James Daly

Members are the Controllers for the personal data held by their Parliamentary offices. This includes the data and information stored on the Parliamentary-provided devices and network accounts of their Parliamentary staff, including staff funded by short money.

In almost all circumstances, access is only provided to the data held in a Member’s parliamentary account or devices (or those of their staff) by the Parliamentary digital Service (PDS) on the instruction of that Member in their capacity as Controller. This is in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) data processing contract between each Member and the Administration.

As the Controller, a Member can instruct PDS to grant themselves, or members of their Parliamentary staff, access to the accounts and devices assigned to other staff in their own office.

Devices funded by short money that have been ordered through PDS are managed by PDS. In line with the UK GDPR data processing contract between individual Members and the Administration, PDS would facilitate access to the information stored on these devices at the instruction of the Controller.

Although no specific guidance has been issued by PDS to political parties on this issue, the Administrations of both Houses of Parliament have a data processing contract that applies to Controllers using Parliament’s IT systems. The contract for Members of both Houses includes a service description that sets out how Members are using Parliament’s IT systems to process the personal data which they are responsible for.

The appointment of parish priests is a matter for diocesan bishops. The information is not held centrally by the National Church Institutions.

You may wish to enquire with the Manchester Diocese: https://www.manchester.anglican.org/about-us/our-staff/

or with the Bishop of Manchester: https://www.manchester.anglican.org/about-us/bishops/bishopmanchester.php

Veterans have access to wide ranging support, wherever they live in the UK. In addition to the large number of national initiatives delivered by this Government in support of the Veterans’ Strategy, we recognise the hugely important role that charities and local communities play, through initiatives such as Armed Forces and veterans’ hubs.

The Government supports these projects through the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust, which distributes funds of £10M per annum for projects that support the Armed Forces community, including veterans. This year, the Government has provided an additional £10M to the Trust to deliver projects supporting veterans’ mental health needs. While eligibility varies depending on the programme, funding is often available to both Local Authorities and charitable organisations.

Veterans have access to wide ranging support, wherever they live in the UK. In addition to the large number of national initiatives delivered by this Government in support of the Veterans’ Strategy, we recognise the hugely important role that charities and communities play, through initiatives such as Armed Forces and veterans’ hubs. The Government supports these projects through the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust, which distributes funds of £10M annually for projects to support the Armed Forces community, including veterans.

Despite the recent fall in wholesale energy prices, energy markets remain volatile, and prices are still well above historical norms. Suppliers typically buy energy in advance of when it is delivered and Ofgem determines a maximum price they can charge consumers to recover the cost of this through the price cap. This means there can be a delay between changes in wholesale prices and these being reflected in consumer bills.

The Government’s Energy Price Guarantee (EPG) will save a typical household around £900 this winter.

This Government is committed to nuclear power as part of the country’s future diverse energy mix. Hinkley Point C is under construction and, when operational, will supply 3.2GW of secure, low carbon electricity for around 60 years, providing enough power for around 6 million homes. The Government is in constructive negotiations over Sizewell C in Suffolk. To further develop the project, the Government entered into a Combined Option agreement of £100 million with EDF on 27^th January.

The Government has also announced a £385million Advanced Nuclear Fund. From this, £210million has been awarded to Rolls-Royce SMR to develop their small modular reactor design and their continued advanced modular reactor development. The Government also announced a new £120 million Nuclear Enabling Fund to provide targeted support to address barriers to entry for future nuclear. Further details on the fund will be announced in due course.

Later this year, the Government will publish a nuclear roadmap setting out the government’s strategy in more detail. The Nuclear Energy (Financing) Bill is currently in Parliament. This will introduce a Regulated Asset Base model for nuclear projects and reduce the obstacles to financing new nuclear projects.

The Levelling Up White Paper sets out how we will maximise the contribution of innovation to levelling up by building on existing and emerging strengths across the country. This includes a commitment to increase public investment in R&D outside the Greater South East by at least one third over the Spending Review period and at least 40 percent by 2030; making levelling up one of the objectives of our R&D investment strategy and aiming for the regions outside the Greater South East to receive at least 55% of BEIS’ R&D budget by 2024/25; and investing £100 million as part of piloting new Innovation Accelerators supporting three UK city regions to become major, globally competitive centres for research and innovation.

The primary principle of the Restart Grant scheme is to support businesses that offer in-person services, where the main service and activity takes place in a fixed rate-paying premises, in the relevant sectors. Non-essential retail businesses, such as bridal shops, will be able apply for Restart Grants of up to £6,000. Businesses in the hospitality, leisure, personal care and gym sectors are able to apply for grants of up to £18,000.

If a business operates services that could be considered non-essential retail and also fall into another category, such as hospitality in the higher funding threshold, the main service can be determined by assessing which category constitutes 50% or more of their overall business.

