Jim McMahon

Vaccination of poultry and captive birds against avian influenza, excluding those in licensed zoos in England, is not currently permitted. However preventative vaccination for avian influenza may be an option for the future but is unlikely to be a viable option for the 2023/24 high risk season. Defra established in February 2023 a cross government and industry task force to explore potential for use of vaccination as a preventive measure for avian influenza.

In parallel to the work of the avian influenza vaccination task force Defra in conjunction with the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) will continue to monitor the development and availability of vaccines for their utility in preventing and responding to avian influenza outbreaks as they are put forward for market authorisation by vaccine manufacturers.

Any future decisions on disease control measures, including the use of vaccination, will be based upon the latest scientific and ornithological evidence, and veterinary advice.

We are aware that the ongoing outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza has created challenges for poultry and egg producers. To support poultry producers and others affected by this unprecedented outbreak, on the 28 October 2022 Defra announced new support for the poultry industry to assist farmers and producers with the impacts of avian influenza. This includes a change to the existing avian influenza compensation scheme allowing us to provide swifter payments to help stem any cash flow pressures and give earlier certainty about entitlement to compensation.

We also introduced market support measures to assist businesses impacted by avian influenza. These included allowing seasonal poultry producers to slaughter birds, freeze them and then sell them as defrosted products during the period 28 November to 31 December 2022 and concessions to the labelling of free-range eggs from poultry housed under avian influenza mandatory housing measures for longer than the 16-week period for which an automatic derogation applies.

We continue to monitor the impacts of avian influenza on the poultry and allied sectors.

The UK has a highly resilient food supply chain which has coped well in responding to the unprecedented challenges the industry, including the egg sector, has faced in the past few years.

Defra has been working closely with the egg sector and has acted where appropriate in response to the recent unprecedented avian Influenza (AI) outbreak. We announced changes to the AI compensation scheme on 28 October 2022 by allowing compensation to be paid for farmers from the outset of planned culling rather than at the end. This allowed Defra to provide swifter payments to help stem any cash flow pressures and give farmers earlier certainty about entitlements to compensation. We also granted a concession to the marketing standards rules for the labelling of free-range eggs from poultry that have been housed under an AI Prevention Zone with mandatory housing measures for longer than the 16-week period for which an automatic derogation applies.   More widely, the Government has put in place a number of measures which the egg industry has been able to access, including cuts to VAT and fuel duty and support through the Energy Bill Relief Scheme.

In December 2022 I hosted an egg industry roundtable which brought together representatives of the egg supply chain from across the UK. The Roundtable focused on addressing the challenges that the sector had been facing due to the increase in input costs caused by the war in Ukraine. The meeting was productive with a clear willingness from all parties to address issues affecting the supply chain.

At the recent No 10 Food Summit, I announced that we would be undertaking a supply chain fairness review of the egg sector.

We continue to keep the egg sector under constant review including through the UK Agriculture Market Monitoring Group and our ongoing regular engagement with sector stakeholders.

Defra’s approach to avian influenza prevention and control is set out in the Notifiable Avian Disease Control Strategy for Great Britain supported by the Mitigation Strategy for Avian Influenza in Wild Birds in England and Wales. To help stop the spread of avian influenza, Avian Influenza Prevention Zones (AIPZs) are in force across the UK. This means it is a legal requirement for all bird keepers (whether they have pet birds, commercial flocks or just a few birds in a backyard flock) to follow strict biosecurity measures to limit the spread of and eradicate the disease. The mandatory housing measures that were lifted on 17 April 2023 together with the enhanced biosecurity measures required by the AIPZ have been vital in protecting flocks across the country from avian influenza.

In addition, where infection in poultry or other captive birds does occur, swift and humane culling of birds on infected premises coupled with good biosecurity are used to prevent the amplification of avian influenza and subsequent environmental contamination and to reduce the risk of disease spread from infected premises.

Together, the Government and bird keepers must do everything we can to keep disease out of kept bird flocks. We all have a shared responsibility to ensure that if disease occurs it is diagnosed early, that good management practices ensure that the risk of further spread is minimised, the outbreak is controlled, and disease is eradicated. Scrupulous biosecurity is the most effective method of disease control available and all bird keepers should apply enhanced measures at all times to prevent the risk of future outbreaks.

The Government continues to work closely with the poultry industry to tackle the unprecedented outbreak of avian influenza which has been affecting the UK. Defra Officials and Ministers in conjunction with the Animal and Plant Health Agency, the Food Standards Agency and devolved administration representatives have met regularly throughout the outbreak with industry bodies including the British Egg Industry Council, British Poultry Council, British Free Range Egg Producers Association and the Game Farmers Association in addition to individual producers representing the breadth of the poultry sector.

We are continuing to keep the market situation under close review, including through the UK Agriculture Market Monitoring Group, which monitors UK agricultural markets including price, supply, inputs, trade and recent developments, and our ongoing engagement with industry stakeholders.

While avian influenza viruses are predominantly considered a pathogen of birds, the virus can infect mammals. Findings of influenza of avian origin in mammals are uncommon and there is no evidence to suggest an increased risk to non-avian wildlife. The main risk to non-avian pets is from eating or chewing on dead wild birds or from feeding them raw poultry, gamebird, wildfowl or other wild bird meat with an unknown provenance. Pets should not be allowed to feed on or play with infected or potentially infected sick or dead birds. While there is a small risk to cats if they catch wild birds which are infected, common garden birds are considered a lower risk of being infected with avian influenza than ducks, geese, swans and gulls.

Infection of mammals including pets with influenza of avian origin is notifiable; failure to report suspicion of infection or detection of influenza of avian origin in mammals is an offence. Further information on the case definition for influenza of avian origin and reporting requirements in mammals including pets can be found in our Influenza A (H5N1) infection in mammals: suspect case definition and diagnostic testing criteria guidance.

The Animal and Plant Health Agency carries out year-round avian influenza surveillance of dead wild birds submitted via public reports and warden patrols. Members of the public are encouraged to report findings of dead wild birds using the new online reporting system or by calling the Defra helpline (03459 33 55 77).

The Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan was published in August 2022, alongside an Impact Assessment which considers costs and benefits of the final targets to businesses, the public, wider society and government spending where applicable.

In August 2022 the Government launched the most ambitious plan in water company history. In our £56 billion Plan, protecting public health at bathing waters was one of our main priorities.

Storm overflows near bathing waters have the potential to impact public health. Our plan to reduce sewage discharges from storm overflows includes a specific target for bathing water. This ensures we are prioritising improvements that secure the greatest benefit for public health.

In August 2022 the Government launched the most ambitious plan to reduce sewage discharges from storm overflows in water company history. In our £56 billion Plan, protecting public health at bathing waters is one of our main priorities. The Plan frontloads action in particularly important and sensitive areas including designated bathing waters and high priority ecological sites.

The department regularly publishes transparency data, including on ministerial meetings.

Defra recently published its Plan for Water which set out the importance of ensuring a clean and plentiful water supply. Water companies have a statutory duty to provide clean and reliable water to customers. To fulfil this duty there are statutory requirements to consult, publish and maintain water resources management plans, to balance water supply and demand at least twenty-five years into the future, and to develop drought plans setting out the actions taken to maintain secure supplies during drought events.

Water companies have been consulting on their draft water resources management plans and consulted on their drought plans in 2021. These plans are available on water company websites.

The Government expects water companies to take action to reduce levels of leakage and has consistently challenged them on their performance. Water companies have committed to a government endorsed target to reduce leakage by 50% sector-wide by 2050. As a first step, Ofwat has set requirements for water companies to cut leaks by 16% and reduce mains bursts by 12% by 2025. In July, Ofwat reported that industry wide leakage has reduced by 11% since 2017-18. In addition, water companies will need to contribute to delivery of Defra’s Water Demand Target under the Environment Act 2021 to reduce the use of public water supply per person in England by 20% by 2038. This includes a 37% reduction in leakage by 2038 on the pathway to meet their 50% reduction in leakage commitment by 2050.

The Environment Agency collects leakage data reported by water companies annually. It is provided by water company area. This means we cannot break down these data into specific regions such as the East and West Midlands. We have collated the data provided by the companies into regions based on their locations and information provided by regional water resources groups for the year 2021 – 2022.

Defra recently published its Plan for Water which set out the importance of ensuring a clean and plentiful water supply. Water companies have a statutory duty to provide clean and reliable water to customers. To fulfil this duty there are statutory requirements to consult, publish and maintain water resources management plans, to balance water supply and demand at least twenty-five years into the future, and to develop drought plans setting out the actions taken to maintain secure supplies during drought events.

Water companies have been consulting on their draft water resources management plans and consulted on their drought plans in 2021. These plans are available on water company websites.

The Government expects water companies to take action to reduce levels of leakage and has consistently challenged them on their performance. Water companies have committed to a government endorsed target to reduce leakage by 50% sector-wide by 2050. As a first step, Ofwat has set requirements for water companies to cut leaks by 16% and reduce mains bursts by 12% by 2025. In July, Ofwat reported that industry wide leakage has reduced by 11% since 2017-18. In addition, water companies will need to contribute to delivery of Defra’s Water Demand Target under the Environment Act 2021 to reduce the use of public water supply per person in England by 20% by 2038. This includes a 37% reduction in leakage by 2038 on the pathway to meet their 50% reduction in leakage commitment by 2050.

The Environment Agency collects leakage data reported by water companies annually. It is provided by water company area. This means we cannot break down these data into specific regions such as the East and West Midlands. We have collated the data provided by the companies into regions based on their locations and information provided by regional water resources groups for the year 2021 – 2022.

Defra recently published its Plan for Water which set out the importance of ensuring a clean and plentiful water supply. Water companies have a statutory duty to provide clean and reliable water to customers. To fulfil this duty there are statutory requirements to consult, publish and maintain water resources management plans, to balance water supply and demand at least twenty-five years into the future, and to develop drought plans setting out the actions taken to maintain secure supplies during drought events.

Water companies have been consulting on their draft water resources management plans and consulted on their drought plans in 2021. These plans are available on water company websites.

The Government expects water companies to take action to reduce levels of leakage and has consistently challenged them on their performance. Water companies have committed to a government endorsed target to reduce leakage by 50% sector-wide by 2050. As a first step, Ofwat has set requirements for water companies to cut leaks by 16% and reduce mains bursts by 12% by 2025. In July, Ofwat reported that industry wide leakage has reduced by 11% since 2017-18. In addition, water companies will need to contribute to delivery of Defra’s Water Demand Target under the Environment Act 2021 to reduce the use of public water supply per person in England by 20% by 2038. This includes a 37% reduction in leakage by 2038 on the pathway to meet their 50% reduction in leakage commitment by 2050.

The Environment Agency collects leakage data reported by water companies annually. It is provided by water company area. This means we cannot break down these data into specific regions such as the East and West Midlands. We have collated the data provided by the companies into regions based on their locations and information provided by regional water resources groups for the year 2021 – 2022.

Defra recently published its Plan for Water which set out the importance of ensuring a clean and plentiful water supply. Water companies have a statutory duty to provide clean and reliable water to customers. To fulfil this duty there are statutory requirements to consult, publish and maintain water resources management plans, to balance water supply and demand at least twenty-five years into the future, and to develop drought plans setting out the actions taken to maintain secure supplies during drought events.

Water companies have been consulting on their draft water resources management plans and consulted on their drought plans in 2021. These plans are available on water company websites.

The Government expects water companies to take action to reduce levels of leakage and has consistently challenged them on their performance. Water companies have committed to a government endorsed target to reduce leakage by 50% sector-wide by 2050. As a first step, Ofwat has set requirements for water companies to cut leaks by 16% and reduce mains bursts by 12% by 2025. In July, Ofwat reported that industry wide leakage has reduced by 11% since 2017-18. In addition, water companies will need to contribute to delivery of Defra’s Water Demand Target under the Environment Act 2021 to reduce the use of public water supply per person in England by 20% by 2038. This includes a 37% reduction in leakage by 2038 on the pathway to meet their 50% reduction in leakage commitment by 2050.

The Environment Agency collects leakage data reported by water companies annually. It is provided by water company area. This means we cannot break down these data into specific regions such as the East and West Midlands. We have collated the data provided by the companies into regions based on their locations and information provided by regional water resources groups for the year 2021 – 2022.

Defra recently published its Plan for Water which set out the importance of ensuring a clean and plentiful water supply. Water companies have a statutory duty to provide clean and reliable water to customers. To fulfil this duty there are statutory requirements to consult, publish and maintain water resources management plans, to balance water supply and demand at least twenty-five years into the future, and to develop drought plans setting out the actions taken to maintain secure supplies during drought events.

