Julian Sturdy

The Government recognises the important role that the BBC’s local radio services play in terms of the provision of local news and information, and of community engagement in the local area. We are disappointed that the BBC is planning to reduce parts of its local radio output.

The BBC is operationally and editorially independent from the Government as set out in its Royal Charter, and decisions on service delivery are a matter for the BBC. However, in the Department’s regular conversations with the BBC we have been clear that it must make sure it continues to provide distinctive and genuinely local radio services, with content that reflects and represents people and communities from all corners of the UK.

The Government also expects Ofcom, as regulator of the BBC, to ensure the BBC is robustly held to account in delivering its public service duties. The Government has already asked Ofcom about how they are considering this issue, and Ofcom has now set out its assessment of the market impact of the BBC’s proposals. I understand that Ofcom is continuing discussions with the BBC on the impact of its proposals on audiences.

We are clear that no one should be refused access to businesses or services, including shops or venues, because they legitimately have an assistance dog.

Under the Equality Act 2010 (the Act), businesses that provide goods and services to the public must not unlawfully discriminate against people who meet the Act’s definition of disability. The Act places a duty on service providers to make reasonable adjustments to improve access to premises, buildings and services.

This duty could include allowing access to guide dogs or assistance dogs so that disabled customers have the same access to goods and services and are not placed at a substantial disadvantage compared to non-disabled customers. Failure to comply with this duty could amount to unlawful disability discrimination.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission has published guidance for all businesses, including service providers, on their duty towards disabled people who own assistance/guide dogs. The guidance explains that assistance dogs should be treated as auxiliary aids and not as pets. The guidance is available at: https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/sites/default/files/assistance-dogs-a-guide-for-all-businesses.pdf and makes clear that businesses and service providers should allow assistance dogs access to buildings where dogs would normally not be permitted whenever this is reasonable.

These duties and protections are ultimately enforceable through the courts, but as a first step, anybody who thinks they have been discriminated against in the services offered to them - including a failure to make reasonable adjustments - can contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS) which provides free bespoke advice and in-depth support to individuals with discrimination concerns via their website - http://www.equalityadvisoryservice.com, or by telephone on 0808 800 0082 or by text phone on 0808 800 0084.

We have more women MPs than ever before, making up 35% of the House of Commons, and 10% of MPs – including the Prime Minister – are from an ethnic minority background. It is for political parties to select prospective parliamentary candidates.

We have more women MPs than ever before, making up 35% of the House of Commons, and 10% of MPs – including the Prime Minister – are from an ethnic minority background. It is for political parties to select prospective parliamentary candidates.

We will give careful consideration to our public consultation on the issue and respond in due course. In the meantime, we have launched a support service open to all victims or those at risk of conversion practices regardless of their background or circumstances.

The House of Lords has a key role in scrutinising the executive and as a revising chamber. The Government has made no assessment of the merits of reducing the number of sitting peers and notes that unlike the Commons, peers are not full-time salaried legislators. It is important to focus on the number of peers who attend, and not just the number eligible to sit. Existing mechanisms allow sitting peers to retire or resign.

This Government is committed to supporting all households, including veterans, with the cost of living through initiatives such as cost of living payments.

Veterans in receipt of disability benefits, including the Armed Forces Independence Payment, Constant Attendance Allowance or the Mobility Supplement under the War Pension Scheme, are among those eligible for a £150 disability cost of living payment.

We encourage veterans in need of support to contact the Veterans' Gateway on 0808 802 1212, where a range of information and support services can be accessed.

Fundamentally, the best way that we can tackle increased pressures on the cost of living is by reducing inflation, and that is what this Government is committed to do.

The Civil Service is committed to creating a safe and supportive work environment for all its employees and does not tolerate any form of unacceptable behaviour or abuse towards an employee. Those found to be bullying, harassing, discriminating, or violent towards employees or customers can face disciplinary procedures including charges of gross misconduct, leading to dismissal.

Civil Service HR (CSHR) have provided a suite of products to support departments in managing bullying, harassment and violence in the workplace and by third parties, including Media Attention Guidance which sets out the responsibilities for handling instances of unwanted, intrusive or aggressive media attention.

Departments have their own guidance on dealing with unacceptable customer behaviour including handling situations of - for example - assault against staff. In every incident that involves violence or a targeted threat of violence towards civil servants the police are notified and appropriate action taken.

We appreciate there is a huge appetite across the country to say thank you to all those who are supporting the nation through these unprecedented times.

Both the Queen’s Birthday Honours List 2020 and the New Year Honours 2021 included COVID-19 recognition - and have been symbolic of the nation’s gratitude to those involved in the response to the pandemic on the frontline and in their communities. We anticipate more awards will be made over forthcoming honours rounds to recognise the work of those who have gone above and beyond across all key sectors.

On 12 May the Prime Minister announced that the Government will establish a UK Commission on COVID Commemoration to consider the appropriate way to remember those who have lost their lives and to recognise those involved in the unprecedented response. The Government will set out the Commission membership and terms of reference in due course.

We appreciate there is a huge appetite across the country to say thank you to all those who are supporting the nation through these unprecedented times.

