Lee Anderson

The UK has a strong history of protecting against direct and indirect discrimination. The Equality Act 2010 (The Act) has protections that enable people to challenge age discrimination across a range of fields, including the provision of services, employment and recruitment processes. Where age discrimination cannot be objectively justified and is unlawful, individuals can seek redress in the courts or, where relevant, at an employment tribunal.

The UK has a strong history of protecting against direct and indirect discrimination. The Equality Act 2010 (The Act) has protections that enable people to challenge age discrimination across a range of fields, including the provision of services, employment and recruitment processes. Where age discrimination cannot be objectively justified and is unlawful, individuals can seek redress in the courts or, where relevant, at an employment tribunal.

Free speech is a cornerstone of British values. The right to freedom of expression is a long-held fundamental right under Article 10 of the European Convention of Human Rights.

The Equality Act 2010 provides protection from discrimination protects people with a religion or philosophical belief from discrimination, as well as to those who lack a religion or belief. The definition of religion or religious or philosophical belief is in line with Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights which stipulates that everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. It is also compatible with Article 10 which covers the right to freedom of expression, including the freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart information and ideas without interference by public authorities.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is Great Britain’s national equality and human rights body. The Commission safeguards and enforces the laws that protect people’s rights to fairness, dignity and respect.

The Cabinet Office, including the Office for Equality and Opportunity, has received no requests for additional government funding from Stonewall.

The Church Commissioners have a discretion under the Episcopal Endowments and Stipends Measure 1943, assessed on a case by case basis, to pay the costs of a bishop’s office, including costs in connection with legal claims. Such claims include those which may allege that the office of a serving bishop is liable for the wrongdoing of a previous holder of the office or a person for whom in law the office of the bishop may be responsible.

Requests to the Church Commissioners for assistance with legal costs are subject to scrutiny by the First Church Estates Commissioner and the KC Commissioner, assisted by officers, to ensure that costs are reasonable in the circumstances.

It is not the practice of the Church Commissioners to disclose expenditure on the costs of legal proceedings of this kind (they are not required to do so under s.5 Episcopal Endowments and Stipends Measure 1943)

The Attorney General’s Office does not have a set target for diversity, equality and inclusion (EDI) for staff recruitment or representation. The AGO welcomes applications from those of all backgrounds.

As set out in the Civil Service People Plan 2024 - 2027, we are committed to ensuring we attract, develop and retain talented people from a diverse range of backgrounds to create a modern Civil Service, now and for the future.

Civil Service recruitment must follow the rules set out in legislation within the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act (CRaGA) 2010 which outlines the requirements to ensure that civil servants are recruited on merit, via fair and open competition.

Going Forward into Employment (GFiE) accredits life chance recruitment pathways across government. GFiE pathways recruit people from a wide range of backgrounds into the Civil Service, including people from low socio-economic backgrounds, prison leavers, veterans, carers and care leavers.

People recruited by GFiE develop skills, gain experience and build a career, contributing to the Opportunity Mission and to the wider economy.

The Cabinet Office participates in the Great Place to Work for Veterans scheme which offers a guaranteed interview if a veteran meets the minimum criteria for the role. The department also welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction for specific offences.

In the last year, the Cabinet Office has participated in internship schemes aimed to increase the number of people from underrepresented groups in the workforce. These were:

• Fast Stream Summer Internship Programme (Cabinet Office runs on behalf of the whole Civil Service)

• Care Leavers Programme (Run by Department for Education)

• Career ready workplace scheme (Run by Cabinet Office Glasgow colleagues)

• Cabinet Office/Barnardos internship partnership (Run by Cabinet Office Glasgow colleagues)

Over the last year, the Cabinet Office has used artificial intelligence to enhance efficiency, improve productivity, and accelerate operational speed across government.