Water companies have been consulting on their draft water resources management plans and consulted on their drought plans in 2021. These plans are available on water company websites.

The Government expects water companies to take action to reduce levels of leakage and has consistently challenged them on their performance. Water companies have committed to a government endorsed target to reduce leakage by 50% sector-wide by 2050. As a first step, Ofwat has set requirements for water companies to cut leaks by 16% and reduce mains bursts by 12% by 2025. In July, Ofwat reported that industry wide leakage has reduced by 11% since 2017-18. In addition, water companies will need to contribute to delivery of Defra’s Water Demand Target under the Environment Act 2021 to reduce the use of public water supply per person in England by 20% by 2038. This includes a 37% reduction in leakage by 2038 on the pathway to meet their 50% reduction in leakage commitment by 2050.

The Environment Agency collects leakage data reported by water companies annually. It is provided by water company area. This means we cannot break down these data into specific regions such as the East and West Midlands. We have collated the data provided by the companies into regions based on their locations and information provided by regional water resources groups for the year 2021 – 2022.

Defra recently published its Plan for Water which set out the importance of ensuring a clean and plentiful water supply. Water companies have a statutory duty to provide clean and reliable water to customers. To fulfil this duty there are statutory requirements to consult, publish and maintain water resources management plans, to balance water supply and demand at least twenty-five years into the future, and to develop drought plans setting out the actions taken to maintain secure supplies during drought events.

Water companies have been consulting on their draft water resources management plans and consulted on their drought plans in 2021. These plans are available on water company websites.

The Government expects water companies to take action to reduce levels of leakage and has consistently challenged them on their performance. Water companies have committed to a government endorsed target to reduce leakage by 50% sector-wide by 2050. As a first step, Ofwat has set requirements for water companies to cut leaks by 16% and reduce mains bursts by 12% by 2025. In July, Ofwat reported that industry wide leakage has reduced by 11% since 2017-18. In addition, water companies will need to contribute to delivery of Defra’s Water Demand Target under the Environment Act 2021 to reduce the use of public water supply per person in England by 20% by 2038. This includes a 37% reduction in leakage by 2038 on the pathway to meet their 50% reduction in leakage commitment by 2050.

The Environment Agency collects leakage data reported by water companies annually. It is provided by water company area. This means we cannot break down these data into specific regions such as the East and West Midlands. We have collated the data provided by the companies into regions based on their locations and information provided by regional water resources groups for the year 2021 – 2022.

Defra recently published its Plan for Water which set out the importance of ensuring a clean and plentiful water supply. Water companies have a statutory duty to provide clean and reliable water to customers. To fulfil this duty there are statutory requirements to consult, publish and maintain water resources management plans, to balance water supply and demand at least twenty-five years into the future, and to develop drought plans setting out the actions taken to maintain secure supplies during drought events.

Water companies have been consulting on their draft water resources management plans and consulted on their drought plans in 2021. These plans are available on water company websites.

The Government expects water companies to take action to reduce levels of leakage and has consistently challenged them on their performance. Water companies have committed to a government endorsed target to reduce leakage by 50% sector-wide by 2050. As a first step, Ofwat has set requirements for water companies to cut leaks by 16% and reduce mains bursts by 12% by 2025. In July, Ofwat reported that industry wide leakage has reduced by 11% since 2017-18. In addition, water companies will need to contribute to delivery of Defra’s Water Demand Target under the Environment Act 2021 to reduce the use of public water supply per person in England by 20% by 2038. This includes a 37% reduction in leakage by 2038 on the pathway to meet their 50% reduction in leakage commitment by 2050.

The Environment Agency collects leakage data reported by water companies annually. It is provided by water company area. This means we cannot break down these data into specific regions such as the East and West Midlands. We have collated the data provided by the companies into regions based on their locations and information provided by regional water resources groups for the year 2021 – 2022.

Defra recently published its Plan for Water which set out the importance of ensuring a clean and plentiful water supply. Water companies have a statutory duty to provide clean and reliable water to customers. To fulfil this duty there are statutory requirements to consult, publish and maintain water resources management plans, to balance water supply and demand at least twenty-five years into the future, and to develop drought plans setting out the actions taken to maintain secure supplies during drought events.

Water companies have been consulting on their draft water resources management plans and consulted on their drought plans in 2021. These plans are available on water company websites.

The Government expects water companies to take action to reduce levels of leakage and has consistently challenged them on their performance. Water companies have committed to a government endorsed target to reduce leakage by 50% sector-wide by 2050. As a first step, Ofwat has set requirements for water companies to cut leaks by 16% and reduce mains bursts by 12% by 2025. In July, Ofwat reported that industry wide leakage has reduced by 11% since 2017-18. In addition, water companies will need to contribute to delivery of Defra’s Water Demand Target under the Environment Act 2021 to reduce the use of public water supply per person in England by 20% by 2038. This includes a 37% reduction in leakage by 2038 on the pathway to meet their 50% reduction in leakage commitment by 2050.

The Environment Agency collects leakage data reported by water companies annually. It is provided by water company area. This means we cannot break down these data into specific regions such as the East and West Midlands. We have collated the data provided by the companies into regions based on their locations and information provided by regional water resources groups for the year 2021 – 2022.

Defra recently published its Plan for Water which set out the importance of ensuring a clean and plentiful water supply. Water companies have a statutory duty to provide clean and reliable water to customers. To fulfil this duty there are statutory requirements to consult, publish and maintain water resources management plans, to balance water supply and demand at least twenty-five years into the future, and to develop drought plans setting out the actions taken to maintain secure supplies during drought events.

Water companies have been consulting on their draft water resources management plans and consulted on their drought plans in 2021. These plans are available on water company websites.

The Government expects water companies to take action to reduce levels of leakage and has consistently challenged them on their performance. Water companies have committed to a government endorsed target to reduce leakage by 50% sector-wide by 2050. As a first step, Ofwat has set requirements for water companies to cut leaks by 16% and reduce mains bursts by 12% by 2025. In July, Ofwat reported that industry wide leakage has reduced by 11% since 2017-18. In addition, water companies will need to contribute to delivery of Defra’s Water Demand Target under the Environment Act 2021 to reduce the use of public water supply per person in England by 20% by 2038. This includes a 37% reduction in leakage by 2038 on the pathway to meet their 50% reduction in leakage commitment by 2050.

The Environment Agency collects leakage data reported by water companies annually. It is provided by water company area. This means we cannot break down these data into specific regions such as the East and West Midlands. We have collated the data provided by the companies into regions based on their locations and information provided by regional water resources groups for the year 2021 – 2022.

In August 2022 the Government launched the most ambitious plan to reduce sewage discharges from storm overflows in water company history – Storm Overflow Discharge Reduction Plan. Our strict targets will see the toughest ever crackdown on sewage spills and will require water companies to deliver the largest infrastructure programme in water company history - £56 billion capital investment over 25 years.

In the Plan, we have prioritised protecting public health at bathing waters. Overflows that are causing the most harm to public health, or the environment, will be addressed first to make the biggest difference as quickly as possible.

In the Plan, we state that water companies must significantly reduce harmful pathogens from storm overflows discharging into and near designated bathing waters, by either: applying disinfection; or reducing the frequency of discharges to meet Environment Agency spill standards by 2035.

The Secretary of State has many meetings with Cabinet Ministers and discussions between departments continue.

In August 2022 the Government launched the most ambitious plan to reduce sewage discharges from storm overflows in water company history - Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan.

In the Plan, we have prioritised protecting public health at bathing waters. Overflows that are causing the most harm to public health, or the environment, will be addressed first to make the biggest difference as quickly as possible.

E. coli is one of the standard faecal indicator organisms prevalent in sewage discharges but can also be found in agricultural runoff and road drainage. Bathing waters at beaches, lakes and rivers are designated under the Bathing Water Regulations 2013 to protect bathers’ health against faecal pollution. E. coli is one of the standards bathing waters are monitored for.

The Secretary of State has many meetings with senior members of government and officials, and discussions between departments continue.

In August 2022 the Government launched the most ambitious plan to reduce sewage discharges from storm overflows in water company history - Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan.

In the Plan, we have prioritised protecting public health at bathing waters. Overflows that are causing the most harm to public health, or the environment, will be addressed first to make the biggest difference as quickly as possible.

E. coli is one of the standard faecal indicator organisms prevalent in sewage discharges but can also be found in agricultural runoff and road drainage. Bathing waters at beaches, lakes and rivers are designated under the Bathing Water Regulations 2013 to protect bathers’ health against faecal pollution. E. coli is one of the standards bathing waters are monitored for.

In August 2022 the Government launched the most ambitious plan to reduce sewage discharges from storm overflows in water company history – Storm Overflow Discharge Reduction Plan. Our strict targets will see the toughest ever crackdown on sewage spills and will require water companies to deliver the largest infrastructure programme in water company history - £56 billion capital investment over 25 years.

In the Plan, we have prioritised protecting public health at bathing waters. Overflows that are causing the most harm to public health, or the environment, will be addressed first to make the biggest difference as quickly as possible.

In the Plan, we state that water companies must significantly reduce harmful pathogens from storm overflows discharging into and near designated bathing waters, by either: applying disinfection; or reducing the frequency of discharges to meet Environment Agency spill standards by 2035.

E. coli is one of the standard faecal indicator organisms prevalent in sewage discharges but can also be found in agricultural runoff and road drainage. Bathing waters at beaches, lakes and rivers are designated under the Bathing Water Regulations 2013 to protect bathers’ health against faecal pollution. E. coli is one of the standards bathing waters are monitored for.

The impact of sewage discharges on ecology varies depending on the pollutants it carries, their concentration, and the nature of the receiving water body.

In England, we have now set and committed to four legally binding targets for biodiversity.

• By 2030 we will halt the decline in species abundance.
• By 2042 we will reverse species decline, reduce the risk of species extinction and restore or create more than 500,000 hectares of wildlife-rich habitats, including rivers and lakes.

Action to restore or create freshwater habitats will support species in our indicator that live in and rely on lakes and rivers such as kingfishers, silver bream, perch, and minnow.

Our Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan sets clear and specific targets for water companies, regulators and the Government, to work towards the long-term ambition of eliminating the ecological harm from storm overflows. These targets contribute to the Environment Act targets on biodiversity.

In August 2022 the Government launched the most ambitious plan to reduce sewage discharges from storm overflows in water company history – Storm Overflow Discharge Reduction Plan.  Our strict targets will see the toughest ever crackdown on sewage spills and will require water companies to deliver the largest infrastructure programme in water company history - £56 billion capital investment over 25 years.

In the Plan, we have prioritised protecting public health at bathing waters. Overflows that are causing the most harm to public health, or the environment, will be addressed first to make the biggest difference as quickly as possible.

In February 2023 the Secretary of State asked water and sewerage companies to set an action plan on every storm overflow in England, prioritising those that are spilling more than a certain number of times a year, and those spilling into bathing waters and high priority nature sites.

Further, in April, we announced a legally binding target to crackdown on sewage spills from storm overflows.

Tackling inflation is this Government’s number one priority, with a plan to more than halve inflation this year.

Farmers and growers across the UK are facing global challenges from Putin’s illegal war in Ukraine, in addition to the unprecedented Avian Influenza outbreaks occurring across the world. We are undertaking a range of actions to respond to these global challenges, including:

• Paying Direct Payments in England in two instalments each year to help farmers with their cashflow.
• Improved the Avian Flu compensation scheme for farmers to help farmers through the worst global outbreak in many years and eased marketing rules to give certainty over business planning.
• Removed 25% tariff on maize imports from the USA to help with feed costs
• Introduced measures to help with global impacts on fertiliser supply chains including short term support to protect vital CO2 production

• Announcing 45,000 seasonal workers visas for the horticulture industry (an uplift of 15,000 compared with the start of 2022) with scope for up to 10,000 more if there is clear evidence of need, so that labour is not a limiting factor.
• Provided £168 million in grants to drive innovation, R&D and improve productivity through greener equipment, robotics and automation.
• Helping businesses with their costs through the Energy Bill Discount Scheme, business rates relief and extending the cut to fuel duty by 12 months, and small businesses will be fully protected from next year’s rise in corporation tax.
• Provided 10,000 farmers with help and advice through the Future Farming Resilience Fund, which provides farmers with free advice to help farmers work out what to do for their business.

Further information on action we have taken to support our farmers and growers: Our record on farming: 30 actions we have taken to support our farmers and growers - Defra in the media (blog.gov.uk)

On 11 May 2023, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury met supermarkets to discuss the cost of food, and the Chancellor is meeting them again shortly to discuss how we ensure that consumers have access to a range of affordable food, in recognition of the pressures that people and producers are feeling.

