Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.
e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.
If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.
If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).
End the Cage Age for all farmed animals
Gov Responded - 20 Aug 2021 Debated on - 20 Jun 2022 View Justin Madders's petition debate contributionsEvery year across the UK, millions of farmed animals are kept in cages, unable to express their natural behaviours and experiencing huge suffering. These inhumane systems cannot be the future of British farming. The UK Government must legislate to ‘End the Cage Age’ for all farmed animals.
Repeal Breed Specific Legislation
Gov Responded - 13 Jan 2022 Debated on - 6 Jun 2022 View Justin Madders's petition debate contributionsThe Government should repeal breed specific provisions in dangerous dogs legislation. We believe these provisions are a flawed approach to public safety and an ethical failing with regards to animal welfare.
Reduce fuel duty and VAT by 40% for a period of 2 years
Gov Responded - 17 Nov 2021 Debated on - 23 May 2022 View Justin Madders's petition debate contributionsThe Government should reduce the cost of fuel through a reduction of 40% in fuel duty and VAT for 2 years. This can effectively offset the rise in fuel prices since 2020.
Prohibit employers from requiring staff to be vaccinated against Covid-19
Gov Responded - 25 Nov 2021 Debated on - 24 Jan 2022 View Justin Madders's petition debate contributionsMake it illegal for any employer to mandate vaccination for its employees. This should apply to all public sector (including the NHS, armed forces, care workers), third sector and all private sector.
Limit the Sale and Use of Fireworks to Organisers of Licensed Displays Only
Gov Responded - 13 Aug 2020 Debated on - 8 Nov 2021 View Justin Madders's petition debate contributionsCurrent legislation allows for public use of fireworks 16 hours a day, every day, making it impossible for vulnerable groups to take precautions against the distress they can cause. Better enforcement of existing law is insufficient; limiting their sale & use to licensed displays only is necessary.
Allow international travel to visit partners and family
Gov Responded - 20 Apr 2021 Debated on - 24 May 2021 View Justin Madders's petition debate contributionsThe Government should class in-person interaction with family members and unmarried partners abroad as an essential reason to travel.
Prioritise teachers, school and childcare staff for Covid-19 vaccination
Gov Responded - 23 Feb 2021 Debated on - 11 Jan 2021 View Justin Madders's petition debate contributionsAdvice from the JCVI on the priority groups for a Covid-19 vaccine does not include school/childcare workers. This petition calls for these workers, who cannot distance or use PPE, to be kept safe at work by being put on the vaccine priority list when such a list is adopted into government policy.
Increase Number of Guests Permitted at Weddings, according to Venue Capacity
Gov Responded - 11 Sep 2020 Debated on - 9 Nov 2020 View Justin Madders's petition debate contributionsWeddings take months and even years of intricate planning. Myself and many others believe the maximum number of guests authorised at wedding ceremonies should be increased. The number of guests permitted at weddings should be calculated according to venue capacity.
Let Us Dance - Support nightclubs, dance music events and festivals
Gov Responded - 14 Oct 2020 Debated on - 9 Nov 2020 View Justin Madders's petition debate contributionsExtend funding to nightclubs, dance music events and festivals as part of the £1.57bn support package announced by the government for Britain's arts and culture sector to survive the hit from the pandemic. #LetUSDance
Extend maternity leave by 3 months with pay in light of COVID-19
Gov Responded - 14 May 2020 Debated on - 5 Oct 2020 View Justin Madders's petition debate contributionsIn light of the recent outbreak and lock down, those on maternity leave should be given 3 extra months paid leave, at least. This time is for bonding and social engaging with other parents and babies through baby groups which are vital for development and now everything has been cancelled.
Increase pay for NHS healthcare workers and recognise their work
Gov Responded - 4 May 2020 Debated on - 25 Jun 2020 View Justin Madders's petition debate contributionsI would like the government to review and increase the pay for healthcare workers to recognise the work that they do.
We would like the government to consider social care as equally important to NHS
Gov Responded - 20 Apr 2020 Debated on - 25 Jun 2020 View Justin Madders's petition debate contributionsWe would like the government to support and regard social care: financially, publicly and systematically on an equal par as NHS. We would like parliament to debate how to support social care during COVID-19 and beyond so that it automatically has the same access to operational and financial support.
Reduce or scrap the immigration health surcharge for overseas NHS Staff.
Gov Responded - 29 May 2020 Debated on - 25 Jun 2020 View Justin Madders's petition debate contributionsTo revoke the Immigration Health Surcharge increases for overseas NHS staff. The latest budget shows an increase of £220 a year for an overseas worker to live and work in the UK, at a time when the NHS, and UK economy, relies heavily on them.
Give non-British citizens who are NHS workers automatic citizenship
Gov Responded - 6 May 2020 Debated on - 25 Jun 2020 View Justin Madders's petition debate contributionsGive NHS workers who are EU and other Nationals automatic UK citizenship if they stay and risk their own lives looking after the British people during the COVID crisis.
These initiatives were driven by Justin Madders, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.
MPs who are act as Ministers or Shadow Ministers are generally restricted from performing Commons initiatives other than Urgent Questions.
Justin Madders has not been granted any Urgent Questions
The Bill failed to complete its passage through Parliament before the end of the session. This means the Bill will make no further progress. A Bill to make provision about the regulation of the purchase of freehold by leaseholders; to introduce a system for establishing the maximum charge for such freehold; to make provision about the award of legal costs in leasehold property tribunal cases; to establish a compensation scheme for cases where misleading particulars have led to certain leasehold agreements; and for connected purposes.
A Bill to require football clubs to provide tickets to matches at a discount for persons under a specified age; to require local authorities to consider the needs of match going supporters when approving kick off times; to require football clubs to set aside a proportion of transfer fees paid for the development of football facilities for local clubs and young people; and for connected purposes.
Education (Guidance about Costs of School Uniforms) Act 2021 - Private Members' Bill (Ballot Bill)
Sponsor - Mike Amesbury (LAB)
The Local Government Finance Settlement for 2022/23 makes available an additional £3.7 billion to councils in England, including funding for adult social care reform. In total, we expect local authority Core Spending Power to rise from £50.4 billion in 2021/22 to up to £54.1 billion in 2022/23. The majority of this funding is un-ringfenced in recognition of local authorities being best placed to understand local priorities.
In addition, the Safer Streets Fund, which is administered by the Home Office, provides local organisations with the resources they need to tackle crime through evidence based and innovative interventions including improved CCTV. £50 million per year is being invested in the Safer Streets Fund over the next three years.
The Church of England does not keep a central database of those sponsoring Ukrainian refugees, but guidance for parishes and clergy on the processes involved is available from the National Church Institutions and published here: https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2022-04/Ukraine%20toolkit%20draft%208.pdf
Anecdotal evidence from dioceses suggests that expressions of interest number in the hundreds, including those in clergy accommodation, and that matches and arrivals have been steadily increasing. The Church Commissioners are aware of four bishops who have successfully sponsored refugees, with several others still waiting either to be matched or for their application to be completed. The Church of England Pensions Board and others have also issued guidance and are aware of residents taking up the opportunity to host Ukrainians in those properties
The Spending Review settlement for local government took into account of a wide range of unit cost pressures, including inflation and public sector pay. The Local Government Finance Settlement makes available £54.1 billion in 2022/23 for local government in England, an increase of up to £3.7 billion on 2021/22. We are providing an additional £1.6 billion of grant funding to councils in each of the next 3 years, from 2022/23 inclusive. This new funding is the largest cash-terms increase in grant funding for 10 years.
The Government is clear that everyone should be able to live without fear of harassment or violence, in the workplace as much as anywhere else.
In July 2021, as part of our strategy to tackle Violence Against Women and Girls, the Government committed to a new package of measures which will strengthen protections for those affected by harassment at work. We intend to introduce a new duty on employers to take steps to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace, as well as explicit protections against workplace harassment by third parties. We are also preparing our own practical guidance for employers on preventing sexual harassment in the workplace.
The legislative commitments will be introduced when parliamentary time allows. We continue to seek an appropriate legislative vehicle; however, we are also ensuring that we take sufficient time to engage with a range of stakeholders, to ensure that what we introduce will be effective and make a real impact.
The Government is clear that everyone should be able to live without fear of harassment or violence, in the workplace as much as anywhere else.
In July 2021, as part of our strategy to tackle Violence Against Women and Girls, the Government committed to a new package of measures which will strengthen protections for those affected by harassment at work. We intend to introduce a new duty on employers to take steps to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace, as well as explicit protections against workplace harassment by third parties. We are also preparing our own practical guidance for employers on preventing sexual harassment in the workplace.
The legislative commitments will be introduced when parliamentary time allows. We continue to seek an appropriate legislative vehicle; however, we are also ensuring that we take sufficient time to engage with a range of stakeholders, to ensure that what we introduce will be effective and make a real impact.
The Government keeps all guidance under review. Councils will wish to ensure that their collection and enforcement processes follow best practice, are proportionate, and enable the most effective way of recovering outstanding debt.
All local authorities are required to license Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) in which five or more people from two or more households share facilities. Through additional licensing, local authorities also have the power to require HMOs to be licensed where there are three or more unrelated people sharing facilities.
Although there has been no formal assessment of legislation on licensing HMOs, the Government has undertaken an assessment of selective licensing which found that, when implemented well and part of a coordinated enforcement strategy, selective licensing is an effective tool for tackling the issues it is focused on address.
The Department received the preliminary report on 12 January 2022. While considering the findings it was decided further research was required to ensure the report was comprehensive. The final report has now been received by the Department and it is currently being reviewed and prepared for publication. It will be published as soon as possible.
This Government remains committed to the Right to Buy and to spreading the dream of home ownership to even more people. The Midlands pilot of the Voluntary Right to Buy scheme completed in 2021 and an independent evaluation of the pilot was published. The Government is looking at the evaluation's findings, which will be used to inform future policy, and we will announce further details on the Voluntary Right to Buy in due course.
The Government is taking action on a number of fronts to help make housing more affordable. We are investing over £12 billion in new affordable housing over five years - the largest investment in affordable housing in a decade. This includes the £11.5 billion Affordable Homes Programme for 2021-26, which will provide up to 180,000 new homes across the country, should economic conditions allow. This will include around 32,000 Social Rent homes. Since 2010, over 574,100 new affordable homes have been delivered - including over 403,400 affordable homes for rent. We continue to provide support through the welfare system to help households meet the cost of housing in both the private and social rented sectors. We are helping to bring home ownership within reach of many more people through Help to Buy and Shared Ownership. Measures to increase overall housing supply will also help to make housing more affordable. The Government will continue working towards our ambition of delivering 300,000 new homes per year in England to create a more sustainable and affordable housing market.
Every premature death of someone experiencing homelessness is one too many and we take this matter extremely seriously.
The latest Office for National Statistics figures show there were an estimated 688 deaths of people who are homeless in England and Wales registered in 2020, a decrease of 11.6% from 2019 (778 estimated deaths). Although this is statistically similar to registered deaths in the period 2017 to 2019, it represents the first fall in the number of estimated deaths since 2014.
As of 22 March, the following called-in applications and recovered appeals were with this Department.
Case and local authority | Date received |
LAND ADJACENT TO DINNINGTON ROAD (Rotherham) | 06-Jan-20 |
ELLESMERE PORT WELLSITE (Cheshire W & Chester) | 06-Jan-20 |
SANDLEFORD PARK NEWBURY (West Berkshire) | 29-Nov-21 |
ANDERSON SCHOOL CHIGWELL (Epping Forest) | 29-Nov-21 (decision issued 24-Mar-22) |
LAND AT SILVERTHORNE LANE (Bristol) | 31-Jan-22 |
LAND S OF DUNSFOLD ROAD (Surrey CC) | 07-Mar-22 |
W OF A1237 AND S OF NORTH LANE HUNTINGTON (York) | 17-Mar-22 |
The Department publishes information on local authorities' expenditure on temporary accommodation which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/local-authority-revenue-expenditure-and-financing.
The Government remains committed to building back fairer and delivering a better deal for renters. We will publish a White Paper this spring that will set out a package of reforms to create a fairer private rented sector.
We are undertaking robust and structured engagement with stakeholders to inform our plans, while also learning from the pandemic’s impact on the sector.
Generation Rent have attended all six of the roundtable discussions that I have chaired regarding reforms to the Private Rented Sector. The most recent meeting took place on the 9 February 2022.
My officials have regular communication and a strong working relationship with Generation Rent, through scheduled monthly meetings. This provides both Generation Rent and the Department with the opportunity to discuss key issues affecting those in the private rented sector.
I met with Baroness Kennedy from Generation Rent in November, and we are due to meet again in early March.
The Act provides a framework for preventing or resolving disputes in relation to party walls, party structures, boundary walls and excavations near neighbouring buildings. Any surveyor appointed under section 10 of the Act is undertaking a statutory role. In all cases, surveyors appointed or selected under the dispute resolution procedure of the Act must consider the interests and rights of both owners and draw up an award impartially.
If the requirements of the Act are not followed, as with most property law matters (e.g. boundary disputes) it is a civil matter for the parties involved to resolve. Anyone considering taking legal action is strongly advised to seek their own legal advice before taking any action.
The Act provides a framework for preventing or resolving disputes in relation to party walls, party structures, boundary walls and excavations near neighbouring buildings. Any surveyor appointed under section 10 of the Act is undertaking a statutory role. In all cases, surveyors appointed or selected under the dispute resolution procedure of the Act must consider the interests and rights of both owners and draw up an award impartially.
If the requirements of the Act are not followed, as with most property law matters (e.g. boundary disputes) it is a civil matter for the parties involved to resolve. Anyone considering taking legal action is strongly advised to seek their own legal advice before taking any action.
This Government remains committed to the Right to Buy and to spreading the dream of home ownership. The Midlands pilot of the Voluntary Right to Buy scheme concluded in 2021 and an independent evaluation of the pilot was published in February 2021. The Government is considering the evaluation's findings, which will be used to inform future policy. We will announce further details on the Voluntary Right to Buy in due course.
The Government’s flagship Levelling Up White Paper was published on the 2 February and set out our plan to transform the United Kingdom by spreading opportunity and prosperity to all parts of it.
At the heart of the White Paper are twelve bold national missions, one of which is to ensure that devolution will drive activity to level up and strengthen communities. Every part of England that wants a devolution deal by 2030 will have one, with powers at or approaching the highest level of devolution, with a simplified, long-term funding settlement.
Devolution must be locally-led, it will not be imposed by Government. Building on previous discussions with my officials over the late summer, I hope that Cheshire & Warrington will actively consider the opportunities now available to them through the devolution framework. My officials will be pleased to discuss Cheshire & Warrington’s locally led proposals if they are interested in pursuing a devolution deal.
We are bringing forward provision for the New Homes Ombudsman scheme through the Building Safety Bill which is currently before Parliament. Under the provisions of the Bill, the Secretary of State must make arrangements for the New Homes Ombudsman scheme.
The Ombudsman will not apply retrospectively. The provisions will be place new requirements on developers under the new regime which were not valid at the time of build or sale and developers will need to transition to the new regime. Homebuyers may continue to use existing redress routes in the interim.
I refer the Hon Member to my answer to Question 72642 on 16 November 2021.
We received the report on 12 January 2022. We are considering its findings and will publish it in due course.
I refer the Hon Member to the Terms of Reference to the Cabinet Office investigation, which have been deposited in the Library of the House.
All unsuccessful bids made to the Community Renewal Fund have been published.
On 27 October, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced the winners of the first round of the Levelling Up Fund. This will see £1.7 billion of funding allocated to 105 projects. Citizens across the UK can expect to see projects getting underway from early 2022.
305 Levelling Up Fund bids were received on time, of which 105 were successful. Unfortunately, data is not held for bids at constituency level. The attached table provides a breakdown of the 305 Levelling Up Fund bids by local authority area.
On Wednesday 27 October, the Chancellor announced the outcome of the first round of the Levelling Up Fund, which will see £1.7 billion invested in 105 local infrastructure projects across the UK. Citizens across the UK can expect to see projects getting underway from early 2022.
Those applicants that were unsuccessful in the first round have been contacted. Unsuccessful applicants, who passed the gateway assessment stage, have been offered a feedback session to discuss their application, expected to take place over the next few weeks.
The second round of bidding for the Levelling Up Fund will be opened in spring 2022 and more information on this will be set out in due course.
On Wednesday 27 October, the Chancellor announced the outcome of the first round of the Levelling Up Fund, which will see £1.7 billion invested in 105 local infrastructure projects across the UK. Citizens across the UK can expect to see projects getting underway from early 2022.
Those applicants that were unsuccessful in the first round have been contacted. Unsuccessful applicants, who passed the gateway assessment stage, have been offered a feedback session to discuss their application, expected to take place over the next few weeks.
The second round of bidding for the Levelling Up Fund will be opened in spring 2022 and more information on this will be set out in due course.
Details of ministerial meetings are published quarterly and can be found on Gov.uk.
Formal Ministerial meetings, and Permanent Secretaries' meetings, with external organisations are published each quarter on gov.uk
The successful list of 477 bids made to the UK Community Renewal Fund were published on Gov.uk on the day of announcement: 3 November 2021
I wrote to all lead authorities who bid into the UK Community Renewal Fund immediately after the announcement, notifying them of the outcome of their bids.
No.
The Government remains committed to improving protections for park home residents and this includes changing the pitch fee review inflationary index from the Retail Prices Index (RPI) to the Consumer Prices Index (CPI).
Following an initial scoping study, University of Liverpool were appointed in March this year to undertake the research.
The research team has completed focus group meetings and surveys with residents and site owners and is currently assessing and modelling the data obtained. The final report is expected at the end of the year.
Four Union Jack flags have been purchased during this time, but the Department does not hold information on where the flags were manufactured.
Since 2019 the Department have purchased flags from Flagmakers, a division of Specialist Canvas Services Ltd; 21st Century Office Concepts Ltd trading as Cupaz; and Harrison Flagpoles.
The future of the adult social care precept will be determined as part of the upcoming Spending Review. Decisions on council tax levels are taken annually by local authorities, with reference to the referendum principles set by the Secretary of State.
People’s PMQs are an opportunity for members of the public to ask me about issues that affect their lives. I hope to hold another one shortly.
The Commission is led by the current Government advice on the use of face masks and coverings. Whilst the guidance on the use of face coverings in shops and supermarkets will change on the 24th July, it is not applicable to the Parliamentary estate, as no onsite services are currently provided to the public.
Face coverings are not a replacement for social distancing and regular handwashing which remain the most important actions. As hon. Members and staff can maintain social distancing and have easy access to handwashing facilities or hand sanitiser, it was concluded that face coverings are not necessary at this time. However, there is no bar on those choosing to wear face masks from doing so.
There are no restrictions in place for any brands of mobile electronic equipment when accessing Parliamentary software systems and wifi.
The Attorney General’s Office (AGO), Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), Serious Fraud Office (SFO), Government Legal Department (GLD) and Her Majesty’s Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI) have not purchased any Union Flags over the last two years.
The Attorney General’s Office (AGO), Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), Serious Fraud Office (SFO), Government Legal Department (GLD) and Her Majesty’s Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI) have not purchased any Union Flags over the last two years.
As the Prime Minister previously announced, the Government will set out the Commission membership and terms of reference in due course.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to PQ117079 on 7 February.
When conducting their procurement activities, central Government departments and their agencies must ensure that they meet their legal obligations under the Equality Act 2010 and its associated Public Sector Equality Duty in a way that is consistent with the Government’s value for money policy and relevant public procurement law.
The public procurement rules allow for equality-related issues to be taken into account in the procurement process where they are relevant to the subject matter, or relate to the performance, of the contract.
Procurement Policy Note (PPN) 01/13 was published to remind departments of their legal obligations under the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED), when conducting their public procurement activities.
As the Prime Minister announced on 12 May 2021, and referenced during Prime Minister's Questions on 26 January (Hansard volume 707, column 994), the Government will establish a UK Commission on Covid Commemoration to consider the most 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 Prime Minister has appointed the Rt Hon Baroness Heather Hallett DBE to chair the public inquiry into COVID-19. The inquiry will be established on a statutory basis, with formal powers, and will begin its work in Spring 2022.
Draft terms of reference will be published in due course, following consultation with Baroness Hallett and ministers from the devolved administrations. As set out in the Prime Minister’s statement on 15 December, Baroness Hallett will then lead a process of public consultation, including with bereaved families and other affected groups, before the terms of reference are finalised.
On 12 May, the Prime Minister confirmed that a public inquiry into COVID-19 will be established on a statutory basis, with full formal powers, and that it will begin its work in spring 2022. The Prime Minister has committed to appointing an independent chair by the end of the year.
Details of ministerial meetings are published quarterly and can be found on GOV.UK.
Downing Street flags are supplied by JW Plant and by The Flag Consultancy. I understand these companies manufacture their flags in the United Kingdom.
Downing Street flags are supplied by JW Plant and by The Flag Consultancy. I understand these companies manufacture their flags in the United Kingdom.
Flags have been supplied to the Cabinet Office by Mitie FM Ltd. and Flagmakers. These flags were manufactured in the UK.
Flags have been supplied to the Cabinet Office by Mitie FM Ltd. and Flagmakers. These flags were manufactured in the UK.
Every death during the pandemic has been a tragic loss, made so much harder for those unable to say goodbye or grieve as they would have wished. It is absolutely right that we come together to mark and remember this period appropriately.
The Prime Minister announced on 12 May that the Government will support these efforts by establishing a UK Commission on Covid Commemoration. The Commission will carefully consider how communities across the country can remember those who have lost their lives and recognise those involved in the response in a fitting and permanent way.
The Government recognises the need for bereaved families to be represented on the Commission and are committed to ensuring this happens. I am grateful to them for all their efforts throughout the pandemic. The Government will set out the Commission membership and terms of reference in due course.
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have, therefore, asked the Authority to respond.
On 12 May, the Prime Minister confirmed the public inquiry into COVID-19 will begin in Spring 2022. The Government recognises that it must engage and consult with bereaved families and others, before the terms of reference are finalised. The terms of reference will set out the purpose and structure of the Covid-19 inquiry, including the exact areas that will be investigated.
The Government is aware of Bereaved Families for Justice’ call to be represented during the COVID-19 Inquiry. Throughout the pandemic senior ministers, including the Prime Minister, have met and will continue to meet with bereaved families.
We also recognise the need for bereaved families to be represented on the UK Commission on Covid Commemoration. The Commission will carefully consider how communities across the country can remember those who have lost their lives and recognise those involved in the response in a fitting and permanent way. I want to thank the Bereaved Families for Justice group for all their efforts in representing bereaved families throughout the pandemic.
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have, therefore, asked the Authority to respond.
Departments are responsible for their own procurement, therefore this information is not held centrally.
Departments are responsible for their own procurement, therefore this information is not held centrally.
While the Government's immediate focus is on protecting the lives and livelihoods of the nation, there is nonetheless the need to mourn those who have died, and to mark and remember this period as one of immense struggle.
The Prime Minister announced on 12 May 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 Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) is independent of Government and is accountable to Parliament through the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee for its performance. The PHSO will therefore reply separately to these questions by letter.
