and liver disease.

By mid-February we successfully offered a first vaccine dose to everyone in the top four priority groups identified by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), including clinically extremely vulnerable (CEV) individuals. The National Health Service across the United Kingdom will continue prioritising the first dose of the vaccine to those in the most high-risk groups; however, this will not interfere with everyone receiving their second dose within 12 weeks of their first. The second dose completes the course and is important for longer term protection.

As virus infection rates continue to fall, advice to CEV individuals to shield will cease from 1 April, but they must continue to follow the rules in place for everyone under the current national restrictions. Those on the shielded patient list will receive letters with updated guidance on steps people can take to reduce their risk.

Regarding longer term support for CEV individuals, local councils will continue to provide support to those in their communities in need and have systems and relationships in place with other organisations to provide that. The NHS Volunteer Responders Programme will also continue providing support with food, prescriptions and essential items to those who are self-isolating for any reason. This also includes anyone that is clinically extremely vulnerable, or anyone that is vulnerable for another reason.

Further guidance on shielding and protecting people who are clinically extremely vulnerable can be found at the following link: www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19

This data is not being collected in the format requested. Admissions and positive test data does not record those who are clinically extremely vulnerable or whether they have been vaccinated.

Decisions on the support provided to clinically extremely vulnerable people are made by Ministers in the Department, in conjunction with other Government departments as appropriate. In doing so, Ministers are advised by the Chief Medical Officer, the Deputy Chief Medical Officers, the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies and other experts.

The Green Book: chapter 14a defines adult carers as those who are eligible for a carer’s allowance, or those who are the sole or primary carer of an elderly or disabled person who is at increased risk of COVID-19 mortality and therefore clinically vulnerable. This includes unpaid carers and those who care for clinically extremely vulnerable people as a sole or primary carer. Adult carers will be prioritised for vaccination and are included in priority group six of phase one.

Other adult members of a household that includes someone who is clinically extremely vulnerable are, in line with the current Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation advice, prioritised for vaccination according to their own age, clinical and other risk factors.

We have made no such estimate as data is not collected in that format.

Weekly updates are published on the number of first and second dose vaccinations in England to clinically extremely vulnerable (CEV) patients covering cumulative totals, numbers identified as CEV and the percentage of CEV people who have received at least one dose. The data is available at the following link:

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

No such assessment has been made.

We will continue to engage with a range of stakeholders, including the rare blood cancer community, before publishing action plans that outline how the priorities and underlying themes in the Framework will be addressed.

The Government is committed to ensuring that the UK Rare Disease Framework is a success and will continue to engage with a range of stakeholders before publishing action plans that outline how the priorities and underlying themes in the Framework will be addressed.

Cancer Alliances have pathways in place to support diagnosis of T-cell lymphomas as part of their skin cancer pathways. No recent assessment on Sézary syndrome or Mycosis Fungoides has been made. However, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is due to publish guidance on the use of mogamulizumab for previously treated mycosis fungoides and Sézary syndrome at the end of March 2021.

Cancer Alliances have pathways in place to support diagnosis of T-cell lymphomas as part of their skin cancer pathways. No recent assessment on Sézary syndrome or Mycosis Fungoides has been made. However, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is due to publish guidance on the use of mogamulizumab for previously treated mycosis fungoides and Sézary syndrome at the end of March 2021.

Cancer Alliances have pathways in place to support diagnosis of T-cell lymphomas as part of their skin cancer pathways. No recent assessment on Sézary syndrome or Mycosis Fungoides has been made. However, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is due to publish guidance on the use of mogamulizumab for previously treated mycosis fungoides and Sézary syndrome at the end of March 2021.

Public Health England will monitor vaccine effectiveness in different targeted groups using a range of existing surveillance systems, new enhanced surveillance and by building upon established research studies in specific populations.

UK Research and Innovation has provided initial funding of £1.8 million towards the OCTAVE study in supporting research on vaccine responses in groups of immune-supressed individuals, including those with inflammatory disorders, high risk cancer patient groups, and patients with severe kidney and liver disease. Cancer patient groups include chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, myeloma, acute leukaemia and bone marrow transplants.

NHS England supports closer monitoring of Kawasaki disease and is now collecting data on incidence monthly, nationally and by region, by assessing finished consultant episodes coded for Kawasaki disease and Kawasaki like disease. In addition, the British Paediatric Surveillance Unit of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, funded by Public Health England, is conducting a one-year study of all cases of the disease in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.

On 23 December, NHS England and NHS Improvement published their operational priorities for winter and 2021/22. This confirms that maximising capacity in all settings to treat non-COVID-19 patients and responding to other emergency demands are key priorities for the National Health Service this winter. Cardiac services have been highlighted as a priority area for improvement through developing system-based recovery plans that focus on addressing treatment backlogs and long waits.

To support the NHS in tackling the impact of COVID-19, a £3 billion, one-year package has been announced for 2021/22 as part of the Spending Review. This includes £1 billion to address backlogs and tackle long waiting lists, by facilitating up to one million extra checks, scans and additional operations. Additionally, the NHS is running an ongoing media campaign ‘Help us help you’, which includes clear messaging for patients to call 999 with symptoms of a heart attack or stroke. NHS services will continue to adapt to ensure that they are there for those who need them, as well as launching a major campaign urging people to come forward for help.

On 23 December, NHS England and NHS Improvement published their operational priorities for winter and 2021/22. This confirms that maximising capacity in all settings to treat non-COVID-19 patients and responding to other emergency demands are key priorities for the National Health Service this winter. Cardiac services have been highlighted as a priority area for improvement through developing system-based recovery plans that focus on addressing treatment backlogs and long waits.

To support the NHS in tackling the impact of COVID-19, a £3 billion, one-year package has been announced for 2021/22 as part of the Spending Review. This includes £1 billion to address backlogs and tackle long waiting lists, by facilitating up to one million extra checks, scans and additional operations. Additionally, the NHS is running an ongoing media campaign ‘Help us help you’, which includes clear messaging for patients to call 999 with symptoms of a heart attack or stroke. NHS services will continue to adapt to ensure that they are there for those who need them, as well as launching a major campaign urging people to come forward for help.

The information is not available in the format requested.

Prior to the recent authorisation, the efficacy of COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine BNT162b2 was evaluated in two clinical studies. Both studies excluded immunocompromised subjects and therefore no data is available about use of the vaccine when used at the same time as immunosuppressant medicines or the immune response to the vaccine in those on such medications. The second trial allowed inclusion of subjects with autoimmune disorders who were not currently receiving immunosuppressants. There are no specific contraindications or warnings in the product information regarding use in individuals with autoimmune disease.

Evaluation of data for other vaccines is ongoing but will include a robust review of all quality, safety and efficacy data, including in immunocompromised subjects if they were included in clinical trials.

Vaccinations are being delivered at a wide range of sites across the country to give people options about how and where to receive their vaccine. These sites include vaccination centres, hospital hubs and local vaccination centres.

All vaccination sites must administer the vaccine in line with the best Infection Prevention Control (IPC) procedures including social distancing, ventilation and wearing masks. Large-scale centres are required to have an environmental risk assessment in place which is expected to cover requirements for ventilation in a pandemic when transmission and virus shedding is a significant concern.

The vaccine prioritisation is focussing on those most at risk of mortality and morbidity, beginning with care home residents and staff, people over 80 years old and frontline health and social care workers. People who are defined as clinically extremely vulnerable (CEV) are considered to be at high risk of severe illness from COVID-19. Many individuals considered as CEV are in the oldest age groups and so will be called for vaccination as part of their age cohort. However, for those that are not captured by their age group, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation also advises that, given the level of risk seen in the CEV group as a whole, the remainder of the group should be offered vaccine alongside those 70-74 years of age. People will receive an invitation to come forward to receive their vaccination, in the form of a letter either from their general practitioner (GP) or the national booking system. This will include all the information they need, including their National Health Service number.

Anyone who is in the CEV group and for whom the vaccine is contraindicated, will instead have a consultation with their GP or another clinician responsible for their care when it would be their time to be vaccinated.