We are keeping the market situation under review through the UK Agriculture Market Monitoring Group, which monitors all key agricultural commodities, so that we can work with the food industry to address the challenges they face.

Through regular engagement, Defra will continue to work with food retailers and producers to explore the range of measures they can take to ensure the availability of affordable food. For example, by maintaining value ranges, price matching and price freezing measures.

As set out in the Agricultural Transition Plan, we launched the pilot phase of the New Entrant Support Scheme in November as part of our co-design process. These pilots are testing a range of approaches to supporting new entrants and those looking to scale up their businesses to become successful entrepreneurs in the sector. The pilots will be evaluated and this will inform the type of future support for new entrants. The Department is also working closely with The Institute of Agriculture and Horticulture to coordinate wider activity on creating attractive career routes for those wishing to enter and those seeking to progress within the industry.

The New Entrant Support Scheme is still under development. We are just completing five pilots to test different approaches to providing support to build entrepreneurial capacity in new and recent entrants to increase their potential to access land and finance. We will be evaluating these pilots over the next few months working with stakeholders with a view to deciding on the next steps in the autumn.

The Government is also contributing towards the establishment of a new professional body, The Institute for Agriculture and Horticulture (TIAH). This initiative is aimed at removing the fragmentation that exists within the current learning and skills landscape for farming businesses. TIAH will enable the industry, including those newly or recently entering it, to drive forward greater uptake of skills through creating clear career development pathways.

Defra do not hold the data to calculate the percentage of unrecyclable plastic material rejected from the waste material collected for recycling in England. Overall rejection tonnages for Household waste collected by Local authority and region can be found in the published datasets: ENV18 - Local authority collected waste: annual results tables 2021/22 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Defra do not hold the data to calculate the percentage of unrecyclable plastic material rejected from the waste material collected for recycling in England. Overall rejection tonnages for Household waste collected by Local authority and region can be found in the published datasets: ENV18 - Local authority collected waste: annual results tables 2021/22 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Defra do not hold the data to calculate the percentage of unrecyclable plastic material rejected from the waste material collected for recycling in England. Overall rejection tonnages for Household waste collected by Local authority and region can be found in the published datasets: ENV18 - Local authority collected waste: annual results tables 2021/22 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Defra do not hold the data to calculate the percentage of unrecyclable plastic material rejected from the waste material collected for recycling in England. Overall rejection tonnages for Household waste collected by Local authority and region can be found in the published datasets: ENV18 - Local authority collected waste: annual results tables 2021/22 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Defra do not hold the data to calculate the percentage of unrecyclable plastic material rejected from the waste material collected for recycling in England. Overall rejection tonnages for Household waste collected by Local authority and region can be found in the published datasets: ENV18 - Local authority collected waste: annual results tables 2021/22 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Defra do not hold the data to calculate the percentage of unrecyclable plastic material rejected from the waste material collected for recycling in England. Overall rejection tonnages for Household waste collected by Local authority and region can be found in the published datasets: ENV18 - Local authority collected waste: annual results tables 2021/22 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Defra do not hold the data to calculate the percentage of unrecyclable plastic material rejected from the waste material collected for recycling in England. Overall rejection tonnages for Household waste collected by Local authority and region can be found in the published datasets: ENV18 - Local authority collected waste: annual results tables 2021/22 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Defra do not hold the data to calculate the percentage of unrecyclable plastic material rejected from the waste material collected for recycling in England. Overall rejection tonnages for Household waste collected by Local authority and region can be found in the published datasets: ENV18 - Local authority collected waste: annual results tables 2021/22 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Defra do not hold the data to calculate the percentage of unrecyclable plastic material rejected from the waste material collected for recycling in England. Overall rejection tonnages for Household waste collected by Local authority and region can be found in the published datasets: ENV18 - Local authority collected waste: annual results tables 2021/22 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

The UK Government wishes to see unnecessary or excess packaging on products reduced and, where used, for the packaging to be easy to recycle. These are key objectives of our new Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging (pEPR) policy, which will be introduced across the UK from 2024. This will include measures which will require businesses that use packaging to pay fees to cover the costs of collecting and treating household packaging waste handled by local authorities. This means that – for the first time - businesses will be responsible for the cost of managing their packaging once it reaches its end of life. From 2025, the fees producers pay will also be varied (modulated) so that fees for easily recyclable packaging will be lower than those for packaging that cannot be recycled. This will place a strong financial incentive on packaging producers to reduce the overall amount of packaging they use, encourage businesses to design and use packaging that is easily recyclable, and encourage the use of reusable and refillable packaging. This will reduce the amount of unsustainable packaging that is used each year, and ensure that the packaging that is used can be recycled and the materials returned into the economy.

The panel of independent experts set up to assess the cause of crustacean mortality could not find a definitive cause for the mortalities, and concluded that maintenance dredging and capital dredging were very unlikely and exceptionally unlikely to have been the cause. A range of support is provided to the English seafood sector through the Fisheries and Seafood Scheme (FaSS) and the £100 million UK Seafood Fund. FaSS includes grants of up to £100,000 to support diversification, such as gear to target new species and processing equipment to develop new products. Since opening in April 2021, FaSS has provided £2.2 million to seafood businesses in the North East and is open for applications now. In addition, the Fisheries Industry Science Partnerships (FISP) scheme, part of the UK Seafood Fund, is providing over £260,000 to a project led by the North-Eastern Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (NEIFCA) that will help establish an ongoing survey programme for the inshore lobster fishery. Further information on this project can be found here: FISP projects: grants and contracts awarded in round 1 of the scheme - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

In 2021 we had 88% coverage of storm overflows with event duration monitors (EDMs), and we will have complete coverage by the end of this year. In 2021, only 2% of all installed EDMs failed to return data. Event Duration Monitoring has not stopped at any sites. There may be times where an individual monitor may go offline, but every step must be taken by water companies to ensure monitors get back online as soon as possible.

We have assessed the impacts of this incident, including a comparison with landing data from previous years and with other parts of the country, for affected species. The North East Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority stock monitoring report (September 2022) indicated that at a regional scale, landings in late 2021 were broadly in line with historic data, and a significant reduction in landings in October and November 2021 were not observed.

The stock monitoring report also found, as the 2022 season progressed, lobster landings at a regional level were in line with seasonal expectations.

The UK Government currently provides a range of support to the fishing industry in that region, through the Fisheries and Seafood Scheme (FaSS) and the £100 million UK Seafood Fund. Since opening in April 2021, FaSS has provided £2.2 million to seafood businesses in the North East and is open for applications now.

We do not hold the number of fishing business in the North East that have ceased trading since October 2021 so are unable to publish this.

This has already been published: UK sea fisheries annual statistics - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

This has already been published at: UK sea fisheries annual statistics - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

The UK egg industry operates in an open market and the value of egg commodities, including the farm gate egg price, is established by those in the supply chain including farmers, processors, wholesalers, retailers and consumers. While government may act in exceptional circumstances, we do not set retail food prices nor comment on day-to-day commercial decisions by companies.

I hosted an egg industry roundtable on 6 December 2022. This involved representatives from across the UK egg supply chain. The Roundtable focused on the various challenges that the sector is currently facing including the increase in input costs caused by the war in Ukraine and the impact of avian influenza. The meeting was productive and conducted in a spirit of co-operation with a clear willingness from all parties to address issues affecting the supply chain.

Defra continues to monitor the egg market and to work closely with the sector.

The UK has a dynamic and resilient dairy industry and I am confident of its ability to continue to supply high quality fresh milk and dairy products to consumers. Defra continues to closely monitor the dairy market and maintains regular engagement with key dairy industry representatives.

Every April the EA publish a report showing the number and duration of spills over the previous year here: https://environment.data.gov.uk/dataset/21e15f12-0df8-4bfc-b763-45226c16a8ac. They will publish the data for 2022 in April 2023.

To prevent further spread of avian influenza birds on an infected premises are humanely culled. During the current highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 outbreak (26 October 2021 to 10 January 2023) 7.48 million birds have died or been culled for avian influenza disease control purposes including 4.59 million chickens, 1.79 million turkeys, 980 thousand ducks, 48 thousand geese, 31 thousand quail, 35 thousand gamebirds and 7 thousand other captive birds.

The Environment Agency (EA) records properties (homes and businesses) affected by large flood events, through information provided during incidents, or through working with communities recovering from flooding. The EA does not distinguish between homes and businesses for large flood events. The table below provides the EA estimates for the number of properties flooded, but not necessarily damaged, during significant flood events since 2010.

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities or Lead Local Flood Authorities may hold more detailed information for smaller scale events, and events where surface water was the major cause of flooding. Where Lead Local Flood Authorities hold more information, they publish this through Section 19 reports.

Between April 2015 and March 2021, the Government invested £2.6 billion in its first 6-year flood and coastal defence programme for England. This programme exceeded its target of better protecting 300,000 homes. The Government announced in 2020 that the amount invested in the 2021-2027 investment programme would be doubled in England to £5.2 billion, providing around 2,000 flood defences to better protect communities across England. Every English region is forecast to receive more investment in flood and coastal defences in this programme compared to the previous 2015 to 2021 investment programme.

The Environment Agency (EA) records properties (homes and businesses) affected by large flood events, through information provided during incidents, or through working with communities recovering from flooding. The EA does not distinguish between homes and businesses for large flood events. The table below provides the EA estimates for the number of properties flooded, but not necessarily damaged, during significant flood events since 2010.

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities or Lead Local Flood Authorities may hold more detailed information for smaller scale events, and events where surface water was the major cause of flooding. Where Lead Local Flood Authorities hold more information, they publish this through Section 19 reports.

Between April 2015 and March 2021, the Government invested £2.6 billion in its first 6-year flood and coastal defence programme for England. This programme exceeded its target of better protecting 300,000 homes. The Government announced in 2020 that the amount invested in the 2021-2027 investment programme would be doubled in England to £5.2 billion, providing around 2,000 flood defences to better protect communities across England. Every English region is forecast to receive more investment in flood and coastal defences in this programme compared to the previous 2015 to 2021 investment programme.

The Cabinet Office has published guidance to departments on the use of private email that covers how information is held for the purposes of access to information, and how formal decisions are recorded for the official record. This guidance is being updated to reflect changes in technology and ways of working, and will be published by the Cabinet Office in due course.

It is Government policy not to comment on individual Ministers’ security arrangements. Ministers receive support and expert advice to help them meet their obligations in the most appropriate and secure fashion. That includes regular security briefings for Ministers, and advice on protecting their personal data and mitigating cyber threats.

There is a place for the use of a variety of digital channels in fast moving modern environments. Ministers will have informal conversations from time to time, in person or remotely, and relevant content from such discussions is passed back to officials. They will also use a variety of digital communications channels for personal, political and Parliamentary matters.

The Cabinet Office has published guidance to departments on the use of private email that covers how information is held for the purposes of access to information, and how formal decisions are recorded for the official record. This guidance is being updated to reflect changes in technology and ways of working, and will be published by the Cabinet Office in due course.

It is Government policy not to comment on individual Ministers’ security arrangements. Ministers receive support and expert advice to help them meet their obligations in the most appropriate and secure fashion. That includes regular security briefings for Ministers, and advice on protecting their personal data and mitigating cyber threats.

There is a place for the use of a variety of digital channels in fast moving modern environments. Ministers will have informal conversations from time to time, in person or remotely, and relevant content from such discussions is passed back to officials. They will also use a variety of digital communications channels for personal, political and Parliamentary matters.

Statistics on the number of farmers (including full time, part time; and farmers, partners, directors and spouses) are available for England at Agricultural workforce in England at 1 June - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). Agriculture is a devolved matter so Defra are only responsible for collecting data on English farms.

We do not collect data on the numbers of farmers who leave the industry each year so no data is available for England. Agriculture is a devolved matter so we cannot provide comment on whether any Welsh data exists.

The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) in their annual statistical publication publish a breakdown of the number of people working as fishers in the UK in each year ( UK sea fisheries annual statistics report 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

An extract from this report setting out the figures for 2010 to 2021 are supplied below.

The methodology for this 'Employment Data' is published within the report ( Sea Fish Statistics 2021 - Annex B).

My Department understands the pressure that rising food prices place on household budgets and the impacts on businesses across the food chain. Recent cost pressures in supply chains have led to continued food price inflation and we continue to monitor food prices using inflation statistics published by the Office for National Statistics.

We recognise that most household grocery bills will have increased given the food price inflation reported since mid-2021. Defra analysis shows that the exact impact will vary depending on the characteristics of the individual household, such as the age of the occupants. The impact will also be determined by the products the individual household purchases and the measures taken to protect against increased costs - for instance, switching to own-brand or value products.