The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) is independent of Government and is accountable to Parliament through the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee for its performance. The PHSO will therefore reply separately to these questions by letter.
The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) is independent of Government and is accountable to Parliament through the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee for its performance. The PHSO will therefore reply separately to these questions by letter.
The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) is independent of Government and is accountable to Parliament through the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee for its performance. The PHSO will therefore reply separately to these questions by letter.
The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) is independent of Government and is accountable to Parliament through the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee for its performance. The PHSO will therefore reply separately to these questions by letter.
The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) is independent of Government and is accountable to Parliament through the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee for its performance. The PHSO will therefore reply separately to these questions by letter.
I refer the hon. member to the answer given to PQ 45460 on 18 May 2020 and PQs 152485-152495 on 22 February 2021.
From the beginning of the pandemic the Government has taken a number of measures to accelerate payments to suppliers and preserve cash flow. Contracting Authorities can still make their own arrangements for contractual relief if necessary and since October 2020, we have encouraged businesses to consider the raft of financial support available - including the CJRS and loan schemes.
The Government considers evidence from a range of sources when deciding whether and how to apply restrictions to businesses and when to ease them, including for gyms and other sports and leisure facilities. No one wants to prevent businesses operating, but we have always been guided by the scientific evidence whilst seeking to keep as many businesses open as possible at each stage of our response. Scientific evidence supporting the government response to COVID-19 is regularly published at - https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/scientific-evidence-supporting-the-government-response-to-coronavirus-covid-19
Gyms are currently closed as part of our national effort to control the spread of the virus. The government’s published Roadmap sets out our intention to reopen gyms and other premises when the time is right and will be supported by updated Covid secure guidance before each step of the Roadmap.
The Prime Minister’s Office is an integral part of the Cabinet Office. The Cabinet Office Annual Report and Accounts includes information on staff costs and exit packages for permanently employed staff, Special Advisers and Ministers within the Department, including the Prime Minister’s Office.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to PQ 120771 on 30 November.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to PQ 120771 on 30 November.
It is essential that we continue the business of government. In the Cabinet Office, as in all Departments, we have ensured COVID-secure workplaces are in place so that civil servants can do so safely.
It is vital that we provide public information to citizens during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Government has negotiated a new and unique partnership with national and local newspapers to use their powerful, familiar voices as part of the All In, All Together campaign.
The partnership involves a combination of traditional advertising and sponsored content. This content is produced by participating newspapers and the Government has no editorial sign-off.
Further to the answer given to PQs 48885, 48886, 48887 on 14 May 2020, the Government has published guidance on staying safe outside the home during the COVID-19 pandemic:
The guidance includes information on the use of face coverings. We are asking people to make their own face coverings at home, using scarves or other textile items and we have published guidance to help illustrate the process.
In terms of the wider production of PPE for use for medical purposes, Lord Deighton has been appointed to lead the national effort to boost PPE production, and also support the scaling up of engineering efforts for small companies capable of contributing to supplies.
Further to the answer given to PQs 48885, 48886, 48887 on 14 May 2020, the Government has published guidance on staying safe outside the home during the COVID-19 pandemic:
The guidance includes information on the use of face coverings. We are asking people to make their own face coverings at home, using scarves or other textile items and we have published guidance to help illustrate the process.
In terms of the wider production of PPE for use for medical purposes, Lord Deighton has been appointed to lead the national effort to boost PPE production, and also support the scaling up of engineering efforts for small companies capable of contributing to supplies.
Details of Government contracts above £10,000, including the value of those contracts, are published on Contracts Finder: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search
All Government contracts which involve the processing of personal data, must adhere to the requirements of Procurement Policy Note – Changes to Data Protection Legislation & General Data Protection Regulation Action Note PPN 02/18.
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given to PQ 35512 on 21 April 2020.
The Government remains committed to providing the public with the information they need relating to Coronavirus. We will keep under review how best to provide information but Coronavirus press conferences will continue on weekdays.
In total Cabinet Office has 469 contingent labour workers engaged via Public Sector Resourcing (PSR), all of whom have had their employment status assessed in relation to the new IR35 rules.
The Insolvency Service has confirmed that the investigations into the circumstances surrounding the redundancies made by P&O Ferries are ongoing. As such no further comment or information can be provided at this time.
The Employment Agency Standards (EAS) Inspectorate enforces the requirements of the Conduct Regulations.
EAS has historically received a limited number of complaints about regulation 7. EAS investigates all relevant complaints and takes enforcement action where necessary. It does not have the power to issues fines, which rests with the court.
The table at Annex A shows the number of complaints EAS recoded in relation to regulation 7. This data is locally held management information taken from a live case management system. To date no breaches have been established under regulation 7 and no enforcement action has been taken.
Annex A
Operational year | Number of regulation 7 complaints |
2012/2013 | 2 |
2013/2014 | 5 |
2014/2015 | No reported complaints |
2015/2016 | No reported complaints |
2016/2017 | No reported complaints |
2017/2018 | No reported complaints |
2018/19 | 2 |
2019/2020 | No reported complaints |
2020/2021 | 2 |
2021/2022 | 3 |
We have made significant progress in implementing the recommendations of the Taylor Review, including closing the loophole which saw agency works employed on cheaper rates than permanent workers; quadrupling the maximum fine for employers who treat their workers badly; and giving all workers the right to receive a statement of their rights from day one.
The Government is committed to building on this record to deliver a high skilled, high productivity, high wage economy that delivers on our ambition to make the UK the best place in the world to work.
The Government recognises that the loss of a child at any age is tragic and deeply upsetting. In April 2020 we legislated to give parents who lose a child under the age of 18 years a right to take up to two weeks off work in the 56 weeks following the death of their child. This right extends to parents of babies stillborn after 24 completed weeks of pregnancy.
Miscarriage is a very personal experience and some of those affected may want to stay at home, whilst others may prefer to continue to work or alternatively may need time off later. The Government believes that individuals are best placed to understand their own specific needs, and good employers will respond to requests made by their employees in a sensitive way.
The Maternity and Parental Leave etc. Regulations 1999 currently give women on maternity leave priority over other employees who are also at risk of redundancy. Employers have an obligation to offer women on maternity leave a suitable alternative vacancy where one is available.
The Government has committed to extending this protection from redundancy so that it will start at the point the employee informs the employer that she is pregnant and will continue for a period after she has returned to work.
We will introduce these measures when Parliamentary time allows.
We have published guidance that sets out the steps that employees can take if they are experiencing bullying or harassment at work, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/workplace-bullying-and-harassment.
Acas provides free and impartial advice for employers and employees, and has also published useful guidance on how to deal with bullying in the workplace that we encourage individuals and employers to consider when dealing with such matters. This is available at: https://www.acas.org.uk/if-youre-treated-unfairly-at-work/being-bullied.
We have published guidance that sets out the steps that employees can take if they are experiencing bullying or harassment at work, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/workplace-bullying-and-harassment.
Acas provides free and impartial advice for employers and employees, and has also published useful guidance on how to deal with bullying in the workplace that we encourage individuals and employers to consider when dealing with such matters. This is available at: https://www.acas.org.uk/if-youre-treated-unfairly-at-work/being-bullied.
There are laws in place to ensure that any dismissal process should be fair and reasonable with appropriate equalities considerations. Employees who believe that they have been unfairly dismissed should seek advice from Acas. Employees with the necessary qualifying service who believe that they have been unfairly dismissed can complain to an employment tribunal who will consider the case.
Protecting and enhancing workers’ rights remains a priority for this government. Over the past year, we have proven our commitment to supporting workers across the UK, including raising the national living wage in April 2022 to its highest rate yet, to help with the cost of living.
We are proud there are now more employees on the payroll than ever before, and we will continue to build a high skilled, high productivity, high wage economy that delivers on our ambition to make the UK the best place in the world to work.
We remain committed to making progress and on 9 May we announced our intention to bring forward legislation which will widen the ban on exclusivity clauses, which restrict staff from working for multiple employers, to contracts where the guaranteed weekly income is equivalent to or below the Lower Earnings Limit of £123 a week.
We also announced our commitment to publishing employment status guidance to help clarify the existing status boundaries, making it easier for individuals and businesses to understand which employment rights apply to them, enhancing worker protections whilst maintaining flexibility and ensuring a level playing field within the labour market.
The Government is committed to bringing forward reforms to our employment framework as we build a high skilled, high productivity, high wage economy that delivers on its ambition to make the UK the best place in the world to work and grow a business.
It is important we consult widely on proposals for change and ensure stakeholders have the opportunity to share their views.
For example, we recently published a Government response to a consultation regarding reforms to the use of exclusivity clauses in employment contracts:
We carefully consider all consultation responses, which help inform decisions around how we take forward measures.
As reform of the employment framework is a complex cross-cutting topic, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has regular dialogue with other Government Departments with an interest.
The Queen’s Speech set out a packed and ambitious legislative programme that includes a comprehensive set of bills which will enable us to deliver on priorities like growing the economy, which will in turn help address living costs and get people into good jobs.
The Government recognises that parents of babies receiving neonatal care need extra support during some of the most difficult days of their lives.
The Government is committed to introducing Neonatal Leave and Pay to meet this need and will bring forward legislation when Parliamentary time allows.
The Government remains committed to bringing forward measures to further improve women’s rights in the workplace as soon as parliamentary time allows. These measures include:
The Government has also recently consulted on measures to reform the right to request flexible working and will publish a response to that in due course.
An individual’s entitlement to employment rights at work is determined by their employment status, employee, worker or self-employed.
Self-employed individuals should expect to have the most flexibility and control over how and when they work. It is a category for those who run and manage their own business. Generally, self-employed individuals have no statutory employment rights but are entitled to some health and safety protections/obligations as well as anti-discrimination rights when they are contracted by a customer or client.
The UK labour market is performing strongly with high employment and low unemployment and the Government’s three-tiered employment status framework strikes the right balance between the flexibility our economy needs and worker protections.
The Government remains committed to supporting unpaid carers in work. Legislation to deliver our commitment to introduce one week of leave for unpaid carers will be brought forward when Parliamentary time allows.
In 2019, the Government consulted on high-level options and principles for reforming the parental leave and pay system to make it easier for parents to share care of their children in the first year of their lives. We are currently considering the responses to the consultation and will respond in due course.
Employment Tribunal (ET) statistics report the number of complaints received under the ‘Suffer a detriment and/or dismissal on grounds of pregnancy, child birth or maternity’ jurisdiction for each year back to 2013 and is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/tribunal-statistics-quarterly-january-to-march-2021
This data represents all complaints that were received by the ET. Note this jurisdiction captures complainants who reported they suffered a detriment but not necessarily a dismissal, it is not possible to separate these cases due to the way the data is recorded.
The UK’s Maternity Leave entitlement is one of the most generous in the world, with employed women entitled to 52 weeks of maternity leave, of which 39 are paid.
Our Paternity Leave entitlement enables eligible employed fathers to take two weeks of paid leave within the first eight weeks following the birth or adoption placement. Eligible employed fathers also have other entitlements to balance work with childcare, including paid annual leave, unpaid parental leave and the right to request flexible working.
Shared Parental Leave allows eligible parents to share up to 50 weeks of leave and up to 37 weeks of pay in the first year.
In 2019, the Government consulted on high-level options for reforming parental leave and pay. We are currently considering responses to the consultation and will respond in due course.
Evaluating Shared Parental Leave and Pay is an important part of the policymaking process. The Government commissioned large, representative surveys of parents and employees which asked about a range of parental leave and pay entitlements as well as their experience of Shared Parental Leave specifically. We also consulted on high-level options for reforming parental leave and pay. We will publish our findings in due course.
Ofgem published an independent review 6 May 2022 which examined Ofgem’s processes in relation to market entry. This report can be found online at: https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications/review-ofgems-regulation-energy-supply-market.
In December 2021, Ofgem published additional details on how it proposes to strengthen suppliers’ financial resilience so that they can cope with high and more volatile energy prices.
My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State has had discussions with energy companies on a range of issues in relation to high wholesale energy prices and supplier market exits.
The administration of the Supplier of Last Resort regime is a matter for Ofgem, who ensure that the customers of failed suppliers are transferred to a new supplier on the best available terms and without any interruption to their supply.
Standing charges are capped under the price cap and ensure millions of households pay a fair price for their energy. One component of the standing charge relates to network costs, which have recently increased in part due to the Supplier of Last Resort (SoLR) levy. The levy allows suppliers acting as a SoLR to reclaim reasonable additional otherwise unrecoverable costs. Ofgem have confirmed that network costs increased by £68 from April 2022, due to the Supplier of Last Resort (SoLR) levy costs.
The Government will be introducing a Bill on Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency this parliamentary session. The Bill will include reforms to broaden the Registrar of Companies’ powers so that she becomes a more active gatekeeper over company creation and custodian of more reliable data – including new powers to check, remove or decline information submitted to, or already on, the Company Register. The Bill will also include identity verification checks for people who manage, own and control companies and other UK registered entities. This will improve the accuracy of Companies House data, to support business decisions and law enforcement investigations.
The way that P&O Ferries acted is unacceptable. My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State wrote to the Insolvency Service on 23 March asking it to undertake an urgent and thorough enquiry into the actions of P&O Ferries, to determine whether the law has been complied with and consider prompt and appropriate action where it has not.
The Insolvency Service has confirmed it has initiated formal civil and criminal investigations into the circumstances surrounding the redundancies made by P&O Ferries. While these investigations are being progressed it would not be appropriate to make further comment.
The Shared Parental Leave and Pay scheme gives working families much more choice and flexibility about who cares for their child in the first year, and when.
Evaluating Shared Parental Leave and Pay is an important part of the policymaking process.
As part of the evaluation, in 2019, we commissioned large, representative surveys of parents and employers which asked about a range of parental leave and pay entitlements as well as their experience of Shared Parental Leave specifically. We also consulted on high-level options for reforming parental leave and pay.
The purpose of the evaluation is to assess the extent to which the implementation and take-up of Shared Parental Leave achieves its original objectives. Our findings will be published in due course.
The Government has commissioned the British Geological Survey to advise on the latest scientific evidence around shale gas extraction. The Government has always been clear that the exploration of shale gas reserves in England could only proceed if the science shows that it is safe, sustainable and of minimal disturbance to those living and working nearby.
This Department holds many meetings with companies to discuss a wide range of business issues. Details of meetings held by Ministers in the Department are recorded in the Department’s transparency data, which is published at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/beis-ministerial-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-meetings.
Market conditions are challenging with supply of products and materials affected across several measures. This is, in part, why extensions to the delivery period have already been granted. Where Local Authorities have planned or commissioned work in good time the extended timescales should allow sufficient time to source the necessary products.
When considering any changes to the timelines of the LAD scheme, the Government must also consider the potential impact this may have on subsequent energy efficiency schemes and the supply chain. This includes the projects awarded funding through the Sustainable Warmth competition and the next phase of the Home Upgrade Grant scheme.
The Government continues to have significant engagement with industry including manufacturers, installers, trade associations and industry standards bodies. There have been no subsidies available for electricity generation at domestic-scale since the Feed-in Tariffs scheme closed in March 2019. However, in 2020, the Government introduced the Smart Export Guarantee, a market-led mechanism, enabling small-scale renewable generators, such as households with solar panels or small wind turbines, to receive payment for excess electricity sold back to the grid.
We have consulted relevant organisations, including professionals from expert associations, to seek their advice and recommendations.
We are now finalising our consideration of the recommendations of Sir Ken Knight’s e-balloting review before we issue our response in due course.
The location for the hydrogen heating village trial has not yet been decided. The Gas Distribution Network Operators submitted their outline proposals in December 2021. The Government is expecting that one or more of these proposals will require detailed planning during 2022, including understanding local impacts, before location selection in 2023.
BEIS Ministers and officials meet regularly with Citizens Advice to discuss a range of issues relating to the energy retail market. The energy price cap ensures millions of households pay a fair price for their gas and electricity. Support for energy bills is available to eligible low-income households through the Warm home Discount, the Winter Fuel Payment and the Cold Weather Payments.
On 3 February, the Government announced a package of support worth £9.1 billion to help domestic energy customers with the cost of rising energy bills. This includes a £150 non-repayable Council Tax rebate in April 2022 to all households in Council Tax Bands A-D, £144 million of discretionary funding for local authorities to support those not eligible for the Council Tax rebate and a £200 discount on energy bills this Autumn for domestic electricity customers’ bills, to be paid back automatically over the next five years.
The published fuel poverty projections for 2022, show that while most households will need to pay more for their energy bills from April, the financial support offered combined with action on energy efficiency will keep the number of households in fuel poverty on a declining trend. https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/fuel-poverty-statistics.
The Government is providing a package of support worth £9.1 billion in 2022-23 which includes a £150 Council Tax rebate for bands A-D, £144 million discretionary funding for local authorities and a £200 energy bill reduction which will help over 28 million households.
This is in addition to the support the Government will continue to provide through the Warm Home Discount Scheme, which this winter is providing over 2 million households a £140 rebate off their energy bill. The Government has announced that it would be increasing to £150 and help an extra 780,000 households next winter. Further, Winter Fuel Payments and Cold Weather Payments help ensure the most vulnerable are better able to heat their homes over the colder months.
The published fuel poverty projections for 2022, show that while most households will need to pay more for their energy bills from April, the financial support offered combined with action on energy efficiency will keep the number of households in fuel poverty on a declining trend. https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/fuel-poverty-statistics.
The Government is providing a package of support worth £9.1 billion in 2022-23 which includes a £150 Council Tax rebate for bands A-D, £144 million discretionary funding for local authorities and a £200 energy bill reduction which will help over 28 million households.
This is in addition to the support the Government will continue to provide through the Warm Home Discount Scheme, which this winter is providing over 2 million households a £140 rebate off their energy bill. The Government has announced that it would be increasing to £150 and help an extra 780,000 households next winter. Further, Winter Fuel Payments and Cold Weather Payments help ensure the most vulnerable are better able to heat their homes over the colder months.
The Government is supporting industry to deliver community trials of 100% hydrogen heating. BEIS and Ofgem received Gas Distribution Network Operators’ outline proposals for the village trial in December 2021. The Government expects that one or more of these will be selected to be developed into detailed proposals. The final decision on where the village trial will take place is expected in 2023 ahead of a trial start date of 2025.
The Government is supporting a range of projects that will help to reach our ambition for 5GW low carbon hydrogen production capacity across the UK by 2030. For example, in the North West, the Government are supporting HyNet which has been prioritised for CCUS deployment in the mid-2020s. The scheme has a core focus on industrial capture and CCUS-enabled (blue) hydrogen production. It will deliver low carbon hydrogen to a range of end use projects.
Distribution Network Operators are obligated under their license conditions to plan and develop their distribution systems to meet a minimum reliability standard, incentivising investment in resilience measures.
Ofgem monitors performance to ensure operators meet their obligations and can take enforcement action against those who fail to meet them.
UK nationals are able to travel visa-free for short stays for up to 90 days in a rolling 180-day period, for a limited number of business-related activities, as well as for tourism. UK nationals who plan to stay longer than 90 in 180 days or are carrying out activities that are not exempt from a Member State’s visa or work permit requirements, may need a visa, work permit or other documentation. Visa and work permit arrangements are set by individual EU Member States.
The Government will continue to engage with the EU, in line with the structures established by the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA), which allow for both Parties to raise issues of concern about compliance with that agreement.
The energy price cap on standard and default domestic supply tariffs was put in place in response to the problem of the ‘loyalty penalty’ as identified by the Competition and Markets Authority’s energy market investigation.
The maximum price set by Ofgem for resupplying gas or electricity which has already been bought from an authorised supplier, exists to protect people such as those who are residents of mobile park homes and buy their fuel from the park owner.
The consultation responses have been analysed and the Government intends to publish its response before the current ECO3 scheme ends at the end of March 2022.
Before responding to the recommendations of Sir Ken Knight’s e-balloting review, including any trials of electronic balloting, the government is required by Section 4 of the Trade Union Act 2016 to consult relevant organisations, including professionals from expert associations, to seek their advice and recommendations.
Shared Parental Leave (SPL) and Pay was introduced in December 2014 for the parents of children due or adopted from 5 April 2015. The scheme enables eligible working parents to share up to 50 weeks of leave and up to 37 weeks of pay in the first year, where the mother does not intend to use her full maternity entitlements.
The evaluation of the Shared Parental Leave and Pay scheme remains important for the Government, and we will publish our report in due course. This will include an up-to-date estimate of eligibility and take-up.
Shared Parental Leave (SPL) and Pay was introduced in December 2014 for the parents of children due or adopted from 5 April 2015. The scheme enables eligible working parents to share up to 50 weeks of leave and up to 37 weeks of pay in the first year, where the mother does not intend to use her full maternity entitlements.
Information provided by employers to HMRC in respect of claims for Statutory Shared Parental Pay (ShPP) by Quarter3 indicates that 4,500 individuals were in receipt of ShPP in Quarter 1 of 2021-22, and 5,300 individuals were in receipt of ShPP in Quarter 2 of 2021-22. Data for Quarter 3 of 2021-22 is not yet available.
HMRC does not hold information which calculates the total duration of ShPP received by individual claimants. However, the Table 1 sets out the number of individuals in receipt of ShPP in 2020-21 by the number of months4 in the year that they made a claim:
Number of months claimed4 in 2020-21 | Number of individuals in receipt of ShPP |
1 | 3,400 |
2 | 2,700 |
3 | 2,100 |
4 | 1,400 |
5 | 700 |
6 | 500 |
7 | 300 |
8 | 100 |
9 | 100 |
Please note:
The Government conducted a £1.5 million communications campaign in 2018 to promote the Shared Parental Leave Scheme. In addition to this campaign, we have also undertaken cost-free communications activities to promote the scheme such as blogs by parents who have taken the leave and articles regarding the introduction of the online tool which enables parents to map out leave with their partner
The number of hours officials spend on individual projects is not held centrally.
In order for fathers/partners to take Shared Parental Leave, the child’s mother must curtail their entitlement to 52 weeks of Maternity Leave and 39 weeks of Statutory Maternity Pay or Maternity Allowance to potentially share any remaining weeks of leave and pay with the child’s father/their partner or take SPL themselves (they may wish to do this as SPL is more flexible than Maternity Leave).
Information provided by employers to HMRC in respect of claims for Statutory Shared Parental Pay (ShPP) show the number of individuals (including mothers and fathers/partners) in receipt of ShPP. This data provides a broad indication of the level of SPL take-up for parental leave entitlements but does not include anyone taking unpaid Shared Parental Leave. Table 2 sets out the number of individuals in receipt of ShPP in each year since 2015-16.
Year (Apr to Mar unless otherwise stated) | No. of individuals6 in receipt of Statutory Shared Parental Pay |
2015-16 | 6,200 |
2016-17 | 8,600 |
2017-18 | 9,200 |
2018-19 | 10,700 |
2019-20 | 12,600 |
2020-21 | 11,200 |
2021-22 (Apr 21 to Sep 21) | 7,600 |
Notes
Shared Parental Leave (SPL) and Pay was introduced in December 2014 for the parents of children due or adopted from 5 April 2015. The scheme enables eligible working parents to share up to 50 weeks of leave and up to 37 weeks of pay in the first year, where the mother does not intend to use her full maternity entitlements.
