Lee Rowley

The Government has a range of policies aimed at improving the energy efficiency of non-domestic properties such as those used by community groups and clubs.

Where the community buildings are owned by the public sector, they are eligible for energy efficiency reduction funding through the Public Sector Energy Efficiency Loan Scheme. The capital pot for England stands at £385 million by the end of 2020/21. This funding, managed by Salix Finance, has delivered over 17,000 projects, significantly improving energy performance in the public sector. There is also the rural community energy fund which supports local communities in developing and designing energy projects locally. These projects can include community and club buildings.

We have also put in place minimum energy efficiency standards in the non-domestic rental sector. The Energy Efficiency (Private Rented Property)(England and Wales) Regulations 2015 require landlords of non-domestic properties to improve their building’s energy performance to an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of E. We consulted in October 2019 on raising the minimum standard to an EPC B by 2030, where cost effective. This is expected to cover up to 85% of properties in the non-domestic rental sector.

According to the independent body Thinkbroadband, currently 96.39% of premises in North East Derbyshire constituency have access to superfast broadband - up from 37% in 2013. 26.6% of premises have access to gigabit broadband. Only 1% of premises in North East Derbyshire constituency have access to less than 2Mbps.

The Government is aware that the loss of chlorpropham (CIPC), has left a gap in availability of products to control sprouting in stored potatoes, and that in some situations, particularly where potatoes are intended for processing, there are no similarly effective solutions currently available.

Before an alternative pesticide can be used, its active substance must be approved and the pesticide product itself must be authorised. Decisions on approval and authorisation are based on an assessment of the risks posed to people and to the environment. Such decisions are devolved and so are taken by the relevant government or by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) on its behalf.

The active substance 1,4-dimethylnaphthalene (1,4-DMN) is an alternative to chlorpropham (CIPC). At present there is no authorised product. The UK Government and the Devolved Administrations have granted an emergency authorisation allowing the limited and controlled use until 31 May 2021 of the 1,4-DMN product, 1,4-Sight, to prevent sprouting of harvested potatoes. This emergency authorisation is granted in recognition of the need for sprout suppression and the lack, in certain circumstances, of alternative means of control. The application for full authorisation is being considered by the HSE. Advice on the availability and use of alternative products is provided by industry bodies.

In the 2017 Litter Strategy, the Government set out a number of commitments to tackle roadside litter through education, improved infrastructure and enforcement.

We have already given councils new powers to hold the keeper of a vehicle responsible for litter thrown from it by issuing a civil penalty, carried out a pilot survey of roadside cleanliness on those parts of the Strategic Road Network (SRN) which are litter-picked by local authorities and engaged over 100 of those authorities in research to explore associated issues, challenges and good practice.

We expect to publish a report on our findings later this year. This work is ongoing and will also support future updates to the Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse.

On other parts of the SRN the responsibility for cleansing lies with Highways England, who have committed to their vision of a network predominantly free from litter, without compromising safety and delivered affordably, in their own Litter Strategy, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/highways-england-litter-strategy

We will continue to promote anti-littering messages where possible, as we have done recently via social media and dedicated campaigns such as ‘Respect the Outdoors’.

On behalf of Defra and MHCLG, the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) have recently published guidance for local authorities and Business Improvement Districts in England on the provision of litter bins, which includes a section on ‘Highways, laybys and rest stops’. We are also making £2 million available in the form of grants to local authorities to improve the provision of litter bins.

The Right Bin in the Right Place guidance is available at https://wrap.org.uk/content/binfrastructure-right-bin-right-place .

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has put in place a number of measures to increase driving tests for heavy goods vehicle drivers.

These include offering overtime and annual leave buy back to examiners, asking all those qualified to conduct tests, but who do not do so as part of their current day job, to return to conducting tests, and conducting out of hours testing (such as on public holidays). The DVSA has also started a recruitment campaign to increase the number of examiners.

The aim is to increase testing capacity as quickly as possible, whilst maintaining a COVID-secure service for customers and examiners.

We have committed £500 million to deliver smart motorway safety improvements across the strategic road network. The Secretary of State has asked Highways England for a one-year on report since the Safety Evidence Stocktake and Action Plan was published, setting out the progress in delivering the 18-point Action Plan and identifying actions that can be delivered early. He has asked for the report by 12 March 2021 so any accelerated works can rapidly be put in place.

For the M1 J32-35a, Highways England will commence the installation of SVD in February 2021 and it is expected to be operational in Summer 2021.

For the M1 J28-31, Highways England are expected to start the installation of SVD in August 2021 and it is expected to be operational by March 2022.

All emergency areas now have a new bright orange road surface and new, more frequent signs have been installed.

The responsibility for traffic management on local roads rests with the relevant local authority, as they are best placed to consider how local needs can be met effectively. It is entirely a matter for individual authorities to decide on the nature and scope of their on-street parking policies and to balance the needs of residents, emergency services, local businesses and those who work in and visit the areas.

The Department is closely monitoring the evidence on the case for ivermectin as a treatment for COVID-19. On 23 June, the PRINCIPLE clinical trial platform announced that ivermectin would be investigated to generate robust data on its effectiveness in treating adults aged 18 years old and over who are at higher risk of serious illness from COVID-19. We will closely monitor the data from this trial, as well as emerging clinical trials worldwide to expand our evidence-base on the efficacy of ivermectin. We expect that data will become available from trials throughout 2021 and 2022 and will be reviewed by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.

The Department has been closely monitoring the evidence on the case for ivermectin as a treatment for COVID-19. A recent collection of small studies show some positive indications that ivermectin may act as a treatment for COVID-19. However, further high quality, larger-scale studies are still needed to confirm the safety and efficacy of this treatment. We will continue to closely monitor the data from further emerging clinical trials worldwide to expand our evidence-base on the efficacy of ivermectin in treating COVID-19.

NHS Pathways includes specific questions designed to determine if any blood has been coughed up by a patient. These questions are continually reviewed in order to enhance and refine the product. The NHS Pathways team is currently reviewing whether asking a caller about ‘pink frothy sputum (or phlegm)’ in the relevant symptomatic pathways is required in the context of the wider critical illness assessment.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body responsible for producing evidence-based guidance for the National Health Service on whether medicines represent a clinical and cost-effective use of resources.

NICE has published guidance recommending nintedanib and pirfenidone as options for treating adults with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis if the person has a forced vital capacity between 50% and 80%. NICE is currently considering whether an update to this guidance is required and expects to inform stakeholders of the outcome early this year.

In April 2020, the CARE brand was transferred to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care from the CARE Badge Community Interest Company.

When this transfer took place, the Government purchased the remaining stock of badges held by the previous brand owner. These were distributed at no cost to social care providers or members of the workforce. Additional badges have been procured and we expect to be able to start delivering them in July.

We also launched the CARE app on 6 May, which provides the social care workforce with advice, guidance, and mental health and wellbeing support, amongst other things, during this difficult time.