Food prices are set individually by businesses and are influenced by the competitive market they work in and the cost pressures they face. It is not for HM Government to set retail food prices nor to comment on day-to-day commercial decisions by companies.

The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons monitor the levels of veterinary surgeons registered to practice in the UK on a twice daily basis. The number of veterinary surgeons registered in the UK has gradually risen from 17,260 to 28,643 from March 2010 to October 2022. An annual breakdown can be found on the Royal College’s website (www.rcvs.org.uk/news-and-views/publications/).

The number of veterinary surgeons registered in the UK with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons has risen from 17,260 to 28,643 as of October 2022:

The United Kingdom poultry sector is highly resilient and plays a significant role in the production of high-quality turkeys and geese for our consumers.

The United Kingdom is currently experiencing the largest outbreak of Avian Influenza (AI) with over 200 cases confirmed across the country in poultry and other captive birds since October 2021. During the period 1 ^st-18 ^th October 2022, circa 315,000 turkeys and 17,000 geese have been affected (died and culled) because of AI.

We recognise that these outbreaks are very distressing for the individual turkey and geese farmers and businesses affected. However, the overall impact on food supply is relatively small, with approximately 10 million turkeys and 200,000 geese usually sold in the United Kingdom over the Christmas period.

Defra's objective in tackling any outbreak of Avian Influenza is to eradicate the disease as quickly as possible. Our approach considers the latest ornithological, epidemiological, veterinary and other scientific advice. Where necessary we are also able to declare Avian Influenza Prevention Zones (AIPZ) and mandatory housing measures within AIPZs to limit the spread of the disease.

Effective biosecurity combined with good flock management and husbandry practices is key to ensuring good health and welfare for all farmed animals and to limit the spread and eradication of this disease. Biosecurity guidance and a biosecurity self-assessment checklist have been published by Defra to assist all bird keepers in instigating and maintaining good biosecurity including compliance with the mandatory AIPZ measures.

The Environment Agency (EA) has been working on defining, assessing and controlling the potential environmental impacts of shale gas developments since 2013 when it produced and published a document titled An Environmental Risk Assessment for shale gas exploratory operations in England Published. This defined the range of environmental risks and the current regulatory controls and was the starting point for development of sector specific guidance. The current version of Onshore Oil and Gas Sector Guidance was published in 2019. It sets out what activities require environmental permits and how an applicant is required to demonstrate that the impact on the environment from these activities will be controlled.

The potential environmental impact of each site is assessed individually based on its specific environmental setting. Applicants are required to identify all environmental risks and provide a full demonstration of how these will be controlled. The EA assessed this information and sets out the limits and controls in a permit and how it reached the decision in an accompanying decision document.

The EA has undertaken a programme of scientific research on a range of topics relating to risk assessment and monitoring of potential impacts from hydraulic fracturing and shale gas. Since 2019 it has published 18 separate reports. The EA has liaised closely with government and industry bodies such as the Health and Safety Executive, the North Sea Transition Authority and UK Onshore Oil & Gas, so that scientific evidence and research findings are shared and understood.

Neither my Department nor the Environment Agency holds information on the number of beach closures due to sewage pollution in England.

Local authorities have powers to restrict use and close beaches and are responsible for local beach management, including closures, in their respective areas.

This policy area is devolved to the Welsh Government.

The table below sets out HM Government spend on flood and coastal erosion risk management schemes over the last 10 years. The majority of the total represents capital funding for flood risk schemes.

Source: Central Government Funding for Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management in England (publishing.service.gov.uk)

My Department has not made such an assessment for England. This policy area is devolved to the Welsh Government.

At this early stage in the Agricultural Transition, we need to dedicate more resource to the design and implementation of the Environmental Land Management schemes we’re bringing forward. We have made a commitment that, once fully operational, running costs of the schemes will not exceed 10% of the total cost of the schemes. Across Defra and delivery bodies we are spending approximately £90million from financial years 20/21 to 22/23 on designing and delivering the schemes.

The information requested is provided in an attachment to this answer.

The requested information is provided in an attachment to this answer.

My Department understands the pressure that rising food prices place on household budgets and the impacts on businesses across the food chain. Recent cost pressures in supply chains have led to food price inflation and we continue to monitor food prices using inflation statistics published by the Office for National Statistics.

Food prices are set individually by businesses and are influenced by the competitive market they work in and the cost pressures they face. It is not for HM Government to set retail food prices nor to comment on day-to-day commercial decisions by companies.

However, my Department continues to regularly engage with food retailers to explore ways in which they can support households by ensuring that affordable food remains available by, for example, maintaining value ranges, price matching, price freezing measures and the use of loyalty card offers.

HM Government remains committed to the Environment Act 2021, and will publish ambitious, achievable, and robust targets soon.

We remain committed to the implementation of biodiversity net gain, to make the achievement of a 10% gain mandatory for housing and other types of development. As previously announced, it is our intention to commence the Environment Act's requirement for development in November next year. Before then, we will be publishing a response to the consultation on net gain earlier this year that sets out further details of the approach.

Defra has already reformed Retained EU Law in key areas through flagship legislation such as the Environment Act, Fisheries Act and Agriculture Act. The REUL Bill will make it easier to amend, repeal or replace REUL to build on this previous work, so the Department is currently assessing where these new secondary powers should be utilised, which will inform our approach to resourcing.

Ministerial gifts, hospitality, travel and meetings are published quarterly on GOV.UK for all Ministers.

Defra: ministerial gifts, hospitality, travel and meetings - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

HM Government is committed to protecting 30% of land and sea in the UK by 2030 (30 by 30).

Achieving this will take collective endeavour and we want to work with partners across the country - from members of the public, the environmental sector, academics, farmers and landowners and the private sector - to deliver against this commitment.

Earlier this year (May 2022) we consulted on our approach as part of the Nature Recovery Green Paper. In the Green Paper we set out our intention to establish a framework to assess whether protected areas and Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures are contributing to nature recovery and where improvement is needed.

We have reviewed responses and will be working closely with key partners as we develop our approach.

The Environment Act 2021 introduced a number of policies that will support the restoration of habitat. Biodiversity net gain, Local Nature Recovery Strategies (LNRS) and a strengthened biodiversity duty on public authorities will work together to drive action, including to create or restore habitats that enable wildlife to recover and thrive, while conservation covenants will help secure habitat for the long term. LNRSs will provide the spatial framework for the Nature Recovery Network, which will guide creation, restoration and connectivity of habitats and sites to create mosaics of wildlife-rich habitat; and incentivise private partnerships.

The Nature for Climate Fund provides £750 million for the creation, restoration and management of woodland and peatland habitats. The Green Recovery Challenge Fund is estimated to deliver 0.6mha of habitat creation and restoration within & outside SSSIs. We set a target to raise at least £500 million in private finance to support nature’s recovery every year by 2027 in England, rising to more than £1 billion by 2030. This includes investment in protected sites and other landscape-scale action through delivery of the Nature Recovery Network.

The Environment Act also requires a new legally binding target to be set to halt the decline in species abundance by 2030, in addition to at least one other long-term target for biodiversity. These world leading targets will drive wide-ranging actions to deliver nature recovery. We know that to meet them we will need large-scale habitat creation and restoration and that by improving connectivity we will maximise the benefits of newly created and restored habitat.

The Government has already introduced a range of domestic measures in the Environment Act 2021 which will ensure we continue to drive forward environmental standards and are transparent about environmental protections. Through the Act, we will clean up the country’s air and water, increase biodiversity, reduce waste, and better use resources.

These changes will be driven by new legally binding environmental targets and enforced by the Office for Environmental Protection, which will hold the Government and public bodies to account on their environmental obligations.

As set out in the Nature Recovery Green Paper, we are considering how we organise Defra and its Arm’s-length Bodies to deliver our long-term targets. We are due to publish a response to the Green Paper in the near future.

In reviewing retained EU law, Defra’s aim is to ensure that environmental law is fit for purpose and able to drive improved environmental outcomes, whilst also ensuring regulators can deliver efficiently. This will ensure the UK regulatory framework is appropriate and tailored to the UK.

The UK is a world leader in environmental protection and the Government has clear environmental and climate goals, such as those set out in the Environment Act, the 25 Year Environment Plan and the Net Zero Strategy respectively. We are committed to delivering our legally binding target to halt nature’s decline by 2030. Any changes to environmental regulation will need to support those goals as well as our international commitments including those with the EU.

The department is strongly committed to delivering value for money and, wherever possible, completing projects as expected. To do so we work through the Defra Board, where ministers, senior officials and non-executive directors maintain oversight of the department's work, and through specific Delivery and Investment committees acting on delegated authority from the main board, that provide targeted scrutiny and oversight.

The situation and impacts on farmers in particular, and industry more widely, of increasing fuel prices, are being monitored closely. Defra is in regular contact with key industry figures including the National Farmers Union, the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board and key sector representatives.

The Government has announced steps to assist farmers with the availability of fertilisers to address uncertainty amongst growers and keep costs down for farmers, such as delaying changes to the use of urea fertiliser by at least a year to help farmer manage costs in light of pressure on the supply of ammonium nitrate fertilisers. Alongside revised and improved statutory guidance on the use of slurry and other manures during autumn and winter, we have introduced new slurry storage grants to help farmers meet the Farming Rules for Water and reducing dependence on artificial fertilisers by storing organic nutrients until needed or for onward processing.

Alongside these measures, further details of the Sustainable Farming Incentive have also been published today. Given current fertiliser prices, the priority must be to pioneer new technologies to manufacture more organic-based fertiliser products, and rediscover techniques such as using nitrogen fixing legumes and clovers as an alternative to fertiliser.

We have also released further details of the Sustainable Farming Incentive which will help farmers move towards sustainable farming practices over time. The Government will pay farmers to help them with the costs of sowing nitrogen fixing plants and green manures in their crops or in advance of their crops to substitute some of their fertiliser requirements for the coming season and reduce their dependence on manufactured fertilisers linked to the price of gas.

We will continue to engage with industry and farmers to understand any potential pressures and options to mitigate any risks, including through the recently established industry fertiliser roundtable and expanded Market Monitoring Group.

The UK has a highly resilient supply chain, with a high degree of food security which is built on supply from diverse sources, strong domestic production, as well as imports through stable trade routes. Regarding grains, the UK is largely self-sufficient in barley and oats, and 81% self-sufficient in milling wheat (slightly higher for wheat overall), which is the most significant grain crop for food consumption in the UK.

We speak regularly with food industry figures, who remain confident in the food supply chain despite the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Defra is committed to continually assessing the UK’s food security and price of food, including grain products, and will continue to do so. UK food security assessments are achieved via consistent review and management, working closely with the food and drink sectors and producing a publicly available UK Food Security Report published at least once every three years. At this stage, the large number of possible scenarios means it would be premature to make an assessment of the potential impact on UK grain prices.

We will continue to monitor developments in wheat and other grains and their impacts on other products.

The Government will publish the response to its recent consultation on Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging in early 2022 which will set out the Government’s final policy positions, including on modulated fees.

The UK has a highly resilient food supply chain, as demonstrated throughout the COVID-19 response, with well-established ways of working with Government to respond to risks that may arise, including the recent challenges to our supply chains brought on by global pressures.

The forthcoming Government Food Strategy is a once in a generation opportunity to create a food system that feeds our nation today and protects it for tomorrow. It will build on existing work across Government and identify new opportunities to drive long-term change to make the food system healthier, more sustainable, more resilient, and more accessible for those across the UK, whilst considering the immediate pressures facing the sector.

We recognise that some people may require extra support over the winter as we enter the final stages of recovery, which is why vulnerable households across the country will now be able to access a new £500 million support fund to help them with essentials. The Household Support Fund will provide £421 million to help vulnerable people in England with the cost of food, utilities and wider essentials. The Barnett Formula will apply in the usual way, with the devolved administrations receiving almost £80 million (£41m for the Scottish Government, £25m for the Welsh Government and £14m for the NI Executive), for a total of £500 million.

As set out in our manifesto, we will not compromise on our high environmental, animal welfare and food safety standards in trade negotiations.

All agri-food products imported into the UK under existing or future free trade agreements will, as now, have to comply with our import requirements. A range of Government departments, agencies and bodies continue to ensure that standards are met including the Food Standards Agency, Food Standards Scotland, the Animal and Plant Health Agency, The Veterinary Medicines Directorate and Health and Safety Executive.

In addition, since our exit from the EU we have created new functions to ensure imports meet our high standards. For example, the UK Office for Sanitary and Phytosanitary Trade Assurance has been set up within Defra to coordinate trade assurance in the UK for live animals and animal products. It will ensure trading partners meet the requirement of the UK’s biosecurity and SPS assurance regimes.

