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).
Ensure Trans people are fully protected under any conversion therapy ban
Sign this petition Gov Responded - 12 May 2022 Debated on - 13 Jun 2022 View Kate Osborne's petition debate contributionsEnsure any ban fully includes trans people and all forms of conversion therapy.
Hold a public inquiry into Government contracts granted during Covid-19
Gov Responded - 5 Jan 2021 Debated on - 21 Jun 2021 View Kate Osborne's petition debate contributionsThere should be a public inquiry into Government contracts granted during Covid-19. Many contracts have been granted without full and open procurement processes. A public inquiry would be able to ascertain whether contracts had been procured fairly and represent value for money for tax payers.
Enforce the “50+1” Rule for professional football club ownership in the UK
Gov Responded - 24 May 2021 Debated on - 14 Jun 2021 View Kate Osborne's petition debate contributionsBring in a law which enforces professional football clubs to have at least 51% fan ownership similar to how the Bundesliga operates this rule.
Introduce an Independent Regulator for Football in England by December 2021
Gov Responded - 7 Jun 2021 Debated on - 14 Jun 2021 View Kate Osborne's petition debate contributionsThe Government should use the recently established fan led review of football to introduce an Independent Football Regulator in England to put fans back at the heart of our national game. This should happen by December 2021.
Give government workers a fair pay rise
Gov Responded - 16 Oct 2020 Debated on - 14 Dec 2020 View Kate Osborne's petition debate contributionsDuring the pandemic government workers have delivered vital public services and kept our country safe and secure. After ten years in which the real value of civil service pay has fallen, many face hardship. The Government must start to restore the real value of their pay with a 10% increase in 2020.
Give all key workers a 100% tax and Nat. Ins. holiday through COVID-19 crisis
Gov Responded - 27 Apr 2020 Debated on - 14 Dec 2020 View Kate Osborne's petition debate contributionsThe government is helping private firms to protect jobs by paying up to 80% of staff wages through this crisis. If it can do this why can it not help key workers who will be putting themselves/their families at risk and working extra hard under extremely challenging and unprecedented circumstances.
These initiatives were driven by Kate Osborne, 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.
Kate Osborne has not been granted any Urgent Questions
Kate Osborne has not been granted any Adjournment Debates
A Bill to provide for the Secretary of State to make regulations about the safety of goods sold online; and for connected purposes.
Education and Training (Welfare of Children) Act 2021 - Private Members' Bill (Ballot Bill)
Sponsor - Mary Kelly Foy (LAB)
National Minimum Wage Bill 2019-21 - Private Members' Bill (Ballot Bill)
Sponsor - Paula Barker (LAB)
As of September 2021, the number of households in temporary accommodation in England was 96,060, and the number of families in temporary accommodation is at its lowest level since 2016.
The Government is committed to reducing the need for temporary accommodation by preventing homelessness before it occurs. We have given local authorities £375 million this year through the Homelessness Prevention Grant to prevent homelessness and help more people sooner.
This includes an exceptional top up for this financial year with an additional £65 million for local authorities to help vulnerable households with rent arrears to reduce the risk of them being evicted and becoming homeless.
I refer the Hon. member to the answer given to PQ 141420 on 29 January 2021.
The Government is committed to fostering a strong, diverse and competitive financial services sector to ensure that SMEs can access the right type of finance to meet their needs.
The Government recognises the vital role that alternative lenders, including Community Development Finance Institutions (CDFIs), have played in the provision of credit to SMEs and is grateful for the way the sector has responded during the pandemic. It remains committed to promoting competition and widening the finance options available to UK businesses. We will continue to review our policies and work with the sector through its trade body, Responsible Finance, to achieve those outcomes.
One example of this collaboration is the Start Up Loans programme, whose extension for a further three years was confirmed at Budget. The programme offers loans of up to £25,000 to entrepreneurs and the participation of CDFIs as delivery partners helps to ensure that this opportunity is available to underserved businesses across the UK. 11 of the 21 Start Up Loans delivery partners are CDFIs, and they account for approx. 30 per cent of the loans issued through the scheme in 2020/21.
More widely, the British Business Bank was working with 21 CDFI delivery partners across a range of its programmes at July 2021. These programmes include the Regional Funds and the Recovery Loan Scheme. In addition, 14 CDFIs were accredited lenders for the Covid loan schemes.
The Government will publish its proposals for consultation on the regulatory regime for the insolvency profession shortly.
The Government agrees with the broad intentions of the Local Electricity Bill, but does not support it as the means to enable local energy supply. There are already mechanisms in the market to allow local supply. The current Ofgem regulatory regime allows for a company to supply a specific geographic area, and small-scale generators can also apply for a licence exemption in some cases to reduce the regulatory burdens of operating at a community level.
The Government supports community energy projects through the Rural Community Energy Fund and will work with Ofgem to ensure that local communities can play their role in delivering Net Zero and a Green Recovery.
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy worked with a wide range of stakeholders to draft the guidance on safe return to work, as well as Public Health England and the Health and Safety Executive.
The Secretary of State chaired seven roundtables and held other discussions involving employers, employees, unions, employer representative organisations and industry bodies. Additionally, there was extensive official-level engagement with those stakeholders as well as other Government department officials.
In all, the Department engaged in over 1000 one-to-one and group discussions. We made drafts of the guidance available to stakeholders to gather direct feedback, and we received over 750 responses to that consultation process. The final guidance reflects that incredible collective effort.
Government continues to monitor the Covid-19 schemes and is providing support across business for VAT and tax deferrals; and all business can reach out to their lenders and landlords for payment holidays during the Covid crisis.
Government is working with lenders to ensure that businesses can access finance. Depending on their eligibility newly formed businesses may be eligible for the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) or Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS).
Businesses are eligible for the CBILS if they are UK-based in their activity, with annual turnover of no more than £45m. For start-ups, or SMEs which have traded for less than 12 months, the lender should estimate turnover based upon the SME’s forecasted turnover for the first 12 months of trading.
Businesses are eligible for the BBLS if they are UK-based in their activity, were established on or before 1 March 2020 and have been negatively affected by Coronavirus.
All businesses in England including your constituency, can continue to access support through our GOV.UK website, the Business Support Helpline (0300 456 3565), and through their Local Growth Hubs.
We recognise the importance of ensuring public access to indoor and outdoor pools and that swimming is a great way for people of all ages to stay fit and healthy.
Government has provided a range of support for swimming pools during the pandemic. The £100 million National Leisure Recovery Fund supported the reopening of local authority swimming pools throughout the country. In addition, Sport England have made 127 Covid support awards to the Swimming & Diving community (totalling £1,100,560), and a further 20 awards to multi-sport projects (totalling £211,171) where swimming and diving are expected to benefit.
Beyond Covid, Sport England have awarded £8,529,154 to swimming and diving projects since April 2017, and have provided £16,123,002 of funding to Swim England in the same period.
The government recognises that the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to be extremely challenging for businesses, including in the Bingo sector. In recognition of the impact of requiring some businesses to remain closed for a longer period, we have introduced an enhanced package of support, including Restart Grants of up to £18,000 per premises, specifically for those which have been required to remain closed beyond Step 2. The package also includes extensions to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, with further discretionary funding for Local Authorities.
Bingo clubs have accessed £44m of government support via the Coronavirus Jobs Retention Scheme (£26.8m), Eat Out to Help Out (£600k), Business Rates Relief (£15.9m) and Grant funding (£1.6m). We are continuing to work with organisations in the land-based gambling sector to understand the impacts and how we may be able to support them.
Whilst we would like to offer as many businesses as possible the opportunity to take part in the pilot programme, unfortunately it is not logistically feasible at this stage to run a large number of pilot events. I fully recognise that in normal times, fans would cherish the opportunity to travel to Wembley Stadium to support their club’s participation in the FA Vase final, and I understand the disappointment with this not being possible this year. The return of crowds is our priority for all football clubs, and we look forward to being able to welcome back fans to clubs as soon as it is safe to do so.
The government recognises the importance of spectators to competitive sport, and to football in particular, as our national game, from the grassroots to the Premier League.
We welcome the return of spectators at selected sporting events as part of the science-led Events Research Programme (ERP). The ERP is running a series of pilots in April and May to inform decisions around the safe removal of social distancing at Step 4 of the Roadmap. The pilots will be run across a range of settings, venues, and activities, including football games, so that findings will support the full reopening of similar settings across multiple sectors.
The government has published the ‘COVID-19 Response - Spring 2021’ setting out the roadmap out of the lockdown restrictions for England, and which explains how restrictions will be eased over time.
Step 2 of the Government's roadmap sets out that spectators are not permitted to attend sporting events taking place on private land, other than for safeguarding purposes for or providing care or assistance to a person with disabilities participating in an organised sporting event or activity. They should maintain social distance and not mix with other households. This does not prevent people from viewing recreational or organised sport that is taking place in a public space, e.g. a park, in groups of up to 6 people or 2 households.
Sporting events that are intended to attract spectators (including ticketed events), or events that are likely to attract a significant number of spectators (e.g. a major marathon) should not take place in a public space, or on private land, until Step 3.
The Government believes that a fast, reliable broadband network is essential, which is why we are committed to ensuring nationwide gigabit-capable broadband as soon as possible. We are making good progress towards this target, with around 1 in 3 UK premises now able to access a gigabit-capable connection according to the latest figures from Ofcom and ThinkBroadband.
With regards to classifying broadband as an essential utility, operators already have strong rights to support rollout of new fibre. We are proposing to further strengthen these rights following through the Telecoms Infrastructure (Leasehold Property) Bill, which aims to make it easier for providers to connect tenanted properties where there are unresponsive landlords. Alongside this, we are committed to consulting on further reforms to the Electronic Communications Code, the statutory framework underpinning the rights of telecoms operators to deploy digital infrastructure on public and private land.
The Government will continue to take action to support gigabit rollout in other ways. For example, in harder to reach areas, we are investing £5 billion through our UK Gigabit Programme.
The Secretary of State provided a major £1.57 billion support package for key cultural organisations to help them through the coronavirus pandemic. Live comedy is a much loved part of the British cultural landscape. Comedy venues and organisations are eligible for support through the package.
The Culture Recovery Fund will provide targeted support to organisations in the cultural and heritage sectors. The Fund is being delivered by Arts Council England, the British Film Institute, Historic England and the National Lottery Heritage Fund, who are currently considering applications. Announcements about allocations will be made in the coming weeks.
The Live Comedy Association has attended regular ministerially-chaired roundtables that seek to ensure Creative Industries sectors are being assisted as effectively as possible.
We will continue to work with the comedy sector to understand the difficulties the industry faces and help it access support available to address challenges.
Sports and physical activity facilities play a crucial role in supporting adults and children to be active and the Government is committed to reopening facilities as soon as it is safe to do so. The government has announced that indoor fitness and dance studios, and indoor gyms and sports venues/facilities would remain closed, but since 4 July other indoor facilities, including some indoor games, recreation and entertainment venues have reopened.
The Secretary of State has established a task force to work with the sport and leisure sector to help them become COVID-secure and re-open as soon as possible. As with all aspects of the Government’s response to COVID-19, we will be guided by public health considerations to ensure that as restrictions are eased people can return to activity safely.
Sports and physical activity facilities play a crucial role in supporting adults and children to be active and the Government is committed to reopening facilities as soon as it is safe to do so. The government has announced that indoor fitness and dance studios, and indoor gyms and sports venues/facilities would remain closed but from 4 July other indoor facilities, including indoor games, recreation and entertainment venues would reopen.
The Secretary of State has established a task force with the sport and leisure sector to help them become Covid-secure and re-open as soon as possible.As with all aspects of the Government’s response to Covid-19, we will be guided by the science to ensure that as restrictions are eased people can return to activity safely.
Under the Communications (Television Licensing) Regulations 2004, TV Licence concessions are available to people who are registered blind or severely sight impaired, people who live in qualifying residential care and are disabled or over 60 years old.
There are no further concessions available for people with severe hearing impairment and we are not considering making changes to the current concessions regime at this time.
The government has made clear that the TV Licence model will be reconsidered again ahead of the next Charter Review, which is set to be completed by 2027.
Milk is an excellent food for children’s growth and development. This is why under the school food standards, schools must ensure it is available to all pupils who want it during school hours. Further guidance on the school food standards can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-food-standards-resources-for-schools.
Lower fat milk or lactose reduced milk must be available for drinking at least once a day during school hours and milk must be provided free of charge to pupils eligible for free school meals. Schools may offer milk as many times as they wish, however it must be free to infant and benefits-based free school meal pupils when it is offered as part of their school meal and free to benefits-based free school meal pupils at all other times.