Information provided by employers to HMRC in respect of claims for Statutory Shared Parental Pay (ShPP) by Quarter3 indicates that 4,500 individuals were in receipt of ShPP in Quarter 1 of 2021-22, and 5,300 individuals were in receipt of ShPP in Quarter 2 of 2021-22. Data for Quarter 3 of 2021-22 is not yet available.
HMRC does not hold information which calculates the total duration of ShPP received by individual claimants. However, the Table 1 sets out the number of individuals in receipt of ShPP in 2020-21 by the number of months4 in the year that they made a claim:
Number of months claimed4 in 2020-21 | Number of individuals in receipt of ShPP |
1 | 3,400 |
2 | 2,700 |
3 | 2,100 |
4 | 1,400 |
5 | 700 |
6 | 500 |
7 | 300 |
8 | 100 |
9 | 100 |
Please note:
The Government conducted a £1.5 million communications campaign in 2018 to promote the Shared Parental Leave Scheme. In addition to this campaign, we have also undertaken cost-free communications activities to promote the scheme such as blogs by parents who have taken the leave and articles regarding the introduction of the online tool which enables parents to map out leave with their partner
The number of hours officials spend on individual projects is not held centrally.
In order for fathers/partners to take Shared Parental Leave, the child’s mother must curtail their entitlement to 52 weeks of Maternity Leave and 39 weeks of Statutory Maternity Pay or Maternity Allowance to potentially share any remaining weeks of leave and pay with the child’s father/their partner or take SPL themselves (they may wish to do this as SPL is more flexible than Maternity Leave).
Information provided by employers to HMRC in respect of claims for Statutory Shared Parental Pay (ShPP) show the number of individuals (including mothers and fathers/partners) in receipt of ShPP. This data provides a broad indication of the level of SPL take-up for parental leave entitlements but does not include anyone taking unpaid Shared Parental Leave. Table 2 sets out the number of individuals in receipt of ShPP in each year since 2015-16.
Year (Apr to Mar unless otherwise stated) | No. of individuals6 in receipt of Statutory Shared Parental Pay |
2015-16 | 6,200 |
2016-17 | 8,600 |
2017-18 | 9,200 |
2018-19 | 10,700 |
2019-20 | 12,600 |
2020-21 | 11,200 |
2021-22 (Apr 21 to Sep 21) | 7,600 |
Notes
Shared Parental Leave (SPL) and Pay was introduced in December 2014 for the parents of children due or adopted from 5 April 2015. The scheme enables eligible working parents to share up to 50 weeks of leave and up to 37 weeks of pay in the first year, where the mother does not intend to use her full maternity entitlements.
Information provided by employers to HMRC in respect of claims for Statutory Shared Parental Pay (ShPP) by Quarter3 indicates that 4,500 individuals were in receipt of ShPP in Quarter 1 of 2021-22, and 5,300 individuals were in receipt of ShPP in Quarter 2 of 2021-22. Data for Quarter 3 of 2021-22 is not yet available.
HMRC does not hold information which calculates the total duration of ShPP received by individual claimants. However, the Table 1 sets out the number of individuals in receipt of ShPP in 2020-21 by the number of months4 in the year that they made a claim:
Number of months claimed4 in 2020-21 | Number of individuals in receipt of ShPP |
1 | 3,400 |
2 | 2,700 |
3 | 2,100 |
4 | 1,400 |
5 | 700 |
6 | 500 |
7 | 300 |
8 | 100 |
9 | 100 |
Please note:
The Government conducted a £1.5 million communications campaign in 2018 to promote the Shared Parental Leave Scheme. In addition to this campaign, we have also undertaken cost-free communications activities to promote the scheme such as blogs by parents who have taken the leave and articles regarding the introduction of the online tool which enables parents to map out leave with their partner
The number of hours officials spend on individual projects is not held centrally.
In order for fathers/partners to take Shared Parental Leave, the child’s mother must curtail their entitlement to 52 weeks of Maternity Leave and 39 weeks of Statutory Maternity Pay or Maternity Allowance to potentially share any remaining weeks of leave and pay with the child’s father/their partner or take SPL themselves (they may wish to do this as SPL is more flexible than Maternity Leave).
Information provided by employers to HMRC in respect of claims for Statutory Shared Parental Pay (ShPP) show the number of individuals (including mothers and fathers/partners) in receipt of ShPP. This data provides a broad indication of the level of SPL take-up for parental leave entitlements but does not include anyone taking unpaid Shared Parental Leave. Table 2 sets out the number of individuals in receipt of ShPP in each year since 2015-16.
Year (Apr to Mar unless otherwise stated) | No. of individuals6 in receipt of Statutory Shared Parental Pay |
2015-16 | 6,200 |
2016-17 | 8,600 |
2017-18 | 9,200 |
2018-19 | 10,700 |
2019-20 | 12,600 |
2020-21 | 11,200 |
2021-22 (Apr 21 to Sep 21) | 7,600 |
Notes
Shared Parental Leave (SPL) and Pay was introduced in December 2014 for the parents of children due or adopted from 5 April 2015. The scheme enables eligible working parents to share up to 50 weeks of leave and up to 37 weeks of pay in the first year, where the mother does not intend to use her full maternity entitlements.
Information provided by employers to HMRC in respect of claims for Statutory Shared Parental Pay (ShPP) by Quarter3 indicates that 4,500 individuals were in receipt of ShPP in Quarter 1 of 2021-22, and 5,300 individuals were in receipt of ShPP in Quarter 2 of 2021-22. Data for Quarter 3 of 2021-22 is not yet available.
HMRC does not hold information which calculates the total duration of ShPP received by individual claimants. However, the Table 1 sets out the number of individuals in receipt of ShPP in 2020-21 by the number of months4 in the year that they made a claim:
Number of months claimed4 in 2020-21 | Number of individuals in receipt of ShPP |
1 | 3,400 |
2 | 2,700 |
3 | 2,100 |
4 | 1,400 |
5 | 700 |
6 | 500 |
7 | 300 |
8 | 100 |
9 | 100 |
Please note:
The Government conducted a £1.5 million communications campaign in 2018 to promote the Shared Parental Leave Scheme. In addition to this campaign, we have also undertaken cost-free communications activities to promote the scheme such as blogs by parents who have taken the leave and articles regarding the introduction of the online tool which enables parents to map out leave with their partner
The number of hours officials spend on individual projects is not held centrally.
In order for fathers/partners to take Shared Parental Leave, the child’s mother must curtail their entitlement to 52 weeks of Maternity Leave and 39 weeks of Statutory Maternity Pay or Maternity Allowance to potentially share any remaining weeks of leave and pay with the child’s father/their partner or take SPL themselves (they may wish to do this as SPL is more flexible than Maternity Leave).
Information provided by employers to HMRC in respect of claims for Statutory Shared Parental Pay (ShPP) show the number of individuals (including mothers and fathers/partners) in receipt of ShPP. This data provides a broad indication of the level of SPL take-up for parental leave entitlements but does not include anyone taking unpaid Shared Parental Leave. Table 2 sets out the number of individuals in receipt of ShPP in each year since 2015-16.
Year (Apr to Mar unless otherwise stated) | No. of individuals6 in receipt of Statutory Shared Parental Pay |
2015-16 | 6,200 |
2016-17 | 8,600 |
2017-18 | 9,200 |
2018-19 | 10,700 |
2019-20 | 12,600 |
2020-21 | 11,200 |
2021-22 (Apr 21 to Sep 21) | 7,600 |
Notes
Shared Parental Leave (SPL) and Pay was introduced in December 2014 for the parents of children due or adopted from 5 April 2015. The scheme enables eligible working parents to share up to 50 weeks of leave and up to 37 weeks of pay in the first year, where the mother does not intend to use her full maternity entitlements.
Information provided by employers to HMRC in respect of claims for Statutory Shared Parental Pay (ShPP) by Quarter3 indicates that 4,500 individuals were in receipt of ShPP in Quarter 1 of 2021-22, and 5,300 individuals were in receipt of ShPP in Quarter 2 of 2021-22. Data for Quarter 3 of 2021-22 is not yet available.
HMRC does not hold information which calculates the total duration of ShPP received by individual claimants. However, the Table 1 sets out the number of individuals in receipt of ShPP in 2020-21 by the number of months4 in the year that they made a claim:
Number of months claimed4 in 2020-21 | Number of individuals in receipt of ShPP |
1 | 3,400 |
2 | 2,700 |
3 | 2,100 |
4 | 1,400 |
5 | 700 |
6 | 500 |
7 | 300 |
8 | 100 |
9 | 100 |
Please note:
The Government conducted a £1.5 million communications campaign in 2018 to promote the Shared Parental Leave Scheme. In addition to this campaign, we have also undertaken cost-free communications activities to promote the scheme such as blogs by parents who have taken the leave and articles regarding the introduction of the online tool which enables parents to map out leave with their partner
The number of hours officials spend on individual projects is not held centrally.
In order for fathers/partners to take Shared Parental Leave, the child’s mother must curtail their entitlement to 52 weeks of Maternity Leave and 39 weeks of Statutory Maternity Pay or Maternity Allowance to potentially share any remaining weeks of leave and pay with the child’s father/their partner or take SPL themselves (they may wish to do this as SPL is more flexible than Maternity Leave).
Information provided by employers to HMRC in respect of claims for Statutory Shared Parental Pay (ShPP) show the number of individuals (including mothers and fathers/partners) in receipt of ShPP. This data provides a broad indication of the level of SPL take-up for parental leave entitlements but does not include anyone taking unpaid Shared Parental Leave. Table 2 sets out the number of individuals in receipt of ShPP in each year since 2015-16.
Year (Apr to Mar unless otherwise stated) | No. of individuals6 in receipt of Statutory Shared Parental Pay |
2015-16 | 6,200 |
2016-17 | 8,600 |
2017-18 | 9,200 |
2018-19 | 10,700 |
2019-20 | 12,600 |
2020-21 | 11,200 |
2021-22 (Apr 21 to Sep 21) | 7,600 |
Notes
Changes to the Maximum Resell Price rules are a matter for Ofgem.
Ofgem’s Quality of Service Guaranteed Standards for energy distribution companies lay out the criteria for domestic and business customers to receive payments for the inconvenience of loss of supply.
The Maximum Resell Price rules set by Ofgem aim to protect mobile park homeowners from excess charges if they are not directly responsible for their energy supply. Mobile Park homeowners who are directly responsible for their energy supply have the right to choose their own energy supplier and can access solar panels and other sustainable energy measures subject to agreement with the mobile park owner.
The £3.8bn Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund is to decarbonise social housing as the name suggests.
However, in November 2021, the Government announced that it would require EV charging infrastructure to be installed in new homes and homes undergoing major renovation with associated parking. This will include flats and social housing. This will come into effect from June 2022.
We are reforming our EV chargepoint grants for homes to better support low income families who may live in flats or rented accommodation.
In 2022 we will provide grants of up to £30,000 to install charging in apartment block carparks and we will open our electric vehicle charge points grants to landlords, both private and public, so that they can provide charging for their tenants.
The £3.8bn Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund is to decarbonise social housing as the name suggests.
However, in November 2021, the Government announced that it would require EV charging infrastructure to be installed in new homes and homes undergoing major renovation with associated parking. This will include flats and social housing. This will come into effect from June 2022.
We are reforming our EV chargepoint grants for homes to better support low income families who may live in flats or rented accommodation.
In 2022 we will provide grants of up to £30,000 to install charging in apartment block carparks and we will open our electric vehicle charge points grants to landlords, both private and public, so that they can provide charging for their tenants.
The Government’s plans for reforms to Companies House will deliver significant improvements to the integrity of the UK’s register of companies and assist greatly in the fight against economic crime. These reforms will include the identity verification of directors, People with Significant Control and those filing on behalf of a company, and new powers for the registrar to query and check information.
We will legislate when Parliamentary time allows.
The Government is committed to building a high skilled, high productivity, high wage economy that delivers on our ambition to make the UK the best place in the world to work and grow a business. All policies – including retained EU law - are kept under review to ensure that they meet our objectives but the government has no intention of reducing workers’ rights.
The qualifying periods are intended to strike the right balance between ensuring fairness for employees and providing flexibility to employers.
It is important to note that no qualifying period applies if a dismissal is for certain specified reasons which are particularly serious, or because employees have claimed another statutory employment right, for example the right not to be unlawfully discriminated against or to request flexible working. We believe this provides the right balance for employers and employees.
The purpose of the Naming Scheme is to increase awareness of the rules, and to act as a deterrent to the minority of employers who may be tempted to underpay their workers. It is for that reason that publicly naming employers who do not comply with the rules remains an important part of our enforcement and compliance toolkit. To date we have named over 2,500 employers and across the entirety of the Naming Scheme, covering £20 million in arrears and over £24 million in penalties.
BEIS does not hold information about the number of named employers who have a contract with a Government Department. However, government contracts over £10,000 are listed on Contracts Finder: https://www.gov.uk/contracts-finder. BEIS only names employers once Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has concluded its investigations. For the employers named on 9 December 2021, HMRC’s investigations had concluded between 2014 and 2019.
It is important that any legislative reforms to our employment framework are fully informed by stakeholder engagement and scrutiny. That is why we have consulted in detail in most measures proposed and have carefully considered responses. We also have regular stakeholder engagement across the proposed measures. Due to this scrutiny already applied to these measures, we do not currently propose to undertake pre-legislative scrutiny.
The Government is committed to bringing forward reforms to our employment framework to make the UK the best place in the world to work and grow a business. It is important we consult widely on proposals for change and ensure stakeholders have the opportunity to share their views. For example, we have recently concluded a consultation containing proposals to reform flexible working regulations (https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/making-flexible-working-the-default) and have published a Government response to a consultation regarding the establishment of a single enforcement body for employment rights (https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/good-work-plan-establishing-a-new-single-enforcement-body-for-employment-rights).
We will carefully consider all consultation responses, which will help inform decisions around how we take forward measures. As this is a complex cross-cutting topic, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has regular dialogue with other Government Departments with an interest.
The Government is committed to building a high skilled, high productivity, high wage economy that delivers on our ambition to make the UK the best place in the world to work and grow a business. As this is complex and cross-cutting, officials in the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy have been working closely with officials across other Government Departments on developing measures. For instance, we have recently concluded a consultation containing proposals to reform flexible working regulations (https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/making-flexible-working-the-default) and have published a Government response to a consultation regarding the establishment of a single enforcement body for employment rights (https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/good-work-plan-establishing-a-new-single-enforcement-body-for-employment-rights).
The Government is committed to building a high skilled, high productivity, high wage economy that delivers on our ambition to make the UK the best place in the world to work and grow a business. We will bring forward reforms to our employment framework when Parliamentary time allows it. In the meantime, we will continue to take necessary action to support businesses and protect jobs.
This Government has been clear that we expect employers to treat their employees fairly and in the spirit of partnership. Using threats about firing and rehiring as a negotiation tactic is unacceptable. We expect employers and employees to negotiate new terms and conditions and there are laws around how this must be done, and legal protections in place when firms are considering redundancies.
We asked Acas to produce new and updated guidance which was published on 11 November, and sets out the employer’s responsibilities when considering changes to employment contracts. In their guidance, Acas state that an employer should only consider dismissing and offering to rehire someone on new terms (‘dismissal and re-engagement’) as a last resort. The guidance is available from: http://www.acas.org.uk/changecontract.
Evaluating Shared Parental Leave and Pay is an important part of the policymaking process.
As part of the evaluation, we commissioned large, representative surveys of parents and employees which asked about a range of parental leave and pay entitlements as well as their experience of Shared Parental Leave specifically. We also consulted on high-level options for reforming parental leave and pay.
We are currently analysing this information and will publish our findings in due course.
HMRC routinely collect data on the uptake of parental pay entitlements which provides some useful indicators of leave uptake.
The Government is currently undertaking an evaluation of the Shared Parental Leave and Pay scheme. This evaluation will include survey and administrative HMRC data on the uptake of the Maternity, Paternity and Shared Parental Leave and Pay schemes in recent years. We will publish the findings in due course.
In order to make it easier for parents to access Shared Parental Leave, and easier for employers to administer it, the Government also launched a new online tool last year. This shows how many weeks of leave and pay are available and lets parents map out how weeks will be shared with their partner, supporting conversations with employers.
In addition, the Government is evaluating the Shared Parental Leave and Pay scheme, which will help us understand what would enable more parents to take up the entitlement. We will publish the findings in due course.
A claim to an Employment Tribunal must usually be made within three months. For certain claims, redundancy pay or equal pay, the claim must be made within six months. The Employment Tribunals already have the discretion to allow claims submitted out of time, on a case by basis.
In England and Wales, individuals can choose to pursue enforcement of their award through applying to their local county court for an enforcement order. After this, enforcement officers will seek to secure payment from the employer. In 2010, a Fast Track scheme was introduced which was designed to speed up and simplify the process of enforcing tribunal awards and ACAS settlements. In Scotland unpaid claimants can ask for an ‘extract of the judgment’ so that a sheriff officer can use this to force the respondent to pay.
The Department for Business, Enterprise and Industrial Strategy also offers a free service to help incentivise prompt payment. Should an employer fail to pay an award then individuals can apply to ask to have them fined and named publicly. The respondent will get a warning notice giving them 28 days to pay the outstanding award. If this is not done they may be eligible for an additional financial penalty on top of the original award.
The Government’s consultation on making flexible working the default was published on 23 September 2021 and ran for 10 weeks until 1 December 2021, receiving over 1,600 responses. The Government is now analysing these responses and will issue its response to the consultation in due course.
All employers need to pay their staff correctly. Paying the minimum wage is not optional, it’s the law. Under the National Minimum Wage Naming Scheme, employers who have previously broken minimum wage law can be publicly named. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy follows a clear and thorough process allowing firms to make representations against being named if they meet our published criteria.
My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State meets regularly with a wide range of stakeholders, including trade unions and employers, to discuss various policy matters including questions of employment law.
BEIS Ministers have regular discussions with stakeholders – but no specific recent discussions with stakeholders on changes to Working Time Regulations have been had.
As set out in its response to the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee’s report on the economics of music streaming, the Government has launched a comprehensive programme of work to ensure the music industry, including grassroots musicians and new and upcoming acts, can continue to thrive in the age of streaming.
Departments publish quarterly details of Ministers’ meetings with external organisations on GOV.UK. Details for the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/beis-ministerial-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-meetings.
Data for July to September 2021 will be published in due course.
Details of meetings held by officials are not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
The Government Response for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, previously the Clean Heat Grant, has now been published alongside the Heat and Building Strategy.
Support under the FIT scheme, which is closed to new entrants, aims to deliver returns of approximately 5-8% for investors in small-scale low-carbon generation. The methodology used to set the tariffs considers the technology costs and electricity generation expectations and not the retail price of electricity. The tariff rates are adjusted annually, in line with the Retail Price Index (RPI). FIT generators also benefit from a reduction in their electricity bills when the electricity is used onsite and import costs are avoided.
Official statistics published on 23rd September for the Green Homes Grant Voucher scheme describe the status of applications prior to 6th September
This includes vouchers issued and measures installed in Ellesmere Port and Neston constituency. To be recorded as installed, the customer must have begun the process of redeeming their voucher.
The next statistical release will be published on 18th November.
BEIS officials have worked collaboratively with ICF, the scheme administrator, and partners within industry.
This has included regular roundtable and working group meetings with stakeholders chaired by senior officials, and senior official attendance of meetings hosted by installer trade bodies.
Ensuring customers and installers are clear on the information and checks required has been a top priority.
As of 27 September, 36,441 vouchers with a value of £161.9 million have been paid.
My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State is working closely with Ministers across government on the impact of global gas price rises and that will continue.
Official statistics published on 23rd September for the Green Homes Grant Voucher scheme describe the status of applications prior to 6th September.
Statistics include figures on measures installed and vouchers paid. In order to be recorded as measure installed, the customer must have begun the process of redeeming a voucher. Redemption is complete on payment of the voucher.
The next statistical release will be published on 18th November 2021.
Protecting the most vulnerable during this period of high gas prices has been our top priority. The Pre-payment Meter Price Cap came into force on 1 April 2017 and currently protects 4 million pre-payment meter households on default tariffs.
In December 2020 Ofgem introduced new licensing conditions, including an Ability to Pay Principle, and an obligation on suppliers to proactively identify self-disconnecting and self-rationing pre-payment meter customers. These new rules require energy suppliers to offer emergency and friendly-hours credit to all pre-payment meter customers.
The Department purchased six Union Jack flags in 2020 and one Union Jack flag in 2021. Three of these were for display on a pole and four for table settings.
The flags were purchased from the Hampshire Flag Company, which manufactures at its site in Waterlooville, Hampshire.
All flags purchased in the past two years have therefore been manufactured in the UK.
Since 2019 all Union Jack flags purchased by the Department have been supplied by the Hampshire Flag Company.
The Government Response to the Clean Heat Grant consultation is expected to be published in autumn this year.
BEIS does not hold information on specific postcodes of post office branch closures.
A list of open post office branches can be found in the post office network report: https://corporate.postoffice.co.uk/secure-corporate/our-network/post-office-network-reports/#.
There are 953 accredited domestic Feed-in tariff (FIT) installations listed on the Central FIT Register in the Ellesmere Port and Neston constituency. Of those accredited, 927 are currently in receipt of FIT payments and 947 have received FIT payments at some point.
Data on electricity customers on prepayment tariffs are published as part of the Quarterly Energy Prices statistical series (here).
Ofgem has not investigated any mobile park home owners acting as energy resellers. Mobile park home owners acting as exempt energy resellers are exempt from the requirement to hold a supply licence, but must comply with certain duties set out in the Electricity Act 1989 and Gas Act 1986.
Ofgem are responsible for setting the maximum resale price that applies to energy resellers. The maximum resale price is the most that anyone can charge for reselling gas or electricity. The most recent direction was made in 2014: https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/sites/default/files/docs/2014/03/mrp_direction.pdf.
The analysis of final Coronavirus loan scheme data was published on July 6, 2021 on the British Business Bank website.[1]
Under the Bounce Back Loan Scheme, 1,560,309 loans were delivered in total, to the sum of £47.36 billion.
Under the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, 131 loans were offered in the Ellesmere Port and Neston constituency, to the sum of £31,605,525. Under the Bounce Back Loan Scheme in the same constituency, 1461 loans were offered, to the sum of £39,697,177.
In total, 1592 loans were offered across the constituency, to the sum of £71,302,701.
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 9th July 2021 to Question 25021.
Official statistics published on 24th June for the Green Homes Grant Voucher scheme describe the status of applications prior to 3rd June. This includes applications received and approved across England and the English Parliamentary Constituency, Ellesmere Port and Neston.
The next statistical release will be published on 22 July.
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 9th July 2021 to Question 25020.