Further details on how our trade deals are consistent with the UK’s high environment, animal and plant health and animal welfare standards will be set out in the Government’s report on each trade deal as required under Section 42 of the Agriculture Act 2020. The independent Trade and Agriculture Commission is also established and will provide advice on these areas to further assist Parliamentarians in their scrutiny of future trade deals.

Defra does not collect data on the number of pigs culled on farms. Producers, who are responsible for the welfare of animals on farm, are also not required to submit such data to us. However, from our engagement with the pig sector, we understand that around 30,000 pigs have been culled on farms since 1 September 2021. This is largely due to the backlog of pigs on farm caused by a unique combination of factors including the Covid-19 pandemic, shortages of labour in the processing sector, interruption of CO2 supplies and disruptions to the export market, particularly with exports to China.

We have provided a package of measures to help address the challenging circumstances that the pig sector has faced. These include temporary work visas for up to 800 pork butchers, and Private Storage Aid (PSA) and Slaughter Incentive Payment (SIP) schemes to facilitate an increase in the throughput of pigs through abattoirs. In addition, Defra continues to work with the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board and other Government departments to expand existing markets and to open up new export markets for British pork.

We will continue to keep the uptake of the schemes under review. In the longer term, we will conduct a review into supply chain fairness in the pig sector. This work will soon be underway.

The Government will continue to monitor the evolving situation and work closely with the industry through this challenging period.

The UK Government continues to support the existing restrictions on the use of neonicotinoids. We will consider emergency authorisations for limited and controlled use in special circumstances where diseases, pests or weeds cannot be controlled by any other reasonable means.

An emergency authorisation has been agreed for the use of a neonicotinoid seed treatment for sugar beet crops in 2022. The reasons for this decision and the advice provided by the Health and Safety Executive, the UK Expert Committee on Pesticides, Defra’s Chief Scientific Adviser and Defra economists can be found at Neonicotinoid product as seed treatment for sugar beet: emergency authorisation application - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Defra’s objective in tackling any outbreak of avian influenza is to eradicate the disease as quickly as possible from the UK poultry and captive-bird population and regain UK World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) disease-free status.

Defra’s approach to the control of avian influenza is set out in the Notifiable Avian Disease Control Strategy for Great Britain and the Contingency Plan for Exotic Notifiable Diseases of Animals in England. Swift and humane culling of birds on infected premises coupled with good biosecurity is used to prevent the amplification of avian influenza and subsequent environmental contamination and to reduce the risk of disease spread from infected premises. Current policy is in line with international standards of best practice for disease control.

In addition, to mitigate the risk of spread of avian influenza from wild birds to poultry and other captive birds, an Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ) came into force across Great Britain on 3 November 2021 and in Northern Ireland on the 17 November 2021, with additional housing measures coming into force across the UK on 29 November 2021. These measures mean that it is a legal requirement for all bird keepers across the UK to keep their birds indoors and follow strict biosecurity measures to limit the spread of and eradicate the disease in poultry and other captive birds.

In line with the implementation of the AIPZ, changes to the bird gathering general license in England, Wales and Scotland were made on the 8 November 2021 and in Northern Ireland on the 17 November 2021, such that gatherings of poultry are no longer permitted.

We have regular engagement with Transport for Greater Manchester and the Greater Manchester Councils on the implementation of the Clean Air Plan at all levels, and are continuing to do so.

We have provided a substantial £132 million from the Clean Air Fund to Greater Manchester authorities to help businesses and individuals upgrade to compliant vehicles. This is on top of providing £36 million to enable the implementation of the Clean Air Zone. The HGV support scheme has recently opened for applications but the remaining funds have not yet been spent. We are aware that Greater Manchester has proposed a review of funds and we continue to engage with them on the evidence.

There is one locally managed automatic monitoring site located in Dover, measuring roadside concentrations of nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter (PM10). Data from this site can be obtained directly from the Local Authority or from the UK Air Website, through the following URL:

https://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/data/datawarehouse

CO2 concentrations are not measured by any Defra managed monitoring networks. Anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases, such as CO2, are estimated via the National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory, available through the following URL:

https://naei.beis.gov.uk/data/

The Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) includes an SPS chapter which allows the UK and the EU to take a risk-based approach to our respective SPS border controls and provides a basis for cooperation on avoiding unnecessary barriers to trade.

A key part of this is the Trade Specialised Committee, which is tasked with regularly reviewing the Parties' SPS measures, including certification requirements and border clearance processes, and their application, in order to facilitate trade between the Parties.

We are open to discussions with the EU on additional steps to further reduce trade friction, but these cannot be on the basis of future alignment with EU rules. This would compromise UK sovereignty over our own laws.

We regularly engage with industry stakeholders to seek their views on SPS trade issues under the TCA. As part of this engagement, we have and will continue to use existing mechanisms, such as the Ministerial F4 meeting and its Borders and Transport sub-group, to gather views from across the food chain.

The Wye catchment area is internationally important for biodiversity, principally due to the wide range of rare river wildlife. This Government is committed to restoring water quality across the country, which is closely linked with our legally binding target to halt the decline in nature by 2030 under the Environment Act.

Natural England, Environment Agency, Natural Resources Wales and other partners are working together to find effective solutions to restore the River Wye Special Area of Conservation (SAC) to a favourable condition. These measures are set out in the Nutrient Management Plan and the Phosphate Action Plan. The Nutrient Management Board meets quarterly to identify and review actions that achieve the phosphorus conservation target of the River Wye Special Area of Conservation, supported by a Technical Advisory Group.

In addition, we are almost doubling funding for the Catchment Sensitive Farming programme. This extra £17 million will allow all farms in England, including those in the Wye catchment, access to free 1-2-1 advice and support farmers to help them reduce water and air pollution through management of farmyard manure and soils, among other things. We have also recently increased funding to the Environment Agency for 50 new farm inspectors. These will be targeted at high-risk catchments such as the Wye. Our future farming programme will further support this, such as the Sustainable Farming Incentive which will open this year and focus on supporting actions that farmers can take to improve soil health and manage their nutrients sustainably.

This Government is also the first to take action to tackle the historic infrastructure issue of sewage overflows by publishing a new draft set of strategic priorities for Ofwat, the financial regulator for the water industry. In this publication, the Government set out its expectation that water companies must take steps to "significantly reduce the frequency and volume of sewage discharges from storm overflows." The landmark Environment Act has placed our ambition on a statutory footing, setting a duty for water companies to achieve a progressive reduction in the adverse impacts of discharges from Storm Overflows.

The Defra Automatic Urban and Rural Network (AURN) and UK Urban NO2 Network (UUNN) have a combined 106 monitoring sites in Greater Manchester. We also model annual mean concentrations of air pollutants on urban major roads across the UK. However, we do not assess air pollution at motorway junctions because the Air Quality Standards Regulations stipulate that air quality should not be assessed in microenvironments, including within 25m of a junction.

There are locally managed sites in Greater Manchester, including sites monitoring urban traffic concentrations of particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide, located on 'Trafford A56' and 'Tameside A635 Manchester Road'.

The UK Air website provides data from monitoring sites within Greater Manchester, including locally managed sites and sites managed by Defra. This data is accessible through the following URL:

https://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/interactive-map?network=nondefraaqmon

Pay awards in the Environment Agency are established within the annually published pay guidance for the Civil Service. Information on staff roles and salaries is published in accordance with requirements for Civil Service departments and non-departmental public bodies: https://data.gov.uk/dataset/7c590663-2e85-4606-a60b-ab1bd103edcf/organogram-of-staff-roles-salaries.

The Environment Agency (EA) administers Grant in Aid (GiA) funding on behalf of Defra, investing in flood and coastal risk management schemes across England wherever the risk is highest, giving careful consideration to where each scheme will benefit the most people and property. The EA uses a consistent set of criteria to prioritise funding for schemes proposed by all risk management authorities, which ensures a fair distribution of funding based on agreed priorities, principles and needs.

In Greater Manchester, the EA has invested £50.7 million in flood defences since 2010, providing better protection for around 6,020 homes.

The table below shows the capital GiA expenditure on flood and coastal erosion risk management between April 2010 and March 2019, by local authority, within Greater Manchester. This include schemes led by the EA and by the local authorities.

HS2 Ltd is yet to deposit a Hybrid Bill for Phase 2b, and therefore has not acquired any properties on that part of the route under Compulsory Purchase powers.

The Integrated Rail Plan sets out the capacity improvements that the Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) core network from Liverpool to York will deliver. These capacity improvements equal those in previous proposals from Transport for the North, with over a 500% increase on journeys from Liverpool to Leeds alone.

The IRP also confirms that a new HS2 line will be built from Birmingham to East Midlands Parkway, which will deliver more capacity to Nottingham and Derby compared to previous plans, and the same capacity uplift to Chesterfield and Sheffield. Upgrades to the East Coast Main Line will deliver similar or more capacity from London and Birmingham to the North East compared to previous plans, and potentially more capacity to places from London that did receive benefit under previous plans, such as Wakefield, Doncaster, Grantham and Peterborough. Leeds capacity will depend on decisions reached following the development work to assess the most effective way to take HS2 trains to Leeds for which the Government is providing £100m.

Since the Prime Minister announced the Integrated Rail Plan in February 2020, development of the Eastern Leg of HS2 has been paused to avoid nugatory spend whilst the Integrated Rail Plan took this work forward. Safeguarding of the Eastern leg route remains in place pending conclusion of work on the most effective way to serve Leeds and towns and cities along the Eastern Leg. Any property that has been acquired already by the Government but is not required for the eventual route will be resold.

UK ports have invested heavily over the last decade to develop facilities capable of handling the largest ships, many cargo types, and the equipment to handle these efficiently. The UK is also home to many global port groups and has attracted significant inward investment. As such the UK is generally well placed in terms of capability and capacity in normal circumstances.

The current circumstances for the shipping and freight sectors are exceptional and unprecedented. There is increased international demand and disruption due to the pandemic, which combined with the current peak season is seeing operational difficulties on a global level. In the UK these effects are being exacerbated by wider supply chain challenges.

The capacity, volume, and operational factors of storage space at UK ports is not routinely monitored by Government and is a commercial matter for ports and their partners. However, this Department has maintained close engagement with the sector over the last year and through the pandemic to understand their operational pressures. The lessons learned by the sector at the end of 2020 have meant that the ongoing international issues have been handled with more stability throughout this year and peak period approached in a better position, but wider factors have negated that benefit.

UK ports have invested heavily over the last decade to develop facilities capable of handling the largest ships, many cargo types, and the equipment to handle these efficiently. The UK is also home to many global port groups and has attracted significant inward investment. As such the UK is generally well placed in terms of capability and capacity in normal circumstances.

The current circumstances for the shipping and freight sectors are exceptional and unprecedented. There is increased international demand and disruption due to the pandemic, which combined with the current peak season is seeing operational difficulties on a global level. In the UK these effects are being exacerbated by wider supply chain challenges.

The capacity, volume, and operational factors of storage space at UK ports is not routinely monitored by Government and is a commercial matter for ports and their partners. However, this Department has maintained close engagement with the sector over the last year and through the pandemic to understand their operational pressures. The lessons learned by the sector at the end of 2020 have meant that the ongoing international issues have been handled with more stability throughout this year and peak period approached in a better position, but wider factors have negated that benefit.

UK ports have invested heavily over the last decade to develop facilities capable of handling the largest ships, many cargo types, and the equipment to handle these efficiently. The UK is also home to many global port groups and has attracted significant inward investment. As such the UK is generally well placed in terms of capability and capacity in normal circumstances.

The current circumstances for the shipping and freight sectors are exceptional and unprecedented. There is increased international demand and disruption due to the pandemic, which combined with the current peak season is seeing operational difficulties on a global level. In the UK these effects are being exacerbated by wider supply chain challenges.

The capacity, volume, and operational factors of storage space at UK ports is not routinely monitored by Government and is a commercial matter for ports and their partners. However, this Department has maintained close engagement with the sector over the last year and through the pandemic to understand their operational pressures. The lessons learned by the sector at the end of 2020 have meant that the ongoing international issues have been handled with more stability throughout this year and peak period approached in a better position, but wider factors have negated that benefit.

The Department works closely with the Home Office on assessing potential risks from traffic disruption at ports, particularly the impact on roads in Kent arising from disruption to the Short Strait.