The vaccine prioritisation is focussing on those most at risk of mortality and morbidity, beginning with care home residents and staff, people over 80 years old and frontline health and social care workers. People who are defined as clinically extremely vulnerable (CEV) are considered to be at high risk of severe illness from COVID-19. Many individuals considered as CEV are in the oldest age groups and so will be called for vaccination as part of their age cohort. However, for those that are not captured by their age group, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation also advises that, given the level of risk seen in the CEV group as a whole, the remainder of the group should be offered vaccine alongside those 70-74 years of age. People will receive an invitation to come forward to receive their vaccination, in the form of a letter either from their general practitioner (GP) or the national booking system. This will include all the information they need, including their National Health Service number.

Anyone who is in the CEV group and for whom the vaccine is contraindicated, will instead have a consultation with their GP or another clinician responsible for their care when it would be their time to be vaccinated.

The vaccine prioritisation is focussing on those most at risk of mortality and morbidity, beginning with care home residents and staff, people over 80 years old and frontline health and social care workers. People who are defined as clinically extremely vulnerable (CEV) are considered to be at high risk of severe illness from COVID-19. Many individuals considered as CEV are in the oldest age groups and so will be called for vaccination as part of their age cohort. However, for those that are not captured by their age group, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation also advises that, given the level of risk seen in the CEV group as a whole, the remainder of the group should be offered vaccine alongside those 70-74 years of age. People will receive an invitation to come forward to receive their vaccination, in the form of a letter either from their general practitioner (GP) or the national booking system. This will include all the information they need, including their National Health Service number.

Anyone who is in the CEV group and for whom the vaccine is contraindicated, will instead have a consultation with their GP or another clinician responsible for their care when it would be their time to be vaccinated.

The following table shows a count of patients that are classified as being on the Shielded Patient List (SPL) in England with a blood cancer disease group by age band, as at 3 December 2020.

The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care regularly discusses a range of issues related to COVID-19 with Cabinet colleagues.

Whilst there is a desire for the whole United Kingdom population to be vaccinated, there may need to be an element of prioritisation based on vaccine supply, availability and evidence as data emerges from clinical trials on safety and efficacy in different cohorts of the population.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) are the independent experts who provide advice to Government on which vaccine(s) the UK should use and which groups within the population to prioritise. The JCVI and the JCVI sub-committee are currently reviewing evidence on clinical risk factors associated with serious disease and mortality from COVID-19. Following a review of the evidence, the Committee will develop advice on risk groups for any future COVID-19 vaccination programme.

The latest JCVI recommendations on the priority groups for a COVID-19 vaccine is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/priority-groups-for-coronavirus-covid-19-vaccination-advice-from-the-jcvi-25-september-2020

The minutes of JCVI committee meetings and statements on COVID-19 vaccination are available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/joint-committee-on-vaccination-and-immunisation

NHS England and NHS Improvement have been using the University of Oxford’s ‘OpenABM-Covid19’ model for several months and it is used alongside other estimates and projections of hospital admissions including those provided via the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling.

Asymptomatic testing is currently mainly conducted for outbreak investigation and infection control - where prevalence is thought to be higher and/or where individuals are more at risk from COVID-19. This includes patients, National Health Service staff, care home staff and residents.

As capacity increases and new innovations come onstream, and as we gain new clinical and scientific evidence, we will continually review our approach to asymptomatic testing to ensure we are deploying it in the most effective way and expand our testing offer.

The UK National Screening Committee is undertaking work to estimate the impact of delays to screening programmes, including cancer screening, caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. This work is currently in its early stages and the results will be reported as soon they are available.

NHS England and NHS Improvement is working to clear the backlog of bowel cancer screening as quickly as possible. All 64 bowel screening centres are now undertaking diagnostic colonoscopies and sending routine screening invitations. As at 5 October 2020, the number of people who have had a faecal immunochemical test-positive result and are awaiting a diagnostic test has nearly halved in comparison to those waiting in April 2020.

There is a wide range of treatment options available to manage metastatic colorectal cancer and these are set out within pathway guidance published by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.

While treatment decisions are based on individual clinical circumstances, systemic anti-cancer treatment is the mainstay of care. There are a number of treatments available depending on where the colorectal cancer has spread. For example, where cancer is in the liver, patients may be able to access interventional procedures including laparoscopic resection and ablative treatments as well as radiotherapy (Selective Internal Radiation Therapy and Stereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy).

As at June 2020, the number of doctors of all grades in the specialties of cardiology and paediatric cardiology in England was 3,600 full time equivalent. Of these, 1,589 were consultants. This is an increase of 1,168, of which 646 are consultants, since 2010. The specialty is popular, with a 96% to 100% fill rate for training posts every year.

We have increased the number of medical school places by 1,500 over the last three years and have more medical students in training than at any other time in National Health Service history. As part of this record expansion, we opened five new medical schools across the country. This will ensure a significant further increase in the supply of doctors, including a larger pipeline for cardiologists, in coming years.

Patients with heart valve disease have been prioritised throughout the pandemic and continue to be through the recovery period. Services in both primary and secondary care have been open throughout and patients have been encouraged to use these services.

With the learning from the initial wave of the pandemic we are planning for any future waves, meaning we can protect the most vital services.

No assessment has been made of the effect of primary care networks (PCNs) on rates of detection of heart valve disease.

NHS England has appointed a National Clinical Director for cardiovascular disease prevention and a National Clinical Director for heart disease.

They are working closely with the NHS England and NHS Improvement primary care contracting team, to develop the draft specification for the Cardiovascular Disease Prevention and early diagnosis Primary Care Network Directed Enhanced Service which will support primary care networks to improve community detection of heart valve disease.

Primary and secondary care have remained open throughout the pandemic and patients have been encouraged to access these services.

Since 29 April NHS England has prioritised the reintroduction of non COVID-19 services with the aim of recovering as much performance as possible before winter. To aid this, new COVID-19 secure hubs for surgery and diagnostics have been established.

Further planning is underway to ensure critical services, such as cardiac surgery, are maintained during any future waves.

The data collected is for all conditions that are commissioned for stem cell transplant by NHS England and NHS Improvement. It should be noted that there will be changes to the data in the last quarter due to the time lag in the reporting arrangements.

The numbers for CAR-T are collected via an alternative route and are correct to the end of September 2020.

The Quality of Life Metric survey will help us better support people, including blood cancer patients, living with and beyond cancer. The survey, launched in September 2020, will initially be sent to people with breast, prostate and colorectal cancer. All other cancers will be included from 2021.

The NHS Long Term Plan sets the ambition to offer personalised care to all cancer patients and transform follow-up care, giving people choice and control over the way their care is planned and delivered. This includes ensuring that shared decision-making in care, and personalised care and support planning, are routine for all patients including those with blood cancer.

Blood cancer patients have a higher chance of severe disease if they contract COVID-19 compared to other cancers, which is why they were placed on the extremely clinically vulnerable list and were advised to shield. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, some treatments were delayed when the risk of contracting coronavirus was higher than the risk of delaying treatment.

The data in the following table shows first or subsequent treatment of chemotherapy in May 2019, June 2019, April 2020, May 2020 and June 2020 for the treatment of breast cancer, lower intestinal cancer, lung cancer, urological cancer and haematological cancer:

Support and information for all cancer patients, including blood cancer patients, is provided through four personalised care interventions:

- Personalised care and support planning based on holistic needs assessments;

- Health and wellbeing information and support, including nutritional advice and psychological support;

- End of treatment summaries, that provide symptom management information; and

- A Cancer Care Review with their general practitioner.

As outlined in the NHS Long Term Plan, these interventions will be implemented in full by 2021.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, all personalised care and support has continued by telephone, video, online or by post if face to face appointments and group sessions have not been possible.

The amount spent by the National Health Service on blood cancer-related services is not collected separately to the overall spend on cancer services.

No immediate plans are in place to meeting with any members of the blood cancer community.

Support and information for all cancer patients, including blood cancer patients, is provided through four personalised care interventions:

- Personalised care and support planning based on holistic needs assessments;

- Health and wellbeing information and support (including nutritional advice and psychological support);

- End of treatment summaries, that provide symptom management information; and

- A Cancer Care Review with their general practitioner.

As outlined in the NHS Long Term Plan, these interventions will be implemented by 2021.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, all personalised care and support should be continuing by telephone, video, online or by post if face to face appointments and group sessions have not been possible.

NHS England and NHS Improvement are working with a range of rapid adopter sites to implement patient-initiated follow-ups as part of the restoration of services following COVID-19. This includes joint work to monitor uptake in these sites. Alongside this, 50 trusts provided information detailing their implementation of patient-initiated follow-up this summer. For the longer term, NHS England and NHS Improvement are working with NHS Digital and other organisations to seek to capture further data on patient initiated follow-up usage in future.