Where schools provide milk, they can also choose whether to participate in the School Milk Subsidy Scheme which can be used to reduce the cost of the milk. The rate for the subsidy is topped up nationally for pupils in primary education.
Further information about the scheme is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/the-school-milk-subsidy-scheme-guidance.
As announced in the Spring Statement, the government is continuing to provide targeted cost of living support for households most in need. From April 2022, the government is providing an additional £500 million to help households with the cost of household essentials, on top of what we have already provided since October 2021, bringing the total funding for this support to £1 billion.
The Lifelong Loan Entitlement (LLE) will provide individuals with a loan entitlement to the equivalent of four years of post-18 education to use over their lifetime. It will be available for both modules and full years of study at higher technical and degree levels (levels 4 to 6), regardless of whether they are provided in colleges or universities.
We want to drive a transformative impact on post-18 study, delivering greater parity between further education (FE) and higher education (HE). Under this flexible skills system, people will be able to space out their studies and learn at a pace that is right for them, including choosing to build up their qualifications over time, within both FE and HE providers.
The Skills and post-16 Education Bill modifies my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education’s existing powers to set the levels of loan available to support more modular provision, which could extend across both tuition fee and maintenance support. The LLE is also intended to fund whole courses, or their component modules if taken separately, that meet the necessary regulatory requirements and are provided by or on behalf of a registered provider. We are considering what maintenance loans and student support grants would be available for any study funded through the LLE, as well as how to best support modular study. We will consult on the detail and scope of this in due course. The LLE does not extend to level 3 provision, which is already funded through a number of other funding streams.
The Adult Education Budget (AEB) fully funds or co-funds skills provision for eligible adults aged 19 and above from pre-entry to level 3, to support adults to gain the skills they need for work, an apprenticeship or further learning. This includes a statutory entitlement to full funding for adult learners aged 19-23 undertaking their first full qualification at level 3.
Since 1 April 2021, the National Skills Fund has been supporting any adult who does not have A level equivalent or higher qualifications, to access over 400 fully funded level 3 courses, with Free Courses for Jobs. This offer is a long-term commitment, backed by £95 million from the National Skills Fund in year one. From April, any adult in England earning under the national living wage annually (£18,525) or unemployed, will also be able to access the Free Courses for Jobs offer for free, regardless of their prior qualification level.
Living costs support is not offered to those undertaking level 3 qualifications. General support for those costs is provided for by the Department for Work and Pensions. Through grant funding and a bursary fund for those with an advanced learner loan, colleges and other training providers are able to help adult learners overcome barriers which prevent them from taking part or continuing in learning. This includes:
The Lifelong Loan Entitlement (LLE) will provide individuals with a loan entitlement to the equivalent of four years of post-18 education to use over their lifetime. It will be available for both modules and full years of study at higher technical and degree levels (levels 4 to 6), regardless of whether they are provided in colleges or universities.
We want to drive a transformative impact on post-18 study, delivering greater parity between further education (FE) and higher education (HE). Under this flexible skills system, people will be able to space out their studies and learn at a pace that is right for them, including choosing to build up their qualifications over time, within both FE and HE providers.
The Skills and post-16 Education Bill modifies my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education’s existing powers to set the levels of loan available to support more modular provision, which could extend across both tuition fee and maintenance support. The LLE is also intended to fund whole courses, or their component modules if taken separately, that meet the necessary regulatory requirements and are provided by or on behalf of a registered provider. We are considering what maintenance loans and student support grants would be available for any study funded through the LLE, as well as how to best support modular study. We will consult on the detail and scope of this in due course. The LLE does not extend to level 3 provision, which is already funded through a number of other funding streams.
The Adult Education Budget (AEB) fully funds or co-funds skills provision for eligible adults aged 19 and above from pre-entry to level 3, to support adults to gain the skills they need for work, an apprenticeship or further learning. This includes a statutory entitlement to full funding for adult learners aged 19-23 undertaking their first full qualification at level 3.
Since 1 April 2021, the National Skills Fund has been supporting any adult who does not have A level equivalent or higher qualifications, to access over 400 fully funded level 3 courses, with Free Courses for Jobs. This offer is a long-term commitment, backed by £95 million from the National Skills Fund in year one. From April, any adult in England earning under the national living wage annually (£18,525) or unemployed, will also be able to access the Free Courses for Jobs offer for free, regardless of their prior qualification level.
Living costs support is not offered to those undertaking level 3 qualifications. General support for those costs is provided for by the Department for Work and Pensions. Through grant funding and a bursary fund for those with an advanced learner loan, colleges and other training providers are able to help adult learners overcome barriers which prevent them from taking part or continuing in learning. This includes:
The government can confirm that funding for the School Games Organisers will be available for the full 2021/22 academic year. The government is considering arrangements for the School Games Organiser network for the 2022/23 academic year and beyond, and will confirm the position in 2022.
We are also working to deliver on the nearly £30 million announced in October 2021 towards opening up school sport facilities in England, as well as to improve the teaching of Physical Education at primary school. We will continue to work closely with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport and the Department of Health and Social Care to deliver on the aims of the School Sport and Activity Action Plan which we will be updating in 2022.
From Tuesday 14 December, a new national approach to daily testing for contacts of COVID-19 was introduced (including until the end of this term). All adults who are fully vaccinated and children aged 5 to 18 years and 6 months, identified as a contact of someone with COVID-19, whether Omicron or not, should take a lateral flow device test every day for 7 days instead of self-isolating. Daily testing by close contacts will help to slow the spread of COVID-19.
Daily testing for contacts of COVID-19 will help protect schools, colleges and nurseries by reducing transmission and help keep pupils in face-to-face education.
Children under five years old do not need to take part in daily testing for contacts of COVID-19 and do not need to isolate.
The Department takes the issue of asbestos in schools very seriously, and is committed to supporting schools, local authorities, and academy trusts to fulfil their duty to manage asbestos safely. Expert advice from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is that if asbestos is unlikely to be damaged or disturbed then it is best managed in situ. We are clear that if asbestos does pose a safety risk and cannot be effectively managed in situ, then it should be removed from schools.
Since 2015, the Department has allocated over £9.5 billion, including an additional £560 million in the 2020-21 financial year, to those responsible for school buildings for essential maintenance and improvements, including removing or encapsulation when it is the safest course of action to do so.
In February 2021, the Department announced the first 50 schools to benefit from the new School Rebuilding Programme as part of a commitment to 500 projects over the next decade. School Rebuilding Programme investment is targeted on the basis of buildings’ condition. A full explanation of the methodology used to prioritise the first 50 schools has been published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-rebuilding-programme.
The Department intends to consult later this year on the approach to prioritising schools for the longer term programme.
Due to the national lockdown measures now in place, we must take further steps to reduce transmission, including by significantly reducing the number of students returning to university from their winter break accommodation, and limiting the number of people travelling to and from university facilities. We are now prioritising the return to face-to-face teaching for courses which are most important to be delivered in-person to support the pipeline of future key workers. All other courses should be delivered online until at least mid-February. Our aim is to minimise the number of students who return to university to access university facilities.
The government’s clear and stated expectation is that universities should maintain the quality and quantity of tuition and seek to ensure that all students regardless of their background have the resources to study remotely. This is more important than ever at the moment with the vast majority of students studying solely online. The Office for Students (OfS), as regulator for higher education (HE) providers in England, has made it clear that HE providers must continue to comply with registration conditions relating to quality and academic standards, which set out requirements to ensure that courses are high-quality, that students are supported and achieve good outcomes and that standards are protected, regardless of whether a provider is delivering its courses through face-to-face teaching, remote online learning, or a combination of both.
The OfS has published guidance on how best to ensure students continue to receive a high-quality academic experience in the light of the COVID-19 outbreak. This sets out that providers should make all reasonable efforts to provide alternative teaching and support for students that is at least broadly equivalent to the provider’s usual arrangements. The OfS will keep this guidance under review to ensure it remains relevant to the developing circumstances of the outbreak.
The OfS is actively monitoring providers to ensure that they maintain the quality of their provision, that it is accessible for all and that they have been clear in their communications with students about how arrangements for teaching and learning may change throughout the year. The OfS is also following up directly with providers where they receive notifications from students, parents or others raising concerns about the quality of teaching on offer and require providers to report to them when they are not able to deliver a course or award a qualification. If the OfS has concerns, it will investigate further.
OfS capital grants can be used to address the needs of individual students for remote access to learning, teaching, assessment and the related services of a provider, for example through the provision of equipment or connectivity services, where students would not otherwise be able to secure these.
The government has also worked closely with the OfS to help clarify that providers can draw upon existing funding to increase hardship funds. Providers are able to use OfS Student Premium funding worth approximately £256 million for this academic year towards student hardship funds. We are also currently making available up to £20 million of additional hardship funding on a one-off basis to support those that need it most, particularly disadvantaged students.
Students with a part-time employment contract should also speak to their employer about the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, which has been set up to help pay staff wages and keep people in employment.
Schools supply daily attendance updates relating to COVID-19 to the Department through the schools’ online portal.
The Department also has well established Regional Education and Children’s Teams (REACTs) in place. Their purpose is to help coordinate how information and intelligence about local needs and circumstances is captured during the COVID-19 outbreak.
REACTs are in regular contact with local authorities (Directors of Children’s Services or their representatives) in England to discuss local plans and to offer support. Similarly, the same teams are in regular contact with a range of academy trusts. Through these conversations, REACTs discuss providing practical support to those local authority areas that require it. This includes a range of actions, from answering questions to action planning, and offering and negotiating resources to support local authorities.
On 7 January, the Department published further guidance which sets out what all schools will need to do during the COVID-19 outbreak from January 2021: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/950510/School_national_restrictions_guidance.pdf.
Schools will be familiar with much of this guidance, including the system of controls, which they have been implementing since the start of the autumn term.
The Department will continue to keep its plans under review and ensure our position is informed by the latest evidence.
The Government announced on 3 December 2020 that the Department would not publish the normal school and college performance tables in autumn 2021, based on summer 2021 grades. This remains the case. The announcement is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-school-and-college-performance-measures.
As schools open more widely, and their kitchens reopen, we expect schools to make food parcels available for collection or delivery for any children that are eligible for free school meals who are staying at home.
Arranging food parcels helps ensure that eligible children have access to a healthy free meal and can also help the school to stay in contact with those families. We know that many schools have made excellent food parcel arrangements throughout this period.
If a school cannot provide meals or food parcels for children who are at home, they can continue to offer vouchers to families of eligible pupils.
Our guidance on free school meals during this period is available here:
The Government has committed over £100 million to support vulnerable and disadvantaged children in England to access remote education, including by providing laptops, tablets and 4G routers.
We are providing laptops and tablets to disadvantaged children who would otherwise not have access and are preparing for examinations in Year 10, receiving support from a social worker or are a care leaver. Where care leavers, children with a social worker at secondary school and disadvantaged children in Year 10 do not have internet connections, we are providing 4G wireless routers.
Local authorities and academy trusts are best placed to identify and prioritise children and young people who need devices. The Department is agreeing the number of devices allocated to each local authority and academy trust based on its estimates of the number of eligible children that do not have access to a device.
The Department is asking primary schools to invite back Year 6 pupils to support their transition to secondary school.
Primary schools should ensure that information is transferred to destination secondary schools as soon as possible. If practical in the absence of examination results, primary schools should ensure that secondary schools are briefed in as much detail as possible about the attainment profile of pupils.
The Department’s latest guidance for primary schools can be found here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/preparing-for-the-wider-opening-of-schools-from-1-june/planning-guide-for-primary-schools.
The Department is working to publish further guidance for secondary schools shortly.
Our staying alert and safe (social distancing) guidance explains the measures that will help everyone to stay alert and safe as we continue to respond to the challenges of COVID-19.
Grandparents may only provide childcare for their grandchildren if they live as part of the same household. It is still not permitted to leave your house to visit friends and family in their home.
The government is looking at how to facilitate greater contact with close family or friends and will explain how this can be done safely in the coming weeks.
The guidance is available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/staying-alert-and-safe-social-distancing/staying-alert-and-safe-social-distancing.
From the week commencing 1 June, at the earliest, we will be asking primary schools to welcome back children in nursery, reception, year 1 and year 6, alongside priority groups. We will only do this provided that the five key tests set by the Government justify the changes at the time. We are asking school to plan on this basis, ahead of confirmation that these tests are met.