The Department’s goal has been to use AI - where reasonable and possible to do so - to free up officials to focus on higher value strategic work and delivering on the country’s priorities. There are significant potential gains from safe and responsible AI adoption within the public sector.

Guidance on this can be found in the Government’s AI playbook and strategy.

This information is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 4th July is attached.

We have agreed that we will work towards the establishment of a balanced youth experience scheme with the EU. We have agreed that any scheme will be capped as well as time-limited. We have also been clear that it should be in line with the UK’s existing schemes with countries like Australia and New Zealand. The exact parameters will be subject to negotiation, but any scheme will need to be in the UK’s national interests.

The Civil Service People Plan 2024–2027 commits to attracting and retaining diverse talent. Recruitment follows the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010, ensuring fair and open competition based on merit.

Going Forward into Employment (GFiE) supports inclusive recruitment pathways, welcoming individuals from low socio-economic backgrounds, and other categories. GFiE helps participants gain skills, experience, and career opportunities.

From October 2024 to October 2025, the Department supported the Autism Exchange Internship Programme, offering eight placements.

The Department guarantees interviews for disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria under the Disability Confident Interview Scheme.

Staffing levels and business lone working policies are commercial matters for individual businesses to decide. An employer must identify the risks to lone workers and put control measures in place to protect them. It is for the employer to determine the best way to manage those risks taking account of the circumstances of their business and work activity. HSE provide guidance on lone working: Lone working: Protect those working alone - HSE.

The government is protecting the smallest businesses by increasing the Employment Allowance to £10,500. This means that this year, 865,000 employers will pay no NICs at all, more than half of employers see no change or gain overall from this package and employers will be able to employ up to four full-time workers on the National Living Wage and pay no employer NICs.

In the last year, the Department has expanded the use of artificial intelligence for a growing range of purposes within an AI governance framework consistent with the AI playbook for the UK Government. AI is being used to allow businesses to get tailored advice on export finance via business.gov.uk. A dedicated AI team has been exploring over 30 potential purposes such as conducting rapid evidence assessments and improving correspondence processes. In addition, the Department has made available approved AI tools and training to nearly 4,000 DBT officials around the globe, enabling them to benefit from AI in their own individual work.

On 24 October 2024 the Cabinet Office announced that 60% minimum office attendance for most staff continues to be the best balance of working for the Civil Service. Senior managers will continue to be expected to be in the office more than 60% of the time. Due to space constraints the department has set the requirement of 40% for delegated grades.

The department does not hold comprehensive data on the number of workdays that were completed remotely. See Civil Service Headquarters occupancy data for published information covering departmental headquarters building occupancy.

The department introduced a process to record office attendance information from 4 August 2025. This data is not yet available.

The Government recognises the vital role pubs play in supporting local economies and fostering community cohesion, as well as the pressures they face.

That is why we established the Licensing Taskforce in April, bringing together representatives from the hospitality sector to help shape reforms. We published the Government’s response on 31 July, setting out a new National Licensing Policy Framework to simplify outdated rules and protect long-standing venues from noise complaints. These reforms form part of the recently announced Small Business Strategy, which aims to tackle late payments, boost access to finance, and remove red tape to enable small businesses, including pubs, grow and thrive.

Additionally, we’re creating a fairer business rates system that protects the high street and supports investment, including permanently lower rates for retail, hospitality and leisure properties under £500,000 rateable value. We’ve also launched a Hospitality Support Scheme to co-fund projects aligned with DBT and Hospitality Sector Council priorities such as Pub is The Hub to encourage local investment.

As set out in the Civil Service People Plan 2024 - 2027, DESNZ are committed to ensuring we attract, develop and retain talented people from a diverse range of backgrounds to create a modern Civil Service, now and for the future.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero recruitment must follow the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act (CRaGA) 2010 legislation, which outlines the requirements to ensure that civil servants are recruited on merit, via fair and open competition.