The initial guidance was prepared in rapid response to the need to restore outpatient services following COVID-19. The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges patient lay committee was involved in the development of the guidance. We are working nationally with the NHS England and NHS Improvement personalised care group to engage further with patients and patient organisations as part of the ongoing development of supplementary guidance and tools for local systems. The guidance includes a recommendation that providers/systems carry out local patient engagement as part of implementation.

NHS England and NHS Improvement are working with a range of rapid adopter sites to implement patient-initiated follow-ups as part of the restoration of services following COVID-19. This includes joint work to monitor uptake in these sites. Alongside this, 50 trusts provided information detailing their implementation of patient-initiated follow-up this summer. For the longer term, NHS England and NHS Improvement are working with NHS Digital and other organisations to seek to capture further data on patient initiated follow-up usage in future.

The initial guidance was prepared in rapid response to the need to restore outpatient services following COVID-19. The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges patient lay committee was involved in the development of the guidance. We are working nationally with the NHS England and NHS Improvement personalised care group to engage further with patients and patient organisations as part of the ongoing development of supplementary guidance and tools for local systems. The guidance includes a recommendation that providers/systems carry out local patient engagement as part of implementation.

Specialist respiratory services for severe asthma, along with urgent and emergency treatment for other serious complaints, have continued throughout the COVID-19 outbreak. In most cases people with severe asthma have been able to receive their medication at home instead of having to attend hospital through increasing home care support and via access to remote outpatient consultations for new patients.

Although clinical capacity was re-directed to support care of patients with COVID-19 and this need has reduced, trusts are also required to prepare for potential future waves of COVID-19 and this will affect the clinical capacity required particularly in respiratory units. Regions have oversight of the local plans developed by each trust.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence COVID-19 rapid guideline on severe asthma provides guidance on starting or continuing on biological treatments, for people with severe asthma during the COVID-19 outbreak. The recommendations were written in collaboration with the NHS England Severe Asthma Collaborative. In writing the guidance, particular attention was paid to streamlining the process of moving patients onto biologic therapies to compensate for any possible barriers that may have occurred as a result of changes to the National Health Service, which were made as part of the necessary response to COVID-19.

Further work is being undertaken by the collaborative to share best practice on providing care to people with severe asthma to ensure on-going provision of high-quality care and to accelerate the initiation of biologics where required.

There are no plans for this.

As set out in the Terms of Reference of a letter sent to NHS Providers on 31 July 2020, a National Cancer Taskforce will be established, and publish a national cancer recovery plan in the near future. The Terms of Reference are available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/cancer-forums-and-groups-terms-of-reference/

Lord Deighton is leading the Government effort to unleash the potential of British industry to manufacture personal protective equipment (PPE) for the health and social care sectors to create self-sufficient production of PPE for the United Kingdom. We are building up UK manufacturing with signed contracts to manufacture over 2 billion items of PPE through UK-based manufacturers, including facemasks, visors, gowns and aprons.

This includes Survitec, a survival technology company, who began producing gowns at the beginning of June; Bolle, who manufacture protective eyewear, will make 6.5 million visors over the course of the pandemic; Jaguar Land Rover are now manufacturing 14,000 visors/week for healthcare staff; Don & Low will be manufacturing 12 million metres squared of fabric for gowns over the next six months, with the first delivery expected later this month; Burberry is manufacturing non-surgical gowns at its factory in Castleford and sourcing masks through its supply chain. To date, the company has donated over 100,000 pieces of PPE to the National Health Service and healthcare charities.

The Government recognises that these are challenging times for everyone, but that it is an especially stressful time for parents with babies in neonatal intensive care units.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, services have been working hard to support parents to care for their babies as much as possible while still ensuring that services are safe.

The Department has no plans to introduce a bespoke fund to cover subsistence costs for parents with a baby receiving neonatal care during the COVID-19 outbreak.

The Government is providing funding for the charity Bliss to support families with babies that require neonatal care during the COVID-19 pandemic, as part of the Government’s United Kingdom-wide £750 million package of support for the voluntary sector announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in April 2020.

The Government recognises that these are challenging times for everyone, but that it is an especially stressful time for parents with babies in neonatal intensive care units.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, services have been working hard to support parents to care for their babies as much as possible while still ensuring that services are safe.

The Department has no plans to introduce a bespoke fund to cover subsistence costs for parents with a baby receiving neonatal care during the COVID-19 outbreak.

The Government is providing funding for the charity Bliss to support families with babies that require neonatal care during the COVID-19 pandemic, as part of the Government’s United Kingdom-wide £750 million package of support for the voluntary sector announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in April 2020.

The shielded patient list is dynamic – general practitioners and specialists continue to make clinical judgements based the shielding criteria, that may result in those who had initially been advised to shield from COVID-19 no longer being advised to do so. Doctors have also been provided with guidance to support these decisions, which should be made following discussion with the patient and taking into account their individual clinical circumstances.

Information on the number of patients removed from the shielded patient list is not held centrally.

The Chief Medical Officer (CMO) for England, working with the CMOs of the devolved administrations and other senior clinicians, commissioned NHS Digital to produce a list of vulnerable people at “high risk” of complications from COVID-19, who should be shielded for at least 12 weeks.

The next review point for the social distancing measures will take place the week commencing 15 June. As part of this, we will consider the next steps for shielding beyond 30 June. We will also review the risks for the clinically extremely vulnerable and assess whether the shielding period needs to be extended or whether it is possible for the shielding guidance to be eased further. We will base our assessment on clinical advice from our medical experts, and the best data available about the prevalence of COVID-19 in the community.

The shielded patient list is dynamic – general practitioners and specialists continue to make clinical judgements based the shielding criteria, that may result in those who had initially been advised to shield from COVID-19 no longer being advised to do so. Doctors have also been provided with guidance to support these decisions, which should be made following discussion with the patient and taking into account their individual clinical circumstances.

Information on the number of patients removed from the shielded patient list is not held centrally.

The £360 million includes up to £200 million support for hospices. Further funding for this Department from within the £360 million total will be announced shortly.

NHS England and NHS Improvement do not collect data for the number of haematopoietic stem cell transplants (HSCT) by condition.

This data is not currently held.

Details of all the facilities currently being used for cancer treatment are not collected centrally. This will be a mix of National Health Service and independent sector facilities.

NHS England and NHS Improvement have published guidance and supported the development of ‘hubs’ for cancer surgery. Hubs are being developed in all 21 Alliance areas across England and are already fully or partially operational in at least 18 areas. NHS England and NHS Improvement are working now with all Cancer Alliances on plans for the next phases of service delivery.

This data is currently unavailable.

The data in the following table shows first or subsequent treatment of all anti-cancer drug regimens (including ‘cytotoxic chemotherapy’, ‘hormone therapy’, ‘immunotherapy’ and ‘other’) for April 2019:

The data for April 2020 is due to be published in June 2020.

Expert doctors in England identified specific medical conditions that, based on what we knew about the virus so far, place someone at greatest risk of severe illness from COVID-19. These were signed off by the UK Senior Clinicians Group (including four United Kingdom Chief Medical Officers and clinical leadership at NHS England, NHS Digital, and Public Health England).

Shielding is an advisory measure to protect people who are clinically extremely vulnerable by minimising all interaction between those who are extremely vulnerable and others. The Government’s position on shielding and social distancing is in line with the latest Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies and clinical advice. The shielded patient list is dynamic as it allows for individual clinical decisions to be made about patients, and for it to evolve as evidence about COVID-19 develops.

General practitioners (GPs) and hospital specialists have been asked to recommend patients follow shielding guidance, based on clinical judgement and an assessment of each individual’s needs. GPs and hospital specialists have been provided with guidance to support these decisions. Anybody who is concerned should contact their GP or specialist to discuss further.

The data on how many two week urgent cancer referrals there were in April 2019 and April 2020 for suspected breast cancer, bowel cancer, lung cancer, blood cancer and prostate cancer is not available in the format requested.

Data on urgent two week wait cancer referrals by suspected tumour group is collected and published by NHS England and available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/cancer-waiting-times/

Data for April 2020 will be published on 11 June 2020.