There are many factors which affect the likelihood of delays including bad weather affecting sailings from Dover or operational issues affecting the port or Eurotunnel; it is necessary therefore to plan for a range of scenarios. The Kent Resilience Forum is responsible for planning and managing any traffic congestion arising from disruption on the Short Strait and the Department, along with other departments, works closely with the Forum and shares intelligence and any analysis to help it with its planning.

My Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State mis-spoke during Transport Questions. What he meant to say was that the plan that Labour is proposing - to stop people from flying, or to allow them to go on holiday only once every five years, and to prevent them from using their cars - is opposed by the GMB union, who usually support them.

The information is not available in the format requested. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency’s combined electronic services were available for 99.96 per cent of the time against a target of 99.5 per cent between January and September 2021.

The Department for Transport is responsible for the management of rail contracts, including ensuring that financial, operational and other terms are adhered to.

The quickest and easiest way to make an application to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is by using its extensive suite of online services. There are no delays in successful online applications and customers should receive their documents within a few days.

However, many people still choose or have to make a paper application. The DVLA receives around 60,000 items of mail every day and social distancing measures coupled with industrial action by members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union has led to delays for customers who make paper applications. There are currently around 1.5m paper applications awaiting processing at the DVLA. It is important to note that in normal circumstances, given that the DVLA receives around 300,000 items of mail each week, there are usually around 400,000 items awaiting processing. It is estimated that one third of the current backlog is directly attributable to the PCS strike action. No figures are available for the number of applications to the DVLA that have been lost.

The DVLA continues to look into opportunities to reduce the backlog and has been developing additional new online services and recruiting additional staff. The DVLA is exploring the possibility of securing extra office space to house more staff to work predominantly on driver’s medical casework and queries. This will be surge capacity accommodation and resource to help reduce backlogs while providing future resilience and business continuity.

It is not possible to provide figures for the number of people working on applications as most DVLA operational roles require staff members to carry out a range of tasks, which includes processing applications. The number of people working at the DVLA also fluctuates daily because of factors including leave, working patterns and other absences.

The quickest and easiest way to make an application to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is by using its extensive suite of online services. There are no delays in successful online applications and customers should receive their documents within a few days.

However, many people still choose or have to make a paper application. The DVLA receives around 60,000 items of mail every day and social distancing measures coupled with industrial action by members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union has led to delays for customers who make paper applications. There are currently around 1.5m paper applications awaiting processing at the DVLA. It is important to note that in normal circumstances, given that the DVLA receives around 300,000 items of mail each week, there are usually around 400,000 items awaiting processing. It is estimated that one third of the current backlog is directly attributable to the PCS strike action. No figures are available for the number of applications to the DVLA that have been lost.

The DVLA continues to look into opportunities to reduce the backlog and has been developing additional new online services and recruiting additional staff. The DVLA is exploring the possibility of securing extra office space to house more staff to work predominantly on driver’s medical casework and queries. This will be surge capacity accommodation and resource to help reduce backlogs while providing future resilience and business continuity.

It is not possible to provide figures for the number of people working on applications as most DVLA operational roles require staff members to carry out a range of tasks, which includes processing applications. The number of people working at the DVLA also fluctuates daily because of factors including leave, working patterns and other absences.

The quickest and easiest way to make an application to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is by using its extensive suite of online services. There are no delays in successful online applications and customers should receive their documents within a few days.

However, many people still choose or have to make a paper application. The DVLA receives around 60,000 items of mail every day and social distancing measures coupled with industrial action by members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union has led to delays for customers who make paper applications. There are currently around 1.5m paper applications awaiting processing at the DVLA. It is important to note that in normal circumstances, given that the DVLA receives around 300,000 items of mail each week, there are usually around 400,000 items awaiting processing. It is estimated that one third of the current backlog is directly attributable to the PCS strike action. No figures are available for the number of applications to the DVLA that have been lost.

The DVLA continues to look into opportunities to reduce the backlog and has been developing additional new online services and recruiting additional staff. The DVLA is exploring the possibility of securing extra office space to house more staff to work predominantly on driver’s medical casework and queries. This will be surge capacity accommodation and resource to help reduce backlogs while providing future resilience and business continuity.

It is not possible to provide figures for the number of people working on applications as most DVLA operational roles require staff members to carry out a range of tasks, which includes processing applications. The number of people working at the DVLA also fluctuates daily because of factors including leave, working patterns and other absences.

From 2010 to 2021 The independent regulator, the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), formerly named the Office of Rail Regulation until April 2015, was responsible for ensuring that train operating companies complied with health and safety law, competition and consumer law, and the terms of their licences.

Transport companies must make sure that there is an adequate supply of fresh air in enclosed areas and this has not changed during the pandemic.

The type of ventilation in use across vehicles on the UK public transport network, varies according to vehicle age and vehicle type. Some older rail rolling stock and almost all UK buses are reliant on opening windows and doors for passenger ventilation.

The Office of Rail and Road carries out health and safety enforcement of railway operators, but there is not a specific budget covering ventilation matters and the regulator does not hold records for specific ventilation enforcement activities. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the ORR has encouraged all train and station operators to review their risk assessments and is continuing to monitor duty holders’ safety management systems and risk assessment arrangements.

For vehicles with Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems, the exact standard which the ventilation meets will be dependent on the standard in place when the vehicle was designed. Measuring ventilation rates is extremely difficult, with the need to consider stopping patterns, occupation rates and weather conditions in addition to the capability of any HVAC systems in place.

We are working with transport operators to identify areas of poor ventilation for improvement following SAGE and HSE guidance to further ensure that ventilation on public transport is adequate. Our recent safer transport guidance for operators includes measures to assess and address the risk of Covid-19.

The Department’s rail reform team has an excellent level of experience in Rail and other industries.

The delivery timescales for new rolling stock are set out in the supply agreements between the operators and the manufacturers. The Department monitors delivery of new fleets against the requirements set out in national rail contracts or franchise agreements.

In line with our published guidance on how to assess costs and benefits of government schemes and policies, DfT consider a whole life asset approach for estimating rolling stock appraisals.

The Department’s value for money framework for completing assessments and communicating to decision makers can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dft-value-for-money-framework.

Procurement of rolling stock has been undertaken by operators as part of their franchise requirements. As part of their bids, operators would have set out their evidence to demonstrate how they achieve the best value for taxpayers.

The Franchise Agreements can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/transport/rail-franchising.

Rolling stock leasing costs were contracted between the respective operator and owner as part of the franchising process. The department continues to monitor rolling stock related costs closely throughout the life of the contracts to ensure that they are in line with what has been agreed and that what is proposed will deliver benefits to passengers.

Procurement of rolling stock has been undertaken by operators as part of their franchise requirements. As part of their bids, operators would have set out their approach to meet the minimum requirements in the invitation to tender. These bids will have been evaluated by officials and Ministers advised appropriately through the franchise competition process.

The invitation to tender for previous franchise competitions sets out the minimum requirements that bidders are to meet, and it is for bidders to provide evidence as to whether existing or new build rolling stock meets those requirements.

The Call Option was exercised by the Department. However, further commercial discussions with the rolling stock leasing companies (ROSCOs) led to a revised improved offer which enabled the Call Option to be withdrawn.

Guidance on ventilation is included within the Department’s ‘Safer Transport Guidance for Operators’. It suggests operators consider how they can increase ventilation and air flow, and asks that wherever possible operators and businesses should ensure that a fresh air supply is consistently flowing though vehicles, carriages and transport hubs. The guidance sets out a number of ways in which this might be achieved including through the opening of windows, the use of air conditioning systems and through the use of filters. The Department’s public facing communications messaging asks that passengers open windows wherever possible and safe to do so.

The Department is also working with the Rail Delivery Group, which represents train operating companies, to continue to develop guidance for operators on train ventilation. Operators are currently trialling the use of new high grade filters which are likely to offer further protection against airborne Covid transmission. Where trains are ventilated using an air conditioning system, the air in the carriage will be completely replaced every 6-9 minutes.

Buses typically rely on opening windows for passenger ventilation. Industry is using a range of methods to ensure that these windows are kept open, including through the use of window stickers, on-board announcement and the placing of small blocks in the windows which prevent them from being fully closed. Coach operators carry out risk assessments, with mitigations including enhanced ventilation and HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) filters.

Aviation has high standards of ventilation and uses HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filters as standard on passenger aircraft.

The Department is currently working with operators to understand scope for further ventilation improvements and to understand how we can best support industry moving forwards.

Our latest assessments do not currently predict an impact on Network Rail’s budget for Control Period 6. Network Rail are pro-actively monitoring commodity prices including steel following the recent volatility. They have long term contractual mechanisms in place to ensure that the prices they pay are based on independently compiled indices which protect them from short term spikes in market prices.

Rolling Stock ordered since 2016 was procured by the winner of the relevant franchise competition. The winner would through competition of both the manufacturing and financing deliver the best value bids as part of their bids for the franchise. The detailed specification would have been for the operator to decide taking into account the requirements of the Invitation to Tender for the appropriate franchise at that time.

The Social Distancing Review: Report was published on 5 July. The Review considered a range of evidence related to social distancing, face coverings and 'work from home' guidance: scientific, social, economic and behavioural. The policies of international comparators were also considered.

As outlined in the Prime Minister's speech, the UK has made huge progress this year, the deployment of vaccines by the National Health Service (NHS) has put the UK in a strong position to ease restrictions. The Government has continued to be led by data and will only move to step 4 subject to meeting the four tests.

Departmental business is conducted through the official DfT email systems. Any correspondence to external addresses will be directed to our official DfT channels.

All DfT staff and ministers have DfT email accounts and sign up to acceptable use and cyber security operating policies, which state that departmental business must be conducted via DfT email addresses, and not personal email or other web-based mail system.

The Department and its Executive Agencies have risk assessments and policies in place for the usage of CCTV and the secure storage of CCTV footage. All CCTV systems have had a Data Protection Impact Assessment undertaken which includes a review of controls for the usage and secure storage of CCTV footage.

The following termination sums were agreed with Train Operators (rounded to the nearest 100,000) – (a) Greater Anglia - £30,500,000, (b) TransPennine - £0, (c) West Midland Trains - £90,500,000, (d) South Western Railway - £68,800,000 and (e) c2c - £7,900,000.

In addition to the termination sums, there are further sums due from certain operators as part of their termination obligations. These are to be finalised and a further update will be provided on these amounts in due course.

The Termination Sums were arrived at following a stringent process which took into account value for money as well as a range of other factors.

Further to the previous Answer to Question 13162, Ministers will hold Great British Railways to account through a structured framework underpinned by legislation.

The ORR will focus on monitoring and reporting, scrutinising Great British Railways’ delivery of its objectives and providing expert advice to Ministers. It will be a core part of the system that will hold Great British Railways to account.

We will make an announcement on next steps in relation to the legislative framework that underpins the relationship between Ministers and Great British Railways in due course.

As reported in their Annual Report and Accounts 2020, Network Rail has £54.6bn of historical debt, which is an increase on the previous year’s level (of £54.1bn) due to increases in the valuation of RPI-linked bonds.

Network Rail have been restricted from raising any further commercial debt since they were reclassified to the public sector in 2014. Since the start of Railway Control Period 6 in April 2019, the Department has chosen to provide funding for operating, maintaining and enhancing the railway through grant rather than loan funding. The level of debt is therefore not expected to rise from its current level.

TransPennine Route Upgrade (TRU) - is the key East-West artery across the Northern economy. It forms the most direct existing rail link between several major cities. The passenger-related benefits of delivering TRU are formed from a combination of journey time and performance improvements, where passengers will benefit from arriving at their destinations sooner with a faster, more reliable and punctual service; furthermore, the service enhancements will benefit commuters - who can realise the potential of being more productive during the journey due to more frequent, less crowded service. The route upgrade spanning a large section of the northern economy will enhance connectivity and play an important role in improving peoples access to jobs. Major rail infrastructure programmes such as TRU will deliver significant economic benefits to passengers, but not direct savings.

Strong measures and structures will be put in place to ensure Great British Railways is accountable, transparent and reflective of its need to serve passengers, freight customers and taxpayers.

Funding streams will be conditional on meeting Great British Railways' mandate for delivering customer needs and making efficiency improvements.

Great British Railways will be subject to a series of mandates, including to operate in the interests of passengers, freight customers and local communities.

The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) will scrutinise Great British Railways’ delivery of its objectives across the business, and will provide expert advice to the Secretary of State and devolved administrations. ORR will have powers to require improvement plans, encourage best practice and support problem solving across the sector. They will also act as an appeals body for operators, able to direct Great British Rail to change its decision where it has not applied its track access and charging policies fairly.

The government will consult with partners across the rail industry on the development and implementation of the new rules-based track access system. We will make an announcement on next steps in due course.