We have published guidance on implementing protective measures in education and childcare settings:
By returning pupils gradually, settings can initially reduce the number of children and young people in classrooms compared to usual and put protective measures in place to reduce risks.
Eligible children – including priority groups - are strongly encouraged to attend their education setting, unless they are self-isolating or they are clinically vulnerable. Parents will not be fined for non-attendance at this time and schools and colleges will not be held to account for attendance levels. Further guidance for parents and carers can be found here:
From the week commencing 1 June, at the earliest, we will be asking primary schools to welcome back children in nursery, reception, year 1 and year 6, alongside priority groups. We will only do this provided that the five key tests set by the Government justify the changes at the time. We are asking school to plan on this basis, ahead of confirmation that these tests are met.
We have published guidance on implementing protective measures in education and childcare settings:
By returning pupils gradually, settings can initially reduce the number of children and young people in classrooms compared to usual and put protective measures in place to reduce risks.
Eligible children – including priority groups - are strongly encouraged to attend their education setting, unless they are self-isolating or they are clinically vulnerable. Parents will not be fined for non-attendance at this time and schools and colleges will not be held to account for attendance levels. Further guidance for parents and carers can be found here:
From the week commencing 1 June, at the earliest, we will be asking primary schools to welcome back children in nursery, reception, year 1 and year 6, alongside priority groups. We will only do this provided that the five key tests set by the Government justify the changes at the time. We are asking school to plan on this basis, ahead of confirmation that these tests are met.
We have published guidance on implementing protective measures in education and childcare settings:
By returning pupils gradually, settings can initially reduce the number of children and young people in classrooms compared to usual and put protective measures in place to reduce risks.
Eligible children – including priority groups - are strongly encouraged to attend their education setting, unless they are self-isolating or they are clinically vulnerable. Parents will not be fined for non-attendance at this time and schools and colleges will not be held to account for attendance levels. Further guidance for parents and carers can be found here:
Our ambition is for every child, no matter what challenges they face, to have access to a world-class education that sets them up for life. We want to support children and young people with education, health and care plans and ensure that they are able to access all the same opportunities as their peers.
Due to the cancellation of exams, students who were due to sit GCSEs this year, including those who attend special schools, will receive calculated grades.
Students in special schools may also be studying a range of vocational qualifications. The department has been working with the regulator, Ofqual, to ensure that as many students as possible receive results for any exams or assessments they were due to take this summer and it is our policy that pupils taking vocational or technical qualifications alongside or instead of GCSEs (or A levels) should receive calculated results, in a similar way to their peers taking GCSEs. Ofqual is working with awarding organisations to implement this. These students should also receive their results on the same day as GCSE (or A level) pupils. We recognise that some courses do not lend themselves to calculated grades and so may need to have their assessments adapted, or in minority of cases, delayed.
The Department is committed to ensuring that children can continue to learn at home in these very difficult circumstances. We recognise that many schools and colleges have already shared resources for children who are at home, and we are grateful for this.
The Department has issued guidance for schools which signposts to an initial list of free online resources identified by educational experts and teachers. Many other suppliers have also helpfully made their resources available for free. The guidance is available here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-online-education-resources.
The Department has also issued information, guidance and support to parents and carers of children who are learning from home at:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/supporting-your-childrens-education-during-coronavirus-covid-19.
Leading state schools have collaborated to open The Oak National Academy, which was launched online on 20 April. This new initiative is led by 40 teachers who have assembled video lessons and resources for any teacher in the country to make use of if they wish to do so. 180 video lessons will be provided each week, across a broad range of subjects, for every year group from Reception through to Year 10. Additionally, the BBC has developed resources for families as part of a comprehensive new education package, which is now available on TV and online at BBC Bitesize.
The Government has also committed over £100 million to boost remote education. This includes, providing devices and internet access for those who need it most, ensuring every school that wants it has access to free, expert technical support to get set up on Google for Education or Microsoft’s Office 365 Education, and offering peer support from schools and colleges leading the way with the use of education technology. Further information can be found here:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/get-help-with-technology-for-remote-education-during-coronavirus-covid-19.
Early years and childcare settings are closed except for children who are vulnerable and children whose parents are critical to the COVID-19 response and cannot be safely cared for at home. The list of critical workers is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-maintaining-educational-provision/guidance-for-schools-colleges-and-local-authorities-on-maintaining-educational-provision.
On 17 March 2020, the Chancellor of the Exchequer confirmed that we will continue to pay local authorities for free early years entitlement places for 2-, 3- and 4-year-olds. We will publish guidance shortly to set out how local authorities can use their free entitlement funding differently, redistributing it in exceptional cases and in a clearly focused and targeted way, in order to secure childcare for the children of critical workers and for vulnerable children at this time, where their usual arrangements are no longer possible.
Guidance, including details of additional business support available, for early years and childcare providers is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-early-years-and-childcare-closures/coronavirus-covid-19-early-years-and-childcare-closures.
The Student Loans Company (SLC) will make term 3 (summer term) tuition fee payments as scheduled and college students will continue to receive maintenance payments on the scheduled dates, whether or not campuses are closed or learning has been moved online.
Students will continue to receive scheduled payments of loans towards their living costs for the remainder of the current, 2019/20, academic year.
While it is for universities and private accommodation providers to make their own decisions about charging rents to absent students, we would encourage them to consider the fairness of doing so and to clearly communicate their policies to students. It is also important to stress that accommodation providers should not have instructed any student to leave. If any accommodation provider did formally instruct a student to leave the property then it would be unacceptable to continue to charge student rents.
We understand that, to date, 75 higher education providers have waived or refunded rents with 3 more making rent adjustments on a case-by-case basis.
The most recent figures show that 20% of all looked-after children were placed more than 20 miles from home, which is a concern.
Moving a child away from their home area is not a decision to be taken lightly and we have strengthened legislative safeguards in relation to children placed out of their local area. The needs of the child are paramount when deciding the right care placement. Local authorities have a statutory duty to ensure that there is sufficient provision for their looked after children.
We want to reduce out of area placements, but they will always be part of the care landscape. Sometimes circumstances make it the right decision for a child to be placed elsewhere, for example when they are at risk from sexual exploitation, trafficking or gang violence.
We’re helping to improve commissioning of placements, including providing funding through our £200 million children’s social care Innovation Programme. We are also providing seed funding to fostering partnerships to increase sufficiency of foster parents.
We have committed to undertaking a review of the care system. We have been clear that this review will be bold and broad, taking a fundamental look across children’s social care, with the aim of better supporting, protecting and improving the outcomes of vulnerable children and young people.
Defra is reviewing information provided from the Port of Tyne and other stakeholders in response to proposals for changes to Action Levels for sea disposal of dredged sediment, as well as evidence from work carried out by Cefas, and no decision has yet been made. Officials will continue to engage with stakeholders including those from the River Tyne to ensure we fully understand the impacts of the proposals for the region. Before implementing any proposed changes, an impact assessment will be completed. We will communicate the next steps in the review of Action Levels shortly.
The sediment transport pathways in the Tyne means that there is both a legacy contamination issue and transport of pollutants down the catchment where they are contributing to the issues. Action is therefore being taken via the Water and Abandoned Metal Mines Programme to control inputs of metals which pollute more than 150kms of rivers in the Tyne catchment and to alleviate problems in the estuary. This is supported by our proposed target tackling metal pollution under the Environment Act to reduce the length of rivers and estuaries polluted by target substances from abandoned metal mines, which we are currently consulting on.
Defra is reviewing information provided from the Port of Tyne and other stakeholders in response to proposals for changes to Action Levels for sea disposal of dredged sediment, as well as evidence from work carried out by Cefas, and no decision has yet been made. Officials will continue to engage with stakeholders including those from the River Tyne to ensure we fully understand the impacts of the proposals for the region. Before implementing any proposed changes, an impact assessment will be completed. We will communicate the next steps in the review of Action Levels shortly.
The sediment transport pathways in the Tyne means that there is both a legacy contamination issue and transport of pollutants down the catchment where they are contributing to the issues. Action is therefore being taken via the Water and Abandoned Metal Mines Programme to control inputs of metals which pollute more than 150kms of rivers in the Tyne catchment and to alleviate problems in the estuary. This is supported by our proposed target tackling metal pollution under the Environment Act to reduce the length of rivers and estuaries polluted by target substances from abandoned metal mines, which we are currently consulting on.
Defra is reviewing information provided from the Port of Tyne and other stakeholders in response to proposals for changes to Action Levels for sea disposal of dredged sediment, as well as evidence from work carried out by Cefas, and no decision has yet been made. Officials will continue to engage with stakeholders including those from the River Tyne to ensure we fully understand the impacts of the proposals for the region. Before implementing any proposed changes, an impact assessment will be completed. We will communicate the next steps in the review of Action Levels shortly.
The sediment transport pathways in the Tyne means that there is both a legacy contamination issue and transport of pollutants down the catchment where they are contributing to the issues. Action is therefore being taken via the Water and Abandoned Metal Mines Programme to control inputs of metals which pollute more than 150kms of rivers in the Tyne catchment and to alleviate problems in the estuary. This is supported by our proposed target tackling metal pollution under the Environment Act to reduce the length of rivers and estuaries polluted by target substances from abandoned metal mines, which we are currently consulting on.
Defra is reviewing information provided by stakeholders in response to proposals for changes to Action Levels for sea disposal of dredged sediment and no decision has yet been made. Officials will continue to engage with stakeholders to ensure we fully understand the impacts of the proposals on businesses. Before implementing any proposed changes, an impact assessment will be completed.
Defra is reviewing information provided by stakeholders in response to proposals for changes to Action Levels for sea disposal of dredged sediment. Defra recognise there are regional variabilities and will continue to engage with stakeholders including those from the River Tyne to ensure we fully understand the impacts of the proposals for the region. Before implementing any proposed changes, an impact assessment will be completed.
Defra works closely with other Government departments to ensure there is access to adequate numbers of suitably skilled domestic and migrant workers across the agri-food chain.
Defra, the Home Office and the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority, work together to ensure that businesses adhere to the stringent requirements set for ensuring safety and wellbeing of seasonal agricultural workers.
The Health and Safety Executive requires harvesting work in a field to be assessed by the farmer, or contractor, to determine risks, both to workers and others.
Whilst the Government’s existing advice on shielding remains in place, we are committed to providing a range of support to individuals who need to shield so that they can access the essential supplies they need.
Supermarkets receive an updated list of the clinically extremely vulnerable every day.
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency owns the building that accommodates South Shields driving test centre.
The ground lease at South Shields driving test centre (DTC) ends on 19/12/2119.
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) does not pay annual rent for South Shields DTC, but it is responsible for all the annual running costs including maintenance.
Many of the sites used by the DVSA deliver more than just the driving test service, and vary in size and capacity. The DVSA estimates the average annual rental of single purpose driving test sites is £16,400 per annum.
There has only been one lease over the last 10 years, which is the current ground lease.
The following data shows the income from driving tests at South Shields DTC over the last five years:
The ground lease at South Shields driving test centre (DTC) ends on 19/12/2119.
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) does not pay annual rent for South Shields DTC, but it is responsible for all the annual running costs including maintenance.
Many of the sites used by the DVSA deliver more than just the driving test service, and vary in size and capacity. The DVSA estimates the average annual rental of single purpose driving test sites is £16,400 per annum.
There has only been one lease over the last 10 years, which is the current ground lease.
The following data shows the income from driving tests at South Shields DTC over the last five years:
The ground lease at South Shields driving test centre (DTC) ends on 19/12/2119.
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) does not pay annual rent for South Shields DTC, but it is responsible for all the annual running costs including maintenance.
Many of the sites used by the DVSA deliver more than just the driving test service, and vary in size and capacity. The DVSA estimates the average annual rental of single purpose driving test sites is £16,400 per annum.
There has only been one lease over the last 10 years, which is the current ground lease.
The following data shows the income from driving tests at South Shields DTC over the last five years:
The ground lease at South Shields driving test centre (DTC) ends on 19/12/2119.
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) does not pay annual rent for South Shields DTC, but it is responsible for all the annual running costs including maintenance.
Many of the sites used by the DVSA deliver more than just the driving test service, and vary in size and capacity. The DVSA estimates the average annual rental of single purpose driving test sites is £16,400 per annum.
There has only been one lease over the last 10 years, which is the current ground lease.
The following data shows the income from driving tests at South Shields DTC over the last five years:
As the Minister responsible for the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), Baroness Vere is happy to meet with the hon Member for Jarrow to discuss the closure of South Shields driving test centre.