As of 1 May 2020, out of the 750,000 people who have signed up to the NHS Volunteer Responders programme in England, 607,074 volunteers have completed the necessary identity checks to begin helping those most vulnerable, more than double the original target. Between 7 April – 1 May 2020, 17,594 check in and chats have been completed.

As of May 2020, 164,427 patients had been identified in the category “people with cancers of the blood or bone marrow such as leukaemia, lymphoma or myeloma who are at any stage of treatment” by NHS Digital, and received a letter asking them to shield at home for 12 weeks. The information about how many patients in this category identified locally is not held centrally.

The table shows the number of patients who have been infused with manufactured chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR T) cells. NHS England/Improvement report that the number of patients who have undergone apheresis (separating a particular blood constituent but returning the remainder to circulation) with an intention to treat will be significantly higher.

The National Health Service has been contacting patients that are at high risk of getting seriously ill with coronavirus since 23 March 2020. This will include people with cancers of the blood or bone marrow such as leukaemia, lymphoma or myeloma who are at any stage of treatment.

NHS England and NHS Improvement suggest that patients read the advice given on the NHS website which is available at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/

Further advice can be found on the MacMillan website at the following link:

https://www.macmillan.org.uk/cancer-information-and-support/get-help/physical-help/cancer-and-coronavirus

The National Health Service has been contacting patients that are at high risk of getting seriously ill with coronavirus since 23 March 2020. This will include people with cancers of the blood or bone marrow such as leukaemia, lymphoma or myeloma who are at any stage of treatment.

NHS England and NHS Improvement suggest that patients read the advice given on the NHS website which is available at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/

Further advice can be found on the MacMillan website at the following link:

https://www.macmillan.org.uk/cancer-information-and-support/get-help/physical-help/cancer-and-coronavirus

The NHS Long Term Plan sets out an ambition that, by 2028, the proportion of cancers diagnosed at stages 1 and 2 will rise from around half to three-quarters of cancer patients.

Other key actions to increase an early diagnosis of blood cancer are:

- campaigns to raise greater awareness of the symptoms of cancer;

- lowering the threshold for referral by general practitioners (GPs);

- accelerate access to diagnosis and treatment and maximise the number of cancers that specialist’s can identify through screening; and

- roll-out of new Rapid Diagnostic Centres across the country to

- upgrade and bring together the latest diagnostic equipment and expertise.

The Long Term Plan also commits to invest £4.5 billion of new funding to establish Primary Care Networks based on neighbouring GP practices. The GP Contract, published on 6 February 2020, includes a new service specification for supporting early cancer diagnosis, including blood cancer.

NHS England and NHS Improvement produced a stocktake, which included age, of linear accelerators in full clinical use in 2016 as part of the Equipment Modernisation programme. Further work to update this stocktake is underway to reflect both the impact of the Equipment Modernisation programme and any local changes.

A capacity planning exercise in England, run by NHS England and NHS Improvement, modelled radiotherapy activity levels over a five year period and it is expected that there will be 1 – 2% increase in referral to radiotherapy. In practice this level of growth remains relatively stable and is regularly monitored in conjunction with service providers.

The United Kingdom is well prepared for outbreaks of infectious diseases, with well-rehearsed and robust plans in place to respond.

National and international surveillance systems support the assessment of the risk to the UK posed by both influenza and other infectious diseases. When the Department identifies a pandemic risk facing the UK, we work with expert stakeholders to produce guidance to support all sectors in mitigating the risk to the public.

The National Risk Register of Civil Emergencies (NRR) provides an assessment of the likelihood and potential impact of a range of different civil emergency risks, including pandemics. Local planners use the NRR to highlight risks to sectors of society to raise awareness and guide contingency planning.

This information is not available as requested, and so no assessment has been made.

The latest NHS England data shows that the late diagnosis rates for pancreatic cancer in Surrey and Sussex increased between 2016 and 2017, from 78.2% to 81.9%.

Early diagnosis rates for pancreatic cancer in England increased by 2.9 percentage points between 2014 and 2017, from 21.0% to 23.9%, and improving early diagnosis of cancer is a top priority for the National Health Service. That is why of one of the core ambitions in the NHS Long Term Plan is to diagnose 75% of cancers at stage 1 or 2 by 2028 to save 55,000 lives a year. Cancer Alliances in England are using the Rapid Diagnostic Cancer model to improve the diagnostic experience for patients who are suspected of having particular cancers including pancreatic cancer.

In 2020, NHS England and NHS Improvement will continue to roll-out Rapid Diagnostic Centres across the country to upgrade and bring together the latest diagnostic equipment and expertise. They will initially focus on diagnosing cancers where patients often present with non-specific symptoms, such as blood cancer, and may go to their general practitioner many times before being sent for appropriate tests.

The Department is working with the National Health Service to introduce changes to NHS hospital car parking in England from April 2020.

This will include free parking for frequent outpatient attenders.

The Department is working with the National Health Service to introduce changes to NHS hospital car parking in England from April 2020.

This will include free parking for frequent outpatient attenders.

Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapies have been available since November 2018 (acute lymphoblastic leukaemia) and December 2018 (relapsed DLBCL). The first patients were reinfused in January 2019. Therefore, the only data we have for the last five years is for 2019 and 2020. We do not have numbers for people treated in trials.

Number of people with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma that have received CAR-T therapies in each of the last five years:

Note: *Up to 21 January 2020

Number of children with relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukaemia that have received CAR-T therapies in each of the last five years:

Note: *Up to 21 January 2020

We are unable to provide the numbers of people with relapsed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and children with relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukaemia that have received CAR-T therapy at each Joint Accreditation Committee ISCT-Europe & EBMT (JACIE) accredited treatment centre treatment due to small numbers and the possibility of patients being identified. This will be possible in the future when the number of patients treated increases.

Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapies have been available since November 2018 (acute lymphoblastic leukaemia) and December 2018 (relapsed DLBCL). The first patients were reinfused in January 2019. Therefore, the only data we have for the last five years is for 2019 and 2020. We do not have numbers for people treated in trials.

Number of people with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma that have received CAR-T therapies in each of the last five years:

Note: *Up to 21 January 2020

Number of children with relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukaemia that have received CAR-T therapies in each of the last five years:

Note: *Up to 21 January 2020

We are unable to provide the numbers of people with relapsed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and children with relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukaemia that have received CAR-T therapy at each Joint Accreditation Committee ISCT-Europe & EBMT (JACIE) accredited treatment centre treatment due to small numbers and the possibility of patients being identified. This will be possible in the future when the number of patients treated increases.

The FCDO UK estate flies the Commonwealth flag on the second Monday in March to celebrate Commonwealth Day and our Posts in Commonwealth countries can do so on Commonwealth Day as well where the Post has sufficient flagpoles to do so. It is not the practice to fly the flags of organisations of which the UK is a member on a permanent basis. FCDO flag policy is reviewed on an annual basis.

The UK is clear that the Myanmar Military is responsible for gross human rights violations across the country. This includes grave violations against children. On 23 June, I [Minister Adams] spoke to the Myanmar Minister for International Cooperation. I [Minister Adams] encouraged Myanmar to continue to engage with the International Court of Justice process, and highlighted the need for dialogue to deescalate the conflict in Rakhine which has seen a significant increase in crimes against children in the first half of this year. The UK has already imposed sanctions, through the EU, on members of the Myanmar military responsible for serious human rights violations. The UK led the international effort to establish the UN Independent Investigative Mechanism on Myanmar (IIMM), which will collect and preserve evidence for us in future domestic or international accountability processes.

We remain concerned at recent reports of Russian fighter jets being deployed into Libya, and growing evidence of Russian involvement in the conflict, including the use of Private Military Companies. We take very seriously any reports of breaches of the UN arms embargo. Russia has a responsibility to uphold UN Security Council Resolutions and international law. External interference is exacerbating the conflict in Libya and undermining the UN-led political process. We regularly discuss with NATO allies our responses to potential threats from Russia.

Transparency and accuracy of information is essential for an effective global response to the pandemic. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is leading the UK's cross government effort to address disinformation and misinformation. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is supporting this effort. We are helping to identify disinformation narratives about the UK from foreign actors. We are working with international partners to better understand the scale, scope and impact of disinformation and help shield our citizens so they can get the right information to protect themselves and save lives. We are building international cooperation among like-minded nations to enable us to tackle the threat of disinformation.