To mitigate adverse affects on competitiveness and the risk of carbon leakage from UK Emissions Trading Scheme (UK ETS) costs, ammonia producers receive a significant number of allowances for free. As part of the Free Allocation Review, we will be looking at possible future changes to the allocation of free allowances within the UK ETS. We published a call for evidence on 17 March 2021 which closed on 23 April 2021, and we will publish a response in due course.
The Government recognises that the UK’s industrial electricity costs are currently higher than those in many other countries. This partly reflects how the costs of the electricity system are distributed across household and industrial customers. Nevertheless, we are committed to minimising energy costs for businesses to ensure our economy remains strong and competitive and we have therefore put various schemes in place to reduce the policy cost in electricity prices for those energy intensive industries most at risk of facing a significant competitive disadvantage, including production of ammonia.
Furthermore, the Government has schemes worth nearly £2 billion in operation, or in development, supporting energy intensive industries to decarbonise. These schemes include the Industrial Energy Transformation Fund to help companies reduce their energy costs and transition to low carbon technologies, the Industrial Decarbonisation Challenge Fund to support industry with the deployment of low-carbon technologies in industrial clusters, and to improve the resource and energy efficiency of foundation industries.
The Government will respond formally to this and the Climate Change Committee’s other recommendations by October 15.
We are supporting the development of prototype ‘hydrogen-ready’ boilers through the Hy4Heat programme.
In advance of strategic decisions on the role of hydrogen for heating, we will assess the case for encouraging, or requiring, new gas boilers to be readily convertible to hydrogen in preparation for any future conversion of the gas network. As set out in the 2020 Energy White Paper, we will consult on the role of ‘hydrogen ready’ appliances later this year.
The Government is exploring the benefits of improving efficiency and raising product standards in heating appliances, including gas boilers. This presents an opportunity to improve energy efficiency in millions of homes, reducing carbon emissions now, while providing householders greater comfort and savings on energy bills. More detail on how we will look to improve the efficiency of energy-using products such as gas boilers will be set out in the Energy-Related Products Policy Framework as announced in the Prime Minister’s Ten Point Plan.
The Government will respond formally to this and the Climate Change Committee’s other recommendations by October 15.
Hydrogen is a potential key option for decarbonising heating, alongside heat pumps and heat networks. The Department is working with OFGEM, industry and others to deliver a range of research, development, testing and trials projects designed to determine the feasibility, costs and benefits of using low carbon hydrogen as an alternative to natural gas for heating, including transitioning all or parts of the gas network.
The roadmap has been informed by the latest scientific evidence from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) and its working groups on the pace and sequencing of reopening.
Information provided by the Liverpool test events is contributing to the Events Research Programme and helping us draw conclusions on how to bring about the return of larger events, including weddings, after Step 4.
My Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister announced that, from 21 June, there will no longer be a maximum number cap for attendees. The number of guests will be determined by how many people the venue or space can safely accommodate with social distancing measures in place.
The £5 billion Restart Grant scheme announced by my Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer on 3 March 2021 are one-off grants to businesses in the non-essential retail, hospitality, leisure, personal care and accommodation sectors, to support businesses to reopen as Covid-19 restrictions are relaxed.
Strand One of the Restart Grants aims to support non-essential retail with grants of up to £6,000. Stand Two is to support hospitality, accommodation, leisure, personal care and gym businesses, with grants of up to £18,000. The higher amount is in recognition that these sectors have been allowed to open at a later date and are likely to be more severely impacted by remaining restrictions.
The Department does not hold sector or subsector level data, however we have released a breakdown of Restart Grant funding allocations and payments by Local Authority area which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-grant-funding-local-authority-payments-to-small-and-medium-businesses.
BEIS Ministers and officials meet with representatives of the sector-led UK Weddings Taskforce on a regular basis to discuss the challenges faced by the sector and how best to support it through the pandemic.
Over the course of the pandemic the Government has provided an unprecedented package of financial support to businesses, including those in the wedding industry, which we keep under regular review.
It is an offence for an employer to knowingly allow a person who is required to self-isolate to work anywhere other than where they are self-isolating. If an employer is reasonably believed to be in breach of this requirement, they may be issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice, ranging from £1,000 to £10,000.
Local Authorities provide written and verbal advice to businesses to enable them to comply with their obligations. Enforcement action is taken against employers who do not follow this advice and who do not take reasonable steps to ensure that their workers who must be self-isolating are not working from outside their home.
We will publish information on the number of fixed penalty notices which have been issued in due course.
The Restart Grant scheme aims to support businesses in their local economies to reopen as coronavirus restrictions are eased across the country. Mental health services are out of scope for this scheme as they were not mandated to close during the January Lockdown due to the services they provide being essential to the public.
However, further funding has been made available via the Additional Restrictions Grant to support those businesses that have had their trade adversely affected by the local and national restrictions.
The Additional Restrictions Grant is a discretionary fund and is also administered by Local Authorities to support businesses in the way they see fit. Local Authorities in England have been allocated £2bn in additional funding to provide support that best suits their area.
Businesses should consult their Local Authority to determine whether they might be eligible for Additional Restrictions Grant support.
It is an offence for an employer to knowingly allow a person who is required to self-isolate to work anywhere other than where they are self-isolating. If an employer is reasonably believed to be in breach of this requirement, they may be issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice, ranging from £1,000 to £10,000.
Local Authorities provide written and verbal advice to businesses to enable them to comply with their obligations. Enforcement action is taken against employers who do not follow this advice and who do not take reasonable steps to ensure that their workers who must be self-isolating are not working from outside their home.
Travel agents are eligible for strand 1 of Restart Grants as they are classified as non-essential retail.
Strand 2 of Restart Grants is for hospitality, leisure, accommodation, personal care and gym and sport businesses, most of which will not fully reopen until step 3 of the Roadmap out of lockdown and which are likely to continue to be most significantly affected by social distancing rules, cleaning protocols and other measures in place to tackle Covid-19.
BEIS Ministers and officials regularly meet with consumer representatives to discuss a variety of issues relating to the energy market.
Ofgem’s Maximum Resale Price Provisions state the maximum price at which gas or electricity may be resold must be the same price that the reseller paid per unit of energy and the standing charge. The maximum resale price rule does not apply where an inclusive charge is made for accommodation and there is no separate agreement for the resale of gas and electricity. Under the terms of their written agreement, mobile home residents can request documentary evidence in support and explanation of any charges for gas and electricity payable to the site owner under the agreement. If the site owner does not provide the information, the resident can apply to the First Tier Tribunal for a determination.
My answer of 26th March set out the employer offence of allowing a worker to attend a place of work (other than the place of self-isolation) when they have been advised of the need to self-isolate. It also set out the Government’s overall approach to ensuring compliance and guidance on employment rights and self-isolation.
We will publish information on the number of fixed penalty notices which have been issued in due course. We do not centrally collect data on the value of fixed penalty notices.
It is critically important that the following people stay at home and self-isolate immediately: anyone who has tested positive with COVID-19, anyone who has been contacted by NHS Test and Trace or their local authority, and anyone who has returned from abroad and is required to quarantine.
The Government has developed guidance on employment rights and self-isolation so that workers and employers are clear about their rights and obligations. The guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/if-you-need-to-self-isolate-or-cannot-attend-work-due-to-coronavirus
In addition, anyone who is due to work anywhere other than where they are self-isolating (normally their home) must inform their employer that they are required to self-isolate. An individual can receive a Fixed Penalty Notice of £50 for not doing so.
It is an offence for an employer to knowingly allow a person who is required to self-isolate to work anywhere other than where they are self-isolating. If an employer is reasonably believed to be in breach of this requirement, they may be issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice, ranging from £1,000 to £10,000.
Local Authorities provide written and verbal advice to businesses to enable them to comply with their obligations. Enforcement action is taken against employers who do not follow this advice and who do not take reasonable steps to ensure that their workers who must be self-isolating are not working from outside their home.
Since the start of the pandemic Acas received 28,925 notifications which include a wages act jurisdiction. Acas has not collected additional data on the precise issues in question.
The information gathered by Acas is a valuable source of information for Officials who are now giving this evidence thorough consideration. The Government will communicate its response in due course.
Ofcom launched a call for inputs on 11 March 2021 which outlines the main themes it is considering as part of its review of postal regulation. Ofcom intends to publish a full consultation on the future regulation of postal services later this year before concluding its review in 2022.
A total of 978,563 Pension Credit Guarantee Credit recipients were identified as eligible through the data matching process between the Department for Work and Pensions and energy suppliers, and a further 50,000 have successfully claimed a rebate through the WHD helpline. This means that a total of over 1,028,000 rebates will have been issued through the Core Group as of 4 March 2021, which is the latest available data.
As energy suppliers are responsible for payment of rebates and are not due to report final numbers until after the end of the scheme year, on 31 March, we can only comment on the number of “Instructions to Pay” that have been issued to energy suppliers rather than the number of rebates paid.
The Government has brought forward a substantial package of financial support for the hospitality sector over the last year. On 3 March 2021, my Rt hon Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer set out in the Budget a £65 billion three-point plan to provide support for jobs and businesses, with extensions to furlough, self-employed support, business grants, loans and VAT cuts – bringing total fiscal support to over £407 billion.
The Government recognises that hospitality, including social clubs, plays an important role in supporting our communities and helping to combat loneliness. However, the restrictions put in place to reduce the transmission of COVID-19 are necessary to protect the NHS and to save lives.
The Government has brought forward a substantial package of financial support for the hospitality sector over the last year and, and my Rt hon Friend the Prime Minister’s ‘COVID-19 Response - Spring 2021’ provides a roadmap out of the current lockdown in England.
On 3 March 2021, my Rt hon Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer set out in the Budget a £65 billion three-point plan to provide support for jobs and businesses, with extensions to furlough, self-employed support, business grants, loans and VAT cuts – bringing total fiscal support to over £407 billion.
I meet regularly with the groups representing the hospitality sector to understand the impact of the pandemic on jobs and businesses.
The Government has brought forward a substantial package of financial support for the sector over the last year and, and my Rt hon Friend the Prime Minister’s ‘COVID-19 Response - Spring 2021’ provides a roadmap out of the current lockdown in England. On 3 March 2021, my Rt hon Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer set out in the Budget a £65 billion three-point plan to provide support for jobs and businesses, with extensions to furlough, self-employed support, business grants, loans and VAT cuts – bringing total fiscal support to over £407 billion.
Cracking down on non-compliance in the labour market is a priority for the Government, and a new Director for Labour Market Enforcement will be appointed as soon as possible.
We have launched a recruitment campaign and are progressing the recruitment process. The outcome will be announced in due course.
The safer workplaces guidance provides some suggestions to help employers make their workplaces COVID-Secure for their employees, visitors, and customers. The Government took into account the needs of people with disabilities when developing the guidance.
The guidance does not replace existing employment, health and safety or equalities legislation. It provides information to employers on how best to meet these responsibilities in the context of COVID-19.
The Government welcomes efforts by retailers who have implemented a range of measures including dedicated hours and access for the elderly, disabled and priority access groups, and prioritising online deliveries for the most vulnerable.
I recently attended a meeting with the newly formed sector-led Weddings Taskforce where stakeholders presented ideas for the reopening of the wedding sector when the current national lockdown is lifted.
The Government has provided an unprecedented package of financial support to businesses, including those in the wedding sector. This includes the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, government-backed loans, Local Restrictions Support Grants and additional funding provided to Local Authorities to support businesses. On 5 January, my Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer announced a one-off top up grant worth up to £9,000 per property to help businesses up to the Spring.
For the current Warm Home Discount scheme year (2020/21), of the 1.2 million Pension Credit Guarantee Credit recipients, around 1 million will receive the rebate automatically on their energy bills, as a result of data matching between DWP and participating energy suppliers. In most cases these automatic rebates are provided before 31 December. In addition, a further 200,000 low income pensioners, who meet part of the eligibility criteria, will receive a letter from Government encouraging them to claim via a dedicated helpline if they meet the remaining criteria. Of these, over 45,000 have so far claimed a rebate through calling the helpline.
In addition, over 1.1 million vulnerable and low income households will also receive a rebate through the Broader Group. Government sets mandatory Broader Group eligibility criteria, of which the potential eligible pool is estimated to be around 3.1 million households. However, energy suppliers are also able to optionally add additional eligibility criteria, subject to approval from the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets. Due to the limited funding available, Broader Group rebates are generally issued by energy suppliers on a first come, first served basis.
Energy suppliers are responsible for the issuing of rebates to eligible customers and they must do so by 31 March 2021. Although most rebates will have generally been issued by the end of January, there will still be rebates issued throughout February and March.
We recognise that these are very challenging conditions for businesses in the travel sector, including travel agents, which is why we have provided a range of measures to support the sector. On top of our wider economic support package, we have provided business rates relief and one-off grants for eligible hospitality and leisure businesses – and we have cut VAT for tourism and hospitality activities from 20% to 5% until the end of March.
Additionally, ABTA and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) recently announced an extension to their current ABTA and ATOL- backed Refund Credit Note (RCN) regimes, meaning that ATOL-protected holidaymakers can book with confidence following confirmation that the Government will protect refund credit notes offered if packages are cancelled as a result of covid-19.
The Government takes security extremely seriously and is ensuring all necessary steps are taken.
The Government welcomes efforts by retailers who have implemented dedicated hours and access for the elderly, disabled and priority access groups, as well as prioritising online deliveries for the most vulnerable.
The safer workplaces guidance provides some suggestions to help employers make their workplaces COVID-Secure for their employees, visitors, and customers. The Government took into account people with disabilities when developing the guidance. We expect all businesses to take into account the Government’s guidance, discussing with neighbouring businesses and their local authorities where applicable.
The guidance does not replace existing employment, health and safety or equalities legislation. It provides information to employers on how best to meet these responsibilities in the context of COVID-19.
EU State aid rules no longer apply to subsidies granted from 1 January 2021 in the UK. The only exception is aid within scope of the Withdrawal Agreement, specifically Article 10 of the Northern Ireland Protocol and Article 138 in relation to aid for EU programmes and activities within the Multiannual Financial Framework.
The UK must provide the EU with details of aid granted under either of these two limited circumstances on an annual basis and in line with the relevant transparency obligations for individual awards. The UK will also fulfil its obligations to provide details of aid granted before the end of the transition period.
The UK has committed to transparency obligations within the subsidies chapter of the UK/EU Trade and Co-operation Agreement. These obligations will be met through a new publicly accessible transparency database which will be available in due course.
The single most important action we can all take is to stay at home unless people have a reasonable excuse, as set out in law.
In order to reduce social contact and help reduce the rate of transmission, the regulations require some businesses to close and impose restrictions on how some businesses provide goods and services. All shops can continue to operate click-and-collect (where goods are pre-ordered and collected without entering the premises) and delivery services. This allows the public to have access to goods they need quickly, where they aren’t available from retailers that can remain open.
The management of the Post Office network, including the number and type of branches open and closed at any one time, is an operational matter for the Post Office, and therefore the Government does not hold this information.
It is, however, a requirement under Provision 11 of the Postal Services Act 2011 for the Post Office to publish an annual report about the Post Office branch network and customer accessibility. This report is also laid before Parliament.
The Post Office Network Reports are available online and the most recent report as of March 2020 can be found here: http://corporate.postoffice.co.uk/secure-corporate/our-network/post-office-network-reports/.
The Government recognises the travel sector has been particularly hard hit by COVID-19. We are regularly assessing the impact on tourism businesses and are continuing to engage across Government and with stakeholders - such as the Association of British Travel Agents and Association of Independent Tour Operators - to assess how we can most effectively support the recovery of travel and tourism across the UK.
On top of our wider economic support package, we have provided business rates relief and one-off grants for eligible hospitality and leisure businesses. We have also cut VAT for tourism and hospitality activities from 20% to 5% until the end of March, and we have confirmed that the Government will protect refund credit notes if ATOL-protected packages are cancelled as a result of COVID-19.
From 2 December, close contact services have been allowed to open in Tiers 1-3. Unfortunately, due to the very rapid rise of infections in Tier 4 areas, close contact services are closed. The Government has put in place a wide-ranging package of financial support for sectors impacted by Covid-19, including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and Kickstart Scheme grants.
Throughout the Coronavirus crisis, Government and regulators have worked with regulated industries to support consumers who are struggling financially. The decision to extend support measures is taken in each sector to meet the varying needs of the consumers in those markets.
For instance, FCA advises that consumers can until the end of March apply for payment deferrals including on mortgages, loans, credit cards, overdrafts, and motor finance. Ofcom recently asked telecoms providers to bring in further support, including proactively engaging with those in debt, and waiving penalty charges.
Wedding receptions by their nature are particularly vulnerable to the spread of COVID-19. This guidance for wedding receptions and celebrations at tiers 1 and 2 has been drafted on the basis of the scientific evidence available. We keep this guidance under review.
The Government recognises the critical role that post offices play in communities and for small businesses across the UK and remains committed to the long-term sustainability of the network.
Overall post office branch numbers are published yearly by the Post Office in their Network Report and Government, via UK Government Investments, monitors network numbers regularly. The report for 2018/19 can be found at http://corporate.postoffice.co.uk/media/46607/networkreport2019_final_190210.pdf.
Changes to the Post Office network can and do happen, often for reasons beyond the Post Office’s control, for instance a postmaster retirement. When this happens, the Post Office will try to restore services as soon as possible by putting in place temporary arrangements or working hard to find an alternative location.
The Green Homes Grant opened to applications on the 30 September 2020. As of 2nd November 2020, 31,279 grant applications have been received. BEIS will continue to monitor application data as the scheme progresses.
We have designed the Green Homes Grant voucher application process to automate checks where possible and minimise the time taken for voucher approval. However, should a customer’s application be rejected, they may receive correspondence advising they have been rejected on the basis of the following criteria:
In order to raise any questions or concerns about the scheme, customers should contact the scheme administrator via the ‘Contact us’ link on the GOV.UK guidance pages. The first vouchers have now been issued and my officials will continue to monitor application data as the scheme progresses.
Applications are thoroughly checked for compliance with the scheme rules to help ensure value for money, protect consumers, and detect malpractice.
We have been closely liaising with the UK Association for Science Discovery Centres through meetings with Ministers and officials. We recognise that, as with so many other organisations and individuals, that COVID-19 has created challenges for these centres.
Some centres have already and others are planning to reopen in the coming period so they can continue to offer experiences which bring science to life in order to inspire and involve their visitors.
The Government recognises the impacts of COVID-19 on science and discovery centres across the UK and Ministers and officials have met the Association of Science and Discovery Centres.
Science and discovery centres in England have access to the unprecedented support the Government has announced for business and workers, to protect them against the current economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. Many are also part of museum groups or are heritage sites. Museums and heritage organisations can access over £200 million of coronavirus support schemes from Arts Council England and the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Science and discovery centres outside England may be eligible for further support from the devolved governments.
The Chancellor has laid out the Government’s Winter Recovery Plan. This includes measures to support businesses, such as extending the current government-backed loan schemes and introducing the Pay as You Grow and Job Support Schemes. There are also specific measures to support the self-employed, such as the SEISS Grant Extension.
The Department conducts IR35 status determinations on all its self-employed contractor roles. The status determination is based on HMRC’s Check Employment Status for Tax tool, as well as HMRC guidance on finance risk, control, and supervision over the worker and right to substitution. The Department then uses its agencies to recruit based on the job description and IR35 status.
For 2018-19, the Department employed 66 contractors, with 59 outside of scope of IR35.
IR35 statistics relating to self-employment are published in the Department’s annual report and accounts at: beis-annual-report-accounts-2018-2019.
I refer the Honourable Member to the answer I gave on 13 June to Question UIN 13827.
The Gambling Act Review is wide-ranging and aims to ensure that the regulation of gambling is fit for the digital age. We will publish a white paper setting out our conclusions and next steps in the coming weeks.
The Gambling Act Review is wide-ranging and aims to ensure that the regulation of gambling is fit for the digital age. We will publish a white paper setting out our conclusions and next steps in the coming months.
Ministers and officials have meetings with various stakeholders to support ongoing work and policy development. There has also been a wide-ranging series of meetings to support the Gambling Act Review, including with representatives of the racing industry. Records of ministerial meetings are published quarterly and are available on GOV.UK.
The Secretary of State has raised the issue of enforcement action against the over-75s for TV Licence Fee evasion with the BBC.
The BBC has confirmed that no enforcement action has been taken against over-75s for TV licence evasion at this stage.
The Secretary of State has been clear that the BBC must ensure that it supports those affected by its decision on the over-75s concession and we expect them to do so with the utmost sensitivity.
More than nine in ten over-75s customers have now made arrangements for a free or paid licence, or updated the BBC on a change in their circumstances. The BBC has provided assurances to the government that its letter writing policy has not changed since the over-75s concession was removed.
The Secretary of State has been clear that the BBC must ensure that it supports those affected by its decision on the over-75s concession and we expect them to do so with the utmost sensitivity.
The Secretary of State has had no such meetings. For meetings conducted by the previous Secretary of State please see the answer to Written Parliamentary Question 98965.
A response was issued on 6 December 2021 under the case reference MC2021/17134. We apologise for the delay in responding.
DCMS ministers and officials are regularly in contact with a number of stakeholders across the music sector on a range of issues, and this includes PRS for Music.
Our Gambling Act Review call for evidence received c.16,000 submissions from a range of stakeholders and members of the public, which we are considering carefully. The Government will publish a white paper setting out and consulting on next steps in the coming months.
All of the 67 Union Flags purchased by the Department in the last two years have been manufactured in the UK.
Since 2019 all of the Union flags that have been supplied to the Department have been provided by The Flag Consultancy, a subcontractor of Arcadis, who are contracted to deliver flags and flag services under the current Event Management Services Contract.
Pricing regulation in the telecoms sector is a matter for Ofcom, the independent regulator. However, most providers of fixed wireless access price their services in line with comparable fixed line services and on a national basis.
In 2019 the Government issued Ofcom with a Statement of Strategic Priorities for telecommunications to which it must have regard when exercising its regulatory functions. This includes tackling harmful industry practices and improving the support available to vulnerable consumers.
In order to tackle digital exclusion we have introduced the Broadband Universal Service Obligation to provide a digital safety net, ensuring a minimum level of service to participate in society and the economy, based on information provided by Ofcom. The USO came into effect on 20 March 2020, providing consumers with a legal right to request a decent broadband service, providing download speeds of at least 10 Mbps and upload speeds of 1Mbps. Whilst there is still more to do, the evidence suggests this approach is working as Ofcom’s Online Nations 2021 report showed that people are using online services more than ever with the number of UK homes with internet access increasing to about 94%.
There is now a thriving market of over 80 providers rolling out gigabit broadband all over the UK and 46% of premises currently have access. Furthermore 96% of the UK have access to superfast broadband services, one of the highest in Europe. Some premises in the UK may be served by broadband provided over a wireless network (known as fixed wireless access, or FWA), using either a mobile network or a dedicated network.
The pricing of fixed wireless internet access services is typically defined by most providers on a national basis, and does not vary depending on whether fibre broadband is available or not. Analysis suggests that pricing is comparable with fixed line services. These services are made available by providers where they have coverage and capacity to do so. Consumers can compare fixed wireless access products through various price comparison and other consumer websites, and both MNOs and Wireless Internet Service Providers (WISPs) offer a range of services and prices to suit consumer needs.