DVSA is not able to release building running and occupancy costs as this information is commercially sensitive.
It is usual for the DVSA to allocate two parking bays per the maximum number of examiners that are deployed to test at each location. Facilities needed at a test centre would include two sets of WCs, a waiting room and car parking. The accommodation would need a mains electricity supply with access to plug points and lights, a water supply and the building must be heated and cleaned daily. The required square footage (sqft) per driving examiner is around 550 sqft including workspace (97 sqft in isolation), circulation, amenity, waiting room (for four people), and WC but excluding parking. In order to carry our administrative duties, driving examiners require access to the internet.
The DVSA would need Health & Safety evidence if a building was to be used as a test centre that complied with the statutory requirements as listed below. Compliance must be monitored and maintained in accordance with relevant legislation, regulation, British Standard and Approved Code of Practices:
If the building is multi-occupancy, the DVSA would need evidence that all common parts of the building were monitored and maintained for statutory purposes in accordance with relevant legislation, regulation, British Standard and Approved Code of Practices.
As the Minister responsible for the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), Baroness Vere is happy to meet with the hon Member for Jarrow to discuss the closure of South Shields driving test centre.
DVSA is not able to release building running and occupancy costs as this information is commercially sensitive.
It is usual for the DVSA to allocate two parking bays per the maximum number of examiners that are deployed to test at each location. Facilities needed at a test centre would include two sets of WCs, a waiting room and car parking. The accommodation would need a mains electricity supply with access to plug points and lights, a water supply and the building must be heated and cleaned daily. The required square footage (sqft) per driving examiner is around 550 sqft including workspace (97 sqft in isolation), circulation, amenity, waiting room (for four people), and WC but excluding parking. In order to carry our administrative duties, driving examiners require access to the internet.
The DVSA would need Health & Safety evidence if a building was to be used as a test centre that complied with the statutory requirements as listed below. Compliance must be monitored and maintained in accordance with relevant legislation, regulation, British Standard and Approved Code of Practices:
If the building is multi-occupancy, the DVSA would need evidence that all common parts of the building were monitored and maintained for statutory purposes in accordance with relevant legislation, regulation, British Standard and Approved Code of Practices.
As the Minister responsible for the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), Baroness Vere is happy to meet with the hon Member for Jarrow to discuss the closure of South Shields driving test centre.
DVSA is not able to release building running and occupancy costs as this information is commercially sensitive.
It is usual for the DVSA to allocate two parking bays per the maximum number of examiners that are deployed to test at each location. Facilities needed at a test centre would include two sets of WCs, a waiting room and car parking. The accommodation would need a mains electricity supply with access to plug points and lights, a water supply and the building must be heated and cleaned daily. The required square footage (sqft) per driving examiner is around 550 sqft including workspace (97 sqft in isolation), circulation, amenity, waiting room (for four people), and WC but excluding parking. In order to carry our administrative duties, driving examiners require access to the internet.
The DVSA would need Health & Safety evidence if a building was to be used as a test centre that complied with the statutory requirements as listed below. Compliance must be monitored and maintained in accordance with relevant legislation, regulation, British Standard and Approved Code of Practices:
If the building is multi-occupancy, the DVSA would need evidence that all common parts of the building were monitored and maintained for statutory purposes in accordance with relevant legislation, regulation, British Standard and Approved Code of Practices.
As the Minister responsible for the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), Baroness Vere is happy to meet with the hon Member for Jarrow to discuss the closure of South Shields driving test centre.
DVSA is not able to release building running and occupancy costs as this information is commercially sensitive.
It is usual for the DVSA to allocate two parking bays per the maximum number of examiners that are deployed to test at each location. Facilities needed at a test centre would include two sets of WCs, a waiting room and car parking. The accommodation would need a mains electricity supply with access to plug points and lights, a water supply and the building must be heated and cleaned daily. The required square footage (sqft) per driving examiner is around 550 sqft including workspace (97 sqft in isolation), circulation, amenity, waiting room (for four people), and WC but excluding parking. In order to carry our administrative duties, driving examiners require access to the internet.
The DVSA would need Health & Safety evidence if a building was to be used as a test centre that complied with the statutory requirements as listed below. Compliance must be monitored and maintained in accordance with relevant legislation, regulation, British Standard and Approved Code of Practices:
If the building is multi-occupancy, the DVSA would need evidence that all common parts of the building were monitored and maintained for statutory purposes in accordance with relevant legislation, regulation, British Standard and Approved Code of Practices.
The Tyne and Wear Metro has been an essential part of the public transport network in the North East for over 40 years. That is why the Government is committed to investing nearly £340m to upgrade the fleet and secure its future for decades to come. We will start to see the first new trains arrive from 2022 and enter passenger service in 2023. I can confirm the government’s continued support for Metro flow and the business case is proceeding as expected. An Early Award period was agreed which allowed Nexus to commence design and planning works whilst full funding approvals are being finalised.
My Department remain committed to the Transforming Cities Programme and the benefits it will bring to the North East.
On the 12 May, the Government published safer travel guidance for passengers, which states that people should consider all other forms of transport before using public transport.
On 12 May, the Government also published guidance for transport operators to help them keep their staff and passengers safe, including how social distancing rules should be interpreted to do this. Each transport provider will need to translate the principles and examples in this guidance into specific actions. This guidance will be kept up-to-date as restrictions on travel change.
The Department will announce shortly the further funding it will provide to bus and light rail operators to support the restoration of their services.
With regards to rail services, under the Emergency Measures Agreements agreed with franchised train operators, existing franchise agreements financial mechanisms have been suspended and all revenue and cost risk has been temporarily transferred to the Government. The Department will continue to manage rail services with close scrutiny of costs to ensure that any additional expenditure incurred, such as measures for social distancing, provides good value for taxpayers.
No assessment has been made.
Local Authorities have the power to establish local welfare provision in their area, using the funding they receive from the Local Government Finance Settlement. Local Authorities are responsible for determining how best to assess provision of any local welfare support.
We recognise, however, that some people require extra support with meeting essential household costs due to cost of living pressures, which is why the government is providing from April an additional £500 million to help households with the cost of essentials, on top of what we have already provided since October 2021, bringing the total funding for this support to £1 billion. In England, £421 million will be provided to extend the existing Household Support Fund, whilst the devolved administrations will receive £79 million through the Barnett formula.
Local Authorities are responsible for designing and delivering the Household Support Fund in their area to best meet the needs of local people, in accordance with the overall scheme parameters.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 19th January to question number 104377.
The Department has no plans to estimate the average phone or broadband costs incurred by claimants fulfilling their responsibilities under the Universal Credit regime.
We are committed to supporting the individual needs of claimants, including agreeing realistic and structured steps to encourage them into or towards the labour market taking into the account their personal circumstances and resources.
Since the introduction of Universal Credit, claimants have been supported by a more flexible approach to contact, with much greater use of digital and telephone channels. This enables claimants to continue to engage with the Department, receive appropriate support and satisfy the conditions of their personalised Claimant Commitment without having to always attend an appointment in person.
To assist with the affordability of public transport, and where an appointment at a Jobcentre has been agreed as necessary, Work Coaches are able to consider the reimbursement of a claimant’s travel costs. The Department publishes clear guidance to its staff of when mandatory awards for travel must be made from the Flexible Support Fund.
Concessionary travel legislation gives local authorities in England the power to offer discretionary concessions, such as extending free or discounted bus travel to groups of people such as those on Universal Credit. Local authorities decide to offer these concessions based upon their assessment of local needs and funding priorities, paying for them through local resources like Council Tax.
In addition, the rail industry, together with the Department for Work and Pensions, provides the Jobcentre Plus railcard that entitles card holders to a 50% discount on selected rail tickets. Some train operating companies and Jobcentres have also agreed to offer job seekers additional benefits, such as free rail tickets to job interviews.
Universal Credit is now the main system of working age welfare support across the country. It is available in every Jobcentre, with a caseload of over 2.8 million claimants, growing every month, now able to access the additional support and flexibilities it offers.
Most people only move to Universal Credit because they have had a significant change in their circumstances which would previously have led them to make a new claim to a legacy benefit.
Data surrounding the number of households on Universal Credit in the parliamentary constituency of Jarrow is published online and can be found at: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/.
Guidance on how to extract the information required can be found at:
https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html
Our Vision for the Women’s Health Strategy, published in December, set out our ambitions for improving the health and wellbeing of women across England and reducing disparities. It is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/our-vision-for-the-womens-health-strategy-for-england. We will publish the full Women’s Health Strategy later this year.
The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) was established to reduce health disparities, including those which affect women. OHID will publish a Health Disparities White Paper with impactful measures to address health disparities at each stage they arise.
NHS England is currently considering the interim report of the Cass Review. The Department continues to work with NHS England on how the review’s recommendations can be implemented.
We welcome Dr Cass’ report and look forward to the publication of the full review, which will provide further detail on an improved model of care for children and young people with gender dysphoria.
The menopause is a priority topic in Our Vision for the Women’s Health Strategy, which we published on 23rd December 2021, alongside the analytical report of the call for evidence survey. In due course we will publish the full Strategy which will set out our full ambitions in this area.
This Government is committed to supporting staff and investing in the wider neurological workforce, including nurses and allied health professionals. The NHS People Plan, published in July 2020, sets out measures to support and grow the workforce and strengthen retention in the NHS. We have set up a comprehensive work programme to improve retention and support return to practice, invest in and diversify our training pipeline, and ethically recruit internationally.
Health Education England (HEE) determines the number of medical specialty training posts that are made available each year based on considerations including spending review allocations, strategic priorities for training the medical workforce and an annual process whereby local teams submit recruitment plans for specialty training programmes. Neurology is a popular specialty and generally achieves 100% fill rate for training places.
In July 2021 the Department commissioned HEE to work with partners to review, renew and update the existing long-term strategic framework for the health workforce.
Currently, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) recommends an interval of eight weeks between doses of all the available COVID-19 vaccines.
It should be noted that current evidence shows that a longer dose interval produces a better immune response. As such, the JCVI has advised against reducing the dose interval further in order to maximise the effectiveness of the vaccination programme. The JCVI regularly reviews its advice in relation to COVID-19 vaccination programme, taking into account new data and evidence on the effectiveness of the programme and epidemiological situation.
The Government has implemented surge vaccination in areas with rising infection rates to protect communities supported with an Enhanced Response Package (ERP) which includes Test and Trace measures, enhanced self-isolation support and guidance. On 20 May, North Tyneside Council received this support and we will continue to monitor whether other areas within the North East might require an ERP.
South Tyneside Clinical Commissioning Group continues to work closely with South Tyneside Council and other partners to provide wide access to vaccination to all their population, including walk-in pop-up services and a vaccine bus.
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) published interim advice on a potential COVID-19 booster vaccination programme on 30 June, which is available at the following link:
The JCVI advises a two staged approach, with individuals in stage one offered a booster and flu vaccine, as soon as possible from September. Individuals in stage two should be offered a COVID-19 booster vaccine as soon as practicable after stage one, with equal emphasis on deployment of the flu vaccine where eligible. The JCVI suggests those aged 16 to 49 years old who are in an influenza or COVID-19 at-risk group, such as sufferers of chronic respiratory conditions and asthma are included in stage two.
Final decisions on the timing and scope and cohort eligibility, will be confirmed once the JCVI has provided their final advice.
Cancer is a priority. As well as a £325 million investment in National Health Service diagnostic machines, with plans to increase endoscopy and computerised tomography capacity, we have provided an additional £1 billion to the NHS to tackle the elective backlog.
This will ensure there is sufficient capacity in place to diagnose and treat the additional people coming into the system and reduce the number of people waiting over 62 days on cancer pathways with a focus for those who have had their care delayed.
To encourage patients to come forward to their general practitioner (GP) if they have worrying symptoms we launched the successful ‘Help us Help you’ campaign, with latest March 2021 data showing urgent GP cancer referrals to be 190% higher than in April 2020.
Children and young people’s mental health services will continue to remain open over the winter, ensuring children, young people and parents can access appropriate support whether face to face, the telephone or via digital means. We encourage parents and carers worried about their child’s mental health to speak with their general practitioner and to continue referring to their local children and young people’s mental health service.
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) are the independent experts who advise the Government on which vaccines the United Kingdom should use and provide advice on prioritisation at a population level. For the first phase, the JCVI has advised that the vaccine be given to care home residents and staff, as well as frontline health and social care workers, then to the rest of the population in order of age and clinical risk factors.