The UK Government is firmly committed to supporting the Overseas Territories in dealing with Covid-19. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for International Development are leading a cross Whitehall effort, working closely with the Overseas Territories governments, and taking a needs-based approach to providing support. The Minister for the Overseas Territories and Sustainable Development is in regular contact with the political leaders and Governors of the Territories. The impact of the pandemic on the Territories' economies and healthcare systems varies, and our support is being calibrated accordingly.

Just as the UK is doing, we are looking to Overseas Territories to make full use of their financial resources in order to address the needs of their people. Requests for further support to complement comprehensive economic local response plans are being considered on a needs basis. In the Territories which are in receipt of financial assistance from DFID, the UK Government will continue to provide the support needed to ensure delivery of essential services and to protect their economies.

In the areas where it's needed, the UK Government is providing support to strengthen the ability of the public health systems of the Territories to deal with the significant challenges from Covid-19, through provision of essential medical supplies, equipment and personnel.

Under the International Health Regulations (IHR) 2005, the World Health Organization (WHO) implements a clear policy on data sharing in the context of public health emergencies that all countries are encouraged to comply with. The IHR encourage States to share information with WHO before a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) is declared. Data can be made publicly available if a PHEIC is declared, if there is evidence of international spread of infections or other harmful agents or if there is an immediate need for international control measures.

Since the Coronavirus outbreak began, the UK has engaged internationally with affected countries to raise the importance of providing the WHO promptly with comprehensive "line-list" demographic and geographic information. The British Government encourages all countries to comply with requirements of International Health Regulations, which includes sharing of data in case of public health emergencies. Through Official Development Assistance, We are also supporting 6 Lower-Middle Income Countries to improve their compliance with International Health Regulations .

The UK also has other bilateral or multilateral relationships where we share information. These include the Global Health Security Initiative (GHSI) and European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).

Company directors who are also owner managers can earn a salary and receive shareholder dividends from their company as part of their total remuneration package. Company directors who pay themselves a salary through PAYE are eligible for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), but neither the CJRS nor the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) cover dividends or other investment income.

The SEISS relies on the information provided through tax returns to determine eligibility for the scheme and to calculate the grant amount. These returns are also used to protect the scheme from abuse by organised crime groups and fraudulent operators; when an individual applies to the SEISS, HMRC can cross-check the person’s SEISS application against their tax returns.

It is not possible under current reporting mechanisms for HMRC to distinguish between dividends paid in lieu of employment income and those paid as returns on investment in the company. The Government has considered proposals under which company directors would be allowed to self-certify how much of their dividends are in lieu of salary, and then claim SEISS based on that self-certification. However, it is clear that this would open up the scheme to an unacceptable risk of opportunistic fraud and criminal activity.

Those not eligible for the CJRS and SEISS 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.

All 18 year olds can access the funds from a Child Trust Fund as they would any other account, whether or not they have learning disabilities.

Where the young adult does not have the mental capacity to provide instructions to the account manager, the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and its equivalents in Scotland and Northern Ireland makes provision for another person to provide instructions on their behalf.

A cross-government working group comprising representatives from MOJ, HMT, HMRC and DWP has been established to look at the issues raised in relation to accessing matured Child Trust Funds (CTFs) in the light of the Mental Capacity Act.

The objective of the Job Retention Bonus (JRB) was to incentivise employers to retain employees between November, when the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) was due to end, and the end of January through a £1,000 bonus paid to the employer. However, the subsequent extension of the CJRS allowed employers to retain their staff during that period by covering 80% of furloughed employees’ wages. Given this extension to the end of April, the policy intent of the JRB falls away.

The Government remains committed to deploying a retention incentive set at a suitable level, at the appropriate time.

The Government will set out the next phase of the plan to tackle the virus and protect jobs at Budget 2021.

The Government has committed to consult on aviation tax reform, as part of which we will consider the case for changing the APD treatment of domestic flights, and the potential impact any measure may have on regional connectivity and domestic routes. We will provide an update on timing in due course.

HM Treasury is engaging with relevant departments ahead of this consultation.

The Additional Restrictions Grant, which is allocated on a per capita basis, is only one part of the Government’s comprehensive support package for businesses and local authorities during this time. The Local Restrictions Support Grant (Closed) is allocated on a per-business basis and provides businesses in England which are legally required to close due to national or local restrictions with up to £3,000 per month of closures, depending on their rateable value. Businesses which are legally required to close are also eligible for one-off grants worth up to £9,000, depending on their rateable value.

In addition, through the Local Restrictions Support Grant (Open), local authorities which were subject to restrictions on socialising (in particular a ban on indoor household mixing) before the latest lockdown was announced received additional funding so that they could make grants of up to £2,100 per month to hospitality, leisure and accommodation businesses which were able to remain open, but which were experiencing a severe reduction in demand due to restrictions on socialising. This funding is also calculated on a per-business basis.

Given that both population and business densities create pressures on local authorities, by providing some funding per-head and some per-business we are achieving a fair balance.

Ahead of the end of the transition period, the Government has announced the VAT and excise duty treatment of goods purchased by individuals for personal use and carried in their luggage arriving from or going overseas (passengers). The following rules will apply from 1 January 2021:

- Passengers travelling from Great Britain to any destination outside the United Kingdom (UK) will be able to purchase duty-free excise goods once they have passed security controls at ports, airports, and international rail stations.

- Personal allowances will apply to passengers entering Great Britain from a destination outside of the UK, with alcohol allowances significantly increased.

- The VAT Retail Export Scheme (RES) in Great Britain will not be extended to EU residents and will be withdrawn for all passengers.

- The concessionary treatment on tax-free sales for non-excise goods will be removed across the UK.

The Government published a consultation which ran from 11 March to 20 May. During this time the Government held a number of virtual meetings with stakeholders to hear their views and received 73 responses to the consultation. The Government is also continuing to meet and discuss the changes with stakeholders following the announcement of these policies.

The detailed rationale for these changes are included in the written ministerial statement and summary of responses to the recent consultation: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2020-09-11/hcws448 and https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/a-consultation-on-duty-free-and-tax-free-goods-carried-by-passengers. A technical note has also been issued to stakeholders to expand on this document and to respond to issues raised by stakeholders.

The concessionary treatment on tax-free sales currently affects airports that fly to non-EU destinations. The extension of duty-free sales to EU bound passengers will be a significant boost to all airports in England, Scotland and Wales, including smaller regional airports which have not been able to offer duty-free to the EU before.

HMRC estimate that around £150 million of VAT is not charged as a result of tax-free airside sales. As with the VAT RES, extending the relief to the EU would significantly increase the cost of the scheme and result in a large amount of deadweight loss by subsidising spending from EU-bound passengers which already happens.

On 25 November the independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) set out their assessment of the fiscal impact of the withdrawal of the tax-free airside sales. The OBR estimate that the withdrawal will raise approximately £170 million per year for the Exchequer, after behavioural responses are taken into account and passenger numbers recover from the impacts of Covid-19.

The Government also recognises the challenges the aviation sector is facing as it recovers from the impacts of Covid-19 and has supported the sector throughout the pandemic, and continues to do so, including schemes to raise capital, flexibilities with tax bills, and financial support for employees.

Ahead of the end of the transition period, the Government has announced the VAT and excise duty treatment of goods purchased by individuals for personal use and carried in their luggage arriving from or going overseas (passengers). The following rules will apply from 1 January 2021:

- Passengers travelling from Great Britain to any destination outside the United Kingdom (UK) will be able to purchase duty-free excise goods once they have passed security controls at ports, airports, and international rail stations.

- Personal allowances will apply to passengers entering Great Britain from a destination outside of the UK, with alcohol allowances significantly increased.

- The VAT Retail Export Scheme (RES) in Great Britain will not be extended to EU residents and will be withdrawn for all passengers.

- The concessionary treatment on tax-free sales for non-excise goods will be removed across the UK.

The Government published a consultation which ran from 11 March to 20 May. During this time the Government held a number of virtual meetings with stakeholders to hear their views and received 73 responses to the consultation. The Government is also continuing to meet and discuss the changes with stakeholders following the announcement of these policies.

The detailed rationale for these changes are included in the written ministerial statement and summary of responses to the recent consultation: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2020-09-11/hcws448 and https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/a-consultation-on-duty-free-and-tax-free-goods-carried-by-passengers. A technical note has also been issued to stakeholders to expand on this document and to respond to issues raised by stakeholders.