The Secretary of State has appointed Malcolm Sheehan QC to lead the independent review into the regulation of BetIndex Limited, the operators of Football index. The review is expected to provide a report for publication in the summer. Its findings will form part of the evidence informing the government’s ongoing Review of the Gambling Act 2005, which was announced in December 2020.
The public investment percentages for each superfast contract are set out in the attached table. All elements of public funding not provided by BDUK are classed as Local Body funding, who will in turn have agreements in place with their respective funding partners. The public investment ratios can change through the life of a contract through contract changes or as a result of any underspends.
The government recognises that as part of a digitally inclusive society, television content should be accessible for all UK audiences. The Digital Economy Act 2017 introduced new provisions to the Communications Act 2003 giving the Secretary of State the power to establish new accessibility requirements - including subtitling - for on-demand providers.
Ofcom published further recommendations on 9 July 2021, following a request made by this Government and a public consultation. We will give careful consideration to these and will set out next steps in due course.
£825m is BT's current forecast of clawback repayments due over the terms of the respective contracts awarded under the Superfast programme, not a figure that is owed immediately.
Contractually, take-up clawback can be placed in an account held by the supplier for up to the full seven years of the contract's term. An early release of these clawbacks was agreed to be reinvested through the programme of up to £129m for the furtherance of the programme's objectives.
Returned funding beyond this will be apportioned to the public investors in each superfast contract across the country in line with contracted investment ratios and the public investors in turn will need to decide how they wish to utilise this funding.
DCMS does not hold information on spend on superfast broadband at constituency level. Spend within superfast broadband project areas in England is summarised in the below table:
DCMS Investment in the delivery of Superfast Broadband from financial year 2015/16
Financial year = April to March
Negative amounts represent unused funding returned to DCMS.
County | 2015/16 £m | 2016/17 £m | 2017/18 £m | 2018/19 £m | 2019/20 £m | 2020/21 £m |
South Yorkshire | 0.85 | 2.37 | 1.21 | 3.21 | 1.98 | - |
Bedfordshire and Milton Keynes | 0.70 | 0.08 | 2.38 | 1.31 | 1.13 | 0.62 |
Cheshire | 1.35 | 2.29 | 0.08 | - | - | - |
Cornwall | - | 2.29 | 0.84 | 1.40 | 1.43 | - |
Cumbria | 8.06 | 4.21 | 1.60 | - | - | - |
Derbyshire | 6.47 | 1.58 | 0.61 | - | - | - |
Dorset | 5.66 | - | 1.30 | 0.16 | 1.84 | - |
Durham | 4.38 | 1.40 | 1.28 | - | 0.33 | - |
East Riding of Yorkshire | 2.17 | 1.92 | 2.39 | 1.60 | - | - |
East Sussex | 5.18 | 2.00 | 1.00 | - | - | - |
Essex | 3.01 | 2.67 | 2.43 | 1.20 | 0.96 | 0.54 |
Hampshire | 2.22 | 2.64 | 4.51 | 2.05 | - | - |
Herefordshire & Gloucestershire | 9.72 | 0.06 | 1.50 | 0.65 | 0.73 | 4.05 |
Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire | 0.22 | 2.03 | 2.81 | 0.30 | - | - |
Isle of Wight | 1.34 | (0.93) | (0.01) | - | - | - |
Kent | 0.62 | 3.38 | 1.68 | - | - | - |
Lancashire | 2.10 | 0.47 | 2.44 | 0.93 | - | - |
West Yorkshire | 0.35 | 1.04 | - | - | - | - |
Leicestershire | 0.42 | 0.94 | 3.61 | - | - | - |
Lincolnshire | 5.94 | 0.68 | - | - | - | - |
Merseyside | 2.70 | - | - | - | - | - |
Norfolk | 2.70 | - | 3.41 | 4.40 | - | - |
North Lincolnshire | 0.39 | 1.10 | - | 0.40 | - | - |
Northamptonshire | 0.49 | 3.18 | 0.13 | 0.85 | 0.85 | - |
Northumberland | 4.24 | 1.58 | 1.42 | - | - | - |
Nottinghamshire | 3.49 | 2.63 | - | - | 0.55 | 0.17 |
North Yorkshire | - | - | - | 1.14 | 6.18 | - |
Oxfordshire | 4.12 | - | - | - | - | - |
Rutland | - | 0.18 | - | - | - | - |
Black Country | 2.19 | 0.71 | 0.09 | - | - | (0.08) |
Shropshire | 3.01 | 0.10 | 2.89 | 2.03 | 4.25 | 0.73 |
Devon & Somerset | 17.97 | 1.01 | - | 1.36 | 1.09 | 0.42 |
South Gloucestershire | 0.05 | 0.46 | - | 0.11 | 1.58 | 0.46 |
Staffordshire | 1.43 | 1.85 | 0.33 | - | - | - |
Greater Manchester | 0.85 | - | - | - | - | - |
Suffolk | 1.41 | - | - | 13.85 | - | - |
Swindon | 0.19 | 0.54 | - | 0.20 | - | - |
Telford & Wrekin | 0.13 | 0.28 | 1.75 | - | - | (0.05) |
Warwickshire | 0.99 | 2.83 | 1.12 | 0.67 | 1.62 | 2.27 |
Berkshire | 1.35 | 0.72 | 0.57 | 0.10 | 0.94 | - |
West Sussex | 2.04 | 0.92 | 0.33 | - | - | - |
West Oxfordshire | - | - | - | - | 1.60 | - |
West Yorkshire | - | 1.44 | 2.08 | 2.71 | 0.06 | - |
Wiltshire | 0.05 | 2.22 | 0.33 | 0.07 | 0.53 | 0.58 |
Worcestershire | 1.39 | 2.39 | - | 0.02 | 0.87 | 0.61 |
Funding for delivery in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland was provided through funding transfers to the devolved administration governments. The devolved administrations in turn manage deployment and funding delivery in each of the nations. In the period 2015/16 to 2020/21 the relevant funding transfers were: Scotland £50.99m; Wales £12.11m; Northern Ireland £11.45m.
The total DCMS investment in the Superfast Broadband Programme to date across the UK as whole is £737m from the start of the programme in 2011.
The Government recognises the importance of ensuring support and opportunities for sport, including gymnastics, are available disabled people. Our strategy ‘Sporting Future’ sets out a clear ambition to increase levels of physical activity amongst under-represented groups, working closely with the sector to achieve this.
DCMS welcomes the recent formation of the British Gymnastics Disability Gymnastics Panel which aims to provide more opportunities for disabled participants, with the group seeking to influence, shape and drive inclusive opportunities in gymnastics.
Sport England, DCMS's arm’s length body for grassroots sport in England, recently launched their new ten year strategy, ‘Uniting the Movement’. The strategy reinforces their commitment to tackle inequalities in sport and physical activity, and provide opportunities to people that have traditionally been left behind, including disabled people. Sport England’s Active Lives Children surveys provide information on activity levels across a variety of sports, including gymnastics, and include data on participation by children with disabilities. The latest reports can be found here.
We appreciate the important role that the live events sector plays in the UK’s economy, and that the Covid-19 pandemic presents a significant challenge to this sector.
That is why we announced the unprecedented £1.57bn Culture Recovery Fund in July 2020. This includes over £800 million to almost 3800 arts, culture and heritage organisations in England, helping to support at least 75,000 jobs. Additionally, the Chancellor announced in the 2021 Budget an additional £300 million to support theatres, museums and other cultural organisations in England through the Culture Recovery Fund. This extra funding, together with other cultural support such as funding for our national museums, means that our total support package for culture during the pandemic is now approaching £2 billion.
More generally, the Prime Minister has set out the Roadmap to reopening the Economy, and the Budget has set out a ‘Restart Grant’ of up to £18,000 to over 680,000 business premises, giving them the cash certainty they need to plan ahead and safely relaunch trading over the coming months. We are also providing all English local authorities with an additional £425 million of discretionary business grant funding, on top of the £1.6 billion already allocated. Altogether, this support will cost £5 billion. This brings the total cost of cash grants provided by the Government to £25 billion.
The Government is aware of the concerns which have been raised about the challenge of securing indemnity cover for live events. My officials continue to work closely with the affected sectors to understand all barriers to reopening, including potential challenges around indemnity cover.
Understandably, the bar for considering Government intervention is set extremely high, especially in light of recent announcements including the extension to the furlough scheme and local business support. My officials are continuing to collect evidence of all of the barriers live events are facing to reopening, including access to indemnity insurance through the market.
We are keeping the situation under review and working closely with HMT on this issue to determine the appropriate and most effective response for the sector within the public health context.
According to Ofcom’s 2018 Connected Nations report, 3% of UK broadband lines are exchange only lines.
Given the continued deployment of alternative networks, Ofcom estimates that the number of premises that can only receive broadband from such lines is around 1%.
Ofcom does not hold this data at a constituency level.
Sport England’s Active Lives Adult and Children surveys provide information on activity levels across a variety of sports, including gymnastics, and include data on participation by disabled people. The latest reports can be found here.
Government recognises the importance of ensuring disabled access to sports facilities. Our sport strategy, Sporting Future, sets out a clear ambition to increase levels of physical activity, particularly amongst under-represented groups, including disabled people.
This is reinforced in Sport England’s new strategy Uniting the Movement, which sets out their 10 year vision to transform lives and communities through sport and physical activity. The strategy seeks to tackle the inequalities seen in sport and physical activity and provide opportunities to people that have traditionally been left behind, including those with a disability, helping to remove barriers to activity.
Government is also currently in the process of recruiting a new cohort of Disability and Access Ambassadors, one of whom will focus on the Sport and Physical Activity sector. The ambassador will help to drive improvements in the accessibility and quality of services and facilities in the sector for disabled people, as consumers and employees.
According to Ofcom’s 2018 Connected Nations report, 3% of UK broadband lines are exchange only lines. Given the continued deployment of alternative networks, Ofcom estimates that the number of premises that can only receive broadband from such lines is around 1%.
Sports and physical activity are incredibly important for our physical and mental health, and are a vital weapon against coronavirus.
On Monday 4 January the Prime Minister announced a national lockdown and instructed people to stay at home to control the virus, protect the NHS and save lives. Restrictions are designed to get the R rate under control through limiting social contact and reducing transmissions. These regulations were voted on by the House on 6 January.
You can continue to exercise alone, with one other person or with your household or support bubble. This should be limited to once per day, in a public outdoor place and you should not travel outside your local area. You should maintain social distancing. Indoor and outdoor sports facilities, including gyms, must close.
Sports and physical activity, including golf, are incredibly important for our physical and mental health, and are a vital weapon against coronavirus.
The purpose of the restrictions is to reduce the time people spend outside of their homes and the number of interactions they have to an absolute minimum. The severity of the current situation means that we have been required to close all sports facilities. This is a decision that no government would want to take and we will remove the restrictions, as a priority, as soon as the public health situation allows.
The restrictions are designed to get the R rate under control through limiting social contact and reducing transmissions. All decisions made by the Government relating to the pandemic have been based on advice and guidance from health and scientific experts. These regulations were voted on by the House on 6 January.
You can continue to exercise alone, with one other person or with your household or support bubble. This should be limited to once per day, in a public outdoor place and you should not travel outside your local area. You should maintain social distancing.
The government brokered a promotional deal between the National League and Camelot in September 2020. This led to an invaluable injection of £10m support to help clubs in completing their 2020/21 season. Whilst the distribution of this funding is a matter for the National League, the government was clear in supporting the deal that it expected the proceeds to be allocated sensibly to support clubs for as long as possible. The Secretary of State has had no conversations with the National League Board on either the actual distribution of funds or the findings of the Independent Review Panel.
Separately, in November 2020 the government announced a £300m Sports Winter Survival Package. This funding aims to support major spectator sports severely impacted by covid restrictions to help them survive through the winter period. The needs of the lower tiers of the National League are being considered in relation to this support package by Sport England, who are administering the fund. Final funding decisions are being taken by an independent board.
The Government remains committed to working towards achieving football stadiums’ maximum socially distanced capacity as soon as it is safe to do so.
From Wednesday 2 December, it has been possible for fans to be readmitted to sports grounds where local COVID alert levels allow. The Government continues to be in close contact with the Sports Technology Innovation Group, formed of sporting bodies and health experts, and the Sports Grounds Safety Authority to assess the latest thinking and high-tech solutions that could enable further spectators to return.
We will continue to work with both bodies, alongside the football authorities, to determine the next steps in viably increasing spectator capacities without compromising public safety.
As the Prime Minister said on 23 November, the national restrictions ended on Wednesday 2 December, and gyms and sport facilities will reopen across all tiers. The decision to allocate tiers is based on a range of factors and will be reviewed every 14 days.
The Prime Minister further updated the public on the Government’s COVID response on Saturday and announced tier 4 in which indoor gyms and sports facilities will need to close. In Tiers 3 and 4 we have taken further measures to limit social interactions and therefore opportunities for the virus to spread. Unfortunately in these areas group activity and exercise classes indoors are also advised against.
As the Prime Minister said on 23 November national restrictions ended on Wednesday 2 December, and gyms and sport facilities can reopen across all tiers. This means that certain leisure and sporting facilities including tennis courts and facilities are able to open subject to relevant social contact rules in each tier.
In tier 4, outdoor sports courts can remain open for individual exercise, and for people to use with others within their household, support bubble, or with one person from another household. Organised outdoor sport for under 18s and disabled people will be allowed.
As set out in the COVID Winter Plan the decision to allocate tiers is based on a range of factors and will be reviewed every 14 days. In Tier 3 and 4 areas we have taken further measures to limit social interactions and therefore opportunities for the virus to spread.
A report by GambleAware in 2016 found that 94% of bingo players played because it was fun, and 85% to socialise, while 58% found it provided intellectual stimulation. As well as an opportunity to socialise, players reported it was a chance to be around other people (69%) and somewhere patrons could feel safe even when they are on their own (76%).
This government is committed to tackling loneliness, having provided around £25 million of funding as part of the £750 million charity funding package to organisations which deliver activities that tackle social isolation and loneliness. We have inspired organisations to take action, establishing the Tackling Loneliness Network in June 2020 and encouraged people to reach out to others through our campaign 'Let's Talk Loneliness’.
The Government recognises the importance to the country and to the wider football economy of the return of Premier League football matches, played behind closed doors, when it is safe to do so. The Government believes it could be helpful in discouraging people from leaving home to watch matches during the coronavirus emergency if some games and more highlights were available free to air. The Government is in talks with the English Premier League and broadcasters about a safe return to playing out the season, including the potential for free-to-air matches, and will provide an update in due course.
The sale is a matter for the parties concerned, and for the Premier League to assess under its Owners’ and Directors’ Test. As such no steps are being taken.
DCMS assess employment statuses for tax purposes according to the 2017 IR35 amendment. We are currently engaged with 37 contractors, of which 14 are currently in scope of the IR35 tax legislation.
Ministers and officials have regular meetings and discussions with stakeholders including those at the multi-stakeholder Transparency Working Group. Details of Ministerial meetings are published quarterly on the Gov.uk website.
The Transparency Working Group includes representatives from a wide range of organisations with an interest in transparency reporting in relation to online harms. The first meeting of the Transparency Working Group was chaired by the Minister for Digital and Broadband. Following the recent change in ministerial portfolios, the group will now be chaired by the Minister for Digital and Culture.
This group will feed into the government’s transparency report, which was announced in the Online Harms White Paper and which we intend to publish in the coming months.
The Information Commissioner’s Office has indicated it will provide the Committee with its final update at the Information Commissioner’s next appearance at the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee. A date for this has not been confirmed yet.
The Data Protection Act 2018 introduced tighter regulation of the way that personal data is collected, stored and processed and includes safeguards such as the right to be forgotten.
Our future work on online targeting will be informed by independent expert advice, including the review of Online Targeting published by the Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation on 4 February 2020. The report includes a set of formal recommendations to the government, which we will respond to within six months.
Football clubs are the heart of local communities, they have unique social value and many with a great history. It is vital they are protected and fans should have their voices heard.
The governance of football is first and foremost a matter for the relevant authorities, in this case the Premier League and the Football Association. These bodies have a duty to govern the sport and provide assurances to fans, players and indeed employees, that proper protections are in place.
However, we have committed to a fan led review of football governance, which will include consideration of the Owners’ and Directors’ test, to ensure we protect the game for fans.
We will liaise closely with fan representatives and the football authorities as we decide the scope and structure of this work.
The department has launched a £12 million Family Hubs Transformation Fund (Transformation Fund 1) to support at least 12 local authorities in England to move to a family hub model of service delivery and open family hubs by March 2024. The application window closed in December 2021 and we received 84 bids from upper-tier local authorities. We expect a public announcement on the first wave of successful local authorities in the coming weeks, following a cross government assessment process to review the bids.
In October 2021, as part of the Autumn Budget, the government announced £301.75 million to transform Start for Life and Family Hub services in 75 upper-tier local authorities across England (Transformation Fund 2). The 75 eligible local authorities were announced on the 2 April 2022. Local authorities have been pre-selected in rank order using ‘Income Deprivation Affecting Children Indices – Average Rank’, ensuring a minimum of 25% of local authorities, from each rural urban classification, have been pre-selected. More information on this methodology can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/family-hubs-and-start-for-life-package-methodology-for-pre-selecting-local-authorities.
For the 2022/23 financial year, the department has increased the early years hourly funding rates for all local authorities by 21p an hour for the two-year-old entitlement and, for the vast majority of areas, by 17p an hour for the three- and four-year-old entitlement. Those rates, for each local authority, for two, three and four-year-olds, including a step-by-step guide, are published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-funding-2022-to-2023.
The department will publish the update to the School Sport and Activity Action Plan later this year to align with timing of the government’s new sport strategy. The plan will set out the actions that the government is taking to support schools to provide more opportunities for children and young people to take part in physical education (PE), sport and physical activity, in the context of the wider strategy.
The department is continuing to take action ahead of publishing the updated plan. The Girls Competitive Sport Your Time programme is for girls aged 8 to 16. It will give girls access to competitive sport opportunities, whilst also establishing new sports leadership roles. The Inclusion 2024 programme aims to increase and improve opportunities for young people with special educational needs and disabilities to engage and participate in PE and school sport.
The department is also taking forward delivery of its programmes to provide £30 million a year to improve the teaching of PE at primary school and open school facilities outside of the school day. On 11 May, the department published an invitation to tender to procure the services of a national delivery partner to support schools to open their facilities and provide greater access and opportunities for pupils to access extra-curricular sport and physical activity.
The government acknowledges that COVID-19 and its consequences, such as teacher absences, have had a significant impact on children and young people’s behaviour.
School leaders and staff have worked incredibly hard to make sure pupils have been able to remain in school, while dealing with higher levels of staff absence than normal. It is the department’s priority to support schools to deliver face to face, high quality education. We reintroduced the COVID-19 workforce fund to support schools and colleges facing the greatest staffing and funding pressures to continue to deliver face-to-face, high-quality education to all pupils. In deploying staff, headteachers should be satisfied that the person has the appropriate skills, expertise and experience to carry out the work. This includes ensuring that safe ratios are met and specific training undertaken, for any interventions or care for pupils with complex needs where specific training or specific ratios are required.
In addition, the government is also pursuing an ambitious programme of work to improve behaviour in schools. Our £10 million behaviour hubs programme, launched in April 2021, is projected to support up to 700 schools over 3 years. It enables schools with exemplary positive behaviour cultures to work closely with schools that want and need to turn around their behaviour alongside a central offer of support and a taskforce of advisers.
In June 2021, the department launched a call for evidence on managing good behaviour and how schools’ behaviour policies have changed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This evidence continues to be assessed alongside a public consultation on the Behaviour in Schools guidance, which closed on 31 March 2022. The guidance will provide practical advice to schools about how to encourage good behaviour and respond effectively to incidents of poor behaviour in and out of the classroom, and support staff in tackling behavioural issues that have arisen from COVID-19.
In autumn 2021 we introduced a new and updated suite of fully funded National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) to offer the best possible support to teachers and leaders right across the profession, to help them become more effective teachers and leaders inside and outside the classroom. One of the new specialist NPQs is the NPQ for Leading Behaviour and Culture. Specialist and leadership NPQs provide training and support for teachers and school leaders at all levels, from those who want to develop expertise in high-quality teaching practice, such as behaviour management, to those leading multiple schools across trusts
We have also made improvements to teacher training as part of the Early Career Framework. The Early Career Framework will directly support those at the start of their teaching careers by ensuring new teachers are entitled to a structured two-year package of funded high quality professional development based on the best available evidence.
Ensuring that all children and young people, without exception, have access to the right educational support, so that they can fulfil their potential and lead happy, healthy and productive adult lives is a priority for the government, and the department recognises the important role that wraparound childcare can play in providing this support.
For this reason, we have outlined measures in the SEND Review: Right support, Right place that will help to create a more inclusive education system to ensure that children and young people with SEND thrive, details of which are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/send-and-ap-green-paper-responding-to-the-consultation.
The department does not hold a central register of wraparound providers from which an accurate assessment of wraparound services for children with SEND in educational settings can be made. However, all local authorities have a legal duty to ensure that there are sufficient childcare places, so far as is reasonably practicable, for working parents in their area for children aged 0-14, or up to 18 for disabled children.
Local authorities must also publish and maintain a clear, accessible local offer of services to support children and young people with SEND and their families and keep education and care provision under review and consider if it is sufficient to meet the needs of children and young people with SEND in their area. Parents also have the right to request that the school their child attends considers establishing wraparound and/or holiday childcare if this is not already the case. More information about how to request wraparound childcare can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/778997/Rights_to_request_guidance-2019.pdf.
Other services may also be of help to parents of children with SEND concerned about access to childcare. Local Family Information Service can give advice on childcare providers in their area that may be able to accommodate specific childcare requirements. Relevant contact details can be found by using the childcare finder available here: http://finder.familyandchildcaretrust.org/kb5/fct/childcarefinder/home.page.
Advice on services for disabled children can also be obtained from local information, advice and support services, the contact details for which can be obtained through the Information, Advice and Support Services Network available here: https://councilfordisabledchildren.org.uk/about-us-0/networks/information-advice-and-support-services-network.
The number of permanent exclusions from schools in total, and for pupils with special educational needs, in the local authority of Cheshire West and Chester for the last five academic years can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/9721ff96-a9db-4f8b-9828-93083b7bd1bb.
The government is committed to championing the Family Hub model. Between 2019 and 2021 we announced £39.5 million in support of this commitment, including:
At the Budget on 21 November 2021, the government announced a further £82 million to create a network of family hubs. This is part of a wider £300 million package to transform services for parents, carers, babies, and children in half of council areas across England.
The Department for Education and Department for Health and Social Care are working to determine the best approach for selecting local authorities and distributing the funding. We will set out more detail on this programme in due course.