The Secretary of State for Transport will be accountable to Parliament for how the railways deliver for passengers, communities, the economy, the environment and taxpayers. Ministers will hold Great British Railways to account through a structured framework underpinned by legislation.

Ministers will take key funding decisions and have strong levers to set direction and pursue government policy. Ministers will also have statutory powers to set long-term strategy and have powers to issue guidance and mandatory directions to Great British Railways on any matter at any time.

These statutory and administrative controls will be vital to ensuring that Great British Railways will be focussed on delivering value for taxpayers, passengers and freight customers. Parliament, including through Select Committees, will continue to hold Ministers to account for these key strategic functions. Parliament will also be able to hold Great British Railways leadership team to account for rail planning and operations.

The Transpennine Route Upgrade is a multi-billion pound programme, expected to be the largest investment in the existing rail network over the next 5 years. At this stage it is not possible to be specific about the total cost as we continue to work through design and development phases for the project. Funding of £589m was announced in July 2020, and an extra £317m in May 2021 to improve connectivity between Leeds, Manchester and York and commence early works, including electrification between York and Church Fenton. An update to the Business Case will be presented this Summer.

Rolling stock is procured by the private sector to meet the needs of train operators as part of their bids in respect of the former franchise process and value-for-money will have been taken into account overall.

The costs of leasing rolling stock over its life is a matter for the owners and will take into account potential factors such as market competition, maintenance, refurbishment and other such costs. All factors will be considered when awarding contracts to make sure that the value-for-money is achieved for the taxpayer.

The Emergency Recovery Measures Agreements (ERMA) allow the Department to assess operator performance through either a qualitative based scorecard assessment or through the use of quantified targets.

All ERMA operators are currently assessed using a scorecard assessment. The scorecard criteria for the ERMA is more exacting than the EMA it replaces setting a higher bar for the level of performance an operator must achieve to earn a management fee. The scorecard criteria has already been published on the .gov.uk website.

The Department is currently evaluating the case for transitioning the remaining ERMA operators onto quantitative based targets from September of this year.

To develop proposals in the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail, the Department was supported by the following consultancies:

Ashurst; PWC; Rail Delivery Group; Eversheds Sutherland; Britain Thinks; Steer Davies Gleave; Jacobs; and Deloitte.

Transformation on the scale set out in the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail cannot happen overnight. Government is setting up a Rail Transformation Programme within the Department for Transport and working with the rail sector to ensure a common understanding of the vision, establish the phases of delivery, and work collectively with the sector to design and implement this major project.

We expect to launch initial competitions for Passenger Service Contracts by the time the emergency recovery agreements end in 2022. Further detail will be announced in due course.

We will replace franchising with a more commercially sustainable model. New Passenger Service Contracts will ensure that private sector innovation is targeted where is it is most needed, with private sector operators strongly incentivised to run high quality punctual services, manage costs and attract more passengers.

Transformation on this scale cannot happen overnight. Government is setting up a Rail Transformation Programme within the Department for Transport and working with the rail sector to ensure a common understanding of the vision, establish the phases of delivery, and work collectively with the sector to design and implement this major project.

An announcement on next steps will be made in due course.

We will publish an update to the Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline in the coming months.

The budget for Rail Enhancements for England and Wales during Control Period 6 (CP6, 2019/20-23/24) is £9.4 Billion.

The actual spend in years requested was:

(a) one (2019/20) = £1,475 Million

(b) two (2020/21) = £1,477 Million

The latest forecast spend (Network Rail Period 1, 2021/22) for years requested is:

(i) Three (2021/22) = £1,952 Million

(ii) Four (2022/23) = £2,185 Million

(iii) Five (2023/24) = £2,320 Million

The STATS19 reporting system provides data on fatalities from road traffic accidents in Great Britain. Other than accidents which occur on a hard shoulder, STATS19 does not provide accurate and specific lane data information to be able to make this comparison.

The Secretary of State has asked the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) to examine the evidence base for the relative safety of All Lane Running (ALR) motorways. That work will include looking at whether there any other data that could be used to enhance our understanding of the relative safety of ALR motorways.

As referenced in the latest 6 monthly parliamentary report published on 23 March 2021, HS2 Ltd is finalising the procurement of the new HS2 rolling stock for Phases One and 2a, with the contract award anticipated later this spring.

https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/hs2-6-monthly-report-to-parliament-march-2021

Between 2010/11 and 2019/20 the average funding provided to Bikeability grant recipients per training place delivered has varied between £29 and £38. The figures vary because the grant provided for delivering different Bikeability modules range from £5 per pupil for the basic level 1 Bikeability training, to £40 per pupil for the more comprehensive level 3 Bikeability training. Some children do more than one type of training or module. The figures refer to Bikeability training delivered in England, but not including London. More detailed figures are available on the Bikeability website at https://bikeability.org.uk/support/publications/

More widely, by way of context, from 2006 (when Bikeability started) to 2010, on average 65,360 children were trained every year; since 2010, on average 328,472 children have been trained every year.

In deciding whether to transfer an operator to the Department for Transport’s Operator of Last Resort (DOHL) in order to maintain the continuity of passenger services, the Secretary of State has regard to the Statement of policy on the exercise of the Secretary of State's power under section 26(1) of the Railways Act 1993.

It is entirely appropriate that DOHL identifies all and any potential risks to passenger services, including the management of potential further franchise operations or its ability to deliver timetable changes. The company works closely with the Department to ensure it has the capacity and expertise to ensure these risks are managed and that it has both the capacity and capability to address those risks should they manifest. This is good management practise in any business.

Highways England (HE) is delivering all the actions set out in Smart Motorway Safety Evidence Stocktake and Action Plan over the RIS2 period, confirmed in HE’s Strategic Business Plan 2020-25, along with implementation dates.

The safety improvements in the 2020 Action Plan consisted of a package of 18 measures, costing £500 million, and included; committing to a new standard for spacing of places to stop in an emergency and considering a national programme to install more emergency areas on existing smart motorways; the rollout of a radar-based stopped vehicle detection (SVD) system across the All Lane Running (ALR) motorway network; faster attendance by more HE traffic officer patrols; and upgrading cameras across the ALR motorway network to enable automatic detection of Red X violations, which can then be enforced by the police.

Earlier this year, the Secretary of State asked for a first-year progress from Highways England detailing its progress in delivering the 18-point Action Plan and identifying actions that can be delivered ahead of schedule. He asked for this by 12 March 2021. Highways England has provided the Department with the report, and work is rapidly being completed to assess it so it can be published shortly, once the Secretary of State is assured that the proposals are sufficiently robust.

The management for delivery of the Bikeability grant was last competed in 2016 under the Highways England Specialist Professional and Technical Services (SPATS) framework. The contract was awarded to Pell Frischmann with a start date of 8 September 2016 and an end date of 31 August 2018, with the option to extend for a further two years. The proposal included the establishing of an independent charity with a view to the management of the programme being transferred to this charity, and the management functions were duly transferred to the new charity, the Bikeability Trust, on 1 September 2018.

Highways England invested approximately £28 million in developing the Oxford to Cambridge expressway project. The analysis undertaken as part of that project is now supporting the consideration of where alternative future road investment may be needed in this area.

The latest information will be included in Highways England’s report on progress with the actions set out in Smart Motorway Safety Evidence Stocktake and Action Plan. This will be published shortly.

The Department’s strategy for growing its presence in Birmingham and Leeds is focussed on relocating roles, not individuals, recruiting local talent in and around Birmingham and Leeds. Additionally, existing staff will be able to relocate to Birmingham and Leeds on a voluntary basis, continuing in their current role from a new location.

The cost of doing so is dependent on a number of factors including the proportionate mix of new starters and the relocation of existing staff, and the required changes in estate.

We are working with Government Property colleagues to source office solutions in both locations which may require different short and medium-term options. Separately we have actively consolidated our London estate as flexible ways of working lead us to having less reliance on traditional office space.

Better use of technology and innovative working practices will enable us to continue working effectively from multiple locations and minimise travel costs between offices.

The relocation of 650 roles to Birmingham and Leeds will support the local economies, creating jobs and supporting inward investment, as part of Levelling Up.

The latest complete figures available for motorway road classes are shown in the table below. These figures have been compiled using the different data sources which have been outlined in the footnotes for the table:

Source: Highways England scheme information and DfT

1. 
   Road Length Statistics on the Strategic Road Network in England

2. DfT Road Length Statistics on the Strategic Road Network in England

The Smart Motorway Safety Evidence Stocktake and Action Plan, published by the Department in March 2020, provides a table in Annex D, page 76, showing the number of reported fatal casualties between 2015 and 2018. This is reproduced here:

Sources: 1 - STATS19, Highways England Statistics on motorway fatal casualties in England from 2015-18. 2 - STATS19, DfT Statistics on fatal casualties on the Strategic Road Network in England from 2015-18

The latest strategic safety evidence, which includes data for 2019, will be published as part of the one-year stocktake progress update report.

Highways England install and maintain speed cameras and Red X compliance technology to allow the police to issue fines. Information on enforcement and prosecutions is not held by Highways England or the Department, but by the individual police authorities who act as the enforcement authority.

The table below provides an annual breakdown of Full Time Equivalent (FTE), on-road Highways England Traffic Officers as of 31 March, each year. The current data is the number of FTE Traffic Officers as of 31 January 2021:

Pursuant to the Answer to Question 154650, the figure of 1091 provided included Traffic officers and their supervisors, on a headcount basis.

The table below provides an annual breakdown of FTE control room staff as of 31 March each year. Control room staff roles comprise control room operators of the regional operations and control centres.

Highways England’s traffic officers patrol the entire SRN to respond to incidents, including collisions and breakdowns. There are 1091 Traffic Officers and 340 control room staff across Highways England’s regional operations that have responsibility for manging the SRN, including the All Lane Running (ALR) sections.

Highways England has worked closely with the recovery industry to ensure that its working practices are aligned when working on the SRN. In relation to the ALR sections of the SRN, it has implemented its plans to improve relationships with the recovery industry, and in line with Action 16 of the Smart Motorway Safety Evidence Stocktake and Action Plan, has established the Recovery Industry Executive Committee, which has strengthened regional working groups and refreshed guidance on the joint working protocols for breakdown recovery in ALR environments.

We estimate that around fifth of our 2,500 stations have step free access that meets current accessibility standards. The Rail Delivery Group remain responsible for ensuring the accessibility data on the National Rail Enquiries website remains accurate and up to date. More than 75% of journeys are through step free stations compared with less than 50% in 2005. Train Operators must have policies in place to help those who need an accessible station get to their nearest one.

Staff in the Department for Transport and its agencies, in line with Government policy, are instructed to work from home where possible.

Any member of staff who tests positive for COVID19 is not required to share this information with their employer unless they are unable to work due to illness or a requirement to self-isolate.

The Department and its Executive Agencies record the total number of staff who are unable to work due to having symptoms of COVID19. This number might include those with symptoms but who have not received the outcome of a test. Similarly, it might exclude those in isolation at home who are continuing to work as they are asymptomatic.

The system is set up to record current absences. On 25/01/2021 these numbers were as follows:

Given the expectation that staff will work from home where they can, where staff are required to self-isolate this should not impact their ability to carry out their job.

In line with our published guidance on how to assess costs and benefits of government schemes and policies, DfT do take into account a whole life asset approach for estimating environmental and economic impacts including for rail infrastructure and rolling stock appraisals where appropriate. We are unaware of any recent assessment of the whole life asset approach itself, it is industry best practice.

The Department for Transport, on behalf of the Government, has secured additional capacity for the transportation of Category 1 goods. The Government Secured Freight Capacity has been procured through four Ferry Operators: Brittany Ferries, P&O, DFDS, and Stena Line. These freight operators will provide capacity equivalent to over 3000 HGVs per week, across nine routes, operating from eight ports in England: Teesport, Hull, Felixstowe, Harwich, Tilbury, Portsmouth, Newhaven, and Poole. The current contracts provide capacity until 30 June 2021.

The Secretary of State must review the need for the requirements imposed by the “Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) (England) Regulations 2020 (“the Regulations”) at least every 28 days. This means determining whether each of the requirements remain necessary to achieving the public health aims of the Regulations. The statutory review includes consideration of both the requirement for international arrivals to complete a Passenger Locator Form and the requirement to self-isolate for 10 days, as well as consideration of the package of the measures as a whole including exemptions. Each restriction is judged by reference to its continuing necessity as the pandemic develops; and based on the available information at each stage about the effectiveness and impact of the measures in reducing the domestic transmission from imported cases of COVID-19.

The last review of the Regulations was completed on 11th January 2021. The next review of the Regulations must be completed by 8th February 2021.