The concessionary treatment on tax-free sales currently affects airports that fly to non-EU destinations. The extension of duty-free sales to EU bound passengers will be a significant boost to all airports in England, Scotland and Wales, including smaller regional airports which have not been able to offer duty-free to the EU before.

HMRC estimate that around £150 million of VAT is not charged as a result of tax-free airside sales. As with the VAT RES, extending the relief to the EU would significantly increase the cost of the scheme and result in a large amount of deadweight loss by subsidising spending from EU-bound passengers which already happens.

On 25 November the independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) set out their assessment of the fiscal impact of the withdrawal of the tax-free airside sales. The OBR estimate that the withdrawal will raise approximately £170 million per year for the Exchequer, after behavioural responses are taken into account and passenger numbers recover from the impacts of Covid-19.

The Government also recognises the challenges the aviation sector is facing as it recovers from the impacts of Covid-19 and has supported the sector throughout the pandemic, and continues to do so, including schemes to raise capital, flexibilities with tax bills, and financial support for employees.

HMRC published guidance on 20 July 2020 setting out information on the proposed changes for overseas sellers and online marketplaces.

Dividends are not covered by the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) or the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) Grant Extension. Income from dividends is a return on investment in the company, rather than wages.

Those who pay themselves a salary through their own company are eligible for the CJRS. The CJRS is available to employers, including owner-managers, and individuals paying themselves a salary through a PAYE scheme. Where furloughed directors, including companies with a sole director, need to carry out particular duties in order to fulfil their statutory obligations, they may do so provided it is no more than would reasonably be judged necessary for that purpose.

As with the previous SEISS grants, it is not possible for HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to distinguish between dividends derived from an individual’s own company and dividends from other sources, and between dividends in lieu of employment income and as returns from other corporate activity.

This means, unlike the SEISS grants that use information HMRC already hold, targeting additional support would require owner-managers to make a claim and submit information that HMRC could not manageably verify to ensure payments were made to eligible companies for eligible activity.

The SEISS Grant Extension continues to be just one element of a comprehensive package of support for individuals and businesses. This package includes Bounce Back loans, tax deferrals, rental support, and other business support grants. The Government has also temporarily increased the Universal Credit standard allowance for 2020-21 by £20 per week and relaxed the Minimum Income Floor, so that where self-employed claimants' earnings have significantly fallen, their Universal Credit award will have increased to reflect their lower earnings.

During this difficult time for the country, I absolutely recognise the extreme disruption to people’s lives, jobs, and businesses due to the necessary actions to tackle COVID-19. This includes those in the wholesale sector who play a critical role in supporting our food supply chain.

The Government recognises that businesses which are legally required to close due to national or local restrictions will need additional support. This is why we have announced the Local Restrictions Support Grant (Closed) scheme, which will provide businesses in England which are legally required to close with grants of up to £3,000 per four-week closure period, depending on their rateable value.

For businesses which are not legally closed, but which are nonetheless severely impacted by local or national restrictions, we have provided Local Authorities with a further £1.1billion across England via the Additional Restrictions Grant.

Local Authorities have discretion on how to use this funding to support businesses in their areas, but we encourage them to set up discretionary grant schemes to support businesses such as wholesalers which can remain open, but which are nonetheless severely affected by the enhanced COVID-19 restrictions.

Businesses across the country, including wholesale distributors, should also be able to benefit from others measures in the Government’s unprecedented package of support for businesses, including:

• The extension to 31 March of the CJRS, through which employees will receive up to 80% of their usual salary for hours not worked up to a maximum of £2,500 per month;
• Support for the self-employed via the SEISS, which will provide the self-employed with grants worth up to 80% of trading profits, covering November to January;
• The extension of the application deadline for loan guarantee schemes to the end of January 2021;
• An adjustment to the Bounce Back Loan Scheme rules to allow those businesses who have borrowed less than their maximum (i.e. less than 25% of their turnover) to top-up their existing loan; and
• Help for businesses in repaying loans from Government-backed schemes through the Pay as you Grow scheme and allowing lenders to extend the terms of CBILS loans to up to 10 years.

The Government has provided Local Authorities with £1.1billion across England via the Additional Restrictions Grant, for businesses which are not legally closed, but which are severely affected by local or national restrictions.

Local Authorities have discretion on how to use this funding to support businesses in their areas, but the Government encourages them to set up discretionary grant schemes to support businesses such as wholesalers which can remain open, but which are nonetheless severely affected by the enhanced COVID-19 restrictions.

All business rates reliefs in England will be considered through the business rates review.

In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of ministerial discussions are not normally disclosed.

Under the current VAT rules, education and vocational training can be VAT exempt where it is provided by a government institution or certain regulated organisations. Providing an exemption to all pilot training would come at a cost to the Exchequer. Although the Government keeps all taxes under review, there are no current plans to change the VAT treatment of pilot training programmes.

The Government recognises the challenging times facing the aviation industry as a result of COVID-19 and firms experiencing difficulties can draw upon the unprecedented package of measures announced by the Chancellor, including schemes to raise capital and support jobs and flexibilities with tax bills. The aerospace sector and its aviation customers are being supported with over £8.5 billion support through the Bank of England’s Covid Corporate Financing Facility, grants for research and development, loan guarantees and support for aerospace exports. The government has also launched a new Global Travel Taskforce to support the travel industry and the safe recovery of international travel.

Airlines’ Air Passenger Duty liabilities will have considerably reduced following the decline in passenger demand caused by COVID-19.

The Government has committed to consult on aviation tax reform and will provide more detail on next steps in due course.

Ahead of the end of the transition period, the Government has announced the VAT and excise duty treatment of goods purchased by individuals for personal use and carried in their luggage to or from Great Britain. The following rules will apply from 1 January 2021:

- Passengers travelling from Great Britain to any destination outside the United Kingdom will be able to purchase duty-free excise goods once they have passed security controls at ports, airports, and international rail stations.

- Personal allowances will apply to passengers entering Great Britain from a destination outside of the United Kingdom, with alcohol allowances significantly increased.

- The concessionary treatment on tax-free sales of non-excise goods and the VAT Retail Export Scheme will not be extended to passengers travelling to the EU, and will be withdrawn for all passengers.

The concessionary treatment on tax-free sales currently affects airports that fly to non-EU destinations. The extension of duty-free sales to EU bound passengers will be a significant boost to all airports in England, Scotland and Wales, including Gatwick and smaller regional airports which have not been able to offer duty-free before.

The Government also recognises the challenges the aviation sector is facing as it recovers from the impacts of Covid-19 and has supported the sector throughout the pandemic, and continues to do so, including schemes to raise capital, flexibilities with tax bills, and financial support for employees.

The Government does not currently hold information about pension unauthorised payments since the onset of the Covid-19 outbreak.

The scheme administrator of a registered pension scheme must tell HMRC when certain reportable events occur; reportable events include pension unauthorised payments.

The scheme administrator does this by completing and submitting the Event Report for a tax year. HMRC must receive the Event Report by 31 January after the end of the tax year to which the Event Report relates, so there is no data currently available.

Treasury Ministers and officials meet with a wide range of stakeholders across sectors as part of ongoing policy development and implementation.

Ministers and officials from the Department for Transport are in regular contact with airlines, airports and unions to understand the impact that COVID-19 is having on the sector and its workers.

Treasury Ministers and officials meet with a wide range of stakeholders across sectors as part of ongoing policy development and implementation.

Ministers and officials from the Department for Transport and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy are in regular contact with airlines, airports and unions, and similarly the Department for Digital, Media, Sport and Culture are working with employers, delivery partners and industry groups to understand the impact that COVID-19 is having on sectors like tourism and its workers.

As we look forward, we welcome views from representatives and the Treasury will continue to monitor the impact of government support with regard to public services, businesses, individuals, and sectors, and to consider how best to support the economic recovery.

The Government recognises the extreme disruption the necessary actions to combat Covid-19 are having on businesses and sectors like aviation, travel and tourism.

The Treasury’s priority is to support the economy through the immediate crisis. That is why the Chancellor has already announced unprecedented support for individuals and businesses, to keep as many people as possible in their existing jobs, support viable businesses to stay afloat and protect the incomes of the most vulnerable in this current economic emergency. This includes changes to our welfare system with Universal Credit and Statutory Sick Pay; grant schemes such as the Discretionary Grant Fund; a range of government-backed and guaranteed loan schemes; the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, and the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme.