The department will publish the special educational needs and disability (SEND) review Green Paper in the first quarter of this year for full public consultation. The review aims to ensure that children and young people with SEND receive the support they need and have a positive experience within a financially sustainable system. We want to clarify accountabilities at every level of the system and realise the benefits of aligned education, health, and care provision.
The number of requests for education, health and care (EHC) plans in Cheshire West and Chester can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/e1bc78f6-f918-41e9-865b-f81c971a05d0. The department does not hold data on who made the request, and thus the request numbers provided covers all requests made.
The number of new EHC plans approved in Cheshire West and Chester can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/a8b95a6d-2567-4d69-9df3-74a38beec32f.
The department continues to monitor the sufficiency of childcare places in England through regular surveys and engagement with early years providers and local authorities. Local authorities are not currently reporting any imminent sufficiency issues and we have not seen a substantial number of parents unable to secure a childcare place, either this term or since early years settings reopened fully on 1 June 2020.
According to findings from the 2021 childcare and early years providers survey, 7 in 10 group-based providers reported having spare places in their full-day provision and almost half of childminders (49%) reported having spare capacity on average across the week.
There were an estimated 62,000 providers with at least one child aged 0 to 4 years old registered in England in spring 2021, including 21,300 group-based providers, 9,500 school-based providers and 31,200 registered childminders. These providers were offering over 1.5 million Ofsted-registered childcare places. Comparable estimates from 2019 show there were 66,000 providers made up of 21,900 group-based providers, 8,900 school-based providers and 35,100 childminders. The drop in the number of providers between 2019 and 2021 is largely driven by a reduction in the estimated number of childminders. The number of group-based and school-based providers was more stable between these two years. There is no comparable data for 2020 because the 2020 childcare and early years providers survey was postponed due to COVID-19.
Ofsted data on movement in the childcare sector shows that there was minimal change in the number of childminders and childcare providers on non-domestic premises (group-based providers) between 31 March 2020 and 31 August 2020. Data from the same period in 2021 shows there was a reduction in the number of childminders from 33,004 on 31 March to 31,957 on 31 August. The reduction in the number of childminders continues a downward trend, with 14,100 (31%) fewer providers than on 31 August 2015. The number of group-based providers remained broadly stable across the two years.
In addition to our regular statistical collections, during 2020, the department also carried out three waves of the survey of childcare and early years providers and COVID-19. In all three waves, the majority of providers reported being open at the time of the survey with a small minority being temporarily or permanently closed.
The government remains committed to the ambitions set out in the School Sport and Activity Action Plan and the department will publish an update to the plan later this year to align with publication of the government’s new sport strategy. This update will not only recover ground lost during COVID-19 restrictions but will boost momentum to deliver an action plan for all pupils regardless of background. The update will be backed by nearly £30 million a year to improve the teaching of physical education at primary school and open school sport facilities outside of the school day.
The department has not undertaken any assessment of the potential effect of the shortage of public service vehicle drivers on the ability of schools to arrange educational visits.
The department is aware of the pressure placed on the school travel sector and the wider travel industry as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak and has worked directly, and on behalf of the school travel sector, to raise these issues with other government departments, including the Department for Transport.
The department is considering arrangements for the primary PE and sport premium for the 2022/23 academic year and beyond. We are aware of the importance of providing schools with sufficient notice of future funding and will confirm the position as early as possible in the new year.
Similarly, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) are considering arrangements for the School Games Organisers programme and will confirm the position on future funding as soon as possible.
We are also working to deliver on the nearly £30 million announced in October 2021 towards improving and opening school sport facilities in England, as well as to improve the teaching of PE at primary school. We will continue to work closely with DCMS and DHSC to deliver on the aims of the School Sport and Activity Action Plan which we will be updating next year.
The department is considering arrangements for the primary PE and sport premium for the 2022/23 academic year and beyond. We are aware of the importance of providing schools with sufficient notice of future funding and will confirm the position as early as possible in the new year.
Similarly, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) are considering arrangements for the School Games Organisers programme and will confirm the position on future funding as soon as possible.
We are also working to deliver on the nearly £30 million announced in October 2021 towards improving and opening school sport facilities in England, as well as to improve the teaching of PE at primary school. We will continue to work closely with DCMS and DHSC to deliver on the aims of the School Sport and Activity Action Plan which we will be updating next year.
The department is considering arrangements for the primary PE and sport premium for the 2022/23 academic year and beyond. We are aware of the importance of providing schools with sufficient notice of future funding and will confirm the position as early as possible in the new year.
Similarly, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) are considering arrangements for the School Games Organisers programme and will confirm the position on future funding as soon as possible.
We are also working to deliver on the nearly £30 million announced in October 2021 towards improving and opening school sport facilities in England, as well as to improve the teaching of PE at primary school. We will continue to work closely with DCMS and DHSC to deliver on the aims of the School Sport and Activity Action Plan which we will be updating next year.
Our priority is to maximise the number of children in face-to-face education or childcare.
The latest evidence suggests that children and young people face a very low risk of serious illness from COVID-19. This includes children previously considered clinically extremely vulnerable (CEV).
Children and young people previously considered CEV were advised to return to childcare, nurseries, schools and colleges when shielding paused on 1 April 2021, and on 19 July 2021 people previously identified as CEV, including children and young people, were advised to follow the same guidance as the rest of the population. Schools should continue to support pupils who were formerly considered CEV so that they can attend school, in line with the wider population. The guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19.
If a child has been advised to isolate or reduce their social contact by their specialist, due to the nature of their medical condition or treatment, they should continue to follow the advice of their specialist.
The department’s published operational guidance for nurseries, schools and colleges provides details on the testing, ventilation and hygiene measures that all should have in place to manage the transmission of COVID-19 day to day. The guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/guidance-for-schools-coronavirus-covid-19.
The contingency framework includes the additional measures nurseries, schools and colleges should include in their contingency plans in case they are advised to take extra steps because of a spike in infections: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-local-restrictions-in-education-and-childcare-settings/contingency-framework-education-and-childcare-settings.
If parents, carers or pupils are anxious about attendance, they should speak to the education setting about their concerns and discuss the measures that have been put in place to reduce the risk. Nurseries, schools and colleges should continue to conduct risk assessments for their particular circumstances and take appropriate action in line with our guidance.
The department is committed to protecting education, which is why the safety measures are based on the latest scientific advice and strike a balance between managing transmission risk with measures such as regular testing, enhanced ventilation and hygiene and reducing disruption to face-to-face education.
The department has not taken direct enforcement steps against parents of clinically extremely vulnerable (CEV) children who have not returned to school following the UK Clinical Review Panel recommendation that no children and young people under the age of 18 should be considered CEV. Where a pupil is not regularly attending, schools and local authorities are expected to discuss the reasons behind the child’s absence with their parents and agree a plan to help them return to regular and consistent education. Schools and local authorities have a range of measures that they can use to improve attendance including parenting orders, parenting contracts, and fixed penalty notices. The use of these measures is determined locally as schools and local authorities are best placed to understand the individual circumstances of each case.
Children and young people previously considered CEV should attend school and should follow the same COVID-19 guidance as the rest of the population. However, if advised to isolate or reduce their social contact by their specialist, due to the nature of their medical condition or treatment they should continue to follow the advice of their specialist.
Schools continue to be able to grant leaves of absence for pupils subject to the normal rules and should consider all applications for leave of absence on an individual basis, taking into account the specific facts and circumstances, and relevant background context behind the request.
The special educational needs and disability (SEND) code of practice makes clear that local authorities must give their decision in response to any request for an education, health and care needs assessment within a maximum of 6 weeks from when the request was received or the point at which a child or young person was brought to the local authority’s attention. The department is aware of the evidence in recently published reports by Ofsted and the Disabled Children’s Partnership that the COVID-19 outbreak disproportionately affected children with disabilities and had a detrimental effect on the well-being of their families. The department recognises that improvement is needed so that the system works better for children and their families.
Steps that the department are taking to tackle delays include:
The government’s review of the SEND system is making progress in identifying improvements needed to secure lasting and tangible change, drawing on significant input from a wide range of organisations, children, young people and parents. Proposals for consultation will be published in the first three months of 2022.
The special educational needs and disability (SEND) code of practice makes clear that local authorities must give their decision in response to any request for an education, health and care needs assessment within a maximum of 6 weeks from when the request was received or the point at which a child or young person was brought to the local authority’s attention. The department is aware of the evidence in recently published reports by Ofsted and the Disabled Children’s Partnership that the COVID-19 outbreak disproportionately affected children with disabilities and had a detrimental effect on the well-being of their families. The department recognises that improvement is needed so that the system works better for children and their families.
Steps that the department are taking to tackle delays include:
The government’s review of the SEND system is making progress in identifying improvements needed to secure lasting and tangible change, drawing on significant input from a wide range of organisations, children, young people and parents. Proposals for consultation will be published in the first three months of 2022.
The government is committed to continuing support for school breakfast clubs and we are investing up to £24 million to continue our national programme for the next two years. This funding will support around 2,500 schools in disadvantaged areas meaning that thousands of children from low income families will be offered free nutritious breakfasts to better support their attainment, wellbeing and readiness to learn.
The focus of the programme is to target the most disadvantaged areas of the country, including the department's Opportunity Areas. Schools’ eligibility for the programme is based on the income deprivation affecting children index (IDACI) deprivation scale, a nationally recognised indicator of need, to ensure provision is directed where it is most needed. Schools will be eligible for the programme if they have 50% or more pupils within bands A to F of the IDACI scale.
The enrolment process for schools joining the programme is currently ongoing, and we have seen a strong interest so far from eligible schools since we invited the expressions of interest. Throughout the current contract we will be working with our provider, Family Action, to monitor different aspects of the current programme, including the reach the programme is having in relation to pupil attendance at the breakfast provision in schools. We will consider the best opportunities to share information on the programme as it progresses.
The department does not hold data on the time it takes to prepare, draft and implement an education, health and care plan in England. The department does collect data on how many plans are issued within the statutory 20 week time limit. For 2020, this was 58.0%. The data for 2020 and previous years is published here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/ce41e6bd-60a7-40b9-938e-8ae46c5e32b4.
Two Union Jack flags have been purchased by the department this year, through our facilities management provider OCS Group UK. The two flags were purchased from the company House of Flags, whose factory is located in Kimbolton, Huntingdon.
Two Union Jack flags have been purchased by the department this year, through our facilities management provider OCS Group UK. The two flags were purchased from the company House of Flags, whose factory is located in Kimbolton, Huntingdon.
Monthly data on the number of Education, Health and Care plan (EHCP) assessments is not available, but annual data is published at the following link: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-health-and-care-plans.
The number of initial requests made for assessment for an EHCP in 2019 was 82,329 and 75,951 in 2020.
The department does not yet hold information on the number of EHCPs requested in 2021. This will be published in May 2022 at the link above.
The department funds a range of support to help local authorities meet their statutory duties including the opportunity to work with expert special education needs and disability (SEND) advisers, and/or the provision of specialist support from our delivery partners or facilitate peer to peer support. Depending on the underlying issues that a local authority faces, we may also draw in support from NHS England advisers. Additionally, we also fund and provide sector led, peer to peer, or regional support to address issues common in specific areas or regions.
This year councils have access to £51.2 billion to deliver their core services, including children's services. The government has also provided an additional £6 billion of funding directly to councils to support them with the immediate and longer-term impacts of COVID-19 spending pressures, including children's services.
Furthermore, high needs funding will increase by £780 million, or 9.6%, in financial year 2022-23, following an increase of more than £1.5 billion over the previous two years. This will bring the total high needs budget to £8.9 billion, an increase of over a third since financial year 2019-20.
We will continue to work with other government departments, including the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, to ensure the upcoming spending review reflects the needs of children’s services.
We collect and publish data annually on children and young people with an education, health and care plan in England, which is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-health-and-care-plans.
Government funding of early education is based on actual take-up. The number and percentage of disadvantaged 2-year-olds and all 3 and 4-year-old children registered to received funded early education in January 2021 in Cheshire West and Chester local authority and England is published in the National Statistics release ‘Education Provision: Children under 5 years of age’, which can be accessed here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-provision-children-under-5/2021. This information is also attached. Figures by parliamentary constituency are not available, therefore data has been provided for Cheshire West and Chester local authority, in which Ellesmere Port and Neston parliamentary constituency is located.
All children aged 3 and 4-years-old, and eligible disadvantaged 2-year-olds, are entitled to 15 hours per week of funded early education for 38 weeks of the year. Eligible working parents of 3 and 4-year-olds are entitled to an additional 15 weekly hours of extended funded early education for 38 weeks of the year. It is estimated that almost 3 in 4 eligible children took up some extended hours in January 2021. It is not possible to calculate this estimate at local authority level, therefore the percentage take-up is not included in the attached table.
Local authorities are responsible for stewardship of local childcare markets. The department continues to work in close partnership with local authorities to monitor sufficiency of provision for children and parents. We have not seen a significant number of parents unable to secure a childcare place, this term or since early year settings re-opened fully on 1 June 2020. Where parents have been unable to temporarily secure a childcare place, for example due to their usual setting being temporarily closed due to the COVID-19 outbreak, this has been able to be quickly resolved locally. Local authorities are not reporting any significant sufficiency issues.
Our official data collection has monitored attendance in early years settings throughout the COVID-19 outbreak, and can be accessed here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/attendance-in-education-and-early-years-settings-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak. Additionally, Ipsos MORI conducted wave 8 of our parent poll, ‘Childcare use, perceived impact on child development, and information on working from home for families of 0-4 year-olds during COVID-19’ in March 2021, with a representative sample of 1,000 parents of children aged 0-4 in England. The data has been weighted to match the population profile of parents of children aged 0-4 in England by region, social grade and the age of the selected child. Key points from the findings include:
The report can be accessed via this link: https://www.ipsos.com/ipsos-mori/en-uk/childcare-use-perceived-impact-child-development-and-information-working-home-families-0-4-year.
Wave 9 of the parent poll, which covers similar territory, was conducted by Ipsos MORI in July 2021. The government intends to publish this evidence as soon as possible. The government continues to work in partnership with local authorities and stakeholders to monitor sufficiency of early education and childcare provision for parents and children.
This is a matter for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman. I have asked her to write to the hon. Member for Ellesmere Port and Neston and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Previous departmental guidance on Recording and Reporting Racist Incidents, published by the Department for Children, Schools and Families, encouraged state-funded schools to record, monitor, and report all racist incidents to their responsible body, informing local authorities at least annually of the pattern and frequency of any incidents. This changed with the introduction of the Equality Act 2010. Under section 149(1) of the Equality Act 2010 (the Public Sector Equality Duty), state-funded schools must, in the exercise of their functions, have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation and any other conduct that is prohibited by or under the Act; advance equality of opportunity between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it; and foster good relations between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it.
Under regulation 4 of the Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties and Public Authorities) Regulations 2017, state-funded schools must publish information annually to demonstrate their compliance with the Public Sector Equality Duty. Identifying and reporting incidents of prejudice-related behaviour can help responsible bodies to identify any actions required to eliminate discrimination, evaluate whether actions taken are effective and demonstrate compliance with the Equality Act 2010.
Academies also have their own procedures by which they record complaints. The Education (Independent School Standards) (England) Regulations 2010, Part 7, section 25, paragraph j – ‘provides for a written record to be kept of all complaints’.
Complaints about racism in a school should first be made to the school itself. The Department may then be asked to consider them and does so on an individual basis, depending on the nature of the complaint and whether it falls within the scope of the Secretary of State’s powers of intervention. These are set out under sections 496/7 of the Education Act 1996 for maintained schools and the funding agreements in place for academy and free schools.
The Department does not use a separate category to identify school complaints relating to racism. Depending on the level of detail provided by the complainant, some complaint handling teams may record that the nature of the complaint is linked to racism under a broader subject heading of behaviour (for incidents involving pupils), governance (if a school’s policy or governance is deficient under the Equality Act 2010) or staff conduct (if an employee is accused of inappropriate conduct).
Between 1 July 2020 and 30 April 2021, the Department received approximately 3,039 written complaints about schools. This total is made up of 1,714 complaints related to local authority maintained schools, 1,093 related to academies and free schools, and 232 related to independent schools.
The Department’s National Helpline received 2,882 calls relating to complaints about schools between 25 August 2020, when the Department introduced new call handling software, and 30 April 2021. We no longer hold the data that predates 25 August 2020. There were 2,215 related to local authority maintained schools, 566 about academy and free schools, and 101 related to independent schools.
On 13 April, the government announced that remaining students should return to in-person teaching alongside Step 3 of the roadmap, which is not earlier than 17 May.
Students and providers will be given at least a week’s notice of any further return in accordance with the timing of Step 3 of the roadmap. We have also updated our guidance on the return of students during the spring and summer terms: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/higher-education-reopening-buildings-and-campuses.
We are clear there is no place for racism in our society or education system. The Department does not keep a central record of all complaints made to us directly. However, from July 2020, the Department’s School Complaints Unit began recording whether ‘racial discrimination towards a pupil’ has been cited as a factor in complaints made to, or about, local authority maintained school.
Subsequently, racial discrimination towards a pupil was cited as a factor in eight complaints about local authority maintained schools. At the time of their approach, none of the complainants had attempted to resolve their concerns locally, using the schools’ own complaints procedure, so were advised to do so.
Whilst complaints about a school can be made to the Department, in most cases complainants should follow the local complaints procedure in the first instance. All schools are required to have a complaints procedure in place and we have published guidance on this for maintained schools, academies and independent schools:
Maintained schools: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-complaints-procedures/best-practice-advice-for-school-complaints-procedures-2019.
Academies: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/setting-up-an-academies-complaints-procedure.
Independent schools: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/regulating-independent-schools.
The Department continues to work closely with other Government Departments throughout its response to the COVID-19 outbreak, including Public Health England (PHE) and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), as well as stakeholders across the sector. We continue to work to ensure that our policy is based on the latest scientific and medical advice, to develop comprehensive guidance based on the PHE-endorsed ‘system of controls’ and to understand the impact and effectiveness of these measures on staff, pupils and parents.
We recently published updated guidance for schools to support the return to full attendance from 8 March. This guidance includes updated advice on face coverings and how to access them. Due to the increasing use of face coverings in wider society, staff and pupils are already likely to have access to face coverings. In our guidance, we recommend that all schools should have a small contingency stock of face coverings available, in case an individual has forgotten or damaged their own. The guidance can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/schools-coronavirus-covid-19-operational-guidance.
Within our guidance, we signpost to the wider DHSC guidance on face coverings. This guidance outlines what a face covering is, the reasons for using a face covering, when to wear a face covering and exemptions. In the context of the COVID-19 outbreak, a face covering is something which safely covers the nose and mouth. This includes reusable or single-use face coverings, a scarf, bandana, religious garment or hand-made cloth coverings. The face covering must securely fit around the side of the face. Face coverings are not classified as personal protective equipment, they are instead largely intended to protect other people (rather than the person wearing the face covering) against the spread of COVID-19 infection. The DHSC guidance can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/face-coverings-when-to-wear-one-and-how-to-make-your-own/face-coverings-when-to-wear-one-and-how-to-make-your-own.
PHE has also published guidance on how to make a simple face covering. This guidance can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/how-to-wear-and-make-a-cloth-face-covering/how-to-wear-and-make-a-cloth-face-covering.
To support the return to full attendance and to ensure maximum compliance with the system of controls, DHSC are currently in the process of distributing a delivery of between 5,000 and 7,500 units of free face coverings to all secondary schools and further education institutions for use as contingency stock.
The Department recognises that school closures have had a significant impact on the education of young people across the country, and that disruption will have been felt differently by individual students, depending on their circumstances.
We have appointed Sir Kevan Collins as the Education Recovery Commissioner to advise on a longer-term plan. The objectives of the Education Recovery Commissioner, as outlined in the terms of reference, are to advise on the design and implementation of potential interventions that will help students catch up learning lost due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The Education Recovery Commissioner will also consider how schools and the system can effectively target resources and support at pupils and areas in greatest need, including those who are clinically extremely vulnerable.
The terms of reference for the Education Recovery Commissioner, are published here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/960070/Terms_of_reference.pdf.
Following the 2019 call for evidence on the funding of provision for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and those requiring alternative provision, we have been clear that there are a number of aspects of the current funding arrangements that would merit further consideration; for example, the expectation that mainstream schools meet costs up to £6,000 of supporting a pupil with SEND from their core budget, the level of the £10,000 per place funding for special schools and the funding arrangements for young people with SEND in further education.
The evidence collected has been taken into account by the department and will be addressed both as part of the SEND review and in further consultations. In addition, we are currently consulting on a number of small technical changes to the high needs national funding formula for the financial year 2022-23, and the consultation can be accessed at this link: https://consult.education.gov.uk/funding-policy-unit/high-needs-nff-proposed-changes/.
The Department’s guidance on face coverings can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/face-coverings-in-education/face-coverings-in-education.
As the guidance outlines, during national lockdown, in schools and colleges where Year 7 and above are taught, face coverings should be worn by adults (staff and visitors), pupils and students when moving around indoors, outside of classrooms and other teaching situations, such as in corridors and communal areas where social distancing is difficult to maintain.
Based on current evidence and the measures that schools and colleges are already putting in place, such as the system of controls and consistent bubbles, face coverings will not generally be necessary in the classroom.
Children in primary schools do not need to wear a face covering.
Some individuals are exempt from wearing face coverings. This includes people who cannot put on, wear or remove a face covering because of a physical or mental illness or impairment, or disability, or if you are speaking to or providing assistance to someone who relies on lip reading, clear sound or facial expressions to communicate. The same legal exemptions that apply to the wearing of face coverings in shops and on public transport also apply in schools and colleges.
Face coverings can make it more difficult to communicate with pupils and students with additional needs or those who many rely on lip reading or facial expressions for understanding. We expect staff to be sensitive to these needs when teaching and interacting with pupils and students.
We continue to provide information to the sector on our guidance, and any changes to it, through regular departmental communications. We also continue to work with the sector to understand the impact of the system of controls on staff, pupils and parents.
Schools are advised against all educational visits at this time: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak. This advice will be reviewed before the end of February 2021 and the findings of this review will help scope the re-opening of the industry.
Officials continue to work across government, with industry bodies and sector representatives to address the issues arising from the COVID-19 outbreak and will help them plan for the safe reintroduction of educational visits, including residential educational visits, when it is safe to do so.
The Department will be convening a task force to look at the effects that COVID-19 has had on the mental well-being of children, young people, and staff in the education system. We will confirm the next steps as soon as possible.
Schools are advised against all educational visits at this time: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak. This advice will be reviewed before the end of February 2021 and the findings of this review will help scope the re-opening of the industry.
Officials continue to work across government, with industry bodies and sector representatives to address the issues arising from the COVID-19 outbreak and will help them plan for the safe reintroduction of educational visits, including residential educational visits, when it is safe to do so.
The Department will be convening a task force to look at the effects that COVID-19 has had on the mental well-being of children, young people, and staff in the education system. We will confirm the next steps as soon as possible.
The Department’s guidance on face coverings can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/face-coverings-in-education/face-coverings-in-education.