Whilst recruitment into DESNZ does not focus solely on underrepresented groups we want to ensure all groups feel supported during the recruitment process and see DESNZ as an employer of choice. As part of our recruitment process, we:

• Run the Disability Confident Scheme and are a Disability Confident Leader
• Anonymise applications (including removing the name of educational institutions)
• Run attraction events targeted at underrepresented groups (ethnic minorities, women and those from lower socio-economic backgrounds)

DESNZ has run or supported the following programmes aimed at supporting underrepresented groups in the workforce in the past year:

• Autism Exchange Internship Programme - supporting young autistic people to gain meaningful work experience in the Civil Service.
• Care Leavers Programme - a programme run by Department for Education and a GFiE accredited programme, is an internship designed to improve outcomes for young people who have spent time in care.
• Change 100 Summer Internship Programme - a collaboration with the charity Leonard Cheshire to provide an internship for disabled students and graduates.
• upReach Summer Internship Programme - a collaboration with the charity upReach to offer an internship for university students from lower socio-economic backgrounds.
• Release on temporary licence programme (ROTL) - a programme that supports individuals who are eligible to be released from prison on temporary licence to work.
• Summer Internship Programme - the new revised programme for 2026 will support individuals in their final 2 years from a lower socio-economic backgrounds into placements in the Department, which aims to build a diverse pipeline into Fast Stream.

The insolvency process at Prax Lindsey is led by the court-appointed Official Receiver, who must act in accordance with his statutory duties and independently of government.

On 30 September, the Official Receiver made the independent decision to issue 125 redundancy notices effective from 31 October in order to provide employees with as much notice as possible, while concluding the sales process in the coming weeks. The majority of the workforce will be retained beyond the end of October.

The Official Receiver is independently assessing potential bids for the future of the refinery and its assets and has made clear he will continue to work with all bidders with credible and deliverable proposals. The Government remains hopeful that a solution will be found that supports jobs on the site long-term.

The Government’s first priority is supporting the workforce. Employees will be able to access support from the Department for Work and Pensions and the National Careers Service. We are also funding a Training Guarantee for refinery workers, to ensure they have the skills they need and are supported to find long-term jobs, including in the growing clean energy workforce. Those affected are able to enrol onto the scheme now with over 60 workers already registered to complete Training Need Assessments.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has made use of artificial intelligence (AI) over the past year for a range of purposes including:

• Support to general corporate and administrative activities. For example, creating meeting notes, drafting and summarising documents.
• Information retrieval and presentation, including extracting data from multiple sources to produce straightforward guidance for common activities and develop tailored insights for policy planning and development.

• Data analysis and decision support, for example, researching and analysing economic trends in green industries and markets.

AI is used in accordance with all relevant departmental and government guidelines, to ensure responsible and ethical use and data protection.

The Offshore Wind Regional Growth Prospectuses set out a range of current manufacturing and services capabilities in the UK, as well as growth opportunities, including in blade, foundation and cable manufacture; secondary steel components; cable installation; operations and maintenance activity; and environmental services. New facilities in development include cable manufacturing in Nigg and Blyth, and monopile construction in Teesside.

Data collected via the Onshore Wind Taskforce indicates that UK content in domestic onshore windfarms can be between 50 and 70 percent, with high shares of jobs and investment in development, operations and maintenance, civil engineering and electrical works.

The Government incentivises industrial rooftop solar in various ways, including permitted development rights, favourable tax treatment, and the Smart Export Guarantee.

Solar is part of our strategy for improving the energy performance of buildings. It will play an important role, where appropriate, on newbuild non-domestic buildings in the Future Buildings Standard which is to be introduced later this year. The UK’s overall approach to Net Zero commercial buildings will be set out in the Warm Homes Plan later this year.

Achieving our ambitious clean power mission will require rapid deployment of rooftop and ground-mounted solar. However, planning guidance makes clear that, wherever possible, solar developers should utilise brownfield, industrial, contaminated, or previously developed land.