These measures aim to protect the productive capacity of our economy and to enable a strong and sustainable recovery from this crisis. The government has since set out a cautious roadmap for how it intends to gradually reopen our economy, whilst continuing to suppress the outbreak.

As we look forward, we will continue to monitor the impact of government support with regard to supporting public services, businesses, individuals, and sectors, and consider how best to support the economic recovery.

Business rates are devolved in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.

The Government has provided enhanced support to the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors through business rates relief given the direct and acute impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on those sectors. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has published guidance for local authorities on eligible properties.

A range of further measures to support all businesses, including those not eligible for the business rates holiday such as airports, has also been made available. For example, the Government has launched the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to help firms keep people in employment, the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme offering loans of up to £5 million for SMEs through the British Business Bank backed by an 80% Government guarantee, and is deferring VAT payments for this quarter.

Business rates are devolved in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.

The Government has provided enhanced support to the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors through business rates relief given the direct and acute impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on those sectors. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has published guidance for local authorities on eligible properties.

A range of further measures to support all businesses, including those not eligible for the business rates holiday such as airports, has also been made available. For example, the Government has launched the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to help firms keep people in employment, the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme offering loans of up to £5 million for SMEs through the British Business Bank backed by an 80% Government guarantee, and is deferring VAT payments for this quarter.

Business rates are devolved in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.

The Government has provided enhanced support to the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors through business rates relief given the direct and acute impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on those sectors. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has published guidance for local authorities on eligible properties.

A range of further measures to support all businesses, including those not eligible for the business rates holiday such as airports, has also been made available. For example, the Government has launched the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to help firms keep people in employment, the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme offering loans of up to £5 million for SMEs through the British Business Bank backed by an 80% Government guarantee, and is deferring VAT payments for this quarter.

Business rates are devolved in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.

The Government has provided enhanced support to the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors through business rates relief given the direct and acute impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on those sectors. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has published guidance for local authorities on eligible properties.

A range of further measures to support all businesses, including those not eligible for the business rates holiday such as airports, has also been made available. For example, the Government has launched the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to help firms keep people in employment, the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme offering loans of up to £5 million for SMEs through the British Business Bank backed by an 80% Government guarantee, and is deferring VAT payments for this quarter.

The Government recognises the challenging times facing the aviation sector as a result of COVID-19 and the Chancellor wrote to the aviation sector on 24 March to set out the Government’s position and the support measures available. The Government has announced an unprecedented package of support for workers and businesses to protect against the current economic emergency.

This includes the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, which has so far helped 1 million employers across the UK furlough nearly 8.5 million jobs, protecting people’s livelihoods. This scheme was recently extended until the end of October, meaning that it will now be in place for a full eight months, giving businesses the vital support that they need.

The Government is also prepared to enter negotiations with individual companies seeking bespoke support as a last resort, having exhausted other options. However further taxpayer support would only be possible if all commercial avenues have been fully explored, including raising further capital from existing investors and discussing arrangements with financial stakeholders.

More broadly, the government has committed to consult on aviation tax reform. We will provide more detail on next steps in due course.

The CJRS will close at the end of October, after eight months.

It is the case that some firms will be affected by coronavirus for longer than others, and the Government will seek to support these firms appropriately.

It would be challenging to target the CJRS to specific sectors in a fair and deliverable way, and that may not be the most effective or sensible way to provide longer term support for those sectors most affected by coronavirus.

The Government will continue to engage with businesses and representative groups, with the aim of ensuring that support provided is right for these sectors and for the economy as a whole.

The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme is open to any individual who was on an employer’s PAYE payroll on or before 19 March 2020 and for whom HMRC received an RTI submission notifying payment in respect of that employee on or before the 19 March 2020. Processing claims for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme where HMRC did not have RTI data by 19 March would significantly slow down the system while risking substantial levels of fraud. It would also require greater resource for HMRC when they are already under significant pressure to deliver the system designed.

Those not eligible for the scheme may have access to other support which the Government is providing, including a package of temporary welfare measures and up to three months’ mortgage payment holidays for those who may be in difficulty with mortgage payments.

The purpose of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme is to support people who would otherwise have been made redundant. To prevent fraudulent claims, the Government has made it clear that individuals cannot work or volunteer for their organisation.

This is to protect individuals too; if workers were allowed to volunteer for their employer, the employer could ask them to work in an effectively full time way while only paying them 80% of the wages. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is working with other government departments and the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector to identify areas where volunteers can contribute to the COVID-19 response.

Business rates are devolved in Scotland.

In England, the Government has provided enhanced support to the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors through business rates relief given the direct and acute impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on those sectors.

A range of further measures to support all businesses, including those not eligible for the business rates holiday, such as veterinary practices, has also been made available. For example, the Government has launched the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to help firms continue to keep people in employment, the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme offering loans of up to £5 million for SMEs through the British Business Bank backed by an 80% Government guarantee, and the deferral of VAT payments for this quarter.

The Government will consider any further financial assistance necessary to help businesses get through this period.

The purpose of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme is to support people who would otherwise have been made redundant. To prevent fraudulent claims, the Government has made it clear that individuals cannot work or volunteer for their organisation.

This is to protect individuals too; if workers were allowed to volunteer for their employer, the employer could ask them to work in an effectively full time way while only paying them 80% of the wages. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is working with other government departments and the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector to identify areas where volunteers can contribute to the COVID-19 response.

Industry will increase the cap on the value of contactless transactions from 1 April, and shops will begin accepting payments up to £45.

The Treasury is working closely with industry and the financial regulators to ensure the steps they take are properly coordinated with Government’s wider economic response to COVID-19.

Of the estimated 50,000 individuals affected by the loan charge, the Government currently estimates that about 11,000 will be taken out of the loan charge altogether. In addition, individuals who have settled or are settling their tax liability with HMRC will be out of scope of the charge. There is not yet a firm estimate of the number who will choose to settle and so be out of scope of the loan charge.

The Government has announced today further details about the review of the off-payroll working rules reform. As set out at Budget 2018, the reform is due to be extended to all sectors from April 2020. The review will address any remaining concerns from businesses and individuals about how the upcoming reform will be implemented, and will focus on steps the Government can take to ensure smooth and successful implementation. The self-employed are not in scope of the rules; and the review will consider whether any additional support for businesses is needed to ensure that the self-employed are not affected.

This Government is committed to maintaining high standards of animal welfare where procedures are undertaken on live animals for scientific or educational purposes. It champions the work of the National Centre for the Replacement, Reduction and Refinement of Animals in Research (NC3Rs) in supporting the research community to develop and use science and technology in the creation of new approaches to replace studies that require animals.

Central to any decision to use animals in research is the need for robust scientific evidence to justify the use of animals. The UK’s rigorous regulatory system requires that no testing takes place if there is a validated non-animal alternative that would achieve the scientific outcomes sought. Project licence proposals for research on animals for which there is no non-animal alternative must comply fully with the principles of the 3Rs: replacement, reduction and refinement.

It is too soon to impose a timetable on phasing out the use of animals of animals in those areas of scientific enquiry that are delivering benefits to people, animals and the environment.

The UK’s rigorous regulatory system requires that no animal testing takes place if there is a validated non-animal alternative that would achieve the scientific outcomes sought. Prior to any work being authorised, project licence proposals for research on animals for which there is no non-animal alternative must comply fully with the principles of the 3Rs: replacement, reduction and refinement.

All those coming to the UK are assessed against the immigration rules and must meet the suitability and eligibility requirements. All UK visa applications are considered on their individual merits.

New measures introduced on 8 June require all passengers arriving in the UK, who do not fall under a specified exemption, to self-isolate for 14 days to reduce cases of COVID-19 being brought in from abroad and to help prevent a devastating second wave of the disease.

An assurance service is contacting a random sample of non-exempted arrivals to check compliance. Where there is reason to suspect that an individual is not complying, details will be passed to the relevant police force who will consider enforcement action. Police will continue to take the 4 ‘E’s approach of engage, explain, encourage and, as a last resort, enforce. Guidance on enforcement activity is issued by the College of Policing. Interpretation of that guidance and any subsequent action is an operational decision for the police.