If supermarket workers are captured in phase one due to their age, or clinical risk factors they will be prioritised. However the Government, as advised by the JCVI, are not considering vaccinating supermarket workers as a phase one priority at this stage. Prioritisation decisions for next phase delivery are subject to of the surveillance and monitoring data and information from phase one, as well as further input from independent scientific experts such as the JCVI. Phase two may include further reduction in hospitalisation and targeted vaccination of those at high risk of exposure and/or those delivering key public services.
We are delighted that over 2.2 million of the most vulnerable people in the country have now received the first dose of their COVID-19 vaccine.
We are on track to deliver our commitment of offering a first vaccine to everyone in the most vulnerable groups by the middle of next month.
There are already more than 2,700 sites across the United Kingdom already offering vaccines to those at risk by age and clinical priority.
As set out in the comprehensive UK vaccines delivery plan, by the end of January, everyone in England will be within 10 miles of a vaccination site, or, for a small number of highly rural areas, the vaccine will be brought to them via mobile teams.
The Therapeutics Taskforce is continuing to monitor any new, high quality evidence on COVID-19 therapeutics and has been following recent findings on hydroxychloroquine.
In June 2020, the Government-funded RECOVERY trial concluded that there is no beneficial effect of hydroxychloroquine in patients hospitalised with COVID-19. For other patient cohorts, there is limited evidence at this stage to suggest hydroxychloroquine is effective in treating COVID-19 infection. The Therapeutics Taskforce is closely monitoring the large number of active trials that are yet to produce results and will assess any new evidence once this is available. The Department and its arm’s length bodies are prepared to act rapidly should any trial readouts prove positive at sufficient scale and significance.
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), advised that the priority for the current COVID-19 vaccination programme should be the prevention of COVID-19 mortality and the protection of health and social care staff and systems. The Government will set out plans for phase two of the vaccination programme in due course, based on further advice from the JCVI. Phase two of the roll-out may include further reduction in hospitalisation and targeted vaccination of those at high risk of exposure and/or those delivering key public services. This could include first responders, the military, those involved in the justice system, teachers, transport workers, and public servants essential to the pandemic response.
When making decisions on any COVID-19 restrictions the Government assesses a wide range of data. If our understanding of the virus does not change dramatically, deployment of the vaccine continues to be successful and pressures on hospitals decreases then we hope to be able to start lifting restrictions.
The Government therefore keeps the restriction measures under continual review and will make changes as and when the data and science supports it.
University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust and Nottingham's Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust have been piloting a 24 hours a day, seven days a week vaccination service since 20 January. Data from the Birmingham site is awaited. NHS England will consider the findings from both pilots before deciding on next steps.
We are following the advice from independent experts on the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) on which groups of people to prioritise for COVID-19 vaccines.
The JCVI advised the immediate priority should be to prevent deaths and protect health and care staff, with old age deemed the single biggest factor determining mortality.
The Government will set out plans for phase two of the vaccination programme, based on further advice from the JCVI. Phase two may include further reduction in hospitalisation and targeted vaccination of those at high risk of exposure and/or those delivering key public services.
We are grateful for the offers from businesses up and down the country, including supermarkets and sporting arenas, to use their venues as vaccination centres. NHS England and NHS Improvement have been working to identify partners and work with those whose facilities have been identified as suitable. NHS England and NHS Improvement are ensuring that all offers are appropriately considered, alongside local leaders, including from local authorities, to understand potential partnerships that build on the existing network.
We have many partnerships already in place. Seven large scale vaccination centres opened on 11 January, a further ten opened on 18 January and over 30 opened on 25 January. The centres offer an alternative to general practice and hospital services and can each deliver thousands of vaccinations every week. The initial sites were chosen from those ready to vaccinate large numbers of people quickly to give a geographical spread covering as many people as possible.
Currently, in England, 96% of the population is within 10 miles of a vaccine service and by the end of January, everyone will live within 10 miles of a vaccination service. In a small number of highly rural areas, the vaccination centre will be a mobile unit. Regularly updated data on the locations of hospital hubs and local vaccination services is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/hospital-hubs-and-local-vaccination-services/
Children and young people’s mental health services have remained open throughout the pandemic offering digital and remote access to maintain support and accept new referrals. This will continue over the winter ensuring children, young people and parents can access appropriate support whether face to face, via the telephone or via digital means.
The National Health Service has also provided 24 hours a day, seven days a week all-age crisis lines across the country. The Department has given more than £10 million of grant funding to the voluntary sector and funded the £8 million wellbeing for education return scheme to support children’s mental health.
Shielding was paused on 1 August 2020 in England, however, it is important that clinically extremely vulnerable people continue to take extra care, particularly as infection rates rise again. On 13 October, the Government published new guidance to the clinically extremely vulnerable that advises additional things they are advised to do to keep themselves safe at each local COVID alert level.
While the previous shielding advice helped protect those most at risk from COVID-19, we acknowledge that many people found this advice very restrictive. The new protective guidance to the clinically extremely vulnerable is designed to offer practical and proportionate advice to help people protect themselves and minimise the need to introduce restrictive shielding advice.
Shielding was paused on 1 August 2020 in England, however, it is important that clinically extremely vulnerable people continue to take extra care, particularly as infection rates rise again. On 13 October, the Government published new guidance to the clinically extremely vulnerable that advises additional things they are advised to do to keep themselves safe at each local COVID alert level.
While the previous shielding advice helped protect those most at risk from COVID-19, we acknowledge that many people found this advice very restrictive. The new protective guidance to the clinically extremely vulnerable is designed to offer practical and proportionate advice to help people protect themselves and minimise the need to introduce restrictive shielding advice.
Shielding was paused on 1 August 2020 in England and clinically vulnerable and clinically extremely vulnerable people are now required to follow the same local/national arrangements in place as the rest of the population.
Only when the balance of benefit is clear, or in extreme circumstances, will shielding be reintroduced due to the potential harms to people’s mental and physical heath through social and financial isolation.
The highest risk local areas are discussed regularly each week to assess what level of guidance is appropriate. Where incidence and transmission rates are increasing, we can take a more targeted approach to shielding advice at local authority level. The Government will write to those affected when advice is changed and we continue to work closely with local authorities to ensure that local guidance is available on their websites.
One of the key priorities for cancer outlined in the third phase of the National Health Service response to COVID-19 is to reduce the number of patients who have waited longer than 62 days from urgent referral and/or 31 days from a decision to treat to pre-pandemic levels. Actions to reduce long waits include increasing diagnostic capacity (particularly endoscopy and CT) and expanding the capacity of surgical hubs set up in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of the wider NHS recovery programme, local systems have determined how best to restore cancer services and recovery is now underway across the NHS.
During the COVID-19 pandemic radiotherapy services provision continued and radiotherapy services made use of fewer fraction protocols as supporting evidence emerged. Subsequently the focus for radiotherapy has been to embed the use of hypofractionated (fewer fraction) treatments in order to minimise trips to hospital, particularly for people likely to be worse affected by COVID-19.
The priorities set across the National Health Service for the third phase of the COVID-19 response were published on 31 July in a letter sent to NHS leaders including integrated care systems, sustainability and transformation partnerships and trust chairs. The letter emphasises the need to listen and learn from patients and communities; and encouraged a renewed focus on health inequalities.
Beyond this work to ensure the prioritisation of the patient voice within the system, there is also existing statutory guidance on involving patients in the commissioning of health services. This includes duties across the system applying to NHS England, clinical commissioning groups, and NHS trusts. This guidance has been maintained during the COVID-19 pandemic and engagement has continued with the public in a range of virtual ways.
We recognise concerns people with eating disorders may have on measures to reduce obesity and are committed to striking a careful balance between enabling people to make healthier food and drink choices whilst not negatively impacting on those with or recovering from an eating disorder.
Obesity represents a huge cost to the health and wellbeing of the individual, the National Health Service and the wider economy. With over six in 10 adults and more than one in three children aged 10 to 11 years old overweight or obese, it is right we take action.
In response to feedback to our consultation on out-of-home calorie labelling, we will introduce legislation to require large out-of-home sector businesses, that is businesses with 250 or more employees, to calorie label the food they sell.
An equalities assessment and impact assessment were published alongside the consultation response and can be viewed at the following link:
www.gov.uk/government/consultations/calorie-labelling-for-food-and-drink-served-outside-of-the-home
NHS England is establishing Rapid Diagnostic Centres across the country to bring together the latest diagnostic equipment and expertise. This builds on the Multidisciplinary Diagnostic Centre model, which focussed on diagnosing cancers where patients often present with non-specific symptoms. This is part of the NHS Long Term Plan, which set an ambition to see three quarters of all cancers detected at an early stage by 2028.
In September 2019 the Government announced funding of £200 million for new equipment to drive earlier diagnosis of cancer and improve survival. Over 300 diagnostic machines will be funded across the country, replacing outdated equipment with cutting edge technology.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Luton South (Rachel Hopkins MP) on 14 July 2020 to Question 68461.
Turnaround times for Home Test Kits are published weekly on GOV.UK as part of the Weekly NHS Test and Trace Bulletin. In the week of 23 July to 29 July, 72.2% of test results were received within 48 hours of the test being taken.
We are currently considering a range of options for addressing future phases of the COVID-19, including the implementation of tailoring containment measures to the regional and local level. As recently announced, each local authority has been allocated funding to develop local outbreak control plans, working with local National Health Service, Public Health England and other stakeholders.
Any decisions on how to approach the mid-to long-term strategy to address the pandemic will be led by the science, build on the Government’s test and trace strategy, and be supported by the new Joint Biosecurity Centre.
The scientific evidence supporting the United Kingdom Government response to COVID-19 gets published online on GOV.UK and is available at the following link:
As our understanding of the virus increases, the Government continues to review the emerging evidence. We will continue to listen to our medical advisers on the level of clinical risk the virus presents to different groups of people at different points in time.
At each review point for the social distancing measures, we will also review the risks for the clinically extremely vulnerable and assess whether the shielding period needs to be extended or whether it is possible for the shielding guidance to be eased further. We will base our assessment on clinical advice from our medical experts, and the best data available about the prevalence of COVID-19 in the community.
National Health Service patients are benefitting from an unprecedented partnership with private hospitals in the United Kingdom as we battle the COVID-19 outbreak. Throughout this period, independent providers have continued to provide urgent operations for private pay or insured patients as well as NHS patients.
From the middle of May 2020, independent providers have been able to provide more routine elective work to private pay or insured patients and where this has been agreed locally with the NHS.
With evidence suggesting that we are through the peak of the first wave of COVID-19, and with the National Health Service well-placed to provide world-leading care for those who do still have the virus, we are bringing back routine services that had been temporarily paused. We are working on the principle that the most urgent treatments should be brought back first and this will be driven by local demands on the system. The approach will be flexed at local level according to capacity and demand in different parts of the country, and will be gradual, over weeks.
We have continued to deliver the most urgent treatments, such as emergency and urgent cancer care, throughout the COVID-19 outbreak.
We currently have four laboratories in the United Kingdom supporting the returning of all types of testing, including home testing.
There are a number of underlying health conditions including asthma and diabetes that make people clinically vulnerable and increase the risk of severe illness from COVID-19. People in the clinically vulnerable category are advised to stay at home as much as possible and therefore should not be encouraged to go to work.
A full list of the conditions that make people clinically vulnerable to COVID-19 can be found on the Government’s social distancing guidance at the following link:
The United Kingdom Government is working with Chief Medical Officers and Health Ministers across the four nations on personal protective equipment (PPE) guidance and supply.
In response to COVID-19, the UK continues to attend EU Health Security Committee (HSC) meetings and share information through the Early Warning and Response System (EWRS).
The UK will participate in the European Union Joint Procurement scheme on therapeutics that is soon to launch and will consider participating in other future schemes on the basis of public health requirements, including any on PPE.
Participating in any future EU procurements will complement the enormous domestic efforts we are already undertaking to tackle this outbreak, both independently and in direct collaboration with European countries and other international partners.
The United Kingdom Government is working with Chief Medical Officers and Health Ministers across the four nations on personal protective equipment (PPE) guidance and supply.
In response to COVID-19, the UK continues to attend EU Health Security Committee (HSC) meetings and share information through the Early Warning and Response System (EWRS).
The UK will participate in the European Union Joint Procurement scheme on therapeutics that is soon to launch and will consider participating in other future schemes on the basis of public health requirements, including any on PPE.
Participating in any future EU procurements will complement the enormous domestic efforts we are already undertaking to tackle this outbreak, both independently and in direct collaboration with European countries and other international partners.
