Kate Osborne

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.

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:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-free-school-meals-guidance/covid-19-free-school-meals-guidance-for-schools.

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:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-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:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/closure-of-educational-settings-information-for-parents-and-carers.

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:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-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:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/closure-of-educational-settings-information-for-parents-and-carers.

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:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-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:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/closure-of-educational-settings-information-for-parents-and-carers.

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 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.

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:

• Fire risk assessment
• Fire alarm maintenance
• Firefighting equipment maintenance
• Emergency lighting drop test
• Insurance inspection lift (if present)
• Boiler maintenance
• Electrical installation certificate
• Lightning protection maintenance
• Asbestos management inspection
• Water risk assessment
• Portable appliance test
• Radon monitoring

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:

• Fire risk assessment
• Fire alarm maintenance
• Firefighting equipment maintenance
• Emergency lighting drop test
• Insurance inspection lift (if present)
• Boiler maintenance
• Electrical installation certificate
• Lightning protection maintenance
• Asbestos management inspection
• Water risk assessment
• Portable appliance test
• Radon monitoring

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:

• Fire risk assessment
• Fire alarm maintenance
• Firefighting equipment maintenance
• Emergency lighting drop test
• Insurance inspection lift (if present)
• Boiler maintenance
• Electrical installation certificate
• Lightning protection maintenance
• Asbestos management inspection
• Water risk assessment
• Portable appliance test
• Radon monitoring

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:

• Fire risk assessment
• Fire alarm maintenance
• Firefighting equipment maintenance
• Emergency lighting drop test
• Insurance inspection lift (if present)
• Boiler maintenance
• Electrical installation certificate
• Lightning protection maintenance
• Asbestos management inspection
• Water risk assessment
• Portable appliance test
• Radon monitoring

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.

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:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/jcvi-interim-advice-on-a-potential-coronavirus-covid-19-booster-vaccine-programme-for-winter-2021-to-2022

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:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/coronavirus-covid-19-scientific-evidence-supporting-the-uk-government-response

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:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/staying-alert-and-safe-social-distancing/staying-alert-and-safe-social-distancing#businesses-and-venues

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.