Operators, working alongside manufacturers, owners and other industry partners, remain the key players in the procurement and introduction of new trains as they have the practical implementation knowledge of what is required. The Rail Delivery Group published a guide in March 2020 which describes good practice that organisations should consider when commissioning and introducing new trains. The guide can be found here:

https://www.raildeliverygroup.com/files/Publications/RDG-ENG-GN-008-NewTrains-AGoodPracticeGuide2.0.pdf

During the Covid-19 response, Government has provided unprecedented financial support that has been made available to all sectors of the economy.

On 24 November, the Department announced a financial support scheme to support eligible commercial airport and ground handling businesses by reducing cash burn, enabling businesses to unlock shareholder and lender support. Eligible businesses will be able to apply to the scheme from early 2021. Further details will be published shortly.

The Government has been engaging closely with international rail operators since the outbreak of Covid-19 earlier this year to monitor its ongoing impact and support operators to access available support to address their particular needs, where appropriate, and will continue to do so.

A number of train companies are planning to relax peak travel restrictions over the Christmas period, including Avanti West Coast, London North Eastern Railway, Cross-country and East Midlands Railways, while others are planning to lift restrictions on some services or on particular days such as Christmas Eve.

Network Rail’s operations, maintenance and renewals budgets have not been changed as a result of Spending Review 2020 and workbanks will continue to be based on the five-year regulatory funding settlement for 2019-2024. The Spending Review settlement means that the comparable figure for the enhancements budget over the same period would now be £9.4bn. As part of SR2020 over £2 billion of funding has been confirmed in 2021-22 for rail services and builds on the estimated £12.8 billion of support for transport services that the government has already committed to provide in 2020-21

The Spending Review Settlement includes over £58 billion of investment confirmed for road and rail transport between 2021-22 and 2024-25, delivering some of government’s largest capital portfolios and levelling up across the country. This includes record investment in strategic roads and rail.

The table below provides an annual regional breakdown of Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) Traffic Officers as of 31 March each year. Records pre- dating the creation of Highways England in 2015 are not held.

(Total FTE numbers may differ slightly to the sum of the regional sections due to rounding of partial FTEs)

The Emergency Measures Agreements and Emergency Recovery Measures Agreements do not contain a contractual requirement for train operating companies to be members of the Rail Delivery Group. However, train operating companies are required to hold an ORR licence as a condition of entry into and to retain the franchise agreement.

Condition 28 of the ORR Statement of National Regulatory Provisions (SNRP) that the SNRP holder ORR ‘shall: (a) become and thereafter remain a Licensed Member of RDG; (b) comply with its obligations under the RDG Articles; and (c) procure that any member of its Group that is entitled under the RDG Articles to become a Member of RDG: (i) becomes and thereafter remains a Member of RDG; and (ii) complies with its obligations under the RDG Articles.’

Network Rail and Rail Delivery Group have been working together extremely effectively, particularly as we navigate our way through the pandemic. However, the extraordinary challenge facing the railway and its fragmented nature makes it more vital than ever that we simplify the system together under an accountable guiding mind. The Government will publish a White Paper with its plans for rail reform once the course of the pandemic becomes clearer.

The department uses data extensively to underpin all decisions it makes on rail operations and infrastructure, and keeps the quality of its data sources and analysis under continual review.

We are working closely with the rail industry to deliver improvements to data sharing, as set out in the Joint Rail Data Action Plan 2018 and Rail Sector Deal 2018. This will help to identify the value of industry rail data assets across a wide set of use cases and unlock access to data across the industry, for government and for external stakeholders, improving transparency and stimulating innovation.

Under Emergency Measures Agreements (EMAs), Train Operating Companies could receive small performance related fees based on whether they have acted efficiently, including managing costs appropriately and protecting and generating revenue.

Following the expiry of the EMAs, operators have moved onto Emergency Recovery Measures Agreements (ERMAs), where a far higher proportion of the fee is based on performance than under the EMAs. Under ERMAs, operators are measured against a range of performance criteria, including financial efficiency. Further financial performance targets may be set by my Department within the ERMAs, which will be appropriately calibrated to ensure they promote financial efficiency and minimise the net cost to the taxpayer.

Government is considering plans for regulated rail fares in January. Taxpayers have been very generous in their support to keep trains running throughout the Coronavirus pandemic, and it is only fair that passengers also contribute to maintaining and improving the services they use. Any fares rise will help fund crucial investment in maintaining railway services to enable social distancing and support our economic recovery.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) works closely with partners to monitor and investigate the risk to human health of avian influenza (influenza A H5N1). Our latest assessment of United Kingdom risk from avian influenza remains at limited mammalian transmission. Current evidence suggests the avian influenza viruses we are seeing circulating in birds around the world do not spread easily to people. However, the virus can spread to people following close contact with infected birds and UKHSA has introduced a screening programme to monitor those exposed to learn more about the risk.

The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before prorogation.

Public Health England (PHE) is responsible for the central storage and distribution of ultra-low temperature COVID-19 vaccines, from receipt of the vaccines in the United Kingdom through to distribution to initial National Health Service locations in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. PHE uses an existing contract with a specialist medical logistics company to undertake COVID-19 vaccines logistics and transportation operations, in addition to operates for the national immunisation programme. We are unable to provide the name of the contractor for security reasons.

Additional distribution companies have been commissioned by NHS England for onward distribution to primary care. Information on private companies involved in the logistics and transportation of the COVID-19 vaccine by NHS England will be published shortly on the Contracts Finder Service which is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/contracts-finder

We do not publish data in the format requested.

This information is not collected in the format requested.

In August, aggregated mobility information from multiple data sources suggested that time spent in household settings, be that outdoors or at family events, fell somewhat after the ban on household mixing. Time spent at transit stations also fell markedly across Greater Manchester following the August measures. The number of household contacts in contact tracing data fell following local interventions in Oldham and following the national rule of six. COVID-19 infections subsequently fell in Oldham.

The Government continues to assess the transmission of COVID-19 and the impact of local interventions on its trajectory. At the start of November, ‘R’ was above one everywhere and the virus was more widespread in the North West. Further action was required to address the rise in cases. The national restrictions took effect on 5 November in response to the continued threat of the epidemic in its second wave. These ended on 2 December. The tiers of interventions will be strengthened in comparison to the previous tiers to prevent a return to growing infections.

The information is not held in the format requested.

We do not hold data in the format requested.

The Contain Framework sets out how each local authority will respond and work to deliver their Local Outbreak Control Plans. The Framework and local plans will continue to evolve and reflect the changing scenario and learning. This includes currently undertaking a review of the sharing of information and consultation process for areas of concern including how local hon. Members are engaged and involved.

Record level test and case data (including sex, age, occupation and postcode) is available to all upper tier local authorities who sign data sharing agreements. All now have access. The data are the latest that Public Health England will have received at the point of extraction.

We do not publish data in the format requested.

Public Health England does not publish data of the occupation of those who test positive for COVID-19. There is currently no planned publication date for this information as the dataset requires careful assessment to ensure that the data is accurate and representative.

The Department of Health and Social Care is working closely with the Ministry for Housing Communities and Local Government, local authorities and providers themselves to make sure the adult social care sector has the support it needs to plan for and respond to COVID-19.

New guidance for the adult social care sector is now available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-residential-care-supported-living-and-home-care-guidance

We have created a senior leaders’ group to oversee the adult social care response to COVID-19. This group is supported by our national partners, including the Association of Directors of Adult Social Care, the Local Government Association, NHS England, Public Health England, the Care Quality Commission and adult social care provider representatives.

In addition, we are providing £2.9 billion of funding to protect and support the most vulnerable in society. The funding package will support hospitals, councils and adult social care providers to help cope with COVID-19.

Currently, the allocation of funding for food safety and public protection at a local level is ultimately for decision by local authorities as there is no ring fencing.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA), as the Government department with responsibility for food safety, sets the standards that local authorities should meet and monitors delivery against these. FSA monitoring data provides evidence that resources for food safety are reducing but that the available resources are being targeted to where there is greatest risk.

Where performance issues are identified within individual local authorities, the FSA takes action to secure improvements including highlighting where resources are not sufficient to ensure public health protection.

The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme is operated by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) in partnership with local authorities across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Food businesses covered by the scheme are provided with stickers showing their rating. Those in Wales and Northern Ireland are already required by law to display the stickers at their premises, while those in England are encouraged to do so.

The FSA has put together an evidence-based case for the necessary legislation to mandate display which is expected to be submitted for ministerial consideration in the near future.

No such discussions have taken place.

Apprenticeships are an important entry route into the social care sector, offer an excellent opportunity for employers to upskill existing staff and train new staff as part of high-quality training programmes, and provide clear career progression routes through the sector.

Apprenticeship standards are allocated funding bands based on recommendations made to the Department for Education by the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE), which is an employer led Non-Departmental Body. The funding bands for Adult Care Worker and Lead Adult Care Worker apprenticeships were reviewed by IfATE in January 2019. Following discussions with the social care trailblazer group (a group of employers involved in developing apprenticeship standards for their industry) and looking at available evidence, both were retained at the same funding rate.

IfATE continue to keep the funding of all standards under review to ensure that funding bands remain appropriate.

The number of full time equivalent doctors (FTE) in general practice (excluding locums) per 1,000 patients in Oldham Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) since 2015 has been provided in the table below. General practitioner (GP) locums are excluded as improvements have been made to GP locum recording methodology and figures are not comparable across the time series. Data is not included prior to 2015 as improvements were made to the methodology for recording all staff working in general practice in September 2015 and data prior to this is not comparable.

Number of doctors in general practice per 1,000 patients in NHS Oldham CCG

Source: NHS Digital

Notes

1. Data as at 30 September.

2. Figures shown do not include GPs working in prisons, army bases, educational establishments, specialist care centres including drug rehabilitation centres, walk-in centres and other alternative settings.

3. Each period, figures contain estimates, for practices that did not provide fully valid General Medical Practice GP records.

4. FTE refers to the proportion of full time contracted hours that the post holder is contracted to work. One would indicate they work a full set of hours (37.5), 0.5 that they worked half time. In Registrars' contracts one FTE = 40 hours. To ensure consistency, these FTEs have been converted to the standard wMDS measure of 1 FTE = 37.5 hours in the table.

The CJRS has helped 1.2 million employers across the UK furlough 9.6 million jobs, protecting people’s livelihoods. Many of these employments will have already been resumed. Across the whole of the UK and all ages, the number of employments furloughed has decreased from a peak of 8.9 million on 8 May to about 4.8 million on 31 July. The CJRS must be temporary and the Government must ensure people can get back to work safely and get the UK economy up and running again.

Building on the action taken in the face of the immediate threat posed by the virus, the second phase of the Government’s response began with the targeted Plan for Jobs. The Plan places emphasis on job creation through the Kickstart scheme, a £2 billion fund to create hundreds of thousands of new, high-quality 6-month subsidised jobs for young people; as well as job protection through the Job Retention Bonus, which specifically encourages firms to keep on workers they previously furloughed. It also supports jobseekers with direct help to find work and to gain the skills they need to gain employment.

The Government is adapting its response to the changing context, evolving as restrictions have changed. On 24 September the Government introduced a Winter Economy Plan including the new Job Support Scheme, which targets support on those businesses that need it most; focusing on those that are being affected by coronavirus and can support their employees doing some work, but that need more time for demand to recover.

Any companies seeking support must have exhausted all other options before being considered, and any support given will be on terms that protect the taxpayer, with existing lenders and shareholders expected to contribute to and share in the financial burden. Companies seeking such support would need to agree to appropriate conditions – including those relating to tax, supplier payment terms, climate change and corporate governance.

Rateable values (RVs) for all rateable non-domestic properties in England are published in the rating lists. The latest RVs can be found here: https://www.tax.service.gov.uk/business-rates-find.

After eight months of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, the scheme will close at the end of October. The scheme must be temporary and the Government must ensure people can get back to work safely and get the UK economy up and running again.

The longer people are on furlough, the more likely it is their skills could fade, making it harder for them to get new opportunities. It is in no-one’s long term interests for the scheme to trap people in jobs that only exist because of the subsidy.

Building on the action taken in the face of the immediate threat posed by the virus, the Government is now proceeding with the second phase of its response with the targeted Plan for Jobs which will support the UK’s economic recovery while continuing to prioritise people’s health.

No such estimate is available. The deal agreed with the EU will enable the Government to ensure that no tariffs are payable for goods moving from Northern Ireland to the rest of the United Kingdom and that there is no hard border on the island of Ireland. The deal also ensures that unfettered access for goods moving from Northern Ireland to the rest of the UK can be maintained.