The British Government regularly raises concerns with Colombia regarding the persistent high levels of violence and threats towards former FARC combatants. Most recently, we raised the issue on 14 October at the UN Security Council meeting, at which the UN Secretary General's Special Representative presented his quarterly report on Colombia's peace process.
We will continue to support the Colombian Government's commitment to assisting former combatants in transitioning to civilian life, as agreed as part of the 2016 peace agreement. We have committed more than £68million over 5 years through our Conflict, Stability, and Security Fund to support reintegration, rural development, and security across conflict-affected regions.
Livestock farming is essential to the livelihoods of millions of people, in both developed and developing countries, and makes a vital contribution to global food security and diets. Livestock farming is also a major cause of greenhouse gas emissions and nature loss, with rising global demand for meat and livestock products set to exacerbate these pressures. Sustainable solutions are needed urgently, to mitigate emissions and address adverse environmental impacts, while protecting the livelihoods of those who depend on livestock farming and ensuring nutritious diets for all.
The UK is working to mobilise action to address these challenges through the COP26 Presidency with a policy dialogue focused on accelerating the transition to sustainable agriculture. Governments provide over US$700 billion annually in public support to agriculture. A significant proportion of this spending contributes to climate change and environmental damage, and the dialogue aims to encourage countries to redirect this expenditure in ways that are more closely aligned with development, climate and nature objectives. Solutions to be highlighted at COP26 include an approach to low-carbon cattle ranching which increased livestock productivity while reducing the environmental footprint.
The COP26 Presidency has been calling for action on methane and is working with close partners, the US and EU, to gather support behind their Global Methane Pledge, which commits signatories to cut global methane emissions by 30 per cent from 2020 levels by 2030. This includes methane sources in the agriculture sector.
UK ministers and senior officials regularly raise human rights issues, as well as specific cases of concern with the Colombian Government, and in multilateral fora. We are clear that we support the right of all Colombians to protest peacefully, and that the right to peaceful assembly and association must be guaranteed.
Colombia is a UK 'Human Rights Priority Country,' and we have raised our concerns with the relevant state actors in Colombia since protests began. Most recently, I spoke with acting Foreign Minister Adriana Mejía on 14 May to express my concerns, and welcome Colombia's commitment to transparent investigations into allegations of abuse. We look to the Colombian authorities to investigate fully any reports on excessive use of force against protestors, and take appropriate action against those responsible. Security services must be held accountable for their actions, and any complaints thoroughly investigated.
UK Ministers and officials regularly raise human rights issues with their Colombian counterparts. Most recently, the UK's Ambassador for Human Rights, Rita French, raised our concerns around the killing of human rights defenders, media freedom, and sexual violence during a virtual visit to Colombia in February.
We are aware of the concerning reports on protestors being injured as a result of the police response to protests in Colombia. We are clear that we support the right of all Colombians to protest peacefully. We look to the Colombian authorities to investigate fully any reports on excessive use of force against protestors, and take appropriate action against those responsible. Security services must be held accountable for their actions, and any complaints thoroughly investigated.
We are aware of the reports that the community activist Ernesto Aguilar Barreras was among the victims of an attack in Tibú in mid-July, consequent on competition between rival illegal armed groups for control of illicit economies and territory.
As we emphasised in the UN Security Council session on 14 July following the Special Representative's report, the UK continues to be concerned about the persistent level of violence towards human rights defenders, community activists such as Ernesto Aguilar Barreras, former FARC-EP combatants and others. We regularly raise these issues with the Colombian Government and in multilateral fora.
We have urged the Colombian Government to prioritise the tackling of this violence and to continue to work to improve security conditions around the country. The UK is also committed to continuing its own programming to support the government's efforts and mitigate risks to communities.
The Government published a statutory Post-Implementation Review of the Bank Referral Scheme in December 2020, which is available here: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2015/1946/pdfs/uksiod_20151946_en.pdf.
The Government remains committed to fostering a strong, diverse and competitive financial services sector to ensure that UK SMEs can benefit from high quality products and services at efficient prices. That said, I should be clear that after SMEs are referred to alternative lenders under the Bank Referral Scheme, the decision of whether to offer finance is at the discretion of each lender, subject to their commercial considerations.
Furthermore, the Government recognises the vital role that alternative lenders have played in the provision of credit to SMEs and is grateful for the way the sector has responded to the current crisis. It remains committed to promoting competition, and widening the funding options available to UK businesses, and as such, we will continue to review our policies and work with the sector to achieve those outcomes.
Throughout this crisis, the government’s priority has been to protect people’s jobs and livelihoods. We have put in place an economic package of support which will provide businesses with certainty over the coming months, even as measures to prevent further spread of the virus change.
The government has put in place a comprehensive package of support worth over £280 billion, supporting millions of businesses and jobs, In the North East, 70, 400 jobs were furloughed through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme as of 31 October 2020. Businesses have also received billions in loans, tax deferrals, Business Rate reliefs, and general and sector-specific grants. In Jarrow, a total of 2, 400 jobs had been furloughed through the CJRS scheme as of 31 October 2020.
In addition, on 5th January, the Government announced an extra £4.6 billion to protect jobs and support affected businesses as restrictions get tougher. Businesses forced to close can claim a one-off grant of up to £9,000. Local authorities will also receive an additional £500m, to a total of £1.6bn, of discretionary funding to allow them to support their local businesses.
As measures to control the virus have changed, government support has evolved. We continue to keep all policies under review.
Throughout this crisis, the Government’s priority has been to protect people’s jobs and livelihoods. Since the start of the pandemic we have committed over £280 billion to supporting the economy, including supporting 9.9 million jobs through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) and around 2.7 million self-employed individuals via the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS).
The Government has continued to review its support and brought in ineligible groups where possible. For example, the extended Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) is available to those directors who paid themselves a salary between 19 March and 30 October 2020, and to new starters who were employed and on their employer’s PAYE payroll on 30 October 2020. Both the CJRS and SEISS have also been updated to provide support to those on maternity leave and to reservists. The Government continues to work closely with stakeholders to explore how we can best support different groups.
Those who are ineligible for the CJRS and SEISS may still be eligible for other elements of the COVID-19 support available. This comprehensive package of support includes Bounce Back loans, tax deferrals, rental support and other business support grants. The Government has also temporarily increased the Universal Credit standard allowance for 2020-21 by £20 per week and relaxed the Minimum Income Floor, meaning that where claimants' earnings have significantly fallen, their Universal Credit award will have increased to reflect their lower earnings.
To be eligible for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, employees can be on any type of employment contract. This includes full-time, part-time, agency, flexible or zero-hour contracts as long as the furloughed employee was employed on 30 October 2020, and the employer made a PAYE RTI submission to HMRC between 20 March 2020 and 30 October 2020, notifying a payment of earnings for that employee.
In order to protect jobs and businesses across the UK, the Chancellor recently announced an expansion to the Job Support Scheme for businesses legally required to temporarily close their premises as a direct result of Coronavirus restrictions. The Government will provide employers with a grant for employees unable to work, covering two thirds of their usual wages and subject to a cap. Support will be available to eligible businesses from 1 November for 6 months, with a review in January.
In addition, the Chancellor recently announced changes to the Local Restrictions Support Grant Scheme which provides grants to businesses which are forced to fully close due to local or national restrictions. Grant funding available has increased to £3,000 per month, and 80% of all Retail, Hospitality, and Leisure businesses in England will have their assumed rents covered in full as a result.
For employers that remain partially open but are subject to lower demand over the winter due to Covid-19, employers can access the other element of the Job Support Scheme that supports part-time working. The Government will pay a third of hours not worked up to a cap, with the employer contributing a third. This will ensure employees can earn a minimum of 77% of their normal wages, where the Government contribution has not been capped.
Employers using the Job Support Scheme will also be able to claim the Job Retention Bonus (JRB) for each employee that meets the eligibility criteria of the JRB. This is worth £1,000 per employee and is paid to the employer. Under the Job Support Scheme and the Job Retention Bonus, an employer could receive over 60% of the wage costs of their employees if they are retained until February. The steps the government is setting out will help to protect jobs, support businesses through uncertain times, and help them prepare for recovery.
The Government remains committed to supporting these borrowers, which is why the Government and the FCA have taken action to remove the regulatory barriers that previously prevented switching.
Lenders are currently making the necessary adjustments and system changes to enable them to use the modified affordability assessment for borrowers looking to re-mortgage. Due to the operational constraints caused by Covid-19 there was a temporary retraction of mortgage products in the market, therefore it would not have been of benefit to contact borrowers when meaningful options were not available to them. We expect lenders to start offering these borrowers switching options by the end of the year.
Earlier this year I wrote to UK Finance outlining my expectation that as many of its members as possible should move quickly to offer new deals to borrowers that are eligible to switch under the new FCA rules. You can read the letter here:
The Government continues to work with the mortgage lending sector to ensure support is available for consumers.
The FCA also recently noted that firms should be reviewing their variable rates to ensure they adhere to regulations regarding the fair treatment of consumers. The full statement can be found here: https://www.fca.org.uk/news/statements/statement-mortgage-prisoners
The Government remains committed to supporting these borrowers, which is why the Government and the FCA have taken action to remove the regulatory barriers that previously prevented switching.
Lenders are currently making the necessary adjustments and system changes to enable them to use the modified affordability assessment for borrowers looking to re-mortgage. Due to the operational constraints caused by Covid-19 there was a temporary retraction of mortgage products in the market, therefore it would not have been of benefit to contact borrowers when meaningful options were not available to them. We expect lenders to start offering these borrowers switching options by the end of the year.
Earlier this year I wrote to UK Finance outlining my expectation that as many of its members as possible should move quickly to offer new deals to borrowers that are eligible to switch under the new FCA rules. You can read the letter here:
The Government continues to work with the mortgage lending sector to ensure support is available for consumers.
The FCA also recently noted that firms should be reviewing their variable rates to ensure they adhere to regulations regarding the fair treatment of consumers. The full statement can be found here: https://www.fca.org.uk/news/statements/statement-mortgage-prisoners
Self-employed individuals, including members of partnerships, are eligible for the Self Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) if they have submitted their Income Tax Self Assessment tax return for the tax year 2018-19, continued to trade, and have been adversely affected by COVID-19. To qualify, their self-employed trading profits must be no more than £50,000 and at least equal to their non-trading income.
Individuals who are ineligible for the SEISS may benefit from other elements of the unprecedented financial support provided by the Government. This package includes Bounce Back loans, tax deferrals, rental support,?mortgage holidays, and other business support grants.
After eight months of the CJRS, the scheme will close at the end of October. The SEISS will remain open for applications for the second and final grant until 19 October.
It is the case that some sectors will be affected by coronavirus for longer than others, and the Government will seek to support those sectors appropriately.
The Government will continue to engage with businesses and representative groups with the aim of ensuring that support provided is right for those sectors and for the economy as a whole.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer announced an extension to the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme on 29 May.
Eligible individuals whose business is adversely affected by COVID-19 will be able to claim a second and final grant when the scheme reopens for further applications in August. Individuals will be able to claim a taxable grant worth 70 per cent of their average monthly trading profits, paid out in a single instalment covering three months’ worth of profits and capped at £6,570 in total.
There will be no further changes and no further extensions to the scheme, which continues to be one of the most generous in the world.
All eligible retail, hospitality and leisure businesses will pay no business rates in England for 12 months from 1 April 2020. There will be no rateable value threshold on this relief, and both small and larger businesses will benefit. Local authorities will reflect this holiday in bills as soon as possible.
The Government has provided enhanced support to the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors given the acute impacts of COVID-19 on those sectors. A range of measures to support all businesses has also been made available, including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan scheme for SMEs, and a new lending facility from the Bank of England to help support liquidity among larger firms.
Banks and building societies are ready and able to support consumers impacted by COVID-19. On the 17 March, the Chancellor announced on behalf of the sector that banks and building societies will offer a 3-month ‘mortgage holiday’ for borrowers that are financially struggling with their repayments. This forbearance measure will enable affected borrowers to defer their mortgage payments for up to 3 months while they get back on their feet.
The FCA have also published guidance on payment holidays and repossession action for firms that engage in mortgage lending activities. This means that second charge mortgages are also captured by the measures. You can view the guidance here:
https://www.fca.org.uk/consumers/mortgages-coronavirus-consumers
As a form of forbearance, the option of a mortgage repayment holiday is open to any customer regardless of whether they are in payment shortfall. Any customer who is concerned about their current financial situation should get in touch with their lender at the earliest possible opportunity to discuss the best option for their them.