As the guidance outlines, during national lockdown, in schools and colleges where Year 7 and above are taught, face coverings should be worn by adults (staff and visitors), pupils and students when moving around indoors, outside of classrooms and other teaching situations, such as in corridors and communal areas where social distancing is difficult to maintain.
Based on current evidence and the measures that schools and colleges are already putting in place, such as the system of controls and consistent bubbles, face coverings will not generally be necessary in the classroom.
Children in primary schools do not need to wear a face covering.
Some individuals are exempt from wearing face coverings. This includes people who cannot put on, wear or remove a face covering because of a physical or mental illness or impairment, or disability, or if you are speaking to or providing assistance to someone who relies on lip reading, clear sound or facial expressions to communicate. The same legal exemptions that apply to the wearing of face coverings in shops and on public transport also apply in schools and colleges.
Face coverings can make it more difficult to communicate with pupils and students with additional needs or those who many rely on lip reading or facial expressions for understanding. We expect staff to be sensitive to these needs when teaching and interacting with pupils and students.
We continue to provide information to the sector on our guidance, and any changes to it, through regular departmental communications. We also continue to work with the sector to understand the impact of the system of controls on staff, pupils and parents.
Decisions on Machinery of Government changes are made by my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister. Ministers in relevant departments were consulted before the decision was made. This move aligns with a recent recommendation by the Chair of the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities and a recommendation by the Education Select Committee in 2018.
Moving the sponsorship of the Social Mobility Commission to become a key part of the new Equality Hub makes good sense and puts equality and fairness of all kinds at the heart of government. The move shows how serious this government is about actually acting on these issues, as part of our levelling up agenda.
This move aligns with a recent recommendation by the Chair of the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities, the Social Mobility Commission's (SMC) own recommendation about where it would best fit within government, and with a recommendation by the Education Select Committee in 2018.
Moving the sponsorship of the SMC to become a key part of the new Equality Hub makes good sense and puts equality and fairness of all kinds at the heart of government. The move shows how serious this government is about acting on these issues, as part of our levelling up agenda.
Following the National Lockdown announced on 4 January 2021 by my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister, further guidance has been published for schools: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak. Schools are advised against all educational visits at this time. This advice will be reviewed before the end of February 2021.
Officials will continue to work with industry bodies and sector representatives to address the issues arising from the COVID-19 outbreak, and will help them plan for the safe reintroduction of educational visits, including residential educational visits, when it is safe to do so.
Throughout the COVID-19 outbreak, the Government has sought to protect people’s jobs and livelihoods across the UK, support businesses, and public services. The Government has spent over £280 billion to do so.
This includes small business grants, the coronavirus loan guarantee schemes, the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), the deferral of VAT and income tax payments, and more. The measures introduced have been designed to be accessible to businesses in most sectors and across the UK.
Further measures have been announced by my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer that build on the significant support already available, as well as set out how current support will evolve and adapt. These include the extension of the CJRS until the end of April 2021, the extension of the deadline for applications for the Bounce Back Loan scheme and other loan schemes until 31 March 2021, and increased support for the self-employed through the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme grants.
Furthermore, businesses in England that are forced to close due to national or local restrictions will be able to claim up to £3,000 per month. Local authorities in England will also receive one-off funding of £1.1 billion to support businesses more broadly over the coming months as a key part of local economies.
Further support for businesses was announced on 5 January 2021: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/46-billion-in-new-lockdown-grants-to-support-businesses-and-protect-jobs.
The Government will continue to work closely with local authorities, businesses, business representative organisations, and the financial services sector to monitor the implementation of current support and understand whether there is additional need. Businesses can also access tailored advice through the Business Support Helpline (FREEPHONE 0800 998 1098), via the Business Support website at: www.gov.uk/business-support-helpline or through their local Growth Hubs in England.
Following the National Lockdown announced on 4 January 2021 by my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister, further guidance has been published for schools: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak. Schools are advised against all educational visits at this time. This advice will be reviewed before the end of February 2021.
Officials will continue to work with industry bodies and sector representatives to address the issues arising from the COVID-19 outbreak, and will help them plan for the safe reintroduction of educational visits, including residential educational visits, when it is safe to do so.
Throughout the COVID-19 outbreak, the Government has sought to protect people’s jobs and livelihoods across the UK, support businesses, and public services. The Government has spent over £280 billion to do so.
This includes small business grants, the coronavirus loan guarantee schemes, the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), the deferral of VAT and income tax payments, and more. The measures introduced have been designed to be accessible to businesses in most sectors and across the UK.
Further measures have been announced by my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer that build on the significant support already available, as well as set out how current support will evolve and adapt. These include the extension of the CJRS until the end of April 2021, the extension of the deadline for applications for the Bounce Back Loan scheme and other loan schemes until 31 March 2021, and increased support for the self-employed through the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme grants.
Furthermore, businesses in England that are forced to close due to national or local restrictions will be able to claim up to £3,000 per month. Local authorities in England will also receive one-off funding of £1.1 billion to support businesses more broadly over the coming months as a key part of local economies.
Further support for businesses was announced on 5 January 2021: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/46-billion-in-new-lockdown-grants-to-support-businesses-and-protect-jobs.
The Government will continue to work closely with local authorities, businesses, business representative organisations, and the financial services sector to monitor the implementation of current support and understand whether there is additional need. Businesses can also access tailored advice through the Business Support Helpline (FREEPHONE 0800 998 1098), via the Business Support website at: www.gov.uk/business-support-helpline or through their local Growth Hubs in England.
These are matters for the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual) and I have asked its interim Chief Regulator, Simon Lebus, to write directly to the hon. Member and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
These are matters for the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual) and I have asked its interim Chief Regulator, Simon Lebus, to write directly to the hon. Member and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
The Department collects data on both the open status of schools and the number of schools that have indicated they have sent pupils home due to COVID-19 containment on a daily basis. This data is published from this collection at a national level as part of the official statistics series. The publication can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/attendance-in-education-and-early-years-settings-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak.
Data is published from 9 September 2020, but prior to 12 October 2020, information on pupils isolating was not collected. The Department intends to publish regional and local authority level data on 15 December 2020. This data will be included as part of the publication ‘Attendance in education and early years settings during the coronavirus (Covid 19) outbreak’. The frequency of the publication ‘Attendance in education and early years settings during the coronavirus (Covid 19) outbreak’ will be reviewed in the new year.
The Department is constantly reviewing the content of its publications. Announcements about future content will be made through the official statistics release page: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-education/about/statistics.
It is estimated that up to 361,000 pupils in state-funded schools, excluding schools on half term, did not attend school for COVID-19 related reasons as on Thursday 5 November 2020. Of these, it is estimated that up to 301,000 pupils are self-isolating due to potential contact with a case of COVID-19. It is not possible to estimate the total number of pupils who have had to self-isolate since the beginning of the 2020-21 academic year.
?It is a priority for the Department to keep a close track of the situation in schools in relation to suspected or confirmed COVID-19 cases. The Department is currently collecting data from schools on a daily basis, as well as gathering information from local areas and following up with individual settings. This includes confirming that procedures for requiring pupils to isolate are well understood and that necessary decisions are being made based on public health advice.
Data is collected on the number of schools that have indicated they have sent children home due to COVID-19 containment measures and the Department has attendance data for schools that have done so. We are currently looking at the quality of that data with a view to publishing as part of the official statistics series. The series already includes published data on school openings, attendance, and absences, which can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/attendance-in-education-and-early-years-settings-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak.
My Office has no record of receiving this letter. I have asked my Office to contact the organisation to see if they can re-send the correspondence.
The Government is committed to ensuring all pupils can travel to school and college safely and on time. We have provided local transport authorities with more than £40 million of funding to increase dedicated home to school and college transport capacity in the first half of the autumn term.
The Department will inform local transport authorities of their funding allocations for the second half of the autumn term shortly.
I can confirm that a response has been sent to the letters dated 9 July and 14 August, from the hon. Member for Ellesmere Port and Neston.
The guidance for full school opening enables schools to resume educational day visits but continues to advise against UK overnight educational residential visits. This guidance is available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-full-opening-schools.
The Department’s educational visits advice is in line with guidance from Public Health England, the Cabinet Office, and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and will be reviewed again in November 2020.
The department has published guidance for providers who run community activities, holiday clubs, after-school clubs, tuition and other out-of-school provision for children over the age of 5. It sets out the safety measures that must be in place to ensure they can operate over the summer holiday. The guidance is available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/protective-measures-for-holiday-or-after-school-clubs-and-other-out-of-school-settings-for-children-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak.
This follows confirmation from my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister, that from Saturday 4 July, these providers can operate over the summer holiday, with safety measures in place.
When state schools in a local area have closed for the summer term, children of all ages may attend out-of-school settings in that area, including vulnerable children.
On 22 June, the department also announced the 17 local authority areas that our holiday activities and food programme will operate in this summer, providing thousands of disadvantaged children with access to healthy meals and holiday activities.
The law covering discrimination is the Equality Act 2010. This applies to all maintained and independent schools, including academies, and maintained and non-maintained special schools in England.
The Act makes it unlawful for the responsible body of a school to discriminate against, harass or victimise a pupil or potential pupil:
If an individual feels that discrimination has taken place, in the first instance these cases could be resolved informally with the school. Should this fail to satisfactorily resolve the issue, then an official complaint can be made to the academy.
If the complainant feels that the trust has not followed its complaints procedure, they can escalate this to the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA). The ESFA will assess the trust’s compliance with their complaints policy but cannot overturn the decision itself or suggest remedy.
Formal proceedings in relation to a contravention of the education provisions of the Act will be brought in a county court. If the court rules that there has been a contravention, then it has the power to award an appropriate remedy, including any award of damages.
Specialist tribunals which have experience and knowledge of disability issues will hear cases of contravention of the education provisions on grounds of disability. In England this will be the First-tier Tribunal. If the Tribunal rules that there has been a contravention, then it has the power to make an order of a remedy, which it sees as appropriate.
The Department has set out advice on the Equality Act on GOV.UK, which is available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/equality-act-2010-advice-for-schools.
Following the announcement in the House of Commons on the evening of 17 March regarding the delay to the IR35 reforms until 6 April 2021, the Department has paused the work to reassess workers’ employment status to the new IR35 rules.
The Government is committed to tackling flood risk and increasing the nation's resilience. We expect those responsible for all assets - including riparian landowners - to ensure ongoing maintenance and timely repairs where necessary. To support this the Government has commissioned a review of the statutory powers, roles and responsibilities in relation to assets and watercourse maintenance, including riparian landowners. It is expected to report in due course.
We received over 5,600 responses to the consultation on ending the sale of peat and peat containing products in horticulture. Officials are currently reviewing the responses and accompanying evidence. We will publish our response shortly.
The consultation closed on 18 March 2022 and as is standard practice, the Government aims to respond to all consultations within 12 weeks, as set out in Cabinet Office guidance.
The Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966 restricts anyone except vets and vet nurses from performing canine artificial breeding procedures. There are no immediate plans to amend this. The Animal Welfare Act 2006 requires owners or handlers of animals to protect them from harm and to provide for their welfare in line with good practice. A breach of these provisions may lead to imprisonment, a fine, or both.
The 2006 Act is backed up by the statutory Code of Practice for the Welfare of Dogs which provides owners and keepers with general welfare information, including a specific section on how to protect them from pain, suffering, injury and disease. That section of the Code of Practice recommends owners seek veterinary advice before breeding their dogs and that owners should take all reasonable steps to ensure that they are able to provide the care required during pregnancy.
Defra is in the final stages of a competitive tender to secure a site operator for the Sevington and Dover Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Border Control Posts (BCPs). The appointment of the operator for these sites will mark a major step towards completion of the BCPs for implementation of SPS inspections from July 2022.
The BCP operator will deliver a comprehensive facilities management function to enable the Port Health Authority and the Animal and Plant Health Agency to deliver their inspection services. The BCP operator will appoint the security, logistics, maintenance, and other support staff for the site.
The Department for Transport (DfT) is the leading Government department responsible for the construction of the Sevington site. All construction contracts for the Sevington site are managed by DfT.
In November 2021 Defra secured the lease on an existing warehouse at the Dover White Cliffs Business Park. The site was constructed in 2003 and had previously been used by P&O as a distribution warehouse and became vacant in March 2020. The Dover site will be converted to create a BCP to facilitate SPS checks of some goods entering the UK via the Port of Dover. Defra will allocate funds to Kent County Council (KCC) by way of ‘Section 31’ grants for the conversion and construction works of the site. KCC will issue and manage the necessary contracts on behalf of Defra.
A further facility in Kent to accommodate all other animal species not handled at the Sevington SPS BCP is also being sourced. Defra will make the necessary and appropriate contract arrangements in due course.
The Environment Agency published its sludge strategy in March 2020 and is currently working on the delivery of this strategy with the water industry, Defra and other key stakeholders - including the National Farmers’ Union. The strategy’s implementation is due to be completed in 2023. Current work includes preparation for a public consultation to effect the changes laid out in the strategy, including an assessment of the strategy’s approach.
The Greenpeace article published on 4 February 2020 was associated with a consultant's report produced as part of an Environment Agency Materials-to-Land project. The Environment Agency takes its responsibility to protect the environment very seriously, which is why it commissioned this report to inform its upcoming sludge strategy and make sure regulations are based on the latest scientific data.
On 17 March 2020 the Environment Agency completed and published its Strategy for safe and sustainable sludge use on gov.uk. Section 9.5 of the strategy lays out aims associated with hazards including chemicals and micro-plastics. An update was then published on 15 July 2020 to reflect adjustments to our delivery timeline due caused by having to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. The current timeline is to implement the strategy in 2023. The Environment Agency is currently working with the water industry, Defra and other key stakeholders on the preparation for a public consultation to effect the changes laid out in the published strategy.
Defra has engaged Mott MacDonald under contract to provide Design Assurance services to support the delivery of the Sevington Border Control Post (BCP) and the Dover Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) BCP. Their contract in support of Sevington BCP currently runs until 31 January 2022 and their work in relation to Dover SPS BCP until 4 February 2022. The Department is also in the process of engaging other companies to support the delivery and operation of its three inland border control posts.
Anyone performing artificial insemination of canines and not considered competent would be operating outside of the regulatory framework. As a result, Defra or the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons do not hold information on instances of people who are not suitably competent carrying out this activity.
The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons has recently submitted its recommendations for future veterinary legislation to Defra. These recommendations include wide ranging proposals for the regulation of procedures that could be considered for delegation to non-vets, including canine insemination, and regulated as such. Defra officials are currently considering the full package of recommendations before discussing with stakeholders in due course.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has purchased one Union Jack flag since 2019. This flag was made in the UK.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has purchased one Union Jack flag since 2019. This flag was made in the UK.
Research conducted by Eunomia on behalf of Defra estimated the total costs of fly-tipping for all UK authorities to be £103 million per annum. However, the report notes that better information on incident type, size, composition and clean-up cost would be necessary to provide more certainty around this 'very indicative, initial estimate'. This report can be found at: WRAP-eunomia-financial-cost-of-packaging-litter-phase-2-2021
Until 2016/17 Defra estimated the cost of clearing fly-tipping to local authorities in England each year as part of Defra published statistics. The estimated cost in 2016/17 was £57.7 million. These cost estimates are no longer produced but figures for previous years can be found at: www.gov.uk/government/statistics/fly-tipping-in-england
High-priority plants and plant products imported from the EU, and all regulated plant and plant products from the rest of the world, are currently inspected at destination by plant health inspectors from the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA). Inspections of all regulated plants and plant products with be conducted at designated border control posts (BCPs) from 1st July 2022 by APHA inspectors. BCPs are being established by commercial ports and by Government at the Short Straits. We do not hold details on which companies are employed by the commercial ports.
DfT is responsible for the construction of the Sevington Border Control Post which will accommodate inspections of plants, plant products, products of animal origin (POAO) arriving through Eurotunnel, and large animals and livestock and Defra is leasing a second facility in the Dover area for POAO.
Defra is engaging contractors and other companies to support the delivery and operation of the inland Border Control Posts and contracts will be awarded once the process is concluded.
It has long been UK Government policy to charge for many publicly provided goods and services. The standard approach is to set fees to recover the full costs of service delivery. This relieves the general taxpayer of costs, so that they are properly borne by users who benefit from a service. This allows for a more equitable distribution of public resources and enables lower public expenditure and borrowing. Defra plant health services operate in line with that principle and have done for many years. Plant health fees are reviewed regularly and adjusted to ensure no under, or over, recovery of costs and amended as necessary.
Additionally, to reduce the burden on businesses, Defra took the decision to delay the introduction of inspection fees for imports of ‘high-priority’ plants and plant products from the EU until 1 June 2021 in England and Wales. In arriving at the decision to delay the introduction of plant health import inspection fees for these goods, officials have had to balance the need to support affected businesses, against legal considerations and the rules around managing public money. Delaying these fees until 1 June 2021 struck the right balance between these competing demands.
It has long been UK Government policy to charge for many publicly provided goods and services. The standard approach is to set fees to recover the full costs of service delivery. This relieves the general taxpayer of costs, so that they are properly borne by users who benefit from a service. This allows for a more equitable distribution of public resources and enables lower public expenditure and borrowing. Defra plant health services operate in line with that principle and have done for many years.
No assessment on the impact of plant inspection charges on garden centres has been carried out.
Legislation relating to fees does not fall within the bounds of the Business Impact Target and so does not require the development of impact assessments.
Additionally, The Plant Health etc. (Fees) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2021, which extended the existing plant health charging regime to imports from and exports to the EU, was covered by a statutory exclusion under the Small Business Enterprise and Employment (SBEE) Act, because the instrument was varying an existing charge levied by a public body (the Animal and Plant Health Agency). The actual cost to businesses will vary depending on how they organise their imports and the type of material being imported.
However, Defra has engaged extensively with industry and, to reduce the burden on businesses, Defra took the decision to delay the introduction of inspection fees for imports of ‘high priority’ plants and plant products from the EU until 1 June 2021 in England and Wales. In arriving at the decision to delay the introduction of plant health import inspection fees for these goods, Defra has had to balance the need to support affected businesses against legal considerations and the rules around managing public money. Delaying these fees until 1 June 2021 struck the right balance between these competing demands.
Under the Local Air Quality Management Framework local authorities are required to review and assess air quality in their area. If their assessment shows that local pollution levels exceed, or are likely to exceed, local air quality objectives they must declare an Air Quality Management Area and develop an Air Quality Action Plan with the aim of reducing air pollution to within statutory limits.
Defra’s Air Quality Grant Programme provides funding to local authorities for projects in local communities to tackle air pollution. The Government has awarded over £70 million in funding since the air quality grant started in 1997. Cheshire West and Chester Council were awarded £44,000 from the 2018 Air Quality Grant Scheme for local research on domestic burning stoves and health impacts.
The Government remains committed to introducing a deposit return scheme for drinks containers. We are currently analysing responses to the recent consultation and will set out next steps in due course.
The Birkenhead to Welsh Border stretch of the England Coast Path has been split into three lengths. Length 1 (Seacombe Ferry Terminal, Birkenhead to Red Rocks Slipway, Hoylake) and length 3 (‘The Boat House’ Public House, Parkgate to the Welsh border) were approved by the Secretary of State on the 7th July and establishment works can now begin.
Length 2 (Red Rocks Slipway, Hoylake to ‘The Boat House’ Public House, Parkgate) has not yet been determined as a Planning Inspectorate investigation into objections received on the length is ongoing. On completion of this by the Appointed Person, a report will be submitted to the department for consideration in the Secretary of State’s determination decision.
On 1 January 2021, legislation to bring REACH into UK law came into force. The regulation on REACH fees and charges was retained, along with the fee reductions for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Under UK REACH SMEs will continue to receive these discounts for all applicable fees, which will reduce fees by up to 90% in some cases.
The Food Information Regulations 2014 already provide for criminal sanctions including fines in respect of non-disclosure or incorrect information around the presence of allergens in food. While some cases of undisclosed allergenic ingredients will be detected by enforcement officials, it is often the company themselves who detect and notify authorities of an issue while simultaneously withdrawing the affected food from the market. Imposing a penalty on the basis of the product withdrawal and recalls rather than the dangerous non-disclosure of allergenic ingredients would potentially hamper the current high levels of transparency on this issue. This in turn could lead to an increased risk to consumers and their safety should the threat of penalties deter notification of non-compliances to authorities and subsequent communication of the risk to consumers.
Defra committed to reviewing the Bread and Flour Regulations 1998, as they apply in England, following the end of the transition period. The planned review is being scoped now but it will focus on ensuring alignment with retained laws in other overlapping areas, as well as considering requests from industry for additional measures and exemptions. The review will also need to consider any DHSC decisions around folic acid. As part of the review, we will hold a public consultation on policy options. We very much welcome views from key stakeholders such as the Real Bread Campaign to feed into this. Many of the issues raised by stakeholders to date are technically complex and we expect this review will need sufficient time to consider responses and agree the best way forward.
It is important that plant health services are properly financed in order to provide assurance for the high standard of UK exports of plants and produce and to protect our nation’s biosecurity. In line with HM Treasury rules, Defra recovers the cost of plant health services delivered by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) from the businesses who use them. Defra regularly reviews its fees to ensure they are reflective of the cost of delivery and that they do not over-recover.
Cost data is collected on an ongoing basis and fee changes are based on the actual costs recorded over at least 12 months. Defra completed the most recent annual review of fees in December 2020. The review showed that the cost base had remained stable across plant health services. In 2019/20 the cost base for delivery of plant health services was £5.796m, an increase of only 0.5% on the 2018/19 cost base of £5.768m. Given this stability, Defra decided not to amend the existing fees until October 2022, to give businesses certainty over costs for 18 months.
Last year Keep Britain Tidy published, on behalf of Defra, the results of analysis of litter composition in the UK. This report was the first of its kind in terms of recording the amount of litter found by brand, on a national scale. This report is available at:
Last summer, in response to Covid-19, Defra developed a 'Respect the Outdoors' campaign to encourage people to follow the Countryside Code and to highlight the impacts of littering. This was promoted both online and in locations across the country near to urban parks, beaches and national parks. We also supported, and provided funding for, Keep Britain Tidy's Love Parks campaign, which encouraged people to treat our parks with respect.
Preliminary evaluation of these campaigns indicates that they had a positive influence on the target audience's intended disposal of Personal Protective Equipment litter, with anecdotal reports from local authorities that the intervention resulted in a markedly beneficial outcome.
We are also raising awareness via social media of what individuals can do to protect others and the environment, in relation to litter.
Under the zoo support schemes we have so far awarded over £6 million and we are currently processing applications of a further £6 million. This money has provided for animal care costs and essential maintenance costs for those zoos experiencing severe financial difficulties due to Covid-19. Only one application to the Zoo Animals Fund has been rejected on the basis that the business in question was ineligible as it did not have the necessary licence or exemption. We have extended the application deadline for the Zoo Animals Fund from 29 January 2021 to 26 February 2021 to allow more zoos to access funding.