We have seen high levels of compliance with the rules to date, and expect that the majority of people will continue to do the right thing and abide by these measures.

Public health will always come first. The government will carefully assess the impact of these measures in preventing transmission of coronavirus in the UK.

The need for the restrictions, and the requirements imposed, will be reviewed in line with social distancing measures, currently every three weeks. The first review will be in w/c 28 June.

The Government will consider factors such as SAGE advice, the domestic and international incidence of Covid-19, the level of infection and transmission, emerging scientific evidence for antibody and other screening methods being appropriate for international travel health measures, economic impact, and initiatives being trialled to secure safe travel.

The Dublin III Regulation is a long-standing mechanism between EU Member States to determine responsibility for examining asylum claims. It is not an application route for transfer to the UK.

Under the Dublin III Regulation, member states have three months to make a request to another participating member state to take back or take charge of the asylum application. Requested member states have two months from receiving a request to accept or reject responsibility for processing the asylum claim. Once a Dublin request has been accepted, the Regulation provides that the sending Member State has six months to enact the transfer.

The Home Office continues to work closely with EU Member State partners to enact transfers as soon as possible and ahead of the six-month timeframe. We are responding to the unique circumstances of the coronavirus outbreak by closely monitoring the transfer suspensions imposed by other member states and will seek to return those migrants accepted by another member state as soon as the relevant suspension ends, and a route of return becomes available.

People crossing the Channel to enter the UK have come from a safe country – usually France – and so there is no reason why they need to make this trip in order to claim asylum. Those fleeing persecution should stay in the first safe country they enter.

The UK continues to work closely with France and other countries to return migrants who have entered the UK by small boat in order to provide a strong deterrent against these dangerous crossings.

The number of migrants arriving in the UK crossing the Channel by small boats for the months of January to March 2020 is approx. 450. These are provisional figures based on operational management information. The figures for April have not passed through a data quality check and cannot be assured. The final figures will be published at a later date, once they have been verified

Since January 2019, over 155 people who entered the UK illegally on small boats have been returned to Europe. However, as a result of COVID-19 the vast majority of EU member states have temporarily paused accepting returns under the Dublin Regulations, but we are tracking those individuals and where appropriate will seek to return them when routes are available.

The processes to manage clandestine arrivals are kept under regular review. In line with Public Health Guidance we are not currently providing routine testing for clandestine arrivals to the UK. In line with established processes, those arriving across the Channel are immediately assessed to establish whether there are any medical requirements. Those showing symptoms of COVID-19 are provided with suitable accommodation in which to self-isolate.

We continue to support and recognise the value of biological research.

The potential security risk from dual-use of some biological research is recognised in the UK Biological Security Strategy and Government departments continue to monitor emerging technologies and work to mitigate these risks, whilst continuing to build the right regulatory environment for innovation.

The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and the Medical Research Council (MRC), both part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), have a position statement in place on Dual Use, jointly with the Welcome Trust https://mrc.ukri.org/research/policies-and-guidance-for-researchers/managing-risks-of-research-misuse/

The research community must take active steps to develop mechanisms of self-governance, and that through doing so researchers can ensure that responsibly conducted research is not unnecessarily obstructed. UKRI-BBSRC and UKRI-MRC also have internal processes in place to review research grant applicants where Dual Use concerns arise during the course of peer review.

The Home Office will be providing specific funding of £136,000 to support the work of the National Wildlife Crime Unit in 2020/21. This will be in addition to specific funding for the Unit provided by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the funding central Government will be providing police forces in England and Wales to tackle all types of crime, including wildlife crime.

Decisions about Home Office funding for the National Wildlife Crime Unit beyond March 2021 will be taken as part of the forthcoming Spending Review.

Government has provided substantial resources to councils to support their communities, businesses and vulnerable people.

Government has provided West Sussex County Council with:

· £45.9 million across four tranches of unringfenced grant.

Government has provided Crawley Borough Council with:

· £1.9 million across four tranches of unringfenced grant.

· £2.2 million in the Additional Restrictions Grant Bullet and £1.5 million of the Local Restrictions Support Grant.

Any council with concerns about their ability to manage financial pressures should contact MHCLG in the first instance to discuss their situation.

On 18 July, we launched the Next Steps Accommodation Programme (NSAP). This makes available the financial resources needed to support local authorities and their partners to help prevent those accommodated during the pandemic from returning to the streets.

On 17 September we announced NSAP allocations to local authorities to pay for immediate support. Crawley has been allocated £296,500 for this aspect of NSAP.

On 29 October, we announced allocations to local partners to deliver longer-term move-on accommodation. More than 3,300 new long-term homes for rough sleepers across the country have been approved, subject to due diligence, backed by Government investment of more than £150 million. For this long term aspect of NSAP, Crawley has been allocated £200,000.

This Government is?committed to driving the regeneration of towns across the country as the nation responds to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Our immediate response to?Covid-19?builds on an ongoing programme of interventions. This includes the £3.6 billion Towns Fund which aims to deliver long-term economic and productivity growth to towns and high streets. In September 2019, we announced the initial 101 towns, including Crawley, invited to develop Town Deal proposals. We received Crawley’s proposals earlier in the year, and expect to make further announcements of Town Deals in due course. In July, the Prime Minister announced £81.5 million of accelerated funding to the 101 towns to support immediate improvements; Crawley received its £1 million share in September.

Other elements of the Towns Fund include the Future High Streets Fund competition, where announcements of successful bidders will be made in due course, and a further Towns Fund competition. In addition, the High Streets Task Force has also launched a range of online resources to provide support to places across the country: https://www.highstreetstaskforce.org.uk/products-and-services/support-for-all-high-streets/

On 2 July the Secretary of State announced a further £500 million in unringfenced grant funding for councils to meet pressures they are facing in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Our unprecedented package includes £4.3 billion for councils’ spending pressures, comprising £3.7 billion of unringfenced grants and the £600 million Infection Control Fund, bringing the total amount of additional support for councils, businesses and local communities to almost £28 billion.

The Government is also meeting 75p in the pound of lost income such as parking fees and museum entry charges, where that loss of income is more than a council could have been expected to plan for. For many councils, this will be a significant portion of the income lost as result of the pandemic, particularly where these income streams make up a disproportionate portion of income relative to the size of the authority.

I regularly speak to the District Councils’ Network and individual councils. I can offer the reassurance that our aim is that all councils will be funded for their Covid-19 pressures and placed on a stable financial footing.

MHCLG continues to work closely with local authorities to manage the impacts of Covid-19 on the most vulnerable in our society.

Government provides food parcels directly to those identified as clinically extremely vulnerable to the Covid-19 virus if they do not have alternative means of accessing support. Over 280,000 clinically extremely vulnerable people have requested support and Government has delivered over 800,000 food parcels directly to people’s doorsteps since March.

Local councils across the country have set up local authority hubs and have local systems and processes to provide those who are medically vulnerable in their area with additional support, over and above that provided centrally.

Clinically extremely vulnerable individuals who have requested essential supplies through the gov.uk website have had their details passed onto supermarkets and the Government continues to work with supermarkets to support the prioritisation of clinically extremely vulnerable people for delivery slots.

The Government is committed to levelling up the entire country and giving towns, cities and communities across the UK real power and investment to drive the growth of the future and unleash their full potential.

We have taken action to encourage local growth in Crawley that includes:

• The opportunity to receive up to £25 million from the Towns Fund as one of the 100 places selected to develop a Town Deal with Government;
• £24 million from the Local Growth Fund, supporting infrastructure, regeneration and skills projects;
• Advice and support to 40 Crawley small businesses in the last financial year from Coast to Capital Local Enterprise Partnership’s Growth Hub.

Across the UK the Government is supporting local partners to deliver local economic growth and prosperity through:

• £12 billion of investment by 2021 through the Local Growth Fund in England in infrastructure, skills and innovation projects;
• Devolving powers and funding to eight Metro Mayors, with ongoing negotiations for new devolution deals across the North;
• Commitments to the Northern Powerhouse, Midlands Engine and Oxford-Cambridge Arc, as well as local industrial strategies being developed by Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) across England to drive growth across their areas;
• Town Deals from the £3.6 billion Towns Fund and investment in our High Streets;
• City and Growth Deals worth £10 billion in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland;
• Developing a UK Shared Prosperity Fund to tackle inequality and deprivation in each of our four nations.