The Government has introduced an unprecedented package of measures to support businesses access the finance they need during this difficult period, and announced significant measures to directly provide support for SMEs including grants, business rates relief and other tax measures.
The Home Office are unable to state how many seekers have waited over three months, over six months, over one year and over two years for an interview after submitting an application or the overage time taken to process an application as this information is not published or held in a reportable format.
The Home Office does publish data on the number asylum applications awaiting an initial decision by duration, for main applicants only. This data can be found at Asy_04 of the published Immigration Statistics up to: List of tables - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
The Home Office publishes data on asylum and resettlement in the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on the number of asylum applications awaiting an initial decision or further review (outstanding applications) are published in table Asy_D03 of the asylum and resettlement detailed datasets.
Information on how to use the datasets can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data relates to December 2021. Data for the period relating to January – March 2022 is set to be published on the 26 May 2022.
Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.
The Home Office publishes statistics on people entering and in detention in the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release’. The number of people entering detention in each quarter can be broken down by place of initial detention in table Det_D01 of the ‘Detention detailed tables’. The number of people in detention at the end of each quarter can be broken down by current place of detention in table Det_D02 of the ‘Detention detailed tables’. The latest data goes up to the end of December 2021. Data for January to March 2022 will be published on the 26 May 2022.
Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook.
Detained individuals are advised of their right to legal representation, and how they can obtain such representation, within 24 hours of their arrival at an Immigration Removal Centre (IRC). The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) operates free legal advice surgeries in IRCs in England. Individuals who are detained are entitled to receive up to 30 minutes of advice regardless of financial eligibility or the merits of their case.
Legal visits can take place from both legal providers attending under the Legal Aid Detained Duty Advice Scheme and other legal providers visiting their clients who are in detention. In line with Government advice on social distancing, during the pandemic, face to face legal visits were facilitated in exceptional circumstances, and only if other means of contact (Skype, telephone, email) were not feasible or appropriate. In light of changes to Government guidance, face to face legal visits can now be facilitated. Safe systems of work are in place to ensure the safety of detained individuals, onsite staff and visitors during these visits.
The number of in-person legal visits, which includes both legal providers attending under the Legal Aid Detained Duty Advice Scheme and other legal providers visiting their clients who are in detention, that took place between 13 January and 9 March 2022, is set out in the table below:
Immigration Removal Centre | Number of in-person legal advice visits between 13 January 2022 to 9 March 2022 |
Brook House | 86 |
Colnbrook | 31 |
Dungavel | 0 |
Derwentside | 1 |
Harmondsworth | 34 |
Tinsley House | 0 |
Yarl’s Wood | 29 |
This is provisional Home Office management information that has not been assured to the standard of official statistics.
The Home Office publishes statistics on immigration detention in the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release’. This includes data on people:
Data on those entering detention, by place of detention, relate to the place of initial detention. An individual who moves from one part of the detention estate to another will not be counted as entering any subsequent place of detention. Last place of detention does not show where an individual spent their time in detention. In some cases, an individual may have spent a period of time detained elsewhere before being moved to their last place of detention.
Detained individuals are advised of their right to legal representation, and how they can obtain such representation, within 24 hours of their arrival at an Immigration Removal Centre (IRC). The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) operates free legal advice surgeries in IRCs in England. Individuals who are detained are entitled to receive up to 30 minutes of advice regardless of financial eligibility or the merits of their case.
Legal visits can take place from both legal providers attending under the Legal Aid Detained Duty Advice Scheme and other legal providers visiting their clients who are in detention. In line with Government advice on social distancing, during the pandemic, face to face legal visits were facilitated in exceptional circumstances, and only if other means of contact (Skype, telephone, email) were not feasible or appropriate. In light of changes to Government guidance, face to face legal visits can now be facilitated. Safe systems of work are in place to ensure the safety of detained individuals, onsite staff and visitors during these visits.
The number of in-person legal visits, which includes both legal providers attending under the Legal Aid Detained Duty Advice Scheme and other legal providers visiting their clients who are in detention, that took place between 13 January and 9 March 2022, is set out in the table below:
Immigration Removal Centre | Number of in-person legal advice visits between 13 January 2022 to 9 March 2022 |
Brook House | 86 |
Colnbrook | 31 |
Dungavel | 0 |
Derwentside | 1 |
Harmondsworth | 34 |
Tinsley House | 0 |
Yarl’s Wood | 29 |
This is provisional Home Office management information that has not been assured to the standard of official statistics.
The Home Office publishes statistics on immigration detention in the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release’. This includes data on people:
Data on those entering detention, by place of detention, relate to the place of initial detention. An individual who moves from one part of the detention estate to another will not be counted as entering any subsequent place of detention. Last place of detention does not show where an individual spent their time in detention. In some cases, an individual may have spent a period of time detained elsewhere before being moved to their last place of detention.
Detained individuals are advised of their right to legal representation, and how they can obtain such representation, within 24 hours of their arrival at an Immigration Removal Centre (IRC).
The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) operates free legal advice surgeries in IRCs in England. Individuals who are detained are entitled to receive up to 30 minutes of advice regardless of financial eligibility or the merits of their case. There is no restriction on the number of surgeries an individual may attend. If an individual who is detained requires substantive advice on a matter which is in scope of legal aid, full legal advice can be provided if the statutory legal aid means and merits criteria are met.
At Derwentside IRC there has been 1 in-person legal visit from 28 December 2021 to 28 February 2022. Legal visits can take place from both legal providers attending under the Legal Aid Detained Duty Advice Scheme and other legal providers visiting their clients who are in detention. In line with Government advice on social distancing, during the pandemic, face to face legal visits were facilitated in exceptional circumstances, and only if other means of contact (Skype, telephone, email) were not feasible or appropriate.
In light of changes to Government guidance, face to face legal visits can now be facilitated. Safe systems of work are in place to ensure the safety of detained individuals, onsite staff and visitors during these visits.
Following the formal opening of Derwentside immigration removal centre last year, the first women were detained at the centre on 28 December 2021. Of these women one has been subsequently released. As of 5 January, there were nine women detained at Derwentside.
The Home Office provides accommodation for those who are destitute and have outstanding asylum claims or to individuals who fall within the scope of protection provided to potential victims of modern slavery. Additionally, the Secretary of State may provide accommodation and support for a foreign national offender who is subject to a residency condition and are either considered to pose a high risk or harm to the public or be suffering from a serious physical or mental health problem.
As set out in published Detention Services Order (DSO) 07/2013 ‘welfare provisions in immigration removal centres’ staff will provide support with planning travel to accommodation. Any individual released from detention is offered a travel warrant to reach the accommodation to which they are being released unless accommodation is being provided by the Home Office in which case transport is provided.
The published equality impact assessment and DSO 04/2020 ‘Mental vulnerability and immigration detention: non-clinical guidance’, provides information on reasonable adjustments to accommodate incapacitated and mentally ill women at the IRC, including access to legal representation. The published contract and relevant Detention Services Orders set out the arrangements to ensure adherence to rules 34, 35, 40, 42 and 45 of the Detention Centre Rules. The contract is published here: Hassockfield IRC (STA) - Contracts Finder
Following the formal opening of Derwentside immigration removal centre last year, the first women were detained at the centre on 28 December 2021. Of these women one has been subsequently released. As of 5 January, there were nine women detained at Derwentside.
The Home Office provides accommodation for those who are destitute and have outstanding asylum claims or to individuals who fall within the scope of protection provided to potential victims of modern slavery. Additionally, the Secretary of State may provide accommodation and support for a foreign national offender who is subject to a residency condition and are either considered to pose a high risk or harm to the public or be suffering from a serious physical or mental health problem.
As set out in published Detention Services Order (DSO) 07/2013 ‘welfare provisions in immigration removal centres’ staff will provide support with planning travel to accommodation. Any individual released from detention is offered a travel warrant to reach the accommodation to which they are being released unless accommodation is being provided by the Home Office in which case transport is provided.
The published equality impact assessment and DSO 04/2020 ‘Mental vulnerability and immigration detention: non-clinical guidance’, provides information on reasonable adjustments to accommodate incapacitated and mentally ill women at the IRC, including access to legal representation. The published contract and relevant Detention Services Orders set out the arrangements to ensure adherence to rules 34, 35, 40, 42 and 45 of the Detention Centre Rules. The contract is published here: Hassockfield IRC (STA) - Contracts Finder
Following the formal opening of Derwentside immigration removal centre last year, the first women were detained at the centre on 28 December 2021. Of these women one has been subsequently released. As of 5 January, there were nine women detained at Derwentside.
The Home Office provides accommodation for those who are destitute and have outstanding asylum claims or to individuals who fall within the scope of protection provided to potential victims of modern slavery. Additionally, the Secretary of State may provide accommodation and support for a foreign national offender who is subject to a residency condition and are either considered to pose a high risk or harm to the public or be suffering from a serious physical or mental health problem.
As set out in published Detention Services Order (DSO) 07/2013 ‘welfare provisions in immigration removal centres’ staff will provide support with planning travel to accommodation. Any individual released from detention is offered a travel warrant to reach the accommodation to which they are being released unless accommodation is being provided by the Home Office in which case transport is provided.
The published equality impact assessment and DSO 04/2020 ‘Mental vulnerability and immigration detention: non-clinical guidance’, provides information on reasonable adjustments to accommodate incapacitated and mentally ill women at the IRC, including access to legal representation. The published contract and relevant Detention Services Orders set out the arrangements to ensure adherence to rules 34, 35, 40, 42 and 45 of the Detention Centre Rules. The contract is published here: Hassockfield IRC (STA) - Contracts Finder
Following the formal opening of Derwentside immigration removal centre last year, the first women were detained at the centre on 28 December 2021. Of these women one has been subsequently released. As of 5 January, there were nine women detained at Derwentside.
The Home Office provides accommodation for those who are destitute and have outstanding asylum claims or to individuals who fall within the scope of protection provided to potential victims of modern slavery. Additionally, the Secretary of State may provide accommodation and support for a foreign national offender who is subject to a residency condition and are either considered to pose a high risk or harm to the public or be suffering from a serious physical or mental health problem.
As set out in published Detention Services Order (DSO) 07/2013 ‘welfare provisions in immigration removal centres’ staff will provide support with planning travel to accommodation. Any individual released from detention is offered a travel warrant to reach the accommodation to which they are being released unless accommodation is being provided by the Home Office in which case transport is provided.
The published equality impact assessment and DSO 04/2020 ‘Mental vulnerability and immigration detention: non-clinical guidance’, provides information on reasonable adjustments to accommodate incapacitated and mentally ill women at the IRC, including access to legal representation. The published contract and relevant Detention Services Orders set out the arrangements to ensure adherence to rules 34, 35, 40, 42 and 45 of the Detention Centre Rules. The contract is published here: Hassockfield IRC (STA) - Contracts Finder
The new Derwentside immigration removal centre (IRC) will provide modern, decent and secure accommodation for around 80 women and we expect that the IRC will start holding women who are detained under immigration powers by the end of the year.
Unlike prisons, IRCs do not operate ‘certified normal accommodation’. In order to meet operational needs and demands, we operate the immigration removal estate in a flexible manner.
The table below sets out the operational capacity for each requested immigration removal centre (if all rooms and beds are in use) on 1st November 2021.
IRC | Total Operating Capacity 2021 |
Brook House | 448 |
Colnbrook | 330 |
Harmondsworth | 635 |
Total | 1413 |
The new Derwentside immigration removal centre (IRC) will provide modern, decent and secure accommodation for around 80 women and we expect that the IRC will start holding women who are detained under immigration powers by the end of the year.
Unlike prisons, IRCs do not operate ‘certified normal accommodation’. In order to meet operational needs and demands, we operate the immigration removal estate in a flexible manner.
The table below sets out the operational capacity for each requested immigration removal centre (if all rooms and beds are in use) on 1st November 2021.
IRC | Total Operating Capacity 2021 |
Brook House | 448 |
Colnbrook | 330 |
Harmondsworth | 635 |
Total | 1413 |
The contract to operate services at Derwentside immigration removal centre (IRC) was awarded to Mitie Care & Custody from 4 June 2021 for 2 years. We expect that the IRC will start holding women who are detained under immigration powers in the autumn.
The safety, health and welfare of individuals in immigration detention are considered with the upmost importance. The new Hassockfield (to be known as Derwentside) immigration removal centre (IRC) will be operated in line with Detention Centre Rules 2001, published operating standards for IRCs and Detention Services Orders; a framework which ensures the safety and security of those detained in our care.