Both the Queen’s Birthday Honours List 2020 and the New Year Honours 2021 included COVID-19 recognition - and have been symbolic of the nation’s gratitude to those involved in the response to the pandemic on the frontline and in their communities. We anticipate more awards will be made over forthcoming honours rounds to recognise the work of those who have gone above and beyond across all key sectors.

On 12 May the Prime Minister announced that the Government will establish a UK Commission on COVID Commemoration to consider the appropriate way to remember those who have lost their lives and to recognise those involved in the unprecedented response. The Government will set out the Commission membership and terms of reference in due course.

The Government reaffirmed its commitment to all the UK’s 5.5 million small businesses with the creation of a new Small Business Council. The Council builds on the Department’s existing support for SMEs and will provide a bespoke forum for small businesses to have their voices represented within Government.

The Help to Grow website is a one-stop shop for small businesses to clearly identify what funding they can access, webinars as well as the basics of setting up a business.

Businesses can still access government-backed financial support from the Start Up Loans Company, which provides loans and support to new entrepreneurs.

I believe that my Honourable Friend is referring to Royal Mail customer service points rather than Post Office collection points. I understand that Royal Mail has completed the first stage of its review of customer service points and decided to maintain the current estate.

Decisions on the provision of Royal Mail customer service points are an operational matter for the business, provided they meet Ofcom’s regulatory requirement on Royal Mail, as the Designated Universal Service Provider, to provide access points for the universal postal service.

Protecting and enhancing workers’ rights whilst supporting business to grow remains a priority for this Government.

The Government is backing six Private Members’ Bills helping new parents, unpaid carers, hospitality workers, giving all employees easier access to flexible working, and giving workers’ a right to request a more predictable contract.

This is in addition to previous reforms we have delivered since leaving the EU including; increasing pay for around 2.5 million workers, extending the ban on exclusivity clauses, quadrupling the maximum fine for employers who treat their workers badly, and creating a new statutory leave for parents who suffer the loss of a child.

This Government created a standalone department to focus on energy security. We are driving tyrants like Putin out of our energy markets. We are leading one of the world’s largest renewables programmes and driving forward the largest expansion of nuclear in 70 years, making our future energy in Britain.

The Government will consult on the design of the Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA) recommendations to create a statutory open data scheme for road fuel prices and an ongoing road fuels monitoring function this autumn. These two recommendations will help to facilitate competition and fair pricing, nationally and locally, as well as helping tackle regional price disparities.

Until we can put these changes on a statutory footing, the government has supported the CMA to establish an interim voluntary fuel price data sharing scheme, encouraging retailers to share prices daily. The CMA will also continue to monitor fuel prices using its existing powers.

The Government has made no such assessment.

Under the UK’s data protection legislation, people have the right to request organisations to erase their personal data, for example when its use is no longer necessary. The right to be forgotten is not absolute and organisations may refuse a request where they need to retain it, for example to comply with a legal obligation or for reasons of public interest in the area of public health. The UK’s legislation on the right to be forgotten is identical to the legislation which applies in EU countries under the EU GDPR. If a person is dissatisfied with the way that an organisation has considered their request for erasure, they can complain to the data protection regulator, which in the UK is the Information Commissioner’s Office.

We have no plans to commission research on the implementation of laws on the right to be forgotten in European countries.

Project Gigabit is the government’s £5 billion mission to deliver lightning-fast, reliable broadband across the UK. Its objective is to level up the UK by giving hard-to-reach areas access to gigabit-capable internet speeds and, coupled with broadband suppliers’ commercial delivery, support the government’s target of nationwide gigabit-capable broadband by 2030.

Today, more than 73% of UK premises have access to gigabit-capable broadband, up from just 6% in January 2019. We are on track to achieve our milestone target of 85% by the end of 2025.

Building Digital UK has set out the baseline trajectory to meet this target, and publishes quarterly updates on the progress of Project Gigabit.

Onshore wind developers should engage with local communities as the UK increases renewable deployment to meet net zero. The Government has set regulations that require onshore wind developers to consult earlier with the local community. It has also published guidance to ensure that local people are involved throughout the process of development.

In December 2022 the Government published the core parameters for all technologies for the fifth Contracts for Difference allocation round (AR), including for tidal stream:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1124052/cfd_ar5_core_parameters.pdf.

The final Budget Notice containing full details about AR5 auction parameters will be published in March 2023.

There is no smart meter usage fee for energy consumers. Consumers' bills include the costs of providing and maintaining a live supply for metering points whether they are smart or traditional. These costs represent a small proportion of overall bills.

The Government is committed to protecting consumers from the impact of high energy prices and provided £37 billion in cost of living support last year. This included introducing the Energy Price Guarantee, which protects customers from increases in energy costs by limiting the amount suppliers can charge per unit of energy used and the average standing charges for customers on default tariffs.

The Energy Bill Relief Scheme will provide a price reduction to ensure that all eligible businesses and other non-domestic customers, including swimming pools, are protected from excessively high energy bills over the winter period.

We are determined to ensure the UK remains one of the best locations in the world for automotive manufacturing as we transition to electric vehicles. As part of this, we continue to work with investors through the Automotive Transformation Fund to progress plans to build a globally competitive electric vehicle supply chain in the UK. In 2021 the Net Zero Strategy announced £350 of funding in the Automotive Transformation Fund. This funding is additional to the £500m announced in 2020 for this programme as part of the 10 Point Plan.