The main service principle will determine which threshold of funding a business receives. Businesses will need to declare which is their main service. Local Authorities will need to exercise their reasonable judgement to determine whether or not a business is eligible for grants under which funding threshold and be satisfied that they have taken reasonable and practicable steps to pay eligible businesses and to pay them the correct amount

Throughout the pandemic, BEIS officials have worked closely with Local Authorities to ensure that grants are delivered as quickly as possible, while safeguarding public funds.   As the range of grants available has increased, officials have continued regular briefings with all 314 Local Authorities to provide the latest guidance and respond to questions. Ministers have also held regular conversations with leaders and chief executives.

The Government has brought forward a substantial package of financial support for the hospitality sector during the COVID-19 pandemic. At the Budget, my Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer announced a £65 billion three-point plan to provide support for jobs and businesses (including the hospitality sector), with extensions to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, self-employed support, business grants, loans and VAT cuts – bringing total fiscal support to over £407 billion.

Supporting grassroots sport is a key Government priority, we recognise the positive impact participating sport can have on individuals wellbeing and the benefits sport clubs have on local communities.

Sport England - the Government’s Arm’s Length Body - has invested more than £12 million into boxing over the last five years including £2.3 million to support boxing clubs through the immediate challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Government believes that sport has the potential to transform lives and can offer a positive alternative to those who are at-risk of being drawn into serious violence, gang culture and criminal behaviour. Participating in sports such as boxing can teach valuable life lessons, and we believe everyone should have access to these opportunities.

In November 2022, the Ministry of Justice announced a £5 million Sport Fund to deliver “sport for crime prevention” programmes. Funding will deliver grants to around 200 local projects which deliver targeted support for children considered to be at-risk of entering the justice system due to identified need or additional vulnerabilities. The fund will be delivered in partnership with a consortium of national sector-leading experts in the sport for crime prevention space, formed by StreetGames, The Sport for Development Coalition and the Alliance of Sport in Criminal Justice.

Supporting grassroots sport is a key Government priority, we recognise the positive impact participating sport can have on individuals wellbeing and the benefits sport clubs have on local communities.

Sport England - the Government’s Arm’s Length Body - has invested more than £12 million into boxing over the last five years including £2.3 million to support boxing clubs through the immediate challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Government believes that sport has the potential to transform lives and can offer a positive alternative to those who are at-risk of being drawn into serious violence, gang culture and criminal behaviour. Participating in sports such as boxing can teach valuable life lessons, and we believe everyone should have access to these opportunities.

In November 2022, the Ministry of Justice announced a £5 million Sport Fund to deliver “sport for crime prevention” programmes. Funding will deliver grants to around 200 local projects which deliver targeted support for children considered to be at-risk of entering the justice system due to identified need or additional vulnerabilities. The fund will be delivered in partnership with a consortium of national sector-leading experts in the sport for crime prevention space, formed by StreetGames, The Sport for Development Coalition and the Alliance of Sport in Criminal Justice.

Supporting grassroots sport is a key Government priority, we recognise the positive impact participating sport can have on individuals wellbeing and the benefits sport clubs have on local communities.

Sport England - the Government’s Arm’s Length Body - has invested more than £12 million into boxing over the last five years including £2.3 million to support boxing clubs through the immediate challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Government believes that sport has the potential to transform lives and can offer a positive alternative to those who are at-risk of being drawn into serious violence, gang culture and criminal behaviour. Participating in sports such as boxing can teach valuable life lessons, and we believe everyone should have access to these opportunities.

In November 2022, the Ministry of Justice announced a £5 million Sport Fund to deliver “sport for crime prevention” programmes. Funding will deliver grants to around 200 local projects which deliver targeted support for children considered to be at-risk of entering the justice system due to identified need or additional vulnerabilities. The fund will be delivered in partnership with a consortium of national sector-leading experts in the sport for crime prevention space, formed by StreetGames, The Sport for Development Coalition and the Alliance of Sport in Criminal Justice.

Supporting grassroots sport is a key Government priority, we recognise the positive impact participating sport can have on individuals wellbeing and the benefits sport clubs have on local communities.

Sport England - the Government’s Arm’s Length Body - has invested more than £12 million into boxing over the last five years including £2.3 million to support boxing clubs through the immediate challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Government believes that sport has the potential to transform lives and can offer a positive alternative to those who are at-risk of being drawn into serious violence, gang culture and criminal behaviour. Participating in sports such as boxing can teach valuable life lessons, and we believe everyone should have access to these opportunities.

In November 2022, the Ministry of Justice announced a £5 million Sport Fund to deliver “sport for crime prevention” programmes. Funding will deliver grants to around 200 local projects which deliver targeted support for children considered to be at-risk of entering the justice system due to identified need or additional vulnerabilities. The fund will be delivered in partnership with a consortium of national sector-leading experts in the sport for crime prevention space, formed by StreetGames, The Sport for Development Coalition and the Alliance of Sport in Criminal Justice.