The UK and EU have similar plant health measures and moving forward we are committed to maintaining high biosecurity, food safety and plant health standards. The EU and UK being geographically close, and close as trading partners, have a number of common pathogens that pose a risk. Building on the existing practice established to maintain the Single Epidemiological Unit on the island of Ireland, both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland will align with EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary rules. Sending regulated plants and plant products from GB to the Republic of Ireland will require a phytosanitary certificate to accompany the goods prior to them departing GB, with sufficient time to allow for inspections and any testing which may be required.
GB plant health authorities have undertaken significant recruitment to increase the number of plant health inspectors in order to service the demand for export checks and certification. We have sufficient resources to meet demand from 1 January 2021 and ensure minimal disruption to trade.
The UK has a long history of compliance and we have a similar health status and biosecurity aims. We will seek to reduce checks safely through the regular dialogue both sides have committed to in the agreement.
Defra has put in place a framework to agree to trade facilitations going forward, including potential reductions in the frequency of import checks, where justified. It’s in both Parties interests to pursue this. Defra will also continue to engage with the European Commission to ensure we develop helpful practical arrangements for businesses trading with both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
Our thorough preparations for leaving the EU in 2019, alongside the lessons we have learned during the Covid-19 response provide a robust foundation for end of transition period planning on food supply.
The Government contingency planning documents such as the plan for food supply are regularly reviewed and updated to reflect engagement with industry and across government including the Devolved Administrations. Given their sensitive nature these plans are not published as they provide the basis of discussions between Ministers and officials on the development of security and resilience policy.
Inspection fees for imports of regulated plants and plant products from the EU will not apply until 1 April 2021 in England and Wales. This will give businesses time to adjust to the new fee arrangements and factor it into financial planning for next year. A full list of regulated plants and plant products can be found on GOV.UK.
The fees for import checks on such goods from the EU will be proportionate to the frequency of checks applicable to each commodity. These fees have been published on the Plant Health Portal and have been communicated to stakeholders directly.
The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) has undertaken significant recruitment to increase the number of plant health inspectors in order to service the demand for import and export checks and certification in England and Wales, where the majority of inspectors will be required. We will have sufficient resources to meet demand from 1 January 2021 when checks of high-priority plants from the EU begin, and July 2021 when we will have arrived at our end-state regime, to ensure minimal disruption to trade.
As of 14 December, APHA has more than 300 fully trained Plant Health inspectors undertaking a wide range of roles across England and Wales, with a further c150 staff completing their training and further new recruits to be onboarded before the end of December. Some of the additional staff recruited and trained will be dedicated to plant imports, with flexibility to expand the number from within the overall resource pool, based on demand.
The Government has a clear manifesto commitment that in all of our trade negotiations we will not compromise on our high environmental protection, animal welfare and food standards.
The European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 will transfer all existing provisions onto the UK statute book. This includes EU Council Directive 96/22/EC which bans the import and production of meat using growth promoting hormone or beta agonist treatments, existing food safety provisions ensuring no products, other than potable water are approved to decontaminate poultry carcasses, all EU maximum residue levels (MRLs) for plant protection products (as they are at the point of exit) and the standards for how they are set, as well as all EU import standards relating to food safety and animal welfare.
At the end of the transition period, we will also repatriate the functions of audit and inspection currently carried out by the European Commission to ensure that trading partners continue to meet our import conditions. We will also be verifying that requirements are carried out as stipulated through checks at the border. This will provide a robust system to maintain our high standards.
The independent advice of our food regulators, the Food Standards Agency and Food Standards Scotland, and rigorous processes will continue to ensure that all food imports into the UK are safe and meet the relevant UK product rules and regulations.
The Agriculture Act 2020 contains a duty for Ministers to report to Parliament on whether, or to what extent, commitments in new Free Trade Agreements, relating to agricultural goods, are consistent with maintaining UK levels of statutory protection in relation to environmental protection, animal welfare and food standards.
In July the Government established the Trade and Agriculture Commission, an independent advisory board set up to advise and inform the Government’s trade policies on environmental and animal welfare standards in food production. The Government has now extended the Trade and Agriculture Commission, and committed to place it on a full statutory footing via the Trade Bill, with a provision to review it every three years.
The UK has a highly resilient food supply chain. Our thorough preparations for leaving the EU in 2019, alongside the lessons we have learned during the Covid-19 response provide a robust foundation for end of Transition Period planning on food supply. We are working alongside industry and across Government, including with the Devolved Administrations, to plan for the end of this year.
The Government has well established ways of working with the food industry who are experienced in dealing with situations that can cause disruptions to supply.
Our overall assessment of risk within a reasonable worst case scenario of food supply at the end of transition is that there will not be an overall shortage of food in the UK, and consumers will continue to have access to a wide range of food products.
The UK has a highly resilient food supply chain. Our thorough preparations for leaving the EU in 2019, alongside the lessons we have learned during the Covid-19 response provide a robust foundation for end of Transition Period planning on food supply. We are working alongside industry and across Government, including with the Devolved Administrations, to plan for the end of this year.
The Government has well established ways of working with the food industry who are experienced in dealing with situations that can cause disruptions to supply.
Our overall assessment of risk within a reasonable worst case scenario of food supply at the end of transition is that there will not be an overall shortage of food in the UK, and consumers will continue to have access to a wide range of food products.
Given the recent announcement by the Prime Minister, all zoos and aquariums have now been asked to close in line with the latest lockdown measures. We recognise this has been a challenging time for the sector and encourage those who are experiencing severe financial difficulties and need support in caring for their animals to apply for the Zoo Animals Fund. Zoos are also able to apply for the full range of Covid-19 financial support that the Government has made available. We remain committed to ensuring the sector can deliver the best possible care for its animals and are in regular contact with zoos and their representatives to monitor their situation.
Four applications have been received since the Zoo Animals Fund was launched on 3 August, all of which are still under review. We continue to encourage all eligible zoos to apply for the fund.
In Defra, we can confirm that we assess the employment status for tax purposes of every contractor according to the 2017 IR35 amendment. We are currently engaged with 634 contractors, of which 92 are currently in scope of the IR35 tax legislation.
The Department for International Development does not hold this data, and the cost of extraction would be too high.
There were 14 Union Jack flags purchased in the last two years for use by the Department, all of which were manufactured in the United Kingdom.
Union Jack flags flown by the Department’s buildings were supplied by:
The Department’s ceremonial Union Jack flags were supplied by;
We are aware of the impact of overseas broadcast piracy on major sports rights holders, including the Premier League, and other UK-owned intellectual property rights owners. This is a commercial matter and the direct impact of overseas broadcasting piracy can be found in their public statements. We will remain vigilant in respect of any instances of illegal broadcasting of Premier League football and other UK-owned intellectual property rights, at home and abroad.
All off-payroll public sector staff are subject to being checked against IR35 legislation which came into effect in 2017. New legislative changes for off-payroll workers were confirmed with an implementation by 6thApril 2020 with implications for both public and private sector companies. The Government have since announced that this implementation will be delayed until 6th April 2021. The Department for International Trade (DIT) intend to be compliant with the new IR35 rules by the revised date of 6th April 2021. Currently, there are 182 workers in scope of IR35 and 141 outside the scope of IR35 within DIT. For UK Export Finance (UKEF), there are currently no contractors in scope of IR35. There are currently 14 contractors working for UKEF who fall outside the scope of IR35.
In May 2022, the latest full month for which information is available, the average time to make a licensing decision where the driving licence applicant had declared a medical condition was 91 working days.
The majority of applicants will be able to continue driving while their application is being processed, providing they can meet the criteria outlined here.
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)’s online services are the quickest and easiest way to make an application. The average time taken to process successful online applications between April 2021 and March 2022 was two working days.
All vehicles-related paper applications are now being processed within normal turnaround times.
The DVLA focused extra resource on vocational driving licence applications and cleared more than 55,000 applications in a matter of weeks at the height of the driver shortage. Routine applications for vocational driving licences are being processed within normal turnaround times of five working days. Applications where a medical condition must be investigated will take longer.
The quickest and easiest way to transact with 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 and the DVLA receives around 60,000 items of mail every day. The Government understands the impact that delays in processing paper applications can have on the daily lives of individuals and the DVLA is working hard to reduce waiting times. The DVLA has introduced additional online services, recruited more staff, increased overtime working and has opened new customer service centres in Swansea and Birmingham to reduce backlogs and provide future resilience. These measures are having a positive impact.
The backlog of vehicles paper applications has already been eliminated. Straightforward vocational driving licence applications and renewals are being processed within five working days with no backlog. The DVLA is on track to return to normal turnaround times on all paper driving licence applications by the end of May. Most straightforward paper driving licence applications are now being processed in around five weeks. Information on processing times for key DVLA workstreams is published online here.
The more complex driving licence applications where the customer has a medical condition(s) that must be investigated will take longer to recover. This area was targeted for industrial action by the Public and Commercial Services union last year and also DVLA cases were deprioritised by the NHS at a number of points during the pandemic. The large majority of applicants renewing an existing licence will be able to continue driving while their application is being processed, providing the driver can meet specific criteria. More information can be found online here.
We are aware of the British Airline Pilots Association’s (BALPA) interest in the future of pilot and engineer licences, and have communicated our current position to BALPA. In particular, we have made clear that that the UK will continue to engage with the EU and EASA on future areas of safety cooperation, where it can support industry while also aligning with our Governmental objectives. However, this must be understood in the context of EU exit allowing us to take control of UK licences, and seize opportunities that can support the UK and our vital aviation sector. BALPA is invited to regular industry engagement organised by the department to discuss issues including our international engagement.
It is for UK and EU airlines to assess market demand for air services and respond accordingly. The UK/EU Trade and Co-operation Agreement does not restrict air services between the UK and the EU and it enables airlines to lease additional capacity to meet demand if required.
The Department has been working closely with rail operators as they mitigate the impact of COVID-19 related staff absences on rail services. The current temporary train timetables are providing passengers with certainty so they can plan their journeys confidently.
The Operator has protected the train path to enable the service to be reintroduced from the May timetable change. The provision of the direct train remains under review in consideration of both demand and operator staff availability. As staffing pressures ease and passenger demand increases, operators will increase rail services accordingly to meet demand.
The Department does not hold data on the average time spent by hauliers waiting in traffic to board a ferry at Dover. The Port of Dover operates a ‘turn up and go service’ meaning HGVs will be placed on to the first available ferry when they arrive at the Port. There may be an occasion when hauliers have to wait and this may be due to peak periods of traffic at the Port. The Kent Resilience Forum (KRF) is responsible for traffic management in Kent.
The Government recognises the challenging times facing the international travel sectors due to COVID-19. Additional temporary testing measures introduced in response to the Omicron variant have helped prevent additional cases of Omicron from entering the UK. Government recognises the impact these temporary health measures have had on the travel and aviation industry, and they were updated on 5 January.
Since the start of the pandemic, we estimate that the air transport sector (airlines, airport and related services) will have benefitted from around £8bn of government support.
The Department for Transport does not anticipate any effects on road safety in the UK as a result of the Road Vehicles (Registration and Licensing) (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020.
Officials of the Department for Transport have had no such discussions on this issue with officials of the EU since the UK fully left the EU.
While the UK was a member of the EU, the UK electronically provided vehicle keeper data to EU Member States who enquired about vehicles who committed certain traffic offences. This was facilitated under the EU Cross-Border Enforcement Directive (CBE). The UK only used the outbound mechanism of CBE, meaning that we responded to enquiries from Member States, but we never sought to obtain the equivalent information from them about their nationals driving in the UK. Since leaving the EU, the UK is no longer obliged to provide vehicle keeper data to requesting EU Member States through this mechanism.
No discussions have taken place on the possibility of telematic technology being regulated and independently verified. Vehicles are not required by law to be fitted with a telematic technology.
The Government has not made an assessment of the reliability of telematic technology used in black boxes.
Vehicles are not required by law to be fitted with a black box telematic device. The reliability of such equipment for insurance purposes is a matter for the policy provider.
We will announce the final funding grants awarded to winners of the Green Fuels Green Skies competition shortly.
The Government is closely monitoring the shortage of PSV drivers, and is committed to working with the bus sector to encourage new entrants to the bus driving profession.
Through the Coronavirus Bus Service Support Grant (CBSSG), over £1.5 billion in emergency support was provided to the sector. Additionally, £226.5 million in recovery funding will be made available through the Bus Recovery Grant (BRG). The Government remains in discussion with stakeholders to ensure funding challenges in the sector are addressed.
The Department for Transport has engaged with multiple Local Authorities on this issue, primarily through engagement with the Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning and Transport (ADEPT) and, the Urban Transport Group (UTG).
Our colleagues in DfE are also speaking regularly to their contacts in local authority school transport teams about this issue.
Visa and work permit arrangements for the purpose of undertaking paid work is a matter for individual EU Member States. Since these rules are set by individual Member States, it is not a matter that the Department has discussed recently with EU officials.
The UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) allows EU hauliers to continue to operate to, from, through and within the UK without the need for permits. The TCA ensures that the vast majority of journeys will continue as they did before the end of the transition period.
The implementation of changes contained in the TCA, which will be introduced during 2022, will include some changes for the light haulage sector in the scope of shared rules for international transport related to operator licensing. This has been discussed cross-departmentally.
As part of the Department’s ongoing monitoring of cruise restart, we were notified through both industry reporting and Test and Trace that a number of crew and passengers tested positive for COVID-19 during and after domestic sailings on the MSC Virtuosa last month.
Cases on board were managed in line with industry protocols, in coordination with Public Health England and port health authorities. My officials have spoken with MSC and are content with the implementation of the protocols.
The evidence from cruises continues to strongly demonstrate that cruises can operate safely and respond to any outbreaks effectively.
As part of the Department’s ongoing monitoring of cruise restart, we were notified through both industry reporting and Test and Trace that a number of crew and passengers tested positive for COVID-19 during and after domestic sailings on the MSC Virtuosa last month.
Cases on board were managed in line with industry protocols, in coordination with Public Health England and port health authorities. My officials have spoken with MSC and are content with the implementation of the protocols.
The evidence from cruises continues to strongly demonstrate that cruises can operate safely and respond to any outbreaks effectively.
During the last two financial years the Department for Transport purchased 6 Union flags. The flags were purchased from a supplier (Flags and Flag Poles) based in the UK. Information is not recorded on the country of manufacture.
During the last two financial years the Department for Transport purchased 6 Union flags. The flags were purchased from a supplier (Flags and Flag Poles) based in the UK. Information is not recorded on the country of manufacture.
An announcement on shortlisted winners of the Green Fuels, Green Skies (GFGS) competition was made on 23 July and is currently available on the competition’s webpage. Eight projects were shortlisted for a share of an overall sum of £15m to support the early-stage development of UK sustainable aviation fuel plants.
Final announcements on GFGS winners will be released when the grant offer process has completed with all projects. We hope to be able to make a full announcement shortly.
We are assessing the bids and currently expect to announce the outcomes later this year.
The Secretary of State regularly meets with airlines (and other stakeholders in the sector) and listens to issues raised.
The Department also regularly engages with industry to discuss concerns and update industry about developments, for example through the Aviation Safety Industry Engagement Forum.
The most recent data from the Annual Population Survey – Employment, provided by the Office of National Statistics, shows that the number of aircraft pilots and flight engineers employed reduced from 26,100 in 2019 to 24,000 in 2020. This latter figure includes pilots who may have been furloughed by their employers and experienced support under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS).
Skills retention and skills fade for highly trained jobs needs to be a key element of the sector’s recovery plan. To support this, we introduced the Aviation Skills Retention Platform (ASRP) in February 2021 to support the retention of skills within the sector, including for pilots, by offering increased visibility of opportunities across the sector. We are also looking to better understand employment trends through vacancy data submitted to the ASRP by employers.
The Department is also working with industry on maximising use of the existing support measures such as DWP’s Flexible Support Fund and Rapid Response Service to support aviation workers at risk of redundancy to stay in employment or move between sectors.
The UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement allows the vast majority of journeys between the UK and the EU to continue as they did before the end of the transition period, giving people the freedom to travel to and from the EU for work, holidays and to visit loved ones, Covid-19 restrictions allowing.
The Department holds data on plug-in car grants but this database does not provide the geographic breakdown required. By the end of 2020, the total number of plug-in car grant eligible models registered for the first time was as follows:
England 274,222
Ellesmere Port and Neston 193
Not all of these would necessarily have received a grant.
The Plug in Car Grant has supported over 350,000 vehicle applications since it was launched in December 2010. The following tables list the number of vehicles that have been approved. The Plug in Car Grant eligibility criteria and the amount of the grant has changed over time and the impact of those changes is reflected in uptake figures. Key changes are listed below:
There are several reasons why orders placed may not eventually be approved. The main reason is order cancellations. Order numbers since April 2021 have not been included as they are commercially sensitive for Government until the financial year has been completed.
It is important to note that orders are allowed 9 or 12 months to complete – the point at which the car is registered and delivered to the customer and the grant subsequently paid. For this reason the number of approved car placed in the November to March 2021 period is likely to increase.
Cars - All Orders | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
2010 |
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| 16 |
2011 | 22 | 84 | 367 | 96 | 58 | 115 | 45 | 59 | 49 | 30 | 32 | 57 |
2012 | 80 | 101 | 248 | 124 | 201 | 125 | 337 | 218 | 169 | 352 | 232 | 146 |
2013 | 111 | 185 | 342 | 185 | 440 | 325 | 384 | 330 | 436 | 273 | 335 | 470 |
2014 | 690 | 496 | 940 | 514 | 778 | 1391 | 1372 | 1177 | 2485 | 2094 | 1968 | 2115 |
2015 | 1927 | 2695 | 4223 | 1746 | 2790 | 2835 | 2535 | 1775 | 2963 | 2427 | 2416 | 4174 |
2016 | 6314 | 12555 | 1693 | 1490 | 1328 | 1841 | 1590 | 2743 | 3383 | 1707 | 2405 | 2647 |
2017 | 3353 | 3884 | 5608 | 2899 | 3908 | 4542 | 4007 | 4175 | 5895 | 4056 | 4787 | 4170 |
2018 | 4388 | 5038 | 6469 | 3587 | 3890 | 4129 | 3897 | 4526 | 5365 | 14388 | 1232 | 1464 |
2019 | 1344 | 1395 | 2912 | 2083 | 2548 | 4538 | 5719 | 5091 | 5776 | 4832 | 4514 | 6757 |
2020 | 8238 | 11825 | 35912 | 1083 | 1168 | 4555 | 5822 | 6318 | 13646 | 8637 | 7500 | 13465 |
2021 | 6927 | 9932 | 17908 |
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Cars - Approved | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
2010 |
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| 16 |
2011 | 21 | 72 | 297 | 81 | 56 | 83 | 44 | 55 | 47 | 28 | 25 | 57 |
2012 | 72 | 88 | 213 | 82 | 187 | 72 | 300 | 204 | 158 | 340 | 218 | 145 |
2013 | 103 | 178 | 333 | 177 | 435 | 305 | 354 | 317 | 412 | 264 | 328 | 432 |
2014 | 623 | 450 | 856 | 470 | 732 | 1325 | 1312 | 1104 | 2385 | 1994 | 1887 | 2011 |
2015 | 1833 | 2620 | 4096 | 1629 | 2582 | 2584 | 2257 | 1638 | 2809 | 2242 | 2244 | 3744 |
2016 | 5053 | 9553 | 1506 | 1248 | 1111 | 1519 | 1279 | 2541 | 3100 | 1569 | 2232 | 2486 |
2017 | 3103 | 3537 | 5240 | 2577 | 3507 | 4050 | 3486 | 3581 | 5223 | 3459 | 4195 | 3527 |
2018 | 3836 | 4414 | 5840 | 3082 | 3431 | 3724 | 3482 | 4096 | 4890 | 10661 | 1011 | 1204 |
2019 | 1142 | 1160 | 2532 | 1461 | 2075 | 3788 | 4685 | 4376 | 5067 | 4063 | 3569 | 5369 |
2020 | 6801 | 9063 | 22720 | 797 | 963 | 3911 | 5004 | 5553 | 11920 | 7691 | 6624 | 11683 |
2021 | 5535 | 8147 | 13286 |
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The Plug-in Taxi Grant was introduced in January 2018 and the numbers of vehicles which have received funding from the scheme are as follows.
Taxis - All Orders | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
2018 | 82 | 134 | 46 | 42 | 75 | 125 | 117 | 125 | 98 | 220 | 190 | 159 |
2019 | 107 | 96 | 252 | 157 | 193 | 183 | 204 | 204 | 234 | 301 | 204 | 145 |
2020 | 197 | 279 | 119 | 4 | 5 | 49 | 71 | 78 | 166 | 65 | 58 | 42 |
2021 | 11 | 28 | 125 |
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Taxis - Approved | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
2018 | 60 | 87 | 40 | 35 | 65 | 102 | 102 | 115 | 85 | 199 | 160 | 149 |
2019 | 83 | 93 | 238 | 146 | 190 | 162 | 195 | 189 | 220 | 260 | 197 | 141 |
2020 | 190 | 212 | 48 | 3 | 5 | 43 | 65 | 75 | 160 | 60 | 56 | 36 |
2021 | 11 | 23 | 111 |
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British Transport Police regularly analyse suicide patterns. The causes of these tragic events are complex and the most significant risk factors relate to mental health. My officials and I work with industry, the British Transport Police and charities to ensure that vulnerable people can be identified and provided the support they need. Staffing and staff training plays a key role in our response, and industry colleagues make approximately 2,000 lifesaving interventions each year which means six lives are saved for everyone lost.
The Secretary of State regularly engages with Network Rail, Transport for London and train operators to discuss fatalities on the rail network. The number of suicides each year is relatively static averaging about 300 per year. We support the extensive work taking place within the rail industry to both prevent, and attempt to drive a reduction in incidents.
The success of the vaccination rollout has paved the way for the gradual lifting of restrictions. Since 19 July, many of the legal restrictions that the Government has imposed through the pandemic have been lifted, including the requirement to wear face coverings on public transport. However, cautious guidance will remain. The Government expects and recommends that people wear face coverings in crowded areas. This includes public transport but also other settings which are busy. By practising key behaviours, people can continue to protect themselves and others. Employees and customers who wish to wear a face covering should be supported to do so. If transport operators wish to set their own policy on face coverings, that is a matter for them to consider, as long as they meet existing legal obligations including under equalities law.
To improve the length of time taken to process medical licensing applications, the DVLA has recruited additional staff. This includes increasing the number of in-house doctors it employs and temporary administrative staff. Nurse caseworkers are being utilised to deal with specific conditions. The DVLA is also working with the relevant bodies to explore ways of reducing the time taken to receive the information needed to make licensing decisions.
The DVLA has also recently trialed a simplified renewal process for some medical conditions. This has significantly reduced the turnaround times for some drivers.
Where possible the DVLA will refer specific medical conditions to its in-house doctors in the first instance, to make a licensing decision using the information held.
The Department is looking at a range of measures to improve rail across the North of England including services between Cheshire and Manchester, which were part of the consultation on Manchester timetable changes held earlier this year. In a separate review, the Department is also asking the public for views on services along the East Coast Mainline. Neston station is expected to benefit from a more frequent service on the Wrexham – Bidston line in the coming year.