The workforce requirements for the new Hassockfield IRC will reflect the lessons learned from detaining women at Yarl’s Wood IRC and will include a ratio of female to male custodial staff that is appropriate for the specific needs of women in detention. It is our aim that around 60% of uniformed staff will be women.
Healthcare in IRCs in England is commissioned by NHS England, and the healthcare services at Hassockfield IRC will be provided by NHS England & NHS Improvement commissioned service providers and delivered in line with the national service specifications for healthcare services in IRCs. The healthcare provider will ensure that services within the IRC are delivered to meet the healthcare needs of women. As set out in Detention Services Order 06/2016 ‘Women in the detention estate’ women will be offered the option to choose to see a female healthcare professional wherever possible.
The safety, health and welfare of individuals in immigration detention are considered with the upmost importance. The new Hassockfield (to be known as Derwentside) immigration removal centre (IRC) will be operated in line with Detention Centre Rules 2001, published operating standards for IRCs and Detention Services Orders; a framework which ensures the safety and security of those detained in our care.
The workforce requirements for the new Hassockfield IRC will reflect the lessons learned from detaining women at Yarl’s Wood IRC and will include a ratio of female to male custodial staff that is appropriate for the specific needs of women in detention. It is our aim that around 60% of uniformed staff will be women.
Healthcare in IRCs in England is commissioned by NHS England, and the healthcare services at Hassockfield IRC will be provided by NHS England & NHS Improvement commissioned service providers and delivered in line with the national service specifications for healthcare services in IRCs. The healthcare provider will ensure that services within the IRC are delivered to meet the healthcare needs of women. As set out in Detention Services Order 06/2016 ‘Women in the detention estate’ women will be offered the option to choose to see a female healthcare professional wherever possible.
The Home Office has acquired the former Hassockfield Secure Training Centre in County Durham and will open it as an immigration removal centre for women by the autumn.
Discussions with Durham County Council have taken place and will continue throughout the development of plans for the site. Consultations with local councillors, other local stakeholders and interested non-governmental organisations including the Refugee Council, will take place over the coming months.
The former Medomsley Detention Centre was demolished and rebuilt in 1988.
The Home Office has acquired the former Hassockfield Secure Training Centre in County Durham and will open it as an immigration removal centre for women by the autumn.
Discussions with Durham County Council have taken place and will continue throughout the development of plans for the site. Consultations with local councillors, other local stakeholders and interested non-governmental organisations including the Refugee Council, will take place over the coming months.
The former Medomsley Detention Centre was demolished and rebuilt in 1988.
We are always looking for ways to increase efficiencies throughout the visa application process, including how we can ensure customers receive, as soon as possible, the official documentation relating to the decision on their applications (a visa vignette in their passport and/or Biometric Residence Permit, if applicable).
Currently global travel restrictions as a result of Covid-19 continue to have some impact on the application process however this impact will reduce as restrictions start to ease.
There are a range of safeguards in place to protect the security of the passport service throughout the change of supplier. This has included assuring the sites used by Thales (formerly Gemalto) to produce the UK passport against the UK Security Policy Framework. In addition, they have been independently certified to the international standard for the Management of Security Printing Processes, ISO 14298 and the international standard for Information Security Management, ISO27001.
All passports continue to be personalised with the passport holder’s personal details such as name and photograph, in the United Kingdom. This ensures no personal data leaves the UK.
The outgoing supplier has maintained the required standards of security throughout the transition, with agreed plans in place for the secure decommissioning and destruction of the assets from this service.
“Major injuries” have been interpreted as injuries that have a NOTICAS (notification of casualty) listing of Very Seriously Injured (VSI) or Seriously Injured (SI), a limb amputation, or a Health and Safety incident with a Major or Specified severity. It is possible to recover from a ‘major’ injury and be retained in service in the same or an alternative role.
Between 1 April 2011 and 31 March 2021, there were 10,915 UK Service personnel who suffered a major injury but were not medically discharged. A breakdown by Financial Year is presented as follows:
As my answer contains personal information, I will communicate privately with the hon. Member.
Between 1 April 2011 and 31 March 2021, there were a) 20,970 UK Regular Armed Forces medical discharges and b) 157,295 UK Regular Armed Forces personnel who left service without a medical discharge. A breakdown by Financial Year is presented as follows:
Table 1: UK Regular Armed Forces1 medical discharges and other outflow, by Financial Year, numbers
1 April 2011 to 31 March 2021
Year | Medical Discharges | Other Outflow2 |
Total | 20,970 | 157,295 |
2011/12 | 1,615 | 19,946 |
2012/13 | 2,314 | 21,553 |
2013/14 | 2,697 | 20,878 |
2014/15 | 2,644 | 16,643 |
2015/16 | 2,332 | 14,599 |
2016/17 | 2,467 | 12,839 |
2017/18 | 2,377 | 13,045 |
2018/19 | 1,822 | 13,021 |
2019/20 | 1,578 | 13,831 |
2020/21 | 1,124 | 10,940 |
Sources: DMICP, FMed 23, JPA
There are fewer than 20 personnel within their final year of service currently deployed with the Carrier Strike Group, the majority of whom have volunteered to participate in all or part of this exciting and professionally rewarding deployment.
These personnel should not be disadvantaged by their deployment and they will undertake their full resettlement training and transition from active service upon their departure from their respective units.
The table below shows the recorded numbers of UK Armed Forces personnel who suffered a major injury in each Financial Year (FY) from 2011-12 to 2020-21 and who subsequently left their service without medical discharge.
Financial Year | Personnel |
2011-12 | 551 |
2012-13 | 442 |
2013-14 | 418 |
2014-15 | 523 |
2015-16 | 422 |
2016-17 | 307 |
2017-18 | 227 |
2018-19 | 181 |
2019-20 | 98 |
2020-21 | 27 |
Table Notes:
We have provided over £4.8 billion in additional funding to support councils throughout the pandemic, including £3.7 billion of un-ringfenced funding.
We are extremely grateful to councils for their continued collaboration through our COVID-19 data collection and monitoring exercises, and continue to have discussions with councils about the pressures they are facing.
The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) operates free legal advice surgeries in IRCs in England. Individuals who are detained are entitled to receive up to 30 minutes of advice regardless of financial eligibility or the merits of their case. There is no restriction on the number of surgeries an individual may attend. If an individual who is detained requires substantive advice on a matter which is in scope of legal aid, full legal advice can be provided if the statutory legal aid means and merits criteria are met.
In order to provide access to Detention Duty Advice Scheme (DDAS) services for women held at Derwentside Immigration Removal Centre (IRC) from 1 January 2022, existing providers at Yarl’s Wood IRC were invited to submit expressions of interest to provide services on a contingency basis. As a result, the following providers will be awarded rota slots at Derwentside IRC:
Provider |
All Legal Solicitors |
Caveat Solicitors Limited |
CB Legal Advisory Limited |
CK Solicitors |
Duncan Lewis & Co |
Fadiga & Co |
Immigration Advice Service |
JCWI |
Milestone Solicitors Limited |
NR Legal Solicitors Limited |
The Migrant Law Partnership |
Virgo Consultancy Services Limited |
Woolfe & Co Solicitors Ltd |
In line with Government advice on social distancing, the LAA DDAS is currently operating by phone in IRCs. Remote advice will be made available to women housed at Derwentside IRC on this basis.
In line with Government advice on social distancing, the LAA DDAS has been operating by phone in IRCs, including during the latest period for which figures are available (https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/legal-aid-statistics-quarterly-april-to-june-2021). Any exceptions to this are at the discretion of individual IRCs, such as if there is a justifiable requirement for a provider to attend in person.
The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) operates free legal advice surgeries in IRCs in England. Individuals who are detained are entitled to receive up to 30 minutes of advice regardless of financial eligibility or the merits of their case. There is no restriction on the number of surgeries an individual may attend. If an individual who is detained requires substantive advice on a matter which is in scope of legal aid, full legal advice can be provided if the statutory legal aid means and merits criteria are met.
In order to provide access to Detention Duty Advice Scheme (DDAS) services for women held at Derwentside Immigration Removal Centre (IRC) from 1 January 2022, existing providers at Yarl’s Wood IRC were invited to submit expressions of interest to provide services on a contingency basis. As a result, the following providers will be awarded rota slots at Derwentside IRC:
Provider |
All Legal Solicitors |
Caveat Solicitors Limited |
CB Legal Advisory Limited |
CK Solicitors |
Duncan Lewis & Co |
Fadiga & Co |
Immigration Advice Service |
JCWI |
Milestone Solicitors Limited |
NR Legal Solicitors Limited |
The Migrant Law Partnership |
Virgo Consultancy Services Limited |
Woolfe & Co Solicitors Ltd |
In line with Government advice on social distancing, the LAA DDAS is currently operating by phone in IRCs. Remote advice will be made available to women housed at Derwentside IRC on this basis.
In line with Government advice on social distancing, the LAA DDAS has been operating by phone in IRCs, including during the latest period for which figures are available (https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/legal-aid-statistics-quarterly-april-to-june-2021). Any exceptions to this are at the discretion of individual IRCs, such as if there is a justifiable requirement for a provider to attend in person.
The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) operates free legal advice surgeries in IRCs in England. Individuals who are detained are entitled to receive up to 30 minutes of advice regardless of financial eligibility or the merits of their case. There is no restriction on the number of surgeries an individual may attend. If an individual who is detained requires substantive advice on a matter which is in scope of legal aid, full legal advice can be provided if the statutory legal aid means and merits criteria are met.
In order to provide access to Detention Duty Advice Scheme (DDAS) services for women held at Derwentside Immigration Removal Centre (IRC) from 1 January 2022, existing providers at Yarl’s Wood IRC were invited to submit expressions of interest to provide services on a contingency basis. As a result, the following providers will be awarded rota slots at Derwentside IRC:
Provider |
All Legal Solicitors |
Caveat Solicitors Limited |
CB Legal Advisory Limited |
CK Solicitors |
Duncan Lewis & Co |
Fadiga & Co |
Immigration Advice Service |
JCWI |
Milestone Solicitors Limited |
NR Legal Solicitors Limited |
The Migrant Law Partnership |
Virgo Consultancy Services Limited |
Woolfe & Co Solicitors Ltd |
In line with Government advice on social distancing, the LAA DDAS is currently operating by phone in IRCs. Remote advice will be made available to women housed at Derwentside IRC on this basis.
In line with Government advice on social distancing, the LAA DDAS has been operating by phone in IRCs, including during the latest period for which figures are available (https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/legal-aid-statistics-quarterly-april-to-june-2021). Any exceptions to this are at the discretion of individual IRCs, such as if there is a justifiable requirement for a provider to attend in person.
The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) operates free legal advice surgeries in Immigration Removal Centres (IRCs) in England. Individuals who are detained are entitled to receive up to 30 minutes of advice regardless of financial eligibility or the merits of their case. There is no restriction on the number of surgeries an individual may attend. If an individual who is detained requires substantive advice on a matter which is in scope of legal aid, full legal advice can be provided if the statutory legal aid means and merits criteria are met.
In order to provide access to the Detention Duty Advice Scheme (DDAS) services for women held at Derwentside Immigration Removal Centre (IRC) from 1 January 2022, existing Providers at Yarl’s Wood IRC will be invited to express interest in providing an additional 6 months of interim provision at Derwentside.
Under the contingency arrangements, 2 surgeries per week are planned for Derwentside DDAS. Appointments will be available as soon as women are held at the centre.
Following a change of operations in line with Government advice on social distancing, the LAA DDAS is currently operating by phone in IRCs. Detained individuals who wish to access this service are asked to advise centre staff, who will notify the duty solicitor under the scheme. The duty solicitor will contact the individual directly.
Applicants were notified that the Legal Aid Agency (LAA) had cancelled the procurement process for the Detained Duty Advice Scheme (DDAS) at Derwentside in its entirety on 16 November 2021.
This decision was taken as a result of receiving insufficient compliant tenders that met the minimum requirements detailed in the procurement process.
To provide access to DDAS services for Clients at Derwentside Immigration Removal Centre (IRC) from 1 January 2022, the LAA will seek to continue the existing contingency arrangements, which were established on 18 August 2021 (but which have not yet been used due to the postponement of the IRC opening), for a period of 6 months (until 30 June 2022). During this time the LAA will review the volume of Clients at the IRC and how services are being delivered to inform its approach to procuring these services.
Under the contingency arrangements, 2 surgeries per week are planned for DDAS at Derwentside and appointments will be available as soon as detainees are being held there.