The Government is committed to ensuring as many people as possible can access our world-class museums, galleries and heritage sites, regardless of their background or where they live. Our Arm’s-Length Bodies deliver much of this good work.

For example, following a request from HM Government to ensure that the taxpayer subsidy it allocates is more equitably spread around the country, Arts Council England will be investing £446 million each year in 2023-2026 to support 990 organisations across the whole of England. This is more than ever before, and in more places than ever before.

The Government aims to allow children to take up opportunities for suitable part-time work, whilst ensuring that proportionate safeguards are in place so that their education, health, and wellbeing are not jeopardised.

The Department wants to ensure that the correct balance between enabling children to benefit from employment opportunities and protecting educational attainment is achieved. Based on the evidence we have, the current limits on hours achieve this. The Department will continue to keep this under review.

We have now published the outcome data from wave 1 of the Skills Bootcamps, delivered between September 2020 and 31 March 2021. This outcome data shows that Skills Bootcamps are supporting individuals to access new opportunities and are helping them progress in their careers.

Between September 2020 and March 2021, over 2000 participants completed a Skills Bootcamp, of which at least 54% of individuals achieved a positive outcome as a result. A positive outcome is defined as a new full or part time job or apprenticeship, a new role, or increased responsibilities with their current employer. For the self-employed, a positive outcome is defined as access to new opportunities.

In addition to these recorded outcomes, published research for wave 1 of the Skills Bootcamps highlights that three quarters of learners felt the training met or was meeting their needs, and 79% were satisfied with their course overall.

A guaranteed interview is a key part of the Skills Bootcamps offer in wave 2 and for all future delivery. Detailed data about attended job interviews is not available as part of outcomes data from wave 1 of the Skills Bootcamps. However, the department is currently commissioning impact evaluations for waves 2 and 3 of the Skills Bootcamps, which will provide further evidence and learning to inform future delivery. We are working with providers in wave 2 of the programme to ensure they provide consistent and accurate data.

The Department is aware of the importance of giving schools as much notice as possible of future funding. We will confirm arrangements for the primary physical education and sport premium for the 2021/22 academic year as soon as possible.

Our ambition is for every child, no matter what challenge they face, to have access to a world-class education that sets them up for life. Supporting children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to access high quality teaching and specialist professional care is a priority for this government.

The cross-government SEND Review is looking at ways to improve the SEND system, including better outcomes for children and young people with SEND, with help offered early in genuine partnership with families. Our ambition is to publish proposals for public consultation in the spring.

We have announced a major investment in special needs education, including an additional £730 million into high needs in the 2021-22 financial year, coming on top of the additional £780 million in the 2020-21 financial year, which means high needs budgets will have grown by over £1.5 billion, nearly a quarter, in just 2 years. We are also investing £300 million capital funding in the 2021-22 financial year for new places for children and young people with SEND, a significant single-year increase in our capital investment in new high needs places.

We are also supporting local SEND services. On 10 February 2021, we announced over £42 million of funding for projects to support children and young people with SEND in financial year 2021-22. This investment will ensure that specialist organisations around the country can continue their work to help strengthen local area performance, support families and provide practical support to schools and colleges. Crucially, it will strengthen participation of parents and young people in the SEND system, ensuring they have a voice in designing policies and services and have access to high quality information, advice and support. It includes £27.3 million specifically to support families on low incomes raising children with disabilities or serious illnesses.

Finally, we recognise that the COVID-19 outbreak has had a particular impact on children and young people. We are committed to helping all pupils, including those with SEND, make up learning lost as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. The government has announced £1.7 billion to give education settings support to help pupils get back on track, including additional funding, tutoring, early language support and summer schools. Sir Kevan Collins has also been appointed as the Education Recovery Commissioner and is considering how schools and the system can more effectively target resources and support at pupils in greatest need.

Maintained nursery schools (MNSs) are an important part of the early years sector and provide valuable services, especially in disadvantaged areas.

Early years providers, including MNSs, have continued to receive early education entitlements funding during the COVID-19 outbreak. We have also re-confirmed around £60 million, nationally, in supplementary funding for MNSs for the financial year 2021-22.

Like private nurseries, MNSs typically rely on private income for a significant proportion of their income, unlike most state-funded schools. Therefore, we have ensured that access to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) is also available to MNSs, in line with published guidance. On 3 March 2021, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced that the CJRS will be extended until the end of September 2021. As long as staff meet the other criteria for the scheme, schools and early years providers are able to furlough their staff if they have experienced a drop in either their income from parents or government. MNSs were also able to access free school meals vouchers via Edenred.

This government remains committed to the long-term funding of maintained nursery schools, and any reform to the way they are funded will be accompanied by appropriate funding protections.